NATURAL HISTORY, TORONTO REGION 
then a celebrated place for spearing salmon, and the 
Indians annually camped at that spot for the purpose. 
When indisposed, the Indians of the Credit, in the 
early days, are said to have resorted to what is now 
“ The Island,” fronting the city of Toronto, to take 
advantage of its health-giving atmosphere. The 
Credit Indians made sacrifices to the lake as well as. 
to the river, the forest, etc. When overtaken by 
storm on Lake Ontario, they were accustomed to 
appease the angry spirit of the waters by the sacrifice 
of a black dog, around whose neck they tied a stone 
and cast him into the lake. Caves in the hills around 
Burlington Bay and the head of Lake Ontario were 
thought to be the abodes of spirits,—one of these was 
called Manitoa wigwam, “the devil’s house.” A spirit, 
who used often to sing and beat his drum, was said 
to live in a deep hole in the water, at the foot of a 
hill near the Credit village, but, soon after the coming 
of the white man, the spirit raised a great flood, and 
went down the river into Lake Ontario. The east 
bank of the Credit, about a mile from its mouth, was 
reputed to be the dwelling-place of the “ Mamag- 
wasewug,” or “ fairies,” who used to paddle a stone 
canoe, disappearing into the solid rock on the shore 
when closely pursued. These “ fairies’? were the 
good genii of the huntsman, and to them were made 
offerings of bits of cloth, tobacco, ete. They often 
used to steal fish out of the Indians’ nets. “ Fairies ” 
were to be met with also all over Burlington Bay. 
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