122 AD I RON D AC. 



some parts of it, Mount Marcy and the 

 gorge of the Indian Pass are seen to excel- 

 lent advantage. The Indian Pass shows as 

 a huge cleft in the mountain, the gray walls 

 rising on one side perpendicularly for many 

 hundred feet. This lake abounds in white 

 and yellow perch and in pickerel ; of the 

 latter, single specimens are often caught 

 which weigh fifteen pounds. There were a 

 few wild ducks on both lakes. A brood of 

 the goosander, or red merganser, the young 

 not yet able to fly, was the occasion of some 

 spirited rowing. But with two pairs of oars, 

 in a trim light skiff, it was impossible to 

 come up with them. Yet we could not resist 

 the temptation to give them a chase every 

 day when we first came on the lake. It 

 needed a good long pull to sober us down so 

 we could fish. 



The land on the east side of the lake had 

 been burnt over, and was now mostly grown 

 up with wild cherry and red raspberry bushes. 

 Ruffed grouse were found here in great num- 

 bers. The Canada grouse was also common. 

 I shot eight of the latter in less than an hour 

 on one occasion ; the eighth one, which was 

 an old male, was killed with smooth peb- 

 ble stones, my shot having run short. The 



