SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 133 



of self-preservation, that this woman's life was taken 

 away. 



While ascending Bad river, Mr. Say observed on the 

 bank a beautiful little animal, which was soon made out to 

 be a fox, probably of the rare and valuable species called 

 the Cross Fox. The animal was shot at, and wounded, but 

 unfortunately he succeeded in making his escape. From the 

 trace of blood which was left on the rocks, it was judged that 

 he could not have run far, but as the woods were very 

 thick, our hunters failed in discovering him. 



Among the plants, none appeared to call for particular 

 notice from Lake de la Croix to the height of land, except 

 the raspberry, which yielded fruit in the greatest abun- 

 dance and of a very superior quality. The minerals pre- 

 sented but little diversity ; in one place, the rock, which is 

 a mica-slate, contains many small nodules of quartz, and 

 probably of garnet, which impart to it a rough appearance, 

 and have caused it to be noted by the voyagers under the 

 name of the "Rocher Gi'enuilleux." But the crystals of 

 garnet were so small and ill defined, that it was with diffi- 

 culty they could be made out. The only good crystals 

 which we saw were of tourmaline, in a granitic rock which 

 forms the Island of the Straits, in Little Sturgeon Lake. 

 These were beautiful, about an inch long, and terminated 

 at both ends, but they could not be detached except by 

 blasting, which we had neither the time nor the means to 

 execute. They were of an intense black, the more remark- 

 able, as most of the rocks which we observed in the por- 

 tages, as we advanced in our journey, were almost free from 

 colouring matter. We frequently found granite, whose mica 

 was of a silvery white, the quartz transparent and co- 

 lourless, and the feldspar resembling the adularia or moon- 



VoL. IL IS 



