SOURCE OF ST. PETER's RIVER. 357 



The St. Peter dwindles into a very small stream, pro- 

 bably not more than fifteen or twenty yards wide in any 

 part, above Patterson's rapids. It is fordable every where. 

 The valley presents a fine rich soil, rather swampy in 

 places, and covered with high grass and wild rice ; it is 

 often woody. Wherever the primitive rocks are found, 

 they are bare. The trees consist principally of cotton wood 

 and ash. In the prairies, Mr. Say found the spotted frog, 

 (Rana halecina of Kalm and Daudin,) figured by Catesby. 

 It was very plentiful near the marshes. The young whip- 

 poorwill was found at that time, nearly strong enough to 

 fly. The mosquetoes increased in abundance and virulence 

 as we advanced. 



A short day's journey brought the party to the Lac qui 

 parte, which is an expansion of the river about seven and 

 a half miles long, and from one quarter to three quarters 

 of ii mile wide. The name of this lake is a translation of 

 the Indian appellation, M^-nda e h., but whence it has re- 

 ceived it, we know not. We have not been able to disco- 

 ver or to hear of any remarkable echo in its vicinity, 

 which might have given rise to it. It is not, we believe, an 

 uncommon naine for Indians, and we know of at least one 

 river that has a somewhat analogous appellation ; it is the 

 Riviere qui appelle, a tributary of the Assiniboin, and 

 whose Indian name has merely been translated by the tra- 

 ders. Previous to reaching Lake qui parle, we passed two 

 small tributaries of the St. Peter, on the right bank ; one 

 of which is called by the traders, Beaver, by the Indians, 

 Watapan intapu, which signifies the "river at the head," 

 as they consider the lake to be the head of the St. Peter. 

 Six miles above our encampment of the 19th, a larger 

 stream, called by some Chippewa river, but by the Ba- 

 -rotos Me^ Wuhkun watapan, the river of the spirit banks, 



