OF THE POLAR SEA. 



173 



kcego-meena, swamp berry. The American 

 guelder rose, whose fruit so strongly resem- 

 bles the cranberry, is also common. There 

 are two kinds of it, (viburnum oxycocoos and 

 edule,) one termed by the natives peepoon- 

 meena, winter-berry, and the other mongsoa- 

 meena, moose-berry. There is also a berry 

 of a bluish white colour, the produce of the 

 white cornel tree, which is named musqua- 

 meena, bear-berry, because these animals 

 are said to fatten on it. The dwarf Cana- 

 dian cornel bears a corymb of red berries, 

 which are highly ornamental to the woods 

 throughout the country, but are not other- 

 wise worthy of notice, for they have an 

 insipid farinaceous taste, and are seldom 

 gathered. 



The Crees extract some beautiful colours 

 from several of their native vegetables. 

 They dye their porcupine quills a beautiful 

 scarlet with the roots of two species of bed- 

 straw, (galium tinctorium and bore ale,) which 

 they indiscriminately term sawoyan. The 

 roots, after being carefully washed, are 

 boiled gently in a clean copper kettle, and 



