32 The Ottawa Naturalist. [May 



ever, the winter routes, at the present time, all follow the river 

 courses, either horses or dogs being used, in different parts. The 

 winter mail that is sent down the Mackenzie valley by the Govern- 

 ment to the various posts eventually reaches Herschel island, 

 in the Arctic ocean, and for the whole of the distance from the 

 end of the railway line at Athabasca landing — a distance of 

 about 2,000 miles — the route is over the ice of the Athabasca, 

 Slave and Mackenzie rivers, and the conveyance in toboggans 

 drawn by dog teams. 



Again the waterways are of importance, because the natural 

 resources that are known to exist on them, and those which will 

 in the natural course of events be developed first, are to be found 

 along them. The best agricultural land, and that which will be 

 first utilized, is situated along the banks of the streams where 

 the drainage is good. There is undoubtedly much that lies back 

 from the stream courses, but this will not be taken up and worked 

 until the available area along the valleys is occupied. The best 

 timber also is situated on the banks of the streams. 



Not only are the waterways of the Mackenzie basin import- 

 ant from the point of view of navigation and transportation, 

 but because of the quantity and variety of food fishes which they 

 contain. 



The fisheries of the Great Lakes of the Mackenzie basin — 

 namely, those, of Athabasca, Great Slave and Great Bear lakes — 

 are among the most valuable of the assets of the region. 

 Hundreds of thousands of excellent whitefish are caught in 

 Athabasca and Great Slave lakes ever}^ year. A great many 

 more were caught annually a few years ago, when the trading 

 posts were more dependent on the native food supply than they 

 are now, and McConnell's estimate of half a million pounds of 

 whitefish being taken from Great Slave lake in the autumn 

 fishery of 1887 is not too large. The fisheries of Athabasca 

 lake are equally good in proportion to its size, but both of these 

 lakes are outdone by Great Bear lake in the size, quality and 

 variety of its fish. Whitefish there go up to 12 pounds in weight 

 and trout to 50 pounds or more, besides which there is the 

 herring, which is not found in either of the other lakes. Even 

 at present, whitefish form a very important item in the diet of 

 the natives, and it has been proved by long years of experience 

 that a man can live and thrive on a diet of whitefish, and white- 

 fish alone. He will tire of any other kind of fish, even of trout, 

 but the whitefish never. In fact, the taste for whitefish increases 

 with the use of it. 



Other natural resources which will be developed by means 

 of the water routes are the minerals, among which are oil and 



