152 Feather stonhaugh's Geological Report, 



bushes grew, but without trees. On approaching it within a 

 mile, it looked like a pond of bright water; innumerable 

 quantities of wild geese, and large white ducks with black- 

 tipped wings, were hovering about it. When we reached the 

 place we found it was a dried-up pond without a drop of water, 

 the surface being covered with a white pellicle of carbonate 

 of lime. It was from the neighborhood of this place I first 

 saw the Coteau de Prairie stretching up and down S. S. E. 

 and N. N. W, There was a great abundance of planorbis and 

 lymnea here, larger than any I had seen before. The Coteau 

 appears to have its name very appropriately, being to the 

 prairie that sort of termination to the horizon which a coast is 

 to the sea. After another inclement march the joyful sight of 

 a few scattered trees presented itself^ and descending the up- 

 land prairie, I reached the last trading-post of the American 

 Fur Company in this quarter, on the east side of Lac Travers. 

 This body of water, so called from its running d travers^ or 

 at right angles from the course of the adjoining lakes, is 

 about twenty miles long, and runs N. E. by N., by compass. 

 The waters were turbid, having no outlet in the dry part of 

 the season, and were at this time, from continued evaporation, 

 not very palatable. At other times of the year it discharges 

 its water in a northerly direction, into Red river of Lake 

 Winnipeg, and during the greatest freshes it overflows the 

 valley which separates it from Lake Eatatenka, at its south 

 end. The greater part of the boulders in this neighborhood 

 are flat pieces of limestone, but I never could find any in 

 place. The sandy loam of the prairies is about one hundred 

 feet deep, judging from the water-level, and eff'ectually con- 

 ceals the rock formation below. From this place I proceeded 

 to the Coteau de Prairie, keeping down the southeast side of 

 the lake, and crossing a valley about one mile broad, which 

 separates the lakes, the north end of Minday Eatakenka, or 

 Big-stone lake, as it is vulgarly called, being two miles from 

 Lake Travers. Having regained the upland prairie to the 



