94 EXPEDITION TO TfiE 



but, we doubt not, that with a little exertion the clay might 

 be obtained perfectly pure, and well suited to the manu- 

 facture of porcelain. A number of blocks of blue limestone, 

 which we saw at some of these portages, led us to believe 

 that we were then at no great distance from the secondary 

 formations. Our evening encampment was, however, up- 

 on a very fine mass of granite, projecting into Bonnet 

 Lake. The rock likewise appeared in insulated masses in 

 the middle of the lake. These are, for the most part, desti- 

 tute of vegetation. As we proceeded, we observed thaC 

 the trees of deciduous foliage had almost disappeared, and 

 that their place was supplied by a greater abundance of 

 evergreens, such as tamarack, juniper, spruce, white pine, 

 pitch pine, &c. Among the bushes we chiefl;^ remarked 

 the huckleberry, raspberry, black currant, and a wild 

 cherry, which was then ripe, and which, notwithstanding 

 its slightly astringent taste, was palatable. Among the 

 birds Mr. Say saw the cedar-bird,* fish-hawk,t kingfisher,^ 

 kildeer, the black-headed tern, and numberless ducks. At 

 the evening encampment, we observed on the shore my- 

 riads of dead bodies of a new species of ephemera, Baetes 

 alba, (Vide Appendix I. Entomology,) cast on it by the 

 waves, and after sunset a very numerous swarm of the 

 same insect collected over the surface of the water where 

 they did not, however, remain long; they totally dis- 

 appeared before we retired to rest. We saw several fami- 

 lies of Indians that came up to us in small and very neat 

 bark canoes. The master of one of these was very desirous 

 of exchanging with us a handsome wooden bowl for some 

 pemmican, but as we had none to spare, we declined his 



• Bombyclvora Carolinensis. f Falco halixtus. 



f Alcedo alcyun. 



