INVESTIGATIONS IN MINNESOTA AND NORTH DAKOTA. 367 
northern tributaries of the Red Riverof the North. Much of its course 
lies near the forty-ninth parallel, which it crosses several times. Neche 
is 15 miles from the mouth of the river, and lies in a level country, 
a part of the ancient lake bed. There is little to indicate that this 
country has been submerged, other than its flatness, presence of 
gravel, shells, etc., but near Pembina there is proof not only that the 
level country has been inundated, but that the water has stood several 
feet above the level. I refer to the Pembina Mountain, an elevation 
many feet in height near the mouth of the river, bearing on its sides in 
unmistakable characters the writing of the waves of the ancient Lake 
Agassiz. 
The river at the time it was examined was somewhat swollen from 
recent rains, and the water was muddy and very swift; the bed of the 
‘stream was composed of clay, firmer and harder than the material which 
composes the steep banks, This material was so loose that at places 
large quantities of it had slid into the stream. The stream was well 
‘stocked with fishes, but limited in variety; several pickerel and a num- 
ber of suckers weighing from 14 to 3 pounds were taken; a few darters 
and minnows were also found. 
Park River, Grafton, N. Dak., August 16.—This is a foul, sluggish 
river, rising in the western part of Walsh County, just beyond the 
flood-plain or in the low hills bordering the old lake basin on the west, 
and flowing almost east to the Red River of the North. The town of 
Grafton is about 20 miles from the mouth of the stream and 40 miles 
from its source. The river here is about 15 feet wide and 14 to 3 feet 
deep. The banks are low, composed of fine sand and clay and other 
sedimentary deposit. The bed of the stream is of the same material, 
and overgrown with rank water vegetation. The low flood-plain is 
covered with a growth of forest trees—ash, elm, basswood, and oak being 
the most common. Wild gooseberries grow in great abundance among 
the trees. The stream contains only a few varieties of fishes, and these 
are poorly represented. The water is cloudy and brackish ; from this 
cause the river was called by the early settlers Salt River. 
Forest River, Minto, N. Dak., August 17,—Forest River is a very 
beautiful little stream of quite a different character from the other 
streams of this region, and though of nearly the same size and flowing 
in the same direction as the one last described it differs from it in many 
respects. The water is clear and sweet, the current swift. The stream 
is 15 or 18 feet wide, and will possibly average 2 feet in depth, although 
many places are much deeper. The river was seined jast below a low 
dam at the crossing of the Great Northern Railroad. Although at 
this place the bed of the stream is mostly composed of mud, the waters 
of the upper course flow almost entirely over beds of clean sand and 
gravel, the water at such places being devoid of vegetation. The 
‘stream is fed by springs, and the water (whose temperature was 67°) 
is from 4 to 6 degrees colder than any other stream of this region. The 
