68 LAKE SUPERIOR. 



be taken into account. Even in Massachusetts, in July and August, 

 there are comparatively few birds to be seen or heard, and travel- 

 lers, among others Prince Max of Neuwied, (who is a naturalist to 

 boot,) have founded on this fact very false conclusions as to the 

 scarcity of birds in the United States. The truth is that owing per- 

 haps to the absence of marked climatic divisions, the birds of this 

 country extend their migration very far, so that any such comparison 

 should be made in spring or fall. Then much allowance must be 

 made for the change wrought by civilization. Birds and animals 

 (except the carnivorous ones,) always increase about settlements ; 

 a well-known fact which our experience confirmed, for about the posts, 

 and at the Sault, both were always more numerous than elsewhere. 

 In Chicago, a few years ago, a gentleman told me that the grouse 

 and quails had increased in that neighborhood eight-fold within his 

 recollection ; I myself saw numbers of quails in the main street and 

 on the houses, and was assured that they sometimes entered the shops. 

 The cause is simply the increase of food. Even deer continue to 

 increase for sojne time about settlements. 



The shore now became higher and more precipitous, until at Les 

 Ecourts, marked on Bayfield's chart, " no landing for boats," the 

 cliifs of sienite rose to the height of eight hundred feet above the 

 lake. Here were swarms of swallows, and a pair of sparrow-hawks, 

 the invariable inhabitants of these cliffs. Michipicotin Island was now 

 plainly visible to the south, distant about ten miles. We had intended 

 to take it on our way, but decided to put this off until our return. 



The sunset was beautiful, but autumnal ; the clouds in large well- 

 defined masses, tinged with a suffused roseate hue. Afterwards the 

 air became cool. It was nine o'clock when we encamped, on a 

 beach just inside of Otter Head. The bateau, which had detained 

 us much during the day, remained behind at dark. The " Dancing 

 Feather," on the other hand, had the start of our two canoes, and 

 went round the Head. 



The beach where we landed rose some twenty feet from a narrow 

 margin on the water, at an angle of twenty to thirty degrees. The 

 little semi-circular plateau above seemed by the dim light to be sur- 

 rounded on all sides by a dense forest. In stumbling about after 

 drift-wood, we made the discovery that the upper part of the beach 



