NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 329 
^87. — On the Physiographic Characteristics of the Walke- 
mik Basin (Upper North Branch of the Little 
Southwest Miramichi). 
Read December 6. 1904. 
The Little Southwest Miramichi River, rising as a small 
mountain stream on the central plateau, is rapidly enlarged by 
the confluence of several great branches, of which two are of 
especial importance, — the Southwest or Tuadook Branch, con- 
sidered in the preceding note, and the Upper North or Walkemik 
Branch here to be described. The large basin of this branch, 
including several fine lakes, lies in the very heart of the New 
Brunswick Highlands, and, because of its remoteness and diffi- 
culty of access, has been hitherto little visited, scantily surveyed, 
hardly at all mentioned in print, and wholly unstudied by any 
scientific men. In this region, thus so attractive, I spent some- 
what over three weeks in July and August last (1904) in company 
with my friend, Professor A. H. Pierce, studying the natural 
phenomena of the country, and mapping by plane-table and 
traverse its lakes, streams and hills.* Our results are presented 
upon the accompanying map and in the observations which fol- 
low. 
We trace first the development of our knowledge of the basin. 
Its waters appear first and unmistakeably, upon the remarkable 
Franquelin-DeMeulles map of 1686, as shown by the accompany- 
ing copy (Historical maps, A), and it bears the name 8alkemikik 
(or, as we would spell it, Oualkemikik), without doubt its Mic- 
mac Indian name. Since some concise name for this branch is 
needed, as an alternative for its present very cumbersome desig- 
nation (viz., “ Upper North Branch of the Little Southwest 
Miramichi/’) I have adopted this appropriate name in the sim- 
* We portaged from Portage Lake, Tobique, without guides or other aid, by 
way of Hind Lake and the other lakes and ponds of Adder Lake Stream to Upper 
Graham Plains, and thence to Gover Lake, where we established our base camp. 
We did not know of the new portage road from Portage Lake to Gover Lake until 
too late to make use of it. Afterwards we descended the Upper North Branch, 
studied briefly the Crooked Deadwater and Indian Lake region, and came out by 
tthe Renous. 
