214 The Ottawa Naturalist. 



the level with the surrounding table-land, is from lOO to 300 feet 

 wide, but at its bottom is often less than 50 feet across. Down 

 this narrow zig zag gorge the river rushes in a continuous rapid 

 with a fall of 260 feet from the basin to where it issues into the 

 wider ancient valley some eight miles away. 



Fram June ist to July 15th we were engaged exploring the 

 western or Ashuanipi branch of the river ; and an idea of the 

 almost level nature of the central area may be obtained, when 

 it is stated, that duriug this time we did not make a single 

 portage of the river. The last two weeks in July were spent ex- 

 ploring Lake Michikamauwhich, next to Mistassini is the largest 

 lake in Labrador being upwards of seventy miles long and 

 twenty five miles across in the widest part. This lake, like all 

 the other large lakes of the region, is abundantly stocked with 

 fine large fish, including lake trout, brook trout, land-locked 

 salmon, whitefish and pike, and I may here mention that the 

 finest trout fishing in Labrador, which means the finest in the 

 world, is to be found on the Hamilton River above the Grand 

 Falls. 



On August 1st we started southward up the Attikonak 

 Branch of the Hamilton, and followed it to Attikona,k Lake at 

 its head ; from there a short portage route lead to the Romaine 

 River, which was descended to within 100 miles of the coast, 

 when it becomes unnayigable, and a portage route sixty miles 

 long was followed south-westward to the St. John River and 

 that stream descended to its mouth near Mingan on the Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence. From Mingan the party crossed to Gaspe and 

 so returned home. 



The principal geological discovery of these two years was 

 the finding of a large area of stratified Cambrian rocks, which 

 extend from the upper part of the Hamilton River in a north- 

 northwest direction across the Koksoak River. These rocks 

 contain a quantity of valuable iron ore so great that, in the ex- 

 posures seen, it was estimated by millions of tons. From the 

 notes taken much information was added to the knowledge 



