L ow.] LAKE MISTASSINI. 15 D 



north-west bay, being fifteen miles, with an average breadth of rather 

 more than four miles. From the mouth of the Toquaoeo Eiver, which 

 enters the north-east bay at its head, to the end of the point, the dis- 

 tance is nineteen miles, the average breadth being under four miles. 

 By this river a canoe route goes to a Hudson Bay post, called Mtchi- 

 coon, situated on a branch of the East Main River, to the north-east. 

 This stream falls rapidly during the dry season, being an exception to 

 the other rivers running into the lake, which, taking their rise in large 

 lakes, are not greatly affected by local rainfall. 



Beside those above referred to, the large river flowing out of Lake 

 Temiscamie, and passing through Lake Mistassini, enters the lake on 

 the east side about twenty miles from the head of the north-east bay. 

 Almost directly opposite this river, on the west side, a smaller stream, 

 called the Wabassinon River, enters. 



The shore of the lake is indented by a number of smaller bays, and 

 many islands also occur along its margin. 



The shores of the lake are mostly rocky, with no marshes or beach, 

 a fact accounting for the absence of any great numbers of wading birds 

 or graminaceous ducks. The western bank rises from thirty to sixty 

 feet above the surface of the water, and is in many places perpendicu- 

 lar. The eastern bank is not so elevated, and rises more gradually. 



To the south of Mistassini, and running north of east, is a ridge of Hills 

 hills forming an escarpment about 300 feet high, and constituting the 

 Height of Land between the waters flowing to the St. Lawrence and 

 those draining to Hudson Bay, and the division line between the Pro- 

 vince of Quebec and the North-east Territory. To the north is 

 another range, passing within ten miles of the lake and trending away 

 to the westward. The highest of these hills does not rise more than 

 500 feet above the level of the lake. 



The country in the vicinity of the lake is generally slightly rolling, 

 with rounded hills, rising from thirty to sixty feet above the water, 

 and interspersed with numerous small lakes and marshes. 



As will be seen from the following summary, compiled from the 

 daily meterological observations taken at the Hudson Bay post on 

 Mistassini, which are given in detail in Appendix (II), the climate unfits 

 the surrounding country for purposes of agriculture, as frosts occur 

 during every month except July. 



I am told that the season of 1885 was a good average of the climate 

 here, except that the rainfall was excessive. 



