174 FISHING WITH THE FLY. 



upper course of the St. Lawrence. It is the largest 

 stream flowing into Lake Superior. Its source, Lake 

 Nipigon, is about two-thirds as large as Lake Erie ; it is 

 irregular in shape, deep, with rocky shores and in- 

 numerable islands. This lake is fed by twelve small 

 rivers, each one with an unpronounceable name nearly 

 the length of its course. Lake Nipigon is 313 feet 

 higher than Lake Superior, and as the course of the 

 river is less than forty miles and one-third of that dis- 

 tance is occupied by four small lakes through which it 

 passes, the remainder has an exceedingly rapid current. 

 The water of the Nipigon is cold and clear. It enters 

 Lake Superior at the northern point of Nipigon Bay 

 between two huge precipices of red sandstone which 

 gave the name of Eed Eock to the Hudson Bay Com- 

 pany's post which lies on the right bank just at the foot 

 of the first rapids. 



I advise no one to try to ascertain the meaning of the 

 word Nipigon. Nipi means water in several Indian dia- 

 lects. When J. E. Cabot coasted along the southern part 

 of Nipigon Bay with Prof. Agassiz, in 1848, the water had 

 been stirred near the islands by a recent storm, and he 

 understood that Nipigon meant dirty water and he so re- 

 corded it. Prof. Bell in his report says that his Indians 

 interpreted it as meaning deep, clear water lake. Our In- 

 dians declared that Nipigon was a " white man's name ; " 

 but that the original name meant water with many chan- 

 nels. On the earliest map of this region which I have 

 seen, the lake is called Alemipigon. When the guide- 



