136 Toronto to Collingwood. 



beauty, wild yet soothing to the eye, — lake, river, hill, rock, 

 and forest, all combined— Orillia is the spot,— to say nothing 

 of the fishing to be had there. This village was first settled 

 by the Indians, but they were subsequently removed to 

 Rama, on the opposite side of the lake. They support 

 themselves principally by hunting and fishing, and the 

 handiwork of the squaws, consisting of birch-bark orna- 

 ments, baskets, &c. The latter are made from the inner 

 rind of the basswood and white ash. They are used greatly 

 by the settlers, being excellent substitutes for wicker-work, 

 though not so durable. A visit to their village is a pleasing 

 change to the traveller. In lake Couchiching there are lots 

 'of good trout and black bass, as well as pike and maskinonge ; 

 and here you may get night-spearing with good success. 

 This is a romantic and exciting sport ; each canoe should con- 

 tain not more than three persons, — one to paddle the others, 

 who are to do the work of execution ; and the flood of light, 

 thrown from the "iron jack" in the bow of the boat, and fed 

 with pine knots, familiarly called "fat pine," or with birch- 

 bark, over the otherwise solemnly dark face of the water, 

 lighting up here and there some scathed trunk on the shore, 

 whose bleached branches give a weird appearance to the 

 scene. The wild shores of a dark lake, with the broad glare 

 of the torch — with one figure noiselessly plying an oar, and 

 the animated attitude of another, relieved against the fire- 

 light and peering into the water, — form a contrast of light 

 and shade that Rembrandt might have envied. There is 

 no difficulty in getting either boats or accommodations at 

 Orillia, though the latter for a place of such resort are but 

 passable. In the way of birds, especially the larger birds, 

 there are to be found here a great variety. The Bald-headed 

 Eagle, the Duck Hawk, the Snowy Owl, et hoc genus om?ie, 

 are numerous ; among them, too, is that most mysterious 

 and poetical creature the Loon, or Great Northern Diver, 

 whose mournful and wolfish wailing is so closely identified 



