SOURCE OF ST. PETEr's RIVER. 191 



river with considerable difficulty, and landed in safety at 

 Michipicotton house, which we found under the care of Mr. 

 Mac Intosh, the son of the superintendant, and Mr. Robin- 

 son, a clerk of the Company's. It was the latter gentleman 

 who had seen us from his canoe, and made signs to us to 

 follow him through an easier pass. The superintendant 

 was absent, having left that place a few days previous on 

 his way to the Sault de St. Marie. At this house we saw 

 the fishery followed on a scale far superior to any we had 

 as yet witnessed. The abundance of fine white-fish, trout, 

 &c. which w"e saw on the shores, was a great source of de- 

 light to such as like us were nearly famished. The trouts 

 which we ate there appeared to us distinct from any other 

 fish, and we regret that they had all been cut up before 

 Mr. Say was enabled to obtain specimens for study and 

 preservation. This trout is of a dusky colour, with light 

 spots irregularly scattered upon its surface ; it is a richer 

 and more substantial food than the white-fish, but not so 

 delicate ; its flesh is of a reddish tinge which approaches that 

 of the European salmon. The season for catching the trout 

 had nearly expired, while that of the white-fish was just 

 commencing ; at that time the latter fish ascends the river 

 from the lake in order to cast its spawn ; the time of 

 its migration is perhaps more regular than the analogous 

 one of the shad and herring on the Atlantic coast. This 

 fish is caught in small seines or nets; the number of indi- 

 viduals hauled up at one time varies from fifty to five hun- 

 dred, and, in some cases, even twelve hundred have been 

 caught at one time. For two seasons previous to our 

 arrival, it was observed that the migrations up Michipi- 

 cotton river had been much less considerable than usual, but 

 this diminution is probably the result of accidental circum- 

 stances which will not, it is believed, affect the general pro- 



