CHAPTER III 
THE CANADIAN NORTH WEST 
Leaving Newfoundland, the St. Lawrence and the region 
of the Great Lakes on our north-westward travels, we now 
enter the drainage area of the mighty Mackenzie River which 
conducts its muddy waters to the Arctic Ocean. We 
know from Mr. A. H. Harrison’s * recent exploit that it 
is possible to journey down the one thousand eight hun¬ 
dred miles from the Athabaska landing and reach the Arctic 
Ocean entirely by boat. But we obtain a better idea of the 
faima and flora of this vast Athabaska-Mackenzie region by 
crossing the country on foot, or by a perusal of the excellent 
report lately published by the biological survey of the United 
States Department of Agriculture. The task of furnishing 
this report was entrusted to Mr. Edward A. Preble,f a natura¬ 
list who already had the advantage of accomplishing the diffi¬ 
cult survey of the Hudson Bay region, and who had shown 
himself possessed of the necessary qualifications for such an 
undertaking. 
The Mackenzie basin comprises a vast region of nearly 
700,000 square miles, or about six times the size of the 
British Islands. As is usually the case in regions covered 
by glacial drift, the country is studded with innumerable 
fresh-water lakes extending in a more or less connected system 
from Lake Superior to the Arctic Ocean. With the exception 
of a large area in the north, which is mainly outside the actual 
drainage basin of the Mackenzie, much of this region is 
entirely covered with forests. The principal trees are white 
and black spruce, the canoe birch, tamarack, aspen and balsam 
* Harrison, A. H., “ In Search of a Polar Continent.” 
t Preble, E. A., “ Athabaska-Mackenzie Region.” Compare also 
Macfarlane, R., “ Mammals of North-West Territory.” 
