RED RIVER SETTLEMENT 79 



in the fens of England. The first was the common pintail, 

 Dafila acuta of English ornithologists. This was tolerably 

 abundant, and evidently bred in the marshes at the 

 Winnipeg end of the Red River. I shot one gadwall, 

 Anas strepera, miscalled a widgeon at Fort Garry, three 

 dusky ducks, Anas dbscura, and fourteen that were not 

 distinguishable from the common wild duck, Anas boscas ; 

 but, as I have said, none of these ducks were equal in 

 flavour to those of the same species found in England. 

 In addition to the ducks, I shot five American widgeon, 

 Mareca Americana, and these were much superior as food 

 to the ducks. The geese were so wild that, on this 

 occasion, I could not get a shot at them. 



As we proceeded up the river the country became 

 less marshy, and before we reached Stone Fort there was 

 forest on both sides of the river. I afterwards found 

 that this forest formed a belt from one or two, to five, and 

 in a few places twelve, miles broad on the banks of the 

 Red River, Assiniboine, and their tributaries. The 

 country outside the forest belt was open prairie, the soil 

 undoubtedly rich, and the climate at this season balmy 

 and delightful, though hot during the middle of the day. 

 Already the timber had been appreciably thinned in many 

 places, and unless some bye-law is made for its preser- 

 vation, there seems to be danger of its being speedily 

 entirely destroyed. The inhabitants were using it reck- 

 lessly as firewood, and in some instances burning it off 

 the land to make clearings, a practice common all over 

 the country at one time, and one which no language is 

 too strong to condemn. Could I have my way, I would 

 insist on so much of the timber being left intact ; and I 

 would punish with the most drastic penalties all wanton 

 destruction of either trees or animals. I dare say that I am 

 " behind the times," and a " faddist," but there are other 

 people besides money-grubbers and merchants to be 

 considered; and it is no great demand to ask that a 

 portion of the world's beautiful surface should be left as 



