FISHING, AND OTHER OCCUPATIONS 19 



to one of the big streams tributary to the Ottawa, or the 

 big lakes, where we were tolerably sure of a big catch of 

 white fish or muskinongi, fish not found in the small 

 lakes. 



The white fish is considered, I think justly, the finest 

 flavoured of all the fresh-water fish in this region — that 

 is the great lake district, comprising all the North and 

 North- West of the British possessions and the United 

 States. It is found, I believe, in all the great lakes and 

 most of the rivers ; but I never found it in " ponds," the 

 reason being, I believe, that it requires rivers to spawn in. 

 All the great lakes have many streams, feeding or empty- 

 ing them. White fish are not often found exceeding five 

 or six pounds in weight. 



There are no muskinongis in the ponds either, and 

 this fish prefers rivers of some size to even the lakes. It 

 is a huge pike, but of a different species from the English 

 pike. It grows to an enormous size, and affords excellent 

 sport. It is fond of haunting the shallows in the big- 

 streams, and is caught better with a rod from the shore 

 than from a canoe ; for it is so large and strong that there 

 is danger of its upsetting the canoe or dragging it under. 

 The first that I hooked pulled me into the water, as I was 

 not prepared for such a mighty rush as it made, and I was 

 nearly drowned : but with the aid of the squaw the fish 

 was secured. I suppose that it weighed at least sixty 

 pounds. As I see that a popular work on Natural 

 History casts doubt on accounts of pike exceeding thirty 

 or forty pounds' weight,^ I may say that I have actually 

 seen weighed muskinongis which were nearly double that 

 weight. One captured in the Red River was seventy-four 

 pounds, weighed piecemeal, and it is certain that it lost 

 several pounds' weight in the cutting up. Unfortunately 

 there was no means of weighing it whole. 



^ Note that big fish, like other big auimals, are being rapidly extermi- 

 nated. I have evidence that there were formerly bigger pike, not only in 

 America, but iu England also, than can now be foaud. 



