1 88 FOREST TREES. 



To the North American Indian the Birch is scarcely less valuable 

 than the Palm to the natives of the Tropics. From the tough, pliable 

 bark the Indians manufacture vessels of every conceivable size and 

 shape, from the rude mokowk, or rice and sugar basket, to the most 

 delicate and richly ornamented work-box, pocket-book, and sheath for 

 knife or scissors, curiously worked with moose-hair and porcupine 

 quills : these materials, humble and apparently of little worth, are dyed 

 with the brightest of colours, and serve the purpose of giving a gorgeous 

 effect to the equally simple, natural article, the bark, of which they are 

 constructed. It is of the large sheets of the White Birch that the Indians 

 form their canoes, and the sides of their winter wigwams are panelled 

 with the same flexible material. These panels are so contrived as to 

 form temporary storing places that answer the purpose of closets and 

 wardrobes ; bags and boxes in which all sorts of miscellaneous house- 

 hold articles are kept, clothing, dried meat, fish, rice or sugar, in their 

 bark baskets, or packs of peltries ; in short, anything and everything is 

 stowed away out of sight in these primitive pockets. Necessity is the 

 mother of invention, and teaches the simple children of the forest 

 expedients at which the white man is inclined to smile, if not to scoff. 



The construction of the Birch-bark canoes — those light and portable 

 vessels with which the Indian navigates the lakes and inland streams — 

 is usually the work of the women, who are as skilful in the art of boat 

 building as the men. The shape, length and breadth of the canoe is 

 marked out by upright sharp sticks driven into the ground, thus forming 

 theoutline and supporting the sheets of bark during the process of building. 

 The frame work (or ribs) is composed of split Cedar ; the sheets of bark 

 are sewed together with the roots of the Tamarack (American Larch) ; 

 these roots are steeped in water, peeled and coiled ready for use, and 

 look like thick cord — smooth and very tough. Over the seams of the 

 Birch-bark a strong adhesive pitch, made from the resinous gum of some 

 of the Pine tribe, is plastered, and a strong coat of varnish, also made of 

 some resinous gum, is painted over the whole. The thwarts are firmly 

 secured to the edge of the canoe, sewed strongly with the wah-tap, and 

 when all is gummed and varnished the little vessel is ready for the 

 launch. 



The dry bark of the Birch is very innanimable bemg supplied with 

 a fine aromatic oil which is readily ignited, and gives out a delightful 

 aroma while it is burning. The dry bark is sometimes used instead of fat 

 pine in the fisherman's skiff when night spearing on the lakes. Formerl)-, 

 before lucifer matches were in use the very thinly peeled barkof the Birch 

 was much used as a ready substitute for tinder by the settlers in the 

 Backwoods, and in kindling a fire a bit of this bark makes it burn up- 



