112 Notes on some Small Rodents found in North America. 



an open grassy prairie, one side of which was bounded by 

 the Chilukweyuk river, the other by the mighty Fraser. At 

 the junction of the two streams, at one angle of the prairie, 

 stood an Indian village — the rude plank sheds and rush lodges, 

 the white smoke curling gracefully up through the still atmos- 

 phere from many a lodge fire, the dusky forms of the savages, 

 as they lolled and strolled about in the fitful light, gave life 

 and character to a scene indescribably lovely. 



The Chilukweyuk river heads from a large lake situated 

 high up in the mountains, and without exception one of the 

 most beautiful lakes I ever beheld. It is completely built in 

 on all sides by vertical walls of trap, and granite rock, and so 

 precipitous and impassable, that when marking the boundary 

 line, we were compelled to build scows, a rude kind of vessel, 

 half raft, half boat, to cross over the mules, stores, and provi- 

 sions, it being quite impracticable to make a road or trail on 

 either side of the lake. 



Filling up a gap between two rocky peaks is a vast glacier, 

 that one might easily imagine a mass of brilliant beryl. 

 The Indians say it was once another lake, but so many bad 

 spirits lived in it, that Swa-nea, their grand saint, suddenly 

 turned it into crystal, and all the wicked ones are shut up in 

 it now. Numerous small streams trickle into the upper end of 

 the lake, but the lower angle is dammed in by masses of rock, 

 through which is a split or chasm, as if rent by some terrible 

 force. Through this gap escapes the entire river ; onward it 

 goes, down the mountain gorge — leaping from rock to rock, it 

 neither rests nor tarries in its headlong course, until stealing 

 out from the dark shadow of the forest, it saunters idly along 

 through the waving prairie grass, to mingle its waters with the 

 Fraser, and with it to journey seawards. 



The Indian summer was drawing to a close, the maple, 

 the cotton-wood, and the hawthorn, fringing the winding 

 water-ways, that, like silver cords intersected the prairie, had 

 assumed their autumn tints, and, clad in browns and yellows, 

 stood out in brilliant contrast to the green of the pine forest. 

 The prairie looked bright and lovely, the grass, as yet un- 

 touched by the frost fairy's fingers, waved lazily, wild flowers 

 of varied tints and species peeped out from their hiding-places, 

 enjoying to the last the lingering summer. 



I had been for some time sitting on a log admiring the 

 sublime beauty of the scene spread out before me like a gor- 

 geous picture, the sun was fast receding behind the hill-tops, 

 the lengthening shadows were fading and growing dimly indis- 

 tinct, the birds had settled down to sleep, and the busy hum 

 of insect life was hushed. A death-like quiet steals over every 

 thing in the wilderness as night comes on, a stillness that is 



