122 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXV 



with one or two clumps of Silver Birch, 

 Betula alba var, papyrifera, and groups of 

 Populus halsamifera. It includes, at any 

 rate, one large grass swamp and much 

 muskeg, and is similar to most other is- 

 lands in the lake. The climate is typical 

 of that of the surrounding region, dry, 

 much of the precipitation taking the form 

 of snow in the fairly long winter. The 

 lake all around is frozen for 5 months or 

 so and the temperature may drop to 

 — 40 deg. F. or sometimes lower. 



The southern portion of the north-west 

 coast for 2 — 2^4 miles is formed by a 

 large spit of land continuing the general 

 line of the coast and only separated from 



a well-wooded island known as Burton or 

 Little Black Island by a narrow channel 

 30-40 yards wide. This main spit, there- 

 fore, includes between it and the south end 

 of the island a large wide open bay. The 

 spit is composed mainly of sand which on 

 its western side takes the form of dunes 

 rising fairly rapidly from the water but 

 sloping more gradually on the eastern side. 

 Near the main island the dunes are 15 to 

 20 feet high but the last part of the spit is 

 almost flat. From the east side of the 

 main spit two smaller spits are given off. 

 The one nearer to the island runs first 

 almost east then north-east and finally al- 

 most north back towards the island and 



Fig. 1.— Rough sketch map of Berens Island. D, Dune area; G. S., large grass 

 and reed swamp; M. muskeg; S. the »pit on which the caanp was pitched 

 and the collections made; S. H. Swampy Harbour. 



