68 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



The Indians are marvellously clever in avoiding the 

 rocks and shoals that always impede the navigation of 

 these rapids. Often it seemed to me to be inevitable 

 that we should dash against one of the rocks, and be 

 riven to pieces. We seemed to be rushing straight for 

 the obstacle, and not until we were within two or three 

 feet of it would a slight, but skilful, turn of an Indian's 

 wrist cause the canoe to swerve slightly to one side into 

 safety. By-and-by I attained to some skill in the use 

 of the paddle myself; but I never dared to rush such 

 formidable rapids as these men took as a matter of 

 course. However, my confidence in the Indians ulti- 

 mately became very great ; and I have seen these men 

 stand astride on the gunnels of a canoe that was rushing 

 down a very considerable torrent, and spear the salmon . 

 in mid- stream as they did so. 



At a place called the Rose Portage, which is a very 

 long and troublesome one, divided into two parts, I saw 

 a pair of American yellow birds, which seemed to be 

 breedinsf, but I could not find the nest. I was more 

 fortunate with another well-known United States bird, 

 the "' chippy," Spizella domestica, the nest of which I 

 found in a bush, nine or ten feet from the ground. 

 There were four very small eggs, light blue in colour, 

 speckled with red. I am not aware that this bird often 

 breeds so far north as this ; but I have noted that cases 

 occur in which single pairs of many American small birds 

 are found widely out of their habitual haunts. Taking 

 the " chippy " for example, I have met with this bird 

 certainly as far south as Florida. 



But the commonest small bird in this neighbour- 

 hood was a grosbeak, Hedymeles virginianus, which bred 

 amongst the rocks here, apparently in some numbers. 

 The nest was placed in pine or spruce trees, but not 

 near the top. Some of the nests were not higher than a 

 dozen feet above the ground. Thoy were composed of 

 small roots and coarse grass, and lined with deer hair. 



