SAND DUNES " THE WEED." 



95 



side of the Lake of the Sand Hills across the country, in 

 as direct a line as possible to Eed River, we made a 

 traverse in a north-westerly direction towards the south 

 point of Keating Island, a distance of sixteen miles. The 

 surface of the lake was perfectly smooth, reflecting the 

 sun's rays with extraordinary power and brilliancy. As 

 we receded from the shores the low sand dunes to the 

 south-west were refracted into the similitude of distant 

 mountain ranges, and the rocky coast of the eastern side, 

 as seen through a glass, into high, precipitous, half wooded 

 cliffs. 



The origin of the sand dunes is interesting ; they prob- 

 ably point to the existence in this neighbourhood of the 

 Chazy formation (Lower Silurian) so characteristic of the 

 west coast of Lake Winnipeg. 



About four miles from land the water became tinged 

 with green, deriving its colour from a minute vegetable 

 growth (confervas), which increased as we progressed, 

 until it gave an appearance to the lake like that of a vast 

 expanse of dirty green mud. On lifting up a quantity of 

 water in a tin cup, or on looking closely over the side of 

 the canoe, the water was seen to be clear, yet sustaining 

 an infinite quantity of minute tubular needle-shaped 

 organisms, sometimes detached, and sometimes clustered 

 together in the form of small spherical stars, varying from 

 a quarter to half an inch in diameter. Five miles from 

 the shore the lead showed thirty-five feet of water, and 

 four miles further on thirty-six feet ; the green confervas 

 increased in quantity, and the little aggregations assumed 

 larger dimensions, some of them exceeding one inch in 

 diameter. 



The temperature of the lake near the mouth of Rainy 

 River was 67° at half-past eleven, a.m. ; yet five miles 

 from land it was found to be 76°, six inches below the 

 surface ; an hour afterwards, repeated and careful obser- 



