THE PEBIBONCA AND TSCHOTAGAMA 193 



ent from what we had hitherto experienced. After 

 leaving the sand-banks of the lower Peribonca, the 

 shores had been principally high and rocky or formed 

 by pebbly beaches. Now we had come to grassy, 

 sedgy banks, near which we did not require to be told 

 were the lairs of the voracious Esox lucius. How 

 fiercely it chases its affrighted prey was soon made 

 evident to us by the violence with which some of 

 these water wolves darted at our phantom minnows, 

 and the good living which they here enjoy is illus- 

 trated by the immense size to which they grow ; one 

 that broke away from Colonel Haggard's line, when 

 close to his canoe and about to be lifted into it, ap- 

 pearing to be almost as long as a paddle. Both in the 

 stream itself and in a marshy lagoon off its western 

 side we killed a number of these fish from five to 

 twelve pounds each, but very much larger ones are 

 occasionally taken here. 



Our portage around the Chute de McLeod was quite 

 a long one, and crossed a hill several hundred feet in 

 height. At its upper end we camped, but in descend- 

 ing from the lake avoided the portage altogether, 

 making, instead, a very short but very dangerous carry 

 round the other side of the fall, to where it was possible 

 to lift down the canoe, set it in the water, and conduct 

 it through the terrific rapids at the very foot of the 

 cataract, though it would have been absolutely impos- 

 sible to have brought it up against them. 



Several wild ducks were seen by us above this por- 

 tage and on our approach to Lake Tschotagama next 

 morning, as well as later in the lake itself. These, 

 with a few kingfishers, sand-larks, woodpeckers, and 



13 



