RIDING AND DUCK MOUNTAINS. 43 



elevations of Riding and Duck mountains, two remarkable wooded high- 

 lands, much alike in their general features and jextent. The steep eastern 

 escarpment of each is about 50 miles long, tliat of Riding Mountain 

 trending from southeast to northwest and that of Duck Mountain having a 

 course a few degrees west of north. These elevations rise above the country 

 adjoining the Assiniboine by a somewhat gradual slope, but they are 

 abruptly cut off on their northeast side b}' a precijiitous descent. This 

 takes place on a line approximately parallel with Lakes Manitoba and 

 Winnipegosis, the former of these lakes being about 40 miles east of 

 Riding- Mountain, Avhile the south end of the latter is 25 miles east 

 of Duck Mountain. The crests of these highlands, according to Mr. J. B. 

 Tyrrell's measurements, are respectively about 2,000 and 2,300 to 2,700 

 feet above the sea, the latter being- the highest land in Manitoba; and the 

 bases of their escarpments are about 1,200 to 1,500 feet above the sea, being 

 400 to 700 feet above the lakes on the east, whose height slightly exceeds 

 800 feet. 



The reader is referred to Mr. Tyn-ell's map and descriptions of the 

 district of Riding and Duck mountains for details of its topography and 

 geology, and of the .shoi-e-lines of Lake Agassiz nortli of the limit of my 

 exploration.^ 



Porcupine and Pasquia hills. — Beyond Duck Mountain, after an inter- 

 ru])tion of about 30 miles across the basins of Swan and Woody rivers, this 

 line of highlands is continued in the Porcupine Mountain or hills, which 

 reach about 25 miles from south to north. These form a somewhat broken 

 plateau, similar A\itli the jireceding in its general features of steep acclivity 

 on the east and gentle descent westward. On their north side another gaj), 

 about 20 miles wide, is occupied by the Red Deer and Overflowing rivers. 



Next are the Pasquia Hills, whose eastern end is in line with Pembina, 

 Riding, and Duck mountains and the Porcupine Hills; being about 100 

 miles west from the mouth of the Sa.skatcliewan. The Pasquia Hills extend 

 thence 150 miles westward, where thev formed the southern shore of the 

 northwestern arm of Lake Agassiz, lying about 25 miles soixth of the 



'Geol. and Nat. Hist. Survey of Canada, Annual Report, new series, Vol. Ill, for 1887-88, pp. 

 1-16 E, with a preliminary contour map. Bulletin, G. S. A., Vol. 1, 1890, pp. 395-410. Am. Geologi.st, 

 Vol. VIII, pp. 19-28, July, 1891. 



