1914] The Ottawa Naturalist. 27 



A change in the course of the migration of the cariboo or the 

 periodical failure of the rabbits has always been attended by 

 starvation and hardship among the natives, and has, in the past, 

 been the cause of occasional lapses towards cannibalism. If it 

 were not for the food supply of fish, it would be exceedingly 

 difficult for the natives to live at all, and it is safe to say that no 

 coi:ntry in the world has such a large quantity or excellent quality 

 of food fishes as the lakes and streams of the Mackenzie basin. • 



Inhabitants. 

 The population of the Mackenzie basin, at the present time, 

 numbers only a few thousands, the larger proportion of which 

 are Indians and half-breeds. Most of the white population is 

 segregated on the southern fringe of the region. The widely 

 separated posts in the central and northern parts of the basin 

 average perhaps a dozen white people each, and these posts are 

 usually about 150 miles apart. As far northward, however, as 

 the Liard river and Great Slave lake, which might be considered 

 the northern limit to which any considerable settlement of an 

 agricultural population will take place, there is within the basin 

 of the Mackenzie an area of about 200,000 square miles, which 

 should be able to support a population of at least 2,000,000 

 people, or about ten persons to the square mile, and that mainly 

 from agriculture. 



Waterways. 

 One of the most important features of the Mackenzie basin, 

 and one on which to a very large extent the development of the 

 region depends, is its system of waterways. These waterways 

 are the main highways of the region, and except for the very 

 southern fringe of the region, where railways and wagon roads 

 are now being built, constitute the only routes of travel in winter 

 as well as in summer. Until 2 5 or 30 years ago, the only craft 

 plying on them were the York boats of the traders and the 

 canoes of the natives. Since that time river steamers have been 

 built and now run on all sections of the main waterway. At the 

 present time steamers are running on the Athabasca, Peace, 

 Slave and Mackenzie rivers. 



The Mackenzie system of waterways, on which steamers 

 can and do run, has a known length of river and lake shore line 

 of 6,900 miles. This system is divided naturally into four 

 sections, each section being separated from the adjoining one 

 by natural obstructions of falls or heavy rapids which the 

 steamers cannot surmount. These sections I have named for 

 convenience: — (1) The Athabasca river section; (2) the Peace 



