SANDFLY LAKE 63 



again to be a lake containing a great many 

 islands similar to Shagwenaw, Pelican, and Knee 

 Lakes of those we had thus far voyaged through 

 on the Churchill. Some of the islands were of 

 fair elevation and were wooded, others were low- 

 lying surfaces of rock and boulders with a scant, 

 ill-thriven growth of grass. We landed at a group 

 of the latter where large colonies of terns and gulls 

 were nesting. Of those I made observations and 

 notes, and collected a few rare shore-birds. 

 Before departing we gathered some fresh eggs to 

 augment our food supplies, counting them a 

 great treat since they were a change from our 

 regular diet of bannock, salt pork, wild duck, and 

 pike. Pike and black and red Suckers were the 

 only fish I caught on the Churchill River no 

 trout were seen ; not even on Trout Lake. 



This day I observed a single Chipmunk note- 

 worthy, as I had not before seen this pretty little 

 animal on the Churchill. A Porcupine was also 

 seen landing on the shore after swimming across 

 the expanse of water above Sandfly Lake. He 

 proceeded to climb a poplar tree to feed on buds 

 and leaves. This was the first occasion on which 

 I had seen this species in the water. It appeared 

 not to relish its immersion, for it shivered with 

 cold, and perhaps with fear, when it landed. 



June 12. We reached the exit from Sandfly 

 Lake in the afternoon and passed into swift- 

 flowing river where bad rapids were encountered 

 and canoe navigation became impossible. This 

 meant hard labour, but, as it was all in the day's 

 work on travel of this kind, we stuck to our task, 

 with the result that three rapids were overcome 



