88 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



petuous force over a rocky and uneven 

 bottom, presents a sheet of foam, and seems 

 to bear with impatience the straitened con- 

 finement of its lofty banks. A flock of 

 pelicans, and two or three brown fishing 

 eagles, were fishing in its agitated waters, 

 seemingly with great success. There is a 

 good sturgeon fishery at the foot of the 

 rapid. Several golden plovers, Canadian 

 gros-beaks, cross-bills, wood-peckers, and 

 pin-tailed grouse, were shot to day; and 

 Mr. Back killed a small striped marmot. 

 This beautiful little animal was busily em- 

 ployed in carrying in its distended pouches 

 the seeds of the American vetch to its 

 winter hoards. 



The portage is eighteen hundred yards 

 long, and its western extremity was found 

 to be in 53° 08' 25" North latitude, and 

 99° 28' 02" West % longitude. The route 

 from Canada to the Athabasca joins that 

 from York Factory at the mouth of the 

 Saskatchawan, and we saw traces of a re- 

 cent encampment of the Canadian voyagers. 

 Our companions in the Hudson's Bay boats, 



