22 NOKTH AMERICAN F ATTN A. [No- 22, 



Hayes, Steel, and Hill rivers as far as the Rock Portage were 

 ascended by tracking— the men walking along the shore pulling the 

 canoe by a line, while our efforts were directed toward steering and 

 avoiding the rocks, though we sometimes relieved them on the line. 

 The passage of the various rapids on Hill River was accomplished with 

 much difficulty. Many we were able to ascend by poling and paddling; 

 at others it was necessary to wade waist deep in the seething water, 

 dragging the canoe by hand (PI. XIV, fig. 1); and often neither of 

 these methods was possible and we were obliged to unload the boat 

 and carry both canoe and baggage around the rapids. To avoid the 

 ascent of the river through Hell Gate Gorge (PI. XIV, fig. 2), we 

 made a detour, as is usual on the upstream journey. Leaving Pine 

 Lake by a narrow passage, we followed the windings of a tortuous lake 

 for several miles in a direction approximately parallel to the course of 

 the river, and then made a portage over a low divide to the shore of 

 an arm of one of the lakes a short distance above Hell Gate Rapids. 

 About twenty-five portages in all were required on the return journey, 

 during which we retraced, with the exception of the slight deviation 

 just mentioned, the exact route followed on our northward journey. 



The trip down Lake Winnipeg was made hj steamer, and we arrived 

 at Winnipeg September 22. 



LIFE ZONES OF THE REGION. 



Our route from Winnipeg to the northernmost point reached, a 

 short distance south of Cape Eskimo, passed successi\'ely through the 

 Canadian and Hudsonian zones and entered well into the Arctic. 



In the fauna and floi-a of Winnipeg the Canadian element seems to 

 predominate, though the presence of Quercus macrocarpa, Acer 

 negundo, and Ulmiof americdiius among trees, Slarina Jirevimuda 

 among mammals, and Zenaiduva inacroura and Icterus galhuJa among 

 birds, indicate that there is a strong tinge of Transition. It is probable 

 that this Transition element disappears a short distance to the north- 

 ward, but no very definite data regarding the country' bordering Lake 

 Winnipeg is available. In the region about Norway House the fauna 

 is pure Canadian, as evidenced by the presence of Parus- hudsojucus, 

 Perisoreiis canadensis, liylociclda u. swa/itsoni, CanacJi lies canadensis^ 

 Picoides eircticus, Regulvs satrajM, Zonotrichia idbicoUis, 2fustela 

 2}ennanti, Mustela americana, Lyn.r canadensis, and other .character- 

 istic Canadian species. In the cleared and burnt tracts Chordeiles 

 virginianus is common. 



Between Norway House and Swampy Lake there is little change in 

 the fauna. On the eastern shore of Swampj'^ Lake the true Hudsonian 

 begins and is probably continuous to Hudson Bay. Here Zonotrichia 

 alhicollis is graduallj' replaced by Z. Ienc<ij)hrys, CJiordeiles occurs only 

 as a straggler, and Permnyscus is much reduced in numbers. This 



