( 203 ) 



tongue of this animal is highly efteemed, and his 

 true country feems to be near Hudfon's-Bay. The 

 Sieur Jeremie, who pafled feveral years in thefe 

 northern parts, tells us, that between Danifh river 

 and Port Nelfon, prodigious numbers of them were 

 to be feen, which being driven by the gnats, and a 

 fort of vermine called T ons, come to cool and re- 

 frefh themfelves by the fea-fhore, and that for the 

 fpace of forty or fifty leagues you are continually- 

 meeting herds of ten thoufand in number at the 

 lead. 



It appears that the Caribou has not multiplied 

 greatly in the moil frequented parts of Canada 5 

 but the elk was every where found in great num- 

 bers, on our firft difcovery of this country. And 

 thefe animals were not only capable of becoming a 

 confiderable article in commerce, but alfo a great 

 conveniency of life, had there been more care taken 

 to preferve them. This is what has not been done, 

 and whether it rs that the numbers of them have 

 been thinned, and the fpecies in fome fort diminifh- 

 ed, or that by frighting them, they have grown 

 wilder, and fo have been obliged to retire to other 

 parts, nothing can be more rare than to meet with 

 any of them at prefent. 



In the fouthern and weftern parts of New France, 

 on both fides of the Miffifiippi, the kind of hunt- 

 ing moft in vogue, is, that of the buffalo, which 

 is performed in this manner. The huntfmen draw 

 up in four lines, forming a very large fquare, and 

 begin with fetting the graft on fire, that being dry 

 and very rank at this feafon ; they afterwards ad- 

 vance in proportion as the fire gets ground, clofing 

 their ranks as they go. The buffaloes, which are 

 extremely timorous of fire, always fly, till at laft 



