THE HAMILTON RIVER AND THE GRAND FALLS 155 



and this descent is in a continuous rapid by the pent-up 

 stream. 



Above the Grand Falls the character of the river changes 

 completely ; it now flows nearly on a level with the surface 

 of the plateau, spreading out to fill the valleys between the 

 long, low ridges, arranged en echelon over the country. 

 The river in passing around the ridges is often broken into 

 several channels by large islands; in other places where 

 the valleys are wide, it spreads out into long, irregular lakes 

 studded with islands. The current, instead of flowing 

 regularly, alternates between short rapids and long lake 

 stretches. The banks are usually low, and covered with 

 a dense growth of willows, which form a wide fringe between 

 the water and the spruce trees covering the higher ground 

 behind. The general direction of the river is west-north- 

 west from the Grand Falls to Petitsikapau Lake, more 

 than a hundred miles above. Throughout this distance 

 its course is nearly parallel to the direction of the glacial 

 striae and to that of the ridges of glacial drift. All these 

 features give an aspect of newness to the upper part of 

 the river, and indicate that its present course and condition 

 have been determined by the post-Glacial configuration 

 of the plateau. 



The first expansion above the portage is called Jacopie 

 Lake. It is seven miles long by about two miles wide, and 

 is surrounded by low, rocky hills partly burnt over. A 

 stretch of eight miles of swiftly flowing river connects with 

 the island-dotted Flour Lake, which is ten miles long with 

 deep bays leading off on both sides. At its head the river 

 enters by two nearly equal channels, which unite again 

 in Sandgirt Lake, some fifteen miles above. The north 



