chukchill And nelson rivers. 7 6 



identities as Stizostethium Canadense. A fine grayling was obtained in Grayling, 

 the brooks flowing into the Churchill near the sea. From a specimen 

 submitted to Prof. Grill, he finds the species to be Thymallus signifer. 

 The salmon frequenting the mouth of the Churchill is the same species Salmon, 

 which is more abundant on the east side of Hudson's Bay, and was 

 referred to in my report for 1877. A sea-trout is also found in the Sea-trout, 

 mouths of the Churchill, Nelson and Hayes rivers, as well as along the 

 east side of Hudson's and James' bays. 



Insects. — The Coleoptera, which I collected in the region of the Coleoptera - 

 Churchill and Nelson rivers, were kindly determined by Dr. J. L. 

 LeConte, of Philadelphia, and a list of them will be found in the 

 appendix. The Lepidoptera of the district which I explored last Le P id °P tera - 

 summer have been studied by Herr G-effcken, formerly of Stuttgart, 

 Germany, who has kindly furnished me with the list of species given 

 in the appendix. The specimens were collected principally by the 

 Venerable Archdeacon Kirkby, who resided until 1879 at York 

 Factory. 



Mollusks. — Owing to the muddj r and brackish nature of the water, , B 



no mollusks are found in the part of Hudson's Bay near York Factory. 

 About the mouth of the Churchill river the only living species observed 

 were the common mussel (Mytilus edulis) and a species of Littorina. 

 Dead shells were abundant on the beach, of Pecten Islandicus, Gardium 

 Islandicum, Mya arenaria, M. truncata, Astarte lactea and Rhynchonella 

 psittacea, but all these appear to have been washed out of the drift-clay, 

 which abounds from below the sea-level upward. A list of the fresh- List of fresh- 

 water shells collected in the district, together with some from Manitoba. wa er spec 

 is given in the appendix. 



Waters of the Eed and Assiniboine Eivers. 



In the earlier days of the Geological Survey, analyses were made by 

 Dr. T. Sterry Hunt of the waters of the great rivers of what then con- 

 stituted Canada, as well as of those of many mineral springs and wells. 

 As it was considered desirable to continue this important work in refer- 

 ence to the principal rivers now included in the Dominion, I obtained samples from 

 samples of the waters of the Nelson, Bed and Assiniboine rivers for Iarge nvers - 

 experiment. A complete qualitative and quantitative analysis of each 

 of the two last mentioned is now being made in the laboratory of the 

 Geological Survey, and the results will be reported on by Mr. Hoff- 

 mann. Having also brought home samples of each of these waters ^pf/,, 

 six years before, which were afterwards submitted to Dr. Baker 

 Edwards, F.C.S., for analysis, I shall give his results in referring to 

 the subject of the water-supply of the city of Winnipeg. The bottles 



