94 . LAKE SUPERIOR. 



lake, (truite du large^ of a gray silvery color, with inconspicuous 

 spots and a white belly ; 2. Those of the rocky ground, (truite 

 des battures,^ more yellowish, with large distinct spots ; 3. Those 

 of the sandy bottom, which are simply mottled. All the trout family 

 spawn late ; the lake trout in October, on the sandy beaches, when 

 they are taken in abundance in nets, and with ground-lines having 

 forty or fifty hooks. 



' /The white-fish are everywhere scarce in August, (we could not 

 learn-why,) so that the Professor found some difficulty in getting 

 specimens on our return. In October they spawn, on pebbly ground, 

 and are then taken in great numbers. They are always seined ; we 

 did not hear of their ever taking the hook, though I have seen one 

 take a fly from the surface. The lake herring spawns on similar 

 ground, but in November ; the siskawet in the latter part of Au- 

 gust. Suckers, cat-fish and sturgeon in the spring ; the sturgeon in 

 swift streams ; the sucker at the mouths of the rivers ; the cat-fish 

 on muddy flats ; the dory {Lucioperea,') in bays. 



We stopped at a little rock around which a great number of gulls 

 (^Larus argentatiis,') were circling, and found there a few young 

 ones and an addled egg. The young birds were about half grown, 

 covered with grayish down, with irregular darker spots. None of 

 them could fly, but they swam very well ; indeed, as it seemed to me, 

 better than the old birds. They were crouched in crevices of the 

 rock, and we saw no appearance of nests. The egg was coffee-col- 

 ored, with brown spots. 



A fresh and fair breeze to-day, almost for the first time. We 

 passed this morning several canoes of Indians, running before the 

 wind with sails of birch bark. About noon, in threading a narrow 

 passage among the islands we saw a smoke on shore, and directly 

 afterwards the bateau, moored at the wharf of a deserted mining 

 establishment, the buildings of which were still standing. 



We kept on with the same fair wind until sunset, when we en- 

 camped on one of an extensive group of islands. As we glided 

 rapidly into the little cove where we were to encamp, the water 

 shoaled so suddenly, that looking down over the side of the canoe we 

 seeAed to be rushing against the side of a mountain. These coves 

 shoal rapidly and *have the bottom covered with huge rounded bowl- 



