462 ^ THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA THOMPSON. 



7. Turtle Eiver, Lake Dauphin. 



8. Swan or Shoal, two localities. 



9. Salt River, flowing into Dawson's Bay. 



10. Numerous salt springs and bare, saturated tracts of many acres in extent on 

 Red Deer River, which flows into the head of Dawson's Bay, Lake Wiuuepegosis. 

 For 10 miles up this river salt spriugs are quite frequent, and excellent salt was col- 

 lected in three places, where it formed a crust on the surface of the ground. Some 

 springs were examined where a respectable rivulet of strong brine issued from them, 

 as clear as crystal, and evidently quite pure. All the springs and marshes seen vtere 

 bordered w-ith seaside plants, and one of them, which has never been found from the 

 seacoast before in America, was found in abundance. The plant referred to is Sea- 

 Side Plantain {Plantago inaritima). 



The following extract from Professor Hind's report (1858) shows that 

 this line of saliferous strata goes right across our province: 



Near and west of Stony Mountain many small barren areas occur, covered with 

 saline efflorescence ; they may be traced to the Assiaiboiue, and beyond that river in 

 a direction nearly due south to La Riviere Sale and the forty-ninth parallel. These 

 «aline deposits are important, as they in all probability serve, as will be shown 

 hereafter, to denote the presence of salt-bearing rocks beneath them, similar to 

 those from which the salt springs of Swan River, Manitoba Lake, and La Riviere 

 Sale issue. 



Meteorology. — I have not been able to obtain the material necessary 

 for a general chapter on the meteorology of Manitoba, and must con- 

 tent myself with a few statistics taken from Professor Bryce's article on 

 Canada in the Encyclopedia Britannica. 



The mean annual temperature for 11 years, (1871-1881, inclusive), 

 taken near Winnipeg, was 33.00°, the maximum 95.34°, the minimum 

 — 10.51° ; the mean amount of rain, IG 977 inches; the mean amount of 

 snow, 52.72 inches ; the mean total precipitation of rain and snow, 

 23.304 inches ; the mean height of the barometer, 29.153. The mean 

 average temp eiature for the years 1880 and 1881 was as follows: Jan- 

 uary, 2°.9 ; February, 3° ; March, 9° ; April, 30°.2 ; May, 510.2 ; June, 

 630.6; July, 65o.9 ; August, G40.8 ; September, 51°.3; October, 40°; No- 

 vember, 14°.6 ; December, O0.6 ; the year, 32°. 6. 



The isotherms indicated on the map were taken from the map pre- 

 pared to Professor Macouns' work. 



Topography. — The topography of Manitoba is somewhat perplexing 

 through the duplication of names. Many, such as Pelican Lake, Swan 

 Lake, Shoal Lake, Rat Creek, etc., appear several times over. None 

 of these duplications have been entered on the map, with the excep- 

 tions of Shoal Lake and Boggy Creek. In the first case I have added 

 the word "West" to the name of the lake which is of secondary im- 

 portance and probably of later naming. In the second the three creeks 

 are distinguished as Boggy Creek, Big Boggy Creek, and Little Boggy 

 Creek. Every name referred to in the notes, with exceptions noted 

 lierein later, will be found on the map, with many additional ones that are 

 of importance. Frequent allusion is made to Professor Macouns' jour- 

 neys and the region observed by him in making them. These expedi- 



