363 



Miles and been restricted to the winter season, when the 



Kilometres. 1 , • t^ 



hsh must be caught from under the ice. By 

 means of horse and dog teams communication 

 is maintained between the fishing stations and 

 the village in winter, while in summer, the lake 

 is navigated by gasoline launches, steam tugs 

 and sailboats. 



THE DEVONIAN OF SNAKE ISLAND AND SOUTH 

 SHORE OF LAKE WINNIPEGOSIS. 



The southern end of Lake Winnipegosis is underlain by 

 the Manitoban formation of the Upper Devonian. The 

 grey limestones of this formation are best seen at Snake 

 island about four miles (6-4 km. ) east of the town of 

 Winnipegosis and the mouth of the Mossy river. On the 

 south end of the island is located the Government fish 

 hatchery. This and the buildings connected with it are 

 the only structures erected there. 



The island is about a mile (i-6 km.) in length. It is 

 very irregular in shape, the two ends being about one half 

 mile (o-8 km.) in width, while the isthmus which joins them 

 is often but 50 feet (15 m.) in width. This irregular shape 

 is probably due to the manner in which the rock outcrops 

 at different places on the island and to the direction of the 

 prevailing winds of the lake. 



The long axis of the island lies in a direction about north- 

 east and southwest. The outcrops all occur on the north- 

 western face of this axis. Three of these — two on the north 

 end and one on the south — stand from 15 to 20 feet (4-5 to 

 6 m.) above the lake. In the lee of these elevations, 

 sheltered from the prevailing west and north winds, the 

 island has been gradually extended toward the south and 

 east by continued marshy growths. At the middle of the 

 island, where the rock barely comes above the surface of 

 the lake, this protecting influence is lacking. Here only 

 such marsh has been formed as has been able to creep in 

 with the aid of the shelter given by the larger trees which 

 have grown on the expansions at the ends of the islands. 



The shore on the northwestern face shows no such 

 marshy growths. The strong winds blowing from this 

 direction tend to prevent marshy vegetation gaining a 

 foothold on this side, while the heavy ice shoves of the 



