THE WESTERN DENES. 133 



fifteen or moi-e, drive the band of deer or cariboo to where the snares 

 are set and, by loud shouting and firing of guns, they scare and 

 thereby foi'ce the reluctant game to pass through the noose which at 

 once contracts around their necks. The deer immediately scamper away 

 with the moveable sticks, to which the snares are attached, and which, 

 being soon caught among fallen or standing trees or other obstacles, 

 cause the caught animal to stop suddenly with the result of being 

 strangled to death in a short time. 



Besides the aforesaid game, which is indigenous to the country 

 occupied by the four tribes in question, every recurring spring and 

 fall bring the Carriers large numbers of geese and many varieties of 

 ducks to diversify their daily diet. For a couple of weeks or more, 

 there is shooting in almost every point of the compass and generally 

 not without effect. As for grel)es which every spring gather in veiy 

 large numbers at the outlet of the lakes and more particularly of this 

 (Stuart's) lake, a more economic plan is acted on to effect their capture. 

 Taking advantage of the fact that these water fowl are very gregar- 

 ious and will seldom migrate northwards befoi'e the lake is free from 

 ice, the natives set common fish nets on the surface of the water and, 

 manning eight to ten canoes at a time, they surroujiid and drive them 

 into the nets. This is a very exciting exercise and at the same time 

 l^rolific of good results, as a catch of a hundred head at a single draw- 

 ing of the -net is not deemed very marvellous. 



The grebes having been stri[)ped of their feathers, their fat is ex- 

 tracted when raw and converted into cakes of more or less consistency, 

 part of which is called in requisition from time to time to do duty as 

 "piment" to season their preserved berries. 



X. 



The Denes find a valuable resource in the various species of berries 

 which yearly ripen in profusion in almost every part of their immense 

 forests. Conspicuous among them, either by its abundance or its 

 property of long keeping, and its consequent value as an addition to 

 the native stores of winter supplies, is the service-berry (Amelauchier 

 alnifoUa). Indeed the Carriers often designate it by the simple appel- 

 ation of mi, that is the fruit. Every fall, the women gather large 

 quantities of them in birch bark baskets. These berries are preserved 



