56 ON THE GREAT CHURCHILL RIVER 



rivers, is most often chosen, where the hunter 

 inhabitant can obtain, without moving from his 

 door, an extensive view down at least two great 

 watercourses, and see, perhaps, the passing of 

 worthy game, and, seeing them, would then set 

 out in chase. 



At this point of Knee Lake there was a pair of 

 ospreys nesting ; magnificent, masterful birds — 

 the " Fish Eagle " of the country. Their nest 

 was on the top of a dead jack pine on a drear 

 hillside scorched at some not long past date by a 

 runaway bush fire. There grew there now, among 

 the charred and blackened debris, the little ad- 

 venturings of new green growth ; an uprising of 

 little living things about the feet of the grave, 

 grey, dismantled masts of trees that were dead and 

 but monuments now of lives once lived. 



When we were nearing the osprey's nest the 

 male bird was seen to approach, against the wind 

 on powerful wings, carrying in his talons as food 

 for the sitting female a small pike about twelve 

 inches long. This fish he carried not broadwise 

 to the wind, but held parallel to the body, and 

 with the head facing forward, so that it offered 

 little resistance to the wind. 



About 10.30 a.m. we passed the mouth of 

 Haultain River, a stream from the north, about 

 300 feet wide where it empties into the Churchill 

 River over shallow sand-bars. Here, in the marsh 

 west of the river mouth, I spent some time ob- 

 serving bird-life. Five specimens were collected 

 during the afternoon, and three nests of eggs 

 were found. 



It commenced to rain after midday and we got 



