LAKES. 21 



North America may be said to contain four great valleys 

 — that of the Mississippi, running north and south ; that of 

 the St. Lawrence, from the south-west to the north-east ; that 

 of the Saskatchewan, extending from the Rocky Mountains 

 below Mount Brown to Lake Superior ; that of the Mac- 

 kenzie, from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean. 

 Although a large portion of the eastern side of the continent is 

 densely wooded, there are towards the west, extending from 

 the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, vast plains. In the 

 south they are treeless and barren in the extreme ; while 

 advancing northward they are covered with rich grasses, 

 which afford support to vast herds of buffaloes, as well as 

 ■ leer and other animals. 



LAKES. 



The most remarkable feature in North America is its lake- 

 system — the largest and most important in the world. In 

 the north-west, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, are the 

 Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes, which discharge their 

 waters through the Mackenzie River into the Arctic Ocean. 

 Next we have the Athabasca, Wollaston, and Deer Lakes. 

 In the very centre of the continent are the two important 

 lakes of Winnipeg and Winnipegoos, — the former 240 miles 

 in length by 55 in width, and the latter about half the size. 

 The large river of the Saskatchewan flows into Lake Winni- 

 peg, and with it will, ere long, form an important means of 

 communication between the different parts of that vast district 

 lately opened up for colonization. At its southern end the 

 Red River of the north flows into it, on the banks of which 

 a British settlement has long been established. Several 

 streams, however, make their way into Hudson Bay. Be- 



