56 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



Soil 



"The lands traversed by our lines were, for the most part, unsuited for 

 agriculture. Some promising clay soil and clay loam was noted in the vicinity 

 of Medugama Lake, while to the north of Percy Lake the land was level or 

 gently rolling, and the soil of the type found throughout the northern clay belt. 

 Elsewhere the ground was broken or hilly, and under the surface vegetation 

 we found rock, or the sand, gravel and boulders left at the end of the ice age. 



Minerals 



"The rocks exposed along the meridian line were granites with an occasional 

 dyke of diabase. Along the eastern part of the base line, however, the rocks 

 were of a more varied character, showing exposures of porphyry, lava schist, 

 horneblends, etc. A number of iron deposits have been located and claims 

 staked south of the Canadian National Railways between Paska and Kowkash 

 stations. We did not note any development work in progress, however. We 

 found that several claims had been restaked recently near the east boundary 

 of the Nipigon Forest Reserve. Apparently gold was the objective of the 

 prospectors. A geological survey of this area was made by the Ontario Bureau 

 of Mines and a map on the scale of two miles to the inch published with a report 

 of the Bureau in 1917. 



Water Power 



"We had little opportunity to judge the water power available on the 

 rivers crossed, but the Little Current River is apparently the largest potential 

 source of power. The survey of the river being made for your department 

 will, however, indicate what can be expected in this direction. 



Fish and Game 



"The country crossed by our lines is said to be a good marten area. Beaver 

 do not seem to have worked there for many years, as any signs noted were very 

 old. Moose were plentiful from Twin Lakes to Grave Lake. To the north 

 of Grave Lake, however, not many signs were observed. From the Kowkash 

 River west, they seemed to be numerous. Deer were seen at Twin Lakes. 

 Rabbits abounded everywhere, but partridge were scarce and the young broods 

 had suffered severely from an unfavourable spring. Few of the hens had 

 more than two or three chicks. The rivers and lakes abounded in pike and 

 pickerel, and many of the streams supply excellent sport to the fisherman after 

 trout. 



Canoe Routes 



"The Squaw, Esnagami, and Little Current Rivers are travelled regularly 

 by Indians and tourists and the whole area is dotted with lakes, large and 

 small, most of which are linked together by portages. 



General Features 



"From the Canadian National Railway to Percy Lake, the country traversed 

 by our meridian line is rolling rather than hilly. There are occasional exposures 

 of granite, but for the most part the rock is buried under deposits of sand, 



