TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 173 



of February. Throughout the winter the snow falls in storms, which seldom last 

 more than two to three days. The first fall generally occurs in the month of October, 

 but that always disappears again before the snows of November commence, which 

 are permanent for the winter. From the open country the snow evaporates very 

 rapidly, so that the prairies are never deeply covered ; but in the woods it accumulates 

 till spring. In some districts of the country more snow falls than in others ; for 

 instance, at Fort Pitt, about 400 miles east of the mountains, there is generally 3 feet 

 to 4 feet of snow in spring, while close along the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains 

 it seldom exceeds 6 inches, and disappears very early. At Fort Edmonton the snow 

 always disappears fully a fortnight sooner than at Fort Pitt, although both places are 

 in the same latitude, but the former 3° further to the west. 



The rivers generally freeze up about the 12th of November, and it is curious that the 

 Saskatchewan *' lakes," as the local term has it, on the same day both at Edmonton 

 and Carlton, places distant from one another nearly 500 miles. In 1858 the ice 

 broke up on the 7th of April, but in 1859 not till the 26th of that month. But this 

 does not show the whole of the remarkable difference in those two seasons ; for in 

 the former the ice rotted away gradually, while in the latter it "gave" in a single 

 night from a sudden flood which followed the first warm weather. 



A spring season hardly exists in the Saskatchewan, for in a few days everything 

 bursts into full verdure after the breaking up of winter. June is generally a wet 

 month ; and much rain also falls during the first half of July, but alter that period 

 the summer is very dry. There is little or no thunder in the higher country, unlike 

 the Red River settlement, where for a certain season thunder-storms are of daily 

 occurrence. 



The nature of the snow-line on the Rocky Mountains gives a clew to the climatal 

 arrangement of the country to the east. Although there are many of the mountains 

 in the eastern part of the range which exceed those to the west in altitude, only few 

 of their valleys are filled with glaciers. The great glaciers at the source of the north 

 branch of the Saskatchewan are fed from fields of ice and perpetual snow, that may 

 be considered as lying on the western slope, of the range. The diminished altitude 

 of the snow-line towards the west is thus proved. The reason is, that the prevailing 

 winds are from the west, and in rising to cross the mountains they are cooled, and 

 so deprived of their moisture, which ceases to be deposited after they pass over the 

 greatest altitude. 



Concerning the Indians of the west side of the mountains, he stated that the tribes 

 are very numerous, and principally support themselves on fish. In most of the 

 tributaries of the Columbia the salmon swarm in such numbers as to taint the air at 

 a certain season of the year when their bodies are cast up on the banks. These fish- 

 eating Indians are of very low grade, as wherever Indians obtain their living easily 

 they invariably become debased. Thus the Indians to the east of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, that dwell in the strong woods, and live by the chase of animals, such as the 

 Moose-deer, which requires great skill and sagacity, are vastly superior to the Indians 

 of the plains, who, living on buffalo, with ease obtain abundance of food. 



lie adduced the case of the Sarcees, who belong to a tribe of M c Kenzie River 

 Indians, called the Chepeyans, who are perhaps the finest Indians on the continent; 

 and yet these Sarcees, from having left their natural course of life some centuries 

 back, and taken to the plains, where they live among the Blackfoot tribes, have be- 

 come the worst Indians of the Saskatchewan. Their constitutions have become en- 

 feebled, as is shown by the prevalence of goitre among them, the whole tribe being 

 affected with this disease almost without exception, whereas it seldom or never occurs 

 among other Indians. The half-breeds who live in the Forts of the Upper Saskat- 

 chewan are very subject to goitre, the cause for which is very obscure. 



Addendum 2. — Remarks concerning the Tribes of Indians inhabiting the 

 Country examined by the Expedition. By Mr. Sullivan. 



Mr. S. pointed out that the northern portion was occupied by the Crees, which are 

 the most prominent tribe of the country, and best known to white men. The district 

 along the South Saskatchewan and towards the boundary line, he stated was inhabited 

 by a collection of allied tribeis, all speaking nearly the same language, and known as 



