THE HALCYON IN CANADA. 253 



the whole of the valley of the Metapedia and passed 

 the doors of many famous salmon streams and rivers, 

 and heard everywhere the talk they inspire; one 

 could not take a nap in the car for the excitement of 

 the big fish stories he was obliged to overhear. 



The Metapedia is a most enticing-looking stream ; 

 its waters are as colorless as melted snow ; I could 

 easily have seen the salmon in it as we shot along, if 

 they had come out from their hiding-places. It was 

 the first white-water stream we had seen since leav- 

 ing the Catskills ; for all the Canadian streams are 

 black or brown, either from the iron in the soil or 

 from the leechings of the spruce swamps. But in 

 New Brunswick we saw only these clear, silver-shod 

 streams ; I imagined they had a different ring or tone 

 also. The Metapedia is deficient in good pools in its 

 lower portions ; its limpid waters flowing with a tran- 

 quil murmur over its wide, evenly paved bed for 

 miles at a stretch. The salmon pass over these shal- 

 lows by night and rest in the pools by day. The 

 Restigouche, which it joins, and which is a famous 

 salmon-stream and the father of famous salmon- 

 streams, is of the same complexion and a delight to 

 look upon. There is a noted pool where the two 

 join, and one can sit upon the railroad bridge and 

 count the noble fish in the lucid depths below. The 

 valley here is fertile, and has a cultivated, well-kept 

 look. 



We passed the Jacquet, the Belledune, the Nepissis- 

 quit, the Miramichi (" happy retreat ") in the night, 

 and have only their bird-call names to report. 



