in the spawning season from the middle of September to the middle of October.  The ottonneebees (Coregonus artedi) closely resembles the last.  Three species of carp (Catastomus hudsonius, C. forsterianus, and C. lesueurii) are also found abundantly in all the lakes, their Cree names are namaypeeth, meethquawmaypeeth, and wapawhawkeeshew.  The occuw, or river perch, termed also horn-fish, piccarel, or dore, is common, but is not so much esteemed as the attihhawmeg.  It attains the length of twenty inches in these lakes.  The methy is another common fish; it is the Gadus lota, or burbot, of Europe.  Its length is about two feet, its gullet is capacious and it preys upon fish large enough to distend its body to nearly twice its proper size.  It is never eaten, not even by the dogs, unless through necessity but its liver and roe are considered as delicacies.

The pike is also plentiful and, being readily caught in the wintertime with the hook, is so much prized on that account by the natives as to receive from them the name of eithinyoocannooshoeoo, or Indian fish.  The common trout, or nammoecous, grows here to an enormous size, being caught in particular lakes, weighing upwards of sixty pounds; thirty pounds is no uncommon size at Beaver Lake, from whence Cumberland House is supplied.  The Hioden clodalis, oweepeetcheesees, or gold-eye, is a beautiful small fish which resembles the trout in its habits.

One of the largest fish is the mathemegh, cat-fish, or barbue.  It belongs to the genus silurus.  It is rare but is highly prized as food.

The sturgeon (Accipenser ruthenus) is also taken in the Saskatchewan and lakes communicating with it and furnishes an excellent but rather rich article of food.

CHAPTER 4.

LEAVE CUMBERLAND HOUSE.  MODE OF TRAVELLING IN WINTER.  ARRIVAL AT CARLTON HOUSE.  STONE INDIANS.  VISIT TO A BUFFALO POUND.  GOITRES.  DEPARTURE FROM CARLTON HOUSE.  ISLE A LA CROSSE.  ARRIVAL AT FORT CHIPEWYAN.

Leave Cumberland house.

January 18, 1820.

This day we set out from Cumberland House for Carlton House but, previously to detailing the events of the journey, it may be proper to describe the necessary equipments of a winter traveller in this region which I cannot do better than by extracting the following brief but accurate account of it from Mr. Hood’s journal: 

Mode of travelling in winter.

A snowshoe is made of two light bars of wood fastened together at their extremities and projected into curves by transverse bars.  The side bars have been so shaped by a frame and dried before a fire that the front part of the shoe turns up like the prow of a boat and the part behind terminates in an acute angle; the spaces between the bars are filled up with a fine netting of leathern thongs except that part behind the main bar which is occupied by the feet; the netting