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Un des symboles suivants apparaltra sur la dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ^ signlfle "A SUIVRE", le symbols y signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent 6tre filmfo A des taux da rMuction diffirants. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film* A partir da I'aiigle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thoda. errata I to B palure, on A n 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I LAKE SUPERIOR: ITS PHYSICAL CHARACTER, VEGETATION, AND ANDL\LS, COMPARED WITU THOSE OF OTHER AND SIMILAR REGIONS. nY LOUIS AGASSIZ. WITH A NARRATIVE OF THE TOUR, BT J. ELLIOT CABOT. AXD CONTRIBUTIONS BY OTHER SCIENTIFIC GENTLEMEN. ELEGANTLY ILLUSTRATED. BOSTON: GOULD, KENDALL AND LINCOLN, 59 Washinuton Stbekt. 1850. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, Br GooiD, Kendall & Lincoln, to the Clerk'* Office of the District Court of the District of Ma«wchUBett8. B 0 STO !f : Damrell & Moore, Prlnteri, 16 DevouBhire Street. PREFACE. The main object of the excursion, the results of wliich are given in the following pages, was a purely scientific one, viz. : the study of the Natural History of the north- ern shore of Lake Superior. Another end proposed by Professor Agassiz, was, to afford to those of the party who were unaccustomed to the practical investigation of natural phenomena, an opportunity of exercising them- selves under his direction. The party was composed of the following geiltlemen : Prof Agassiz and Dr. William Keller, instructors, and Messrs. George Belknap and Charles G. Kendall, stu- dents, of the Lawrence Scientific School ; Messrs. James McC. Lea, GeorgeH. Timmins, and Freeman Tompkins, of the Dane Law School ; Messrs. Eugene A. Hoffman, Charles G. Loring, Jonathan C. Stone, and Jefferson Wiley, of the senior class of Harvard College ; Messrs. Joseph P. Gardner and J. Elliot Cabot, of Boston ; Drs. John L. Le Conte and Arthur Stout, of New York ; and M. Jules Marcou, of Paris. Interspersed throughout the Narrative are reports, care- fully made at the time, of the Professo'-'s remarks on various points of Natural History, that seemed to him iv PREFACE. likely to interest a wider circle than those more particu- larly addressed in the second part of tlie book, which consists of j)apers on various points connected with the Natural Plistory of the region, written, where not other- wise specified, by Prof. Aji^assiz. This portion of the work, however, does not aim at a mere detail of facts, but is intended to show the bearing of these facts upon general questions. The Landscape Illustrations are taken from sketches made on the spot, by Mr. Cabot. Those of the Second Part were drawn and lithographed by Mr. Sonrel, a Swiss artist of mucli distinction in this branch, and formerly emi)loyed by Prof. Af,'assiz at Ncuchatel, but now resident in this country. Boston, March, 1850. ■i I I i CONTENTS. NARRATIVE. CHAP. I. BOSTON TO THE 8AULT DE 8T. MARIE. Boston to Albany — Lecture from the Professor — Valley of the Mo- hawk— Population of German descent — Wild scenery of Western New York — Niaf^ara — Remarks by Prof. Agassiz on the ( icology and Botany of this Region— Lunar rainbow — The suspension bridge — Rattlesnakes — Peculiar color of the water — Steamer to the foot of the Falls — Buffalo — Steamer for Mackinaw — Botanical Lecture — The Great Lakes — Boat in distress — Cleveland— Detroit— Lake St. Clair — Flats— Lake Hu- ron— Northern character of the scenery — Meteorological phenomenon — Mackinaw — Fishing party and Lecture on Fishes — Boat for the Sault — Les moiiches — First experiment of camping out — The Dc-tour — St. Jo- seph's Island and the Major — Passage up the St. Mary's Straits — Mus- quitoes — Arrival at the Sault 9-31 CHAP. II. THE SAULT TO FOKT WILLIAM. The Sault — Dissolute character of the population — I-ccture on Fishes of the Sault — The black fly — Lecture on the Classification of Birds — Embarcation on Lake Superior — Canoes — Canadian voyageurs and In- dians— The Pointe aux Pins — Voyageur's bread — Entrance of the lake — Resemblance to the sea-coast — Les ycm dti Lac — Arrangement of the messes — Routine of the day — Provisions — Drift-scratches and grooves — Mincralogical remarks by the Professor — Grand scenery of the lake — Catching the lake trout — Character of rocks and trees — Great va- riations of temperature — Coldness of the water — Mica Bay — Hospitality of Capt. Matthews— A proof of the " Glacial Theory"— Montreal River — Large red pines — Tamias quculrivittatus — Indian pictures — Transpa- rency of the water — Cautiousness of the voyageurs — Boat songs — Fishing Indians — Toad River — Character of river-mouths on the lake — Increasing grandeur of the scenery — Brilliancy of the lichens — Agate Bay — Indian legend — Cape Choyye — Pot-holes — Snow — Michi- picotin River — The factory — The plague of flics — Indian hunters— n CONTEXTS. The fur trade — Climntc — Tho rtihorics— Our voyn'^purH — Tcrrncps — lliv. u lu C-'hionne — Au Indiim tombstone — I-c* Kcrits— ('hftnicter of the woods — (UiH's — Otter Head — A cedar swumi) — Altcratimiot' temjiornturo —The Northern Lights — The I'ic — liird.s and fishes — One of the party ill with fever — Drowned insects — Pic Island— Fires in the woods — Caribous — Parus Iludsonicus — Terraces — The Professor's remarks on M( tallii' Veins — I.es Petits Eirits — Islands — An Indian Family— I'snea — St, Ipnace — Deserted Mining Location — Ascent of Mt. Cambridge — Furrows on the beaches — Masses of lichen — Ripple marks — Thunder Cape — Fort William — The Kaministiiiuia lliver — The Fort — Acjuatic Cows — F.xcursion to Kakaboka Falls — Paddles and oars — The river — A 1)." charge — Character of the interior of this region — Heavy dew — The Falls 31-89 CHAP. III. FORT WIM,IAM HACK TO THE BAVLT. The Patf — Remarks by the Professor on the Distribution of Animals and Plants — Prince's Location — Minerals — Spar Island — the Victoria Islands — The Professor's remarks on Mineral Veins — Swell on the lake — Structure of the Puti — Varieties of the lake trout — Spawning of the various tishes of the lake — Gulls breeding — Sails of birch bark — Ncepi- gon Hay — Cape Gourgan — Deserted mining location — Prof. Agassi/, on the Outlines of Continents — The miner's huts — Conjectures as to their winter life — Scudding before the wind—" Dirty Water" — Head winds — Remarkable trap dyke — Terraces measured — Black River — Intricacy of the woods — Falls of Rlack River — Lecture on the Drift Formations of the Lake — The brown bear — Drift wood — Habits of the grouse — An Esquimaux dog — A port in a storm — Degrades — Lake contrasts — La Violle — A sweating house — Diffeience in vegetation — Trap dykes — Half breeds — A calm on the lake — Foxes — Trout fishing — Michipicotin again — Moisture of the atmosphere — Indian dogs — Excursion to Michi- picotin Falls — Features of the country — The Portage — The Falls — Paleontological pot-holes — The Sandy Islands — A fox in exile — " Fran- (,ais" and " Sauvages" — Diificult embarcation — Gros Cap — White flow- ering raspberry — The outlet of the lake — Arrive all together — Shooting the Rapids 89-123 CHAP. IV. FROM THE SAULT HOMEWARDS. Description of Lake Superior — Steamer for Sturgeon Bay — Scenery of the St. Mary's Straits — The Bruce Mine — Miners injured by an explosion — St. Joseph's — Remarkable b'>ulder — Observations on it by the Profes- sor— The Theologico-geological question mooted — The Grand Manitou- liu — The "presents" to the Indians — Gross injustice of the present sys- tem— Pcnetanguishene — Sturgeon Bay — A rough road — Change in veg- CONTKN.d. VU ctntion — Cold Water — I,nko Simcoc — Holland Inndiii!: — St. Alhann — Country on the Toronto rond — Toronto — l.oikport — Ueniiirkuljlo lUift groove — ilomc 123-133 II. NATURAL HISTORY. I. THE NOUTIIEUN VEGETATION COMPAHED WITH THAT OF THE 3VH\ AND THE ALPS. Geographical distribution; nniinaln and plants not si uttered at ran- dom over the face of the earth; lauses of this; temperature, 137. — Moisture; light; atmosiihcric pressure, 138. — Evinced in the fragrance of Alpine flowers, 13!). — Electricity; geographical features, 140, 141. — But physical agents not originally causative; peculiarities of North America; latitude, 142. — Limits of these agencies, 144. — Evidences of a Supreme Intelligence, 145. — Coliparison of vegetation of temperate regions, 14(i, 147. — Of Alpine and Northern vegetation, 148-0. — Of recent and fossil species ; coincideuco of European tertiary fossils with living species in America, 150-2 137-152 n. OBSERVATIONS ON THE VEGETATION OF THE XOllTHEUN SHORES OF LAKE SUI'EUIOU. Agreement of vegetation of Lake Superior with that of the higher tracts of the Jura, 153. — Parallel lists of the plants of these regions, 154-170. — Enumeration of lichens collected at Lake Superior, 170-4. — Parallel lists of Lake Superior plants in general and their analogues in Europe, 175-9. — Comparison of the vegetation of North America in general with that of Switzerland, 170-188.— List of European plants observed along several lines of railroad, 188-90 153-190 HI. CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS FROM EMBRYONIC AND PAL.TCOZOIC DATA. Internal structure an insufHcient basis for classitication, 191-2, — Embryonic features of various animals, as denoting a respectively inferior rank, 193-200 191-200 IV. GENERAL REMARKS VPON THE COLE^PTERA OF LAKE SIPERIOR. DY DR. JOAN L. lEl'O.NTE. Geographical distribution, 201-2. — I/ist of species collected, 203-239. — Observations on the characters of the insect fauna of Lake Superior, 239-ril. — Account of the larva and pupa of a colcoi;tcTous insect from Niagara Falls, referred by Uekay to the Crustaceans, 241-2 201-242 I I viu CONTKNTf<. CATALonUK OF !inRU.f«, WITH DKSCIIIPTIONH OF NBW dPEriRII. OT DH. A. A. aoULD. Catiiloifue •-MU-'Jir* VI. FISIIKH JF LAKK Sl'I'KRIOH CUMPAKRn WITH TIIOSK OF TIIK OTHKU (IIIRAT CANADIAK I.AKKX. fJoonraphionl diHtributinn ; tho prcvtilence of Ronornl laws over mere iipculiiiritics of position and cireumstunix'H, 2U\-7. — Mi>;ratinn aiiiinalH do not wander, but regularly return : light thrown on the queHtion of unity or plurality of crcationn by the examination of the fishc's of liako Sui)erior, 248. — Kxamination of the (luention whether tho I'etromy/ons should form a subclass by themselves, or be classed with the skates and sharks, and conclusion that they are simply embry- onic forms of the latter typo, 2l0-.')2. — Description of AmrndcrfUn bormlis, 2^2-4. — I.i'.i'inosTKUS, as showing the reptilian character of the ancient fishes, 2fi4-fi.'J. — The sturgoons ; their j»eograi)hical distribution, 2r»3-4. — Circumscribed within narrow limits in various parts of the world, yet linked together by intermediate forms ; peculiarity of their distribution in America, 2(j/)-(). — Acljieuncr linr< inr Inti'lliu'fnoc, :127-30. — Snimn fimtinalin, 330-Ul. — S. namni/rii/i/i, ohMcrvntionn uiion, H;tl-M. — N. .lismirrf, Ana««., 3Hr}-3't. — ('(titK.(ii)M>, (>li<(erviitinns on the, ;J.'lt)-!l. — (', rliipviJnrmtH, i'}.'t!t-r2. — ''. itliiuH, 3H'— I. — I'. Mifiiilisfiiiinx, AjjaHH., ;<44— IS. — C. latiitr, A«a»H., 3IK-ol. — <', i/uiirlri/nfrrti/ii, 'M)\-'2, — Family CvpitiNdtits, diHtrihfttion, :t.)2-;t. — Khimciitiiyh, A^ass., V>'.\-\, — 11. mannitriihis, Alrll^triet, 373-.j. — 'Ihcso Hshes nivist have been created where they now live, 370.— Deduction:! from thi.s fact, 377 24(i-377 VII. UESCUIPTIONOFSOME NEW SPECIBS OK UKl'TII.KS FIIOM THE IlEniON OF I,AKE aiPEKIOH. Ilylodes maculutuit, Agass., 378-9. — liana tiii/rivan», Agass., 379-80. — Crulophorus, sp., probably identical with C. tergemimw, 381. — Further list of reptiles of Lake Superior ; large size of some species ; turtles not found on northern shores of the lake, 382 378-382 vm. REPORT OK THE BIRRS COLLECTEn AND OBSERVED AT LAKE 8VFERI0B. BY J. t. CAUOT. Striking scarcity of birds and quadrupeds ; causes of this, 383-4. — List of species, 381-5 383-385 IX. DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME SPECIES OF LEPIDOPTERA, FROM THE NORTHERN SHORES OF LAKB 8UPKRI011. BT DB. THADDEU8 WULUX HARRIS. rontiaolerarea, 386. — Deilephila Chanutnerii, 387-8. — Smerinthua nw- (lesta, 388-9. — Ilepiolus urgcnteo-maculatus, 389-90. — Arctia part/ienos, 300-1. — Arctia Americana, 391. — Knnunws maciluria, 392. — List of Lep- idoptcrous insects, taken by Professor L. Agassiz on the northern shore of Lake Superior, 392-4 386-394 THE ERRATIC PHENOMENA ABOUT LAKE SIPERIOR, The most minute and nareful investigation of drift by the glacialists ; wliereas their opponents siimdy deny, 395. — The various erratic basins X CONTENTS. of Switzerland distinct, and the mntcrials in well- determined order, .■i!>0. — Similar phenomena observe'! in other ]>art8 of Kurope, 396-7. — Points necessary to be settled ; first, the relation in time and character, between the Northern and the Alpine erratics, 397. — Traced in North America, 397-8. — Not yet settled whether any local centres of distribu- tion in this country : but the general cause must have acted in all parts siniultanoously, 398. — The action ceased at 35° north latitude; this incompatible with the notion of currents, 399. — In both hemispheres a direct reference to the polar regions, 400. — Difficulty as to so extensive formation of ice, removed ; difficulties on the theory of currents, the etfocts contrary to experience of water-action, 401. — Erratic phenomena of Lake Su"pcrior, 401-4. — The iceberg theory, 405-6. — Description of appearances at Lake Superior, 406-9. — Drift; contains mud, and is without fossils, 409. — Example of juxtaposition of stratified and un- stratified drift, at Cambridge, 410. — Date of these phenoncma not fully determined, but doubtless simultaneous all over the globe, 410-411. — The various periods and kinds of drift distinguished, 412. — Accompanied by change of level in the continent ; terraces at Lake Superior, 413-14. — Not from a subsidence of the water, but from upheaval, of the land, 414-416 395-416 XL THE OUTLINES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. The present physical state of our globe the result of gradual and suc- cessive changes, 417. — Necessity of 8tu'^;,;ng out in detail minor and secondary phenomena, 418. — Position and general features of the Great Lakes, 419-20. — Lake Superior ;^ the dykes correspond in direction with the trend of the shores, 420. — Details, 421-2. — Enumeration of the various systems of dykes, 423-4. — ITiese dykes have cut up the primi- tive formations so as to produce the present outlines of the lake, 424-5. — The rocks of Lake Superior as evidence that the erratics of more southern localities were derived from the primitive range extending north of the lakes to the Atlantic, 425-6 417-426 XII. 0E0I.00ICAL RELATIONS OP THE VARIOUS COPPER DEPOSITS OF LAKE SUPERIOR. The distribution of the copper orCs at Lake Superior, as indicating their origin ; the native copper plutonic and unchanged near the centre of eruption, but modified and combined at a distance, 427-428 ined order, c, 396-7.— I character, I in North )f distribu- n all parts ude; this isplieros a extensive Tents, the lenoniena iption of > and is and un- not fully 0-411.— mpanied 13-14.— le land, .395-416 id suc- lor and Wreat n with )f the primi- 124-5, more »ding •417-426 li SUPERIOU. iting ntre .427-428 ILLUSTRATIONS. I. LANDSCAPES. 1- Lake Terraces near Bi^ack River. ^ ^'^^■ 2. River Terraces, Toad Rjver Frontispiece. 3. Camp at Michipicotin ^^ 4. Island op St, Iqn^ce ......!....!.'. ^^ 5. Thunder Cape TS 6- Kakareka Falm .\ 80 7. Rapids, Rlack River , . * ^^ 8. Tjc Island " * 101 lOG II. NATURAL HISTORY. Peucopsis guttatus; Salmo siscowpt Kkinicrthvs marmoratus ; Catostom.s j^uoZ ][[[ '!^ Ar-RURxus RURELLus ; LEmsccs prontalis. . . ''' :err1 . . ;. ;.^:;";'""' ^•^"•"^-^ maculatcm;Ex„e- ACIPE.VSKU CARRONARirs. .'.'.'.'."..'.'.'.'.'.'.,'.'.' •^^'' Hylodes maculatttv! • p . vr. 271 Spvpn SPPc,r t' =^'"'"^^^''; AND A Crotalophorus 378 IW " I^—TERA. AND TWO NEW SHELLS ' 1 ^^ KtVE NEW SPECIES OP COLEOPTERA . ^" ERRATA. Page 10, Xote, for Tbce/yM read .7br^/y«. IZ I' f f " •' '" '^'''■^">'-'- -•^'1 «'^"« to Fo,, WilUam. 1 age 58 for Jroupcrm Vh-.jhucnws read J. vuvinlana. plfcT ' "^ ""^^ "' '^^' ^^^^ ^^^^^«'= --- -'^™ -^ --^0./ should exchange ■L.- LAKE SUPERIOR. ]^ A ]l E A T I V E . CHAPTER I. should exchange BOSTON TO THE SAULT DE ST. MARIE. We left Boston on the loth of Juno, 1848, at 8 A.M., in the cars for Albany. The weather Avas -warm, and -we were well powdered with dust, when, at about G P.M., Ave arrived at the ferry on the Hudson. The Western appears to be more exposed to this nuisance of dust than the other railroads, probably from the many cuts through banks of crumbling clay and gravel. We were inter- ested to hear that a contrivance for watering the track had been proposed and successfully experimented on. At the hotel we found the Ncav York members of our party, which now numbered eighteen. After tea we assembled in a large room up stairs, where Prof. zVgassiz made the following remarks on the region over which we had passed : — " The soil of this tract is of great variety, but everywhere presents this feature : that its surface is covered with loose materials, all erratic, (or be- longing to rocks whose natural position is distant from the points where these fragments arc found,) and all evidently transported at a very remote epoch. These erratics arc of all sizes, from sand to largo rocks ; the larger ones angular j the smaller ones more or less rounded, scratched and poli.'^litHl, as arc also the surfaces of the rocks on which they rest. These polished rocks have been noticeable to-day, especially to the westward of ^\'orcester. These marks we shall find still more strongly shown as we proceed north- ward. "We have nowhere seen iinaltered rocks, but exclusively those of a granitic chai'acter, metamorphosed from originally stratified formations by the 10 LAKE SUPERIOR. action of liout. Thus, for instance, tlie l)l;icliz pointed out seven different kinds of trees, viz., arbor vitro, red cedar, hemlock, bass-wood, chestnnt-oak, white j ino, and maple. The Professor also pointed out the shell-bed of which he had spoken. The shells are very numerous, as may be readily seen in the crumbling bank on the outer side of the island. At tho uinicr end of the island, vast numbers of delicate ejihemera-liko insects, with long tllamcnts, were fluttering about, particularly under the trees. Some of us iiad never seen the Falls, and nor>e of us at this season of the year, Avhcn the mass of water is greatest. Coming at lengtli in sight of them, wc were struck with the thickness of the sheet at the pitch of the English Fall, ]»articularly in that part of it between the apex of the Horseshoe and the middle of the cataract on tlic Canadian side.* It bends over in a jtolished, mibroken mass, as of green glass over white. Some one said the average depth of water at that point wab about fourteen feet. Other remarkable features are, the distance to which the water is projected, the rocket-like bursts of spray from the falling sheet, and the sudden spouting up of the mist at intervals from below, as if shot from a camion. These sheets of mist rise high above the Fall, anTi the stream, not perceptible at the height of two feet. Afterwards, in walking round the island, we saw on the cloud of mist over the English Fall, a lunar rainbow, glimmering with a pale, phosphorescent, unearthly light, and showing prismatic colors, but not (juite joined at the top. Some of the party afterwards saw it complete. Jane l^ili. — Took an accommodation car on the Lockport Railroad as far as the Susj)cnsion IJridgc, (about a mile below the Falls,) of which the piers were finished and a rope stretched across, bearing susjiended a basket, in wliich some adventure-loving person was being hauled across. From the bridge we walked along the bank through the woods to the Whirli)ool. Tlie river, when thus seen from above, is of such a dark and solid green, that it is difficult to persuade one's self that it is not occasioned by some colored matter suspended in the Avater. At intervals we got glimpses of the Fall, between tho high perpendicular banks enclosing it as in a frame. The slow, heavy plunge of the water was distinguishable to the eye even at this distance, but the roar was hardly audible. Rattlesnakes are found among the rocks about these cliffs, and one had been taken alive the day before, in the path leading down to the "Whirljiool. There is said to be a mound of their bones in the neigh- borhood, erected in token of full revenge by some Indians Avhose chief had been killed by a rattlesnake's bite. 1 18 LAIvK ^I'PKraOR. 'I 1 1 Rctunrui;^ to tlic Suspcnsioti Ur'nli^o, we wotit on board tlic little Btoiiiner, " Miiiil of the Mist," which runs \\\) to tlic font of the Fulls. I confess I was tloiihtfiil as to tho atlvunta^rcs to 1)0 ;rainc(l by any ono who had crossed tho ferry so often as I had, b\it I was old traveller enou;:;h to know that ono oftencr repents of not ;."iin^ than of goini^, and went accordin;^ly, instead of rcturnin;^ hy tho cars with the more skejjtical of the party. Tho result showed tho soundness of the principle. Many thin;i;3 are to he learned I)y such close proximity, (for the hoat, true to her name, runs actually into the mist at the foot of tho Fall,) and may he studied more conveni- dodi di cntly in the steamer, with a chance shower of spray, than in an open skiff. I saw plainly here, what I had not heen able to satisfy myself of before, that the c(ifniiiri/ curi'fH in lii;j;h waterfalls, insisted upon by tlio " Oxford (iruduate,"" are fully exemplified in the ;^reatcst cascade of the world. At half-iiast two V. M. we took the cars for ]>uRido, and as the steamer Avas not to start until seven, we had some time on our hands after our arrival there, wliicli wc spent in making some last purchases, and in seeing the i)lace. The nu:nber of Germans here is a prominent feature. At the Post-office there is a separate delivery for " Deutsclio Uriefc." Another feature, striking to a New Englander, though common to all the towns in New York, (which justify themselves probably ])y tlie example of their great city,) is the number of phjH running at large in tho streets. "When at length wc went on board tho " Cilo])e," Ave found everything in confusion. Bye and bye, how- ever, the confusion subsided ; even the escape-pipe abated its vehemence by degrees, and at last became silent, and still there seemed to bo no movement towards starting. But in proportion as tlic boat became quiet, the passengers became noisy for departure, and at last, after much expostulation, and finally th'^ threat of leaving altogetlier, at lialf past ten we got under weigh. June 2.0th. — Weather pleasant, Avind S.S.W., strong. The Avater green, but less so than at Niagara. This forenoon wc took possess- ion of a little cabin in the after part of the vessel, to listen to the ui tl • Modern Painters, (Am. Ed.,) I., 363. If NAUIIATIVE. 10 I the little bot of tlio 1)0 grained , but I was not ;:<>iii;^ iii;^ l»y tlio IkiwimI tlio lmI I)y such 'tually into e CnliVCMli- raonliiiary re, what I ate,"* aro 111(1 as the 10 oil our some la>jt . At the ^ r>i"K'fc-." oniinou to ohaltjy hy -iniiiiiL^ at )oar(l the ye, how- atcd it3 till tlicro loi'tion as parture, leaving ic water po?ses3- 11 to the followin;^ account from the Professor, of the forest trees ahout illuitratod by spocinioiw gathered the day before ou the I I >iapira. sjtot : — " I. Con!fvrti'i| at a very early ;;eoln;jical epucli, Tliis was the fir.-t family that bocaiiie nuiiierous after the ferns. Their remains nro easily rt giii/ed umhr the microscope by tlio circular »li>iks on their wood-cells. " '2. Sterile flowers gnuiped tn<;ethcr, in spikc-likc brandie-j, furminn; catkins; fertile flowers surrounded hy a cup. They all belong; tu tem|erato climates. (Iin. (,(1 kiums (oak,) characterized ly their fruit, and by the fact that the female flowe:.* are scattered, and the stamenifenms fluwers form bunches. There are more than forty species in the liiited Slates. Gen. I'A.nA.NK.v, (chestnut,) allied to the oaks, but the fruit s\irroiuided entirely by the cup (burr). There arc two .species in the Tnitcd States. Cicn. Osniv.v, (ho[)-h(inibeam,; tuva by the mure prominent ribs, and less deeply marked serratures of the leaves. " ■]. Ami')itiicfi(C ; both kinds of flowers in catkins. (leu. IJitii.a, (birch,) distiiiifuished by the shape *if its catkins, which arc Inuti; and cyl- iiidrical, and its winded fruit, (icn. Poi'Ci.rs, (poplar,) seeds in a pod, very minute, and siu'rouudcd liy down. 1*. trcninhiiili's (Amcrieaii aspen,) hke the other species, has the leaf-stalk very much compressed, hence tho treuuilous motion of tho leaf. " 4. ,/iii//iiii(l('fc, fruit with an external soft husk, tho nut scparatiui; into two halves. There arc two genera of this family in the United States : Ji (iLANS. All have, compound leaves, that is, each loaf is divided into leaflets. Two species, black walnut and butternut, tho latter distini;nished by the silkincss and whitish color of the underside of the leaf, ('aisva, tho nut does not divide so well as in Juolans, but tho husk is diviiled and falls off in pieces, which is not tho case in Juglans. At Oeningen, in Swit- zerland, are found fossil hickories. The trees of the tertiary I'pooh of Luroiie correspond to the species existing at present in this cfiuntiy. " a. Olcaceat, (the a.sli family,) leaves like those of hickory, but the largo lateral nerves do not run to the points of the serratures, as in the hickories. Fruit in bunches, with dry capsules. Flower in the asb, without corolla. 20 LAKE SUPERIOR. "0. IhintdmAlihc, (witch liazol,) iiarnod probably from its flnworing in the fall, l-'niit in four little nuts. No species of this family in Europe. " 7. TiUacete, leaves unsyninietrical. Tilia amencana, (bass-wood,) leaves smooth below. " 8. Arrn'nca, Gen. Acer, (maple,) leaves in three main lobes, sub- divided into five. " 9. Anipd'uhr, (the grape family,) petals dividing below sooner than at the apex. Croat variety of species in America, but not suitable for making wine. Three species on Goat Island." The south shore of Lake Erie is flat and monotonous ; red, crumb- ling banks, surmoiinted by a forest broken only by an occasional log-liouso. At one time high land visible on the horizon, being a spur of the Allcghanics. In sjiito of all glorification on the score of the " Great Lakes," it must be confessed that the Lower Lakes at least arc only geo- graiihically or economically great. Any one accustomed to the sight of tlic ocean has to keep in mind the stpiare miles of extent, to i)rc'.scrvo his respect for them. Their waves, though dangerous enough to navigators, have not sufficient swing to carve out a rocky shore for themselves, or to tumble any rollers along the beach, and tluis tlie lino Avhcre land and -water meet, in which, as has been well said, the interest of a sea-view centres, is as tann .is the edge of a duck-pond. Much of this character is doubtless owing to the flat i)rairie country by which they are mostly surrounded. In tlie afternoon heavy clouds rolled up from the N.W., and a sipiall was evidently approaching. At this time we saw a steamer in the distance outside of us, with her flag union down. On reach- ing her we found she had broken her crank. After some clumsy mamcuvring avc got alongside, and her captain persuaded the owner of our boat, who Avas on board, to " accommodate" him by towing him into Cleveland. This kind turn Avould delay us many hours, and was by no means necessary for the safety of the boat, since there were other ports under the lee. Nevertheless, our owner (although, as we learned, he Avas to be paid nothing for the trouble,) agreed, and took them in tow. But shortly after, the siiuall coming on, it was found that our machinery Avould not stand the additional strain, and she Avas accordingly cast off to shift for herself. "We arrived at atl thk bll dil onl SCI loi bii U). ill NARRATIVE. 21 flowering in Europe, bass-wood,) lobes, sub- tier tlian at for niakinjr id, crumb- occasional I, being a t Lakes," onlj geo- the sight •f extent, langerous t a rocky ach, and las been the edge )wing to d. ., and a steamer 'n rcacli- clumsj le owner i' towinj; urs, and JO there though, agreed, on, it strain, ivcd at Clc\-eland at half past ten P. M., and spent there some hours. It is a thriving town, and a regular stopping ])lace for steamers, 1)\it like almost all the towns on this lake, is without a natural harbor, tho only shelter to vessels being a long pier stretching into the Lake. June -\>(t. — Weather fine and warm, with smooth water. Arrived at Detroit at half past eleven, and left at three V. ^{. Xear the entrance of Lake St. Clair we were surrounded by numbers of black terns, (^Sterna ni'i/ra,) which, at a moderate distance, -..ore disting\iishable from the swallows by which they Avere accoinpimicd, only by their superior size. Numbers of slender gauze-winged in- sects, (^Ephemera, Phrijjanea.') with long antenmc, and some with two long filaments projecting behind like the tail feathers of the Tro])ic bird about the boat, and on the water. In the St. Clair straits tlierc were a few ducks, even at this season, though nothing like the vast Hocks to be seen here a little later in the season. Wc were sounding constantly through these straits, having on an average about three feet below the keel in the chaimel, our boat drawing seven feet. Tho shores arc low, marshy and aguish, with woods at a distance, and scattered log-houses. This remarkalilc extent of mud-fiats, (some twenty miles across,) is covered with only a foot or two of water in most parts, and even the chamiel is so shallow that the larger boats have to discharge a part of their cargo into lighters while passhig it, and arc often delayed here many hours. Even our boat continually touched, as was evident from the clouds of mud she stirred up. To make and maintain a proper channel for such a distance, is an undertaking much called for, but nut to bo expected of single States, nor is there any one State principally uiterested in it. One would hope, therefore, that the General Gov- ernment may before long do something about it. The water over these flats is still as green as that of Lake l-h'io, and not more turbid. About 10 P. !M. we put in to wood, and re- mained until 7 A. M., taking in sixty-four cords of wood. Jaui^ '22(1. — AVe entered Lake Huron about breakfast time ; tho weather calm, and what the sailors call " greasy," the water darker than in Lake Erie, partly owing, no doubt, to the greater deitth of '6' water, and partly to the cli>udy sky. The dark ballon water, and the unbroken line of forest, retreating on either hand as wc i-sued Il 22 LAKE SUPERIOR. 'I i fi I from the straits, gave a kiiul of grim majesty to this lake, by con- trast to those Ave had loft. Many sea-gulls about. Laud in sight on the left all day, except in crossing Saginaw Bay. (Jn entering Lake Huron, we began to feel that we were getting into another region. Canoes of Lidians about ; the weather cool morning and evening, and the vegetation northerly, the pine family having a decided preponderance in the landscape. We might be said to have left the suunncr behind at the St. Clair, for thence- forth there was hardly a day during some part of which a fire was not necessary for comfort. Just before sunset, when the sun was three or four degrees high, we noticed in the opposite (juarter of the heavens, rays of light con- verging towards a point apparently as much below the horizon, as the sun was above. It had the appearance of a cloudy sunrise. We afterwards saw the same thing in the St. Mary's lliver ; and it may be remarked, in both cases before rain.* June 'lod. — Arrived at Mackinaw early in the morning, and land- ed on the wharf in a shower. We had been about eighty hours on the way from Buffalo, a distance of 6G3 miles, and we were vexed to hear that the weekly steamer for the Sault had left the evening before, and that if we had taken the other boat, which started punc- tually a couple of hours before us, Ave should have been in time. We landed on the little wooden wharf in face of a row of shabby cabins and stores, with " Lidian curiosities " posted up in large letters to attract the steamboat passengers during the brief stop for fish. Over their roofs appeared the whitewashed buildings of the Fort stretching along the ridge. The inhabitants of the place, look- ing down upon us from all sides, as from the lower benches of a theatre, soon perceived that we had not departed with the steamer, and wo were soon plied with invitations to the two principal lodging- houses. From previous experience, I advised the " Mission House," and thither we went. On the beach some Indians were leisurely hauling up their canoes, or engaged upon their nets, regardless of the rain. The Professor was soon in the midst of them, and bought white-fish and large pike, * Sec a notice of a similar phenomenon by Bory St. Vincent, in Goethe's Farben- lehre: [Entoptische Farben, cap. XXXI.] NARRATIVE. 23 winch had been taken with nets or lines set the night before. An cxoollcnt breakfast (at whicli white-fish figiircil,) and comfortable rooms, showed that the character of the " Mission House " was still kept up. It continued to shower at intervals during the day, but this did not prevent us from seeing the Natural Bridge, with its re- gular arch, ninety feet high, rising on the border of the island, the huge conical rock called the " Sugar Loaf," the Fort, &c. I do not know Avhethcr any of the party visited the cave where Alex- ander lleiny was concealed by his Indian friend during the massacre of the English — as I did on a former occasion, when, bye the bye, I found a fragment of a human skull among the rubbish on the floor of the cave, attesting the correctness of that part of Henry's narrative. The wet weather was not unfavorable to vegetation, which is luxu- riant on the island, though the trees, (maple and beech,) are of small size, this latitude being nearly the northernmost limit of the latter. The flowers were beautiful ; the twin-flower, (^Linncm hor- ealts,^) so fine that I thought it must be another new species ; then the beautiful yellow ladies' slipper, Lonicera, and Cynoglossum. The island is of a roundish form, two or three miles in diamctor. On the N.E. the crumbly lime-cliff rises abruptly from the water to the height of a hundred feet or more ; but on the south there is a sloping curve of varying width between the bluff and the beach. The village lies on this slope, a single street of straggling log- cabins and ill-conditioned frame houses, parallel with the beach, and some of a better class standing back among gardens at the foot of the bluff. On the edge of the bluff, which rises abruptly from the slope at the distance of some three hundred yards from the Lake, stands the Fort, a miniature Ehrenbreitstein, with a covered Avay leading down the face of the bluff. "We were disappointed at finding only three or four lodges of Indians here. In August and September (the time for distributing the " presents,") there are generally several hundreds of them on the island. Notwithstanding the rain, the Professor, intent on his favorite science, occupied the morning with a fishing excursion, in which he was accompanied by several of the party, most of them pro- 24 LAKE SUPERIOR. ifsi tectcd by watcr-prcof ganncnts, wliilc lie, regardless of wet and cold, sat soaking in the canoe, enraptured by the variety of the scaly tribe, described and undescribed, hauled in by their combined efforts. Kot content with this, he as usual interested and engaged various inhabitants of the place to supply him with a complete set of the fishes found hero. AVith a view of indoctrinating those of us who were altogether new to ichthyology with some general vicAvs on the subject, he com- menced in the afternoon, scalpel in hand, and a board Avell covered with fishes little and big before him, a discussion of their classificar tion: " These fishes present examples of all the four great divisions of the class. This i)iko, i^Luciopcrca ainericanu,') belongs to those having rougli scales and spinous fins. The rays of the first dorsal, and the an- terior ones of the vcntrals and the anal are simple and spinous ; the other rays are divided at the extremity, and softer. The scales are rough and remarkably serrate. These are the Ctkxoips. They have five sorts of fins, viz : the dorsal, caudal and anal, which are placed vertically in the median line, and can be raised or depressed, and the ventral and anal, which are in pairs. In the Ctenoids the vcntrals are placed immediately below the pectorals, though fishes having this arrangement of fins do not all belong to this division. There are but two families of Ctenoids found in freshwater: the P(??roi*c/s and the Cottoi'ds ; the former are characterized by having teeth on the palatal and intermaxillary bones, but none on the maxillary. Also by a serrate prcoperculum and by the spines on the oper- culum. Of this family arc the genera Perca, Labrax, Pomotis, Centi-ar- chiis, &c. The fish before us belongs to the genus Lucioperca. They have a wide mouth and large conical teeth, like the pickerels, and two dorsals. There are tv.'o species in Europe and two in the United States. This is L. americami; its color is a greenish brown above, with whitish below, and golden stripes on the sides. On opening the fish we find the heart very far in front, between the gills, and con.sisting of a triangular ventricle, a loose hanging auricle, and a bulljous expansion of the aorta. All the Percoids have three c«cal appendices from the pyloric extremity of the stomach. These jjrobably ttdie the place of a pancreas. Below is the air-bladder, which is a rudimentary lung. Above tliis are the ovaries, which extend from one extremity of the abdomen to the other. Behind is the kidney, extend- ing along the spine. NARRATIVE. 25 This trout belongs to the Cvct-oiDS. In this divi.'^ion there are only two faniilios which have spinous rays in their fins, (the tuutog and the mackerel.) AVe have before us specimens of two families of Cycloids. 1. Siilinonlda;. Distinguished by having the intermaxillary and upper maxillary in one row, which seems to me to indicate the highest rank in the class of fishes. They all have a second dorsal, of an adipose struc- ture. The anterior dorsal and the ventrals are in the middle of the body, (jrenus Salmo : characterized by teeth on every bone of the mouth and on the tongue. There is but one genus in the class of fishes that has teeth on more bones than the salmon. In no genus are the species more uitlicult to distinguish. Sixteen species have been described as belonging to Europe, which I have been obliged to reduce to seven. The same species presents great variety of appearance, owing to difference of sex, of season, food, color of the water in which they live, &c. In this country I bave examined two species, the brook trout, (»S'. fontinalis,) the spawning male of wliieh has been improperly separated as S. cn/tliroy aster ; and the present species, the Mackinaw trout, ^S". amethystus of Mitchill. Dekay has described a variety of this species, as S. affinis. In this species the appendices pijlorici before spoken of are very numerous. The small intestine arises from the lower extremity of the stomach, and curves only twice throughout its length. The gall-bladder is very large : the liver forms one flat mass ; the ovaries and kidney extend along the whole spine. All this family spawn in the autumn. "('2.) Cyprinidce. Like the salmons they have the ventral and dorsal fins in the middle of the body, but no adipose dorsal. Branchiostegal rays, three. Upper maxillary forming another arch behind the intermaxillary. Teeth only on the pharyngeal bone behind the gills, at the entrance of the oesophagus. No pyloric appendices. Intestine long and thin, as in all her- bivorous fishes. Air-bladder transversely divided into two lobes, communi- cating by a tube with the intestinal canal. " This family is the most difficult one among all fishes. As yet there is no satisfactory principle of classification for them. I have studied them so attentively that I can distinguish the European species by a single scale ; but this not from any definite character, but rather by a kind of instinct. Prof. A^denciennes, a most learned ichthyologist, has lately ])ublislied a vol- ume on this family, in which he distinguishes so many species, and on .such minute characters, that I think it now almost impossible to determine the species, until all arc well figured. " Here are specimens of two genera : (a) Leuciscus, with thin lips ; only one species here, an undescribed one characterized by a brownisli stripe above the lateral line. (J>) Catostoinus, with very thick lips and prominent snout." ft 26 LAKE SUPERIOR. f: Jnmi 24^/i. — Rather than wait here a week for the next steamer, we cn«^ap;e(l a Mackinaw boat and some Canadians to take ns to the Sault. Tlicse hoats are a cross between a dory and a mud-scow, havin;^ something of tlie sliape of the former and something of the clumsiness of the hitter. Our craft was to be ready early in the morning, but it was only by dint of scolding that we finally got off at 10 o'clock. A very light breeze from the southward made suf- ficient excuse to our four lazy oarsmen and lazy skipper for spreading a great scjuarc sail and sprit-sail, and lying on their oars. Unless it was dead calm, not a stroke would they row. At about 1 o'clock, Mackinaw still plainly visible at a very moder- ate distance to the southward, we stojjped to lunch at Goose Island, a narrow ridge of rough, angular pebbles, about half a mile long, covered with thick bushes and stunted trees, among which the prin- cipal were arbor-vitue and various species of cornus. It passed through my mind whether this could be the He aux Outnrdes, where Henry ])artcd with his Indian friend. It is difficidt to say what bird of this region could have reminded the French colonists of a bustard. Getting off again wo continued at rather a better rate (the wind being now fortunately ahead) imtil twilight, when our steersman said it was time to look out for a camp, and proposed landing us on a little island near the western shore of the strait. The more ardent naturalists of the party, however, seeing a sand-beach, (capital hunting-ground for Coleoptera,) backed by a grassy bank among the trees, were anxious to land there, but this was promptly opposed by the whole of our native ship's-company, who urged that we should be devoured by " ks mouches.^^ This suggestion seeming reasonable, it was arranged that those who wished it should be landed on the beach, while the rest proceeded to encamp and get supper ready on the island. This was done ; but liardly had wc disembarked and lighted a fire, when cries were heard from the main land, and on looking round we saw our friends, some with their heads bound up in handkerchiefs, others beating the air mih. branches of trees ; all vociferating to us to " Send the boat !" and on the whole, manifesting the most unmistakable symptoms of musquitoes, which were abundantly confirmed when they joined us. -S NARRATIVR. 27 stcamor, lis to the nud-scow, y^ of the rly in the \\y <^ot oflF made suf- sprcading Unless it ry moder- se Island, nile long, the j)nn- [t passed ^^s, where say what nists of a l^the wind ecrsman in 2; us on re ardent (capital among promptly 0 urged ig'jicstion shed it encamp lly had rom the th their )ranches on the qui toes, Yd Our island was a mass of large irregular stones, about aiiuartor of a mile long, with a narrow ridge covered with long grass and arbor-vi- t:es, many of them dead, and (particularly on the west,) hung over with pei\dant lichen {Umca). Here, (after some trouble fn^ii not having brought tcnt-polcs, which had now to be cut,) avc pitched four tents, for only two of which was there any room on the gi-ass, the others lookint;: out for the smallest stones. However suijper and three blazing fires soon settled all down into a comfortable state, and before long the white tents and the ghost-like trees with their hoary drapery were the only up.ight objects to reflect the light of the fires, and the long melancholy notes of some neighboring loons (a sign of bad weather, they say,) the only sounds to be heard. As my lot was cast upon the stones, I took the precaution of thatching them with some armfuls of usnoa, which with a cou})lc of blankets made an excellent bed. June 'loth. — Our island was only about thirty miles from iNIacki- naw, and so, as it behoved us, we were off by half past four o'clock this morning, with the wind aft, to try to make up for lost time. Our course lay along the American shore of the strait, amid innumerable islands and islets, generally low and Avooded with venerable lichenous arbor-vitics. The shoi'c also was uniformly low, and covered with a forest which reminded me of the lower summits of the White Mountains. We stopped to breakfast just beyond the light-house at the De- tour, at the log-house of some lime-burners, a tavern moreover, rejoicing in the name of "the saloon," where we experimented upon tea with maple-sugar, and bread of the place, somewhat like sweetened iilastcr-of-Paris. Drummond Island, interesting from its fossils, we were obliged to pass without stopping. By noon the wind had got so high that wo thought prudent to make a lee under a point on St. Joseph's Island. As we landed, a rather rough-looking, unshaven personage in shirt-sleeves walked up and invited us to his house, which was close at hand. We found his walls lined with books ; Shakspeare, Scott, Ilemans, &c., caught my eye as I passed near the shelves, forming a puzzling con- trast with the rude appearance of the dwelling. A very few moments sufficed to show a similar contrast in our host himself. He 0 A 28 LAKE SUPERIOR. h know Prof. Agassiz bv reputation, had read the reports of his lectures in the uc\v.s])apcrs, and evinced a warm interest in the objects of our excursion. ^Vhen he found out who the Professor was, he produced a specimen in spirits of the rare gar-pike of Lake Huron, and insisted upon his accepting it, and afterwards sent him various vaUuible spec- imens. 1 lis conversation, eager and discursive, running over Politics, Science and Literature, was that of an intelligent and well-read man, who kept up, by books and newspapers, an acquaintance with the leading topics of the day, but seldom had an opportunity of discussing them with persons similarly interested. He turned out to be an ex-Major in the ]iritish array, and he showed us a portrait of himself in full regimentals, remarking with a smile that he had once been noted as the best-dressed man of his regiment. Whilst in the service he had travelled over Europe, seen what was best worth seeing, and ])ccon\e acijuainted with the principal modern languages, ])artieularly Italian, which he read here in the Avilderness with delight. In company with a friend he had purchased the entire island of St. Joseph's and devoted himself to farming, bringing up his children to support themselves by the sweat of their brow. He said it would be time enough to give them a literary or professional education when they manifested a disposition for it, for he did not approve of the indiscriminate training of all for what comparatively few have any real talent for. He was preparing them, he said, to be American citizens, for he thought the Canadas would form a part of the United States Avithin thre^ years at farthest ; and though he for his part was a loyal subject of her ^lajcsty, and would fight to protect her dominions if it came to that — yet he had no objections to his children being republicans. After chatting several hours with the Major, and discussing an excellent white-fish which he placed before us, the wind having meantime moderated, we continued our course. St. Joseph's, according to the Major, forms a triangle, of which the two longest sides measure twelve and twenty miles. The climate he described as temperate, being influenced probably by the great mass of flowing water by which the island is surrounded. His custom was to work throughout the Avinter in his shirt sleeves ; he did not remember to have seen the thermometer lower than — 10° Fah., and that uidy for very short periods. The soil excellent, except near the shores. I I J NARRATIVE. 29 ms; an laving )soph's, ongest •libed lowing I Passing the end of the island we saw two solitary chimneys, the remains of the fort that formerly stood here. Our coni-se lay among small islands, reminding one of the little wooded islets of Lake (Jeorge, with a brilliant background of sunset sky. We noticed the same appearance in the cast, spoken of June 2-nd. The twilight continuing late, wo pushed on until about ten o'clock, Avhcn our men proposed to land on a small rocky i-land, but they being alarmed at a discovery (probably imaginary) of snakes among the rocks, and we for our part not finding room enough among the stones to pitcli a tent, we continued our course to another island which bears the name of " Campeinent des matelots." Hero it was voted too late to pitch tents, so we rolled ourselves in our blankets, some on shore and some in the boat, taking care to hiclude our heads, for the mus- quitocs had roused themselves and were making active preparations to receive us. June •2i')th. — The musfpiitoes of the night before must have been merely those who occupied the spots where we lay down, for when in the morning, being awakened by sundry energetic exclamations in my neighborhood, I extricated my head from the blanket and looked about me, my first impression was wonder, at the swarms that sur- rounded the heads of my companions. Having fortunately a mus- (luito-veil in my pocket I was soon a disinterested spectator of their torments. It was with some difficulty that the necessary arrange- ments for embarking (with no thought of breakfast) were completed, and it Avas more than an hour after we left the place before with all our exertions we could get the boat rid of them. Soon afterwards it began to rain. Our course lay up the boat-chan- nel, (twelve miles shorter than the main passage,) over mud-flats covered with only a few feet of water, the banks on either side flat and covered with a monotonous forest which in one i)lace was burnt, and for miles a tedious succession of blackened trunks. We crowded together in the middle of the boat and covered ourselves as Avell as we could with tarpaulins and India rubl)er cloaks, the importance of which rose considerably in the general estimation. This muddy expanse of the river or strait, goes by the name of INIud Lake. It resembles Lake St. Clair on a smaller scale, being eight or ten miles wide. Here, as we were afterwards told, is found a great abundance and variety of fishes, and also the salamander which the Indians call I 80 LAKE SUPBRIOR. tlio " walking; fish" {Mcnobraitchus), and which oven to thcra is a great curiosity. At last wo reached the Lower Rapids, where with all the exertion of our men wo for sonio time mado littlo i)ro^re33. Soon a cabin or two made its appearance ; then we saw the palisades of Fort IJrady, and at noon arrived at the wharf, where even tho rain did n(jt prevent a considerable concourse of the idle population. Carts drove down into the water for our luggage, and at length our drenched state was relieved by tho comfortablo accommodations of the " St. Mary's Hotel." I I ;ii; # CHAP T E II II T 11 K S A U L T TO MI C II I P I C O T 1 N. J Jane 21th. — The Sault do St. Mario, on the American side, is a long stra^^^liiig vilhigc, extending in all some two or three miles, if we reckon from the outposts of scattered log-huts. The main part of it, however, is concentrated on a street running from the Fort (which stands on a slight eminence over the river,) about a (juarter of a mile along the water, with some back lanes leading up the gradual slope, rising perhaps half a mile from the river. Be- hind this again is an evergreen swamj), from which a rocky wooded bluif rises somewhat abruptly to the height of a hundred feet or thereabouts. The population is so floating in its character that it is difficult to estimate ; some stated it at about three hundred on the average, consisting of half-breed voyagcnrs, miners waiting for employment, traders, and a few Indians. The chaplain at the Fort, however, esti- mated the number of inhabitants on both sides of the river at one thousand, of whom the majority belong to the American side. The most striking feature of the place is the number of dram- shops and bowling-alleys. Standing in front of one of the hotels I counted seven buildings where lii^uor was sold, besides the larger " stores," where this was onlv one article among others. The roar of bowling allevs and the click of billiard balls are heard from morr.ing until late at night. The whole aspect is that of a western village on a fourth of July afternoon. Nobody seems to be at home, but all out on a spree, or going a fishing or bowling. There are no symptoms of agriculture or manufactures ; traders enough, but they are chatting at their doors or Avalking about from one biiop to another. The wide platforms in front of the two large taverns are occupied by leisurely peoitle, with their chairs tilted 88 LAKE SL'I'KIIIOII. II back, and cij^Jirs in tlioir iiioiitlis. Nobody is busy but tbo bar- koc'iicra, and no ono aooms to kn<»\v what ho is ^<»in;; to do next. The cause, prolialtly, may bo in part the facilities tbr sniuir.i^liti;; brandy tVoni the Canadian aide of tiio river, where it is cheaper than on ours. Ilut the mischief lies chieHv in the unsettled state of thin^'a r>"» the irre;^ularity of employment and wages »»f labor. Money is not earned and spent from day to day, at home, but comes in lumps, and seasons of labor are followed Itv intervals of idleness. In short, the life (A' most of the inhabitants is essentially that of saihus, and brin,i>;a accordingly tlie reckless character and the vices of that clasa. Sometl uetmng ■' dsi 30 13 duo to the admixture of Inilian blood, which has a fatal ]>roneness to li(juor. Whilst we wore here a niunber of Indians arrived with the son of a chief, from Fort William, and after ])arad- ing about the town with an American flag, speechifying and ofVering the ]>ipc at all the grog-shops to beg for licjuor, they dispersed and devoted themselves to drinking and [(laying at bowls. In the even- ing, two of us passing ono of the bowling-alleys, saw in front of it, lying on a heap of shavings, a dark object which proved to bo the chief's son, extended at full length, dead drunk, with several Indians endeavoring to get him homo. The only sign of life lie gave was a feeble muttering in Indian, copiously intersi)eraed with tJw English curse ; another instanco of the naturalization of John Dull's national imprecation in a foreign tongue. It is said the Indians have no oath in their own language. Finding it impossible ton ^^ him walk, they sijuatted around him on their haunches and reratiined still for some time, apparently considering what to do. They were all perfectly sober and evidently greatly troubled at the state of their leader. At length, seeing us watching them, they came up and stood staring with their faces close to ours, but without speaking. We did not know exactly what they were at, but my comj)anion by signs explained to them that they should take up the drunken man by the legs and arms and carry liim home. The idea struck them as a good one, for they immediately " how, bowed," set about it, and bore him off, one to each leg and arm. The river opposite the village is about a mile wide. Just above are the Upper Rapids, Avliich give the name to the place, nearly three-fourths of a mile in length. There is no very great vertical M i f (1(1 all thl b(| dal «'* NAUKATIVE. 83 oxt. ;pe- t'ies of South (Carolina was described by liinnauis as /vWr usspiis, froMi a spceiuien seat to him by Dr. (lanlen. ]Jut it is not an Ksox, though it lias the p(!culiar backward dorsal of that genus. It ditftas in the arratii,'eiiiont of the teeth, which in Ksox are seated on the palatal bones and the vomer, but in this genus, Lepidostcus, on the maxillary and all other bones which form tlio roof of the mouth. Moreover, the snout of the latter is much longer, the u[ipcr jaw bones being diviiled into ten or twelve distinct pieces. The intermaxillary is a small bone pierced with two holes for the admission of the two anterior projecting teeth of the lower jaw. In Esox the scales are rounded and composed of layers of horny substance, and overlap each other. In Lepidostcus the scales are square and overlap only very slightly. I]ac!i scale i.s com[)oso(l of two substances; first, a lower layer of bone, forming that part of the .scale which is covered by the next ; .second, enamel, like that of teeth. The .scales are also hooked together; a groove in each, with a hook from the next fitting into it. Nothing of this kind occurs in other fishes of th(( present day. From these peculiarities I have named this family the Ganoids. Their vcrtebne are not articulated together as tlajse * According to B.ayfield the total descent is twonty-two and one-half feet, but this probably incliidos both the Upper and Lower Rapids, as the whole ditrcreneo of level between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, in a distance of forty miles, is only thirty-two leet.—Boiuhcttv's British Doin. in N. A/iu-rira, L, 128. 34 LAKE SUPERIOR. 1^ i ii ' of other fishes, but unite by a ])all-and-socket joint, as in reptiles. The scales also resemble in some particulars those of the Crocodilean reptiles, which inimcdiiitely succeeded the fossil Ganoids, during whose epoch no reptiles existed. The embryology of the gar-pike, of which nothing as yet is known, would be an exceedingly interesting subject of investigation, since it is a general law that the embryo of the animals now living resembles the most ancient representatives of the .same family. As probably connected with the preservation of this ancient family of fishes in this country, may be mentioned the fact that there was an extensive continent formed in North America at a time when all the re.st of the earth was under water. Thus physical conditions have been more unaltered here than elsewhere. " The white-fish, ( Coregonus albvs,) has all the characters of the salmons, but no teeth. Among those I obtained to-di-y, is a new species, cha- racterized by a smaller mouth and more rounded jaw. To the same fandly belongs the lake "herring," which is no herring at all. This species has a projecting lower jaw and is uudescribed. Here is a little fish which on hasty examination would seem to belong to the salmons, but has a project- ing upper jaw, and teeth on the intermaxillary, the upper maxillary forming another arch behind, without teeth. It has pectinated scales, like the perch. It is a new genus, allied to the family of Characini of Miillor. Fossil fishes of this family occur in great numbers in the creta- ceous period ; they are the first of the osseous fishes. This again is an in- stance similar to that of the Lepidosteus. The fish before us presents a curious combination of the characters of the Cycloids and Otenoids. Here is u fish belonging to the Cyj^rinidcB, but characterized by thick lips and a projecting upper jaw, whence I propose to call it Rhinichthys marmoratus. " This fish, one familiar with the fishes of Massachusetts would suppose to be a yellow porch, but it differs in wanting the tubercles on the head and oper- culum. It is Perca acuta Cuv. In the tertiary beds are found Percuids, with thirteen rays in the anterior dorsal ; this is also the ca.se in the North American species. Again the variety of minnows found in this country has a parallel in the tertiary epoch," thl kil ■Jane 28^/<. — To-day we made our first acquaintance with the geiuiine black Jfi/, a little insect rcsen\bling the common house-fly, but darker on the back, with white spots on the legs, and two-thirds IS large, being about two lines in length. They are much quicker in their motions, and mucli more persevering in their attacks, than the musciuito, forcing their way into any crevice, for instance between NARRATIVE. 85 ptilcs. The can reptiles, so epoch no othing as yet gafion, since iseiiiblos the ly connected ountiy, may led in North fater. Thus ire. the salmons, niecies, cha- sanie family s species has sh which on las a project- ir maxillary I scales, like 3haracini of in the creta- lin is an in- presents a s. Here lips and a armoratus. suppose to and opcr- Percoida, the North lis country with the louse-fly, wo- thirds nicker in than the between )ids the glove and the coat-sleeve. On the other hand, they are easily killed, as they stick to their prey like bull-dogs. June 20■ ■ally 36 LAKE SUPERIOR. I J on four or five great divisions, though with some diuoicnces. Thus the waders, or those ])irds having the tarsus and a space ahove it naked, are put in one group by some, and by others made into two. The arrangement of the water birds now most generally admitted is : Palmipedes : with the feet united, except in one grou[), (the grebes, &c.) This division, 1 incline to tliink, is nindo on an insufficient consideration of their true affinities. Grulldtores : tvith three toes before, and one behind. The gallinaceous birds form a vory natural group, having the upper jaw arched, and feet like those of the grallatores, but with short and curved claws The climbers have two toes betorc and two behind, of which one may generally l)e moved in citlier direction. Sonictinies there is only a trace of this arrangement, in a closer union of two of the toes with each other than with the ro.st. The passerines have curved claws, or sometimes the hind-claw is straight ; three toes before and one behind. Some make three groups of them, bring- ing together those with flattened bills, (Tnsectivora ;) those with conical bills, (Granivora,) and those with the upper mandible much stronger than the lower, (Oiunivora.) Some again separate from these the swallows, pigeons, &c. " The toes in all birds have the same number of joints. The hind toe always consists of a single joint, the inner toe of two, the middle of three, and tlio outer of four. This arrangement is important in distinguishing the fossil tracks of birds from those of other animals, it being peculiar to them. " In examining birds within the egg, I have recently found some charac- ters to bo less important than has been supposed. Thus the foot of the embryo robin is webbed, like that of the adult duck ; so also in the sparrow, swalliw, summor-yellow-bird, and others, in all of which the adult has divided tucs. Tlie bill also is crooked and the point of the upper mandible projecting, as in the adult form of birds of prey. These latter, then, it would seem, ^hould be brt>ught down from the high place assigned to them on account of their voracious and rapacious habits, as if these would entitle an animal to a higher rank. For the resemblance of an adult animal to the embryo of another sjjceics, indicates a lower rank in the former.* rrobal)ly the true olassitieation of birds would include various series, each embracing represen- tatives of all the various types now admitted as distinct." real in vice geol Sui Prol Ba\i lu< Mr. Ballcnden, of the Hudson's Bay Co., to whom tlie Professor had letters, paid him a visit to-day, and showed the most obligii;^ * For fiirthcr details see Prof. Asiiissiz's Lectures on Comparative Embryolop;y, delivered at the I o well Institute, January, IStf) ; published in the Daili/ Evening Trar- tiler, and afterwards in a pamphlet form by the same publishers. I NARRATIVE. 37 Tims the : naked, are irran^^ement s ; with the )n, I incline uc affinities. jolUnaceous ncl feet like Umbers have be moved in Koment, in a rest. The aight ; three them, bring- with conical tronger than he swallows, rhc hind toe die of three, iguishing the ar to them, some charac- foot of the the sparrow, has divided le projecting, onld seem. II on account le an animal the embryo ibly the true g represen- Professor It obligiji^ 5inl)ryoloa;y, Icening Trar- rcadincss to forward his plans, giving him lettorr to the gentlemen in char'^e of the various posts or. the lake, which were highly ser- viceal'lc to us. Dr. C. T. Jackson and the gentlemen engaged with him in the ('eolo"ical survey of the copper region oi' the south shore of Lake jSuperior, also arrived to-day, and his assistant, Mr. Foster, gave the Prof, some valuable information, particularly concerning Nccpigon Bav, which he had visited. Mr. McLcod, of the Sault, lent to the Professor Bayfield's large map of the Lake, (which we had not been able to procure,) enriched with manuscript notes, and g;ive him the results of various geologi- cal excursions on the lake. Jane oQth. — Eainy. Nevertheless, our preparations being made, we decided to start. It was necessary to convey our multifarious luggage to the upper end of the portage, above the rapids, a distance of about two-tliirds of a mile. Walking thither in the rain, over a road made across the swamp, the surface of which i: strewed with bowlders of various sizes, we found a collection of warehouses and a few log-cabins, just at the commencement of the rapids. Here our boats were moored at a wharf at the extremity of which was a huge crane for unloading copper ore. Here also lay at anchor several schooners, and a propeller that runs along the south shore, and occasionally crosses to Fort William. Our boats were tliree in number ; one large Mackinaw boat and two canoes of about four fathoms' length. One of these canoes was kindly lent to us b}' Prof. James Ilall, of Albany, tl.'^ other we hired ; the boLt we had been obliged to buy, giving eighty dollars for it. It proved a considerable hindrance to speed, being always behind, ex- cept when the wind was aft and fresh. Our luggage, however, with the collections of siiecimons and the apparatus for collecting, could not be (,'arriedin canoes without uncomfortably loading them. Fi-om my own subsequent experience I should say that what is called a " five-man- lioat," is the craft 1)est adapted for such an occasion as ours, and this opinion was confirmed by a gentleman at the Sault who had tried the experiment. The c;inoes were prcciseh^ vhat one sees from Maine to Michigan, birch-bark stretched by two layers of thin. Hat, wooden ribs, one transverse, the other longitudinal, jilaced close together, with a strip of wood round the gunnel, and the vhole 38 LAKE SUPERIOR. IT' \ sewed with piiie-roots. It is said that after tlic materials are cut out and fitted, two men to put them together, with six women to sew, can make two seven-fathom canoes in two da^^s. While on the lake the canoes are not usually paddled, but rowed, the same number of men exerting greater force with oars than Avith paddles, liy doub- ling the number of men, putting two on a seat, more of course can be accomplished with paddles. The gunnel of a canoe is too shght to allow of the cutting of rowlocks, or the insertion of thole-pins : so a flat strip from a tree, with a branch projecting at right angles, is nailed to the gunnel, and a loop of raw hide attached, through which the oar is passed. Our boats were stowed as follows : On the bottom were laid set- ting-poles and a spare paddle or two, (to prevent the inexperienced from putting their boot-heels through the birch-bark,) and over these, in the after part, a tent w^as folded. This formed the quarter-deck for the houryeois, (as they called us,) and across it was laid the bedding, which had previously been made up into bolster-like pack- ag'>s, covered with buffiilo-robes, or with the matting of the country, a very neat fabric of some fine reed which the Indians call paqiiah. These bolsters served for our seats^ and around them were disposed other articles of a soft nature, to form backs or even pillows to our sitting couches. The rest of the luggage was skilfully distrib- uted in other parts of the canoe, leaving room for the oarsmen to sit, on boards suspended by cords from the gunnel, and a place in the stem for the steersman. The cooking utensils were usually disposed in the bow, with a box of gum for mending the canoe and a roll or two of bark by way of ship-timber. Our canoe was distinguished by a frying-pan rising erect over the prow as figure-head, an importance very justly conferred on the culinary art in this wilderness, where nature provides nothing that can be eaten raw except blueberries. The voyageurs (some ten or twelve in number,) were mostly half- breeds, with a few Canadian French and one or two Indians. All except the Indians spoke French, and most of them more or less English, but there were only two who spoke English as well as they did French. The half-breeds were in general not much if at all lighter in complexion than the Indians, but their features were more or less Caucasian, and the hair inclining sometimes to brown. They were NARRATIVE. 39 arc cut out icn to sew, )n the lake number of By doub- course can is too slight )lc-pins: so t angles, is (1, through TO laid set- jxpericnced over these, uartcr-deck as laid the !r-like pack- he country, iall paquah. re disposed pillows to y distrib- |ie oarsmen el, and a nsils were ending the Our canoe prow as culinary lat can be lostly half- ians. All •)TC or less 11 as they if at all e more or hey were rather under medium height, but well made, particularly the chest and neck wcll-dovelopcd. The Indians were Ojibwas (oji'b-wah), and had the physical peculiarities of their tribe, viz. : a straightor nose, rather greater fulness of the face, and less projecting cheek-bones, than the Western Indians. But I was most struck with the Irl.fines and willows ; the ground covered with moss and low bushes, and a few strawber- ries. Some flocks of pigeons were whirling about, at times dashing down to the ground, and then rising high in the air ; a couple of these fil: 40 LAKE SUPERIOR. I il II W were shot, as well as a young creek-sheldrake, (Mkettle, suspended by a withe from a tripod of sticks, over the fire, contained a piece of ]iork, and dump- lings, which the men preferred for themselves, or occasionally a rice pudding for us. When all was ready, an India-rubber cloth (which served to protect the luggage, and on occasion for a sail,) was spread on the ground, and the dishes arrayed upon it. Around this we reclined in the classical fashion, and Ilenrv stood by to serve coffee and fetch anything that might be wanted. As to provisions, if I were consulted about the outfit of such a party as ours, I should recommend a full supply of rice and sugar. Maple sugar (which can usually be had in these regions,) is as good as any, for one's taste becomes unsophisticated in the woods ; the rice, I may observe, must be boiled in a bag, and not loose in the camp-kettle, as the Professor's man did it one day, when it came out in the shape of mutton broth without the mutton. Salt pork is very well where one goes a-foot, or paddles his own canoe, but in a life of so little exertion as ours, the system cannot dispose of so much carbon, and rejects it accord- 44 LAKK SLTERIOR. n -ts !f in<^ly. For tlio same reason, porliapn, I found that I not only did mtt miss tlio milk in the colfco, l)iit conld not drink it when it was Hcnt to \H at tho trading posts. Potatoes would n«» doubt I)0 a ;^0(»d tiling, but our mcMi did not know how to cook them. JJoforo wc started, the ([uestion bein;:; raised as to the relative (juantitios of tea and coffee to be bought, the most ti. ,u;Li;ht they shoidd drink very little coffee, but depend uj)on tea. On the contrary, however, I believe there was hardly a cup of tea drank on our whole tour, (ex- co\)t by the men.) when cotfee could be had. The truth is, that tea is very refreshinj^ after a hard day's work, and it was prized accord- ingly by the men, but we did not take exercise enou.gh to care for it. After we had done our meal, the men took theirs. At dark Henry brought us a candle, and then he and the other men turned in, all lying close together, sometimes entirely in the open air, sometimes with their heads under the canoe, or if it rained they made a kind of tent with the India-rubber cloth. Thev had each a very comfortable suj)ply of blankets, &c., and somewhat to my sur- prise each was provided witli a pillow. Our own bedding consisted, in my case, for instance, of a buffalo rol)e by way of mattress, and two very heavy Mackinaw blankets, which I had brought from ]]oston, as they arc dearer and of inferior (luality at the Sault. Others had the same, or an e([uivalent. I have heard of travellers who brought blow-up mattresses of India-rubber, and if these things are managea- ble, I should recommend their being taken, as we were often incon- venienced by the large angular stones of the beaches on which it is usually necessary to encamp. At all events I should decidedly take a pillow of this description, for we soon found the voya- jieurs were wiser in this matter than we. In the morning we started aboiit sunrise, and usually made ten or twelve miles before break- fast, giving the men a rest of about an hour at breakfast time. At noon we stojjped to lunch, making no fire. Our usual time for en- camjung for the night was seven o'clock, but this depended somewhat upon our reaching a good camping-ground. Once an hour or so during the day the men would lie ujton their oars, and one of them would light a short clay pipe, filled with kinni-kimiik* After a * A mixture of dried bear-berry leaves {Arctostaphyllus uva-ursi) and plug-tobacco, rub- bed together between the thumb and fingers. Thi-ir tinder was a fragment of a tough, yellowish fungus that grows on the maple and birch. NARRATIVE. 45 incon- ;]i it is cidedly voya- startcd break- At tor on- icwhat or so piilTor two ho would pass it to tlio next, and when eaoli had had his turn, it was put awpy and thoy tdok to their oars aj^ain. Whilo detained hi (tiir tent by the rain to-(Uiy, we emjiloyed ourselves in inanufaeturin;^ a nnis'iuito net out of some muslin we had brought for the purpose. This bcin;^ providtMl with cords, was stretehed at ni;i^ht from one tent-pole to the other, (the tents l)eing roof-shaped, with Hat ;i;ables and a tent-pole at each end. ) and pe,n;^ed down to the <:;roimd at the sides, thus formin;^ a tent within the tent ; an arrangement (luito essential to a comfortable night's rest in these regions. The point forming the breakwater of our harbor, and to wliich the bateau was moored, presented the first examjile we had seen of drift scratches and grooves. Some of the grooves wore several feet in length, tlic smfacc a curve of eighteen inches radius, and as smooth and even as if cut with a gouge. These marks were almost entirely confined to the inner side of the point, where some of the scratches could bo traced as far below the surface of the water as we could distinctly see, that is, some five or six feet ; the lake side pre- sented rough points of rock, occasioned, as Prof. A. exidained, by the decomposition of the surface on that side, from its greater exposure to the wind and waves. In the afternoon, the rain having ceased, wo assembled to hear the Professor's remarks on the specimens of various rocks collected in the neighborhood. " Geology," he said, " investigiites the great masses of the rocks ; mineral- ogy the forms and cornpo.sitiun uf their iiiateriuls. Geologists are apt to neglect the study of mineralogy, and thus to overlook the difierences, in different countries, of rocks bearing the same name. " If geology had been studied first in this country, the test-books of the science would read very differently. For example, there is no rock in this region answering the description of true granite. We have granitic rooks enough, but none of an amorphic structure. All are more or les: .stratified. At the beginning of the century, each of the two great schools in geology maintained that all rocks had but one origin, dinagreeing, however, as to what this origin was. The reason was, each had examined only the rocks in its neighborhood. About Edinburgh the rocks are trap ; Ilutton, there- fore, referred everything to the action of fire. Near Freiberg there is notliing but sedimentary rock ; Werner, therefore, would admit no influence but that of water. 46 LAKE SUI'EIirOR. " Most of tilt; rniiks in this rt''j;iiin iin> IMutonii!, tli;it is, tJioy mnnifost tlio aiifioii of lint. Tlu! only .st'iliiiioiitary or ikjiicdus rock t'muul lioro is Haiid- stoiu', thu age of wl\i('li in iiiicortaiii, an no fossils liavo as yet lieon found in it.* IVoltalily it l(ulotii»s to the Potsdam satidstorio. It passes frequently Into ([uartz and ijiiartzose roek. If (juarfz were broken up, mixed with clay and linie, and sulijciitcd to the a(^tioii of heat, the forms of intitamorphic nteks would he produced which we see here. Some varieties, however, are quite peculiar, as, for instance, a red felspar porphyry, with nuinuroua specks of dark epidot." Tlio canoo t'roin the Sault arrived this aftcfnoon. July '')d. — The air was very chilly this maniinj^, when at about half past five t)ur canoes issued tVoui the little cove into the open lake. J3\it the ])rospect before us was sulficient to divert our thou^^lits from any discointbrb. On our rij^ht was the deep bight of (loulais Bay, terunnated by Goulais Point, a high promontory of the character of Gros Cap. Directly ahead rose the fine head- land of Mamainse, ('' little tble beach which at a very short distance had the ap})earance of rmd, and thus promised an entomological harvest, indemnified ourselves by a batii in the icy, crystal water. Here was another resemblance to the sea ; we could dive from the rocks into thirty feet of water, which, moreover, was of about the ordinary teniperaturo of the II I 50 LAKE SUPERIOR. ,i! i ; It) i . ocean at Nahant. Above t'^ ' 'each and parallel to it was a terrace of sand about fifteen or eiglic-ua feet in height. Others of the same kind but of various heights we traced during the day, sometimes only by the terracing of the forest on the diflFcrent levels. The cliff, which rose a few hundred yards from the beach, was cloven to the base, presenting a wide chasm of bare, splintered rock, several hundred feet deep, nearly parallel to the shore. The surrounding woods had been burnt, leaving the black stems, some standing and some lying crossed at various angles, like jack-straws. The ground was already covered with the fire-weed, (^Uj)ilohium a/if/ustifolium,^ striving to conceal the ruin with its showy blossoms. Black flies very numerous and troublesome. They appear to have a fondness for the burnt woods, in which we always found them abundant. In the course of the day we passed a deserted mining "location," marked by ruinous log-huts ; and in another place we saw on the rocks the wreck of one of their bateaux. At about five o'clock we came in together at the Pointe-aux-Mines, or Mica-Bay, as they call it now. This establishment belongs to the Quebec Mining C( n- pany, who have already commenced operations here. It is a deep cove, protected on either side by ranges of rocks, with a broad beach at tht ' bottom, and above this a steep bank, on which, at the height of thirty or forty feet above the water, stands the very neat wooden cottage of Capt. Matthews, the superintendent, and about it the storehouse, the lodgings of the workmen, &c. VVe were very hos- pitably received by Capt. and Mrs. Matthews, and enjoyed in their house the luxury of a civilized tea, before which, however, we visited the mine, which is about half a mile from the house, by a Brock- en-like wood-path, nearly all the way up hill. Capt. M., avoiding the errors of his predecessors on both sides of the lake, spent eighteen months in making his preparations, securing a thorough system of drainage, ventilation, &c., before attempting to get out any ore. The work seemed to be carried on with great method and thoroughness, and to be in very successful operation. The present state of the concern he represented as most promising. Jail/ l)th. — The Professor before starting showed us a rock at the south entrance of the bay, which he considered a proof positive of the col hundrl The \\[ The sc west, side s(| Great! from the sv have an as NARRATIVE. 51 the correctness of the glacial theory. Its surface was a couple of hundred yards in extent, sloping regularly north to the water's edge. The whole was polished and scratched, except where disintegrated. The scratches had two directions, the prevailing one north 10° to 30° west, the other north, 55° west. The scratches on the outer or lake side seemed to have a rather more westerly direction than the rest. Great numbers of these stria3 could be traced below the water's edge, from which they ascended in some places at an angle of 30° with the surface, showing, as the Professor remarked, that they could not have been produced by a floating^ body. The rock is granitic, with an astonishing number of veins and injections of epidotic felspar, granite, and trap, often crossing each other so as to form a compli- cated net-work. Wherever exposed, it was ground down to an even surface. The day was calm and very warm. About noon we stopped at Montreal River, (one of several of this name on the lake.) This river, forty yards wide at the mouth, empties through a kind of delta, partly overgrown with large trees. The water is deep and clear, but of a rich umber color, such as we often see in the small streams in New England. This is the case with all the rivers we met with on the lake ; the color was there attributed to the presence of pitch, an explanation the Prof, thought likely to be correct. At its entrance into the lake is a broad beach, which on the south forms a point somewhat jutting across the mouth. On the northern side, at a short distance from the water, the beach, which was of small pebbles, had a slope of 30° that is, nearly as steep as it could stjind We frequently met with such steep beaches, often of a considerable height. Oi^tside there is a bar which extends entirely across, six feet below the surface. The stream issues from the hills through a chasm sixty or eighty feet deep and a few yards wide, with straight walls of rock, somewhat overhanging on one side. From this gorge the river issues with great force. Higher up there was a cascade some forty feet in height, falling from a dark, still lakelet, and above this again a succession of rapids. This is the general manner in which the streams on this side of the lake make their way down from the table-land through the barrier of rock. On the delta below were several of the largest red pines (P. resinom^ i ' i I li'- I : |: :! i, iiii 52 LAKE SUPERIOR. I ever saw. I regret that I did not take the n;irth of one of them, whicli must have been five feet m diameter. But the Hack flies and mus(iuitoe3 were so annoying as to absorb mucli of one's attention ; the only refuge was the beach, where we had made fires to drive them off. The heat of tlio day made a bath very agreeable ; Ave found tlic current of the river at the mouth so strong as to make some difficulty in swimming even this short distance across. One of the men killed hero a S(iuirrel of the kind that takes the place of our" Chiimiunk" in these regions, the Tamias qiuahivittatus. It resembles our animal, except that it is a little smaller, has a longer tail, and four black stripes instead of three, on its back. We found it afterwards much more abundant than any other species, particu- larly on hill-sides among broken rocks, attracting the attention by its loud, peculiar cry. On the bank was the skeleton of an Indian lodge, and a well-worn trail ran up along the stream. The Indians here as everywhere love the neighborhood of rivers, where we always found traces of their camps. As we left the river we saw some of their handiwork on a rock over the beach. It was the picture of a schooner under sail, scratched out from the black lichens so as to show the lighter surface of the rock. The Professor pointed out here the difference of water action from that of ice. The former, he said, leaves the harder parts prominent, although the whole is smoothed, as was the case in this instance, but the latter grinds all down to a uniform surface, scratching it at the same time in straidit lines. This afternoon, the water being smooth, we tried an experiment as to its transparency, by lowering a tin cup at the end of a fishing-line. It went out of sight at forty-two feet. It is said that when the water is entirely unruffled and the sky clear, a white object may be seen at tho depth of one hundred and twenty feet. Passing Montreal Island, a large, low island covered with trees, some three or four miles from the shore, we threaded our way through a group of rocky islets and came out into a wide bay, which we trav- ersed,!. e.,took the direct line across, instead of following the curve of the shore. The voyageurs are in general unwilling to keep out more than a quarter of a mile or so, and usually coast along the rocks. But ]W NARRATIVE. 53 e of them, k flics and attention ; s to drive sable ; we IS to make 1 takes the 'I'ivittatm. s a longer We found 3, pai-ticu- :ion by its well-worn here love i of their ork on a nder sail, r surface ion from eminent, .nee, but it at the iraent as ing-line. hen the may be h trees, through ve trav- a curve Lit more But this time the weather being so calm, they ventured on a course which brought us at one time about two miles from the shore. Their cau- tion seemed to some of us, accustomed to a bolder style of navigation, somewhat exaggerated. ]>ut if the rocky character of the shore, the suddenness with which ])oth wind and sea rise here, and the frailness of the vessels be taken into consideration, perhaps it is not so unnecessary as it would seem at first. Moreover it is to be re- membered that although a swim of a mile might under ordinary circumstances be no very desperate undertaking, yet in this icy water, a person swamped at that distance from the shore would in all probability be disabled long before reaching it. And even if the shore were reached, the prospect of having to make one's way on foot through this rugged, gameless, fly-possessed region to the nearest trading-post or mining location, would be dismal in the ex- treme. Deprived of salt pork and biscuit, one's subsistence would depend on the chance of snaring a hare or two, with trij)!! dc roche as the sole alternative. As we pushed out into the bay a weather-beaten veteran in the Professor's boat struck up a song, the others in the canoe and those of the " Dancing Feather " joining in the chorus and rej)eating each verse as he got through with it. Their singing had nothing very artistic about it, being in fact only a kind of modified recital, in a quavering and rather monotonous voice, coming, with little modula- tion, from the mouth only, but they kept time well, and it had a heartiness and spirit that rendered it agreeable. Their songs were all French ; according to the Professor, the wanton chansons^ of the ancien re[/lmc, Avhich the ancestors of these men had no doubt heard sung by gay young officers, in remembrance of distant beloved Paris. A strange contrast, as he said, between these produc- tions of the hot-bed civilization of a splendid and luxurious court, and the wilderness where alone they now survive ! The tunes, 1 tancy, are indigenous ; at least, their singing had a certain naivete and some- time's sadness about it quite at variance with the Avords. Neither the Canadians of the bateau, nor the Indians (of whom we had one, with a couple of half breeds in whom the Indian blood decidedly pre- dominated, in our canoe) joined at all in the singing, cither now or 54 LAKE SUPERIOR. I> ' !l II I' I i 1^ afterwards, though the Indians had a low monotonous chant which they occasionally grumbled to themselves. We were looking for a stream called Flea River, where there were said to be falls of !)0 feet, but not finding it, we decided to encamp on a sandy beach at the bottom of the bay, where we heard the noise of rapids. This was the Riviere aux Crapauds, or Toad River. There seems to be about this continent some pervading obstacle to the giving of reasonable names to places. In this region, indeed, one is not troubled Avith the classicality of New York, for instance, but, as in the case of those just mentioned, there is nothing very happy in the choice ; and as for rejjctition, it is fully as bad as anywhere. There seems to be no end to Black Rivers and White Rivers and Montreal Rivers, occasionally varied into Little Black and Large Black, and so on. As we neared the sliore several canoes of Indians came out to sell fish. Their appearance as they scjuatted in their canoes, wrapped in their blankets, brought to mind the pictures of the South Sea Islanders. Their faces were I'ound, full and rather flat, with no great projection of the cheek bones, the mouth very wide, with thickish lips, and gaping like a negro's. The hair brownish, and not so straight and coarse as that of the Indians in general. They were very filthy, and their clothing in general ragged. They seemed, however, good naturcd and happy, and grinned widely as they accosted us with the customary salutation of "Boojou, boojou! " (Bonjour, hot} jour). Their canoes are very small, generally not more than nine to twelve feet in length, yet each usually contains a whole family ; the man in the stern, the squaw in the bow, and the intermediate space filled up Avith two or three children of various ages, and generally at least one dog. In exchange for their fish they prefer flour or tobacco to money, of which they do not know the value \^yj well. Indeed in any case they seem to regulate their demands rather by what the buyer offers than according to any notion of relative values. Thus when we offered in exchange for some fish a quantity of flour that would have overpaid it at the Sault, they thought it too little. On the other hand, a fifteen-pound trout was bought for a small fish-hook. We were afterwards told at Michipicotin (^Mhhi-picotn) that an Indian came there once from a distance to buy supplies, and produced a bundle, in which, after taking off wrapper after wrapper, ffood m NARRATIVE. r^i there appeared enclosed — a nincjience 1 lie had taken it in ex- chan;j;e for a number of valuable skins. rullin^ in for the beach we soon encountered the brown water of the river, but its mouth was not to be seen, the sand-beach extending; apparently luibroken across the cove. AVhou close in, however, we discovered an openin;^ in the corner, whence issued a rapid current, and crossing a bar, wo entered the mouth of the river, wliich is thus shut off by a spit of sand extending from the south or left bank of the river, no.thward across the stream, leaving only a narrow outlet. Inside, the river has a breadth of forty or fifty yards, flowing through a wide expanse of sand. This sand-beach is terraced, showing differ- ent heights of the river, and above tlie beach a succession of ter- races was marked in the forest. On the south side the sand spit is cut away by the current, forming a vertical batik, in wliich is seen the horizontal stratification of the sand and gravel. The same general features were noticed subsequently at other rivers, and seem to de- pend on a general law. On landing T walked towards the rapids, about a quarter of a mile up the stream. The flies and mus(iuitocs made their appearance as soon as I entered the woods, and jumping down into the bed of the stream with the intention of sketching the mass of water that was foam- ing down over the rocks, I was instantly surrounded by such swarms that there -was no getting on without a smudge. Even standing in the midst of the smoke, so many still clung to me that my paper was sprinkled with the dead bodies of those killed as I involuntarily brush- ed my hand across my face. We took refuge on the sand, at a dis- tance from the woods, and here were comparatively free from them. But here their place was siipplied by sand flies, the brulots or " no- soe-cms," an insect so minute as to be hardly noticeable, but yet more annoying wliere they are found than the black flies or musquitoes, for tii ir minuteness renders musquito nets of no avail, and they bite all night in warm vreather, whereas the black fly disappears at dark. Such is their eagerness in biting that they tilt their bodies up vertically and seem to bury their heads in the flesh. We found, l.owever, that an anointment of camphorated oil was a complete protection, making a coating too thick for them to penetrate, and entangling their tiny wings and limbs. 58 LAKR SUPERIOR. i :'! l! Jiih/ C)ffi, — Weather calm and ororcast. Stopped to breakfast at the iiioiitli of a river much like the hist. Hearing the noise of rajmls, some of us made our way n\) tlio stream until wo came in si'^ht of the fall, but the musijuitocs were so unendurable that we hastened back. As the day advanced the wind rose, and !j;ave the bateau an opportu- nity to use her sails, but oidy for a short time, speedily couiin,i^ ahead. The jirospeet in front of us was a noble one, lofty headlands risin,t^ (me beyond the other until fading away in the distance. Tlie shore, which had continued to present an uninterrupted ridge three or four hun- dred feet in height, becomes more abrupt and broken about Cape (Jargantua, with deep chasms from decomposed dikes. The aspect of the coast here is exceedingly picturesque, steep broken points and rocky islands and islets generally sloping towards the north, and often worn smooth, grooved and scratched on the north side. We passed inside of one clift', that showed a vertical face of at least two hundred feet in heiglit, dyed with an infinite variety of colors by the weather and by the lichens, whose brilliancy was increased by the moist atmos- phere. One orange-colored lichen in particular, was consjiicuous in largo patches. Here and there a tuft of birch aided, by the contrast of its bright green, the delicate gradation of tints on the gray rock. On a little strip of beach at the foot of a clift' in a cove called Agate Bay, we picked up an abundance of very pretty agates and other interesting minerals. At lunch-timc we stopped at a curious rock, part of which seems as if cut away nearly to the level of the water, while the rest rises steeply to the height of thirty or forty feet. One of the common Indian legends about the deluge and the creation of the earth attaches to this rock, and the Indians still regard it with venera- tion. According to one of the men, " the Evil Spirit," (N. Jl. The gods of the aborigines here as elsewhere are to their Christianized descendants nothing but the devil, the elder s])irit of all mythologies.) after making the world, changed himself and his two dogs into stone at this place, and the Indians never pass with')ut "preaching a sermon " and leaving some tobacco. Even our half-breeds, thou;.h they laughed very freely about it, yet I believe left some tobacco on the top. This rock is remarkable in a mineralogical point of view. It is an amygdaloid porphyry containing asbestos and quartz, with thi till clil ]iil| of thJ sH: LAKE SUPEiaOR. 67 tli'm layers of chlorite, niul injoctions of ;^ranitc. Numliers i>f niiir- tins and bani-swallows (//. I'irldin aiid ainrrlcdnn^ \'vv(\\\n\t tlicso clilVs, and often a pair of scroaniin;^ sparrow-hawks. Farther on, tho liills were burnt over for a ;^reat distance, sliowin;^ rounded s\nuniits of white scorched rock, the lichens and earth nmstly washed oif from them, but the blackened trec-steni.s still upright. At Cai)0 Chojyc, where we encamped, the cliff comes boldly down upon the lake, the rocks risin;^ from the water to the height of three hundred feet, with narrow chasms, sometimes vertical, sometimes slightly inclined, and strewed all the way ujt with stones, like the "slides" at the "White ^Tountains. Jieyond this it falls away into a vast basin of green sloping hills, curvii.g inland and then swcejiing out to rocky points beyond. The clilV, wherever the sIojjo allows any soil to rest, is covered with birches to its base, leaving room for a wide slope of debris, and a beach that rises in five terraces, the lower one Hilling steeply to the water some twenty feet, showing that it alone can be connected with the present level of the lake, and that the rest nmst belong to former epochs. At the water's edge were several unconnected masses of dark red sandstone in place. One mass, which John, our " middleman," * christened "fire-boat" ( i. e. steamboat) we waded out to, in order to avoid the flies while we bathc(i. Further on was a broad sheet of the same rock, sloping gradually' from below the water up to the beach, full of " pot holes," worn into the rock by the action of the waves on stones lodged in its crevices. One of these stones, which was nearly round, might have weighed fifty pounds. Some, of the holes were three or four feet deep, and as many in diameter. One was in the shape of a cloven foot ; others formed steps, the stone having worn down at one side of the hole for a certain distance, worked on horizontally awhile, and then downwards again. The outer part of the rock, over which the water still washed at ordinary times, was covered Avith windhig channels, of only a few inches' dej)tli, run- ning off into the lake, formed apparently by the grating back and forth of sand and small pebbles. e/«/y/ ItJi. — We were off by four this morning, but the wind *Thc bowman and steersman of a canoe are called the " boutu" and are usually picked men, receiving higher pay than the " milieux." I ! 08 LAKF SUPERIOR. wa>« up before uh ; ftiid wlien we started, wo foresaw that wo should have head wind to contend with to-day. At sunrise, the l)ay north of Caj)e Choyye presented a noMe hind- sciipe. On all sides but one, an unbroken extent of rounded hills, so evenly wooded, that as the sun toiiehod the curves at the top, it looked like a bank of grass. At on(> spot, far in the bottom of tho bay, a white streak down the hill, and a faint roar at intervals, beto- kened the cascade of a stream that enters hero. 'riu> cove where we breakfast(?d, narrow and rocky at its motith, and expamliuL; inside, had something so liveable and civilized about it, that one might almost look for a cottage or two on some of the beautiful points of abrupt birch-clad rock. On the rocks here, wc found the purple fl^jwor of the wild onion, and the [iretty Potentilla fruticosa : also brilliant lilies, reminding one of home. I was (piite puzzled at finding our common red cedar, (^Jiinq>ernK Vii'ijinudiiix,^ which we had not seen hitherto, creeping on the rocks ; not forming a tuft like tho creeping savin, but a wide-meshed net-work of long straight shoots. The shore on the northern side of tho bay becomes yet bolder and higher, attaining, according to Bayfield's chart, the height of 700 feet. Between Capo Choyye and Michipicotin, a distance of about twenty miles, I did not notice but one beach, and that of only a few yards' extent. The rocks rise from the water, often ver- tically, several hundred feet, scored with deep rents and chasms, from decomposed trap-dykes, and striped down with black lichens. In some places, huge basalt-like parallelograms of rock stood out like pulpits. Along the top of the ridge, stretched tho never-ending spruce forest, and wherever a gully or break varied tho perpendic- ular face, a few birches crept downward from crevice to crevice. On turning tho point of Michipicotin harbor, wc encountered the full force of the wind, now fresh from the west ; and what was worse for ns, something of a sea. Our course was such as to brinu; tho wind abeam, and afford little shelter from the shore. We edged along from point to point, so close to the rocks that often the oars almost touched, and Ave were hardly lifted on tho crest of a wave, before it broke against tho cliff, and rushed up into tho chasms at its foot. This was much closer proximity to a loe-shoro than one NAUKATEVE. 50 would tliitik pnnlcnt uinlor the cinMunstancca, yet our mpti dipped I'liiilideiitly on, and never ceased their cliatter or tlicir lrm;^h for a uininciit, even when the bow man necasioiially ;^ot a wet jacket from a wave that hrokc too soon. In trutli, they had such jx'rfect coniminid of the canoe, that their course was no (htiiht th{( safest, for not only lacc', but they ivere not unanimous, some of tlicm maintaining that nobody could say wliat it meant. It was a pretty hard pull to the flictory, half a mile up on the left bank. Our approach had been already announced, ])robably by the Indian whom we saw on the beach, and we found Mr, Swanston, the gentleman in charge, at the landin^ -.vhen we arrived, lie received us kindly, and showed us where to \n^-A\ our tents, in an ojjen sandy si)acc behind the factory, surrounded Ijy whitewashed cal)ius, and the birch-bark lodges of the Indians. A large seine was suspended from a series of poles, and, near the water, a platform for dressing and packing fish. 'J'liis open sj)ace was bounded on the west by a steep ridge of stratified sand and gravel, some sixty feet high, cut through by th^ present channel of the river, and also by an ancient, now deserted charmel further south. The river just above the factory takes a sharp turn to the north, doubling back in a direction nearly parallel to its course below. The interval between the factory and the lake, is thus a peninsula, the base of which is cu ; across by the foi-mer chan- nel. It is evidently a range of sand-dunes, thrown up by the winds and waves, so as to divert the stream from a direct passage to the lake, to a course for some distance nearly parallel with it. From its mouth, to the Falls, it is a series of abrui)t windings, though its general direction is straight ; indicating, the Professor said, a bay repeatedly closed by sand-bars, one outside of the other, and successively cut through by the river. It evinced,' he said, a contest between the river and the lake, beginning at a time when the level of the water was somewhat higher than at present. Michii)icoLin is the principal post of the Hudson's Bay Co. in this district. From it, the other posts are suijplied, and the line of communication with Hudson's Bay passes through here. It is six- teen davs' journey up Michi[)icotiu and ^loose Rivers to James' Bay. The agent's house is a little one-story cottage, uncarpetcd, un- pahited, and if my memory serves me aright, even uiiplubtersid. with panelling and projecting beams of pine, colored only by rge ; yet by no means uncomfortable in its as})ect. The casings of darkened wood, the heavy beams of the ceiling and cornice, the ancient NARRATIVE. 61 unpainted aottlo, and th^T wide niche for the capacious stove, now stowed away for Uie summor, had all a cosy and liveable look. And Mr. Swanstou, althou^ifh he had inhabited this wild country in the service of the li. B. C, at one )r another of their posts, over twenty years, yet for anything in his manner or appearance (unless it were that ho wore moccasins instead of slippers ) might have left the pave- ment of Fenchurch Street only yesterday. 'I'lie life at these posts is a very quiet, and, doubtless, monotonous f-ne ; busy during the seasons when the hunters come for their sup- plies, or to bring in their furs ; at other times, with only the fish to 1)0 seen to when the nets arc drawn in the morning, some to he cleaned and salted, if there is a good haul, and perhaps put into barrels to be sent to the Sault. An arrival from some other post, a straggling party of explorers for copper, and above all, an occasional packet of newspapers from below, — these arc the great events. In such a life, a man changes slowly, but gathers moss in another sense than that a the proverb. A fc .V hundred yards above the factory are very pretty falls, on the Magpie River, * which hero empties into the main stream. Two miles up there was said to be a fine cascade, and a still more re- markable one fifteen miles up, which could be reached by a short cut of six miles by land. Neither the love of the pictures([ue however, nor the interests of science, could tempt us into the woods, so terrible were the black flics. This pest of flies, which all the way hither had confined our ramblings on shore pretty closely to the rocks and the beach, and had been grow- ing constantly worse and worse, here reached its climax. Although detained neorly two days, in order to su[»ply the place of the Professor's canoe, (too small for his accommodation, and moreover rotten and unserviceable,') with a larger and fresh one, which had first to be put in order, — yet we could only sit Avith folded hands, or emjjloy ourselves in arranging specimens, and such other occu[)ation3 as could be pursued in camp, and under the protection of a *The mapnip of these regions, bye the bjc, is no niiigpio ;it alt, hut a jay {(larnihis Canadcni.is ), the " m )ose-biril" or " ciirrion-birtl " of our lumbcicrs ; a confusion that might lead to error as to the range of the Aiuerican magpie. 62 LAKE SUPERIOR. "smudge."* One, whom scientific ardor tempted a little way up the river in a canoe, aftcn- water-plants, came hack a frightful sj)ec- tucle, with hlood-rcd rings round his eyes, his face hloody, and covered with punctures. The next morning his head and neck were swollen as if from an attack of erysi})elas. Mr. S. said he had never seen the Hies so thick. Year before last there were hardly any ; last year they increased very much, and this season went beyond all his ex- perience in this region. He consoled us, however, by the information, that it was nothing to what they have further north. On Macken- zie's lliver, the brigades arc sometimes stop[)ed by the musciuitoes, and very often are able to advance only by having fires in the canoe. The littb plain on which we were thus collected, presented a stir- ring scene, with the buildings of the factory, the lodges, the white tents, the figures crossing from one fire to another, the half-starved Indian dogs ])rowling about to pick up anything loose, and the Indian women and children staring at the unwonted spectacle. The dogs were small, and fox-like in their appearance, and i)erhaps take rather after the foxes, since they bark, (contrary to what is said of Indian dogs in general,) and like them in a high key. Even the crying of the children had a wild, animal sound, resembling the barking of the dogs. A bull and some cows, (N. B. jNIr. Swanston sent us fresh butter and milk, for tea,) and a robin hopping along the ground with an occasional chirrup, gave it by comparison quite a home look. The hunters were most of them in the woods making canoes, and ' preparing for the winter campaign. In August they come for sup plii'S of ammunition, iS:,c.,and arc gone until the weather becomes too severe to be endm-ed abroad. This is usually in January, but some- times they do not come in until ^larch. yVccordiug to Mr. S. they generally remain attached to the post of the district where they are l)orn, obtaining their supplies on credit and paying for them in skins. It is said that they are vei'y scrujjidous about discharging their debts, and although they some- times have credit for over .£1U0 currency, yet ♦'i.ese wild fellows, whose notions of morality seem in most points so loose, and in the * Headers familiar with the 'Mainn or Xow Ilampsliirc woods, will know that a snuiiltjc means a smoke made to drive away the ilies. Green evergreen bo\ighs, or damp lichen • thrown on the lire will make a good smudge. >- i^. 'I': NARRATIVE. 63 I i I midst of the wilderne.ss, beyond the reach of all compulsion, — rarely or never neglect to pay every farthing. Their sense of honor among themselves, too, seems, in some points at least, acute. We •were told that if an Indian finds a beaver-lodge, he cautiously traps a beaver or two, and then leaves them alone for the season, since otherwise the animals would forsake the place altogether. This he does year after year in perfect security that no one will meddle with them after he has proclaimed his discovery, and it is said that a beaver-lodge sometimes descends thus from father to son. Jail/ 8th. — Being in ]Mr. S.'s room this morning, a lumter came in from the woods to get a supply of tobacco, which, with ammimi- tion and apparatus for making fire, are the hunter's ind.-pcnsab^cs, and arc never refused them. His first Avords (in Indian, for he understood no English,) w^ere an exclamation at the astonirfhing quantity of flics. Happening to be in want of a tobacco-bag, I made a proposal through Mr. S. for a rather ornamental one, (of broadcloth of various colors, with hanging tassels, and worked Avith beads,) which the Indian wore at his girdle. lie signified his acquiescence, and handed mo the pouch ; but when in return I gave him a five franc piece, he eyed it curiously, and bursting into a giggle, asked Mr. S. what he should do with it ? Mr. S. satisfied him on this point by telling him how much cloth it Avould buy. Avhereat he seemed satisfied, and requested to have the things out of his pouch. Tlicse consisted of a quantity of kimil-hudk, and fire apparatus, being a small cylinder of Avood, holloAV at one cud, round Avhich Avas an edge of steel. A quantity of the fibrous inner bark of the arbor- viti\3 Ijcing placed in the IioUoav, is ignited by striking a stone across the mouth. So large a number of Indians are collected here, (I think j\Ir. S. said about 150,) that it Avould seem to be a good opportunity for doing something towards civilizing them. Tliere is certainly mom enough for improvement. They have no church, no schools, no marriage ceremony, unless it be in the Indian style, every man having as many squaws as he can support. They do not attempt any agriculture, but depend on hunting, and when that fails, on the (I 64 LAKE SUPERIOR. charity of tlic traders ; they build no houses but the birch-bark lod;^cs of their ancestors. Sj)oaking of agriculture, there is an extensive potato patch attached to the factory, sonic of the produce of which Ave carried with us when we left. The potatoes, however, are small, and other vegetables arc said not to ripen here, on account of the shortness of the summer. Yet the winters are not very severe, the quicksilver, Mr. S. said, never sinking below — 20*^* Fahrenheit. The fur trade, he said, was very much on the decline, which he ascribed to the use of various substitutes for beaver in making liats. Tlie princi[)al furs at this post arc lynx, martin, otter and beaver. The lynx and the martin are nev er abundant together. If the lynxes are l>lenty, there arc few martins, and vice versa. Prob- ably as their prey is similar, the lynx, being the stroriger, drives off its rival. Great quantities of fish are seined here ; white-fish, lake-herring, trout, &c., not only enough for the use of this and other posts, but also some arc sent down to the Sault for sale. The number of white- fish annually put up on the whole lake, ^Ir. Swanston estimated at three thousand barrels, worth on an average $5 a barrel. Of tliese, about one thousand barrels arc sent away for sale. At Fort Wil- liam, abo\Tt five hundred barrels are taken. Out of some fifty thou- sand specimens that he had seen at Fort William, there were two with red fiesh, like salmon. Jtibj \)th. — This forenoon the canoe was finished ; the sewing of HHitfjip being renewed throughout, and a fresh coat of gum ajiplieil. This wattap is usually said to be si)ruce roots, but as well as I could make out, on this occasion the roots of the ground-hemlock ( Taxas rauatlensi.s^') were used. We had now got tlioroughly used to our men, and they to ns. Our steersman, Henry, whose culinary skill (a prominent qualifica- tion of a voyageur,) has been already celebrated, was careful and obliging, but rather slow both in wits and senses in comj)arison with John, who, though milien, was decidedly the genius of the crew. This m.ui was wholly or mostly of Indian blood, and his real name an unpronounceable jumble of letters that would take up half a Hue. No hawk's eye was ever keener than his ; nothing cscajjed it ; NARRATIVE. 65 notliini; was too distant for it to make out. A Aviry, sinewy fellow, of astonishing streni;;th and endurance, and always on the watch for dan,u;er.s above and below the water, but his chatter and his merriment were unceasing ; he laughed more than all the rest, and made all the jokes beside. Henry spoke Paiglish in a very deliberate and rather inarticulate tone, having probably a diiilomatic dread of committing himself by blunders in grammar. John understood no English nor French, but he knew instantly what you wanted, and did not often need even the assistance of pantomime. They were all thoroughly practised in their craft ; not only as to the navigation of the canoe, but also in doing and contriving every thing needful to our comfort. When we landed they waded into the water to carry us ashore on their backs, (for except where a rock projected favorably, the canoe could never be brought near enough to step ashore dry-shod,) then cai'cfuUy lifted the canoe on to the beach, and after taking out its contents, turned it bottom up. Next, a good spot being selected, the tent was pitched, and drift-wood (of which there is generally an abundance at hand,) collected in good supply. This occasioned sometimes a good deal of good-natured rivalry among the various crews, the men of each boat considering their interests identified with those of their bouri/cois, and accord- ingly making haste to pounce upon the best logs and the softest camping-ground. This was generally at the top of the beach, to secure level ground, and moss Avhere there was any. Then they brought up from the water Avhatever things they observed we liked to have in the tent, to one his gun, to another his insect-net, and car- pet-bags and bedding for all. In the morning, unless wc wove up of our own accord, wo were aroused by their " ('uibarqiicz, eml>(tr(jiiez,'" and Avo to him who lingered many minutes after this warning, for he was sure to find the tent tumbling about his ears without further preface, and his loose eficcts transported to the canoe by these inex- orable fellows. For this is remarkable about these men, that obliging and rospect- fvd as they are in general, there are certain things for which they stand out, and will have their way. John, for instance, though the best fellow in the world, would never allow the due sweep of his oar to be obstructed even by an inch, and any one whose back or head 66 LAKE SUPERIOR. came in tlic way, was reminded of the irapn^pricty by a dig from tlio end of it at every stroke, 'iiitil he Avithdrew within his proper limits. About tliese matters, (wliich, however, were confined entirely to the mana,i;oment of the boat, ifcc., and respected exclusively the public interests,) they never argued nor attended to arguments, but (juictly persisted in doing as they thought proper. The innnediate shore on our course this afternoon, was lower than we had had it since leaving Gros-C-^p ; rou.deu, gradual slopes of rock dov to the water, bare hi s. iie pl.'ix'., jivsi the rest covered with a scanty growth of trcco. At soiuo dii'tujiee back, rounded hills rose to a greater height. We were struck here and elsewhere by the ro;^u. ir succession of coves and points, owing apparently to the trap-dykes, which, instead of being more easily decomposed than the surrounding rock, and thus forming cluisms, as on the other side of the bay, were here harder, and so stood Ouu from the rest.* At several places we observed terraces, and carried two of them, at various heights, but preserving their relative positions, about two miles, to the lliv. a la Chienne, where they turned up the valley and extended along its left bank as far as wc could see, having an eleva- tion of about two hundred feet. Here, according to intention, we encamped at sunset, fifteen miles from our starting place. This river is deep, and about ten fathoms Avide, umber-colored as usual, Avith a broad expansion hiside, Avhich, Avith the Avidenr^ss of the valley and the scanty groAvth on the terraces (doubtless of sand) forming its left bank, permitted an extensive view up the stream int(,) ;iu amphitheatre of high rounded hills, behind Avhich the sun Avas setting. There arc rapids and a fall of about ten feet a (juarter of a mile up. Wo pitched our tents on a spit of sand, broad at the base, and running out in a point across the mouth of the stream to Avithin a fcAv yards of the steep rock of the right bank. Just inside the point, the bottom sunk sheer down twenty feet. Outside there is a bar, having only a few feet of Awater on it. One of the men collectin;^ fircAVOod on the bank found a bear's * This rontrast betwcon the (lifforpiit dykes induced the Professor to examine Into their rchitivo ay;es, and thus led to the views set forth in the paper on the Outlines of the Lake. NARRATIVE. 0< skull, with two slioulder-Mados and some vcrtehrixj, stuck in the crotoli of :• r-oe. The jaws were ve/>' neatly hound tni<;othcr with viiftap, and le hones painted with hroad stripes of hlack and ver- luillion. Iny'dc of the skidl was some tohacco, plu ^cmI in with birch hark. Thi.i lS said to Ijo a common token of an Indian grave, mark- ing the de;:' as a brave hunter. On the "oank above Avere remains o^'aii Indian lodge. Jidi/ lOt/i. — Very cool this morning. The rocks on our course uniformly sloping south-wesiL to the water, in conscfjuence, the Profes- sor said, of glacial action. lie oxjtlained that in order to form satis- factory evidence of the action of ice, it was necessary that the slo})es and the roundiag and scratching of the s\irfacc should have a direc- tion different from the stratification of the rock. We passed this morning several mining " locations," indicated by poles set u)' on the rocks. At " Les Ecrits" were rude pictures of canoes, caribou, horses, snakes, kc, cut out of the black lichens, on a perpendicular face of rock. We stojiped to lunch at a rocky point forming a shelf nearly level with the water, which was thirty feet deep alongside. To this the carioes were moored by a moun- tain-ash sa})rmg at head and stern, the small end tied to the canoe, and tlie large end loaded Avith large stones. One of the men shot a spruce partridge, (^TclrKo (.■((iKa.hnnii^,') the first Ave had seen, though they are said to be abundant here. I climbed up the jtoint, and on the top entered a thick growth of shrubs, Labrador tea, and various species of Vaccinium. The whole suriace of the ground was covered with rich green moss (^iSpha(jnu»t'), sjireading over the loose rocks a uniform velvet carpet, into which I several times sunk to my middle. Larches began to apjiear. The woods much like those of northern New England, except the prom- inence of the lichens and mosses here, and the smaller size of the trees. Contrary to my expectation, and to what had been told me of the country, the forests are not remarkably dense, and there is rarely any difficulty in penetrating, except in the cedar swam})S. The ground is generally rough, since it is, in fact, the broken slope of the lake shore. We never penetrated far into the interior, which is said to be in general thinly wooded. The most striking feature of these Woods is their stillness and loneliness, thougli as to this the season must W , "it ■nf, !.i (18 LAKE SUPEIUOR. hi. ii'-i botftkcninto account. Even in Massaelmsctta, in July ami Aui<;ust, there are comparatively tew birds to bo seen or hoard, and travel- lers, among others I'rince ISFax of Nenwied, (wiio in a naturalist to boot,) have founded on this fact very false conclusi(ms as t<» tho scarcity of birds in the United States. The truth is that owing \^cv• Jiajis to tho absence of marked climatic divisions, tho birds of this country extend their migration very far, so that any such comiiarison should ])e made in spring or fall. Then much allowance nuist bo made for the change wrought by civilization. ]>irds and animals (except the carnivorous ones,) always increase about settlements ; a well-known fact which our experience confirmed, for about the posts, and at the Sault, both were always more numerous than elsewhere. In Chicago, a few years ago, a gentleman told me that the grouse and ((uails had increased in that neighborhood eight-fold within his reeollectiou ; I myself saw numbers of ([uails in the main street and on the houses, and was assured that they sometimes entered the shops. The cause is simply the increase of food. Even deer continue to increase for some time about settlements. The shore now became higher and more precijtitous, until at Lcs Ecourts, marked on Eayfield's chart, " no landing for boats," tho cliifs of sienite rose to tho height of eight hundred feet above tho lake. Here were swarms of swallows, and a pair of sparrow-hawks, the invariable inhabitants of those cliffs. Miclii])ic(>tni Island was now plainly visible to the south, distant about ten miles. We had intended to take it on our w^ay, but decided to put this oft' until our return. The sunset was l)eautiful, but autumnal ; the clouds in largo well- defined masses, tinged with a suffused roseate hue. Afterwards the air liocame cool. It was nine o'clock when we encamped, on a beach just inside of Otter Head. The bateau, which had detained us much during the dav, remained behind at dark. The " Dancing Feather," on the other hand, had the start of our two canoes, and went round the Head. Tlie beach where we landed rose some twenty feet from a narrow margin on the water, at an angle of twenty to thirty degrees. The little semi-circular plateau above seemed by the dim light to be sur- rounded on all sides by a dense forest. In stumbling about after drift-Avood, we made the discovery that the upper part of the beach NAIIUATIVE. 09 I was strewn witli lichens, in lar;j;e t\ifts or clods, often ei;i;lit to ten inches deeii \>y oi^^hteen inches to two feet across ; a i'ew annruls of this made a very eoinfortabh' hed. After the sunset faded, the moon shone out l)rilli;intly, and we sat on the ed;^e of the slu]ii! talk- ing of many thin;^s, long after our men were snoring comfurtahly under the shelter of the canoes helow. Jul// l\(/t. — Daylight showed us that our plateau was a niche cut in the rock, which rose steejdy and with great regularity from all sides, fringed and covered with trees. We rounded the jioint of Otter Head, so called from an upright ])arallelogram of rock, (hav- ing, however, so far as I could see, no particular reseml^lance to the head of an otter,) resting on tl j top of the ])oint, and, joining the '• Dancing Feather " at breakfast thne, we put ashore and decided to wait for the bateau. On the way a solitary Indian, excessively dirty and ragged, came off in his canoe to sell us fish, and turned out to bo the brutlu't'-in-law of one of our men, a very decent-look- ing Canadian Frenchman. The woods here also carpeted with moss, and sprinkled with Liniiica and bunch-berry ; here also we found very few flies, and began to give some credence to the assertion of some of the men, that they disappear towards the cud of this month. I'erhaps the change of temperature may render them sluggish, for we had now crossed the 48th degree of latitude, and the greatest heat of summer, in these northern regions coinciding more nearly with the solstice, was now past. One of my companions and myself making the circuit of a muddy pond, ibrmed by the damming up of a small stream by the lake beach, incautiously attempted to retiu-n through a patch of burnt arbor vitajs. It is diihcult to persuade one's self at a short distance that these burnt places are so impracticable as they really are, even though one may have had full experience of them before. You can sec through the trees every where, and the ground is jilaiuly visible among the stumps. But when fairly engaged, you find the fallen trunks arc piled together in such wild confusion that you seldom touch the ground at all, but are obliged to get along s(|uirrcl fashion (only not so quickly and easily), by climbing and jumping from one log to another. Moreover the effect of the tire is not at all uniform ; some 70 LAKE SUPERIOR. I of the wood, witlioiit much clian^^o of the outsido, is converted Into mere punk, ho tliiit if you step on it yon are precipitjitcd iimon;; the charred \o<^h, and in your passa^^c^ made Feenu;4ly aware that many of the small hranchos and ends have been merely sharpened and liardened hy it into s[iikes. So slow and lahorious was our pro;^res3 that, liavini; with ;;ri'at dillienlty made my way to the edi^e oi' the ])onil, I waded alon^% with the water up to my middle, in several inches of n\ud, as far as the fallen trees would allow, rather than take to tlie hank. We were about twenty minutes in makinu; less than a (piarter of a mile, and my companion assured me that once on the south shore of the lake it took him a whole day of hard work to get over seven miles of this ground. The shore now l)ecame very varied and broken ; not very abrupt, but rounded hills and points of considerable size coming suP(tv.,~ively in sight, and on the water-side nunuu'ous pietures(|ue wooded islets of granite, with abrupt faces towards the south, and jiolishcdand round- ed slo[ies northward. Wide trap-dykes in the reddish sienite rock all grcjiuid down to an oven surface. The wind blew in puffs from the N. W., alternating with dead calms. The fluctuation of temper- ature was astonishing. So long as it was calm, the unclouded sun beat down upon us with all the fervor of our own July, but the mo- ment the wind sprung up it was October. p]vcning coming on, the bateau and the " Dancing Feather" en- camjied, but we in the other two canoes decided to keep on to the Pic (Peek), which was only ten miles off. Not that we were particularly anxious to get on, but having hitherto taken the journey rather leisurely we thought the men seemed inclined to take advantage of our good nature. So after tea we started again, the moon shining briL^itly and the sunset just fading away. The Northern Lights, visible to some extent almost nightly, were unusually beautiful this evening, forming three concentric bows in the north, the upjicr one about thirty degrees from the horizon. From this bow as a base sprang up long flickering streamers ([uite to the zenith, where there was aflccky appearance, as if of light clouds, which, however, were stationary. Hence radiated tremulous flashes of light toward every point of the compass. "VVe reached the Pic about one o'clock, the moon down, and no NAUIIATIVE. I o'tjccts (liscenilMc except some Tiidians luid their dogs, and the indis- tinct forms of their lod,ges on the heuch. Jiilii Vlth, — IJefore we were stirrin;^ this morning, o\n" fritMids of the " Dancing Koather" made their appearance, and we learned to our surprise that they had heen encamped tor some time ami had nh'cady (inislied tlieir hreakfast. The fact was their voyagenrs were a httlc pi(iuod at our having pushed on ahead of them, and were resolved we should not gain any advantage l)y it. So getting up very early they came up with ail speed, and silently passing the spot where we Avcre encamped, pitched their tent at some distance heyond, and made haste to get breakfast before we were up. The Pic is a post of the Hudson's I'ay Company; the smallest of the three on tlie lake* ; the name is derived not as we at first supposed, from the pointed hills across the river, Imt from an Indian word. Peek or Necpcvk, signifying, I believe, " dirty water." The same word occurs in Ncepcegon. It is situated near the mouth of a rather sluggish stream of turl)id, ])roAYn water, about two hundred and fifty yards l)road, flowing through a valley, wide near its moutli and narrowing liighcr up, apparently a dtdta of the river. H'hero are considerable falls at some distance up the river. A sand-bar, on which there are six feet of water, extends across its mouth, and par- ticularly on the northern side there is a very ])road 1)each of white sand, like that of the sea-shore, drifted into hills, and at the top of the l)cach into a high ridge or dune, like that at jNIichipicotin, but smaller, whei'cc there is a steep descent into the pitch-pine woods behind the post. Near the beach is a remarkable dyke of iiitchstone. Tlio establishment consists of a number of whitewashed red-trimmed buildings of one story, like tlio fishermen's cottages of our coast, rang- ed round a hollow S([uare and surrounded by a high palisade. The m \Ui ■i\ '^ 11 * Tlic following lists of the furs obtained for the two last years, as given by Mr. I3ci;i;s to one of the gentlemen who remaf" il behind here, may be of some \;iliie us an indication of the relative iibiindance of tht IVront species ; — 1S17, — bears, 21, beavers, I'io, lynxes, 2.'57, fishers, 83, cross foxes, G, ro. lo., 18, silver do., 3, martins, 710, minks, '297, musk-rats, 2, )•)(), otters, i;{7, wolverine, 1, ermines, 152. — 1818, — bears, 2", beavers, 12G, lynxes, 01, tishers, (iG, red foxes, G, white oxes, G, martins, 1,107, minks, 102, musk-rats, l,Oi)0, otters, 17!), ermines, 118. The inverse proportions of lynxes anil mar- tins confirm what Mr. Swanston said. It is to be observed that the number of hunters is much smaller here than at cither of the other posts. \ 72 LAKE SUPERIOR. ' if ground inside of tliis courtyard is covered with plank, and a plank roiid, also encloser. hy a iialisade, leads up the slope from the river to the i';ate-wav, Avhich is surmounted hv a sort of harl)ican. Jt(/// l'-j(/i. — There was a dense mist and an easterly wind this morning, much like one of our chilly sea-fogs. This was the first in- stance of fog after sunrise v>e iiad met with on the lake, though it was often foggy early in the morning. The air was never colder than the water, so that condensation could take place only when the saturated atmos[)here was cooled hy the lake, v.nresisted hy the action of the sun, that is, hefore sunrise. That the air was full of moisture seemed to he shown hy the fact that we could often see our breath when the air was by no means cold, tlie atmosphere being so charged with moisture as to raise the dew point, or degree of temperature at which the vapor becomes visible, unusually hig^i. The itltch-phic woods behind the post had been burnt over, and the trees, though yet standing, were mostly dead, affording food for myriads ( f wood-beetles, (^JIohoJudhkh acHteUar'S,') whose creaking resounded on all sides. These in their turn were fed upon by the Canada jays, and by two rare species of woodpeckers, (/*. ardiciis, and J\ hlrt'utus.') The afcticns in particular was very abundant and noisy, having a shrill, startling cry. The I'rofessor got a number of fishes, among others a brilliant green pickerel, a new species. A sturgeon was caught in t!;o river opposite our tent, in a net belonging to one of the Indians, who dis- patched him after sonic contest, with a fish-spear. Prof. Agassiz re- quested me to make a sketch of this nsh, which was some four or five feet long. This took some time, and meanwhile we observed that all the inhabitants of the lodge to which it belonged were assembled and crouching in a row in front of us. We supposed this to be mere curi- osity, but one of our men I.ia]>peuing to come up, discovered that the whole family had been without food all day, and were waiting to eat the fish as soon as sve were done with it. Wc were shock- ed at having conunitted such a breach of propriety, but the sketch not being finished, we jiroposcd to them to lunch meanwhile on some of our pork and biscuit, to which they readily agreed. Julij \Ath. — Started this morning with a strong head wind. We were obliged to leave behind one of our number, who had been ailing wit no\ all sta dat NARRATIVE. 73 with a fovorish attack ever since ]Mica Bay, and was now pro- nouneod hy the medical men too ill to }>rocced. Fortunately Ave were alilc to leave him in good hands. One of the party vohnitcered to stay with him, and Mr. and Mrs. Beggs gave him the best acconnuo- dation the post aftbrdcd. This was the only case of sickness during our excursion, although the mode of life was quite new to most of us, and some degree of hard- sliip was anticipated. But sjioaking for myself, tlie only serious in- convenience was the scorching heat of the sun, which severely blis- tered the skin wlierever exposed. Our course this forenoon fortunately lay through a labyrinth of islands, by -which we avoided the force of the wind somewhat. Just after leaving the ]*ic we passed through a I'iver-like channel, about fifteen feet wide, the steep sides of which were deeply scored in a di- rection diagonal to the chasm, showing, the Prof, said, that the body by which the marks Avere made, had a momentum suliicient to disre- gard the shape of the ground over which it passed. The stri;u here- aliouts were inclined at an angle of 89'' with the surface of the water. We stopped for hmch on a point covered with lutcc'uiimn idi(/liiu- ■vim, and similar shrubs. The slimy water-} )lants floating along this point were filled with astonishing mmibcrs of drowned insects, and many fine specimens were obtained. From here it was neces- sary to make a traverse of some three or four miles with (luite as much wind as we could stand up to. This brought us into a clust(>r of islets abreast of I'ic Island, a fiue bold peak seven or eight liuii- drcd feet high, stretching off into a rocky ruige. Tiie whole skeleton and structure of t'ae peak were distinctly visible, from the cilects of a fire that hail streamed up tlie side of the mountain fron, i cove on the nort.., where there is a camping-ground. 1'he Indians and voyagcurs in their carelessness and A\antonness allow tlieir camp-fires to extend into the woods, which on these rocky slopes are dry and inflammable. The con.-eiiuence is that the foliage of the trees being destroyed and their roots killed, they no longer hold together the soil, and it is accordingly swept off by the next rains, leaving a clean sur- face of white, calcined rock for Nature to cover again in the course of ages, by the slow succession of lichens, shrubs and trees. illn LAKE SUl'KUIOR. W f 6 While passiuij; this ishmd, two canoes oniiic in si^ht IVom the op- |K)sito tlirection, evidcMitlv making a \vitle traverse lor the Pic. They passed rapidly alon./, inidor sail too far otY to be spoken, hut we had no douht tliat it was (Jov. J-^impson of the Hudson's liay (\"»nipany, who was ex[)eeted at the Tie on his annual tour. We afterwai'ds learned lliat this conjecture was correct, and that he arrived altout eight o'clock thai evening, thus niakirg in three hours (for it was about live when we passed tliem.) what we had taken all day I or. T le (Governor is nuicli noted lor his raj'id travcUiiiL!;. On one occa-iou he is said to lia\e dined one day at tlie Sault, and break- fasted the next at Micliipicotin, a distance of one hundred and twenty miles. We eneantjied this evening on a most jncturcsipie rocky islet near the sliore, whei'(> we slept on natural beds of solid moss and huckleberry bushes, a f tot dci'p. 'fih/ \')t/i. — IJain eai'ly iliis morning, but cleared away cold, with an autumnal sky and high wind. We ])assed the Slate Islands, liigh and blue, at the distance of seven ov eiglit miles, and ran into a cove, at the bottom of which ojHMied what seenictl to l»e a well-ordered lawn, with balsam fu-s and larches judiciously dis]>osed at intervals. In landing, the rich green grass turned out to be bear-berry, and tlu- soil mere sand, which the bear-berry loves, luit which accounted for the scantiness of trees. The woods wore crossed and i v ossed in every direction by rabbit (or rather liare) paths, and we .s;i\»' sonic trails that some ol' us fan- cied might be caribous', w itli many tracks of a dog or wolf. Caribous are I'oiuul ;ill through this regi^n, b\it not in great abundance. An Indian who passed last winter on Isle St. Ignace, killed twenty-iivo caribous in tlu' coiu'se ol' the winter, and was thought to have done very well. We saw here, for the iirst time, J'nniif /iKdaoiuriifi, in company with a niuuber of its cinisins.the chickadees, froni which it was to be distinguished only by its brown head, its slenderer and higher note, and a sliglit ditrerence in habit, iluttering more about the ends of the twigs. We made a long stay here, and some of the men amused themselves with lighting a fire, whicli unfortunately ran along tlie ridge of tho beacli. and. in sjMte of their utmost exertions, marched with a '«road front into the woods. It was an cxcithig spectacle, the eagerness of NAUllATIVE. 75 the flaniop to seize upon (\'ic]i fre.sh tree, windin;!; round it like ser- pents, criU'klin.Li; nnd rusliinu; fm 'y Ihrongli its bvanelieH to the top, until every frai^nient of dry i>ark, lichen, ke., Avas consumed. The fire seems too dainty to take the more solid parts, and so, for instance, the hunch ot" upri,i^ht cones at the top of the balsams, re- mains distin,L!;uishal(le in the forest as a blackened tuft. < )nr beautifid bear-berry lawn looked now more like a peat-bo^:;. ^Vhen we left, the fire was in lull pro;^i'ess, and was probably stayed only by a swam}) beyond. Nature, however, .generally provides tbat no laml tliat can be of nnu'h value to man shall be subject to this fate, for the heavily-tim- bered (and thus fertile) land (»f these latitudes is mostly too wet to burn, except the solitary birches, which if you set a toi'ch to them, gi) off like rockets, but do not set fire to the other trees. We passed terraces sevei'al limes to-duy, and in one jiluce in par- ticular, on a ii;rand scale at the bottom of a bay, forminii; a series of vast imbroken arcs of about a mile chord, ascendin_^ one above the other to the height of several hundred feet, and, from the scantiness of the ve;^ctation, evidently coniiiosed of sand. ( 'amped on a beach of coarse, dark sand, under a iii^li abrupt prom- ontory, enclosin_:^ it with precipitous walls. Among the rt (ks in our neighborhood were discovered veins of copper, suggesting to the Pro- fessor some remarks, which ho illustrated on his black canvas, pinned against the side of his tent : " Veins are fornieil ^niiietiiiies liy the ornckint]!; of iirncmis rocks as they cool ; soiiietiiees al^) Ity the subsiileiico of strata ; crai'ks licinii; luniicil, arc tilled from the melted mass below, pressed updn by siiiliiiig strata and tlius forced U))wards, or thrown u]) by other causes. Tli(> injected niass, even thono-lioriginallyt lie same as that into which it penetrates, may yet pm- (luee a vein of adittercnt character, from the diiferenee of coolini»'. \\'here the injected mass is very f^reat it ah(!rs the surroundinjr rock, more or less in jiropiii'tion to its vicinity to the melted sub.stanec. in these 7iii'f(iiiii)r/>/iir roch, as they are calleil, sneli as we have seen in great ahum'.anco tlirougliout our passage along tlic lake sliore, there is accordingly the greatest variety of chaiacter, ami niic s|)eeies of mek pas>es into another by so many inti'vmeiliate tonus lh;it it is often dilVu'ult to t-ay uliat name should lie given to it, the ruck, originally saml^tone, pnhaps, with vaiious adun:.- m m I -■:?! ; i H ji , ? ;■ n im nv ! U 70 1 \KE SUPERIOR. V '■ I i f tares, l)oing changofl into slonltc or porphyry, or into rock pnrtnking in various degrees of the characters of botli, hy tlio influence of large veins of melted materials. 3retallic veins are sometimes formed in the same way, liy injection, ami they also in the same manner modify the surnninding rocic, as in the instance before us. Sometimes, also, they are formed by suljlima- tion into crevices, or by electro-magnetic action, causing an interchange of ])articles between various parts of the rock." Jul// H')th, — Early this forenoon the Island of St. Ignaco ap- ])oared looming up in the distancte. We passed the " I'etits Ecrltrf,'' a rock ornamented with representations of various ani- mals, canoes full of men, &c,, together with various fabulous mon- sters, such as snakes with Avingp-, and the like, cut out oF the lichens ; the work of the Indians, or perhaps of stray miners or search- ers for coviper, who, as appeai'cd by dates and initials, have adopted from them this mode of attracting the attention of the passer-by. These pictures Avcrc of various dates, as was shown by the various de- grees of distinctness, as the rock was either quite laid bare, or the black lichens had more or less completely recovered possession of it. We noAv entered the vast archipelago of islands occupying the whole N. W. corner of the lake, as for as Pigeon River, a distance of about two and a half degrees of lomritude, viz. : from 87° 30 ' to 90° W. It is dilHcult to convey any notion of the vast number of islets and rocks in this part of the lake. Capt. I3avfield in his (unpublished) chart of Lake Huron, is said to have laid doAvn thirty-six thousand islands, on twenty thousand of which ho has landed ; the number in Lake Superior cannot, I should sujipose, fall much short of this. In both lakes the islands lie alm'/st exclusively along ^.he northern and eastern shores. In Lake Superior, with the exception of the group called the Apostle's Islands, there are very few islands on the south shore, or on the north-west shore beyond Pigeon River. In Lake Huron there is scarcely an island outside the Georgian Bay, and in the lower lakes islands are almost entirely wanting. As we were passing under an overhaniiing cliff where nests of the barn-swallow w'^-e niched into the rock widiin reach of the hand, an Indian in in . can' o wl li his squaw and child suddenly glided alongside from some > ■.' .e, ainl offered fish in exchange for tobacco. NARRATIVE. 77 in He Avas a huge fellow, with a great head, covevctl with dishevelled hair, yet not ill-shapen, and having soiuethiug of the picturesciucuess of a bowlder of granite. The woman had on a sort of cloak of white hare- skins, M-ith a hood attached, which was drawn up over her head. Somc- .b(jdy gave the man a cigar, and showed him which end to put into his mouth and how to light it, Avhich he did, and smoked away very clev- erly. Signs were made to him to give the woman a pulf, but she un- luckily put the lighted end into her mouth, and after that good- naturedly but firmly declined to have anything to do with these new- fangled pipes. The -wind meantime had risen, and comhig out from the Ice of the islands into an open bay, we found the head wind and sea too strong to be contended with, and so })ut back into a cove, the entrance leave the j'atli, and they are thus very easily caught. The Indians rely much ujion thera for support, particularly in winter. On the outside of the island Avcre rough beaches of lai'go stones,* and rocky points against which the waves were beating furiously. This evening as wc were arranging the musijuito-bar in our tent (a nice job and one requiring almndance of light), our camlle proved to be missing, and wc suppHcd its place by piling on the fire a large quantity of usnea, which streamed from all the trees. This is not an unimportant article in the economy of these regions. There is no better material for the packing of specimens ; it makes capital bed- ding, and it is so inflammable that a tree covered with it makes the l)est possii)le beacon or signal-torch. The Indian women use this as well as moss for stuffing the bottom of their portable cradles. 1'he winil fell in the course of the night, and there was rain before morning. Jiilij lltit. — Cloudy and warm. jMade a traverse at sunrise of three or four miles, • i then began again to thread our way through endless woody islands of greenstone, often showing vertical sides. The main shore was now several miles distant and constantly reced- ing in high domed summits. St. Ignace, high in front, black to the top with spruce forests ; and a dim, majestic outline in the far distance, seeming only to divide one part of the sky from the other, our voya- ge urs declared to be Thunder Cape, seventy or eighty miles off. The ends of all distant points were turned up by the effects of the inira(/e, a very common phenomenon here, owing to the contrast in tempera- tures between the air and the water. We ran into a narrow bay on the east end of St. Ignace, the bot- tom of which approached a peak marked on Bayfield's chart as thir- teen hundred feet above the lake. This bay is a (piiet little nook, hedged around with larches and other trees, over whose tops appeared the peak. A small cleariiig had been made here, it being a mining "location," and on a board fixed to one of the trees was an inscn})- tion signifying that the spot had been " taken possession of by the Montreal Mining Company, June 5, IS^IO." They had even gone so far as to put up a log-house, yet standing in tolerable repair. a- lie )t- 10 lie f. 1 • mi 1 I 1 m ■' ; i ,'!M ^ '■ IIP ^1-™ iM| M^l H ^«l"- Tf MHttj 4.' 'A^^ Hi .'1 ;!:i m im i ''Ji.]«M NARUATIVi:. 79 i' witli a cril) for slociiin.i^ inside, ami " Doii^'lnss' Ilnti'l" written <>u a Itoanl by the door. TliiH was one of tlie many places (then- nre several on this island), wliero works were eomtneneed without aiiv proper exploration of the ;;round, the tmly indication of ore lieinj; some veins of calc-si)ar, whicli hy a too ha>ty induction was sup- )»osed to he a sure si^n of copjier. Small (piantities of native enpp(;r were found, hut not suilicicnt to pay for the trouMe of gettin,::; it. After hreakfast, the weather heini^ favorahle it was decided to make the ascent, and we started accordingly, takiii,;j; a narrow gorge that one of the men, who acted as gnide, said led to the peak ; hnt stop- ]>ing behind for a moment. I lost the party, ami could not distinguish the trail amid the multitude of hare-track- thro\igh tlie woods, I shouted, and was answered repeatedly, l)ut the voices were so echoed back and forth in the narrow valley, that I could not make out their direction, and Avcnt back to the camp. In the afternoon they retm-ned, rcj)orting a very fatiguing climb, tln! barometer broken, and the flics very troublesome. The bl,i"k Hv is fond of high iind dry situations, and is always found in greater num- bers a1)out the top of a hill than at the foot, 'riu^v h;id ascended the ]»eak, however, and ehnstcned it Blount Ciimbi-idgc". in case it htnl not already been named. The sunnnit was steep and rocky, the rocks polished and scratched to the top. Contrary to expectation thc_y found no change -whatever in the vegetation. The woods here were filled with Linnica, anstealing. As the pasturage on the other side of the river is much better than about the Fort, these cows sirini across regularly every morning and back in the evening, a distance of two or three hundred yards. I was much surprised, the morning after our arrival, Avhen the cattle were let out of the yard, to see a cow walk down and deliberately take to the water, of her own accord, the whole drove following her, swimming with only their noses, horns and tails showing above water. An evolution so out of the usual habits of the animal, that I could account for it only by supposing it to be an ancient custom, established with difficulty at first, on the strong compulsion of necessity, and subsenuently yielded to from force of example by each cow that successively entered the herd. The land al)out the post is low and flat, mostly a larch swamp ; a wide gap being broken in the rocky rim of the lake by the valley of the Kaministi(iuia. To the northward the hills retreat to the distance of eight or ten miles. Southerly the line is resumed by McKay's Mountain, a ridge of greenstone gradually ascending to- wards the north-west, to the height of one thousand feet, and there broken into an abrupt precipice. 1^' ■' NARRATIVE. 88 The post is still an important ono. as bcin;^ tlic portal to tlio \\v(\ llivcr country, Lake Winnii>e,i^, and the nlain across the river the birch-bark lodges of the Indian hunters. Mr. Mackenzie, the gentleman in charge, received us very kindly, and handed to us a number of letters auil newspapers that had been forwarded hither from the Sault, by the propeller, which had come up the south shore and touched at Prince's Location, about twetity miles west of this. Jul// 21 d. — Spent the day here. Wild j.igeons, cross-bills, and ravens about the fort, and [lartridges in the swamj). Bathed in the river; the bottom muddy, and the water warm. Mr. M. says that before a gale from the northward the river falls sometimes eighteen inches in twenty-four hours. This they supposed to be owing to a heaynng up of the water on the southern shore (where these gales usually commence.) by the wind, causing a corrcsjiomling de[iression on this side. The fact, more accurately described perlsajis as a difference of atmospheric pressure on the two sides of the lake, was afterwards confirmed by several persons. Wo decided to ascend the river as far as the Kakabeka (Kah-k;'ilibeka) Falls, twenty-five miles, to-morrow. Mr. ^Mackenzie kindly offered to go with us, and fur- nished us with Avhatevcr was necessary for the excursion. This evening our men, with some of the employes of the post, had a dance in a cabin near the Fort. The music consisted of a S(picak- ing fiddle, and none of the fair sex honored the assemblage with their presence, yet they stamped away half the night with the greatest jollity. Jidif '22.7. — We started this morning accordingly, in three canoes, Mr. jNI. following after in a little cockleshell about a dozen feet long. The men in the two large canoes were placed two on a seat and furnish- ed with paddles instead of oars, and there was a good deal of rivalry Itetwcen them for the first few miles, the paddles dipping with won- derful rapidity, so that they looked like a row of tailors sewing S4 LAKE SUrKllIOK. ;i,:;uiust time. I did uot time their stnjko, but the rate must have )»L'cu iiiiwards of sixty dijis per luimite, lor their common oar-struke Wiis fnrty-dsc per miimte, and this seemed twice as (luick. A mile or two up, the river is narrow and the forest closes a;^aiu uiioii its liaiiks, which are somewhat higher ; the trees hirger than any we had seen on the hike ; at first mostly aspens, afterwards spruce and elm. Kive or six miles up, the hanks are often thirty or forty feet high, and in some places broken away, showing horizontal layers nf yellow, sandy loam, occasionally interrupted hy sand and hy narrow beds of clay. The margin of the river filled with sagittaria and fitlicr water-plants. Mr. M. says ducks and gcesc arc very abun(hint here in spring and fall. At present there were only a few creek-sheldrakes. The course of the river is very w inding, and our men cut ofT half a mile or more in one place, by making a portage through the woo(ls irom one Itend to another. They carried a suri)rising weight of lug- gage, suspended on the back by a porlitije vlrap^ a broad thong of leather passed across the forehead. For the distance of cloven miles the current is very sluggish. 'J'hen wc came to rapids, where it was thought advisable to get out and make our way by land, leaving the men to pole the canoes \\\). We disembarked on a piece of marshy bottom-land, covered with a fine growth of elms. After proceeding some distance through rank grass and undergrowth, we came to the bluft', which was a very stiff fifteen minutes' climl). This broixght us on to a table-land covered principally with scrub-pine (/'. Jiioi/csiana,) much like our com- mon ^i^h-pine, but more pyramidal in shape, Avith shorter leaves and curious contorted cones. This tabledaud was dry, sandy, and thinly covered with wood, with wide ojienings covered only by scanty, Avith- cred grass. The fire had been through in several places, and here woodpeckers and black flics abounded. This seems, from what we heard, to bo the general character of the interior, cxcep»t on the water-courses. A fast walk of two hours and a half brought us to the river, where we waited about an hour bciorc the boats made their appear- ance. All of them had touched repeatedly, and received some scratches ; one had been obliged to put in to gum up a leak. We <^igltmiammmmmiiiBm NAllUATIVi:. 8ft rot'ni1iar]<('(l, hut tlio current was still rapid ; in some place?* wo estimated it at six miles per hour. At the Dt'-chari^o dcs Paresseux we aLTaiii landed, and walked up some hundred yards while the men puslieil the lioats up with poles, which they grasped hy the middle, using the ends alternately on each side. AV^e encamped at sunset, clirahing up a steep clayhlufT to an open spot above, for wo could find no landing on a level with the water. Very cold in the evening, silencing the swarms of musijuitoes that greeted us on our first arrival. Jiili/ 2''>y some of the men to ni(>an " straiirlit down :" i. c,, falls imr i:r<;I!iii(r, it hein;^ tlie most ci»nsid- crahle waterfall in this region. In the afternoon our friends of the " Danein;^ Feather," wlio had determined to retiu'n to the 8avilt hy way of tho south shore, made haste to dejiart, as wo had appointed tJic loth of August to meet at the Sault, and they had nmch the longer way to go. Mr. Macken- zie left us at the same time. The Pi'ofessor this afternoon invited Homo of us to make the at- tempt with him to push up the stream as far as a small island at the foot of the Falls, in order to see them from below. For a short dis- tance Ave got along very well, taking advantage of a counter-current near the opposite liank. f^oon, however, this assistance failed us, and we were exposed to the full strength of tho stream. For a moment or so with all the men could do we could o.dy hold our own. and then hegau to go astern, hut Jean Ua'tisto caught the hraueh of a tree and checked the boat, and then jumping into the water actually dragged her along, the rest straining their utmost with the setting poles. The stream hero was shallow, and hurried along witli great fjrce, eddying and si)outing into the air over the stones witli which the bottom is covered. For a moment or two it was a fliir struggle between muscle and the force of gravitation ; then wo got under tho lee of the island, and without farther dilhculty landed on the lower end. Tho island consists merely of a heap of largo angu- lar stones, with a tuft of bushes in the middle. At the upper end wo sat down on the rocks, with the falling hill of water directly in front of us, its outline against the sky. Our. posi- tion was a favorable one for fooling tho full force of tho mass of water, but did not command the whole of the fall, each side Ijoing partially hidden by the projecting cliff. Indeed there is no position from which tho whole can be taken in at once. The distinguishing feature of these falls is variefi/. In tho first j)laco each of tho two side-falls has worn out for itself a deep semi- circular chasm, which, with tho foot of the cliff" projecting from below, ^ -.rx'- 1 'IJiV !(1 on [ui,:j;a- liill of l)i)si- iss of Doing tition first 3cmi- :!low, i mm i5 M »■( I m I'' i I 1 1 11} frj: ii'i i "H NARRATIVE. 87 gives the appearance of two horseshoes joining in the middle, as if two separate streams had happened to come together liere. This ))0cuhar conformation throws the masses of water together in the middle, whence they arc thrown up again hy the resulthig force, as if shot out of a cannon. The turmoil is farther increased by projecting rocks, (perhaps piles of fragments from above,) which, on the right particularly, shoot the water inwards towards the centre, at right angles with the course of the river. Then the sharp projecting shelves which project, especially on the right side, through the falling sheet, cause a succession of little falls in the face of the groat one. All these peculiarities are due no doubt to the nature of the rock, which, dipping slightly from the fall, and not being underlain by softer strata, as at Niagara, its recession is not regular, but depends on the accidental dislodgment of blocks on the edge, by frost, collision of ice, kc, and the blocks again, when fallen are not so readily decom- i)0sed or removed. Hence, also, the shallowness of the channel below. Some of our friends who meanwhile had been exploring above the Falls, reported a small fall, ten or fifteen feet in height, about half a mile above, where the slate was replaced by sicnite. We had some thought of proceeding up the river to Dog Lake, two days' journey to the north. But our men grumbled very much at the thought of the portages, (one of which from its destructive- ness to shoes is called Knife, or Devil Portage ;) then our canoes were too large for the undertaking, and might possibly be knocked to pieces ; so we concluded to give that up. Juli/ 2-^th. — Last night was warm and rainy, and we started down the river this morning in a drizzle. We stopped at the clay-bank, above which we had encamped before, to get some clay-stones, which occur here in abundance at the water's edge. These are nodules of clay, some soft, others of the hardness of chalk or harder, often in shapes requiring little aid of the knife to transform them into fantastic images. Capt. Bayfield says the bottom of Lake Superior is of clay, whicli readily indurates on exposure to the air." Kaministiciuia, according to our native authorities, signifies " the river that goes far about," which this river certainly does, though in ;■?:'?§? * Bouchettc's British Dominions in North America, I., 127. I * r 88 LAKE SLTEUIOR. the course of its windings it presents such a variety of beautiful scenes of overshadowinif forest, tliat we did not grudge the delay. Two or three miles down, long after we had lost the roar of the Falls, it suddenly came to us again, (juite distinctly and unmistakably, probably owing to some shift of wind. This valley is the only spot wc saw on the lake that seemed at all to invite cultivation ; indeed, if we except the posts, almost the only place where cultivation seemed possible. The better quality of the soil was abundantly manifest in the size of the forest trees. The crumbling banks of loam and sand furnished abodes to large numbers of sand-martins and kingfishers. We were seven hours in reaching the Fort, and found our companions had left two hours before. !' it 11 CHAPTER III. FORT WILLIAM BACK TO THE S A U L T . Jiilij 2r>th. — "Wc proposed to visit the copper-mine at Prince'^ Location, on the shore of the lake about twenty miles to the west- ward, and thence to cross to Isle Rojale. In order to travel more rapidly we sent the bateau back to Point Porphyry to await our return, and proceeded Avith the two canoes only. Starting at about ten o'clock, we found the wind strong ahead and encamped early in a bay about fourteen miles from the Fort. On the way we passed Pie Island, a large mountainous island, so called from an isolated peak on the west, which bears a strong resemblance, not at all to a pie, but to a French pate, or pasty, with high sides ; and this is its true name. A porcupine was killed on the beach as Ave landed, and proved very good meat. In the evening the Professor made the following remarks on the distribution of animals and plants : " There Is no animal, and no plant, which in its natural state is found in every ptu't of the world, but each has assigned to it a situation correspond- ing with its orgtuii/:itioii and character. Tlio cod, the trout, and the stur- geon are found only in the north, and have no antarctic representatives. The cactus is found only in America, and almost exclusively in the tropical parts. Humboldt, to whom the earliest investigations on this subject are due, extends the principle not only to the di.^'tribution of plants accordino; to latitude, hut also accord! i!.r to vertical elevation above the surface of the earth in tli(> .«ame latitudes. Thus an elevation of fourteen thousand feet under the tropics corresponds to 5']° north latitude in America, and ;h moun- tain, we have, as it were, a vertical section of the strata of vegetation which 7 1 i 11 ^ 'l: |< • I ' '' ii i i 'U, "I .. f 90 LAKE SUPERIOR. ' crop out ' or successively appear as wo advance towards the north over a wide extent of country. " But in dwelling on the resemblances between the plants of high latitudes and those of high mountains, we must not lose sight of their not less con- stant differences. In the northern regions in general, we find the number of species comparatively small. Thus in the region through which we have pa.ssed, and which has already a northern character, we find vegetation chanicterized by great vigor ; the whole country covered with trees and shrubs, and lichens and mosses in great profu.sion, but the si»ecies few, and the projwrtion of handsome flowering shrubs small. In the Alps, on the other hand, vegetation is characterized by great beauty and variety, and the number of brilliantly flowering plants, of Gentianacea^ Primulacea) and Compositic, is very great. The plants, however, are dwarfish, and vege- tation comparatively scanty ; the lichens and mosses much less abundant. There is, then, not an identity, but an analogy only, and an imperfect though very interesting one, between Alpine and Arctic vegetation." Jiifi/ 2C)th. — We pursued our way this morning under the shadow of magnificent walls of basaltic rock, with Pie Island rising in the distance outside of us like a Gibraltar. Wo reached the Location early in the forenoon, and were most kindly received by iSIr. Robin- son, tlie agent of the Montreal Mining Co., who have begun opera- tions here. A higli rocky promontory, running S.W., (parallel to Thunder Ca})e and the other high ridges hereabouts,) is here cut across by a sort of fault or interval, leaving a strip of land rising gently from the lake on either side, to a ridge in the middle, backed on the north-east by cliifs seven hundred feet in height. The slope from the little carved beach where we landed was shaded by scattered trees left from the forest. Under these the workmen were busy in putting up cabins for a number of miners who had just come up with Mr. Robinson, and who, for the present, were living in tents on the beach. Back of these, was a row of cabins, and the little one-story house of the agent. Mr. R. showed us a large num- ber of minerals collected hereabouts, and kindly offered us whatever of them we chose to take. Among them were very brilliant speci- mens of calc-spar associated with cobalt, manganese, and blue and green sulphurets of copper. NARRATIVE. 91 Aftcnvards ho carricil us by a path running back of the house past the opening of the shaft, through a clearing planted with pota- toes, and a young orchard of cherry, apple and pear trees, down to the cove on the other side of the point, whence we sailed across the strait to Spar Island. Tliis island receives its name from a vein of calc-spar, some twenty feet wide, quite pure and white, except where brilliantly colored by metallic salts, running across the island and down into the lake on the other side, visible with a phosphorescent light for a considerable distance under water. This is the locality of most of the specimens we had seen at the office ; splendid masses of white translucent si)ar, tinged with briUiant blue and green by the associated minerals. We noticed drift-scratches on the outer side of the island, having a direc- tion nearly E. and \V. The day was showery, with driving thundery clouds and mist, through which we got a fine view of Pie Island, dim and nuijostic in tlic distance. We were driven for shelter into an unfinished build- ing of sijuarcd logs, which the company are erecting with a view to continuing the mimng operations which have of late been suspended on the island. Such a building (about forty feet square and of two stories,) they say can be put up in four or five days. On our way back the weather improved, and we had a good view westward of hills over hills towards Pigeon River, the boundary between the United States and Canada, distant about twenty miles. When wo got back towards evening, we found the miners anmsing themselves after their day's work, by jjitching, or " putting" stones, and I was surprised to find the puny Canadians had rather the advan- tage of the burly Cornish men. Mr. Robinson invited us to supper, and I believe none of us experienced any of the difficulty of the traveller, who, after a trip over the prairies, found himself, on his return to civilized life, constantly tempted to draw his feet up into his chair. In our case the benches were felt to be a decided improve- ment. After supper Mr. R. carried us into a shaft they are sinking at the foot of the cliff. Here we got fine specimens of Iceland spar. No ore had as yet been sent to market from this mine, but the prospects seemed favorable, and the whole establishment had a thriving look. WH I- ■l !^ i! 92 LAKE SUPERIOR. Juhj Tith. — Wc had intcmlcd to cross to Tslc Royale, wliicli lay like a Idne cloud alon;^ the horizon, twelve or fourteen miles off, and vanisliin;^ into the distance eastward. Having got outside of the chain of ishinds, however, we found the wind so strong as to render the traverse dangerous, and ^yC accordingly landed on one of the Victoria Islands, west of Spar Island, to wait for some change of weather. The heach where wc landed was a mere niche cut into the side of the clitf, which rose steeply on all sides, thickly wooded. The ground everywhere covered with moss. Among the trees on the bank was the skeleton of a lodge, and a birch canoe apparently in good condition. Some playthings of the Indian children were lying about, jvinong others a little boat scooped out of a chip of wood, Avith mast and bowsprit, precisely such as the boys make with us, and not at all resembling the Indian canoes. The fre<[uency of these traces of Indian encampments, with the small number of Indians living on this ]iart of the lake, shows their restless, Avandering disposition. While we were detained here, the Professor made some remarks aliout the theory of the formation of mineral veins by infiltration. This theory he considered nntenable, since there is an evident con- nectii>n between this plienomenon and some action of the walls of the fissures in Avhich veins arc found : li I tl " Tlius at the vein we exatnined tliis morning at Prince's Location, we found oaeli Avail of the fissures covered with ([uartz crystals wlinso axes AVi'TO per[)(Mi(licular to the walls : those insioc avci'o crystals of oalc-spar dis- posed in the same way. An eloctro-magnetic acitinn, (which has been pro- posed by some geoli)gists,) Avonld fully account for this arrangement. If we snitposo an electro-magnetic current passing through tlic fissure, tliis may have brought together similar particles scattered through the rock, and dis- posed tliem in the manner we see. In order to settle this point, however, it would be necessary to ascertain Avhotlier tliere is any constant relation in the arnuigeiiient of substances found in A'eins of different localilii's : — whether tlio minerals always follow each other in the same succession If this be the case, it Avill give great probability to the supposition of an electro- magnetic current, ove/ that of any merely mechanical agency like infiltration. Such ail examination might probalily also distinguish the cases Avhere veins are formed by sublimation or dejiosition from vapors or gases from IjcIow. NARRATIVE. 98 Where tlio vein is composed of inliiorals not fouml in the surrounding rock, the prolciliility wouhl bo in favor of suhliniatlon : where the minerals nccur, though in small quantities, in tiie ruck, there the effect may liavo been pro- duced by electro-magnetism. There has been as yet no suflicient investiga- tion of this point. " It may be remarked here that even where the vein is composed of hydrates, in whose composition water occurs, it is not necessary to suppose them deposited by infiltration, since it has been proved that hydrates may be formed by sublimation." Wc remained here until half past three o'clock P.M., wlicn, the weather continuing unfavorable, and even threatening a storm, we decided to give up our visit to Isle lloyale, and to turn our faces homewards. The distance of this, our westernmost point, from the Sault, was about four hundred and forty miles by the way Ave came ; as we returned, rather more. The wind was fresh from the southward, and when we got outside of the islands there was so much sea that the other canoe, although within a short distance of us, often disappeared, sail and all. It was rather a long swell for the lake, however, and we did not experience any difficulty from it, as we were nearly before the wind. We en- camped on an island to the southward of the Pate, in a deep bay with steep sides, overshadowed by trees of unusual size. Jidij 2Sth. — Started before sunrise. Weather calm and pleasant. We passed under the south-east side of Pie Island, a vertical cliff several hundred feet in height, presenting much the same apjiearance as Thunder Cape, viz : basaltic columns, across which may be traced the marks of an horizontal stratification. These columns in some places have fallen out, leaving hollows, like flues, in the side of the eUff. In other places single columns stand out alone, like chimneys ; hi others, again, huge flat tables of rock have scaled off from the face of the wall, and stand parallel and a little separated from it. The metamorphosed strata in one place were unconformable, exhibit- ing a sudden fault. In the course of the forenoon several trout were caught, and the diversity of color led to some discussion. The men said there were three varieties, all of the same species : 1 . the trout of the open l-%% m 94 LAKE SUPERIOR. lake, (fruite da larrfc,") of a gray silvery color, with inconspicnous spots and a white belly ; 2. Those of the rocky ground, (tridte das IxUtiires,') more yellowish, with large distinct spots ; 3. Those of the sandy bottom, which arc simply mottled. All the trout family spawn late ; the lake trout in October, on the sandy beaches, when they are taken in abundance in nets, and with ground-lines iiaving forty or fifty hooks. The white-fish are everywhere scarce in August, (we could not learn why,) so that the Professor found some difficulty in getting specimens on our return. In October they spawn, on pebbly ground, and are then taken in great numbers. They arc always seined ; we did not hear of their ever taking the hook, though I have seen one take a fly from the surface. The lake herring spawns on similar ground, but in November ; the siskawet in the latter part of Au- gust. Suckers, cat-fish and sturgeon in the spring ; the sturgeon in swift streams ; the sucker at the mouths of the rivers ; the cat-fish on muddy flats ; the ( ory {Liicioperca,') in bays. We stopped at a little rock around which a great number of gulls (^Lariis arffcntatiis,') were circling, and found there a few young ones and an addled egg. The young birds were about half grown, covered Avith grayish down, with irregular darker spots. None of them could fly, but they swam very well ; indeed, as it seemed to me, better than the old birds. They were crouched in crevices of the rock, and we saw no appearance of nests. The egg was coffee-col- ored, with brown spots. A fresh and fair breeze to-day, almost for the first time. We passed this morning several canoes of Indians, running before the wind Avith sails of birch bark. About noon, in threading a narrow passage among the islands we saw a smoke on shore, and directly afterwards the bateau, moored at the wharf of a deserted mining establishment, the buildings of which were still standing. We kept on with the same fair wind until sunset, Avhen we en- camped on one of an extensive group of islands. As we glided rapidly into the little cove where we were to encamp, the water shoaled so suddenly, that looking down over the side of the canoe we seemed to be rashing against the side of a mountain. These coves shoal rapidly and have the bottom covered with huge rounded bowl- NARRATIVE. 95 dcrs, like a gigantic pavcmcTit, whilst there are rarely largo detached rocks on the beaches, doubtless owing to the violence of the waves, clearing out the smaller stones from the bottom, and heaping thera up on the beach, and at the same time rounding the rocks below. Wo made about fifty miles to-day. Julij 'l\Hh. — We started at suiu-isc, the weather clear and aut\xninal ; the wind northerly. Breakfasted on a barren island ter- raced with ancient beaches, strewn with drif^wood, all of it showing strong action of the waves. Some logs of a foot or more in diame- ter had been thrown to tLo distance of fully a hundi'od and fifty yards from the water's edge, and thirty or forty feet ab(5vc its level. Soon afterwards we entered a straight, narrow, river-like channel, gome twelve or fifteen miles long, leading inside of Fluor Island and St. Ignacc, whose dark wooded sides made a purple background to the vista. The banks were covered with birch, presenting an unbro- ken fringe of green ; not a glimpse of the rock, and hardly, at inter- vals, the white line of sand at the edge of the water. After passing through this channel we came out into Ncopigon Bay, and had to keep round to the loft to a deserted mining station at Cape Gourgan, before we could get a good camping ground. There we found a clearing and a convenient landing place. One of our companions two years before, in the month of (October, had seen a large party of miners set ashore here from the propeller, to open the works. The marks of their labors, Avith the approaching Avinter before them, were everywhere visible. Wood had been cut and piled up ; several log-cabins built and the cracks stuffed with moss and mud ; and the paths through the woods showed where they went for fuel or to hunt. The ground was strewed with fur and bones of hares, and several lynx skulls were picked up by the men. Hunting must have formed the principal occupation of their days, since their mining operations had not been carried further then a few shallow pits, which doubtless soon convinced them of the fruitlessncss of their errand. It rained hard in the night, and we were somewhat incommoded by the leaking of our tent. July oOth. — The rain continuing this morning, we did not think it worth while to start. The Professor took advantage of the opportu- iSi '!! i 06 LAKE SUPERIOR. iiity to make tho following remarks on the causes that influence the outlhies of continents : " The outlines t)f (jontlnonts arc not to ho considered as fixed, imniovahlo limits, but are variahlo, and dependent u|»(iii the degree of elevation ahove the level of the sea. I'or instanee, were we to depres^s certain parts of South Aineriea or of the Uniteil States, oven for a few feet, their outlines would ho entirely c-hangod, and immense tracts suhnierged ; and vice versa, a slight elevation would produce corresponding changes. " The west of Asia, comprising Palestine and the country nhout Ararat and tho Caspian Sea, &e., is below the level of the ocean, and a rent in the mountain chains by which it is surrounded, would transform it into u vast gulf " Continents are in fact only a patch-work formed by the emergence and subsidence of land. These processes are still going on in various parts of the globe. Where the shores of the continent are abrupt and high, the eftl'ct produced may bo slight ; as in Norway and Sweden, where a gradual elevation is now going on without much alteration of their outlines. But if the continent of North America were to be deprosseil a thousand feet, nothing would remain of it except a few islands ; and any elevation would add vast tracts to its shores. " Elie de Beaumont, who has occupied himself much with tracing the changes wnmght in continents by geological phenomena, has shown that chains of mountains elevated at the same time agree in direction. Thus the mountains of Scandinavia, the Ural chain and tho Alps, &c. Before the elevation of the Alps, Europe was not divided into two great climatic re- gions. In this country the north and south direction of the mountains has a oreat influence. Animals migrate more extensively, and the cold winds, penetrating further south, influence the temperature. " It would be very interesting to ascertain in detail the dependence of the forms of continents on geological phenomena. I have been struck with the possibility of this in running along the shore of this lake. The general shape of Lake Superior is that of a crescent. But it would be a great mis- take to suppose it bounded by curved lines. Its shores are combinations of successive sets of straight parallel lines, determined in each instance by a peculiar system of trap-dykes. Th( o dykes have five general directions, and the outlines of the shores are determined by their combinations One of these directions is east, 30° north. This we find in the islands oflf Prince's Location, in Isle Royale, &c., and then again in Point Kecwenaw and White- Fish Point. This is cut across by one east, 2U° north : these two we have NAUIIATIVK. 97 Hocn in soveral places to(:;('tlu!r. Aimtlior is north, n littlu oust. Another nearly K. to W. The last has u direction north and south, which we see in Nccjiigmi Hay, where arc the only inlets on the lake running north and south. Of these various sets of dykes each has its peculiar niincralogicul char:ii'tcr." In lookin;.; round al'tor the lecturt' for some more comfortaMc shel- ter tliiin the tent, we c.s|tie(l a sincjke risin;^ from the cliinniey of a cahin at sonic distance in the clcarinj^ on the hill. Goin^ thither we found one of the men very comfortably estahlished on a sort of heneh hofnro a firc-jtlaec of stones and nnid which occupied one of the corners. This was the only one of the houses that had a fire-place, and it was in all re3[)eets in much hetter condition than the rest, whether originally so, or from its remoteness having suffeivd less since its erection. Perhaps part of their company left the place when all hojjes of coj)))er vanished, and the rest then collected together in this building, leaving the other cabins to fall to pieces. However this may be, the signs of ha1)itation were still fresh here, and likewise unmistakable traces of the severity of the climate. Not only Avcrc the interstices between the logs carefully stuffed with moss and mud, but even the chinks between the two rooms into which the little hut (not over twenty feet by ten iti the whole,) was divided, were filled throughout with hares' fur, large (piantlties of which were also piled up in a loft above and on a rude bedstead in the further room ; a little circumstance which told not only of cold, but also of the listlcssncss and ennui of the poor devils shut up here, who could find time to pull to pieces skins enough to make such a quantity of loose fur. This was shown also by the caricatures scrawled all over the walls wherever the Avood would show a mark, and an attempt apparently to make out an alphabet, some characters of which were entirely anomalous, and if inscribed on one of the rocks, might make work for some future antii^uary. Each of the rooms had a fire-place occupying the corner, one still in good order, the other fallen to pieces from the softening of the mud cement. It was sad to think of the long days and nights they must have spent here, blocked up by the snow and crowding round the fire places from the keen air rushing in at the chinks of door and window. Yet they were not I : ' I » 08 LAKE SUPERIOR. [• I f i \ i destitute of provisions, as tl;e rcmftins of liarcs, and of sundry bean- barrels marked "Montreal Minin;^ Comi>any," tostifu'd ; — they no doubt bad eards, and perhaps, if they were Canadians, led pretty much the sort of life they liked best. The ipiestion of copper or no copper nii;^ht bo indifferent to them, if they we;-o mere day- la))orers, and for the rest, jk rhaps our commiseration was {groundless. One of the men having broken the stem of his clay pi[)e to-day, re- paired it as follows ; havin;^ cut a chip from a spruce lo;^, he whittled it round, and cut a notch about the middle, leaving the ends connected by a thin spindle of wood. Then after burying it for some time in the hot ashes under one of the fires, he withdrew it, and twisting it in his hands one side came loose, and ho drew it off, leaving a tube sev- eral inches in length, into which ho inserted the stump of his pipe- stem. I afterwards saw this repeated, and both times, I may remark, the division of the wood had nothing to do with the annual rings, for the piece was taken near the outside of the log. Towards sunset it seemed to clear off, and some of the party paid a visit to a deserted shaft, a mile or two distant, whore they found small (piantities of copper associated with chlorite, which from its greenish color had probably been mistaken for oro. In returning they got a ducking from a sudden shower. Jiilj/ .'U«<. — We got off at five o'clock, the weather unsettled, and the wind high from N.N.W. We were in hopes to got round the point of St. Ignace, and then keep away before the wind. The pros- pect to windward was grand and striking. We were enclosed in an inner sea, a lake within the Lake : St. Ignace behind us, and on each side ridges of granite a thousand foot high. A sea of hills, rishig from the rocky islands a few miles off, one over the other to the mountain chain far behind in the bottom of the bay. It was in fact an epitome of all the most remarkable scenery of the lake. The wind however increased so mu^'h that we judged it prudent to return. Accordingly we hoisted sail, and the canoe, right before the wind, swaying gently from side to side, like a sea-bird changing wings, made a comparative calm by its rapid flight ; occasionally we struck a wave as it drew back, and then some care was required to keep from running bows under. We encamped this time somewhat beyond the place we had left, NAHRATIVK. ••0 Tiioro imdcr the loo of tlio pnint. It continued windy and rainy all day, the wind goin;^ down at sunset. Auif. \iit, — Started at four o'clock. TIazy, l>ut soon cleared off", with westerly wind. We stopped to hreakfast at a littU- shclten-d cove on St. T;^iace. The water hero was filled for many rods with the larva-cases of a Phry-^anea, in s'u-h numhcrs that it wis impossi- ble to dip a cup of water without hriii^iin;^ up several of tliciu. The ins(>cts themselves were Hyin;:; about in swarms. This was the only lime that wo met any considerable niunber of these insects, which abound about the nuiddy Hats of the lower lakes ; the clear cold water of Lake Superior, and the [lebbly bottom, are probably unfavorable to them. Wo continued coastin;^ ahm;^ St. I,i.niace, here a c;reat motive force is not the gravitation of the mass, but the pressure of the water infiltrated into it. Then supposing the country to have been sul)se([uently depressed, (as we see has been the case in Sweden and Norway, where marine shells have been found at the height of three or four hundre 1 feet above the level of the sea,) and afterwards raised again, these NARRATIVE. 105 varinus torracos would mark tlic successive paroxysms or periods of rci'-lcva- tion Such a depression would not cause an irruption of tlie sea, since tlio level of the lake is over six hundred feet higher than the sea-level, lint these phi'iiomena are excc(Mlingly complicated, and cannot bo sufliciently illustrated without further details. " The east and west direction of the scratches at Spar Island, contrary to the (general rule, T siipposc to have heon caused by tho depth of the chan- nel there, giving tho glacier on its retreat a direetion parallel to tho shore of the lake. We had there two very distinct systems of stri.o, one much more soutiierly in direction than tho other. Probably tho glacier when advancing from the north, having an enormous thickness, disregarded tho shape of the f round over which it passed, but on its retreat, that is, when it began to con- tract, having meanwhile melted away considerably and thus become lighter, its direction would bo more easily modified. Similar phenomena are ob- served in tho present glaciers in Switzerland. In a little loch near Ben N(!vis there is also a secondary system of scratches, at rUjld anyJes with the (Tonenil direction, which may bo traced even on tho bottom of tho loch." It is should iry that In the slope, lope of jut the |to have |en and lor four these "We learned from tlie surveyors that a brown bear, differing from the black and grizzly bears, is found in this region. It was said to *be about the size of the black bear, and is probably the l)arren-ground bear, ( Lhsm arctos aiiiericanns,') of Richardson, though he says this species is not found so far south. On coming out of the tent we observed that standing by one of the fires, so as to bring it between us and the rapids, tho roar of the water was suddenly shut off, as if by a door, the sound being inter- ru}itod no doubt by the ascending column of heated air. The weather looked threatening this evening, and in tlie night we had a violent shower accompanied by thunder and lightning. In the miilst of one of the gusts we were awakened by several small rivu- lets playing down uj)on us from folds in the tent, which, on account of the sandy soil, was not properly stretched. Indeed, wltliout some better contrivance than mere loops for the tent-pins, a tent like that we had cannot be stretched so as to bo Avater-])roof in a vio- lent shower. One of the tents, brought by Mr. INlarcou, of the kind used by the French officers in Algiers, was entirely water-proof, and in every way more convenient than ours. It was Sfjuare, with nearly perpendicular sides, and stretched near the top by cross-pieces at 8 . > .1) If I il ''^, 100 LAKE SUPERIOR. right angles with each other, while the pole ran up in a point in the middle. The only help was to cover ourselves as far as possihlo with our water-proof cloaks, &c. But these in the pitchy darkness were not so easily found. Wo then attempted to light a candle, but the matches were damp, and with all our precautions could not be coaxed (juito to the igniting point. Finally by the intervention of a flint-and-steel, (let not the traveller be seduced into placing hia reliance in any new-fangled substitute for this trusty companion,) we managed to get a light and find our things, and therewith made ourselves tolerably comfortable. Aii 1 1; 'Ill near dry prefci foiUK {Jain wIrt only from Villli tlie clian a vor idts \N In about dent outsiL made cover be tei breed small not a hair, i repre; Au on his had b Uead a stro which lis de embai Mr from NARRATIVE. 107 nearly fle(l;^cil. It is remarkable that this bird whioli with us aflocta dry situations, about tli»; lake scorns, as far as our exporicrK-'o went, to prefer swauips ; the si)r\u'e-partriional eddies in llie tree-Lo|i3 from all jioints of the compass. A contrast sueli as the lake seems to love, as if it sought to break uj) the uniformity of its general features as much jis possible by brisk and iibru]it eluinges in the minor ones. Thus uUh()u;^h the weather throuiihout our joiiiuey might be called settled, yet we very rarely liail a steaily wh.d, either as to direction or strength, and in the lujttest day the >\vm\c of a rock, or a ehnid passing over the sun was enough to make it cool. The range of clothing thus necessitated within the Lwenty- four hours was extraordinary. Our little jioint was as silent as a piece of the primeval earth ; not a living thing stirring except a few mus(|uitoes, auil an iuij udent moose-bird that perched down, with a jerk of the tail and a knowing turn of the head, among our very camp-kettles. A heavy iMiIluess seemed to hang over it and weigli down everv sound, so that a few paces from the tents one forgot that he was nut alone. It. w:is ;;s if no noise lunl been heard here since the woods grew, and all ^iaturc seemed sunk in a dead, dreamless sleep. r 1 » m f\\ 110 LAKE SUPERIOR. 7i i Yot it was clear wc wore not tl.e first visitants, for the firc-wcod had sprang ui) here, and close at hand wc found lodgc-pijles, and the roinaiiis of fires. Here also was an Indian su'eatitiij-honse ; a skeleton dome of sticks, about four feet high and two in diameter. The ])aticnt sijuats inside, and by his side arc placed some hot stones, on which are thrown various lierbs, by way of " medicine." Then tiie whole h covered in with blankets and jjieces of bark, and he is left to sinnncr for the rei|uisite period. l^ack of this a path led a short distance through the woods to the mouth of a sluggisli ?trciini some five or six yards wide that joined the bay north of our camp, which was thus cut off on three sides by it and the lake, and on the fourth by the mountain. Our boach, as I said, was heaped with drift-wood, most of it arbor- vita;, recognizable by its twisted stem. This tree loves the water, and grows in situations where it is most cxjiosed to be Avashed off by tlie winter storms. Some of the logs were of largo size, a foot or r.iore in ditimeter, completely stripjicd of branches and bark, and in general of their roots, and exhil)itbies half imbedded, but no sand or small stones. Vari- ous waier-jjlauis, namely, tAvo species of Potamogeton, and an Echi- nodorus, Avith pretty Avhite floAvers, were growing abundantly here. NARRATIVE. Ill The wind and waves still high outside. Several times the men went to explore, but returned, reporting it still too rough to venture out. Aug. ^ih. — This morning we heard distant reports of guns, and the men thought it might be our friends of the bateau over in the next bay. As our provisions were getting very low (the bulk of the stores being as usual in the bateau,) they resolved to cross the ridge and fetch a supplj'. They reached the cove after a laborious climb, but found no traces of them, and so kept on to the Pic, Avhere they found them reestablished in their old quarters. We now reconnoitred again, but with the same results as before. Towards evening, however, the men seemed to have made up their minds that we should get oflF to-morrow. Certainly " la vielle" the old woman, as they called her, (a personage corresponding to our " clerk of the weather,") had given us a long enough bout of it, and it w?.s time to expect a lull. Accordingly, they made all their pre- parations, and being desirous no doubt to appropriate to thomselvos the largest possible share of the good things of the wilderness, piled such a huge quantity of wood upon the fire that we were driven back yard by yard to the distance of some rods. AiKj. dth. — Calm, with a slight fog, and soon cleared np very warm. This afternoon, for the first time on the lake, the wind was strong from the south. We encamped in a cove under a hook pro- jecting from the southward. The beach of largo stones covered with lichens, whence the name of Camp^nnont du Pays do Mousse, which the cove bears. It is terraced up to a dividing ridge, and thence down in like manner to the lake on the other side. We had been struck for some distance back, and particularly to- day, with a falling off in the lux'iriance of the vegetation, as com- pared with the country further north. Tliis may be owing to the greater exposure to the northerly winds ; the more northern shore being protected on that side by a lofty and continuous barrier. In a very sheltered cove where we landed to lunc^ the trees were of con- siderable size. One larch measured seven feet two niches in girth, three feet from the ground, and we judged its height to be at least sixty feet. am 112 LAKE SLTERIOR. ;i ' Aiifj. lO/Zf. — Calin this morning, Avith a swell on the lake; an unusual oceurrcnoo, owin^ to th.o southerly wind of ycstenlay. "Wo passed at a slun-t distance the river Uideau, which falls in a succes- sion of cascades (said to have ninety feet descent in all) directly into the lake. The fin;il fall, of about thirty or forty feet, is divided in the middle l)y a large rock, part of the wall of the cove into which it falls. This river, the only one we saw where the never-failing falls descend directly into the lake, was also the only one that had no sand-beach at its mouth. All the others were indicated from a dis- tance by an expanse of white sand. (Shortly after, the wind s[)nuig up frcsli from the south-west, of ■which we took advantage with our tarpaulin sails. It is a mistaken notion that a canoe will not sail on a wind. Ours sailed very m'cII, with the wind somewhat forward of the beam. Only the sails are not braced up much, but just enough to keep full ; since otherwise, having no keel, the canoe would make too much leeway. Oj)positc Otter Island Ave counted ton parallel trap-dykes, running noi'th, twenty-five degrees west. Here are several terraces, passing by regular gradations into the present beach. At the liiv. u I'Ois- cau A\n't are veins of cjiidotic trap. The bateau hove hi sight out- side of us this morning, with both sails set. In the afternoon we came \\\)0\\ the bateaux from Jlichipicotin, moored under the lee of some rocks. They had been several days on the way already, being ke})t back by the wind, and thus it was that our stores had not arrived at the Pie. These were now handed over to us, consisting of pork and excellent ship-biscuit. The men in the boats were mostly hall-breeds, with their families. Several of the women were very jiretty ; their complexion, indeed, a faded or bleached oUve, as if they had never seen daylight, but with a sjiot of color in the clu'ck. We [lassed IMichijicotin Island, having neither time nor favorable weather for visiting it, and enc:ini[)ed on a beach of coarse dark sand, where wc observed the white flowering rasj)berry for the first time on our return. Atiij. 11///. — A' lialf past five this morning when we got under weigh, it was dead calm and soniewliat foggy. TIio fog soon lii'tcd, and the sun shone out warm. The surface of luo lake continued ,';icli ndcr i'ccil, uucd NARRATIVE. 113 unrufnod, rcflcctini[f, unbroken and scarcely dimmed in color, tho full form of every rock and tree, llunning along at a moderate dis- tance from the shore in this calm weather, we were often struck by an api)a':at convexity of the surface, as if the Avater were higher between us and the rocks. It even seemed to hide the line where land and water met. Suddeidy tho v.ater was spattered by the rising of a shoal of lakc- licrring, and our men were immediately full of excitement, and miist needs get the fish-spear from the bntenu to have a stroke at them. By that; time, however, the shoal had sunk again, and the men watched in silence and Avithout dipping an oar, for them to rise. Jjoc^king down over the side of the canoe, Ave could trace the v;iSt, simple lines of the rock, until lost in the green mist. FiVerythiug bel'i\v the surface seemed to shine with a diffused phosphorescent light, like a green unclouded sky. All at once the slioal came in sight, under the boat, pressing steadily on with a broad front, a soli- tary Avhite-fish rather in advance of the rest. Each kept his I'elativo position to the rest, like a flock of waterfowl, and they glided easily onward Avithout any ajiiiarenl exertion except a tremulous motion of the tail. Yet they soon vanished ahead, aiid not long aft(;r a great trout came sullenly folloAving in their Avake, like a pirate hovering about a convoy of merchantmen. Seme Indians came off to sell us fish, and our men in their gossip discovered they had in tlieir lodge a couple of young foxes, Avhich the Professor thereupon demanded to see, and bought. The poor little fellows Averc about half grown, and seemed to suffer from the heat. Tjio first thing they did Avhen Ave took them aboard, Avas to seek out the shadiest corner. They apjjcared to be perfectly tame, or at least inoffensive. We caught several trout ourselves in the course of tho forenoon. I Avas struck Avith the life-like appearance of the bait, (a trouL's stomach draAvn over the hook, and tied to the line above,) visilile at a great depth. Out of Avater it has rather a shapeless apjiearancc, but jerked along at a sullicient aepth it has precisely the look of a small fish that has been Avounded, so as swim Avith dillieulty and someAvliat sidcAvays. lu tho afternoon a favorcblc breeze sprung up. Our men were T. ■•-it ' m h 114 LAKE SUPERIOR. profuse in tlioir thanks and compliments to the " old lady," and m addition to the tarpaulin, must needs rig a spritsail, which they made of a blanket extended between an oar and the fish-spear. We reached Michipicotin at about five P. M. One of our first questions was as to the flics. Mr. Swanston said they were " all gone," which we found, comparatively speaking, true, but at the old camiiing-ground there were a few left to remind us of our former sufte rings. We held a council this evening as to the advisability of making an excursion to INIichipicotin Falls, six miles up the river. The majority were decidedly in favor of pushing on, and the Professor did not like to leave them. So it was settled that two of us who wished to go, should remain behind with the small canoe, and endeavor to overtake the rest by forced marches. On opening this evening a tin case in which bird-skins were packed, I found the inside covered with drops of water, and some of the skins so wet that I had much difficulty in drying thorn. As the case was surrounded by an India-rubber covering, and the whole put into a wooden box, which Avas perfectly dry, the moisture could have come only from the condeniation occasioned by the great and sudden changes of temperature. Metal, therefore, is to be avoided licrc, if dryness is recjiiisite. The dogs disturbed us somewhat in the night by their antics with a frving-pan and a tea-kettle, Avhich Henry had unfortunately omitted to place out of reach. A troop of mongrel curs seems to be a gene- ral characteristic of an Indian village, though they neither make use of them nor scorn to take any care of them,* and one does not see why they should keep them, unless it be for an occasional dog-feast, an observance which, to judge by the lean condition of the dogs, is rather gone out of fi\s!:ion. Ai(i/. 12(It. — Warm and cloudy. While our friends were making ready for departure, we sot off for the falls, with an Indian lad for guide, paddled a few hundred yards up the river, and having pulled the canoe up on the scanty beach on the opposite side, climbed up • One Indian, however, who readily sold hi.- doc; for a trifle, revoked the barfrain when he understood that the skeleton only was wanted. Whether this was from any feeling for the dog, or only from some superstition, *vc could not learn. NARRATIVE. 115 the steep stindy bank, twenty or thirty feet hijj^h, and found oiirselves upon a wide plain, bounded by the river on the right, and some steep rocks in tiie distance, on the left. The surface was level and barren, not a tree in si;:5ht, but only a uniform expanse of withered herbaii,e, bcarberry, lichens and great quantities of blueberries and huckleberries, now ripe, much to our sat- isfaction, for we had not tasted fruit of any sort for so long that even these humble kinds had a flavor unknown before. There Avere two sorts ; the most abundant was of a light lead color ; the other larger and of a dull blackish. We did not stop to gather them however, but puUjd them by handfuls as we ran along the trail, to the an- noyance of our little Indian, who had evidently calculated upon a deliberate feast. The path was worn through the crust of superficial vegetation and the thin seam of mould that supported it, a foot deep into the sand below, and so narrow that we had to walk Indian fasliion with toes turned in, and I had some trouble to avoid grazing my ankles with my shoc-solcs. My companion wore moccasins, a much more comfortable gear for this ground. The weather was very warm, and the flics exceedingly trouble- some, rising in swarms from the 1)luebcrry bushes when we touched them. Whether from a presentiment of tlieir coming end, or from some otlier cause, they were not flying abroad to-day, but collected on tlio ground. Once roused, however, they showed no backward- ness in making an attack. Having for the first time open ground enongli to observe their man(X;uvrings, we tried to outrun them, and easily left them behind, but in a short time the swarm, like a pack of wolves, and guided to all appearance in like manner by Sdcnt, came ranging up in a body and fell on afresh. Continuing on for about a mile we came to a sudden depression in the plain. Wo stood on the edge of a steep bluff" some f>rty feet high. Eelow, the broad level valley stretched off" apparently to the river on the right, and on tlie loft to some rocky hills several niiles distant. It seemed perieedy level and sandy, and in all respects like the plateau on Avhich wo stood, except that it was still more barren and showed patches of bare sand. On the opposite side the bluff rose again as abruptly to about the level at which we °tood. "■ I '§: ^ :f ' m m - IIG LAKE SUPERIOR. M ,■1 ■ I It had all the appearance of a siulden and even depression across a pri'vioiisly uubruken phiiii. ^ly companion thought it a former bed of the river, and tliat lie could see an opening hi the hills to the loft (Avhich direction wo ' new the nver took above) through which it might have flowed. T could see notlnng of this, nor did the valley seem to me to present the appearance of a river-ljcd, for it was ])crfectl_y level, free from stones, and nowhere less than half a mile wide, varying from this to perhaps th^'cc fourths of a mile, at least six times the present width of the river. In our haste nothing very satisftictory could be made out, but my general impression was that it was the bed of a former arm of the lake. Crossing the valley and ascending the bluff, by an equally steep path on tlie other side, we came before long to scattered spruce trees, and at the distance of about three miles from the factory, to the river again. Here we were made aware that what had seemed to us a horizontal plain, was in truth a gradually ascending level, for we now stood sixty or seventy feet above the stream. A little brook scarcely deep enough to swim a trout came into the river here at the same level, having sawed through the sand to its very base, leav- ing on each side a steep slope of pure sand, excessively fatiguing to ascend. ^Ve were now surrounded by a tolerable growth of s})ruce and birch, occasionally forming thickets. The aspect of the coun- try was not unlike that of the White Mountains at the elevation at which the forest begins to disappear, only more abounding in lichens and small shrubs. There was no opportunity in the course of our hasty walk to ob- serve the stratification of the sand. We saw no freshly broken sur- faces, and in the paths the materials were of course disi)laccd. In general terms, however, I may say that it was a coarse, reddish sand, mixed with gravel and with a few stones, which were somewhat rounded bat not scratched as far as I observed. The general ap- pearance was much the same as that of the bluff at the factory, which is very distinctly stratified. Afterwards we came out into an open space whence we had a very extensive view over woods and barren ground, with occasional gliiniises of the river far below, and on the cage of the horizon -Ti peep of the lake. NARRATIVE. 117 Ahont tlirce quarters of a mile from the falls wo struck the portage path, running through deep moist woods. Across it wore laiil logs, at short distances apart, so that it was like walking on a railroad where the sleepers have not been filled in. An explanation soon presented itself, in a smooth, narrow trench in the middle of the path, such as would be made bv the keel of a vessel, ami on each side the traces of a heavy body dragged over the ground; we conjectured that it was an arrangement for facilitating the trans- port of the heavy bateaux that come down from Hudson's Hay. When wc reached the head of the portage we founi mo from (m tlio other sido — a fox ! TIk' H'llitw was of the variety called "Cross Kox," loan and hun;:ry- lookiiiL;. ][{} trotted leisurely on, as one sees a do.u; trottinj^ aloiii; a pathway, — occasionally pausing to sniiT at a dead craw-fish. I did not attempt to hide myself, hut stood perfectly still. Ho camo care- lessly on, and clcred the tree with the lightest and ^^racefullest of leajjs, hut his I)laek paws hardly touched the sand hetore ho had whisked like li;;htnin_i^ from his course, and disappeared in the wood. As the island is not a mile hujX Jmd only a few hundred yards across, it was a matter of wonderment how he j;ot here, or what he could find here to live upon. The men said he had most likely come across on the ice from the main land (a distance of ahout four miles) in the winter, and had not dared to swim hack a;:^ain. We found marks of di,i;i^in^ in various parLs of the island, and conjectured he had heen reduced to a partly vegetahle diet. If he could have trotted undisturhed a few rods further, he would have found wliat I picked up in his stead, the dead hody of a little warhler that had evidently been beaten down and drowned in the storm the day before, and lay on its back on the sand at the water's edge, the wings a little open, rpiitc fresh, and the plumage hardly ruflled. At dusk, two figures appeared on the beach of an island ahout half a mile oft". Our men said they were " Francais," that is, not Indians,* hut more could not he made out. They proved afterwards to have been some of our friends of the bateau, but they had encamped on tlie opposite side of the island, and did not see us. It rained at intervals, and blew very hard in the night, the wind shift- mg from north-west to north-east. We had fears for our tent, but for- tified ourselves by felling a few trees to windward. Anc/. loth. — At five o'clock this morning it still blew hard, and altliough the wind was more oft" shore, and the waves accordingly not so high, yet the rollers were plunging along the beach with a vio- lence that rendered embarkation somewhat hazardous. But Ave wore all anxious to be off. To-day was the day fixed for reaching the * These half-breed voyageurs are true creatures of tradition, and still divide the human race into but two classes, "Fraiicnis " and " Sauva(/es." Before I understood this, one morning wc found on a beach where we landed, tracks of men who, they said, were " Franvais." When I asked tliem how they knew this, thoy pointed to the marks of boot-heels in the sand. NARRATIVE. 121 Saalt, atifl wo could reach it easily from here. Our men were aa cai^cr to he ;i;oiic as wo, for they hud wm-kod loni^ cnon;:;!! at one joh to he <^lad of a chaii^^e. Then at this season it was as like as not to hlow for a week, and harder, and our provisions would not hold out many days. So the canoe was set afloat, and held head to sea hy a man on each side, standini^ up to his middle in the water. In this ])osition it was carefully loaded, and wo <5ot on board over the stern. Finally the men contrived to get in and push off without serious accident, thoufi;h not without sliipjiinj; a good deal of water. As the wind was directly off shore, matters improved as we proceeded, and before long we were under the lee of Gros-Cap. The thickets of white flowering-raspberry were now full of fruit ; the berries averaging about three (piarters of an inch in length, by two thirds in diameter, and rather firmer and more symmetrical than the common cultivated species. The taste is slightly acid, but agreeable. Probably they were not entirely ripe. There was also an abundance of the common wild raspberries. From Gros-Cap to the mouth of the river, the water was not more than three or four feet deep ; the bottom gravel. Farther out it is deeper, but the amount of water that leaves the lake is small, as is shown by the moderate rate of the current at the entrance of the river, notwithstanding the narrowness of the outlet. At the Pointe-aux-Pins, where the shores from being over two miles apart suddenly approach to within half a mile of each other, we did not perceive any acceleration of the current. The fact is the channel has only this width all the way down to the Sault ; the rest being very shallow. The banks are low, so that a very slight elevation of the surface of the lake would give an outlet of five or ten miles in width down to the Sault, and expanding below. Arriving at the head of the portage, wc found some of our friends awaiting us. Both the boats had gov, in just before us, and they had hastened to get on their civilized costume and run back to meet us. Singularly enough, the " Dancing Feather " had arrived that morning, about two hours before us ! So here we were all on the day appointed for meeting, although we had paddled four hundred miles, and they twice as far since we parted. n ' 'i 122 LAKE surKuroR. Wo liad arran;^o(l to shoot the Uaimls, instead of huidin^ ahovo. The men d'nl not seen to think it iniieh of an exploit, and made no chan^^o in the stu\va;^e of tlie canoe. The oars were taken in ; tho steersman and hownian furnished with pathUes instead. We ;]5lided quietly down, tho paddles just touehing occasiunall)', with a few rapid and vi^^orous strokes at certain points. Tho water is so little broken that wo seemed not to he raovinf; very fast, and it was startlini; on lookin;^ down over tho side to sec tho bowlders on tho bottom twitched by so ([uickly that it was impos- sible to SCO their forms. It was like lookin<^ down from a railway car upon the sleepers. Whether from bravado on the part of our men, or from the necessity of tho case, wo several times passed with- in a foot or less of rocks ajtparently just under tho surface. Wo were nut more than three or four minutes going down, thougli tho distance is nearly three (quarters of a mile. , I I I CIIAPTKU IV. FROM THE S A U L T II O M K W A U D . LaivK SurKiuoK \!i to ])c figured to tlio iniiid as a vast liasln widia hi;^li rooky rim, scoojtcd out of the platoaii oxtondiii.i^ IVdih the Allc- gliauics to the Mississippi valley, a little to the S(,utli of tlu; liei,tj;lit of laud. Its dimcMisions, accordiii;^; to Cupt. l)ayfi<-ld,aro throe hundred and sixty miles in len;^th, one hundred and forty in hreiidth, and liftcon hundred in circumference. The mountainous rim is almost unbri)ki'n ; its hei;^ht varies from t/ie !i\eraj;;o of ahout three or four hundred feet, to twelve or thirteen hundred ; the slopes arc gradual towards the north, and abrupt on the opposite side, so that on the north shore the clifts rise steeply from the water, Avhilst on the south it is said the ascent is more gentle ; the ahrujit faces being inland. This difference of formation, joined to the prevalence of northerly winds, has given very difterent aspects to the two shores ; the southern showing broad sand-beaches and remarkable hills of sand, whereas on the north shore the beaches are of large angular stones, and sand is hardly to bo seen except at the mouths of the rivers. The rivers of the southern shore are often silted up, and almost invarialily, it is Baid, barred across by sand-spits, so that they run sometimes for miles parallel to the lake, and sei)aratcd from it only by narrow stri})S of sand projecting from the west. The continuity of this rim occasions a great similarity among the little rivers on the north and cast shores, and no doubt elsewhere. They all come in with rapids and little falls near the lake, and more considerable ones farther back. These streams are said often to liave ill their short course a descent of five or six hundred feet. ' t1 !'j. 124 LAKE SUPERIOR. Tills lin^^c ])asin is filled with clear, icy water, of a greenish cast, the average temperatiirc about 40 ° Fahrenheit. * Its surface is six hundred and twenty-seven feet abr ve the level of the sea ; its depth, so fur as actual soundings go, is a hundred and thirty-two fathoms, that is, one hundred and sixty-five feet below the sea level ; but liayfield conjectures it may be over two hundred fathoms in some places, t In geographical position the lake would naturally seem to lie within the zone of civilizatinn. But on the north shore we find we have already got into tlie iicrthern Regions. The trees and shrubs arc the same as are found on 1 ludson's Bay ; spruces, birches and poplars; the Vaccinia and Labrador tea. iStill more characteristic are the de( n beds of moss ai d lichen, and the alternation of the dense growth along the wuL'T, with the dry, barren, lichenous plains of the interior. Here wo are already in the Fur Countries ; the land of voy:tg(Mns and tra))|)ers ; not from any accident, but from the char- acter of the soil and climate. Unless the mines should attract and su]>jiort a population, one sees not how this region should ever be inhabited. This stem and northern c haracter is shown in nothing more clearly tlian in the scarcity of animals. The woods arc silent, and as if de- •serted ; one may walk for hours without hearing an animal sound, and wlienhc does, it is of a wild and lonely character ; the cry of a loon, or the Caiiada jay, the startling rattle of the arctic y.'oodpecker, or the sweet, solemn note of the white-tlu'oated sparrow. Occasion- ally you come upon a silent, solitary pigeon sitting upon a dead bough ; or a little troop of gold-crests and chickadees, with their co\isins of Hudson's Bay, comes drifting through the tree-tops. It is like being transported to the early ages of the earth, when the mosses and pines had just l)egun to cover the primeval rock, and the animals as yet ventured timidly forth into the new Avorld. The lake shows in all its features a continental unicjueness and uniformity, appropriate to the largest body of fresh water on the * LoRiin, and Dr. Charles T. Jackson. A recent letter from the lake, dated July 1, ISlit, nu'utioiis tlio triiipcraturo of the surface, at ciijl't o'clock, 1*. M., as .37°. t .Vccdidini; to liayfield's piincr in the Transactions of the Literary and Scientific Society of (Quebec, (cited in Hoiichctto's " British Dominions in North America." L, 128, et acq.) I I 1 NARRATIVE. I2r) and the ^i globo. The woods and rocks are everywhere tlie same, or shnilar. The rivers and the iskuids are counterparts of each otlier. The very fib'.'os, ahhou^h kept tliere by no material uarrier, are yet different from those of the otlier lakes. Whore diflerenccs exist between the various parts, they are broad and <;radual. Aiifj. lil^/t, 11th and l>>th. — Priuci[)ally employed in arran^^inj^ and n.ickin;^ s})ecimcns. Prof. A;^assi// collection aloae occupied four barrels and twelve boxes, mostly of lar^e size. In the meantime our party gradually disi)ersed. Some took the steamer for Mackinaw ; others were to rem;i,in for a few days at the iSault, whilst another party determined to take the Ku_glish steamer "Gore," to Sturj^eon i>ay,a?\d return home throuj^h Ujtper Canada. AiiiJ. IdtL— We started at ei-^ht o'clock A.M. in the " Gore," a vcvy weil-arran;^cd and comfortable boat. Our first move was to cross the river, where we took in the (Eu;j;lisli ) Bishop of Toronto, with his chaplain and another clergyman. We understood they had been consecratmg a church on the English side. The scenery below the ^ault is ))leasiug, and in many respects like that we had just left, as if the inilucncc of the Great Lake extended beyond its shores. The trees seemed to be of the same species, and there was the same abunduuce of wooded islands and islets. The Professor observed that the scratches on the rocks were not parallel to the vallev, but have a constant north and south direction. The high la^.d forming the sides of the valley reti'cats gradually on each side, leaving a wide expiiuse of low shores which would be inundated by a slight elevation of the water. For some distance below the 8aulc the river is shallow, and the bottom distinctly visible, showing ripiilemarks in many places which are constantly covered by several feet of water. About three o'clock P.M., we reached the Bruce copper-mine, to the northward of iSt. Joseph's Island. The long wooden pier to wliich we moored was hea[)ed with the most brilliant ore of the kinds the miners call •' horseiiesh" and " iieatoek ore," having every hue of blue, purple and golden. The first jUestiou the agent asked us when we landed, was, whether we had a medical man with us, lor two of his men had just been injured by a la'ematuiv explosion. For- tunately, there were two of the profession in our party, not to count P' li ir. fi: m If -I 126 LAKE SLTERIOR. :l . 1/ li ' !. '^ tho Professor, tand tlio poor fellows were immediately attended to. They were dreadfully burnt and torn about the fiice, and were moan- in;.^ with .lU, and still more at the thoughts of losing their eyes, and thus their means of supjwrt. The doctors shook their heads at first, but afterwards, after jjroper washing, &c., their case looked better. They were taken on board to be carried to the hospital at Penetan- guishene, and we had the satisfaction on landing them there of believ- jiig that they would come out with an eye apiece, at the worst. This mine belongs to the ^lontreal Company, and the little settle- ment has a thriving look. The works that we saw Avere mostly open trenches, displaying a few feet of top-soil, consisting of unstratified drift, clay Avith scratched pebbles and bowlders. The metalliferous rock, which is sienitc and metamor^ihic talc-schist, Avith veins of quartz, is also jwlishcd and scratched. The ore consists of various sulphurets of copper, particularly the yellow. At St. Jose})h's, Avhere Avc stojjped to Avood, the Captain, (a very ititelligent man, abounding in information concerning the country,) took us to sec a rock Avhich he considered a great curiosity. It })roved to be a largo boAvlder of the most beautiful conglomerate, presenting a great variety of bril- liant colors ; agates, jasper, porphyry, trap, &c., all polished doAvn to an even surface. Other boAvlders of the sane kind Avere lying about near tho beach. The rock in place is Trenton limestone, and full of tlic organic remains peculiar to that deposit. We observed great numbers of bowlders on all ^he islands avc passed in Lake Htiron. There is a little settlement on this end of the island, Avliich the cafitiiiu cu' ,ed Ifu^, as the land belongs to him. lie bought scA'en hundred acres, (wo doubt cjf oui- friend the iNIajor and his co-tenant,) at the rate of twenty cents an acre, for land said to be fertile, and ccrtahdy su]>porting a fine growth of hard-wood trees. In the evening the Professor made the following remarks on occa- sion of tho bowlder : by " Tliis boAvMor may bo coiisidcvod as an epitome of all tlir ;'Ofks wc have soon. A eoin[)Iete exaniinalioii (.f it avouM occupy a goologist many niontlis. This can'^ldiiierato is as-'oeialed Avitli the oldest (itratiliod funnations, and nuist have been foniicd in lliu same opnidi Avlth tlicm. Its coinpoiiunt parts give US some insight into its age. It c(int:!iiis no fragment of fossiliferons roek j thus the pebbles of which it is composed must have been broken off, rolled sJ NARRATIVE. 127 by tho waves and thereby rounded and smoothed, and afterwards! cemented togotlier, before tlic ap[)earanee of animal life on tlio earth. On tlie other hand it contains traj) ; thus trap-ilykes must liave b(>en thrown up at that early period. Its otlier elements are jasper, porpliyry, agate, (piarfz. and even mica; all belonging to the ancient rocks which wo have seen on Lake Superior. In one of the bowlders the materials are slightly stratified, so that tliey had been arranged in layers before they were cemented together. In all of them the cement is more or less vitrilied, showing a strong action of heat. This must have been derived from plutonic agencies, so that the plutonic action on the lake commenced before the introduction of animal life. The sandstone formations about Gros-Oap and IJatcheewauung l>ny iiiilieate in all prol)ability the ])euches of the ancient continents from which llie.-e frag- ments were dctai'hed, and the outliues of the seas by which they were rolled and worn. vVfterwards tliey were coiiglomerated, and then removed hither by other agencies. This bowlder does not show the marks of having boon transported by the action of water. Its surface is smoothed and grooved in a uniform manner, without the slightest reference to the different hardness of its various materials. Had it b(!en worn into its present shape by the action of water, the harder stones would bo left prominent. I have no doubt, from similarity of its appearance in this respect to the rocks of the present gla- ciers of Switzei'land, that it has been iirndy lised in a heavy mass of ice ;md moved steadily forward in one direction, and thereby ground down." Those remarks being made in the main cabui, in the presence of the Captain and the other passengers, one of the clergymen ui'tvr- warda took the Professor to task for denying tliat the world and its hihabitants were all made at once, as if this was a well-undcrstf)o(l thing, and gi)t quite indignant, when he would not admit th;it llic J>il)le liad so settled it. His tone on this occasion, (for otherwise he a})peared to 1)c a well-bred and educated man,) seemed to indicate a different ^losition of the old theologico-gcological (juestion lierc, a ((uestion one would have lliought iinally disposed of amniig uien of hberal training. Ai((j. 'lOl/i. — We stopped this morning at a little settlement on the Grand ]\IanitouHn, wliithcr the Indians come yearly to receive thi'ir "presents." A few sckliers are stationed here to kiM>p dvdcr on these occasions. It is a significant fact that both liere and at Mack- inaw, the ground-rent paid by the British and United States govern- •'.'.' *ii I M n 128 LAKE SUPERIOR. It f: i 1 mcnts to the ori;^inal lords of the soil, goes under the name of a present, as if dep!• P I fri/ '■11 •li! 1^: '^. i ^^'i i> i ■ r ' I If I I 182 LAKE SUPERIOR. Toronto, and all filled with troops of the rosiest children, and sur- rounded hy fine orchards and corn-fields. The hay seemed in many instances at least to be atacked, in the English fashion, instead of hein^ stored in barns. Vines and ornamental trees were beginning to be cultivated about the houses, though the prevalence of balsam- firs showed that they had not got far in this direction. The houses are sometimes of a very agreeable cream-colored brick, made in the neighl)0iii0()d ; most freciuently, however, rough-cast, upon lath, with a mixture of plaster, lime and coarse sand, which is said to stand perfectly well. The forest trees are principally white pines, some very tine specimens of which we saw along the road. These afford eniploymcut to a number of steam snw-mills, and large quandties of luu ber aru exported from Toronto, The government lands here, I was told, arc divided off into strips two loti deep, by parallel ro'ids, and these being jouicd at certain intervals by cross lanes, the division of farms is rendered very sym- metrical. Probably, howev..'r, this necessitates the I'uying of an entire lot, or nunc at all ; at all events, we understood that for some reason or other the transfer of real estate is much hampered by the regulations of the Land Office. We anived at Toronto by gasdight, and found nobody awake but a train of geese wiio were solenndy waddling across the street. We went to the Wellington Hotel, a very dirty and uncomfortable place. Au[/. 2i)(J. — Our baggage did not arrive until this morning, fif- teen minutes before the boat for Quecnston started. My compan ions contrived to get on board, but I was left to pass the day in Toronto. My first move was to t»'ansport my eftects to the North American House, somewhat better than the other, but very far from good. Toronto is very regularly bi.ilt, of the crc';m-colored brick a')Ove- noticed, in some cases stnceood. The streets vvq wide, and both carriageway and side^salk made of [ilank, laid transversely. Many of the hoi'.scb in the suburbs have extensive gardens and orramental grounds, but in the city itself there ire no buildings of lauc'u preten- sion to beaut)', and very few attractive shops. 5 x»V ._ NARRATIVE. 133 )Ove- both Many icntal eton- Ah(J. 2\th. — Early this morning T took to the boal# for Quecna- ton, and thenco bv a very wretched railway reached Niagara to dinner. Aharticularly evinced in the great, I may say the prevailing number of Alpine species endowed with a volatile frar grance which adds so much to the sweet and soothing influence of mountain rambles ; whilst the northern species, however similar to those of the Alps, partake more or less of the dullness of the heavy sky under Avhich they flourish.* Whatever may be the intensity of other causes, and even when they are most uniform, the chemical nature of the soil acts perhaps as powerfully as the physical conditions under which the plant may grow. To be fully impressed with the important influence of the soil we need only be familiar with the differences noticed in the growth of wheat or other grains in different soils, or with the different aspect of pastures on rich or poor grounds, and to trace the same modifica- tions through any small tract of land with the view to understand similar changes over wider countries.! * It would be a mistake to ascribe to reduced atmospheric pressure the peculiar aspect of most plants in the high ■• Alps, as they are undoubtedly more influenced by the temperature, and especially by the pressure of the snow of those high regions. These plants are commonly covered with a thick and close down, which reminds us of the soft fur of the northern animals ; they creep for the most part attached to the compact and tenacious soil among the clefts of rocks, where their roots can penetrate and where they find shelter. Several of them have fleshy and succulent leaves, filled with liquid, derived rather from the atmosphere, than from the stony and dried soil upon which we generally find them. These phenomena of Alpine vegetation occur successively at a less considerable elevation the more we advance northwards, and show themselves on the plains towards the polar regions, whci r the temperature agrees with that of the high Alpine summits. The fact that many plants of the highest summits live very well at the foot of the glaciers which descend into the lower valleys, would seem to show that atmospheric pressure has only a limited influence upon Alpine plants ; but the mo- ment we have satisfied ourselves that the most fragrant of these species never prosper below, we must admit that the relation between fragrance and atmospheric pressure to which I have alluded above, is well sustained. The Alpine plants are, it is well known, very difficult to cultivate ; Mr. Vaucher, at Flcurier, assisted by Mr. Lesquereux has however succeeded in bringing together a magnificent and numerous collection of spe- cies of the high Alps. In order to preserve them, they took care to harden and press the soil, or to introduce small blocks of limestone into it, and to cover them with snow in the spring, but especially to press the roots very often into the ground in the spring, as they are otherwise pushed out after every frost, and perish in a single day if caro be not taken to put them again without delay into the ground. t The chemical elements of the soil seem, however, to have less influence upon the geographical distribution of the large vegetables or phxnogames, than upon the cryp- ''. • V jiji 1 1] 140 LAKE SUPERIOR. To satisfy ourselves of the powerful influence of electricity upon vegetation, we need only remember the increased rapidity with which plants come fortli, durin*^ spring, after thunder storms. Many otlier causes still more intimately connected with the 'tspect of our globe have also a great influence upon the distribution of the animals and plants which live on its surface. The form of continents, the bearing of their shores, the direction and height of mountains, the mean level of great plains, the amount of water circumscribed by land and forming inland lakes or seas, each shows a marked influ- ence upon the g(;neral features of vegetation. Small low islands, scatteied in clusters, are covered with a vegetation entirely different from that of extensive plains, under the same latitudes. The bearing of the shores again, modifying the currents of the sea, will also react upon vegetation. Mountain chains will be influential not only from the height of their slopes and summits, but also from their action I % i ( togames. The attempts made to group the former according to the nature of the soil upon which they grow, have afforded no satisfactory resulta. It is otherwise when we consider the hydrodynamic capacity of the soil, that is to say, the property which it has to retain the water for a longer or shorter time. Tracing our investigations in this direction we arrive, on the contrary, at very important conclusions. A sandy desert and a peat-bog for instance, as the two extremes, have quite peculiar flora;, which stand completely isolated from the vegetation of soils whose essential component material is humus. This fact is in perfect iiccordance with recent discoveries in vege- table physiology, which seem to prove that plants extract nothing from the soil except water, or nourishment in a liquid state, and that their other components, the carbon in particular, are furnished them from the atmosphere. As we descend the scale, and arrive at the cryptogames, the chemical influence of the soil is gradually more and more felt in the distribution of the genera, and even of the species. The mosses even may be readily grouped according to the locali- ties where they live. The Orthotrichne occur almost exclusively upon the bark of trees, and upon granite and limestone ; the Phascacea; inhabit clayey soils, with the Gym- nostomea?, Pottiea;, Funariea) and some Wcissiic. The Sphagneaj occur only in peat- bogs, or in waters charged with ulmic acid ; the Splachneiu generally upon animal sub- stances in decomposition; the Grimmiea; upon granitic rocks; whilst the greatest num- ber of the llypnums and Dicranums cover large surfaces of rotten vegetables. And if we take into consideration the modifications which temperature introduces in the habitation of some mosses, we are enabled to account even for the cosmopolitism of some species which, like the Bryums, would seem to be less influenced ths^n others by the nature of the soil upon which they grow. The examination of the lich"! s which attach themselves commonly to the surface of woods and rocks leads to conclusions still more striking. Some species live exclusively upon limestone ; others upon mica schist ; others upon various kinds of granite ; and others finally upon certain species of trees or other vegetables. The analysis of the substances upon which lichens live, has, if not completely explained, at least led to the understanding of the causes of the remarkable distribution of these plants. U :i' THE NORTHERN VEGETATION COMPARED, ETC. 141 upon the prevailing wintls. It is obvious, for instance, tliat a moun- tain chain like the Alps, running from east to west, and thus forming a barrier between the colder region northwards, and the warmer southwards, will have a tendency to lower the temperature of the northern plains, and to increase that of the southern, below or above the mean which such localities would otherwise present ; while the influence of a chain running north and south, like the Rocky Moun- tains and the Andes, will be (juite the reverse, and tend to increase the natural differences between the eastern and western shores of the continent, and, laying open the north to southern influences and the south to thosj ( f the north, render its climate excessive, i. e., its summer warmer and its winter colder. Again, the equalizing influence of a large sheet of water, the tem- perature of which is less liable to sudden changes than the atmos- pheric air, is very apparent in the uniformity of coast vegetation over extensive tracts, i)rovided the soil be of the same nature, and also in the slower transition from one season into the other along the shores ; the coasts having less extreme temperatures than the main land. The absolute degree of temperature of the water acts with equal power ; as the acpuitic plants of the tropical regions, for in- stance those of Guyana, differ as widely from tliose of Lake Supe- rior, as the palms differ from the pine forests. * , I" *One of the most prominent causes of the dispersion, not to say of tlic distribution of j)lants, is certainly the direction and tlie swiftness of water-courses. On one hand the rivers brin;^ down from the summits or tlie elevated parts of the country a large number of plants and seeds, which are stopped and take root farther below, on their banks ; on the other, they spread in their neip;hborhood a greater or less amount of moisture. This is, I think, the best cause to assign to the uniformity of vegeta- tion over large plains, traversed by rivers, or to that of the sea-shores, or especially to that of the low islands and peninsulas of little extent. We must also admit, how- ever, that there are along the course of tU ers a great variety of stations, which we may find nowhere else, valleys, abrupt rocks, shaded places, constantly or nltcrnatcly lighted by the sun according to tlieir bearing ; and that in this manner secondary agents may have their influence in varying greatly the aspect of vegetation. It is also a curious but positive fact, that high mountain chains have a direct influ- ence upon the dissemination of the species over the neighboring .«ccond;iry chains, even at a considerable distance. This fact is i>lainly shown in the Jura for instance, where from the summits of tlu' Dole to those of the Chasseral we obscrvi :i true Alpine vegetation, less and less abundant the more we recede from the Alps in one or another direction. At an e(|u:il elevation the summits of the northern .Jura lose every trace of Alpine plants which we find so al)undantly tipon its southern sumtnits, es')ccially upon the ridges near the Alps, as the Dole, the Mount Tendre, for instance. Tho same takes ^ 9\ 1 ,.^^ ' 1^^ JiM 142 LAKE SUPERIOR. i 1%' I 'J' But however active these physical agents may be, it would be very unphilosophical to consider them as the source or origin of the beings upon which they show so extensive an influence. Mistak- ing the circumstantial relation under which they appear, for a causal connection, has done great mischief in natural science, and led many to believe they understood the process of creation, because they could account for some of the phenomena under observation. But however powerful may be the degree of the heat ; be the air ever so dry, or ever so moist ; the light ever so moderate, or ever so bright ; alternating ever so suddenly with darkness, or passing gradually from one condition to the other; these agents have never been observed to produce anything new, or to call into existence anything that did not exist before. Whether acting isolated or johitly. they have never been known even to modify to any great extent the living beings already existing, unless under the guidance and influence of man, as we observe among domesticated animals and cultivated plants. This latter fact shows indeed that the influence of the mind over material phenomena is far greater than that of physical forces, and thus refers our thoughts again and agam to a Supreme Intelligence for a cause of all these phenomena, rather than to so-called natural agents. Coming back from these general views to our special subject, it will be observed that North America must, a priori, be expected to have, in some parts, a very diversified vegetation, owing to the peculiarities of its natural geographical districts, and in others, viz., over its extensive tracts of uniform plains, a vegetation as uniform as anywhere in the world. The physical agents whose influence upon organized beings we have just examined, show a regular progression in their action, which agrees most remarkably with the degrees of latitude on one side, and the elevation above the level of the sea on the other. Hence the difference in the vegetation as we proceed from the tropical regions towards the poles, or as we ascend from the level of the place westwards. The list of Alpine species found upon the Dole amounts to one hundred, whilst upon the AVoissenstein, where even the Anemones have disappe .red, we find no other representative of that beautiful flora of the snow regions, than the 8 ole Erinns Alpinus. THE NORTHERN VEGETATION COMPARED, ETC. 148 wc the one .red, the sea to any height along the slopes of a mountain. In both these (lirections there is a striking agreement in the order of succession of the plienoraena, so much so, that the natural products of any given latitude may be properly compared with those occurring at a given height above the level of the sea ; for instance, the vegetation of regions near the polar circles, and that of high mountains near the limits of perpetual snow under any latitude. The height of this limit, however, varies of course with the latitude. In Lapland, at G7° north latitude, it is three thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea ; in Norway at lat. 00° it is five thousand feet ; in the Alps at lat. 40° about eight thousand five hundred ; in the Himalaya at lat. 30° over twelve thousand ; in Mexico at lat. 19° it is fifteen thou- sand ; and at Quito under the equator, not less than sixteen thousand. At these elevations, in their different respective latitudes, without taking the undulations of the isothermal lines into consideration, vegetation shows a most uniform character, so that it may be said that there is a corresponding similarity of climate and vegetation be- tween the successive degrees of latitude and tlic successive heiglits above tlie sea. As a striking example I may mention the fact of the occurrence of identical plants in Lajjland in lat. 07° at a height of about three thousand feet and less above the level of the sea, and upon the summit of Mount Washington in latitude 44° at a height of not less than six thousand feet, while below this limit, in the wooded valleys of the White Mountains, there is not one species which occurs also about North Cape. There is nevertheless one circumstance which shows that climatic influences alone, however extensive, taking for instance into account all the above-mentioned agents together, will not fully account for the geographical distribution of organized beings, as their various limits do not agree precisely with the outlines indicating the intensity of physical agents upon the surface of the earth. A few examples may serve to illustrate this remark. The limit of forest vegetation round the Arctic Circle, does not coincide with the astronomical limits of the Arctic zone ; nor does it agree fully with the isother- mal line of 32° of Fahrenheit ; nor is the limit of vegetation in height always strictly in accordance with the temperature, as the Ce- rastium latifolium and Ranun^'ulus glacialis, for instance, occur in the I ' ■ i''i| i';< "J 144 LAKE SUPERIOR. ,1 II i 1 M :.?. " Alps as high as ten, and even eleven thousand feet above the level of the sea. Again, eastern and western countries within the same continent, or compared from one continent to the other, show such differences under similar climatic circumstances, that we at once feel that some- thing is wanting in our illustrations, when we refer the distribution of animals and plants solely to the agency of climate. But the most Btriking evidence that climate neither accounts for the resemblance nor tlie difference of animals and plants in different countries, may be derived from the fact that the development of the animal and vegetable kingdoms differs widely under the same latitudes in the northern and in the southern hemispheres, and that there are entire families of plants and animals exclusively circumscribed within certain parts of the world ; such are, for instance, the magnolia and cactus in America, the kangaroos in New Holland, the elephants and rhi- noceros in Asia and Africa, &c. &c. From these facts we may indeed conclude that there are other influences acting in the distribution of animals and plants besides cli- mate ; or perhaps avc may better put the proposition in this form : that however intimately connected with climate, however ap{)arent- ly dependent upon it, vegetation is, in truth, independent of those influences, at least so far as the causal connection is concerned, and merely adapted to them. This position would at once imply the existence of a power regulating these general phenomena in such a manner as to make them agree in their mutual connection ; that is to say, we are thus led to consider nature as the work of an intelligent Creator, providing for its preservation under the combined influences of various agents equally his work, which contribute to their more diversified combinations. The geographical distribution of organized beings displays more fully the direct intervention of a Supreme Intelligence in the plan of the Creation, than any other adaptation in the physical world. Generally the evidence of such an intervention is derived from the benefits, material, intellectual, and moral, which man derives from nature around him, and from the mental couvietion Avliich conscious- ness imparts to him, that there could be no such wonderful order in the Creation, Avithout an orani})otcnt Ordainer of the wliole. This evidence, however plain to the Christian, will never be satisfactory to the man k a 13 d. ic ■an I THE NORTHERN VEQETATION COMPARED, ETC. 145 of science, in that form. In these stndic.'^ evidence must rest upon direct observation and induction, just as fully as mathematics claims the ri^^ht to settle all questions about measurable tilings. There will be no scientific evidence of God's working in nature until na- turalists have shown that the whole Creation is the cxjiresi^ion of a thouf/Jtt, and not the j^rod not of phi/Hical ajcnts. Now what stronger evidence of thoughtful adaptation can there be, than the various combinations of similar, thoiigh s[)eeifically differiMit assemblages of animals and |)lants repeated all over the world, under the most uniform and the most diversified circumstances ? When we meet with )>ine trees, so remarkal)le for their peculiarities, both morpholo- gical and anatomical, combined with beeches, birches, oaks, majjles, &c., as Avell in North America as in Europe and Northern Asia, under most similar circumstances ; when we find again representa- tives of the same family with totally different features, mingling so to say imder low latitudes with palm trees and all the luxuriant vegetation of the tropics ; when we truly behold such scenes and have penetrated their full meaning as naturalists, then we arc placed in a position similar to that of the antiiiuariau who visits ancient monuments. He recognizes at once the workings of intelligence in the remains of an ancient civilization ; he may fail to ascertain their age correctly, he may remain doubtful as to the order in which they were successively constructed, but the character of the whole tells him that they are works of art, and that men, like him- self, originated these relics of by-gone ages. So shall the intel- ligent naturalist read at once in the pictures which nature presents to him, the works of a higher Intelligence ; he shall recognize in the minute perforated cells of the Conifene, which differ so wonderfully from those of other plants, the hieroglyphics of a peculiar age ; in their needle-like leaves, the escutcheon of a peculiar dynasty ; in their repeated appearance under most diversified circumstances, a thought- ful and thought-eliciting adaptation. He beholds indeed the Avorks of a being t1dnkinni these facts it might ho inferred tliat the aspect of wooded lands, whether mountainous or level, would be very similar ; that in the northern re;^ions, it Cdrnpares in every respect with that of high mountain chains. Such an impression is almost universally prevalent among those who are conversant with these laws of the geogra|)hieal distribution of plants, without having had an opjiortuni- ty actually to compare such countries. It having been my good fort\nie, after havitig been for years familiar with the vegetation of the Aljis, to visit the northern regions of this continetit Avithin the limits of the temperate zone, I was at once stnick with the great difi'erencc in the general aspect of their vegetation. Indeed, the pictures(iue im{)ression is an entirely different one, and nevertheless the above-mentioned laws are correct ; but the fact is that the changes of mean annual tenijierature in this country take jilace at the rate of about 1" of Fahrenheit for every degree of latitiide, or for every sixty miles ; or in other words, as we travel north or south, we reach successively every sixty miles, localities the mean annual temperature of which is 1° Fahrenheit lower or higher ; while in the Alps wc meet, in ascending or descending, the same change of 1° Fahrenheit in mean annual temperature, for every three hundred feet of vertical height ; so that we jiass within the narrow limits of between six to seven thousand feet, from the vine-clad shores of the lakes of Northern Italy and Jr^witzerland, to the icy fields of snow- mountains, whose summits are never adorned by vegetation ; a journey which can easily be performed in a single day. Whilst on the other hand from the 40th degree of northern latitude, where the mean annual temperature is nearly the same as that of the foot of the Alps, wc find towards the northern pole a diminution of one degree of tem- perature for every degi'ce of latitude, or for every sixty odd miles ; so that we should travel over twenty degrees of latitude, or moi'e than twelve hundred miles from south to north, for instance, from Boston to Hudson's Bay, before passing over the same range of climatic changes as we do in one day in the Alps ; thus causing a narrow ver- tical stripe of Alpine flora to correspond to a broad zone of northern veget withs in th in the foruii pictui tive : other like tl settii blancc so mu before these THE NOUTHEUN VEdETATION COMPAKED, ETC. 149 red ts of the tem- ; so than •ston uitic vcr- lern ve^rotatloti atrctchhig over a widely-expanded horizon. So that not- withstanding; the correspondence of species, we have in the first case, in the Alps, a rapid succession of hi;;hly-di versified vegetation, whildt in the otlier case, in northern latitudes, we have a tnonotunous uni- formity over extensive tracts of land, altho\igh the elements of tho picture arc the same, liut it is a picture seen in a different perspec- tive : in one case we liave a simple vertical profile, which in tho other case is drawn out into disproportionate horizontal dimensions; like the far-reaching shade of a steeple cast under the light of tho setting sun, which may change all proportions, and destroy all resem- hlance hetwcen the shade and the ohject itself, simply hecause it is so much elongated. Fantastic images presented at various distances hefore a light falling at various angles, may prepare us to understand these different aspects of the landscape, be it a wooded plain along a gentle slope, or a forest along a more abrupt mountain chain. There is another feature in the geographical distribution of organ- ized beings which deserves to be particularly noticed, and which con- tributes to increase the diversity of aspect of vegetation in any given part of the world. There are in all continents remarkable differ- ences between the vegetation of tho shores of a continent, east and west, within the same latitude or the same isothermal line. The forests of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of temperate America are not altogether composed of the same plants ; we remark that in the East there will be a tendency in the different families to develop in different proportions, and perhaps with the addition or disa[»pcar- ance of one or two peculiar types ; for instance, the walnut family contains several more representatives on the eastern side of the con- tinent than on the western, and they prosper here in latitudes whero in Europe there is only one hitroduced species of that family growing wild. Again, we find Liijuidambar on the American side of the Atlantic, which has no representative either on the Pacific coast, or in Europe. This comparison might be traced farther, and wo should see the same correlation even among the shrubs. But these indications will be sufficient for my object, which is to show that, although there h an intimate correlation between climate and vegetation, the temperature and other influences which consti- tute climate do not reveal the whole amount of causes wliich produce I ! h! h^-l ^Bf ir>o LAKE SUI'EIUOR. ,;pi I! : : !i ■\ U {hoso fliffcrencos, as they aro repeated under the same iantliermnl linos, between the onateni and western shores of the < )hl Worhl in the same order as alon;^ the eastern and western shores of North Aineriea; 80 mneh so that tlie northern Chinese and Jajtanese ve;^etation eoin- cidea very closely with that of the Atlantic States, whilst that of tho Pacific coasts of America and that of i'liu'opc a^ree more extensively. This picture would ho incomplete did I not histituto a farther com- parison between the present ve;^etation of those regions and the fos- sil plants of modern geolo;^ical epochs. If we compare, namely, the tertiary fossil plants of Europe with those livin;^ on the spot now, we shall bo struck with differences of about the same value as thoso already mentioned between tijo eastern and western coasts of the continents under the same latitudes. Compare, for instance, a list of the fossil trees and shrubs from Oi oingen, with a catalogue of trees and shrubs of tho eastern and western coasts, both of Europe, Asia, and North America, and it will be seen that tho differences they ex- hibit scarcely go beyond those shown by these different florne under the same latitudes. But what is (juite extraordinary and unexpected, is the fact that the European fossil plants of that locality resemble more closely the trees and shrubs which grow at present in the east- ern parts of North America, than those of any other part of the world ; thus allowing us to express correctly the differences already mentioned between tho vegetation of the eastern and western coasts of the continents, by saying that the present eastern Amerii-an flora, and I may add, the fauna, also,* and probably also that of Eastern Asia, have a more ancient character than those of Europe and of Western North America. The plants, especially tho trees and shrubs growing in our days in thi;; country and in Japan, are, as it were, old-fashioned ; they bear the mark of former ages ; a peculiarity which agrees with the general aspect of North America, the geological structure of which indicates that this region was a large continent long before extensive tracts of land had been lifted above the level of the sea in any other parti of the w orld. The extraordinary analogy which exists between the present flora ♦ The characteristic genera Lagomys, Chelydra and the largo Salamanders with per- manent gills remind us of the fossils of Ouningen, for the present fauna of Japan, as well as the Li(iuidambar, Carya, Taxodium, Glcditschia, etc. etc. h'-i '! ! THE NOUTnERN VRORTATION COMPARED, ETC. 151 ftTid fa\ina of North AnuM-ica, ami tho ^omU of the mlocpiio period ill Kiirojxs would also «^vo a valuahlc iiint with resjioct to tho rn'.'an animal tciniK'i-attire of that j^coloj^ioal period. Oeniii^^on, for iiiHtunce, whose fossila of all cl.'iflses have ])crhap8 been more fully studied than those of any other locality, could not have enjoyed during that period a tropical or even a s»ih-tropical cli- mate, such as has often heen a.s,si;^ned to it, if wo can at all rely upon tho intlications of its Hora, for this is so similar to that of Charleston, South Carolina, that tho highest mean annual temperat\ire wo can aflcnl)e to the miocene epoch in Central Europe must he reduced to about tiO*^ Fall. ; that is to say, wo infer from its fossil vegetation that Oeningen had, duriiig the tertiary times, the climate of the warm temperate zone, the climate of Rome, for instance, and not even that of tho northern shores of Africa. We are led to this conclusion by the following argument : — The same isothermal line which jtasses at present through Oeningen at tho 47th degree of northern latitude, passes also through ]iost(m, lat. 42*^. Sujjposing now, (as the geolog- ical structure of the two continents and tho form of tlieir respective outlines at that period seem to indicate,) that the undulations of tho isothermal lines which we notice in our days existed already during tho tertiary period, or in other words, that the differences of temperature which exist between the wesJ|L'rn shores of Europe and the eastern shores of North America, were the same at that time as now, we shall obtain uie mean anrmal temperature of that age by adding sim{)ly the dift'erence of mean annual temperature which exists between Charles- ton and Boston, (12*^ Fah.,) to that of Oeningen, which is 48° Fah., as modern Oeningen agrees almost precisely with Boston, making it 60*^ Fah. ; far from looking to the northern shores of Africa for an analogy, which the different character of the respective vegetationg would render still less striking. The mean annual temperature of Oeningen during the tertiary period would not therefore differ more from its pre^ nt mean, than that of Charleston differs from that of Boston. This old-fashioned look of the North American forests goes also to show the intimate connection there is all over the globe between tho physical condition of any country, and the animals and plants poculiur •t ' I ii ; I 152 LAKE SUPERIOR. i.; i !'H ) to it. But far from supporting the views of those who believe that there is a causal connection between these features of the creation, Ave must, on the contrary, conclude from the very fact that there are so many sy)ecial thoughtful adaptations for so long successive periods in their distribution, tliat those manifold relations could onlv be intro- duced, maintained and regulated by the continuous intervention of the Sui)reme Intelligence, which from the beginning laid out the plan for the whole, and carried it out gradually in successive times. "What is true of plants is also true of animals ; we need only re- member that it is in North America that Lepidosteus and Fercopsis are found ; tliat species of Limulus occur along the Atlantic shores ; and that Trigouia and Cestracion live in New Holland along palyeozoic rocks. .1' V \i i I II. i'f OBSERVATIONS ON THE VEGETATION OF THE NORTHERN SHORES OF LAKE SLT'ERIOR. The ve.i^ctatiou of tlic Northern shores of Lake Sujierior airrees so closely with tliat of the higher tracts of the »rura, wliieh eiic!(J5es the lower and middle zone of the subaliiine region, tliat on glancing at the enumeration below, one is astonished to find so great a number of si)ecics entirely identical. Making full allowance for the inllu- cuce of the lake, and lca\ing out of consideration a small munber of species peculiar to North America, there remains about Lake Superior a subalpino flora ^vhich is almost identical with that of Europe, uith which it is here compared. Although this fact is very striking, it is nevertheless in accordance with tiie general laws of botanical geograjJiy, and is another proof that the vegeta- tion of the two continents becomes more and more homogeneous the more we advance northwards. I have divided tlie catalogue of the plucnogamous jilauts collect- ed about Lake KMiperior into four lists ; The first containing such plants as are really subalpine in their character, or correspond to those of the forests of the lower Alps ; * the second containing the plants of the lake proper, or the aquatic plaiits ; f the third com])rising the plants purely American, J and the fourth the cosmopolitan jdants, or those which extend beyond the subaliiinc region. In the diilVrent * Oi>ly such plants are intio(luce IN TIIK SUBALI'INE UkGIoN. Nu:^cri.ACF..T:. Aneinoni' sylvi'stris L. In Eurofjo the Anemones are for the most i)art ali)hie plants, but uiiose only whose carpels are plumose, and which ou^fht to be generally considered as a peculiar genus. Anemone sylvestris, the only Eui'opean species which agrees with the American ones, occurs in the plains. Ilanunculus repens L. Jura and Alps. In the Alps it rises to the height of 4,0o(i feet. Thalictrum minus 1.. Creux du Vent. Act;ea splcata L. Woods of the high- er Jura. CI ST AC ej:. llelianthemum vulgare J. Pastures of the lower Alps and Jura. • All ■■ : nnts enumerated below witc collcotod by me and some of the gentlemen of our p;irty, who took p.irticular interest in the study of botany, as C. G. Loring, Jr., T. M. liCa, J. Fi. Cabot and Dr. Keller. They were for the most |iart determined on the spot with the (•:;r'pllont work ot my friend Prof. Asa Gray on the Uotany oi the Northern United States. Afterwards ray collection was revised by Dr. Gray }nmself, and by M(ssis, Leo Lcsquereux and Ed. Tuckerman; the latter of whom examined the lichens with particular care, while Mr. Lcs(iucreux revised fn/yre particularly the mosses, and furnished inc with very minute information about the distribution of plants in Switzerland, to which I had myself paid a good deal of attention in former years. I owe it nevertheless to his contributions upon this particular point, that I have been able to carry my comparisons of the plants of Lakr Superior and Central '^''arope so much into detail us I have done. I'rof. Gray has also furnished me with very imjjort- ant documents respecting the distribution of many species, beyond the regions I have e-\aniined myself. The genrral views, however, derived from this study, as 1 have expressed them in the prp> /-ding and following pages, so far as they arc new, are my own. f This and several other plants of this list have a rather extensive range southwards ■ but this seems to be in accordance with the general direction of the mountain chains and the form of the American continent itself, in w ich both animals and plants pecu- liar to the arctic and temperate zones extend farther south, than their analogues in the Uld World. VEUETATION OF THE NORTHERN SHORES. loo Lakk ""i I'Euion. Arabis petnra L, " lyrata L. Sysiinbrium cancscens Null. Draba arabisans 7l/i.* Turritis glabra. EUUOPE. CR UCIFERM. Arab'is petra^a L. !Mts. of Auvergnc. Sysimbrium pinnatifidura DC. Cen- tral Ai|)S. Drabra liicana Ay. Turritis glabra L. h \H $■> DROSERACE,E. Droscra rotundifolia L. " longitblia L. Oxalls acctosella L. Drosera rotun.liiblia L. {^'^} \"?.-? ""^ longifolia L. l_ Jura. oxalidk.t;. Oxalis acetosella L. Woods of the mountains. Parnassia palustris L. Hypericum cllipti'".im Hook. PARNASSIE.E. Parnassia palustris L. Meadows of the mountains. HYPERICIN. E. Hypericum Elodes L. In peat bogs in Central Eurone. CA R YOPHYLI.A CE.E. Stellaria longipes Gold. " borealis li!f/cl. Corastiuni arviMise J^. Sagiiia nodosa L. Alsine JMichauxii Fenzl. Stellaria graminoa L. dpinc pas- tures. " uliginosa Murr. Peat bogs. Cerastium arvense L. Sagina nodosa L. r Lower Alsine strieta ]\'(ih!. Peat | Alps, and bogs; Jura and Alps -j t''" l'i-'i>- ' • l^erJura. It is a remarkable fact, that the family of CaryophyllafOii', so extensive in the alpine regions ef Eurojie, has .'■o few rfpresenlalivcs about i^ake Superior. 'flu reason is, that the Caryophyllacea>. like the C'ru.'ifera-, belong for the most part, to the alpine llora properly, and to the llor.i, of the plains, and are missing in the s'dialpine, or intermediate regions. ♦ A small species of Drabu with yellow flowers, found at Michipicotin, was lost. I <; ! ' ' ) ■) ni in': '(■; f .i 156 LAKE SUPERIOR. Lake Supeuiou. Europe. ANACARDIACE.E. llhus Toxicodendron, and several oth- Rims Cotfnus L. docs not correspond cr species which were not collected. to any of the North American species. ACERINACE.E. Acer sacdiariniun Waiirj. " spicatum Lain. (jeranium carolinianura I.. " robertianum L. Vicia americana Mulil. Ilcdysarum borcale Kutt. Lathyrus ochroleucus Iluok. Cerasus pumila Mr. " pennsylvanica Lob. and var. borealis A/.c. " serotina DC, I'runus americana MargJi. Spira>a opiilitolia L. " salicilblia L. Aijrimonia Etipatoria L. Geum rivalc A. " macroi)hylliuu M'illd. " strlctuni Ait. Potentilla nurvcjjjica /.. " trldcntata .1//. " frutlcosa L. " simplex Michx. '' artfuta Pursh. Acer Pseudoi)latanu3 //. Pastures of the higher Jura. This truly sub- alpine species ascends as high as the Pini's (Abies excelsa and pectinala.) OERANIACE.E. Geranium dissectinn L. IMoailows of La Chaux de Fonda. " robertianum L. Every- where. LEOimiNOSjE. Vicia sylvatica L. Higher Vosges. Iledysarum obscurum DC. Alpine pastures. Lathyrus pratensis L. Common. liOSACEM. Cerasus avium L. Marks in the Ju- ra the limit between the region of the beech, (Fagus sylvatica,) and that of the pines. Prunus insititia L. Cultivated. Spiraea aruncus L. Mts. of the Jura. " salicilblia L. Mounts of Au- vergne. Agrimonia Eupatoria L, Mid. Jura. Geum rivale L. " montanum L. Alpine. Potentilla aurca L. Subalpino. ( Creux du " caulescens L. < y rupestris L. Alps. cut. Jura and VEOETATION OP THE NORTHERN SHORES. 157 Lake Superior. EUUOPE. K0.V4CE.B. Comanim palustrc L. Very abund't. Fra^aria vcsoa L. Kubiis trllloriis Rich. " sitri;insiis Mr. Everywhere. " canadensis L. Rosa stric'ta Liudl. « blanda Ait. Sorl)us americana DC. Amelancbicr canadensis Torr. (5" Gr. Comarum pnbistrc L. Abounds in tlie peat bogs of the higher Jura- Fragaria vcsca Ij. Middle tliira. liiibus saxatilis L. Iliglior Jura. " Idunis L. Evurywliere in the Jura. Rosa alpina L. a ra5=ture3 " rubiifolia DC. [- of the " tomcntnsa /.. ) '".i-'l'^'i" '^u^a- Sorbus Aucnparia L, The higher limit of tlie ^reos in the Jura. Anielanchier vulgoris DC. Middle Jura. h \\ The iMalvaceaj are generally plants of •warm countries. This family i? not represented about Lake Superior by a single speeies, nor arc the intrrmedlatc families between this and the Legumiiiosic. The Leguminosic thei;\selves arc very rare, since they are, like the Caryopiiyllaeeic, plants of thehighi' Alps, or of the plain. The Rosacea), on the contrary, generally extensive in 'he sub- alpine regions of Europe, are also abundant around Lake Superior. Circa-a alpina L. Ei)ilobium angastifolinm L. " coloratum MuJil. " palustre L. Ribes prostratum L. .S' Ait. " hirtellum Mc. " lacustre Pers. " oxyacanthoides //. Saxifraga Aizoon Jacq. " tricuspidata Retz " virginiensis Mx. OyAGUARL^. CircfPa alpina L. Wora- of the high- er Jura. Epilobiura angiistifolium L. Forest. '* tetragonuui L. ^foist places. " palustrc L. V t bogs. niBE.siE.E. Ribes petrreum Jacq. i.gher Jura. " alpiuum L. " Uva-crispa. " Grossularia L. T;i rocky places. u u SAXIFRA GE-TS. Saxifraga Aizoon Jacj. Higher Jura " aizoides L. Alps, and lower Alps. U. J but ' 1 "- ■1; \ i , r. i 'lu 1 1 I H i. ;' H W .1 -■ 158 LAKE SUPEKIOU. LaKK SlTPKUIOR. EunoPE. SAXIFRACrE^E. Mitella nuda L. " (lipliylla ■) These two spofios have no otlior analogiios in Europe 7.. ) llian tlio Saxifraira rotundifolia, and thf sijccics similar to it. In j^oncral, llio >Saxirra;ic;i', wliicii have few rep- resentatives al>out Lake Su])erior, belon;^ to ti>e alpine rei^ion, so that in order to meet them in the plain, we have to go as far as Greenland, where tliey are numer- ous. Till! species of the plains arc re[)resented in America by the genera SuUivantia, lleuehera, Mitella, and Tiarella. VMBELLIFER.E. Sanieula marilandiea L. Arehangeliea atro-j)urpurea Iloff. Osmorrhiza brevistylis DC. fcJium lineare Miclu:. Sanieula curopa-a Z. Crcux du Vent. Arehangelica ollicinalis IlojJ'. Jura, also in llie Valtellina. Chau'ophyllum hirsutum L, Jura. Slum latitijlium L. Aralia hispida ^Ikhx. Cornus stolonitera ATjc. ARALUrE.-E. This family has but one representative in Central Europe, Hedera Helix /.. CORNACE.E. Cornus sanguinca L. jMiddle Jura. CAPRIFOLLE. Liui.ira borealis Gron. Symphoricarpus oeeidentalis It. Br. Lonicera parvillora Lans. Lonicera Caprifoliura L. *' hirsuta ICaton. Var. Douglasii. " rerieliiuenum L. involucrata Spr. Saskatshew- an, Oregon, llocky i\Ioun- tains, Calitbrnia. Sambucus pu])ens Mx. Viburnum ()pulus L. pauciflonim PyU Linnica borealis Gron. Lower Alps : Valais. Tn the re- gion of the vinc- yai'ds. " involucrata, Spr. Siberia L. alpigena which resembles it somewhat, occurs in the Jura and the Alps. Sambucus racemosa L. Cr. du Vent. Vil)urnum ( )pulus A.. Belongs in Eu- ro})e to the region of the beech. (Fagus sylvatica.) VEOETATTON OF THE NOUTUEUN SHORES. 159 Lakk SurEKiou. EUKOPE. RVBIACEJE. GaHiim trifnlum /.. " trilloriim Mx. Galium rotundifoliiiin L. ] niarncfer" As|)onilii oilonita and /• , , i • *' tauriiia L. J Horji. COMPOSIT.E. Euiiatoriiim purpurcum L. Aster corynibosiis L. inacrfjpliyllus L. pun ice us /.. laxilbllus Nees. ptarii\i('oi(l('.s Tarr. ot Cj'aij. "ramiiiitblius I'urtC. 1 Sul.alpino acault L. , ^^.^.^,^.^1 Q^jj^,j. " eriophorum Lj ^pceifs. Ilierat'ium unilieilatiini L. \ j.;ul) Alns " ani[)le.\icaiile '- and liijfii- " Jacpiini L>('. ) •''• '^n^a, •with many other species. CAMPANULA CE.^. Ca:(;T>anula rotundifolia L. Campanula rotundifolia L. " var. linifolia. ' aparinoides l'u)\'. Androniii!,! polifolia L. Lcduin latitblium At. Pyrola rotundilblia L. " a^nrif'olia Mr. " clilorantlia Sw. •' sociinda L. Monotroj)a unitlnra L. Moncso;^ iniillorrt Sulinh, Chimapbila umbellata .Vutl. EriioiT. VA CCINIE.E. Arctostapl\vlo.s Uva-I'rsi Spirn;/. r„i Toiimc, lii;.'lH'r Jura, and lowir A1[)S. Loisclcuria prociindx'iis Jh<. I'as- f 11 res of tlic Alps. Andromeda polit'olia /.. IVatbog.soi' the liltrticr Jura. Ledum palustrc L. Peat bo;rs of the Nortli. Pyrola rotundifolia /^. Pastures and I'orcsts of ilic .Tura. " rosea /.. Forests. " clilorantha Sir. Forests. " sccunda. /,. Woods of the hlj.dier Jura. Monotropa hypo]>ythys L. In the for- ests of the .Jura. Moncscs unillora Sdlisb, Woods of the Vostics. Chiniaphila umbellata Xutt. Forests of the Vosces. No family is more liomopeneous in its dipi'ra M.c. Mentha eaiiatlensis L. Dracocuphalum parvillorum Nutt. L Am ATM. Cliiiopodium vulgare L. Dry decliv- ities of the .Fura. I'riiiiclla vulgaris L. do. Scutellaria galcrieulata L. Shores of the Lake Etaillores, higli .Jura. Staehys alpina /,. Subalpiiie. Mentha arvensis L. Moist grounds. Dracocephaluui liuyschiaua L. In Wallis. Cynoglossum vlrginicum L. Mertcnsia pilosa DC. Gentiana alba M'dld. ASFEUIFOLIJE. Cyuoglossum montanum L. Crciu du \'ent. Pulmonaria angustifoiia L. High Jura. GENTIANEjU. Gentiana punctata L. " rubra L. *' saponaria L, Var Froliehii. *' acaulis L. *' Pneumonantho L. And sev- eral other species of Cientiana, •which characterize the subalpinc declivities. Men} anthes trlfoliata L. ' Menyauthos trifoliata L. Marshes of the mountains. Ilalenia dcllexa Griseb, Swertia peronnis /.. Peat bogs of the high Jura. • i'robably native where it was found. Creux 'h Jura. vm\ sf.v- LTitiana, ibaljiine j'shcs of of the VniiKTATION OP THE NOUTHMUX SITORrS. ion JvAKK Sui'KUloll. Fraxiniia sainlxicifolia Ldin. VjVUOVK. OI.F.ACE.r.. Fraxinus excelsior L. Tlio Asli (Kraxinus exoolsior) and the Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) are, with the I'iiics, the trees which ascend hij^hest in the mountains of Central Europe. CIlENOI'ODE.r.. * Corisiicnnum hj-sso[)ifolium* L. Corispernuim hyssopifuliiim /.. Cau- casus. POLYOONE.E. PolyiTonum viviparum L. " cilinode Afj; " sauittatum L. Polygonum vivipanim F,. ♦♦ Convolvulus L. I\)lyponum viviparum is the most extensively spread in thi; subaljjinc pas- tures, and tlie most characlcrislic of that rc<^ion. It is also very cuiiinu)n about Lake Superior. Tiie same is also true of Knipi ntnu nigrum 7-., which marks the hij^her limit of the pine rcj^'ion. EiMl'ETHE.^. Empetrum nigrum L. Euipetrum nigrum L. Keginn of the [liwie trees. — Higher Jura and Sub- Alps. CUPUI.Il'EK.E. Quercus rubra /.. A few dwarfish specimens occur south of Mich- ipieotin. Fagus ferruginea M:c. Begins to lose Fagus sylvatlca Z. Grows dwarfishly its majestic api)eariUice, and and disappc.irs in the subalpiue forms only meagic forests as reL.'i IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■ 50 1^ 2.2 mm U 11.6 /^ *V''''* -^ '!>' / Photographic Sdences Corporation ^v C^ m •ss ^\ 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) S73-4S03 ^f^ ^ "^* %^ 1G4 Lake Slteuiou. LAKE SUPERIOR. BETUr.ACEJE. EunorE. I?ctula pnpyrarca Ait. " cxeelsa Ail. " pumila L. Alnus incaiia Will'l. " viridis DC. lictiila pnbesccns Pall. III}:h Jura lana / Jura nana L Teat bogs of the liigh Alnus glutinosa L. Valleys of the Jura. " viridis DC. The Ilandeck, in the Bernese Alps. SALICLXE.E. Salix pedieellaris Piirsh and others. For the willows an 1 .. T { cuddle \ ULIACEjE. Allium schoenoprasum L. Common in the Alps to the height of 7000 feet. Lilium ]Vrartagon L. Pastures of the Sub-Alps. Streptopus amplexifolius DC. High Jura. Tofieldia calyculata WaJd. Pastures of the Sub- Alps and high Jura, Crcux du Vent, &c. CYPEHACEM Scirpus ea>spitosus L. Peat bogs of the higher Jura. Eriophorum alpinum L. Tliis plant and the preceding are very char- acteristic of the peat bogs of the high Jura. Carex bicolor All. In the highest Alps, in grazing places, occurs also in Labrador. " Vahlii L. Found in Lapland Occurs also in Greenland. ):'! VE^1ET.^TI0N OF THE NORTHERN SHORES. 1G7 plant cliar- lof the Lake Slterior. Alopecurus aristiilatus Mx. Plileiim alpiniim L. Euuoi'E. ORAMiyEJK. Cinna poiidula Trin. Agrostis scabra Willd, Mulilenbcrjria sylvacica T. et Gr. Calaiiia;^rostris arcnaria Trin. " canadensis P. de Beaur, Oryzopsis canadensis Torr. Ueboulea pennsylvanica Gr. Spartina cynosuroides Willd. Glyccria (luitans It. Br. " aquatica ikiiith. " ncrvata TV. Poa alpina L. " serotina Erh. Fcstuca ovina L. Alopociirns pratensis L. Jleadows of the Jura. Phleum alpinum /".. Pastures of the Sub-Alps. " Micheli. L. Summit of the Chasseron. Highest ridge of the Jura. Agrostis vulgaris Willd. ■» " alba,et | High Jura. Calamagrostis arcnaria 7ViVi. North- ern shores. «♦ baltiea. ISkr. Baltic. Glyccria fluitans 7i Br. Brooks of the Jura. " acpiatica Smith. Brooks of Jura. Poa alpina L. One of the most char- a3- Sch. -izos tbc I'oods of ks of the u. iS. Creux du s of the Hiijher iiumit of lor .lum. ^larslics iJura. Summit hrcux du lij^her Ju- llighor Lakk Superior. Sclaglnclla solajjinnides Sprinrj. " rupc'stris Sj)rinff. Europe. SclajrinoIIa scl.ijrinoidos Spr. Pastures of the lower Alps and the higher Jura. The Eiiuisotaeea', . It MoHSE.s OK Lakk SurKKIOK. Distichuni inelinatuni />. et S. •* capillaceum B. et S. Encalypta ciliata Ilcilw. Pdgonatuni alpinuin lli'ul. I'olytriciiuni funnosuni llcdiv. " pilifenim Jkilw. " juniperiiium Jfalw. Rarfraniia pomifonuis /liilw. " Ocdcri Uri'f. " fontaiia A. Aiilacomiiiinn paliisire Hr. liryuni pseudo-triiiuetriim L. " nutans f.. Var. elongatum fi. et S. Mninin ciispidatiun /fcdtr. Ilypnuni Schnljcri W'illtl. " tamaiiscinnm IIcilw. " splendens Iltdw. " aduncum L. " uncinatiun ll'ilw. " cupres.-iifornie L. Cristii-castrensis L. ahietininn A. " nitiiliilum L. Neckera intermedia Il'dic. Marchantia polymorpha L. Juiigeririaniiia barbata Hook. Pliliilium ciliare. A'ees. ExrMKUATin LicirF.Nt'M a 1). Prof. Agassiz ad T.acnm Supcriorein, anim 181H, leetoruin, ab Edvo. Tuckkkman, C'lntabr. Vidi olini in IMuseo Parisiensi alicpiot plantas a D. C'omitc de Castclnau in itinere suu ad Lacuin Superiorem decerptas, inter quas Lichenes decern inse- qucntes reperi: — Usneam barbatnni, Var. pendulam. Everniam Jubatani Fr. Ranialinani ealicareni ,**. Fr. Cetrariam islandicani Ach. C. glaucam Ach. C. laeunosam ;< Atlanticam Tuck. 11 tt It i( (t (( t( (( It k( i( «< 11 (( 11 u II Moist plaee.s Pine forests. VKdKTATION OF THE NORTHERN SHORES. 171 Stiofam piilinonarinm Arh. Parinnliain .-axaiili'iu Avh. 1*. ciiiHTaUuu Arh, Cladoiiiam rai)<.'ili'r'main //';//'■ Ilini' jiriiuitiis incrcniontiiin attulit, (inantmu ncio, noino 11^^110 tloncc oras iii-ul;is(|iit' l.ai us jici-liistraiis I'rofV'ssor nosli-r illii>trlss. A;,'.is.si/, iiuis J. E. Caboi.tJ. M. lA-a, (' (1. Loiinpt, ami Dr. KcIIit. — nus-cin salis liirjrain ft'cit. iIa-< i^iiiii' opes l^icliciiobos, milii IxMiirvolciitia V. ill. inandatos, pro \iribu9 f.xpliiart' pergain. LirHICi\ES. Is.NKA. 1. Ixirliata Fr. var. ri'sso plus minus (■avcrnosu oclirok'uro, raniis priniorilxis >iin[ili- t'iuHculissul)V(.'ntri('Osis aUi'unatis ad apices dirliotoMii- r.inKii. vff-rt; Populus balsamifcra Mx. t( treuiuloidcs Mx. Sparjfanium uaUins L. I'otainogfton natans r,. ti luccns L. u pru'longus Wulf. u heterophyllus Schreb u peetinatus L. n pauciilorus Pwsh. Trigloehin datum Null. Alisma Plantago L. Sagittarla variabilis Engl. Echinodorus subulatus Engl. Udora Canadensis Nutt. Vallisueria spiralzis L. Iris versicolor L. Juncus effusus L. " acuminatus Mx. " paradoxus E. Meyer. " nodosus L. " balticus Willd. Elcocharis obtnsa Schultz. " palustris A'. Br. " tenuis Scliult. " acicularis li. Br. Scirpus lacustris L. Carex stipata MiiJil. " scoparia Schk. " festucacca Schk. " vulgaris Fries. " stellulata Good. Europe. latitudes, shows their closer con- nection with the nature of the ground than with the temperature of the country where they grow. Populus nigra J-. > " treiuula L. > Sparganiinn natans L. I'otamogeton natans L. " lucens. L " peribliatus L. Jura. "I Quiet I waters, I lakes and riv- ers of Europe. Trigloehin palustre L. This species occurs also in N. America. Alisma Plantago L. f Sagittaria sagittiiolia L. ) Echinodorus is an aquatic type peculiar to the American flora. Udora oecidentallis Fursh. Northern Germany. Vallisneria spiralis L. Lombardy and Tessino. Iris pseudc-acorus L. Margins of waters. Everywhere. Juncus eiTusus L. " acutiilorus Ehrh. baltii'us Willd. and Baltic. Northern Sea Elcocharis palustris R. Br. Marshes. " acicularis R. Br. Margin of lakes and marshes. Scirpus lacustris L. Common in all lakes of Switzerland. Many of these species are the same in the two continents ; but there arc at the margin of waters of the whole middle and northern Europe, many more Caricea re- iii vm VEGETATION OP THE NORTHERN SHORES. 177 Lake Superior. Carex crinita iMm. Europe. sembling those cf North America, which are however not identical. " tentaculata Muhl. " hystritina Wil'/l. " Ocdcri Ehrh. " intumcsccns Rudge. " retorsa Schwr. Nitella (lexilis Agardh. Fontinalis antipyretica. Nitella flcxilis Agardh. Lake of Gen- eva. Fcntinalis antipyretica. In the brooks of the Jura. It seems at the first glance to be a contradiction to unite in a separate table the arjuatic plants of the lakes, leaving as characteristic of the subalpine region the acjuatic plants of the peat-bogs. That is, however, not the case, for the peat-bogs and the plants which form them, (the peat-bngs with Sphagna at Ica^t,) never descend below the Pine region, which they follow in its whole ex- tent, whilst lake and marine plants follow the shores in various latitudes. The former being of course under the direct inlluence of the temperature, the latter, on the contrary, being more dependent upon the moisture of the soil. HI. American plants of LaJce Superior., which have no analogous representa- tives in Central Europe.* Sarracenia purpurea L. Iludsonia tomentosa Nutt. llubus Nutkanus Mo(. Fotentilla fruticosa L. Cornus canadensis L, > Truly American types. There are no Kubus of the type r' odoratus and nutkanus in Europe. Cultivated in the gardens of Europe, where it succeeds very well in temperate plains and in the moun- tains. A charming little plant of which we find no other analogue in Central Eu- rope than a i'ew Umbelliferae, for their general form, the Buple vruras for instance, which grow in the Sub Alps. But Cornus succica L. is its stri"t analogue in Northern Europe. ♦ Besides the genera which have no representatives at all in Central Europe, there are several introduced in this list which have only remote ai.alogues, or indeed, real representatives ; but in such countries of the Old World which are far distant from the mountain chains, the vegetation of which has been compared here with that of Lake Superior. 178 LAKE SUPERIOR. Dicrvill.1 trifida Mocnch. Alitcholla rej)ens L. Coreopsis lai coolata L. Mulgotlium leucopha^um D. C. N:\h,iliis racomosus Hook. Lobelia Kalmii L. Dianthcra ainoricana L. Mimulus riuiions L. Ca3tiUi\ja coccinea Spr. " septcntrionalis Lindl. Monanla fistulosa L. Calystcgia spithania'a Pursh. Apocyiuim androsicmifolium L. Polygonum articnilatum L. Slicphardia canadensis Xutt. Coinandra livida L. " umbellata Xutt. Clintouia borealis Jiaf. Sisvriuchiuni bermudianum L. Truly Ameriean typos. This poiuis, 0110 of the finest of the CompositiP, is wanting in Europe. Comes near the Mulgedium alpinuui of Lapland. Entirely wanting in Europe. The Lobelicc are not numerous in Eu- rope, being replaced there by the Campanului and Phyteumata, of which genera the first is scantily represented in America, and the second not all. Truly American types. Bartsia alpin^ L. Found upon the highest peaks of the Jura, is the nearest relative to Castilleja cocci- nea in Central Europe. Castilleja pallida L., closely allied to C. septentrionalis, occurs on the N. E. confines of Russia. We cannot consider this plant as cor- resj)onding to the Apocynum Ve- netum, which belongs to the sea- shores of the Adriatic. These two species diifer in form and habitat. Of this type of Polygonum there is no analogous form in Europe. Truly American types. IV. T'he few pinnis of Lake Mtperior, indicated in the folloiciny list, have either a very wide rari., Cornus sanguinea L., Yiscum album L., Ligustrum vulgare L., Daphne Cneorum L., Popuhis tremuhi L., witli tlie hitroduced ^-Es- cuhis IIi[)0castanum, which succcedd in this zone better than anywhere else. This is the region of shrubs, proi)erly speaking, with which is mingled the beecli tree, whose zone, however, is more extended, and ascends in the Jura to 3,500 feet, and to 4,000 feet in the Alps. To the region of the beech tree, which extends over a thousand feet of vertical height, from 2,500 to 3,500 feet, belong the following ghrubs: — Rhamnus Frangula L., Cytisus Laburnum i., Rubus saxa- tilis i., Rubus cjicsius Z., Rubus id;eus L., Rosa eglanteriaX,, Rosa villosa L., Rosa canina Z., Rosa rubiginosa L., Cratiegus Amelan- chier L., Lonicera Xylosteum L., Sambucus El)ulus L., Dajihne Mezercum L., Daphne alpina L., Daphne laureola L., Ulmus campestris L., Corylus Avellana L. The region of the pines or Coniferre extends from 3,500 feet to 4,500 feet in the Jura, and to G,000 feet in the Aljis. It is well characterized in its lower and middle parts, where we find Frax- inus excelsior L., Abies excelsa DC, Abies pectinata DC, Juniperus communis L., and in the higher part the Pinus Ccmbra L., Pinus Pumilio Clxs, Larix europrea DC In this zone live the Betula alba L., Betula pubescens Ehr., and Betida nana L., and some bushes which never leave it, the Ericine;iD especially ; Vaccinium Myrtillus Z/., Vacchiium uliginosumZ., Vaccinium Oxycoccos L., A^'acciuium Vitis-idiea Z., Andromeda polifolia L., Arbutus Uva-ursi L., Arbu- tus alpina L., Pyrola rotundifolia L., Pyrola minor, L., Pyrola chlor- antha *S';i., Pyrola secunda L., Pyrola umbellata L., Pyrola uniflora L., Linnnea borealis L., Lonicera alpigena Z., Lonicera carulca i., Rosa rubrifolia Willd., Rosa alpina L., Rhamnus alpiuus, L., ! ' r Mo*; I < >» 182 LAKE SUPEIUOR. ami in the hip;hor parts, CrutjcL^ns ChaniiTomcspilua X., Azalea ju'o- cumbens //., Rmpetnim nigrum L., Acer pseudoplatainis L. Above all these we meet already in the Jura the Rhododendrons and the Salix herbacca, which belong truly to the alpine flora char- acterized bv all those handsome i)lants covered with a liiniht cotton down, which we find along the mai-gin of the glaciers in the Aljis, and as high as the uppermost limit where all vegehvtion ceases some- what suddenly, at a level of about 8,000 feet above the level of the sea. Treea of the Lake Superior lieyion. We may place at about 40" northern latitude the zone of vegeta- tion, which in America coii'csponds to the u[>per limit of the cultiva- tion of the vine, as we observe it on the banks of the Swiss lakes. At about this latitude the family of the Magnoliaceic dies out, though we may still meet the Magnolia gluuoa in the swamps, as far as the 43° N. lat., and though the tulip tree still litMu-islies there. This is also the northern limit of the Anonaee-.v;, Melastomaceiie, Cactocete, Santalaceaj, and Li([uidambar ; and though in Europe we have no representatives of these families, it is easy to perceive, on reflecting upon the examples just mentioned, that the limits of vegetation under consideration are natural, and correspond to each other, though characterized in the two continents by different plants. Again, the numerous species of wild vines which America produces, although they do not extend farther northwards than the cultivation of the vine in Euiope, yet prosjicr on this continent in i^ colder climate. The State of Massachusetts, with its long arm stretched into the ocean eastwards, or i-ather the region extending westward under the same {)arallel through the State of New York, forms a natural limit between the vegetation of the warm temperate zone, and tliat of the cold temperate zone, wliose forests G. B. Emerson, Esq., has so well described in his admirable Report upon the Trees and Shrubs of Massachusetts. With this book, we may become well ac(|uainted with the arborescent vegetation of the zone which corresponds to the horizon of oaks and jihrubs in the Jura ; so that I need not enumer- ate these characteristic si.ccies. Not only is this also the northern limit of the culture of fruit trees, buc this zone is equally remarkable for the great variety of elegant shrubs which occur particularly VEGETATION OF THE NORTHERN SHORES. 183 on its northem borders, where wo find so great a variety of species belonging to the genera, Celastrus, Cratjegus, llibos, (.'(trnus, IlamameHs, Vaccinium, Kahnia, Khodora, Azalea, Rho- ilodendrura, Andromeda, Clethra, Viburnum, Cephalanthus, Trinos, l.)irca, Celtis, kc. I shall only add, that in the latitude under which the St. Lawrence winds its course from the great Canadian lakes, and takes a more independent course north-eastwards, we pt-rceivc already great changes in the growth of trees. About Niag- ara, or rather somewhat further north along the northern shores <»f Lake Ontario, and the hills which rise above Toronto, the following sjjecies begin to disai»pear : Sassafras officinale, (I have not seen this species north of Table Rock,) Juglans nigra and cinerea, Carya alba and amara, Castanea americana, Quercus alba and Castanea, I*la- tanus occidontalis, Tilla aroericana, (this species occurs, however, as far north as Sturgeon Bay, on Lake Huron,) Rubus odoratu:^. Though the Beech is extensively distributed among the forests of this zone, we cannot but be struck Avith their splendid growth further north, where the Elm, Red Oak, Hornbeam, HojHhornbeam, several species uf Birches, various Maples, Ashes, Wild Cherries, &c., tfec, more i)V less mixed with Coii St. Igiiacc Island, which we called Mount-Cambridge, aiForded the following harvest for our herbarium : — Abies balsamea, Abies alba, Betula papyracea, Ahms viridis, Sorbus americana, Amelanchicr canadensis, Acer montanum, Diorvillea trifida, Sambucus pubens, Rhus Toxicodendrum, Vaccinium uliginosum, Corylus rostrata, Lin- naja boroalis, Cornus cd'iadcnsis, Spirnea opulifolia, Salix, Cory- dalis glauca, Epilobiura angustifo "um, Polygonum ciliare, Melara- pyrum, Clintonia borcalis, Stereocaulon paschale, Gyrophora hirsuta, Cladonia pyxidata, and rangifcrina, Parmclia tiliacea and Sphagnum acutifolium. From this list it is obvious, that even a thousand feet of height will introduce very slight differences in the vegetation of these re- gions. For, though Mount Cambridge is about a thousand feet above the level of the lake, its whole slope is covered with the same vege- tation which occurs at the very level of the lake. This fact would seem in flat contradiction with the general laws of the geographical distribution of plants, to which we have alluded above, but for the presence of the lake itself and its peculiar character. So large a sheet of so deep water as Lake Superior, preserving all the year round a very e()[uable and low temperature even on its shores, which are generally very precipitous, must of course influence greatly the temperature of the main land in its immediate vicinity, at considerable heights above its surface. There is, therefore, nothing very surprising in our finding so uniform a vegetation at rather considerable heights above the surface of the lake and on its immediate shores. This fact is to be attributed to the equalizing local influence of the VEQETATION 0^ ftit KORTHEtlN SnORES. 185 lake, inddoies noti form fth exception to the la^y of distribution, arid change of the character of Vc^^etation in the interior of continents, upon the slopes of high tnoiintains ; ft>r we have, even tt few degrees farther sontli, in the same bontlheht, a strilcinj; exam'|>lo of the fixity of those laws, in the White Mountains, which are sufficiently distant from the sea-iiihoi^c,' ftnd not' surrbunded hy any large sheet of fresh water, so that the Eones of vegetation are very well marked on their 9lo[>e9, attd eart be traced W gradual sucCesHtion beyond the range of the Mountains prdj)6r tb the level, where the vei'etation has the char- acter which distinj^ui^h^s it, in thife latitude, near the level of the sea. In the vieirlity of the White Mountains, the changes of vegetation ai-e rather con*picuoil», owirig to their gradual elevation above the sun-oundrng flttt cotihlry, and also to the more sudden rise of several' of their peaks. We no sotoner begin to ascend the head waters of the C6nnectieut yaliey towartl* Littleton j than the forest vegetation begins to as*uru6 a different character from ivhat it has lower down in the main valley hearer the sea; Jnglans cinerea and Carya porcina disappear in'-thftt viHage.' The oaks also are fewer and smaller. The mountaiin maple^ ivhioh is not found below, here makes • its appearan(ie. The follbwing trees may be seen bet\vcen Windsor and Littleton : -^ Abies Canadensis, Pinus strobus, Thuya occidentalis, Larix Americana, Platanus occidentalis, !!fagus ferrugin'ea, CbmfjtO' nia asplenifoiia, B^tulai populifoliaj B. lenta, B; excclsa, B. papy- raeea, Quertius alba, Q. rubra, Q. bicolor, Ulmus Americana, Car^' pinus Atneriteatta, Osttya Virginicaj Fraxihus alba, Popultis trenra-' loides, Tilia Amoric^nd, Acer saccharinnm, A-ihontanum, A. Penn- sylvanieum. Th6 diestnut has already disappeared at Windsor, where the height abbve the level of th^s^a is three huridred feet. '- 'From Littletow, eight hundred and thirty feet abov'e the sea, to Fabyan'a, which h fifteen hundred feet,* we notice Abifes alba, A. balSami^ra, A. Canadensis, Pinu« strobub, Larix Ainericlihiii Tilia Araericana^ Fi*axinud ailba', Acer saccharinum, A. inontar litiftr, Ai Penn^ylvahicum, Ulmua Americ'ana^ Sorbus Amerieanay ReUula excels*, B'. papytacoa^ B; popttlifijliai Abius incanaij Gotrip-' I I l^\ ',1 il J ■ I'M : i:d ' ;1 III )fthe ]* This And the following ntouurbs were ascertidncd. barometrically. bjr FiofQSSQv; A. GuTot. 13 iii 180 LAKE SUPKUIOIl. ':'! m h tonia aspleiiifoliii, &c. The Cupulifene havo disaitpcarcd ; Pinna ri;^i more northern latitudes. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that in most cases they were introduced hito the more temperate and cultivated latitudes from Europe, rather than from their northern residence in America. The following list of these plants was chiefly made from an examination of the railroad tracks between Boston and Salem, in company with that liberal cultivator of botany, Hon. John A. Lowell, and also from materials collected during an excursion made with * I do not wish by this remark to be understood as intending to deny the identity of any native plant in the temperate zone of Europe and America. I know that many species which occur very far north, and are there truly identical in both continents, are also found among the plants of the temperate zone on the two sides of tlie Atlantic ; but there still remains a large number, the identity of which ought to be ascertained by direct comparison of authentic specimens from the two continents, before it can be finally admitted that there is no specific difference between them. As such, I may mention Ilepatica triloba, Geranium Ilobcrtianum, Oxalis Acetosclla, Spirtea Aruncus, Circxa lutetiana, Calystegia sepium, Agrimonia Eupatoria, Majanthemum bifolium, and many aquatic plants. The identity of these with European species seems to me the more questionable, as the freshwater animals, the fishes, moUu^liLS and insects difTei specifically throughout. .'1 < i 1 \\i M m It i I K] ^ i ' i8d .H. i;, -I! ''■ ' tAKt SUPERIOR. ' ' U the aarao gentleman to Niagara V\i]\n and the WlUto Mountains. The European -woods which aro liiQitod to cnltivatcd j^round, as Lychnis Oitha^^o, Ocntauroa Cyancus, aro entirely omitted in this list, a3 well a,^ plants escaped from gardens, which aro fontid only occasionally, in an apparently wild condition, in the United States, OS Abutilon Aviconnic, Althuca officinalis, &c. tinnitnculaccce. Kanun(;uliis turn. " bulbosiifi. " scelcratus. rierhcridcae. Bcrbcris vulgaris. ( Pnpaveracetg, CheliJonium majus. Fumarlacece. Fumaria ofTicinalis. /( ',■■'' CruiiiferoB. Nasturtium oiFicinalu. Lcpidium ruJerale. Often side by, side with Lcpid. virginianum. Barbarca vulgaris. SIsyiilbriatn officinale. ' ' '■ i ,'* tbalianum. praba vcraa. ' . i; ,. Sinapis nigra. i " arvcnsls. Capsella IJursa-Pastoris. ^phauuii Kaphauistruin. ji! ■ fllypericinece. Hypericum pcrlbliatum. Ccrastium vulgatum: Sporgula arvensis. BfluraDtbus annuus.] Porlulacacea. Portulaoa olcracca. Mnhacea, Malva rotundiiblia. u Gernniece, Erodium cicutarium. Leguniinosoe. Trifolium pratenso. " arvonso. , " rcp^ns. j ^ _ *• procumbcns. Mcdicago lupulina. Vicia saiiva. ^" craooa. j -.w i n MelUotus oiBcinallst, , i ) , •' ; , ii. >; 'I. i; .1.. 1 .1.1 nil, I.," CrassulacecB. Scdum Tclephium. UmhelU/erce. Daucus Carota. Fastinaca sativa. Conium maculatom. ^ ... ,• J ,.!.]. 1 • fl »:. Jiii.l j j/'Ji.iJ ■ '■ f iic ' !. i;.fw .: i.i •n-iii; • :,.'...■. r.ci! !j • )! •') I •iiunlu {!!; i;f liuoiacex, ' it IT.l! t.f '. ') ^""' ' ■ "■ Caryophijllac6i ',!■ 192 LAKE SUPERIOR. ■'>i f'^ to liavc some j)riiicii)le by which to rei^ulate the internal details of tlio edifice. We may indeed foi-m natural divisions sinijily from structural evi- dence, brin^ to_uether all fishes as they a<^ree in the most imjiortant details of their structuix', and opnjbiiio all reptiles into one class, notr withstanding:; the extreme differences in their external fonn. We mav also recoifuize the true affinity of whales, and bring them to,:!;etlicr with other Mahimalia, notwtthstandhig their iwjuatic Imbits and their fishdike form ; we may oven subdivide tho^ classes into inferior groups upon structural evidence, and thus introduce orders, like the Quadrunuma, Carnivora, llodentia, liuniinimtia, &c., kc, among Mammalia. But we are at once at a loss how to determine the relative value of those grou})s, and to find a scale for the natural arrange- ment of further subdivisions. After having, for example, circum- scribed the Carnivorous Mammalia into one natural family, how are we to group the minor divisions like that of the swimming Carnivora, tlie Plantigrada and the Digitigrada ; or, after circumscribing the reptiles into natural groups like those of Chclonians, Saurians, Ophidians and Batrachians, how shall we, for instance, arrange the various types of Batrachians ? To those who have been familiar with our proceedings? in all these attempts, it must bo evident that tlic grouping of our subdivisions has been almost arbitrary and en- tirely left to our decision without a regular guide. We have, it is true, subdivided the Bat'^achians into the more fishdike forms which preserve their gills and tails, or at least their tails ; and into another group, contahiing those which undergo a complete metamorphosis ; but it has not yet occurred to naturalists to take this metamorphosis as the regulating principle of classification, to arrange genera according to their agreement with certain degrees of development, in the natural order of changes which the higher of these animals undergo. Now it is my firm belief, that such a new principle can be introduced into our science ; that methodical arrangement maybe carried into the most minute details, without leaving any room for arbitrary decision. Pro- teus, Menobranchus, Amphiuma, Triton, Salaraandra will hereafter have a natural jdacc in our classification, which will be commanded by embryology, and no longer be left to a vague feeling that acpiatic animals are lower than ami)hibious and terrestrial ones, and that the CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS. 193 retaining of the gill3 indicates a lower position than their disap- pearance. * Of course, in the outset, wc do not find sufllcieut data to trace this arraiigcraont throughout the annual kingdom, and to make the })rin- ciple which I have just menLiouod the ruHiig hiw of nice classical arrangement. But until such sulHt'leut knowk'dge ii5 a<;iiuired, let mo show that my principle does in fact apply to all classed of the animal kingdom, and will at once contribute to improve all their subdivisions. Among Mammalia, for example, wc shall continue to give the aquatic carnivorous animals a lower position among Camivora, but no longer simply because thoy are aquatic, but because tlwy are webfootod, as the webfoot is the earlier form of tlic limbs iu all Mammalia whose embryonic development has been traced. We shall bo led, for similar reasons, to deny the bats the high position which has bcoa assigned to them, and to combine them closer with the Insectivora. We shall separate the manatees from their present relations and combine them with tapirs, elephants, &c., as they are rather webfootod Pachy- derms, than true Cetaceans.f • These views were fully illustrated in a series of twelve lecture^ upou CcmjKirative Embryology, delivered before the Lowell Institute during; thn hist .viuti r, iiiid reported for the Daily Evening Traveller, and afterwards publishr'd as a sopiirate pamphlet. f These aphorisms will be .justified by a mere cluborate illustration of the peculiar changes which the limbs of Mammalia undergo during their embryonie gruwtli, as far lis I have been abio to trace them, in various uiinmls. It may sulKcu, for the present, for me to say here, that in all young embryos of Mammalia which I have recently had an o])portunity to examine, I have found the extroniities arising as oblong tubercles, flattened at their extremities, spreading more and more into the form of hemispherical paddles, in which the changes in the cellular growth gradually introduce diliereuces upon the points where the fingers arc to !ie developed. But for a longer tinn' they re- main combined in a common outline, and the mi(Tos'ipic structure of the tissues alone indicates the points of growth ; and even after the fingers have l)oen fully sketched pat, they remain for a certain time unitid iiy a coiomon weli, wiiiuh is L■.lucei.ii^ely reduced as the fingers grow longer and thicker. It is very remarkable how uniform, and indeed how identical in fcnin and structure the anterior and posterior extremities are in the l>cginniug whatever may be the dill'ercnce at a later period of growth. Thus, for instance, there is not the slighte>t dilfcreuce lie tween the anterior and posterior extremities of the bat, in the early stages of develop- ment. The wing is then a very short limb, terminated by a flat, webbed paddle, cf a semicircular form, identical in dcvelo])n' "nt, si/e and form with the hinder estrei-iity, and differing in no respect from the appearance of the h unl and foot in y nmg li iman embryos, or in embryos of cats, dogs, squirrels, hares, rabbits and pigs, and bearing 194 LAKE SUPERIOR. Among birds wc shall also avail ourselves of the discovery I made last year, tliat embryos of birds iiave wcb-fect and wel)-win;^s, and no longer consider Palmipedes as forming a natural group by themselves, but allow the possibility of having several natiiral groups of birds, beginning each with web-footed forms. Every one who is conversant with the natural history of birds must have been struck with the great diversity of features in birds united in our systems under the head of Palmii)cdes. Taking all birds together, we hardly notice among them greater differences than those which exist between the various families of Palmipedes, which are, confessedly, brought together upon no other character than the webbed form of their feet ; though among them we have birds of prey, such as the gulls, and others, which seem to stand by themselves unconnected and without any analogy with any other family, such as the swans, geese, and ducks ; and again, the pelicans and the genera allied to them, and also the divers. It can hardly be understood why birds so widely different should be brought together ; and indeed, their reunion would long ago have been given up, had it not been for the difficulty of finding characters to separate them, and for the strong impression, that the similarity -of the structure of their feet should overrule the other characters. But now, since it is known that birds of the most heterogeneous character in the structure of their legs, in their adult form, have, when very young, identical legs, whether they belong to the type of hawks, or to that of crows, or to that of sparrows, or to that of swal- lows, or to that of ])igcon3, or to that of hens, or to that of waders, or to that of true Palmipedes, — when we know all these types to have an identical development of their legs, and, I may add also, of their wings, — for the young wing is ecpially a small, webbed fin, — there can be no longer an}'- doubt left upon the impropriety of combining any two families of adult birds solely on the ground of their legs having webbed feet. It is a fact, too well known in zoology, that different families will the same relation to the extremities of birds, in which also legs and wings are dc- ▼eloped acccMdiiig to the same |):\ttern. These facts have been p;trtly described in my Lerttires on Comparative Embryolop;y, and more extensively illustrated in a paper laid before the American Association for the advancement of Science, iu Cambridge, August, 1849. See also Narrative, p. 35. fV CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS. 195 head |r legs les ■will I are tie- Ij-olopty, for the repeat, in the same class, the characteristic changes which are pecu- liar to the whole family, to require any further ar;^umcnt to show that Palmipedes are not, necessarily, a natural division ; and though we may fail for the present in reilrranging the families of this class into natural orders, I trust after these remarks, more importance will yet be attached, and more attention paid in future, to the fact that Pal- mipedes, as^ they arc now characterized, have very different types of wind's and l)ills. I have, for ray own part, been strongly impressed with the resemblance which exists between gulls and frigate birds, and the birds of prey, of the hawk and vulture families, in which the toes are by no means so completely distinct as they arc among other birds. And, far from considering birds of prey as the highest family among birds, I would only consider them as highest in the scries which includes simultaneously ProcellaridiTj and Laridue. Whether the family of pelicans belongs to this group or not, I am not prepared to say ; but, at all events, the fact of their preserving their four toes in one continuous web shows them to rank lowest among bii-ds. Again, among reptiles there will no longer be a foundation for any arrangement resting merely upon impressions ; thus the terres- trial turtles will stand higher than the fresliwatcr, and these again higher than the marine ; and among Batrachians, wliich are best known in their embryology, we can already arrange all the genera in natural series, taking the metamorphosis of the higher as a scale, and placing all full-grown forms in successive order, accord- ing to their greater or less resemblance to these transient states. Even the relative position of toads and frogs may be settled with as much internal evidence as any other question of rank in wider limits, merely upon the dift'orcnce of their feet. In my researches upon fossil fishes I have on several occa- sions alluded to the resemblance which we notice between the early stages of growth in fishes, and the lower forms of their families in the full-grown state, and also to a similar resemblance between the emiiryonic forms and the earliest representatives of tliat class in the oldest geological epochs ; an analogv which is so close, that it involves another most important principle, viz., that the order of succession in time, of the geological types, agrees with the gradual olianges which the animals of our day undergo during their metamori)hosis,*thu3 t 196 If.\KIil SUPBEIOB.: 'J') 1 1 ■ 1 '1 !.lii| giving us another giiidc to the manifold relations which exist among animals, allowing us to avail ourselves, for the purpose of classification, of the factij derived from the development of the whole animal king- dom in geological epochs, as well as tlie development of individual species in our epoch. But to this most fruitful principle I shall have •hereafter an opportunity of agam calling attention. ; • i V. At present there is some doubt among zoologists, as to the respect- ive position of the classes of worms, insects and Crustacea, some placing the Crustacea, and others the insects uppermost. Embryonic data may afford the means of settling this question ; we need onlj remember the extensive external changes which insects undergo from tlioir earliest age, and the maaiy stages of structure through wliich they pass, whilst Crustacea are less polymorphous during the different periods of their life, and never obtain an ai-rial respiration, but breathe through life with gills, wliich many larvte of insects cast before they have accomplished their metamorphoses, to be satisfied that the affinity between Crustacea and worms is greater than between worms • and insects, especially if we consider the extraordinary forms of some parasitic types of the former. As soon as the higher rank of insects among Articulata is acknowledged, many important relations, whicl. remain otherwise concealed, are at once brought out. The whole .type of insects in its perfect condition, oontaiua only aerial animals, .while the Crustacea and worms are chiefly aquatic. And if we com- pare these three classes in a general way, we cannot deny the cor- rectness of the comparison as made by Oken, that worms corres- pond to the larval state of insects, Crustacea to their pupa state, • ftnd that insects pass through metamorphoses corresponding to the other classes of Articulata. The little we know about the embryology of worms will already satisfy us that the earlier stages of tlie higher of these animals agree most remarkably in character with such of them as, from other reasons, Ave have been in the habit of considering as the lowest, thus affording another prospect of regulating finally the arrangement of those curious animals entirely upon embryonic data. If there is any internal evidence that the whole animal kingdom is constructed upon .\ definite plan, we may find it in the remarkable CLASSIFICATION OF ANI^IALS. 197 a;^reemcnt of our conclusions, -whcthep doi'ivecl from anatomicfil evi- dence, from embr^'ology or from pnlfeontology. Nothing, indeed, can be more gratifying than to trace the close agreement of the general results derived frotn the study of tho stnictnre of animals, ^Tith tho results derived from tlie investigation of their embryonic changes, or from their succession in geological times. Let anatomy be the foundation of a classification, and in the main, the frame thusr devised will agree with the arrangement introduced from embryo- logical data. And, again, this series will express the chief features of the order of succession in which animals were gradually intro- duced upon our globe. Home examples will show more fully that this is really the case. Resting more upon the characters derived from the nervous system, which in the crabs is concentrated into a few masses, zoologists have generally considered these animals as higher than the lobsters, in which the nervous ganglia remain more isolated. Now as far as we know, the embryos of brachyuran Crus- tacea, that is, of crabs, are all macrural in their shape, that is to say, they resemble at an early age tho lobsters more than their own parents ; and again, lobster-like Crustacea prevailed in the middle ages of geological times during the triassic and oolitic periods, that is, ages before crabs were created, as we find no fossils of that family before the tertiary period. Of the class of insects I have for the present little to say, the di- versity of their metamorphoses having not yet allowed an insight into their bearing. I will only mention that the predaceous character of the lan'fe of most of the sucking insects, which are provided with powerful jaws in their early stages of growth, seems to indicate that the chewing insects rank lower than the sucking tribes. Investiga- tions which I am tracing at pifsent, will, I hope, throw some light upon this most important question.* ""' * Since the above remarks were written, I have devoted most of my time to the in Tcstigation of these metamorphoses in insects ; and to my great satisfaction (but, 1 may say, as I anticipated,) I find that the metamorphoses of the higher insects throw such light upon the real relations of the different orders of that class, as to settle final- ly tho question of their gradation. It has now become with me a matter of fact, that Coleoptcra, Orthoptcra, Ncuroptcra and llymcnoptera, rank below llemiptera, Diptera andLepidoptera.' A careflil inTcstiqjatioii of the chanpres of ljcpidopt*ra has shown to mc that, prior to assuming its pupa form, the young butterfly assuuus, under the last i :■■ t^ I I t! ; reito«ia and t?uo Accphala. Arnf^n^ (hii^tcropoda I wonld intmhice Forartini^ei'a aa their loncsf type, exeraplitying, in a perma- nent condition, tho enll'irynnid d^vi^^ion of their gorni, next the Ptcro- j)odu woidd follow, also as an embryonic form of Gasteropcvla, in which the lateral fin-like appendap;oHi and the symmetrical shell remind U8 of the de not evert arjufttic, nor provide "I ij. /'i j: ."^ \' litU'' '.I'.'.'Vi 'Ml III ! I ' I. ■> v;ii.I ■'// il 'lif.v ill )j( j'llJ ij; ' J) il) r4M-.li" I , ii!i' . i( .iJCh'J J I -.'A: ■)•• ;i.,I ii.,:l: I ■i!j in('li',|r..i .,l|l i'tii.j l-lll ll'lll ,"r.lll. lU. nii i" .1 111, I lii li;-;-) vii- iviiti iiu;.- II 'i' I '■' 1.'' . '!;i!. I'.l i!i :i I. ;,'■ •..;' I.';1IJ>"|II|'.>'> l'.' t!'"0.i; 1 il 11.: ■' I ;■ . ll'lll. II •■> t: t!i"IJi l'-^'!:i( ill;, III 'i I'll.' ■.....;■'. 'Il : -.i.'!: 'i',;'i '.ll Mill i! '.:;ii 'M ! . j- i, ' i..i; * i il i i •!!■! ■ii:-.- : ' i iiH. ••,.'. 'lul! ,lja!) .■■■'•■.; 'iM-'i r ih'-n ; ■! , h'-m 'ij'ii !■!• ■);, ! >.i:.i.ii/ I? >'.!. !;'•>;; i)i ^iili :lii t.f :l .••>.U •<<... .i..| i'.,.! ,v , - mj-i Ji, ■ 'i..! , J.irllv.'.! 1.1 ...-j,l.» .!.. m1.^iI ill :li ii'/-) Jmm'i !■> -il !.|||i,|-i! l:ii .; ,ii; ■'.» "ilj 111 r, '•!!;!.{ \u Jii;/iU-J.jiu. I u. nil ii,t.i ;;,i'i ,i'M'ii.i •'■ii!:ij., it l •[ t,"" ) 1'. 'I»,i .'■■iiiili'l J lit ■"!) ;l,'i .■ • ' I'-ii '.111'-. Ill 't'l-v'! <-!'(";M;') ■I'.'jI III; M'M II! bllh . tb.il;! -.1! . . ' ,)i7-(i; -i-li ,M !.:>;, '■■_ }•• '-,11' I'lLuiUifiM viiiit 'lu: 111'!-, jl'i'/ /!'• ■ » • . 'ilj jj-.'lj ,. ' ! I I I . I :r''!I :•"' .•' '.I . i! '• > vi,! >•( i , : ■' •• i •!. ' . i. IliIj ,::!.iintii nil.. Ml It'] : In !> 'c. tdii.'il-. ml ■•.! !■. i: I.:!-' : ri \ r.,. .::..■:.! !0 ijjniiiM;.'!-,; :;'))'.! 'iii) '■. 1.' " '^ ■I'l't,;-, (111 •; ■ •• ,: mi't ui'.} i-*jii;-'l ni (I >■' ! '-.. ' 'i <■,.'; .I'l' ' "''i 'ji.ii.iii^ mI; ;.. n ■• . n ulj ')•. i;j.' . .•.'.: i:';'j.);; ; iiu: ij/i'.'-. I'.;/ i'Uu> m.'Ai .k/iI: -lui' uj ki ■:■! [ 'liitanivrui. Ldji. Iini>, Moiif)|jriiphi(' dcs HiiprcMtidfs par Laiiorto vX (i(»ry. /. Aculciny of Nat. S'iciU'OS. A'. /•/■ rurnii'i: New lOiijjiurKl l''arni('r. Am. I'Ht. Mdij. Ni'wiuan. Tlu- KiiloinoIo},''K'al Ma^a/inc. 01. Ins, OlivitT, Kntoniolo«rii . ('(dt'opiiTi-H. 1'. Ac. Tliu rro('t't'(linj{.s of (lie AcafK-niy of Nat. ScicnrrH. I'utz. Clic. I'utzt'ys' Moiiofirapiiie dcs Clivina, la .Mrnioin's do la Sooicte Uoyalf dt's Sck'nrcs di- \Arin>. So;/ I'-i/i. Say, in Appendix to Ldnjr's I'-xpcdition to the St. IVters' Uivcr. Sell. Si/n. Schctnlicrr, .Synonyniia Iiisi-ctonini. Si'fi. .Sclionlicrr, (lencra et species Cur/. N. Z. 9. vulL'aris Say. Ain. Tr. 1, 409. oliluiuata Dt'j. 1, 72. Casnonia Lntr. pennsylvanlca I>ij. 1, 172. Li'.niA I. air. divisa. conrinnit^ I.e. An. I.yr. 4. 192. tricolor Say. Am. Tr. 2, 11. pleuritiia Ijr. 19.'!. furcata /.'<■. 19;<. fuseata Dcj. 1, 270. ' nioesta. viridis Say. Am. Tr. 2, 1 1. puniila 1)< j. T), ;j88. Cymixius Latr. ' reflexa. ' L. mocstn. — Nipro-siilia!nca, nitida, thorace oapito iiaruin latiorc, transvcrso, antirc rotundato, iinpressioiic transversa auteriore prot'iuula; aiigiistc iiiari^iiiato, aiij;ulis posticis rec'tis clcvatis ; elytris tcniiissime striatis, striis punctatis, inttrstitiis ])lauts- simis, .'3'" tripunutato : anteiiiiis nigris, foncolorihus. Lonfj. .10 uiic. Found at Mich- ipicotiu on Solidago. Uesrniblcs L. viridis (Say) but easily distiui^iiislu-d, apart from color, by the narrower and longer head, and distinctly punctured stria' of the elytra. - C. reflexa. — I'iceo-brunnea, pilosa, capite thoraecque k''"^",'>■ m ! r U 'IB ■ I Dromius Hon. piccus J)ej. !), 353. CijminilU pirod Lcc. 189. LiON'Ycnrs Schmidt- (loi'.hel. 8u1)>r striatis, striis ante medium punctatis, 2i'<''' 7"'" 8™ que ad apieem exaratis, iuterstitiis planis 3'" trii)\inctato, antennarum basi palpisquc piccis, vel rufo-piceis. Long. 'Tiunc. The anterior tibiic liavo the outer spiue scarcely longer than the inner, av.d b\it slightly curved, on the outer edge is a distinct tooth, and above it two other s .'ry obsolete denticles. * I), a-neolus. — .I'.neus, clytris nitidissimis, clypeo valdo bidentato, fronte transversim profundc imprcssa, thoracc sn'-^loboso, antice non i.ngust-ito, lateribus antice levitcr rotundatis ; elytris fcro paralldis, a]wo rotundatis, striato-punctatis, punctis pone medium extcrnc(iue oblitcratis, stria sutur aliapicc distincta, du;iUusque aliis (exteriorc longiore) brcvibus exaratis, marginal! ad humcrum dosincnle, iiitcrstitio ."'" tripiiiic- tato. Long. 'L; unc. Two specimens. The lcrmiu;J spines of tlio anterior tibia- «uli- e(|ual, scarcely curved ; the outer edge with two denticles, the superior scarcely visible. " D. parvus. — This species is only half the si/e of D. globulosus, but like it ha? a transverse thorax, narrowed in front. The clypcus is less deeply emarginate, the fi-ontal sulcus not so deep, the elytr;il stri;u and points dcper : th;' internal terminal spine 'if anterior tibi;e only one half the length of the outer one ; tlie external margin has but one denticle. Long. •()!). ■' Y>. longiihis. — This ditlVrs from T). globulosus, in having the thorax subglobose, ( the length being cinial to llic breadth,) not narrowed in front; the elytra are more elongate, the stria- arc deeper, ami can be traced to the apex, although the points vanish at the middle. The S^'l interstice is 3-i)unctate, the8"> stria i)rofound at apex ; antenna; fuscous at apex ; internal sjiine of anterior tibiie 3-4 as long as the outer one, on thf outer nuugin, the lower denticle acute, the upiier one obsolete. Long. '11. i! i i')!i inner, other svcvsim evitor pone oriorc punc- «ul)- isiblp. hiis a Dntal pint 'if las but VII REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 205 •Pr.ATYxrs Bon. Brulle, 1835. Aqiinnm lion. Kirhj/, 1837. Anrhumeuus Bon. Er. 1837. decens. Fironia dccentis Say. Am. Tr. 2, 53. Atichom. decens Lee. 221. Anchnm. (ja. Sericoda h'mh. Kb. N. Z. 15. At/onum hemh. Lee. 227. 4-pun('tatus. St. Fm. (term. Dij.Z. 170. PoKCiLue Bon. luiubla-idus Dej. 3, 212. Fcro lia lucttb. Say. Am. Tr. 2, 55. chalfiks Lee. 231. Fcronia chile. Saij. Am. Tr. 2, 56. convexiiollis Lee. 233. Feronia cotiv. Say. I. I. "Ptkiiosticiius Boh. ICriehs. erythropus. Feronia ery. Dej. 3, 243. Platyderus uilinus Kb. iV. Z. 29. Platyilerus tryth. Lee. 231. mandibularis. Artjutor mand. Kb. N. Z. 31. pfitruelis. Feronia patr. Dej. 5, 759, Arffutor patr. Lee. 3'37. mutiis. Fcronia muta Say. Am. Tr. 2, 44 Adeloaia inula Lee. 335. Luczotii. Feronia Lucz. Dej. 3, 321. Fer. ohlongonotata Say. Am. Tr. 4, 425. Adelo.tia oblong. Lee. 335. "orinoniimi. Omaxeus orin. Cs. Kb. N. Z. 32. punctatissimus Rand. B. J. 2, 3. coraclnus. Feronia corac. Nm. styjiifus. Feronia styg. Say. Am,. Tr. 2, 41. striatis, intorstitiis planis, 3'" 5-punctato, cpipleuris palpis antennisquc piceis, his apice rufis, pedibus rufo-testaccis. Long. '31. Varies with the 3"i elytral interstice 3-punctate. Twice the size of P. lenis, and dis- tinguished by the thorax narrowed behind, basal impressions indistinct, the rcflexed margin broader. P. retraetus is much smaller, with a wider thorax and deeper basal impressions. " Under this name, following the example of Erlchson, I have grouped all the Ameri- can species of Dcjean's Feronia, excepting the Poecilus, which arc sufficiently distinct by the antenna;. In my catalogue of the Carabica, I admitted as distinct genera nearly all the groups proposed by other authors, and attemfted to Knd natural characters for thciu. What success I have had in finding structural differences, the reader may be able to judge by referring to the work cited : suffice it to say, that the characters there in detailed are entirely too finely drawn for any practical purpose, and by the progres- sive variation which accompanies the variations of form and sculpture, plainly indicate the existence of one extensive and natural genus : and fortified as I am by the example of Krichson, and the counsel of Zimmerman, I hesitate no longer to merge them into one group, uiulcr the name quoted above. An attem])t has been made to separate under the name Ilypherpcs (Cliaudoir) all the species without elytral punctures. But the characters of this group will be found as ill-defined as those which have just been sup- pressed. Feronia lachrymosa (Nm.) can scarcely be told from adoxa but by the superior size, and the presence of elytral punctures ; surely it would be the destruction of all natural classification, to separate into different genera, two such closely allied species. '* I have had no opportunity of comparing with Eurojjean specimens, and give the species as identical on the authority of Kirby and Klug, having in my cabinet an Oregon specimen, which has l)een actually examined by the latter gentleman. Dr. /^inuncr- man thinks it to be difi'cient, and proposes the name septentrionalin, which must there- fore be adopted if the species prove distinct. ■^} REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 207 corvintis. Feronia corv. Dej. 3, 281. cau)in leviter punctatis. Long. -4. ,^ witli the interiiicdiatc tibiae strongly bidentate, the men turn tooth narrowed in front and deeply impressed. 208 LAKE SUPERIOR. AcHODON Zim. " Hubii'tica. AooNoDKiu's DeJ. piillipus J)f'j. 4, 53. Ani«odactvi.u8 Ikj. nigcriiiinLs. Jf(ir/i(iluft nig. DeJ. 5, 842. Hiirp. lallcollis, Kb. N. Z. 43. baltiinorensis Dcj. 4, 15'2. KruYTKicm ,s Lac. termii'.atus Lee. 387. Feronia term. SeJ. Lee. quadrirollis Lee. 405. tibialis L.ec, 405. TnrJius lib. Kb. iV Z. 46. liijiubris Lee. 405. coidionUis T^c. 406. riipi'stris Lee. 406. Trtcli us rup. Say. Trechns Jluvipes Kb. N. Z. 47. Acupdipus einngatulus Dej. 4,457. Stkxoi.oi'iiu.s Dej, ofbropczus TJej. 4, 424. fuliirinosus Dej. 4, 423. versicolor Kb. iV. Z. 46. carbonarius f^ec. 409. Ifarpalus carbonarius Dej. A, 398. misi'.llus Lee. 4 1 0. Acnpalpm mis. Dej. 4. CuL.KNius Bon. chloropbanus Dej. 5, 662 serifcus Sai/. Am. Tr. 2, 61. impunctifroiis Sa;/. ib. 2, 64. emarf/iiiatusX Kirby N. Z. 23. nemoralis J)ej. tomnntosus Dcj. 3, 357: Lee. 438. LOKU'KHA i(«/r. pilioornis (lyll. F. Suee. 2, 45; Dej. 2, 293. CYcrmrs Fabr. "bilobus Say. Sl'H.KKODERUS Dej. Brevorti Lee. 443. Lecontei Dej. 2, 15; Lee. 442. : J " A. suliivnra. — This species differs from the smaller and dark colored specimens of A. rubrica (lid) in beinp; narrower, and more convex. The tluirax is scarcely wider than ong, and not nearly so much narrowed Iti front ; the two basal impressions on each side are deeper, the elytral striip are deeper and more punctured; the color above is dark piceous, sli'j;htly bronzed, antenna^ and feet testaceous. Long. '27. ''^ II. laticep.s. — \ijj;er nitidus, palpis solum rufo-piceis, capite magno obtuso, thorace latitudiue sesqui breviore, laloribus parum rotundato, basi truncato, angulis posticis Bubrectis, mari^ine versus basin modice c.xplanato, cum basi obsolete punctato, impres- sionibus basalibus linearibus, brevil)us, linea longitudinal' distincta: elytris thorace non latioribus lateribus subrotuudatis, tenuiterprofunde striatic, intcrstitiis parum convexis, tibiis posticis et intcrmediis valde spinulosis. Long. 'S-'o. $ Elytris nitidis ; ? opa- cis. Like H. ritfimanus, but three times larger. •* C. bilob\is. — Purpurco-niger nitid\is, thorace subtransverso, postice valde angus- tato, canaliculato, basi impresso punctato(iuc; elytris elongato-ovalibus, pone basin swbatupliatis, apice attenuatis, profunde crenato-striatis ien.' -violaceis, antennarum apice palpisque piceis. Long. -iy. St. Ignace ; f, has the anterior tarsi scarcely dilated. mh REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 209 Caraiu's Lin. serratus Sj. Am. Tr. 2, 77. lincnlopunctatun Dej. sylvosus Say. ib. 2, 75. *" Ajrassii. Cai.osoma Fabr. caliiluin Fitbr. 1, 211. frigidum Kb. N. Z. 19. Neiiuia Latr. pallijies Say. Am. Tr. 2, 78. " moesto. ''suturalis. Omoi'Hron Latr. anicrUanuin ])ej'. 5, 583. Sny! Kh. N. Z. 65. tesselatuni Say., J. Ac. 3, 152. Lccontei iJcj. 5, 582. Elaimirl's Fabr. *^ politus. *" C. Agassii. — Niger, thorace valde rugoso, Intitudinc paulo breviore, quadrato, pos- tice leritpr angustato, marginc versus basin iinguste reflcxo, angulis basalibiis rctror- sum produotis, elytris thorace sesqiii latioribus ellipticis, dense seriatim punctati.s foveis- quc paruiu distinctis 3-plici serieimpressis. Long. "SB. Kalii'ibeka — ]Jr. Stout. At first sight seems to be a faded specimen of C. sylvosus (Say), but the thorax is very rugous, the sides more narrowly rcflexcd, and the basal angles much more produced. The sculpture of the elytra is similar, but more distinct. It is more closely allied to C. toedatus (Fabr.), from Oregon, but the head is less im- pressed, and the elytra less deeply foveate, with the sides regularly but slightly round- ed, not straight and narrowed anteriorly as in C. tiudatus. Anything that I can say in praise of the philosopher and gentleman after whom it is named would be quite super- fluous. ^^ N. moesta. — Depressiuscula nigra nitida, thorace latitudine duplo fere breviore la- teribus marginato, valde rotundato, postice valdo angustato, constrictoqiie, angulis pos- ticis rectis, nitice posticeque transversim profunde imprcsso, punctatoque, impress, basalibus profundis : elytris subparallelis thorace latioribus striis leviter punctatis, 7. Jiemb. nigrum Say Am. Tr. 2, 85. nitidus Zee. 408. Ewlromus nitidus Kb. N. Z. 55. Taciiys Knock. xanthopus Zee. 469. Bemh. xanthopus Dej. 5, 60. incurvus Zee. 469. Bemb. inc. Say Am. Tr. 4, 480. inornatus Zee. 470. Bemb. inorn. Say ib. 2, 88.. Tachyta picipes Kb. iV. Z. 56. Ispvus Zee. 472. B. kevum Say. Am. Tr. 2, 87. liQ 3" 0. planipennis. — Dcpressus, niger pcrnitidus, thorace quadrate, postice vix angus- tato, an^iilis posticis obtusis non rotundatis, impressione postcriore profniula, basi utiinime parum impressa, elytris purpureis, cyanco-inicantibus, profundc striatis, striis antk'O subpunctatis, punctisque 2 inipressis : antennarum basi pcdibusquc rufis. Long. •19. Kaministiquia River below Kakabeka Falls. This species is very similar to O. purpu- rascens Lee, but the basal impression of the thorax is single, and less profound ; the striip of the elytra are less punctured ; the 8'h and 9"' striiv arc obliterated. '"II. lonb. by. Kb. N. Z. 71. CorKLATis Kr. Chevrolatii A uhc, 389. C(>l'T<>Tt>MU9 .Sa^. intorrojfiitiis Aubc, 393. Coli/mb. int. Fabr. 1, 267. Cdli/mb. cenuHtus S. Am. Tr, 2, !)S. Cnptot. serripaljiis Say. ib. 1, 4 13. Laccoi'iiimis Leach. iiia('uIosu8 S(ti/. Am. Tr. 2, 100. aiiK'ricanus Aubi', 442. 1 1 Y i> Ku I'OK U8 Cluirvilte. puiictatus Aubc, 4 71. lAircoph, puuct. Say. Exp. 2, 271. cuspidatus derm; Au}i('',All. Jfi/f/rolus pusluUUus Mela. P. Ac. 2, 29. *'s('rit'eiiH. " consiinilis. aflinis Say. Am. 7V. 2, 104. minus Auhi', 504. ** ri-Hneatiis. similis Kirby X. Z. 68. I ] <' n. sericeus. — Ovalis convcxiuscuUis, confcrtissiinc punctnlatua, dcnsius fulvo- puliesci'iis, riifus : clypi-o late inargiiiato, thorufu lateribus oblitiuis rectis rum olytris annuluiu obtusissiinum fonuaiitibus, aiitifc postici'ijue aiijjustc iiiRricantc ; elytris atro-brunneis, lineis 4 plus ininuiivc interruptis margiiiequc lato fcrrugineis, hoc pone medium l)imaculato. Long. "18. (5 nitidiiiseulus, pnbe minus longa, thoracc subtilitcr punctate. 9 opaca, pubo longiorc, tota subtilissime punctata. The interrupted lines have not a tendency to coalesce into fascia;, as in 11. piibipcn- nis (Aubc), from which it is easily known by the longer pubescence and finer jiunctua- tion ; the body is less attenuated behind, and a little more convex. The thorax is much more narrowly margined, and, when viewed sideways, forms a very slight angle ■witii the margin of the elytra. ■••' II. consimilis.— Ov.ilis convexiusculus, postice modice attcnuntus, confertissime punctulatus,breviter dense fulvo-pubescens, ferruginous, clypeo late marginato, thorace latcribus obli(|uis rotundatis, cum elytris angulum obtusissimum formiinte, anticc posticeque infuscato ; elytris atro-brunneis, margine fasciis 2 irregularibus maculaque apicali fcrrugineis. Long. 'IS. $ capite thoracoque nitidulis, hoc distinetius punctato differt. Spots as in the last, but confluent into bands ; from II. pubipennis distinguished by the rounded and more narrowly margined sides of the thorax. ''■* il. ri-lineatus. — Elongato-ovalis minus convexus, omnium subtilissime alutaceus, sparsiuKiue punctulatus, subtus nigcr, supra testaccus, vertice nigro bimaculato, thorace latcribus subrotundatis, cum elytris anguhim formantibus, postice vix transversiin depresso nigro bima'culato, elytris versus apicem obli(}ue attcnuatis, sutura linonlis utrin(|ue 6 maculis(|ue 2 sub-marginalibus nigris ; antenuarum basi palpis pedibusque testaceis. Long. -17. S elytris apice integro vix obliquo. 9 elytris apice truncate, fere bidentato. Lcs Ecrits. Thorax bisinuate at base, external angles not at all rounded or obtuse ; REMARKS ON TFIE CcLEOl»TEllA. 215 "|iicfttu» Kirlij iff fi8. prallclus Sdi,: J. Ac. 3, 153, Kh. N. /V. (!7. iiilarnplis .Say, Am. Tr. 4, 445, nij.Tr Sny. ih. 2, 102. modcitus AuIh'\ .577. * tt'iu'brosus. " |)iilH'riilii8. "iMlijf'mosns. *" tiirtaritus. "' variaiis. distil oUis S(iy. Am. 'Jr. 4, 440. in some specimens, besides the b.isal spots tliero 18 an obli(nie blui'k line towards the iiiiir^^in. The i"?"* and ■'>'•' clytral lines alone attain tlio base ; at \hv ti|) they are uradii- allv shorter externally, and tin,' t">, ;V*i, and d"' are united. Seems allied to II. frater .Steph. (Conf. Aube, .ViS). Were it not for the obsolete piinetures and yellow head, it would be II. hvvis, Kirby, N. '/,., ()8. *'' I must )?incis. Long. -17, Ucsembles II. aniericanus, but is darker colored, and less convex ; the punctuation of the thorax is less distinct in the middle, that of the elytra less dense; there are traces of a stria J way between the suture and margin. ,; pube breviore indistinct.i puncturacpie sparsiore dilFert. *' II. puberulus. — Elongato-ovalis, minus eonvexus, nif^er minus donse punctatus pubesccns, thorace lateribus rotundatis cum elytris aiii'nnis. *' iiotaliilis. "coiioidciH. **ov()i(li'ii«. "Mutiiralis. •"ilispar. (Jyuini'8 Lhl. ftfliiiis Aube, CG9. piilruflis. foiiformis 7V/. vintmlix Anhi', fi72. veiitnilis Kh. N. Z. HO. ■if Every intormcdiato vnrioty occurs: a is more common on the louth, /^ on the north of the lake. ■'■' II. liiridipiMinis. — KUiptieo-ovnlit, subdoprpssiis, ni^or dense subtiliter puni'tntu* bi<'viit'ii|uc piilicHi'eiiH, ciiiMto aiiticp ))(>stirc(iiie fcrru«ln('<), thoriice liiteiilms (il)ll(|uiK, riH'tis, iiiigii- li' l'i'rru!,'ini'is, dised spiirsiim imiictuliito, I'lytriM iipico vix oldiciue uttfiiuatii fulvit* ; uiitciiiiiH i)al|)is, pedilmxiue riiHs. \m\\^.-\1. IvikIo Iliirbor. *' II. nutaliilis.— Jiloii^tiitooviilis, aiitiee obliisiis, posticc obluiuo uttcnu.itiis, ninrn- pi('i>il« i)ul)('S('i'ii«, eapile piiiiftiilato, aiitice posti('e(| dilatatis, eompressis. One specimen. Ea^lc Harbor. ^••11. ovindeus. — (unvu.xus, utrinque niodice attenuatiis, subtus ni^^o-piL•eus, supra oclirnccus, capite infuscato, macula verticali pallida, thorace brevi lateribus obliquis vix rotundatis, cum elytris angulum obtu.sum Ibrmantibus, basi iut'uscato, sparsini subtili- ter punctul.ito, punetis niajoribus ad basin et latera inturjectis, aliisque densioribus ad apicem tr:in-versim ordinatis ; elytris minus sparsim punctatis, stria suturali vix im- prc.s.sa, sutiira antice la'vij,'ata : antennis jjalpia pedibusquc ferrugineis. Long. -13. ^ feiuina paulo nitidior. Eagle Harbor. *•' II. suturalis. — Ovalis modiee convcxus, poEtice leviter attenuatus subtus nigor, un(li(iue dcujiiis minus sulitiliter jiunrtatus, capite testacco ad oculos infuscato thorace, latt'iibus i)I)li(iuis parum rotundatis cum elytris vix angulatis, testacco basi apiccque aiigustc, niediociuo triangulariter nigro, punetis ad basin et apicem densioribus, trans- versiui ordluatis ; elytris lateribus vix rotundatis .ad apicem subobliciue attenuatis, fuseis, niaii,'ine basali latcrali(|ue cum apice, suturu linciscjue I vel 2 antieis, antenni» pedibus(iue tcstaceis. Long. 'IS. At first sight seems to be a variety of the preceding. It is less convex and less nar- rowed in front. The points of the elytra at the base itre unequal, but at the apex they become more dense and e{iual. ■'■'' II. dispar. — llegulariter elliptico-ovalis, minus convcxus, subtus niger, supra cura antennis pedibusquc ferrugineus nitidus, capite thorace(iue dense subtiliter punctatis, hoc punetis ad basin et apicem transversim densioribus, lateribus obliquis leviter rotunda- tis, cum elytris (lateraliter visis) ajigulum obtusum formantibus ; elytris apice rotundatim attenuatis, sparsim subtiliter punutulatis et minus subtiliter sat dense punctatis, pra;- cipue ad ajjicem. Long. -I.'). Some of the scattered punctures at the base of the elytra have a tendency to form three distant longitudinal bands, the first being near the suture. il)iis ad kix im- •13. niRor, thorace, liccfiuc trans- ■imatis, IIKMARKS ON THE COLEOi'TKUA. 217 latcrnlis. DiiimtiiM Linm', Auht', t)83. riivolvi'MS. ciri'iiiiitiiUii*. iliiplicatud. lonjjiusculiis. analis Sni/. Aw. Tr. 2, 108. fi.r Kh. .V. X.dl. Sayi Aubc,r>'Jd. DlNKI'TKH. assimilis Auhi', 7 78. (I'l/r.dtnericdiinn S. Am. Tr. 2, 107. Ci/clinux (js.s/;/i. Kh, \. 'A, 78. discolor Auhiiy 778. dirlunit Inhmlm Mefx. P. Ac. '2, 29. IlKTEKorERUs Fnbr. vi'iitralis Mch. /'. Ac. 2, :»8. umlafus Mds, ibid, 2, Sib. aii^ulatus. apicalis. CUK'tUS. Ei.Mrs l.,iir. hivittatus Dvj. Cat, LiMxrirs fllitjir. " fiwtiilitu,^. IlYintiKiir.s Herm. sealiratus Muls. .1h. Luijil 1.3 73. t/ibbiisus Mcln, i: Ac. 2, KK. rufipoH Mfl.i. ibid. 100. IIydr.k.xa Kill/. tt'tuiis. OfiiTiiKiins Ltnrh. '^cril)ri('ollis. ''° iiitiilus. IlKi.opaoiius Fair. "'ol)loii};iis. " lacustris. li Meatus Siiif. J, Ac, 3, 200. apii-alis. nitidus. " L. fastiditus. — Fusoo-mnpus, thorace convoxo, pubcsorntc, minus dpnse piinetato, latcril)us rcctis, marRinatis, basi media prodiicto, cmarRinattxiue, anRulis iiostiris iicutis, utrinque ud basin impresso ; elytris striato-piinctatis, interstitiis subtiliter punctulatis brcviter flavo-pubescentibus vitta utrinque liL'te flava ad huiiicrum paulo dilatata. Long. •11. Maple Island. '•^O. cribricoUis. — .T'inco-tcstacpus mar)»inp pedibusque pallidioribus, thorace latoribus rotundato basi bisinuato, grossc punctato, canaliculato, linpa(iue arcuata utriiumc ante medium ; elytris punctato-striatis. Long. "08. Eagle Harbor. *!• 0. nitidus.— .Eneo-nigcr, pernitidus, thorace lati'ril)us rpctis basi utrin(|up obli(nia, angulia anticis i 'oductis apice rotuiidatis, profunde canaliculato, antice utriu(i\u' bifo- veato fovea externa majorc, basi utrintiue fovea parva, et ad angulos posticos fovea magna exarata, elytris punctis discretis inajusculis seriatim positis ; antennis pcdi- bus(|ue testaceis. Long. •07. Eagle Harbor. 6" II. oblongus. — Elongatus, parallclus, tcstaceus capite obscure viridi, sulitiliter punctato, thorace laterii)us rcctis basi utrinque obli(|ua, apice fere truuoata, obsolete punctulato, lineis intermediis fere rectis ; elytris apice rotundato-subtruncatii, profunJc crcnato-striatis, gutta parvu nigra versus medium utrin(iuo ornatis. Long. •2'5. Eagle Harbor. •" II. lacustris. — Oblongus, supra obscure testaceus, capite viridi thoraccque granulis ninus elevatis dense adspersis, hoc latcribus vix rotundatis, basi utrinque sinuato, angulis anticis prominulis, lineis 5 fortiter iinpressis, intermediis valde curvatis, elytris pone medium vi.\ oblique attenuatis fortiter crenato striatis, interstitiis .3 t" " ""•' que dorso ])aulo acutis ; utrinque versus medium guttis 1 vel ~ fuseis sigiiatis. Long. "23. Eagle Harbor. 15 ;:* f n ■■!/ ■ ff i v r^ 218 LAKE SUPERIOR. IH < ! i ^in ]% ■i '■ r. • Ml afHnis. " soaber. HTDUormi.us Fnbr. glaber ///m/. Col. 7, 2!)8. lateralis F. El.l,2bl. nimhatus Say. J. Ac. 3, 203. obtusatus Say. J. Ac. 3, 202. Laccohius Leach. Er. pum-tatus Mels. P. Ac. 2, 100. Hyduohius Leach. ('§ PuiLuroBua Sol.) lacustris. pcrj)lexus. nebulosus. Ilijdrophilus neb. Say. r^xp. 2, 277. Cyclonotum Dej. Mtils. subcuprcum. Uydrophilus subc. Say. J. Ac. 5, 189. Cercyon Leach. muiidum Mels. P. Ac. 2, 102. ambiguum. (lubium. vagans (Crytoplewum Mids.) Nkcuoi'iiouus lAnne. hches Kb. N.Z. !)7. orbicollis Say, var. Ifailii Kb. N. Z. 98. A-maculahis Dei. ('at. pygmreus Kb. N. Z 98. velntinus Fabr. El. 1, 334. SiLi'FiA Linne. amcrieana lAnne S. Nat. 2, .'570. var. ? Oiceoptoma affine Kb. N. Z. 103. infcqualis F. El. 1, 340. lapponica Ilbst. Fabr. El. 1, 338. caudata Say. J. Ac. 3, 192. Catoi"- Fabr. •" termiiians. CEriiENNiUM Midler. MsaALODBRVS SlCpll. **n. s. ScYOM.m's Latr. subpunctatus. pilosk'ollis. Bryaxis Knoch. proj inqua. longula. Fai.agria Leach. dissofta Er. 49. va". erythroptera Mels. P. Ac. "* H. scaber. — ^Tlneo-nigcr, capite thoraceque granulis dense scabrosis, hoc basi aii- gustato, lateribus late oxoavato, dorsoque foveato, lineis .5 iniprcssis, intermcdiis sinua- tis, elytiis pone basin scnsini ampliatis, versus apicem obli(juc attenuatis, crenato- striatis, basi bicarinatis, pone basin oblique impressis, intnrstitiis pone medium alterna- tim tuberculatis. Long. -IS. The third and fifth intcr:jticcs have each three tubercles, the anterior one being small : the seventh has two, and the ninth a very slight elevation. The striaj are deeper towards the margin than at the suture. •»' C. tcrniinans. — Ovatus minus convexus, niger opacus, dense pubescens, ruguloso- punctatus ; thorace antico angustato, lateribus rotundato, basi utrinque siuuato, angulis posticis subacutis, clytris stria suturali valde impressa, pedibus fuscis, antennis a',)ici' parum incrassatis, apice summo flavo.basi testaceo. Long. -lo. Pic : under old carrion. i5 tarsi antici, dilatati ; tarsi intermedii articulo 1 ■"" clongato dilatatoque. ** This species is the analogue of the European C. minutissimum ; it is no l;irger than a Trichoptcryx : I found but a single specimen on St. Joseph'j Island, and al- though it was safely secured in a bottle, it was not tlicrc by the time 1 reached camp. I therefore forbear naming it, merely directing the attention of future explorers to thi.s very interesting species. REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 219 Ac. basi an- iiis sinua- crenato- , altcrna- ng small ; re deeper rufruloso- I), angiilis inis a',)ice d carrion. no liirgcr 1, and al- ed camp. Irs to this dcpressa. Ho MA LOTA Man. Er. pri'ssa. planata. pallipos. flavicans. pnlita ik'h. P. Ac. 2,51. attenuata. dichroa Er. 107. rubricoriiis. dubitans. itricta. clavit'er. liviilipennis Er. 129. OxYi'ODA A fan. gagulata Er. 146. turpis Meh\ Ms. moi'sta. Aleck'haua. Grav. rub-i[)ennis. nitida G'rau. Mic. 97; Er. 168. molfsta. Gyjioi ii.f.NA Man. amanila. belbila. socia Er. 189. coiTuscula Er. 189. EuRvrsA Er. semitlava. Myi.l.kna Er. terniiiiaiis. Coxrurs Steph. crassus Er. 222. Taciiypouus Grav. jocot^us .S((//. Am. Tr. 4, 466. anliiHs Er. 237. brunneus Er. Col. March. 1, 395. faher Say. 1. 1. 468. punetulatiis Mels. P. Ac. 2, 32. Tachinit.h (Irav. ventriculus Er. 920. gihbulus Er. Ih'l. luridus Er. 920. hybridus. pnnttiiollis. fiinbriatus Grav. Mic. 191 ; Er. 2.'>8. picipcs Er. 257. fuinipeimis Er. 921. axillaris Er. 261. obsiurus. conforinis. Olistii.kuus Dej. Er. 843. "laticeps. "nitidus. BoLKTomus Leach. loiigiceps. obsolttiis Er. 922. cinctiis Er. 278. pyirmteus Mm. Brach. 65 ; Er. 280 ; 922. Mycet()pouc8 Man. lucidus. amcricanus Er. 285. Otiiius Leach. macrocephalus ? Er. 297. laivis. XA.VTiioLiNDa Dahl. obsidianus Mels. P. Ac. 2, 34. americanus Dej. Cat. ceplialus Say. Am. Tr. 4, 452. consentaneus Er. 326. hamatus Say. Am. Tr. 4 453. *' 0. Liticeps. — Rufus nitidu.s, capite tiigro postice leviter parcius punotato thorace non ans^yi^tiore, hoc basi leviter angustato, angulis posticis rectis, paulo iinpressis, elytris leviter striiitis, abdominc fusco, supra si^ dense punctulato. Loag. '28. St. Ignace. ** 0. nitidus. — Rufus nitidus, capite nigro, postice punctulato thorace sesqui angus- tiore, hoc b isi vix angustato, angulis posticis rectis paulo impressis, e'.ytris nigris stria- tin, abdumiuerufo, impra dense minus sul)tilitcr punctuto. Long. '22. ^aglc'IIarbur. '1 !.i 220 LAKE SUPERIOR. ii ) '. .< Il.»' ! Hi : 'i" obscurus Er. 330. imr. cnrvinus DeJ C t. Stai'Hylinus Lin. villosiis Gniv. Mic. 160 ; Er. 349. Pnn.DNTiiiTs Leach. cyaniponnis Er. 433. iL'ueus Nord. Sj/mh. 81. £:r.437 ; 928. JIarrisii Mels. P. Ac. 2, 35. SuNiTTS Leach. Er. longiusculus Er. 643. P.KDEUUS Grav. littorarius Grav. Mon. 142 ; Er 656. Stexus Latr. Juno Fahr. El. 2, 602; Er. 694. stymcus ^r. 698. luHuns. melantliolicus. sparsus. prorntus Er. 929. loniricolHs. plaiiifrons. bisulcatus. styfjicus. (k'l)ilis Er. Col. March. 1, 467. egenus Er. 698. simplex. inconspicuus. morulus. terricola. strumosus. vajiidus. loniatus Er. 482. punctatus Er. 744. Ev.ESTHETUs Grav. consors. C'urtatus. americanus Er. 747. Bledius Leach. bninneus Er. 486. ruficornis. lufions. aterrimus Er. 492. egenus. annularis, divisus. Platystethus Afan. gratus. QcEDius Leach. Er. americanus Er. 784. OxYTEi.us Grav. obscui'us. miscllus. corticalis. TuoGOi'iiLCEUS Man. morio. p!.inus. ft perspicax. arboricola. " Argus, pumilus. OxYi'ORUS Fahr. ANTiioi'iiAGrs Grav. vittatus Grav. Micr . 195 ; Er. 558. verticalis Say. Am. Tr. 4, 463 LATHUoimAi Grav, memnonius. Zinimermani. Lesteva Latr. simile. biguttula. concolor. AciDOTA Leach. niLTum. loiiuiusoviliim Gr.Micr. 181 L; Er.597. subcarinata Er. 863. patruelis. LiTHociiAUis Dei. ; Boisd. tenuis. conlluens Er. 615. «7 This species is remarkable for possessing two ocelli : but the structure of the ab- domen proves it to belong to the Oxytelini, and in no part of the body docs it show any ditference from Trogophloeus : it and the preceding species belong to the division possessing a visible scutellum. i ''•- REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 221 Lathrim^um Er. sordidum Er. 871. Delu'iirum Er. seriatum. *Latiirium. convexicolle. Omalium Grav. longulum. complanatum. protectum. AxTHOuiuM Leach. simplex. vcntrale. *dimidiatum Mels. P. Ac. 2, 43. confu&,:m. Protbinus Latr. parvulus. Megarthrus Kirbif. exoisus. MicRoi'EPLus Latr. '"c'ostatus. Triciioi'teryx Kirhy. discolor llald.J. Ac. N. S. 1, 108. aspera Hald. ih. 109. AxisoTOMA Illujer. " assiniilis. " indistiiicta. " collaris. '* strigata. the ab- it show |di vision I*' Mandibulfc edentatoc. Maxilla; mala exteriore cornea (interiore invisa.) Palpi maxillares tcnucs, art. 2i"lo 4*o que elongatis. Tibia; omnino mutica". . Tarsi breves, tenues, articulis 4 primis ttqualibus, poslicis art. 4'" subtus producto, brevitcr c;ilccato. Frons inimprcssus, ocellis supra oculos sitis, minus dirtinctis. Proximus vidotiu Olophro, at tarsorum structura abhorret. Discedit purro statura longiorc, elytrisque abdominis scgmcntun 1 '"""' solum tegentibus. Victus riparius. L. con-exieclle. — Elongatum nigrum, thorace convexo, lateribus rectis submar£?ina- tis, angulis anticis rotundatis, basi cum angulis posticis rotundaia, sat dense punctato, obsolete canaliculato, ante basin leviter foveato, elytris grossius punctatis sutura levitcr elevata, abdomine subtilissime alutaceo, ano podibus antennisque rufopiceis. Long. •19. Eagle Harbor. ^ Mas abdomine nigro ; femina sesqui major, abdomine concolorc testaceo. '" M. costatus. — Niger thorace cellulose, elytris versus apicem transversim impressis, tricostatis interstitio externo punctulato, abdomine late marginato, segmentis o primis utrinque carinula brevi instructis, l'"-' ad basin subtiliter canaliculato. Long. J lin. The feet are piceous : seems allied to M. tesserula Curtis. Er. 913. " A. assimilis. — Oviilis nigro-picea, subtiliter dense punctata, thorace antico angusta- to, lateribus rotundato, basi utrinque punctis seriatim transversim positis, elytris punc- tato-striatis, interstitiis alternatim punctis majusculis uniseriatim positis. Long. 'IG. Eagle Harbor. ,5 Tibiis posticis elongatis curvatis. "<' A. indistincta. — Fere hemispherica. piceo-rufa, obsolete sparsim punctulata, tho- race lateribus minus rotundato, basi subsinuata, punctis utrinque notata, elytris punc- tato-striata, interstitiis alternatim punctis 3 vol 4 majusculis. Long. "11. "^ A. collaris.— Ovalis, convexa, rufo-testacea, antennis capite thoracecjue picois, hoc lateribus valdc rotundato, dense punctate, basi truncata punctis majoribus utriu(iue notata ; elytris profunda punctato-striatis, interstitiis vix subtilissime punctulatis, alter- natim punctis .5 vel 6 majusculis. Long. "I'i. Eagle Harbor. f. tibiis posticis curvatis. '* A. strigata. — Hemispherica rufa, thorace lateribus rotundato, basi truncato, hrvis- sinio, elytris tenuiter punctato-striatis, interstitiis transversim subtiliter rugulosis. Long. •08. ■II:; :t/.;' • Si ^y W'^ M' 222 LAKE SUPERIOR. CvuTUSA Er. " fflohosa. " Steunuciius. gihhiiliis. AoATiiiniuM lUiger. '' ruficorne. "* revolvcns. PiiALAcuus Payk. '" dirtbriiiis. Oi.murs AV. * apicalis. Brachyi'TKRUS Kwjdlan. urticiu Kuji. Ei: Ins. Germ. 3, 132. Co LA STL'S Kr. scniilectus Kr. Germ. Z. 4, 243. truneatus. Nitidnin truncata Rand. B. J. 2, 18. tantillus. CAurui'HiLUS Leach. ni};er Er. Germ. Z. 4, 2G3. CVrcu.* ni(jer Say. J. Ac. 3, 195. Epi'K.ka Er. flavkans. vicina. parvula. loii<;iila. parallela. retracta. nifa Er. Germ. Z. 4, 273. JS'itid. rufa Say. J. Ac. 5, 180. Pii '* C. globosa. — Hemisphcrica, nigro-picca, nitida, thorace subtiliter dense punctulato basi truncato, augiilis postii'is vix rotundatis, margine diaphano : elytris dense punctu- latis, punctisque vix majoribus seriatim positis, antcnuarum basi, tarsis tibiisque piceis, his aiiticis non dilatatis. Long. -IS. "8 SiKitNUfiirs. Antenna' capillares, articulo 1'"" crassiore majors ; 3 ultimis parura dilatatis, omuibiis setis 2 longis apicalibus. Metathorax subtus permagnus, promi- nens, planus, antico dcclivus, pedibus intermediis in dcclivitate profunde sitis, approxi- matis. Coxa- anticiB, exserta', conica;, posticic permagna; laminata;, abdominis partem anterioreui obtegentes. Abdomen parvum, .5-articulatum, (articulis 2 primis consoli- datis ?) Tarsi filiformes consolidati, unguibiis simplicibus. Head large, semicircularly rounded anteriorly, acutely angulated on the sides behind, lal)runi very sliort, almost concealed by the margin of the clypeus. Thorax very short, not eraarginatc in front, base rounded, angles none. Elytra covering the abdomen, declivous, scarcely convex behind. Palpi filiform. I should have considered tliis insect a Cybocephalus, but for the filiform tarsi. Tiie structure of the antenna; differs from Cyllidium, but I am by no means certain that I have placed it in a proper position : it seems to have some relation to Chunbus, but the great size oi the metasternum and posterior coxa> prevents a complete examination of the lower surface. S. gibi)ulus. Globutilis, gibbus, niger la;vissimus, antennis ore pedibusque flavis. Long. ^ lin. " A. ruticorne. Globatile supra nigrum, elytris vix punctulatis, stria suturali postice profunda, antennis pedibusque rufis, abdomine Sicpius ferrugineo. Long. '08. Ilab. ubique. '*• A. revolvcns. — (rlobatile atminus convexum, nigrum, elytris dense subtiliter punc- latis, obsolet'ssime striatis, stria sut\irali, profunda. Long. '14. '" P. difformis. — Ilemisphericus, rufescenti-piccus, thorace vix obsolete punctulato, lateribus subrectis, basi cum angulis postiois rotundata, elytris sat dense punctulatis, dtria suturali profunda. Long. 08. $ Mandibula sinistra corn\i erecto curvato longitudine caput nequante. '*^ O. apicalis. — Breviter ovalis, postice vix angustatus, convexus, piceus nitidus, thorace l)asi truncato, elytris impunctatis, stria suturali impressa, a!tis(iue 1 vol 2 obso- letissimis, apice ccrporeque subtus rufo, antennis j)e(libus(iue flavis. Lo;.;^. -08. N. B. The maxillary palpi have the last joint somewhat securiform. REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 223 PnKNOLiA Er. grossa Er. Z. 4, 300. mkl. (jrossa Fabr. El. 1, 347. Omosita Er. colon Er. Germ. Z. 4, 299. Memoetiiks Leach. obsoleta. Ami'iiicrossus Er. " concolor. Ii'S Fair. scpuUhralis FnwL B. J. 2, 19. Dijeanii Kh.N. Z. 107. filltbrniis. bipunctatus. Peltis Geoff. fratcrna Rand. B. J. 2, 1 7. fcrrwjineaX Kb. N. Z. 104. septentrionalis Rand. 1. 1. 1 7. TiiYMALVS Latr. fulgidus 7iV. Z. 5, 458. CicoNKS Curtis. fiiliginosus. Sipu-hitn ful. Mels. P. yie. 2, 111. Cerylon Lair. afline. unioolor. Latridius uni. Zieg. P. Ac, 2, 270. CrcujLS Fabr. clavipes. LyK.Moi'iri.fEus Df'j. Er. biguttatus- Curujus big. Saif. J. Ac. 5, 267. DExnuftPiiAGVS Fabr. "' glaber. BuoNTES Fabr. dubius Fabr. El. 2, 97. Sii.vAxrs Latr. "^ planus. Paratexeti's Spin, " i'uscus. Paramecosoma Curtis. ''^(Icntioulatum. inconspicuum. Atomauia Kb. similis. longula. cingulata. CoRTicARiA Marsham. scrrieoHis. dentioulata Kb. X. Z. 110. similis. alHnis. t'onvcxa. reticulata. cavii'ollis ^fan. Germ. Z. 5, .lO. Latiiridius Illiijer. rollexus. 'k ^' A. concolor.— EUipticus convexus, ferrup;ineus, punctatus, pubescens, thorace tcnuitermarginato, lateribus modice rotiindatis. Long. -lo. Pic. "' D. glabcr. — Elongatus piecus, glabcr, capite thoraccque punctatis, hoc longitu- (linaliter biimpresso, lateribus sinuato, elytris punctato-striatis, margine cum. antennis pedibusque rufo. Long. "27. "' S. planus. — Valde deprcssus, rufus, capite thoraceque dense punctatis, hoc angulis posticis, late cmarginatis, dentcque vix conspicuo ante medium armato, angulis anticis rotundatis, elytris subtilissirae punctulatis pubescentibus, stria suturali tcnui impresaa. Long. •12. ^* P. fuscus. — Oblongo-ovatus, antice angustatus, convexus, ferrugineo-fuscus, gros- sing punctatus, sparse pubescens, thorace lateribus subangulatis, pone medium 4-den- tatis, ante medium crcnatis, basi truncata elytris thorace latioribus sutura nigra. Long, •12. *^ P. denticulatum. — Elongato-oblongum, ferrugineum, punctatum minus subtilitor flavo-pubescens, thorace transvcrso lateribus paulo rotundatis crenulatis, basi media marginata, utrinque impressa, elytris stria suturali parum profunda. Long. •OS. ■*.' 224 LAKE SUPEUIOR. 1^ ' ■' 'I-' II! :i ; ! i 1 f — M 1 h't i Mycf.toi'iiagus Fair. pictus. Tkii'Uyllus Lair. didesuuis [;?61. M;/irtoj)h(t(jus (I'ul. S(i>/. J. Ac. 5, Dr.iiMKsiKM JJn. niuriiuis Lin. Kr. Ins, Germ.Z^ 429. Byuruus Linnt. * ainoricanus. cytlophorus Kh. N. Z. 117. picipcs Kh. N. Z. IK). varius Fahr. EL 1, 105. •"cximius. ^^ tesselatus. Syncalyi'ta D'dlwyn. "' echinata. Platysoma LcacJi. ck'prossum Fr. Jahr. 111. IIiSTKU Lin. abbreviatus Fahr. FL 1, 89. depurator Say. J. Ac. 5, 33. americanus Pnyk. 31. siibrotuHtlus Say. J, Ac. 6, 39. Paromalus /vV. bistriatus Fr. .fahr. Sai'RINCS Lcarh. pensylvaiiicus Fr, 1 84. assiniilis JJr. 184. distill jfuendus. proxiinus. mancu». Hister m. Say, J, Ac, 15, 41. fratcrnus IjCC, B. J. 5, 7 7. llister f. Say. J. Ac 5, 40. PiwVTYCKKUS Lair, *" depressus. quvrcus Schiin. ri. secnridens Say.,L Ac. 3. 211). Lucanits '' B. americanus. — Oblongo-ovatus, antice acutus, convexus, nifjer dense brevitcr fusco-pubcsccns, thorace nigro cinereo(iue variogata, dytris sutura vittisijue 4 nigris, guttis albis interniptis, ((lui; spatium transvursum antice dcntatum, posticu latcribus obli(iuis, medio rccte truncatum, formant ; guttisciue nonnullis aliis versus apiccm ob- lique retrorsum positis ; tenuitcr .striatis. Long. '4. Twice the size of B. cyclophorus ; found from Niagara to Lake Superior. »' B. eximius. — Oblongus antice acutus, lateribus parallelus, niger fusco-pubescens, nigro flavo(|ue variegatus ; thorace nigro, cinerco flavo(|ue variegato, clytris striatis, sutura vittisque 4 nigris, his guttis interruptis, lincam ante medium transversam den- tatam, figuram semicircularem antice dcntatam, lincamque versus marginem antror- sui'i obli. N.Z. 135. liackii Kb. X. Z. 134. ! fit If! m !( Ill 1 1 '[,. I *" L. quercina. — Castanca nitida, supra glabra, i. itonnis podihusquc testacols, thorace minus subtiliter punctate, antii'e angustato, lateribv.s parui. dilatatid, angulis ixisticis rectis, basi media late minus cxtensa, clytris obsolete Ij-costatis sat dense j)unrti'.tis ru{?osis(|UP, uniborie hunerali minus elevata, angulo suturali obtuso, pygidio parce punctato. Long. '93. (5 antennarum el :va parte leliqua longiore, corpore cylindric^. $ anteimarum clava bre\i, corpore ]>ostice levitcr Jilatato This is one of a group of very closely allied species, which I have divided according to the form and punctuation of the thorax, and th.'- form of the sutural angle of tlie elytra. It is the common species everywhere, and is probably Mel. quercina Knouli. *' L. anxia. — Nigro-castanea nitida, supii glabra, antennis pedibusque rufo-tcstaceis, thorace sat dense distinctius punctatj, antice angustato, lateribus parum dilatatis, angulis posticis rectis, basi media late minus estensa, elytris leviter 3-costatis distinct- ius sat d(nse punctatis, umbone h' ■iierali prominulo, angulo suturali obtuso, pygidio parce punctato, basi longit idinaliter rugoso. Long. "92. 9 Corpore posticc modice dilatato. More dilatod behind than the preceding, with !c.jj.,er pun''tutes on the thorax and elytra. '' L. consimilis.— Postice nondilatata, oastanea, nitida supra glabra, antennis ppdibus(|ue tcstaceis thorace subtilius parce punctato, antice angustato, lateribus modice dilatatis, •ingulis posticis rectis, basi media late extensa, elytris dense subtiliter punctatis rugos- isque, angulo suturali valdr obtuso, pygidio parce punctato, basisubruguloso. Long. ''JS. ^ clav" antennarum parte reliqua vix longiore. Differs from the large eastern species (Mel. brunnea Kn.) in having the thorax le<:s dilated on the sides, the posterior angles not acute, and the sutural angle of the elytra very obtuse. 8^ L. futilis. — Dilute castanea supra glabra nitida, antennis testaceis, thorace sat dense minus subtiliter punctato, latitudine triplo brevioie, antic j angustato, lateribus modice dilatato, angulis posticis obtusis, basi late rotundato, elytris sat dense punctatis sub urr.bone humerali modice elevata late imprcssis, angulo suturali subol.'.uso, pygidio punctato, abdomine densius subtiliter punctulato. Long. -G. • S. tristis. — Oblongus convexus, piceus punctutiis, capite pone nculos Levi, thorace latitudine duplo breviore, antice an ';ustato, lateribus ante medium rotundatis, angu- lis posticis rectis pauio rotundr.tis, basi bisinuata, margine tenui basali hevi : tlytris obsolete cyaneo micantibus, lateribus paial'.elis, leviter sulc; tis, in sulcis punctatis interstitiis lievibus, pedibus rufo-piceis, antennis testaceis O-articulatis. Long. -32. Cly- pens flat, densely punctured, margin scarcely elevated, broadly emarginate, marked anteriorly with a fine transverse line. REMARKS ON THE COLEOriERA. 227 DiCKRCA Esrh. divaricata. SlenurU divnriratn Kb. N. Z, If-*-. liui>rcMi* div.? Soij. J. Ac. 3, Ifi;'. Dlrerrn ilnhid Meh. P. Ac. 2, 142. auriclialfi'a Mels. P. Ac. 2, 142. jKtrumpunctata Mels. ibid. teni'brosa. Slenuris teneh. Kb. N. Z. 155. lacustris. lugubris. bit'ovcata. Axc'YL«"t;>iKiRA TLsch. lineata ihj. Cat. Ihiprestis lineata Fahr. El. 2, 192. Niittalli. roiisuhiri.i Dej. Cat. Annplis Xuttalli Kb. K Z. 152. maculivcntris. Jhip. maruliv. Say. Exp. 2. Hup. C)-notata Lap. Bup. pi. .'32. Anoplis ruslicorum Kb. N. Z. 151. striata Ikj. Cat. itiip. striata Fabr. El. 2, 192. rn.KNoi'S Esch. asjiimili^. ' long! pes. Ihip. loiiijipen Say. J. Ac. 3, 164. CnRYSoiiOTHius Esch. dentipes. liuprestis den. Germ. Ins. Nov. 38. feniorata Dej. Cat. Bup. femorata F. EL 2, 208. soabriponnis Lap. Bup.pl. 9, Ji;j. 71. (hlonlnmus trinervia Kb. N. Z. 157. Agrii,u« Met/. lacusiris. ailvena. Fornax Lap. spretus. CRATONYCiirs Dej. puncticollis. re(!ti('ollis. decumanus Er. Germ. Z. 5, 104. communis /•.'/•. il>ld. 3, 102. Adelockua Latr. ' brevicornis. LiMON'irs Esrh. cont'usus ]>ij. Cat. quort'lnus Dej. Cat. Eliiter ipter. Say. An. Lyr. 1, 2C2. Cami'VUS Fisch. deiitit'ornis Kb. X. Z. 145. Jlavinasus Mels. P. Ac. 2. 219. productus? Hand. li. J. 2, 8. Caui)I(»i'Horu.s Esch. VclgUS. CuTi'TonYPNUS Esch. insigiils. sihu'oipcs Germ. Z. 5, 139. lacustris. tumcsceng. simplex, misellus. dorsalis Gcrm.b, 147. renif'er. AMi'f:i)i'3 ]\fe(j. lugubris Germ. 5, 165. semicinctus. El. semicinctus Rand. B. J. 2, 1 0. apiialis. EL apicatus Say. Am. Tr. 4. Amp. melanopyyus Germ. 5, 161. phoenioopterus Germ.H, 161. lictuosus. ferripes. spai>us. lutofsus. Pristii.oi'iius Latr. fusifonnis. I- ; claws with a liirm' tooth. « 1'. rugosulus. — Niger tenuiter pubesccns, ciii)ite anticc flavo, (clypeo apicc fiisco) pnstiee dense punctato, thoracu subtrausverso, apice ans«1; claws with a tooth: palpi moderately dilated. Varies with the mouth, base of an- tennae, margin of thorax and anterior feet testaceous. if H' ^.F I r , II I- (I ii. 1 nil Iri 1:1 280 LAKK SUl'KIUOR. ' nifiriccp.s. Sims Miif. " Inii(.M((iriU(i. ■Millirilis. MAI/niTM-M Liilr. fra^'ili."*. |)arvnliiH. Col.l.ni'S /.';•. tricfilor /•,'/•. Moiiiijj.f)'. Mitlar/iius trir. S,ii/. J. Ac. 3, 1«2. Cl.Klus /•'«//;•. /\l>i;/, uiidatiiliis Sin/. Ji. J. 1, ir.3. nuhiliis A/. iA»/i. (,'1. .'iSd. 'J'/ioiKi.-'imu.i idKlumiiiitUt Kb. 2'14. tliMraficus t>/. 4, 18, /^/. 2, 22. IlTi»\ocKnA Am. (lidiciliH I.<;c. An. Lye. 5, 27. Xylktintm Ldtr. t'ucatus l)ij. < 'itt. DciKCATOMA Fllhr. oci-tlatiiin »/// Kjj). 2, 273. Anoiimm Fiihr. fovcaliiin Kh. N. '/.. ino. errans Mfh. P. Ac. 2, 301). OcillNA ZIrtJ. iii-ira .Ur/.x. /'. Ac. 2, 3(»8. Antmici's yw(/>r. 4-}Xiittatiis JIuld. P. Ac. 1, 304. '•^ tcrniiiialis. '"dillifilis. " aeabriceps. '* T. nigiii'pps. — Pallidus, spiirsc lonpfius einereo-puhescens, capite poHtice nigro, thoracc liititudine vix brcviorp, subqiiadrato, marline undiquc elevato, disco modice ele- Tato, medio late iinprusso, elytris distinctius puiictatis, medio levitcr infuacatis. Long. •17. The 3"! and 4"> joints of the antcnnse aro c(|iial, each being one third longer than 2" ; the lateral margin of thorax, is very narrow. "8. ditlicilis. — Nigra, uinereo-pubescens, thorace latitudine triplo breviore, antic* angustato, hete rufo, margine nigro, aiitice posticeque elevato, angulis posticis acute ineisis, vix subtilissme punctulato, clytris punctatis, mandibulis flavis. Long. -2. Lake 8>ipcrior and Sta. Fc, more densely pubescent than the former, with broad lateral margin to the thorax ; the antenna; longer than the body, 3'd joint hardly equal to the 4"'. '*A. terminalis, — Elongatus subdepressus dense punetatus breviter pubescens; capite nigro, linca angusta lii'vi, thorace latitudine longiorc, rufo, basi subangustato marginato(iue, elytris parallelis fuscis basi late indeterminate testaeeis, maculai|uc ro- tundata ad trientem secundum testacea ; subtus niger, pedibus antenuisque testaeeis. Long. 'lO. I,ake Superior and New York. "" A. dilficilis. — Elongatus fuscus, albido pubescens, capite thoraceque rufo-testaceis illo disperse punctato, spatio indistineto licvi, hoe capite vix angustiore, campanulato, anticc rotundato, pone medium angustato, versus basin cylindrico, dense minus sub- tilitcr punctato, basi marginata, elytris elongatis parallelis, minus subtiliter punctatis, cum antennis pcdibusque testaeeis. Long. -1. Variat, fascia fusca transversa ad elytrorum medium. " A. seabrieeps. — Elongatus niger densius albido pubescens capite thoraceque con- fertissime rugoso-punctatis, hoc capite vix angustiore, campanulato, anticc rotundato, iwne medium angustato, basi cylindrico marginatoque, elytris punctatis, apice obsolete rufescente, antennis piceo-testacei: Long. •!. ^ IIKMAUK.S ON TIIK COLKOI'TEHA. 231 4. ( " ((raiuilarifl. '"palll■Il^^. So II I /.1 11 iH Am. rervitalis Xm. Ent. Mag. 5, 374. I'odONOt'KKI'S Fisi/l. (•oiicolor .\m. I. r. >>, 375. I'lani.i ■"* /'''■.■(7(. CnriiiHA Say. 11. J. 1, IHft. lujinliris. bnn.i .Win. I. c. 375. Antliicuif lu(j. Say. ./. Ac. 5, 210. Mi)ur>Kt.r,A Fiihr. ntrat.i Mih. l\ Ac. '2, 313. lii^Mittiiln. *' jM'rtornlin. " Anasi'is f.titr. u'ninx. [I, 9!). Ihdlomfnm ni;/. Il, ;n2. *■• tllirDnnis. Iliivipumiis 11(1. 1. 1. 100. e con- ndato, Vari;it ; " elytroruiij bnsi rul'csoputp ; /' .-iiitcnnis pcdihus pl)tris(|up tpstiiccis, hop fns- ci;i lata lul inudiuin fiiHca ; papite th()rape<|ue fuHcis : ^ capitc tlioracL-que testacpis, cly- tris fasciii iiidistinpta. A very \.irial)lc sppuics, distil miislipd from the precpding only by its srahrous head »nil thorax and loiim'r pulicsppiicp. Tiip variptjps did not ocmr mixed tonethcr ; the type and " were very ahundunt near I't. Porphyry : /' and j are found along the en- tire poast of the lake. "A. giMimlaris. — SntjelonRatiis, ponvexus, niper brcviter altio-imhcseens ; capitc tlinraceiiue deime minus suhtiliter granulosis, iilo hasi subpmarjfiiiato, aiinulis aoutis, hiiea lonnitudiiiali tcnui lifvi ; hoe eapite non annustiore, latitndine breviore, ot)ovato Ijiisi truiicata, ol)solote mar); Is mm I 1 i II \ ■^i ■■ ■ ) 232 EricAUTA Dej. cinerea DcJ. Cat. Liftla i-in. Fabr. El. 2, 80. *" fissilabria. Sl'H.KUIESTKS. "* vireseens. Cei'ii.w.oon Am. lepturides Nm. Ent. M' ,. 5, 377. variaiis lid. J. Ac. i-\ .5. 1, 95. DiTYH's Fischer. cccruleus //(/. ib. 1, 96. AsCLERA Dej. Schmidt. j)uncticollis lid. ib. 96. Pyiiio LcUr. nijrra Kb. N. Z. 1C4. Mki.andiiya Fabr. ^ uiaculata. Okcuksia Latr. gracilis Mels. P. Ac. 3, 57. LAKE SUPERIOR. Xymta Payk. ^ buprestoiilcs Pk: ^' Kb. N.Z. 240. SEnUOl'ALl'L'8 Hell. substriatus lid. J. Ac. N. S. 1, 98, obsolctus lid. I. c. 98. SCRAPTIA iMtr. biimpressa lid. I. c. 100. CiSTELA Fabr. sericea Say. J. Ac. 3, 270. Platydkma Lap. ciypcata Hd. J. Ac. N. S. 1, 102. "Nelites. a;neolus. Uris Fabr. ceramboidcs Fabr. El. 2, 584. Tenebrio reticu. Say. Exp. 2, 279. variolosus Beauv. '* Crymodes. discicoUis. *' E. fissilabris. — Nigra opaca, confertissme subtiliter punctata, breviter pubcscens, frunte macula pp.iva rufa, labro sparse punctato, brevi, profunde emarginato. Long. '08. Kakabcka. Very different from E. atrata in the form of the labrum. *■» S. vireseens. — Elongatus, niger, supra obscure vireseens, nitidus, capita thoraceque dense punctutis, hoc capite non litiore, lateribus rotundatis, basi angiist.ito, clyuis thorace sesqui latioribus, subtiliter punetato-striatis, sutura interstitiisque altornis punctis paucis seriatis, autennis capite thoraceque lougioribus, basi rufo-piceis. Long. ■12. ^^ M. maculata. — Fusca, nitida, punctata, breviter vix conspicue pubescens, thorace fere semicirculari, basi media late lobata, angulis posticis acutis, impressione maqua utrin({ue a medio ad basin extcndt-nte, elytris fascia lata ad medium apiceque cum pcdi- bus palporumque basi testaceo-pallidis. Long. -So. An Knimesa connectcns Nra. Ent. Mag. perperam descripta ? '■"' I have not been able to compare this with European specimens. "Nelixes. Clypeus antice prolongatus, non marginatus. Palpi maxillares cylin- •Irici, articulo 4 t" longiore truncato. Tarsi postici articulo 1 mo elongato. Anteniii^ apice sensim Icviter incrassata;. Differs from Hoplocephala in having the clypeus not margined anteriorly ; the antenna; are less incrassated, the penultimate joints being scarcely transverse ; I know not how it differs from Phyletes (Meg.), having had no opportunity of examining the latter. N. a'neolus. — Supra obscure viridi-ncneus, nitidus, ovalis convexiusculus, capite tlio- raceque punctatis, hoc transverse, lateribus rectis, margine anguste reflexo diapliano, elytris thorace latioribus punetato-striatis, interstitiis uniseriatiin subtilissimepunctuki- tis, subtus niger, antennis, ore pedibusque rufo-piceis. Long. -lo. Pic, to Fort W'illi;im. "*< CiiYMODKs, Corpus alatum elongatum. Antennnc capite sesquilongiores, granosa', articulis 3 ultimis subabrupte majoribus. Clypeus antice truncatus, vix marginatus, labro brevi. Mandibular promicilu;, apice acute incisue. Palpi maxillares apice trun- REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTKRA. 233 TRior.vATiirs. iiioiiilicornis. Di'ifh'^ men. Hand. B. I. 2, 22. AiTKi.Aiiis Lin. ]hi1jcscciis Sidj. J. Ac. 5, 252. AUKIIKNODKS Sl'jr. maxlllosn.s .SV7(. 1, 32G. Cl.KONTS Sell. oliliiiiius. Ll^TI!(H>l-.l!KS ,SV'^. liiiiiiilis Svh. 2, 284. Ai.oiMlis Si-h. srlitrnttatus. IlY.oiiirs Germ, iioros. a?siiiiilis Si-h. 2, 31'). conliisus Kli. y. X. 106. OnoiiiivNcius (Itnn. siihciiirtiis. Pissoi ,;,s ( J. CussoM's luihr. |)lalali>a Saif. f'nre. 21. RiiVNCoi.i-s Cri'iitzer. pulvcri'iis. Ilvi.ti!(iis Lntr. aiiici'icanns l)(j. Vat. Boi-TKicms. (•onfui'mi:< /'//. C'al. ctiiii (liKihns alU-rLs. Cis Lair. oIk'-d,-. riiuosiis. y'ri/i/ii/nns rn;/. llaii. J. 2, 2G. Pl'i>Nl>VI.|S I'lihr. "''\.\Urv\)<. m catl, articuli'^ sulKri|iKilibus. ^Iciitum fji "i ' im, laliiuilino fci .lii]'I() li. .-viii'?, ar. ''o suliioriinilatnm. IVhI 's tt-uues, tarsi articulti I I'l" lanpinre. AitproaclU'S Bovos, but tile aiitoMiKi' ari' \oi-v (iiiieTfiil : tlie clyiic'is i'i nnl pi-n]n"ii.i,rd in iVout of tho antenna', and tliclatiral iiiavi;in bi-mis dowiiv/ards b('<"()i'c rrafbiii': tbr tw-i. C. disi'ic'iiUis. — l':;i()iivitc); bi-Improsso ; (.dytrl.i lliuraee nun latioribus paralK'li-, versus sutui'a.in indi<^tuu-U' stvliitis. I/on;^-. •C^'l. ^'' I'ltiofiN.VTiirs. Corpus alatuui (duM;r'itum. Caput clou::,' ituin auticc atutuni oculi.i pavis inteu;orrimis, t'lypco inipri'sso, iiiar«.',l!i ito labio vaidi; ti'ansvei.s'j. Antenna/ hm^c iuitfi nculos sita', capita thoracocpio longiorcs, arti.ulo .'i '" levltcv eloiiLrato. ."! uUiniis subrdtandatis. Muiulibula.' api.'.v iru/Isiv', innis ;,enMl . . I'ai^^i laaxiUarcs articulo ultimo loviter intlato, trunuato. Mtntum trausvcriuni, antii'u truncatuni. I'cdes teiiucs, tarsi articalo 1 "i" lonj^iorc. I kniiw not wliat induced 5Ir. ]{andall to class tl;i.-i iuiOi-t with the (]■', Icnicrida', it is plainly a Tencbriunito, altlionf'h the jiositiou oi the anieuna' witli reference to the eyes is peculiar. Only the last tlu'ee joints of t^c antenna' are nuinilifmni. *' S. laticeps. — Niger, punctatus, thoracc cmililo, capiif noii latiore, obsolete car- inato, elytiis costis 3 vcl 1 iniaus distiuctis, antennis caidte thoraceqiic fere loiifjiori- bus. Long. '75. 16 <- !! 234 LAKE SUPERIOR. I (■■ Criockpiiamts Mills. a^rr.'stis Ifdhl. Am. Tr. 10, 35. Tet K( > I'I u m Kirlnj. h.iuivii'is iJpj. Miih. ciiHiainoptiTiim Kb. N. Z. 174. Calmdium Fahr. diinidiatiim Kb. N. Z. Cbjim iMlliaim Ud. I. I. 41. protciis Kb. iV. Z. 172. col la re Kb. A'. ;^. 171. Ci.YTrs Fdbr. specinsns Sai/. Am. Ent.pl. 53. 'Uiuliilatiis Siiij. ib. uwliituH Kb.N. Z.nb. Saiji Lap. Clyt. vnr. lunulatus Kb. N. Z. 175. "f.'il)biilus. ylOnir.irt Serv, ""(lespoctus. Ammscts D<'j. macula //«W. /. c. 18. Lamia macubi Say. J. Ac. 5, 268. POUONOCIIKUI'.S MliJ. ^^penicillatus. Tktkaoi'ks Ihtlm. 5-niaeiilatiis Lee. lid. I. c. 53. Sai'kkda J'^dbr. ais(|ue rutis. Loni:;. '27. Very similar to V. verrucosus, but the thorax is less elevated and the elytra more distinctly i)uncturcd and uuich less ^i'lbiius : the 3"' joint of the antenna' is not arm- ed wiili aspiut! : in the murkiuL;s there is no (iitrercncc, except that the cinereous lines arc less ol)li(iue. •''-' A\. despectus. — Nijjer cincreo-puljcscens, supra jiunctis pluribus niifro-pubcsccnti- bus vaiie^atus, thorace transverse hi-vi, basi abrupte co.istricto, scrieque transversa, punctorum notato ; elytris ajjice trnncatis macula oblonga sublatcrali versus medium fasciacnie an!j;ulata pone u\edium nij^ris. Loul^. •41. Thv antennae and posterior tibiiB arc annulatcd, the former in both sexes but little longer than the body ; the femora have (uie or two black spots. It is found everywhere ; the V has the anal se;?mcnt cloncjatc and truncate. ■'•'I*, penicillatus. — t^Jylindiicus, uig;cr dense cincreo-pubescons, thorace lateribus spinoso, disco valde tubcrculato, callotiuc parvo pone medium clevato, confertissime punetulato, elytris apice truncatis, cinerco, tuscoquc variegatis, fascia lata ante medium albida ; D-carinatis, carina 1 mii pilis lons^is n'^ris fasciculata, interstitiis minus dense punctatis. I.onir. '27. I'ic. The antenna' and feet arc annulate. lam doubtful if the next species (^Tctraopcs) is found at Lake Superior. ^-i S. adsjicrsa. — Ni^ra, ochracco dense pubesccns, thorace latitudine sesquibrevi- ore, grossius occllatim punctato, punctis ni;.;ris ; spatio utrinque fere ad apicem cx- tendcuto minus dense pubescente : elytris postice subangustatis, sutura acuminata, spavsim u;rosse nigro-punetatis, hue illuc spatiis densius pubcsccntibus, quorum unum mox pone medium obli(iuc versus suturam aseendit. Long '9. Very close to S. calcarata, but the color difi' s, and the thorax is shorter. '■>■> S. moesta. — Nigra cinerco-pubescens, grosse confertim punctata, thorace latitu- dine vix brcviore, basi leviter angustato, cinereo-bivittato, elytris apice rotundatis, an- tennis curpore brevioribus annulatis, basi nigris. Long. -.5. I'ic. The claws are entire, although at lirst view it would seem to be n Phytoecia; the head has a black, finely impressed frontal line. The eyes are almost divided. REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 235 MoxocHAMUS Dej. Kb. scutellatus ILL I.e. iil. rvsHtorKb.N.Z. 167. '"mutator. RiiAGiUM Fabr. lincatum Sch. Syn. 3, 414. " AUOAI.KL'S. atti-nuatus. Vachyta alien. lid. Am; Tr. 10, 59. ^^ niteus. , "EVODIVUS, monticola. Lcptura mont. Rand. B. J. 2, 27. "ACM.KOI'.S. discnidea. Piwiiijta disc. Ilnld. 1. 1. CO. proteus. Lr pi lira Proteus Kb. N. Z. 186. Paclnjta nnblineata lid. CO. *'strigilata. 'I'M. mutator. — Niger, pube cincrco varicgatus, thoracc confertim ruf^osn-puncta- to, spiuis horizontalibus dense albido-piiljusceutibas, sciitello albo, clytris dense punc- triti-*, punctis antice clevatis ; rvifo-picois, pubo cincrco, fuscoquo variegatis, antcnnis nigris, cincreo annul, itis. Long. -98. This is very similar to M. confusor Kb. (maculosus lid.), but the thorax, which is smooth in that species with a few small punctures, is rugosely punctured, and the suture of the elytra is slightly prolonged. The ', has very long black antennie. '■'' .ViuiAi.Ki's. Caput mox pone oculos non constrictnm ore attenuato, palpis labi- alibus modico dilatatis. Anfcima' ante oculos inscrt;e, longa' ; oculi antice emarginati, pdjtice truncati. Tibiic postica; apicc truncatx', calcaribus terminaliter sitis. Thorax spinosus. Elytra triangularia. Ditfers from Toxotus cylindricollis, &c., in the form of the eyes, as well as the situa- tion of the terminal spurs of the'tibiie. The spinous thorax gives an appearance like lUuigium. To this genus belongs the European Toxotus cursor. A. nitens. — Minus elongatus, niger subtiliter dense punctatus longo cincrco-pubes- cens, thoraco eanaliculato, antice angustato, basi apiceciue profunde constricto, lateri- bus acute tubcrculatis, elytris posticc angiistatis, apicc subtrtmeata, glabris punctatia luteis, disco sa^pius infuscato ; antcnnis articulo I'o abbreviuto. Long. ■(>, Vic. ■'■'EvoDixrs. Caput mox pone oculos angustatum, ore attenuato; palpis apice oblique truncatis. Antenna' ante oculos inserta', long:e : oculi magni vix emarginati. Thorax lateribus acute tubcrculatus. Mesosternum angustum, parallelum, coxis mag- nis. Elytra triangularia, apice trimcata. E. monticola. — Niger, fulvo-pubcscens, tliorace eanaliculato, utrinque constricto, elytris subtilissime rugose punctatis, fl.avis, utrin(|ue maculis 2 parvis ante medium trimsversim sitis, alteris 2 majoribus latcralibus, apiccquc n'gris : antcnnis rufesccnti- bus, corporc vix brovioribus. Iltc thoraccque vircscentilms, ])',inctati;, cinereo-pnbcseciil".- h\is, hoc antieo ans'ii'jtato, ntrinijue constricto, Icvitcr eaniilLfulato, latt-iibus subacute, sjjinoso, clytri.i grosse conrtiientcr punctatis, substriatis, splondide viridi-a'neis, apiee rotuiuiata, antcnui'i apice, tibiis basi rufcscentibus. Long. •(). Eai'le llarlior. The .^''d joint of the antenna- is longer than the -l-'^ ^^ S. plebeja. — El()np;ata, nijrra, coiifcrtim punctata, thorace lonn;c flavo-])ul'C.ccis, posticc scucini angu.;tutis, paulo dehi.scLiitibus, apico intus Innsa. I,on!X. "05. Precisely similar to S. nigrella, cxeept in the color of the elytra: the pubescence of the thorax is long and prostrate; while iu S. nigrella it is short and erect. *^ L. tibirJis. — Xi^jra, brcvilcr iluvo-pubcscens, capite thoracciiue confertissime punctatis, hoc convcxo, antice ]iannu anguslato, ajjice, ba5i(iuc constricto, latcribus vix rofundato, elytris confertini punctatis, subpavallells, a])ite paulo dehiscentibus, intror- sum oblique levitcr Iruncatis, tlavo-te.staceis, macula laterali ad mrdium, ultej'u majoic pone medium, apiccquenigris, tibiis tarsisquc tiavis, illis apicc fuscis. Long. '41]. REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 237 pusilla Saji. J. Ac. 5, 2f)3. I'lilvipcs Lar. C/iri/s. 1, 192. ciiprea Kb. N. Z. 225. gracilis. aiiril'cr. gL'iitilis. emarginata Kh. N. Z. 224. flavipos Kh. N. Z. 223. juciiiida. confusa. OiisoDACNA La'r. til)ialis Kh. K Z. 221. testaoea. Syneta Esch. Lnc. rubicunda Lac. I. c. 1, 230. ''Taraxis. abiiormis. CliYl'TOCKlMIALT'S Fdhr. 4-macuiatus Say. J. Ac. 3, 411. tridcns. MchP. Ac. 3, 172. PACUYmtAClIYS. Dcj. IM-nigniin IJfl. J. Ac. N. S. 1, 2G1. abdoiiiinalis IIil. Ihkl. 203. Ilr.TF.RASi'is Dej. pumilus Dej. Cat. Paciixeimiokus Dcj. 10-notatus. ColaspU 10-not. Say. J. .Ic. 3, 445. Pack, vurkfjalus Dcj. Cat. METACrfUOMA Dcj. gilvipt's J>ej. Cat. eanella Dej. Cat. Crypt, canellus F. El. 2, 52. 4-n()tata. Cola.ej. piinctic'oUis Dcj. Cat. parviila Drj. FlIifA l>(j. lurida J)cj. CoLAsi'is Fahr. linoata. riiYr.r.oDECTA /\7). ^S-itellinic teste Kh. X. Z. 216. IIelodes Fahr. trivittata Say.,f. Ac. 5, 2D.S. rilYTODiOCTA Kh. *" rufipos teste Kh. X. Z. 213. LiNA ^fcl/. disc'lcolli!^. coiisanguinoa. CiiUYsoMKr.A Lin. scalari.s Lcc. An. Lye. 1. spira;iP Say. conjinis Kh. K Z 211. clcgans Ollc. 91, 04.y(y/. 92. Plk( TuoscKr.is C/icvr. chalcea Dej. :' y ;i ' *^ T.VR.vxrs. — Antcnn.T basi (listantc'ibrcviiisculre avticiilo 1 "i" majorc crassiorc, 3'f securiuo sosciui longioro 5 '" 4 '" (juc paulo bri'vioribus, reliquis louu;ittulinc crassiorilms. Oculi eiuiuf;inati. Cox;c anticio parviu globosii', approxiinativ, prostuino non prinai- nulo. AI)(loincii articulo 6 i'> niajoro iuferne einargiuato, scuinciitulo auaUaueto. Tarsi articulo 3'<'lato, paruiu emarginato, unguibus late appendiculatis. Pulpi apice acuini- nati. Thorax clytris angustior a medio ad basin valdt- angustato constrictoque, apice itorum leviter constricto, ulytris cyliiulricis apice rotuudatis. T. alinnriius. — Testaoea, nitida, grosse punctata, thorace liiira minus distincta lasvi, clytris ad s-utclluni ct pone medium, cum vortice, poi'toribiisquc rufcscontibus. liOng. 'l.). i'ic. Looks like a minute Syneta, but at once distinguished by the abdo- men, tarsi and antennic. *" I give this as identical with the European on Kirby's autliorlty. I have not been able to compare specimens. ■" I have had no opportunity of comparing with l^iiropcan specimens. 238 LAKE SUPERIOR. i il" •t i it-* ' confinis Drj. DisoNYCHA Chevr. 5-vittata. Allira 5-vit. Smj. J. Ac. 4, 85. GiJApTODEKA Chevr. euprea. ignita. Alt. 'Kjnltn 111. Mag. C, 117. Gali-kuuca Fahr. canadensis Kb. N. Z. 219. cribrata Ikj. golatinariip Fahr. El. 1, -IDO. ^'sagittariip 6'////. teste Kl>. 219. notulata Fahr. EL 1, 489. Olivicri Kb. N. Z. 218. IIiprODAMiA Chevr. Iledt. abbreviata Brj. Cat. Currini'lla abb. Fahr. E. 1, 3C0. parenthi'sis. Coccinella par. Sai/. ,J. Ac. 4, 93. C trldcns Kb. X. Z. 229. 5-s!gnata. Corcinclla 5-si;/. Kb. N. Z. 230. 1 3 -punctata 7>e/. Cat. Cocc. 13-pnnc. Lin. Fn. 5^?*. 481. C — tibialis Say. J. Ac. 4, 94. COCCIXKLLA Lin. 9-notata F. El. 1, 3G6. 5-notata Kb. N. Z. 230. 3-fasLiata /•'. El. 1, 303. tricuspis Kb. N.Z. 231. incarnata Kb. ib- venusta Mcb. P. Ac. 3, 178. notulata Dej. Cat. 15-piinrtata oliv. mali Say. J. Ac. 4, 93. pullata Say. J. Ac. 5, 302. notans Hand. B.J. 2, 49. conl'iise-signata. picta Hand. B. J. 2, 51. conciniiata Meh. P. Ac. 3, 1 77. ininiac'ulata Fahr. El. 1, 357. PsYLLononA Chevr. 20-mac'ulata. nana Dej. Cat. Cocc. 20-mar. Say. J. Ac. 4, 98. BuACiiiACANTHA Chcvr. bis-5-pustiilata Fahr. El. 1 384. ur.sina ]•'. ib. 38G. var. minor. di-conotata. consiniilis. *° OxYXYcnus. nioerens. SCYMNUS. ^ caudalis. *s Nor have I compared this species. *" Corpus alatum brevitcr ol)lonp;um antice subansriistatum Rlabrum. Antennx ca- pitc brcvioros articulo 2 "do majusculo, ultimo ovali majorc. Ligula emarginata. Sou- telhim distinctum. Ungues simpliccs. Epipleuroc impress^. Abdomen articulo 1 ■"" laminarum margine externo curvato. O. mocrens. — Xiger nitidus, punctulatus, thoracis m.arginc, elytrorumquc gutta minuta pone medium testaccis, antcnnis tarsis(]ue rufis. Long. "1. St. Jgnace. Variat, a elytris gutta altera parva humerali testacea, margine pone medium rufes- cente. /? Niger immaculatus. ^° S. caudalis, — Broviter ovalis, convexus, punctatus, niger, thorace lateribus, antcn- nis. palpis pedibus, abdominis(iuc scgmcntis 2 ultiinis rufis, mcsostcrno lato, fere trun- cato, abdominis laminis integris, basi puiictatis, ad marginem srgnipiiti 1 "" fere cx- tendentiljus. Long. -09. i articulo ultimo abdominis late profundc cmarginato, pedibus capitequc rufis. REMARKS ON THE COLEOrTERA. 2^9 "lacustria. puiiitum. "ornatud. Orthopkrus. (liividiis. CoRYi.oriira. lutruhiis. PJiXte Sth represents tivelve new species of the Culeojifern, de- scribed in the preceding Catalojae. On glancing over the catalogue wliicli is just ended, the entomolo- gist caimot fail to be struck with two very roinarkahlc eharaftcr-j dis- played by the insect fauna of those northern regions. First, the entire absence of all those groups which are jteculiar to the AmiM-ican continent. Thus, there is no Dicielus, no I'asiinaehus among tlic Caraliica ; the IJrachelytra are rej)reseuted only by forms common to both continents. Among the IJiiprestidjo is no Jirachys ; hi ilic ScarabieidiE, the American grou})S (except DiclRdonycha) are com- pletely unrepresented ; in brief, there is scarcely a genus cuumerati-d which has not its representative in the Old Woi'ld. The few new gf'uera which I have ventured to establish, are not to be regar-h'd as exceptions, they are all closely allied to European forms, and liy no nii'ans members of groups exclusively American. k^tciindly, the deficiency caused by the disap[(earance of charac- tci'istie forms, is ol)viated by a large incfcase of tlie rn'Mu-'crs of genera feebly represented in the more temperate region-:, and al-o by the introduction of many genera hei'etofore regacded as co'ifin- ed to the northern part of Europe and Asia. Among these latrer are many species which can be distinguislied froui their foreign t!^"i ' .^| %^ m " S. lacustris. — Brcviter ovalis, convexus, punrtitus, nicor, mcsostorno lato frre trurciito, abdominis laminis iujofjris, basi piiiu'tatis, atl inar^iiR'in i;iiiat:^. i abdiiniine integro, x'(iualiter dense pun(ti>to, anteuius pedilmsque ni.qris, posticia nonnnnqMam rutis. ^" S ornatus. — Kllipticus, convexus dense subtiliter i)unctatus, niijer elytris ulrinijuc macula magna ()bli(|ua ante medium, alteraque magna orbiciilata pone meilium late rufa, antennarum i)asi tibiis tarsisque fusco-nifis, al)dominis laminis extrorsuni umnino obliteratis, mesosterno lato, parum emargiuato. Long. '08. 16* t' ■ »^>l ! ! '■ K 1 tif '■ . 239» LAKE SUPERIOR. aii;il<\i;uos only ])y the most careful examination. This paralh'listn is sonn'tirnes most exact, niniiiii;i; not merely throui^h the genoni, i)ecies of ^vir hut even throu;^!! the respective sp they are eomiidscd tlius of the two species of < )listli;onis, each is most closely rdutc'd to its Kuropenn aTialo^uo, O. lafitvps hein^ similar to 0. iiu'itny- iJidns, wliiio 0. itiiiduH can scarcely he known from (>. HuhxtridtftH. While upon this suhjoct, we may take occasion to distin,i;uisli the diffi it kinds of replf .f v'hich are ohserved necies, iuj; from one zooloi;i 1 disnv ;•. t' another more or less dibtinit. There a{»pear t. hj fu". ii-'iu't i so lificatioiis by which faunas arc characterized. 1st. When the same sp • i'S,or ^' ranic forms, so similar as to pre- sont no appreciahle difference, appea. at jioints so situated as to preclude the possihility of any intercommunication. These are nmst r;!!'e, and are onlv ohserved when the i)hvsical circumstances under which the species exists are n(?arly identical. 'Jd. When a species in one district is paralleled hy another in a different rc«i;ion so closely allied that upy •^fNoral others of the same genus, Avhich j)erform a similar part in the economy of nature, without, however, displaj'ing any farther affinity to each other. These are called e(iiiivnlent ifpecies ; e.g., iiiM-;t of the species of Cicuidela, Brachinus. Clytus, Donacia, (Sec, of America, as compared with those of the eastern world. ■kh. Where the lucmlters of a group are represented collectively by kindred species in another district, Avhich however display surh dirterences of structure that each may at once he referred to its p!'> per locality ; e. g.,iiiost of the Melolonthnc among Ooleoptera, and the entire group of <^iadrnmana among mammalia. Now it will he ohserved. tliat in proceeding from the Arctic circle to the tropics, the prominent character of the fauna is suce» ssi\(ly modified hy these pecidiarities. We pass from a region where rlic fauna is the same at remote points, through one wliere the nroduc- tinus are similar, hut nut identical, to one finally, where the ci(ullil> ilf'f; REMARKS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 240 riiini of forms is still preserved, l)ut where the general arr.'\n;^ement '!■* totiillv different, the prominent groups of one eoutinent bein^ either foot.' '•epreseuted on the i^ther, or else entirely wanting. It les not l)ecome us, in the present imperfect state of tropical c.plorition, to determine what groups are \h lYv.ir to each continent ; we '■..! merely aaj that particular forms are more abundant in certain rcgi'- iTi. For by a strange fatality, (at least in Coleoptera,) no sooner ii any group admitted h a common consent to be exclusively Amer- ican, than suddenly, as if produced by the well-known jugglery of those countries, a species starts uj) in Central Asia, or Africa, (e. g., Galerita, Agra, Sandalus.) Still, enough remains to show us that the prevailing character of tropical fauna is individuality ; the production of peculiar forms within limited regions : wliile the dis- tinguishing feature of temperate and arctic ftiuna is the rei)etition of similar or identical forms through extensive localities. (Ml proceeding now to illustrate these deductions by special oxo pies from the catalogue before us, it will be seen that the parallcliy-'ii of species in temperate and frigid climates can be demonstrated n- p.a'ticularly in the genera winch are more \miversally diffused ov..i' tiie earth, or in those which arc especially confined to tem])erate re- gions, than in such as receive their principal development within the tropics. Thus for instance, among the great group of Carnivorous Coleoptera, the terrestial species, (although well represented in cold climates,) contain an immense number of genera, each of which (with few exceptions) seems to have a particular locus, external to which it is feebly represented. Accordingly in this group, the i)ar- allt'lism of species is by no means clear, and the forms are rather to be considered equivalent than analogous. On the other baud, among the a(iuatic Predaceous Coleoptera, the genera are but few, and the tribe is more abundant in cold regions ; and in these the parallelism is most exact, so that there are but few mentioned in the preceding pages, that have not their exact counterparts in Evu'0[)e. The characters appended to the new species will render this sufficients ly obvious to the student, while the relations of those previously described by Kirby and Aube have already been clearly pointed out by those authors. Passing on to the other water-beetles, the species of Ilelophorus .^'^v. 210* LAKE SUPERIOR. sr: i »;. m fe i. H ■':-i; and O('litlio>»'ms will afford other strikitit!; oxamplos of this parallelism. AiiiniiLi; the nracliolytra an; tmiiitToiis other iiistaiicen, the most re- in.u'kalile heiiii; the ^jicnus Olisthairua, already alluded to. Protei- iiii.s and Me;:;arthniri also for the iirst time appear on this continent. 'J he Apliodii with lar;^e scntelliini, the Dityhis, I'ytho, Sphioriestes, and Spondyhisare also i;ood illustrations. Ainon;^ the FHateridse are numerous instances, hut having not yet suhmitted this ;.^roup to phi- losophical study, I have not ventured to descrihe the new species, hut have merely indicated them l»y names. For the present there- fore, any remarks on the parallelism of the forms in this ;:rouj) must be ])ostpom.Ml. Xotwithstandin;:; this approximation to a uniform, suliaretie standard, we still find in these horeal re;j;ions, a pveviiiliiii^ chiiracter of North American fauna — the extreme paucity of ("urcu- lionidiB. The Donaciic too, although inunerous, do not aftbrd anv prominent jiurallelism. The American s})ecie8 can only be regarded as e(|uivalent to the Europciin. < )n concluding this short essay on the geographical distribution of Coleuptcra in the northern part of our continent, 1 feel tliat some cause nuist he assigned for the brief manner in which such extensive nuiterial has been disjiosed of. Enough has been given to jioint the laws of distribution, and to show that they accord most perfectly with those derived from other branches of natural history, while during the yet imjierfect condition of entomological science in this country, a minute analysis of the components of the entire fauna would be a woik of immense labor, find would in fact be rendered nugatory, until all the species are described, and all the groujts submitted to a philosophical revision. My conij)lete success in tracing the par- allelism between the Pselaphidiic of Europe and North America (in an unjiublished monograph of this family) leads me to believe that a rich store of niaterial is herein presented to such minds as are satis- fied with statistical comjtarisons between the inhabitants of different zoological districts ; and that nothing but industry and a free access to the most conmion Eurojiean insects is recjuired to produce a most formidable list of anah)gous species. I shall rest satisfied with having shown that this parallelism exists even more accurately than in the verte))rate class, and with having jiointed out examples far more numerous than those furnished by the higher animals : the more so, RE.MAUK8 ON THK roi.KOI'TKKA. 241 siiico I fy whidi thev are olttaiued, a «Mtaloi;ue (if mei-e teehuicalities, which fail to coiivov a siuj'lo idea to his mind, will l»e eiiuallv useless and uniuter- ostiuil. I purposed in the jiresent essay to trace, as far as possible, the niechanisni of the agency l>y which the present distrihution of sjn'ciea has hei-n etfected, and to reduce its most obvious results to S(Mne fixed principles. Fearful, however, lest my views shotild he considered as derived exclusively from a consideration of insects, and their plie- neiiicna of distribution, I prefer waitini; until a sutHci(Mit familiaiity with other sciences will enable uie to l)e less partial in my choice of illu>trations. T do this with the leas regret as 1 find some of my dcihictions arc at variance with many of the most ancient, and most firmly established prejudices of oiu- nature, and before venturing any assertion, which even in appearance deviates from "general impres- sions," it is at least prudent to be supported by facts drawn from more extended observation than is furnished by one or two limited departments of knowledge. ill In the rapids at Niagara have been observed large numbers of the singular animal described by l)ekay (in the Zoology of New York) as a new genus of Crustacea, under the name of Fluvicola Ilerricki. They were attached to stones just below the surface of the water, and crawled but slowly ; when seized, they endeavor to contract themselves into a ball. These animals have a marvellous resemblance to the exthict group of Trilobites, although, as will be seen in the seijuel, they are the larvae of an insect. Mr. Agassiz informs me that a similar form has long been known to the zoologists of Continental Europ.e as i^cutel- laria amerlandica, but I have not been able to find any published ac- count of it. On turning over some stones near the river bank, I was agreeablv 8un>rised to find manv specimens which had left the water for the purpose of changing hito pupne. The elliptical shield of the superior K -I'll [I ! f:: ill ill ( I ■J '. t: ' t 241* LAKE SUPERIOR. surface, which ;^iv('s the animal its Ci-mtuccau ii|i|a'ariinco, s\-aa firm- ly utlhcreiit to the sti>uo hy its ciUutud inar;^iii, and t'ornioil an oxcoi- lent pmtt'ction undor which tho lator tran.sI'Drniations C(»ui(l lulvo place with safety. In fact, the superior shield hein;^ cast oft' with the larva skin, served in place of the cocoon or nest constructed Ijy many larv;c, heforo transforming. I regret that in the short account given hy me at the recent meeting of naturalists in Camhridge, I was induced to speak of this discovery, without having access at the time to spt'cimens. Tlmsu which I expected to (iml at Moston had Iteen lost, and my former examination of tho pupio collected hy myself was very sligiit. I referred the insect to the order of Neuroptera, and I must here return my sincere thanks to ray friend Dr. Harris, for a hint tjwards its true nature. For the opportunity of examining some vt,'ry large and well devel- oped larvic, I am indel)tod to my friend I. C. Brevoort, who procured them at Niagara in July of the previous year. The body proper of the larvio is elongate, the head being free, (i. e. not retractile,) but concealed under the largo shield, like a pro- longation of the dorsal epidermis of the protborax. On each side arc six small, approximate ocelli, anterior to which is the antenna, a little longer than tho head, and two-jointed ; each joint having a tendency to become divided at its middle, so that on a superticial inspection there W( uld ajipcar to ho four joints. These organs are inserted at the outer extremity of the clyiteo-'iranial suture ; the labrum is large, and a little emarginate in the middle. The lower part of the head is covered by a large mentura, which prevents the mandibles and maxilhe from being seen. The n'axillary palpi are half the length of the antenuiu, filiform, rather stout, and three-articu- lated, the joints being equal. The labial paljn are bent down and covered by the epidermis. In the very young larvtic the palpi are still shorter in proportion to the antennsu. A more full description of the parts of the mouth must be reserved for a separate treatise, when their structure can be illustrated by jilates. The abdomen is furnished on each side with six bunches of long branchial filaments, which proceed from the interstices between the articulations ; there is a larger bunch of filaments connected with the anal aperture, which \h Ui;.MAUKS ON THE CoLKol'TllUA. 242 1»il!l-' n )erliciiil uis are c ; the luwor iits the )i are articu- \VH Ulltl jii are riptioii vatisc, ■.»iut'u is iiaents, ; there , which niav he rotrnctcil, ami is ordinarily not visible in dead sju'cinicns ; ext'M'ior to tiiese fihimontM on cacli artieulation is a small fovea. The artietilation itscit" !>< prolon^'ed caeli si(h'. for a short distance hetweon thf laiiiina' of the expandcfl epidermis, so tint the outline nf the ]iro[ or Hesliy portion is serrate. The le;;s are slender, the tarsus inarticulate, ruiil riirnished with a single claw. The pupa is hr< adiy oval, and depresseil. 'j'he head is concealed utnler a hood formed l»y the proloii,^ation of the v\ idcrniis of the prothorax. This h'lud is produced at the posterior angles, so that it hecoiiies exactly similar to the thorax of a liamnvris. The front between the- antenna' is transversely elevated, so that the mouth is situated, on its inferior surface. The antenn.eare three times lon,L'er than the head, and inside of the p\ipa skin (in much developed specimens) are scon to he serrate, and eleven-jointed ; the ] alpi arc two-thirds the len;rth of the antcniiie, and are stjnie\\hat dilated at the extremity. The lahial palpi are very .short. The lalirum is transversely cordate. The win^s are hent inider the hody. The superior onesexhihit the structure of tlytra,and have fourslij;ht l(inj:itudinal rihs : the inferior are nienihrano\is, and show a slight transverse nervuie near the miildle. The ahdomen is si.v-jointed and serrate at the sides, owing to the angular prolongation of cmcIi joint, and is entirely fi'ee from hranchial appendages. 'J'he last joint is rounded. The feet are slender, and not armed with a claw. The niesopectus is tlec; ly chamuded. After the descri] tion just given of the puj^a, no one will doubt that the uisect belongs to the Coleoptera : and from the serrate out- liiic of the abdomen.- one woidd be inclined to refer it to the groups possessing larvjo like the Lampyris, TiVeus. fic. The separation of the prothorax and its great de\eli'i nieut. as well as the stnietuie of the sujierior wings, absolutely exclude it IVom the Xeuroptera. to which I at first referred it. The peculiar strue "e of the head of the j^upia, and the great length of the palpi. ] on.' clcai-ly to Eurypalpus, a euriens genu3, which is placed by author.- near Cyphon, which, as is well known, i.s closely allied to the Lam}iyridie. Eurypalpus differs very nmch Crttra all the allied genera, in bei)ig aipiatic. It is fMriiial))i as a second pair of antennae : and surely such an anomalous form as a Crustacean with sir I'i/h, hi id a head separate from the thorax, deserved a nnjre careful csauiination, before receiv- ing a definite place in tiie system. Tlie figure in the Xew York Zodli^gv. (us the animal is very pecu- liar in its ronii.) beai's a ceriain vagiie rescnibhnice to what it was intended to represent ; bvit for all svsteniiuic (iur})0'^es. it is, like nearly all the plates in tiiat iiart of t.he ':i{iaQ Survey. perfcelJy wort!\le»s. f i V. il'll CATALOGUE OF SHELLS, WITH DESCRH'TIOXS OF NEW SPECH{;S. BY DR. A. A. flOULD. If; * llflix alliolaliris, Smj. Nortliorn shore, IMIcliipioolIn. " tri(k'iitata, Sni/. IS'iaizara, ^lac'kinaw. " tliyi'oiihis. Sill/. Nlaifara, Mackinaw. " alttTiiata, Sm/. XIai/ara, Mac.-kiiiaw. jialliata, Sai/. Ts'iaiiara. moiiodon, Rnrkril. Niaj^ara, IVIackiiiaw. jiiTspcctiva, Siiij. Xiairara, IMackiiiaw. stiiatc'Ua, AiiI/i'dii/. Fort William, Cape Goiir^fanne, N. E. of St. Tu'naoc. " ('(iiicava, S(i>/, Niaixara. " arhorea, Sai/. Mackinaw, Fort William, Cape Cour<;aiiiic, St. Ignaee. " cleutrina, (Jouhl. Cape Goiii";;i'' !in . rl ' ViTUiNA i.iMiMDA, Coii/d {V. /W/iwvWfl, Say, in Long's Expodi'' ->n. II. 2')S.) Il.-ivinp marie a critiral CDniiJiirisoii of our Vitriiia with the V. pclluciild iii I'.uropc, witli which sipf'cies i* has hithci'to been regarded as identical, I am iiidueed to believe that tliey arc ditl'ercnt species. The American shell is more globose ; the plane of the aperture is more obli(|iie, and the basal portion of the lip sweeps round from the euluinclla in a ra])i(lly curving arc, instead of stretching off almost horizontally ; indeed the whole aperture is more nearly circular. These dilFerences become (luite obvious when the shell is greatly magnified. The color of the European shell is always more or less green or yellow, whereas the American specimens are colorless, and decidedly more fragile. In size, they are about one fourth smaller than the foreign ones, ami have, at least, half a whorl less in the spire. It is indeed mine nearly like V. suhi/ltilidsa, Mich, which, however, has a much more elevated spire, and its basal face much more inflated. ' I'. \ ^n 244 LAKE SUPERIOR. Tliysa vinnsa, Gnnhl. Northorn ^o.ii^t, MifhIi)iootln. '• anrillaria, Nay. NIaL'ara, Satilt St. Marie, Michi[)ic(jtin. i/iiniica jii;_nilaii!5, ^ii>J- ^I'lrtliern Coast. capiM'ata. NV/y. Nia<;ara, Black River. liiiiiiilis. Sinj. Miehipicolin, ra[>e (lotiriraniie. catasiiipiuin, .SV/y. Northern shore, Furt William. (U'siiliosa, Sdif. Northern shore. 11 II 11 u II lanceata, (lituld, I'ie, Gourgannc. -PiivsA viNOs.v, Cloitld, T. tciuii, nvato-globosfi, badii'i, Rpiraliter iniiiuti--simc ^tri- ati'i, cpidcrmiile tomii indiita ; spirit obtiisa, anfr. 4, iiltiiuo pennat^iio ; aportiira ovato- uuata, lo itud. testa adi' |iiauto, liopati toluinc'lbi recta, tenui. Long. 4 poll, rro'-ffd. Host. Siir. X,if. Hist., n., 263, Dec. 1H47. I ([uote tbc alinve dosiTiptlor of a species first bront;bt from Lake Superior by Dr. C. T. .Jai'ksoii, ami hitherto lound only in tlie region of that lake. I'rof. A. found it on tlie north shore, at Michipicotin. It is well eharaeterized by its inflated form, delicate .slru('tiir(!, striated surface, its wine-red color externally, and its liver-brown color within. It resembles, somowliat, P. anviUarld, which diHers in form by having shouldered whorls, and its greatest diameter behind vhe middle. Unfm-tnnately, the figure has been drawn from a very small specimen, and does not exhibit the characters of a full- grown s])ecinien. (See pi. 7, fiiTs. 10 and 11.) ■' LiMNi:.v c.vrAscoi'irM. I'here is no slight dilficulty in defining the limits of allied species in this genus. AVhile real specific eharaitcrs are very few and ill defined, the variations of species arc very numerous and wide in their range ; nevertheless, by a certain facies, or by collecting large numliers at a given locality, we are able to pro- no\ince shells which are very diHerent in their aspect to be specifically identical. These remarks apply with special force to the species above named. Some of the speciTuens arc elongated and slender, while others are short and ventricosc; some are thin and fragile, others dense and firm ; some are smooth or with a delicately cor- rugated epidertnis, others are indented and liroken into numerous facets ; some have a very hirgely deveIopcens examined ; but when wc come to compare large wjmbcra collected in company, we see the connecting links and the necessity of rctainiiiV rhem under one name. Among thenr we find I,, piitfjuis, Say, which Mr. Ilaldeman has al- ready referrivl lo this -iiiecies ; and also I,, /mariiiimtii , Say, which, from the few speci- mens lie had seen, Mr. Ilaldeman deemed to be a well maiked species. The numerous spei'imens since brought from the Lake Sujierior region render it sufficiently certain that it is only a variety of L, rttsfasropiiim, with the last whorl more or less angular posteriorly, and with a straiglit pillar which gives to the base of the aperture a pecu- liarly broad ami distiu'ted form. Amid all the varintitnis, however, then' is a certain asjiect of the aperture which is characteristic. It is large when cnniparc .1 with that of L. vinhmsa, or L. t-lodis ; it is nc'i'r- Iv semicircular, while in large specimens of L. ilcsiiliosit, whvtr the pvoportional si/c of the aperture is more nearly th(,' same, its posterior outline is broad and nearly transverse. ■1 FiiMNK.V l,.VN( K.vrA, (loitlil. Testa mcdiocri, fragili, diaphana, cornea, atteiniata, striis incremonti et striis volventibus argute reticulata; spirit' anfr. (3 iilauiu-culis, pcr- A r] Ml iMi- CATALOGUE OF SHELLS. 21') Planorbi.s l)irarinatu>, Sa;/. Saiilt St. ^lario, Black River. " ])arviis, Stii/. Sault St. Alai'it'. Valvata fi'icariiiata, Sai/. Blac ' "r. Aniiii''"'!' jrraua, Sai/. Fort W.' ...in, Caju' (loiirgaiine. riilmliiia |i(inili>rrisa, Sni/. Kia,L'ara. Mi'lania livcsci'iis, Menke. (niagari'iisis, Ltd.) Niagara. siiliiilata. Niagara. Cvclas .siiiiilis. Sai/. Sault Si. Mario. partnniL'ia (young) V N(///. Fort A\'iliiani. ^ Pi^i^liiHU iliiliimn. Sail. I'ort \\'''liain, Mirliijiirotin. I'niii railiatus, (liml. NnrtliiTii slmro. Auuiloiita iVpinlana, Lea. Nortlim-ii shore, Caj)0 (ioiirganno. Tlir nunil)Or of bivalve shells hcimiis to diniini-^h vei'v abruptly at the ehiiin of the gi'eat lakes; so that of the great ncniiber of speeit's. so pi'ofii.-e alsn in the iiuiiiljer of inilividuals, in the States bordering on the south, seai'cely ten spe- cies, ami those not abninlant. are tbinul to the norfii; and all tlie.so are meagre ill ilevelnpnient, and of the >iiiiple>t ti)riu and enlor. nljliqiiis, ultimo 'I tostit? rr>(iua'itp ; aperturu nna;nst;"i, diiiiHliam Innpiitmlinis fore ado- ([UUlitt', iJOstici' acuta, jilica coliiiiicllari couspitua, acuta, vix spiiali ; laljid fascia cas- tanca .sulunavninali piclo. liOiiij;. .', lat. j, p three iuuillis 1)1" the «li()Ie 'ilielL The a])citiiri' is nairov,-, liavini; a sharp, slitrli; windinj; t'ohl on tlio I'illar, and a subiuaniinal Itruwu stripe ju^t within tlie lip. rs ' to \i. i/rari/iy, thi.s is the u'Ost delie.ale s]i(eics we have. It may be compared with 1-. atlcniKdii and L. rcfrrii, iVoiu both of which it difl'ers in the tlatiie>s of it.s wh"rl~, in its narrow, elonsiated aperlino, and in bein'j; only hall' their ei/e. It is re' '> liter I'liiix'i Inipnoriiiii reveis-d. ■' ri-iDMM iniiirM. 'J'he sep:ir,.tiiin tVoia Cyeliis of some spei'ies under the i;;'n .if Pixid'ii.iii bcini; regarded as IcLiitiniate, I jdaee this slirll under that trciuis. 'J'lie shi brouLtli' from Lalic Superior seem, however, to dilfer somewhat from specimens fvoi. the Atlanlii' region, 'fhey are siniller, more elev.ited, less siilrated, and the hiiii^i' is k.-s rohiisi. 1 had deslMited to apjd} t.i theui tin' speeiHc name I'. /r,!( /'rv//, luil un- fortunately the s|ieeinieus were mislaid before 1 li.id e.Mimmed them with suflieieut cure to give the characters with the re(iui»it(' jjreeision. ,sUi f U Id e which is it Is iiei'r- lal si/e of ansver^c. Itenuata, Milis, per- t! •Li f'i it m i m VI. FISiIES OF LAKE SUPERIOR COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE OTHER OREAT CANADIAN EAKES. W ! i l\ Bhsidiv-^ the interest there is everywhere in stuilyiuLi; the livin;; aniiiKils of a new country, there is a ]'articuUir interest to a natural- ist in ascertaining their peculiar geographical distribution, and their true aliinities with those of other countries. It is only by following sucli a course, that we can hofjc to arrive at any exact results as to their origin. In this respect the freshwater animals have a peculiar interest, as from the element they inhabit, they are placed under exceptional circumstances. Marine animals, as well as those hihabiting dry land, seem to have a boumlless op})ortunity beftre them to spread over large parts of the earth's surface, and their locomotive powers would generally be suf- ficient to carry them almost anywhere ; but tliey do not avail them- selves of the possil)ility ; notwithstanding their facilities for locomo- tion, they for the most part remain within very narrow limits, usii\g their liberty rather to keep within certain defmitc bounds. This tendency of the higher animals especially, to keep within well-ascer- tained limits, is perhaps the strongest evidence that there is a natural connection between the external world, and the organized beings living upon the present surface of our globe. The laws which regu- late these relations, and those of geographical distribution in partic- ular, have already been ascertained to a certain extent, and will receive additional evidence from the facts recorded during our jour- n''v. 'l'^o fre-^hwater animals are placed in somewhat dilTercut circu'i. stauccc. 'lIiou ■! jodo being circumscribed by dry land within limits FISHES OF LAKE SUPEKIOU. 217 which are often reduced to a narrow current of water, and hein,^ far- ther, for tlie most part, prevented by structural peculiarities from piissiiig from the rivers into the ocean, they are conlined within nar- rower limits tlian either terrestrial <>r marine types. Witliin these limits aj^ain they are still farther restricted ; the shells and fishes of tlic head-waters of lar,L!;e rivers, for instance, 1)eini^ scarcely ever tho same as those of their middle or lower course, few speeies extending all over any freshwater hasin from one extreme of its boundary to the other ; thus forming at various heights almve tlie level of the sea, i.si)lated grouj)S of freshwater animals in the midst of those whieh in- habit the dry land. These groups are very similar in their circum- scription to the islamis and coral reefs of the ocean ; like them they are either large or small, isolated and far apart, or elose together in various modes of association. In every respect they form upon the continents as it were a counterpart of the archipelagoes. From their circumscription, tliese groups of lakes present at once a peculiar feature in the animal kingdom, their inhabitants being en- tirely unconnected with any of the other living beings whieli swarm around them. What, for instance, is there apparently in common between the fishes of our lakes and rivers, and the «pi;ulru})eds which inhabit their shores, or the birds perching on die brandies which overshadow their waters ; or what connection is there between tlie few hermit-like terrestrial animals that live upon the low islands of the Pacilic, and the fishes which play among the corals, or in the sand and mud of their shores ? And nevertliel(>ss there is but one plan in the creation ; freshwater animals luider similar latituing turtle, the alligator, the rattlesnake, and other reptiles "hicli are i'lund only in Anicrica, have become extinct in the Old AViiiid ufi.r hiigruting over the Ai.auiic, to be ju'eservrd ni tliis continoiit ; whether the fishes of the griMl Canadian lakes made their ai'pearance -^ir*: in those waters, or '■'i;--ited thither fron; s ^^'^where else ? These are the cjuestions wlueh such an iui|uiry into tlie geo- graphicid ili ;l;"'ibutioii of animjls Involves; it is the great question of the unity or plurality of creations ; it is not less the (juesti(j)i of the origin of a'aiinals from single pairs or in large numbers: and. strange to sav, a thorotigh examination of the fishes of ]jakc ;"mij oi'ior, eom- parei.l witli thn.-e of Ihc adj ..cent waters, is likely to throw more liglit iiiiou st'.ch (piestlons, than all traditions, howe\er ancient, however near in point of time to tlie eiioch of creation Itself. In order to procee.l inCLhoili ;ally in this investigatioj). our first step must be to examine muuitely. whether the fishes of Lake Sujie- rior are the same as those of other lakes in this or any otliL'r country, and if not, how they diit'tr. To satisfy ourselves in this resjicct, we shall successively examine all the families of fishes which have repre- sentatives In those great freshwater seas. ii !: ur fir.-t c Supo- • imitry, ■cet, wc FISIIES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. PETROMYZONTiKiE (Lamprcy-ccls.) 249 There arc families in all departnionts of nature, ^vhosc peculiarities call for an iuvostii^ation of their more i^'encral relations rather t'.iau of their structural details. The Petromyzons are in this case. Clo.sely alliod to,^eiher and cireuiiiscribed in a must natural family, it is a ipies tinu whether they should be entirely separated from all otlun- fishes to form a great group ])y themselves, or whether they helnng to one of iliiise great divisions in which the individual members dilfer wiilely from each other. In other words, should the rctromyz:ns stand by them-^elves in a natural classification of fishes, as Priuco C'anino and Joli. Midler have placed them, or shall we combine them witli skates and sharks, as Cuvier has done ? To answer such a question, it is uecessary to discuss beforehand prhicijiles of the utmost importa?ice in the study of natural history, and above all to settle the follow- ing dilRculty : — Is the study of anatomical structure an absoluloly safe guide in the cstimatitjn of the relations of animiils to each other ? CuviL'r, who made the stusly of com}iarativc anatomy the foundation of classification, carried out this prhiciplc in a most remarkabb. m-.i- ncr, and improved the natural arrangement of animals mt. i .-•• prisingly ; indeed, ho made zoiilogy truly a science by it ; but with a tact tliat characterizes genius, he limited the absolute couseiiuenccs of this law by a true appreci;iti' .n of t!ie relative value of characters ; introducing at the same time with the principle of classification ac- cording to the structure of animals, that of subordinati'.m of charac- ters, without which the first great principle might mislead us, instead of helping to ascertain the true relations of organized beings. Xow it seems to mc as if zoiilogists and anatomists ha-l of late insisted too strictly upon the absolute dilferences wliich exist between animals, inoiead of attempting to ap.pveciate the relative value of tli:.' d',:ler onoos noticed. 0*^ course, as this latter point rests almost wi'.hin the fu.iits of individual ap^a'cciation, it is more difacnlb to and the riglit path her'', tlian in almost any other department of zoological in . ^'sti- Rations ; Ivat I hope to bt; able to introduce anotlier great pa'inc!;)lf of zGol')gical classification, w-hicli sliaU alTord a safe guide to .-.fttle such doubts ; I mean the study of e!u')ryonio dcvclupment. Let me now show, in the present instance, how I condder it possible 17 I ^\\ ;* 5- ' ii 1 f) %m I- ii .'; n ' u r 250 I-.\KH SUl'KUlOIl. . ,;,n It ! • K '>:•; : to 1/" I'"! l)y ruifitomical cvidciici' ciaisuloreil in its absoluto vo.siilt>, to cuii>''iii. (lions .strictly ojijiosod to tiiose wliicli an lultlitiunal anj lulut- anco uith L'niliryonic dcvelnpiTient nii.dit indicate. (luidi'd I)y hi.s admira'ilu natural trclini:; of allinitics, Cuvicr j. laced in one and the same ,i:;roat division, sliarks, skates, and laui[iroy-ei.'l.s, Inlln'UiH'l 'ly auatMniicid investiL^ation, and Indei'd liy the most miu- ut(.' and admlraltle knowledi^e of tlicir anatnniical structure, derived fr\o\v, such facts exist. In the first place, it is imiiossilde, without disturb- ing their tn ., aflinirics, to consider an extraordinary dcvelojimont of pectoral and ■ Mitra. fins as a standard to ap.proeiate fundaiu.'iital relations hctween tishcs, as hi iiU f.i/ie^,, ivitiiont excfjifion, tin ii iini loth iV'intiiiij ill earlier life, and as there is scarcely a family in v.l.iih vontrals at least, are not wanting in some genus or other. We nii.ilit ju?t as well place Petromyzons among the eels, as their conn. ion English name [)\u'['orts, on the ground of the deficiency of their a^)donlinal and thoracic organs of locomotion, as separate them IVnm tlie other I'lacoids. Again, tlu' peculiarities in the develojinn'iit of the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins in sharks and skates, and the difler- onces which exist hetween them and the Petromyzons, indicate in no way th-'lr alHnity or tlu.'ir ditference ; in Petromyzou Ave ha\e the cmhryonic condition of vertical fins, where a continuous fVdd in the skin of the middle line extends, as iu all embryo lishes, from the back FISIIKS op LAKE SIPKUIOR. 2:.i rouinl tlio tail, towanls the alHlouiinal iv'^'iou. Tn the .sharks we have distinct vortif.'al lins, as they ^.^eiierally .irrow out <>[' the cnutiuu- oust, ciiihryt'uie niM Tin; wliilst in skates these fins disappear ahnost entirely, i»r are ciin-idcraMy nMlu(;ed. That animals in their einhry- onic comlitlun arc neither so eloni.fated as many oi' eylindrieal ionn in their fidl-,:_'n)wn state, nor so slmrt as some others, is ascertained l»y the emhryolo;,'y of snakes and toails. Thus, all the j:reat external diilerenoes which exist between skates and shark s on one side, am retromyzon on the other, do not show that these animals do nnc liL'l'jiii:" to the same natural .irroup, as we have even amonj^ the I'ull- ^n-nwii ones, what we may call transitions hetween the extreme forms ; for instance, sharks with more dnnn-ated hody tlian others, with niin'o extensive vertical fins, even witli two dorsals and snnn' ■without ven- trals. A;;-ain, tlio remarkable fnrui of skates arises solely from an extraordinary development of the pectorals ; they are nevertheless elosely allied to sharks, notwithstanding tlio striking dlflfercnce in tlie position of the gill-openings. As for the anatomical dillerences which exist among tliese fishes, and upon which !;o much stress is placed as to make the want of ;i heart, in Amiihioxus, the foundat'.on for a peculiar fld.^.^^ to include thac single fish, lot us not forget, th.at there is a' epoch in embryonic life, > vertebrated animal has yet a heart ; when the vertebral is a mere soft continuous cord ; when the brain is scarcelv v/hen ni Ci )lunm livided into lobes ; Avhen the head, as such, is not vet distinct; win from the trunk ; when the mouth is a mere circular opening at the anterior extremity of the body ; when the gills arc sim[)le fissures on the sides of the head, or at what is to be a head, -without l)ranchif> stegal rays or opercidum, or ['rotecting covering of any kind. 'Wlioever is familiar with the anatomy of fishes must }ierceive. after IV- thcso remarks, that the peculiarities Avliich characterize Petron zon, have a bearing upon the embryonic comlitio" of their structure even in their full-grown state, a ul do not l»y any means mark a dii- forence between them and the shai'ks and skates, any more tluiu between them and any otk.ei- family of fishes. Un the contrary, should it be possible, after i:hese st;i:eraeuts, to show that there are important charactei-s, comnwa to j?e i-omyzon, sharks and skates, notwithstanding their e.xtrjuie ext M'ual differences, it should bo 1 1/ I ■I ! . '1. 'J i li t Bf.^*: I m I: ' 252 LAKE SUl'ERIOR. acl IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 lii mi 12.5 ■^ Uii 12.2 li£ 12.0 lit 1.8 1.4 - 6" V] yl /: > ^5 v ^ Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 i ;i ^1 , 2,U LAKE SUi'ERIOR. V having prodnccil a more marked lol)c. Tlic dorsal fm is lii,L';li''r, 1)\it like the anal grows in lieight towards the jiostei'ior extremity, and forms like it a more dilated luhe before it unites -with the caudal. This latter extends over an eijual length above and helow the tail. It is separated from the dorsal and anal fins by a noteh, beyond which the fin arises to the height of the terminal loltcs of the two anterior fins, and preserves the same height along the whole cireumlV-renee of the tail, under the form of an (.'longated oval. I'ndulaled, annular, transverse lines, distinet enough on the sides cf the body, corres- ponding with the lateral muscles of the trunk, are very marked. Thi,< species is from Miehiiiicotin, where wc have picked u}) a rather large number of specimens. LeI'IDOSTEUS. This genus of fishes is known throughout the United States imder the name of gar-pike. It is a very singular animal, and its his- tory is closely connected with the most important progress wliieh has recently been made in ichtb.yology. The first knowledge naturalists had of this remarkable fish was derived from Catesby, avIio published a figure and a short account of it in his Natural History of South Carolina. Linn;\ius, who received specimens of the same species from Dr. Garden of South Carolina, introduced it into his Sijxtema ^S'ntiir'i- under the name of E)idodeH)<, which is now generally received. The French naturalist knew a second species of that genus, from the Mississipi)i, which he called JjqihhHicaH Spatala. Afterwards *■ For some zoological particulars respecting tliis fish, sec preceding Narrative, page 33. FisiiKS or LAKi; surKurou. •2r>5 ii Hariu('-^i|UC dcscrilted several ni(»rc, ■\vliicli, Imwcvor, can sonrccly 1)c idoutltied, as his tle>(.'riiitinii.s are so very slioi-l i.inl iiiii;eifeci as to give little inforinatioii ii|miu tlieir striu'tiire. In his Animal Kin,i;iliini, Cuvier characterized the .icniis Lejiid^jstens ni>iro correetlv tlian his predecessors, without, limvever, n icici,!,:!; the ,u;reat diflereuee whieh exists lietween this genus and the cnumuni ALduiniiutlin niw^w^ which he places it. It was my good fortune early in the coiuse of my scientific stiidies to };erceive the strikin,^ diilerenccs 'whleh exist hetwceu the.>e .Lej.idos- tci and all the other iishes now living upon our glolie ; and at tlic same time to call the attention of naturalists to the close relationship whieii exists between them and the fossil fislies of the earlier geologi- cal a'^os. So that, after an extensive studv of the remains of these ancient'inhabitants of olden time, Lepidosteus has beeome notable as the only living reiiresentativc of the large grou[) of fishes whieh |ieo- pleil, almost exclusively, the waters during the early ages of the earth's history, and which has gradually decreased in numbei-, imtil, at last, he was left almost alone to remind the observers of the present age, of a once i)owerful and widely s})read dynasty am(jng the watery tribes. Those fiicts call for a close examination of this singular li di. Tn the first place, let me say, that all the species of /vy'/fA'.>/r '.v, of whieh I now know ten distinct species, iidiabit exclusivelv the IVesh waters of North America. This is, in itself, a remarkable fact, mo.^t important in the history of nature, as it shows that far from de- riving its inha1>itants from other [larts of the world, America has had, and has now, animals whieli are entirely peculiar to it, and whieh have nowhere any near ridatives. I am well aware that the .Hichir of the !S'i1e is remotely allied to the gar-pikes, and that another species uf Polyi^iter'.is oeenr> al.-i in the Senegal; but this genus constitutes also liy itccnv in the Northern lakes ; so thiit. not r)iily i-i the ;^enns located in a peculiar continent, hut tho indiviilual species arc alsd eonfined to special re.Lcions of this coun- trv, from the great Canadian lakes to t!ie fre:di waters of Florida, and from the Atlantic rivers to the lumierous affluents of the Mississippi, New Eii;;laud, however, has no species, and this is the more surpris- ing as they occur further north in the St. Lawrence, and furtlier south in the Delaware. The ([uestion now arises, how this genus of fishes stands in its class ; and whether, notwithstanding their peculiarity, they may nut be associated ■with some other families. Lefore answering this question, let me insist upon another fact, that, even if we take into account the nominal species of Ralinesipio and that heautiful species of the Northern lakes first descrihed hy Dr. liichardson, the Le[)idostci are oidy ten in number. And if wo introduce into the same general division, the Polypteri, we shall have a natural group of fishes containing in the present creation not more than a dozen species. And even should we suppose that Bome more relatives of that group may be discovered in the course of time, we can by no means suppose that this family would ever contain as largo a number of species as most of the other fiimilies of the class. We need only remember the hmumerable species of suckers, or of cat-fishes, which occur every where in our fresh waters, or tho various kind of perch, mackerel, codfish, &c., which swarm in tho ocean, and among which the new discoveries to be expected can hardK' be fewer than among our Lei-idostei, to be satisfied that thero in here a remai'kable contrast between these families. It is therefore a fact plainly shown l)y this evidence, that the most natural groups of animals which we discover in nature, differ widely among thera- selvo in the number of their .representatives. It is not less obvious, that these groups differ from each other in a very unoipuil degive, taken as general groups or considered in tho isolated mem'iers of their families. The amount of difference which distinguishes tho gar-pikes from the common i)ickerels, or from the trouts, or from the herrings, or from the suckers, is far greater, for instance, than that which dis- tinguishes the pickerels from the trouts, or the trouts from the gn. he So nat uni cqt muH Ill tlioin- 3 from ;Tingg, FISHES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 257 herrin.i^s ; and again, the generic diflTcrenccs wliich occur nmong the truuts, the graylings and wliitc-fishea, and disti!iguis!i tliem tVom true sahnon, arc far greater.than tliat wliich exists liL'tween the cliubs, iTudgeons, harbcls or carps ; and tlie specific distinctions whicli may bo nnticed in these different genera are again of an unei[ual vahie. So that wc arrive at once to this important conchision, that natural groups in the animal kingdom show naturalK* differences of unefpial value, and that all attcmjits on the part of naturalists to cfpaoUzc the divisions which they acknowletigo in their researches, must, as a matter of course, result in failure ; and I have not the slightest doubt that our classifications have not been more improved, and that we have made less extensive progress in the knowledge of the crue relationship between the various groups of the animal king- dom, for the very reason that we have too often aimed at an ari'angc- mcnt which the most familiar facts in nature plainly contradict. Instead of this desired uniformity, we sometimes observe a n\uner- 0U3 group of closely allied species corresponding to another group with few, but more distinct and more widely different snecies, and oven isolated types, the relation of which seems to branch in all directions, without ever coming very close to any other group. Now, unless our classifications admit, as a natural limit, this diver- sity, it will be impossible ever to form a system which will answer to the natural affinities really existing in nature. As I have said on ani^her occasion,* classification should be a picture from nature, and not an artificial frame of our own invention, into which natural objects are more or less conveniently brought together. Another important point of view, of which naturalists should never lose sight, is the relation which exists between animals now found alive on various parts of the surface of our globe, and those known to us only from fossil remains discovered in strata of a different geo- logical age. The Lepidostcus, however isolated in the present creation, had once many and very diversified representatives all over the globe. Fossils of the same family of which the gar-jnkc is the type, hav(> been found all over Europe in the oldest fossiliferous beds, in the strata of the age of the coal; in the new red sandstone ; in the oolitic deposits, 4 See Principles of Zo! 'logy, by L. Agassiz and A. A. Gould, Vol. II. 2.j8 lakf, sri'KitioR. I' VI 11 ill tlic clialk iiii'l U'l'tiiu'V licils. TIicv existed in tin .imo ainl \vi>[' Nm'tli America, iiiiil liavrbceii li.innl ill A>i,i as \\i 1! a> ill New ll(i!laii(l; si» that this iainily, iio\s limiic.l to the (.•niiliir'iit ol" Nnitli Aiiicrica, ami, it" we iiii'liidc in it the JJichir alsii, to t\\(j I'lNcr l»a>iiis i^f Africa, — was oiicc cosmopolite in its ^eoLiiMj.liical (lisl.i'iiitioii. Th'' iialufal ciiii.-eiiiieiice from such evidence is, that wo cannot arrive ai a tine iii>i_:ht into the relations of the aniiual creaticm. unless V, ' stii'lv, at the ;;aiii'' rime, the liviii_2; animals, and those uhich liavo liecniiic e.xtiiiei : ami lliat a natural classification must assi)ciate the fo»ils jiroiiiiseii.iudy in their natural relationship with the living ty)K's. The separation of pahcontolo^y from /oiiloi^y, for the sake of C'liiveiiience in the study of ;^oolo^ical ])henomcna, has lieen very injiirimis to the real ])ro_:i;rcss of zoiiloiiy, and is so entirely nnscientilic, that until thev arc airain comhined under the same head, even iii our elementary text l»ooks, wc can hardly e\})cct that zoiilo;;y will niako the pro'jfress which extensive investiiiations carried on singly, in the study of liviii_:i; and i'ossil animals, woiihl lead us to expect. Moreover, the identification of fossils reipiires a close investiira- tion of such characters as are shown in the only remains of exiiuot species which haye hoou preserved, and which are, almost exchnivc- ly. their solid jiarts. It is therefore very important that, in zoiilopcal investi;j:ations, more attention ghoidd lie paid to the characters derived from such jiarts as aro the only ones accessihle in the stmly of f issi!:^. The mutual ad\autatros to he derived from such a course cannot hut he strikin.dy felt hy those who liave devoted their attention to the study of fossils. It may even he said that the coiKhtion of fossil re- mains, as they ,Lrenerally occur in rocks, has leil naturalists to study more carefully the livinir species, than they tlid liefore. I need oiily mention tlie miimteness with which the skeletms of living animals have heen descrihed since it has heen necessary to identity extinct species from isolated hones. 'J'lie skeletons of fishes, which Averc neither correctly figured in zoological th'awings of these animals, nor miimtely examined in their structure, are no longer considered as unworthy of the attention of minute ohservers. ]']vcn our knowledge of the structure of the shells in moUusca and of the wings of insects, has been improved with (•II of ail L. ic;i w! th '■ 1 Fisiiiis OF LAKi: surKiami. 2.)9 roffiTucc to tlie identification nf fossil remains. Tr is tlKTol'in' ]ilain thai coniptirative anatomy slinuld l»e more oxtonsivclv ami intiniat"ly o(inil>ine(l witli zoiilot,'y than is ^.'cncrally the case. The classilic;ition (iC the animal kin.i^dom sliould no lon.i^cr ho hased simjily u]'(in the structure of" the animals. Init form aiid structure shnnld everywhere auil idways he considered in tlicir intimate cnnni'ctiins. I liave alroaily alhided to the narrow cireum.-ci'iiitlou of tlie zenus Lejiidosteus, within the limits of the temperate /■)ne of X^ulh Amrr- ica. In like manner, also, the Marsujiialia, for instance, are alnmst wjiully confined to New liolland, and tlie I'ldeutata to JJr.i/.il. All this ;:'iie3 to show that there is an im]'.ortant cnnnectic)n h<'tween a iriveii country and its inhahitants. which rests with the j.rimitive plan of tlie creation. The limited e.\istenc(> of Lepidosteus in North America in the ]. re- sent creation has, no douht, reference to the f:u-t that North Amciiea was an extensive continent \i)W^ i)efore other parts of tl;e irlolio luul Tiiidei\^oiie their most extensive jdiysical chan-vs. Or iu ofjior words, that the present character of this contini'iit has imt heeii niiioh altered fnun Avliat it was Avhen the aTicient repivsentatives of Lep'dosteus lived ; while in other parts of the world, the iiliysical changes have lieen so extensive as to exclude such forms from ainon.Ej the animals suited for them. AW' liave therefore here a hint towards a more natural and dee] er uiidiTstandii."' of the laws re^ulatin;^ the ;feoirrai)liical di.--tnhut;on of aiiiiiials in ifeneral. There are animals and plants whose detaile(l history is, as it were, at the same time, the history of that hranch of si'iencc to Avhich they hclnii^. This is particularly the case with those animals, which, fioiu particular circumstances, have thrown unusual h.^rht uiion the rehttions which exist between them and their allied ty] cs. 'i'liere arc even a few such animals, the study of A\hicli lias actually marked tlic advance of science. I cannot notice on this occasion the iiar- pik'C witiiout hein;:; strongly reminded how strikinp;ly this has lircn tlio fact with Lepidosteus. The first sij:;lit I had of a stuHed skin of that fish in the ^Museum of Carlsruhe, Avhen a medical student in the University of lleidelher;^, in l"^:^'!, con''.nced me that this genus stood alone in the class of fishes ; and that we could not, by any ['ossil/ility, J^.'J •200 LAivK sri'Kiiion. , 1 associate it witli any of the types of liviii;j; fi.slics, nor snccecil in firi'linir, amon^JivitiL; type.^, any one to associate fairly with it. It wa-j a I'aci:, at once diL'j'ly impressed upon my mintl, that it stamls iso lat '(l amon,:;; all living heiii,:^s ; and this early impression has gradually led me to the views respecting classification which I have expressed a'-iitvc, and whicli have fre<|nently guided me in appreciating hnih thi,' various degrees of relationship, and also the diflerenees whirh I have noticed among different families; and, 1 may say, has also kept me free IVom fanciful attem}ls at syinnietrical classifications. Homewliat later, my investigations of the fossil fishes led me to the distinct appreciation of the great diderence there is between the characters of the class of fislies in early geological ages ; I also 11' tied that all tlie ho;iy fi-dios of former ages arc more ov less allir I to the gar-] (ike, and widely dilferent from the types of fi.Oi.-s now jirevailing. ]>ut the real nature of this di'Veronee was onlv ^radiiallv umlerstcwd. I had not vet iiercoived that the fi'^lies of older times had peculiar characters of their own, not to be found either among the more recent fossils or among the Hy- ing rejiresentatives of that class. ]>ut the opportunity of study ing the skeleton of Lejiidosteus, which was afforded me in Paris by Cuvier, showed at once, that these fishes have reptilian characters.* The articulation of their vertebrae differs from that of tl:e verte- bra of all other fishes no less than the structure of their scales. Their extremities, especially the pectoral limbs, assume a higlier development than in fishes generally. Their jaws also, and tlio structure of their teeth, are e(pially peculiar. Hence, it is plain tliat, l)*.'fore the class of rejitiles was introduced ujjon our globe, the Hslios, beiiig tlien the only rej»resentatives of the type of verte- brata, were invested with the characters of a higher order, embody- ing, as it were, a prospective view of a higher develoinnent in another class, which was introduced as a distinct typo only at a later period ; and from that time the reptilian character, which had been so jiromineut hi the oldest fishes, was gradually reduced, till, ill more recent periods, and in the present creation, the fishes lost in • For further details, see my Rcchcrchcs sur les Poissons Fossilcs, Vol. II. part 2, p. 1—73. I i^^ FISHES OF LAKE SUrEKIOU. '2'Jl ;i. part 2, the successive croatiDiK^ all this herjictitlopcal rclatiMiiship, and were, at last, eii'loweil with characters which cuutra.it as uiuch, \ hen cim- tmrc'l with those ofrejitilos, as tlu-y a;j;rcf tliis ;j:cnus, jireserved in ak'nhol, furnished another evidence that the re;ailian character of Lfjiidosteus was not only shown in its solid jarts, but was even c\'eiii;'litied in the |ieculiar structure of its resj ir;it'iry ai'.'aratus and its cellular air Madder, as 1 have pointed out in the rruceeilings uf the /iO(ilo;^ical Hociety of Jioml-n.' One step further was made diiriii;^ this excursion, when, at ^»'iag- ara, a living specimen of Lepidosteus was cau_:'!it for me, an I l> my great deliL^ht, as well as to my utter astonishmeut, I saw tliis ilsh movin.i^ its head upon the neck freely, ri;4ht and left and upwards, as a l^aurian, ami as no other fish in creation d'>cs. This reptilian character of the tilder fi-hes is not the only strikuig character which distin,L;uishes them. Investigations into the em- brvonic growth of recent fishes have led me to the discovery that the changes which they undergo agree, in many rcsjiccts, in a vcrv remarkahlc manner, with t'.o diircrences which we notice be- twci'u the fossils of dilVerent ages ; so much so, that the peculiar form of the vertebral column, aud esiiecl;i!ly its odd teniiinatinu in very young embryos, where the upper lobe of the caudal fm is ■pro- longed beyond the lower lobe, and forms an unequal, unsynnuetrical appendage upwards and buckwards, agrees precisely with the form of the tail of the bony fishes of the oldest geological deposits ; so that theje ancient fishes may be said to have embryuuic peculiarities in addition to their reptilian character. Tliij fact, so simple iu it.self, and apparently so natund, is i.)f the utmost importance iu the hi.story of animal life. It has gradually led mo to more oxten.'ive views, and to the conviction tliat embryonic investigations might throw as nuicb light ujion the successive development of the animal kingdom during tl;e successive geological periods, as upon the physiol'>gical develoj)- • Proceed. Zo'il. Soc. of LonJou, Vol. II. jirigi.- ll'J. i \' 'I m < 2 LAKH sri'KKIOR. Il'i 91 uuMit of iiitliviiliial iiiiiiniil^ ; and, iiwlccil, I can nowsliuw, tliroui.'li all cliwsos n[' till" aiiliiial !\inj;ili>ni, that the olilcst i'('|iivM('ntativi'> of anv family a;j;ri''' (.'lisi'ly with the cinhryoiiic sta;^cs of the lii.irhor typis nt" th»' ilvin;:; ri'|irc'si'iitativt's of the siuk; faniirK's ; or, in nthiT wonls, that tho nnU'i- of >iicces.sion of auiniaU, chroiiLrh all ciassrs ami fainilics, a.irrL'iv-', in a no.st astouishin^:^ nicasmv, with the (h.-Lri't'cs of dovi'liiiiiik'ut of youn;^ animals of the prcsimt ai^i'. 'rhisheiu;:; tho case, it i?^ obvious that a miuuto invcstii^ation of tho LMini'-.'oli'.'y of ln'jiiil ist'Mis woiiM throw a vast anionnt of Ii;j:ht niou the hisiury uf thi' sui.\'t'Ssi'>n of lilies, of all ^iroohi^ical }iorii"l>; a.^il al -o wouM I'l'ohali'.y ^ivl' tho first, iuilication of the manner in which the seoaratinii nf true ichtliynlojoal characters from reptilian cliar- uctcrs, was gralually iuiroiluceil ; as it is nmre than prohaMe, fn m all wo know otiierwise of the emlirvolnLiv of aniintils, that the voun.; gar-pike, in Its earlie-'t conilitioii, will have characters truly ichthy- olo^ical, and only assiuno, gradually, the pei-uliar reptilian cliarac- teis which distinguish it. J'.ut uotwithstamling all my ctVorts to secui'c th.' ije['id"stcus in tlie hrceding season, I have failed up ti> this da_; to gain the desired infnrmatinn. It only remains for me, tii"ref ire, to ni'ge natiu'alists liviiig near tl;e Avaters inhahited hy Le[iidusteus to take u]) the suhjeet as early as an opi)ortunity is ati'orded them. Altliougli liCpidostens docd mjt occur in Liikc Superior, I have dcemoil it suilicieutly important to introduce these remarks here, as tliis fish occurs in all tlie northern lakes except Lake Sui)enor, as far north even as Mud T/^ke, bcl()w Sault ^^t. ^Taric. Its presence in these waters is another of the striking ditfcrenccs Avhich exist hetweeu the ichthyological iauna of Lake ^Superior, and that of the other lakes ; and sliows once more, within what narrow limits aninitds may be circumscribed, even wlicn endowed with the most j)owerful means of locomoti;)n, and left untramnieled bv natural barriers. This Lepidosteus is one of the swiftest fishes I know. lie darts like an arrow through the Avaters, and the f:\clllty with whlcli he overcunies rapids, even the rai)lds of the Niagara, sliows that the falls of .St. Mary would be no natural barrier to lihn, if there were no nat- ural causes to keep him within the limits in which lie Is found, and which extend from Lake ^Michigan, Lake St. Clair, and Mud th FlSHi, > 01' I.AKi; SI I'KKlol!. •yu\ L;il\'i', tliroiiL'h Lake I'lr'n-, iiiitl ( hit.ii'jfi, ilnwn to tlio St. Lnwrciioc anil it-< nutlet into the sen, into uliicli tlii-t lisli never veniur.s l;;r, thniiu'li 111' ]Md'>steuri, llo inentums it ni Ins I- an ni.'i 'ii'"a li-A nieneaiia. under tlie name of /,.y /,/^.^/,■//.>( //'/•'/;'/ //.v/.v, and ;_ives a eoi'reet and detaileil dosei'iption of it. Nevertliele-*s, it lias Ihmh /nie > nii^taAeri, and ivIVtrmI to the seut'iern sj.eeies lirst deserili'-d hv CaiesUy and Linn.eus, tVnni which it is hii\vi'\(.'r very di-tinet. hnth hv the pro- |turtions of its parts, its scales, its lins, and es|'ecii!l;; hy the l">rin of its frnntal hones, in which the sn[ii'u-orhital einar'ji)ia;ion is much jiiwer and more oloii'iated. Atraiii, iiotwith-ifandin ^r th" deserij*- tien (if l)r. Jiichardson, |>r. J)i']erih'd it nnih-r the nauic of .Lrpldoxff/is lii.<'>ii ; and '/adnel; 'riiani snu has descrlhi'il a yi'ini,i; sjicciinen under the name (if L<^'i'i[ii.;ti ii.< Hur'if'is. At first, his descri|iti(iu Wduld seem to indicate a really distinct gjKM-ics ; hut I have ascertained, hy a series (if sj.ecinicns, that the dirt'erences iiointed out arc reallv the characters (if the vo\ni'_% and have no value as specilic characters; the detaelie(l Idlie fdrmed hy the upper raylets of the candal lui is gradually united with the lower rays,* and the lon,i,dtudinal stripe, whii-h is well marked in young specimens of a few inches in lenirth, ,Lrradually vanislies, to leave only a few spots upon the sides, whicli even disappear entirely in the oldest individuals. 1'he vertical tins ah.me remain spotted in the adult. The natural color of this fish is a li^lit greenish gi'ay, passing downwards into a dull white. A<'Il'EXSi:ilIIi.E (^S(ll)-[/COHS.') The family of Sturgeons is well characterized and easily distin- guished from any other in the class. These fishes have generally been placed in the order of ("hondropterygians, near the sharks, until I ohjected to this association, and attempted to show that, not- (* It is a very remarkable fact tliat several fishes nf the old Rod Sandstone period have, in their full ifrown state, a peculiar form of their caudal tin, which is nearly identic il with the form of the eaiulnl fin of the youn^ I.epido-iteus ; a form which is otherwise tinkuown to me at present in the whole class of fishes. 2tJ4 LAKK SUl'KUIOR. withrst.iiiTm;^ tlioir cxfriKn-diiiary iioculiiiritiod, thoy iiro more clwdy rclati'il to llio ^iir-piUi;^, than to any othor group of firflics. 'J'hij view, tliiMi;^h at first Ktr()ii;^ly opjiost'il, *h iidw f^oiifrally ailiiiitrtil, haviii,:^; li)iitolM;^i(;al oviilciico. Thu .stur^cond are generally lar;^o fishes, whidi live at the hot tdiu uf the water, leedin^ with their touthlesd inouthd ui)oji decuin- jjosed (ir;;ani/A'd sultstuuce.s. Their niovenieiitd are rather sluj^^ish, resoiuMiii;^ .somewhat those oi' the codfish trihe. Their geo^ra[4iieul distri')iitiou id ^uite jiecvdiar, and constittito.^ Dhj of their i»romiaeut iK-ciiliarilied. Located ad they are, in the Oi'Mer portions of t!ie teiaierute zone, they inhabit either the fresh waters or the deas exchisively, or alternately hoth these elements, p'l.iainin,^ durin;^ the larger jiart of the year in the sea, and ascend- ing the rivers in tlie s[iawnin;^ season. Althou;^h adapted to the Cold rc;^ions of the temperate, they do not seem to extend into tJie arctic zone, and I am not aware that they have been ohservcd in any of t)ie waters of the warmer half of the temperate zcne. The ^rcat basin of salt water lakes or seas which extends east of the Meil- itcrranean, seems to he tiielr princiiial abode in the Old World, or at least t!ie re;4ion in which the ;;reater nnmber of species occur ; r.nJ eaoii species takes a wide ran;^c, extending up the Darmbe and its tributaries, and all the Ilassian rivers emptying into the Llaek Sea. From the Caspian they ascend the Wolga in immense shoals, and arc found fartlicr cast in the lakes of Central Asia, even as far as the borders of China. The great Canadian lakes constitute another centre of distribution of these fishes in the New World, but hero they arc neither so numerous, nor do they ever occur in contact with salt water in this basin. Northwarils, there is another great zone of distribution of stur gcons, wlueli inhabit all the great northern rivers emptying into the Arctic St-M, in A. la as well as in America. They occur eipially in tLc intervening seas, being found on the shores of Norway and Sweden, in tlie r>altic and North Sea, as well as in the vVtlantic Ocean, from which they ascend the northern rivers of Germany, as well as those of Holland, France, and Great r.ritain. Even the Meditt- rranean and tlie Adriatic have their sturgeons, though few riFHES OF LAKE Sri'RUTOn. en") of stur- ;iit') the I'^h few »n rinmlicr. Tlioro an> nhn some on tlio Athiiifu* slinros <>f Xorth America, .iliiri,:r the llritirfli ros.si's.'ioiirf n.s well as tlio Nurllurn aiii.i, !nit it iloes not appear tliat these sjteeies ascend the rivers from the Gulf of Mexico. 1 supjtose the)u to he rather entiivly lluviaille, like those of the great Canailian lakes. Ik'vond the ahovc limits southwanls tlu're are nowlierc stur^'oons to he t""Uii(i, not even in tlic Nile, though em]itying into a sea in whieli rliey occur; a?i(l as for tlic great rivers of Southern Asia ami of tropi<.'al Africa, not only the stui-geons, hut another lliniily ig wanting there, I mean the family of (Joniodonts which in Central and Southern America takes the jilace of the sturgeons of the North. Again, all the species in ditlerent parts of the world arc different. It is a most extraordinary fact, wliich ^^ill hereafter tlirow much hglit upon the laws of geographical distrihutiou of animals and their mode '.'f association, viz., that certain families arc entirely circum- scrihed within comparatively narrow limits, and that their special ioeutiou has an umiuestionahle reference to the location of other ani- mals : or in other words, that natiu'al families, ajtparently little related to each other, arc confmed to different parts of the world, hut art) linked together hy some intermediate form, which itself is located in the intermediate track hetween the two extremes. In the case now hefore us, we have the sturgeons extending all aroimd the woi-ld in the northern temperate hemisjiliere, in its seas as well as in its fresh waters, all closely related to each other. Neither in Asia nor in Africa is there an aherrant form of that type, or any representative type in the warmer zones ; hut in North America we have the genus Scapliirhyuchus, which occurs in the Ohio and Mississippi, and which forms a most natural link witli the family of (loniodonts, all the species of which are confined exclusively to the fresh Materd of Central and South America. The closeness of this conrjcctiou will ^^q 18 m ■1! 2GG LAKE SUPERIOR. ^1? at once perceived by at^emptin^ to compare the species of true LoricariiO >vitli the Scaiiliirhynclius. I know very well, that the affinities of GonioJonts and biluroids with sturgeons arc denied, but I still strongly insist upon their close relationship, which I hope to establish satisfactorily in a special paper, as I continued to insist upon the relation between sturgeons and gar-jVikes, at one time ' positively contradicted, and even ridiculed. I trust then to be able to show, that the remarkable form of the brains of Siluridte comes nearer to that of sturgeons and Ijcpiddstei, than to that of any other family of fishes. This being the case, it is obvious, that there must be in the physical condition of the continent of America some inducement not yet understood, for adaiitations so sjiccial and so different from what we observe in the Old World. Indeed, such anal- ogies between the organized beings almost from one polo to another, occur from man down to the plants in America only, among its native products ; while in the Old "World plants as well as animals have more circumscribed homes, and more closely characterized features in thu various continents at different latitudes. As for the species of sturgeons whicli occur in the Canadian lakes, I know only thre-^ from personal examination, one of which was o])taiued in Lake Superior, at Mi'-hipicotin, another at the Pic, and the third at the Sault: though I know that they occur in all other Cana- dian hikes, yet it remains to be ascertained how the species said to be so conmion in Lake Huron, compare with those of Lake bupei'ior, and with those in the other great lakes and the St. Lawrence itself. As for the Atlantic species, ascending the rivers of the United Statoa west and south of Cape Cod, I know them to differ from those of the lakes, at least from those which I possess from Lake Superior. Tiie number of species of this interesting family which occur in the United States is at all events for greater than would be supposed from an examination of the published records. L^pon close comparison of the specimens in my collection from different parts of the country, and in different museums, as those of the Xatural History Society of Boston, of Salem, of the Lyceum of New York, my assistant, Mr. Charles Girard, and myself have discovered several species not yet described. For this com^iarisou I was the better prepared as I had FISHES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 2G7 an opportunity in former years of studyin;^ almost all the European Bpccies in a frej«h comlition, during a i)rolon;^ed visit in Vienna. AciPENSER L^EVis, Agass. This speeics, one of the largest of the genus, is from the Pic. The length of the specimen, of ^vhich I possess the head and the fins, and which was in fresh condition when I examined it, was four feet six inches. The head, which is contained two and a half times in the whole length, is subconical and a little flattened below ; the ujiper surface forms an uniformly descending line from the occiput to the ex- tremity of the snout, somewhat elliptical beyond the eyes, thus giving to the latter a slightly recurved appearance. From the level of the eyes to the centre of the skull, on the middle line of the head, there exists an equally elongated surface, more flattened, being the rudi- ment of a longitudinal dimple ; finally, on the occijiital part of the skull we observe a small keel, where the two bones of tliis region begin to l)ecome convex, in order to y)ass to the cutting plates of the back. The surface of the bones which form the exterior covering of the head, is invested with small tubercles of enamel, of a circular form with obtuse summits. At first widiout apparent order, at the very centre of the bone they become linear, radiating to the circumfer- ence. Their greatest development occurs hi the occijiital region and on the transverse line level with the nostrils. On the middle part of the head these tubercles become thinner, and on the extremity of the snout they arc reduced to a fine reticulation. The sides of the head have only a very few asperities. The only bone on which they arc developed is the operculum, and it is only in its posterior half that they radiate from the centre towards the margin. A few rows only ai'e directed towards the upper part of the head. The other bones constituting the o[)ercular apparatus are covered with a membrane finely rouglied at the surface. The bones placed at a small distance behind the eye and limiting the anterior margin of the branchial caviiv. bear a few blunt tubercles irregularly dis- tributed on their surface. The branchiostegal membrane is naked and smooth, attached by a thin shre(l to the posterior part of the operculum, and passes before the pectoral fin, to which it is con- 268 LAKE SUPERIOR. ti^uftus ; beyond this it dilates, in order to shut the branchial cavitj' at the lower part of the head, forming a very open curved line ; finally it terminates at a small distance from the mouth. The eyes are at a distance of three and six-eighths inches from the end of the snout. Their form is subcircular, their pupil transversely cleft. Their immediate covering is a smooth membrane, which continues below to the anterior extremity, where it becomes reticulated, but without any appearance of the smallest plate on its surface. At the anterior and u})per part of the eye is a small protuberance projecting over the depression in which the nostrils arc situated. These latter open at the surface by two orifices on each side. The one of an elliptical form with a free opening, occupies a prominent position, so that it would be observed from both sides of the head, looking at it from above. The other, a larger one, has the form of a crescent, with its convexity turned towards the eye, and placed a little obliquely on the vertical line, extending below the lower line of the eye for two-thirds of its length. The lower portion of the head appears as a flat surface rising msensibly from the anterior margin of the mouth to the extremity of the snout. This latter rises gradually in an oblique Hne, which begins in front of the barbels. The middle line is convex, the margins arc inclined. The barbels, four in number, are situated in pairs on both sides. The two pairs arc a little more distant from each other than the two barbels of the right and left side. Their length is nearly the same, of about two inches ; their form subconical, growing thinner at their extremity. Behind the barbels we notice a subquadrangular dej)res3ion in Avhich their base is concealed when they bend back- wards. The mouth is situated on the anterior half of the lower part, in a transversal notch ; it extends from one side of the head to the other, the posterior margin being almost straight, the anterior having an elliptical outline on the middle line. A thick membrane, with a glandular and undulating surface, surrounds the jaws, leav- ing the symj)hysis of the lower jaw free. Both extremities are attached to the anterior third part of both lower maxillary bones, sending a small membranous expansion towards the symphysis, tak- ing afterwards the direction towards the angles of the mouth. rrsuES OP lake superior. 269 ial cavity vcd line ; riic eyes ul of the cly clef't. continues atod, l»ut . At the n'ojccting CSC latter )nc of an )3ition, so king at it 2cnt, with oblii|nely ,c eye for ICC rising trcraity of ch begins livgins are s on both tlicr than is nearly g thiinier rangular nd back- 10 lower the head anterior mbranc, iw3, leav- ities are ry bones, ysis, tak- mouth. Here the membrane is thickened considerably, and continues so on the whole circumference of the up[)cr jaw, following its outlines. The mouth is protractile, and when projected outwards carries with it the surrounding membrane. The jaws arc weak, both max- illary branches of the upper and lower jaw uniting by means of a tendinous membrane. The extremity of the tongue is round, cov- ered with a thick membrane, with a wrinkled surface perforated with small mucous holes. A thick layer of mucosity covers the surface of the head. This mucosity is secreted 1)y the cryjits of the skin ; these are esj oeially very conspicuous on the space situated between the mouth and the snout, and on the upper side of the latter. They have the ajipear- ance of irregular meshes excavated in the skin, at the bottom of which we distinguish, by means of a magnifying glass, the crypts which line its surface. The body is of a regular form, diminisliing insensibly from the anterior side liackwards to the dorsal and anal lins, behind which it decreases rapidly towards the tail. Tliis latter goes on tapering, then turns up obliquely, arching itself slightly over the lower lobe of the caudal. The surface of this caudal prolongation is covered with small elongated escutcheons, which become the more slender the more they rise along the caudal arch. They begin above the last escutcheon of the lateral row, much resembling the scales of the tail in Le[)idosteus. The five rows of escutcheons on the sides of the body and alonj' the back arc scarcely visible, for thoy are hidden in the thickness of the body. The upper lobe of the caudal fin is com]io3ed in its whole extent of sjiinous rays, generally short and nuich inclined backwards, di- minishing in length the more they recede, and becoming rudimen- tary at their termination. The lower lobe, which gives to the cau- dal fin its general form, is e- clusively composed of articulated and dichotomous ravs. Those of the lower maririn, much the largest and longest, remain undivided for two-thirds of their length ; they seem even to follow a direction peculiar to them by a slightly con- cave line. The other ravs irrow more and more slender the more they rise above the lobe. They bifurcate first in the middle, and 270 LAKE SUPERIOR. 11 i subsequently several times at a distance which varies for every ray. The lower lobe of the caudal extends not so far backwards as the upper. This latter has the form of a very open arch ; the lower is convex below. The line which joins both extremities is oblique Avithin the upper half; on the middle line it becomes con- cave, giving to the posterior margin of this fin the form of an irregular crescent. The dorsal fin is eciually notched, forming a crescent on its termi- nal margin. All the rays which compose it are articulated. Those of the antei'ior margin, four times longer than those of the posterior, are arched backwards, undivided through their whole extent. The other rays dichotomize in the same manner as those of the caudal. The anal, longer than broad, is placed opposite and somewhat behind the dorsal. Its form is oblong, the inner and outer margins are rounded ; the posterior margin is straight, bending slightly inwards at the middle. The rays are similar to those of the dorsal. Those of the lower margin being the longest and remaining undivided through the whole extent ; those of the outer margin dichotomize like those of the dorsal. The ventral fins, as broad as they are long, are placed half way between the pectorals and the anal. Their posterior margin is almost square, the inner slightly sinuous, the outer rounded. The rays of the former dichotomize from their basis, those of the latter are undivided, like those of the other fins. The pectorals are of all fins the most developed. Their greatest length is seven inches and a half, and their breadth nearly four inches. Their form is a ratlier regular oval, setthig aside their margin of inser- tion, which for two-thirds of its extent, from tlic outer mai;gin, forms a straight line, directing itself obliquely towards the interior of the fin, whilst on the other third we ol)scrve a curve which brings the inner margin of the fin back upon itself. The rays of this margin become excessively slender, and remain \mdivided, like those of the outer margin. Those of the centre dichotomize according to the connnon rule. The number of rays in the fins is as follows : P. 39 to 40 ; D. 34 ; V, it! ; A. 2'). We may count as many as fifty to sixty on the lower lobe of the cpudal, but they become indistinct beyond this number. tnl FISHES OP LAKE SUPERIOR. 271 A character common to all fins is to have the outer margin sen- sibly thicker than the inner, which becomes thin and membranous. It is also in this outer margin that are found the largest rays, arched from within outwards, undivided in the greatest part of their extent, thus giving them a peculiar aspect. Small tubercles are observed in the outer third of the rays where they are most dichotomized. Tlie color is of an uniform blackish brown, which extends to the fins ; it is a little less hitense on the head, on the lower half of tlie sides below the middle line it has a yellowish reflection. A pale wliite exists over the lower part of the head and the abdomen, as far as the under surface of the tail. This species resembles the A. riihlcnnrhis of Lesueur, who doscrilies two varieties of it, one found with the true riil>iciitulus in liakes Erie and Ontario ; the other inhal)iting the River Ohio. The descriptions which he has given of them do not enable us to recog- nize our species in either of these varieties. iVA AciPENSER CARnoxARTUS, Agass. The general form of this species is rather thick and shoi-t than slender. The back is proportionally very elevated and very convex from the occiput to the anterior margin of tlie dorsal fin, from whence the body begins to grow considerably slender towards the tail, which last rises oblicpiely in order to form the higher arch of tlie caudal fin. (Plate o, fig. 1.) The total length is one foot two inches and a half. Tlic head is contained three times and a half in this length. The face, from the anterior margin of the branchial cavity to the extremity of the snout, equals the fourth part of the length of the trunk. T'he snout, from the orifices of the nostrils is contained seven times in tliis length. The head itself is depressed, flattened, uniformly inclined from the occiput beyond the nostrils, where the snout rises considoral'ly, gi-owing thinner on its margins, Avhich circumstance gives it a convex form. Seen from above, its shape is that of an elongated triangle. The upper surfoce is (juite uniform, having only one slight dejjression on the middle line, bordered by two small cariuic of the frontal and I ': 070 LAKE SUPERIOR. parictnl bones. Small platca continue on the snout to its extremity, and arc prolonged on the sides before the nostrils, but do not reach the lower circumference of the e^-e. All these bones are covered with fine granides, disposed in linear ro^YS in the direction of the head. The eyes occu}>y the upper region of the face. They are oval and have their largest diameter longitudinal. 1'hey are sur- rounded Avith a smooth zone on their lower circumference, limited above b}' the bones of the skull, and behind by a bone Avhieh sepa- rates them from the ojiercular apjiaratus and the branchial cavity. Another bone, 'which is triangular, being the continuation of the preceding, limits the yiosterior margin of the face and comi>letes the anterior margin of the branchial cavity. The nostrils, situated in a depression wliich is reserved for them before the eyes, open, as is common, at the surface, by two holes pierced laterally, of which the upper, the smallest, is subcircular and free, the lower oblong, vertical and protected by a small membrane at its anteriorniargin. The small plates which cover the snout reach not so far as the bone of the lower angle of the face. The opercular bono is covered witii tlicse fine granules disposed in stri;\i radiating from the centre. The membratie which invests it and which shuts the respiratory opening in front, is covered with a fine rasp, which continues on the sides of the head to the angle of the mouth. The branchiostegal mem- brane proper is naked and very thin. It surrounds the opercular bone from the upper margin of the branchial cavity, and is prolonged and becomes wider a Utile above the branchial opening behind the pectoral fins and beneath the head. The hiferior surface of the head is level, with the snout a little raised. The mouth opens in a depression behind the eyes. Its general form is the same as in the A. lewis, (see pi. 5, f. 2. ;) it is protractile as in this latter, but the membranous fold which surrounds the jaws, is smooth on its whole anterior circumference, where it a]ipears only as a wrinkle surrounding the jaw. It tliickens at the angles of the mouth and terminates in a flattened flap, of glandular appearance, on the third (piarter of the extent of the lower jaw, leaving the symi)hysi3 bare. Tlie palate and tho tongue have sinuous and transverse wrinkles on their surface. Four thread-like barbels half an inch long, are placed mid-way FISHES OP LAKE SUPERIOR. 273 a little 'OS. Its f. '2. ;) (1 ■which fore nee, thickens Hap, of 10 lower ue have between the mouth and tho termination of the snout, a little nearer however to the mouth. On this face, though generally liatteiicil. wc may ohsorve a median longitudinal swelling, having on each side a depression with widened margins. This skin is l»are, although cov- ered upon its surface with a net of irregular meshes in ^hich we observe small holes which secrete the mucosity, as in A. hcria. The escutcheons of the dorsal row arc twelve in number, well de- veloped, and a rudimentary thirteenth applied to the anterior margin of tho dorsal. They are so near to one another that some arc oven slightly imbricated. Their general form is heart-sha]icd, brdader than long, the two sides limited by a regular denticulated curved Hne, rising abruptly so as to form a very sharp median carina, terminated at the two posterior thirds in a hook, wliose ]!oiiit is turned backwards. Their surface is covered with radiating lines, owing to the linear arrangement of their tubercles, which are exces- sively small, and acute. On the space between the posterior mar- gin of the dorsal and the origin of the caudal we observe three small phites. The largest is situated on the side of the dorsal, the two smaller follow immediately and are arranged in pairs. Their siu'face is e(iually covered with small acute tubercles, l)ut the con tre is scarcely indicated by a larger tubercle, whence the others radiate. (See pi. 5, fig. 3.) The lateral escutcheons are from thirty-two to thirty-three in num- ber, of irrogidar oblong form, with tho two sides retracted. The anterior margin is concave, the posterior convex, sliglitly notched in the middle. Tho median carina is but slightly prominent, the sides of course but little inclined ; the hook Avhich rises al)Ovo it is slightly ctirved backwards; sometimes it is bifurcated at its ]iniiit. Tho surfiice, as usual, is covered with small granidcs in radiating rows. Their position in relation to the body is oldiciuo fr(»m befrn'o backwards. They are less serrated than those of the back, and di- minish gradually as they approach the tail. The escutcheons of the abdominal region, from seven to ciglit in number, extending over the space contained between the posterior marghi of the pectoral and the anterior margin of tho ventral fins, resemble much in their general outlines those of the back. Their form is perhaps more rounded, though they do not form a n ■H wmm\ ■IHHI f||BHHII ^SHH^^^n !'l X^H^K' 1 K n^H^H^R ■^^^K^^^H if Ihh' 1 i I ^'1 « ..;| f^^^^H w Hue li I '•>1 I . I 274 LAKE SUPERIOR. regular circle. They arc (luito as much inclined, and their hooka The radiuting strias are stronger, and more arched at the point, are also more visible. In front of this double row of escutcheons and as if forming their iniinediate continuatiju on the inner side of the pectoral Ihis, and in friMit of them, \\q observe a subtriangular bone, the anterior side of which is concave, bordering the branchial opening bono:ith. These two bones are contiguous on their anterior anglo, and foi-m by their reunion a convex curved line along the sides of the mouth, to which the branchiostegal membrane is attached. A pvoniiucnt carina, but unprovided with hooks, extends along the median lino from the posterior angle. A single wrinkle indicates on the middle of the anterior anglo the rudiment of a carina. The stritu radiate from those two centres. The bone of the anterior part of the [iceto- rals and upon M'hich these fins articulate, is small and hidden under the skin. An odd ellipt'cal escutcheon with regular outlines is situated in the middle of the space betw en the anus and the anal fin. It has a slight median carina, over which projects an elliptical hook. A rudiment of an escutcheon leans towards the anterior margin of the anal. The anus opens in a small depression immediately behind the ventrals, at a distance of about two-thirds of an inch from thoir pos- terior margin, and one inch and three-sixteenths from tlic anterior margin of the anal. It is small and surrounded by a cutaneous membrane, bilobed on the posterior side. The skin over the -whole space which the escutcheons do not cover is rough to the touch. Small tubercles with acute jioints cover uniformly its surface, being every where of ctpial size and at an equal distance from each other. On the terminal arch of the tail they become lengthened and flattened, and invest the whole space like scales. The fins are generally small ; the dorsal, broader than it is high, is triangular with the upper margin concave. It is com- posed exclusively of soft rays, with the exception of a fulcrum situated on its antc^rior margin. The rays are articulated and subdivided only at their extremity. The upper lobo of the caudal is formed of small bony rays, short FISnES OF LAKE SUPEUIOR. 275 and strongly inclined backwards, not reaching the extremity of the fin. The rays of the lower lobo do not dift'or fn»ni tlmsc of the dorsal. They bifurcate like these latter, hut at the e.vticinity only. The posterior margin of this lohe is notched, in the form of a crescent and elongated in its upper part, along the arch of the tail. The notch is not deep in the lower part. The anal is opposite to the dorsal, beyond which it extends backwards. It is narrow, elongated, almost twice as high as it is broad. The inner and outer margins are almost straight, the terminal oblique margin slightly curved. The rays are slender, bifurcated at their extremity on\y. The ventrals, similar in their form to the anal, arc situated at the posterior third of the body. Their structure has nothing that distinguishes them from the anal. The pectorals are as in the A. hcvi's the largest of all the fins. Their form is lengthened, the terminal margin is obliquely rounded, and passes to the inner margin by an arch. The anterior and outer margin bears a spinous ray, bent beyond its insertion, and curving inwards a little before the point. It does not reach the extremity oP the fin. It is flattened in the horizontal diameter of the fin ; its basis is three-sixteenths of an inch broad and terminates in an obtuse point, in the margin of the fin. The surface is striated longi- tudinally on both surfaces, alternaang with small furrows and wrinkles. The soft rays are as in the other fins. The general color is of a yellowish brown on the upper half of the body, the yellow growing purer on the sides and beneath the belly. A largo spot of an intense black, and an elongated quadrangular form occupies, on the middle of the back, the space between the dorsal and lateral series of shields. A second pair of large spots of the same color occupies the same positimi on the sides of the dorsal fin, on which they even encroacli a little. Other small spots are distributed over the sides of the fish from the opercular apparatus (itself included) to the tail and the fins, giving thus to the whole fish a dotted appearance. 1)^ P. 1, 43-35 ; V. 2»J-28 ; more than sixty. D. 3G : A. 2u-28. C. lower lobe I fllf' • '' ^ ■ I ■I 1 27G LAKE SUPERIOR. Tho only specimen of tliis species which is in my possession was WnuA tit Miehipicotin on the north-east shore of Lake Siiprrior. Thou;^h this sj)ecies is very simihir in its general eiiaractcrs to the Aci)»'nn<'ir tivtcalosun Lesucnr, from the Ohio, wo have not, however, hcen able to i(h.'ntify it. The (lescripti(jn which this au- thor j^ives of his species is so vague tliat he does not even tell us till) form of the fins. The formula of their rays is f;ir from corresponding with that of our species. Nor is the abdominal scries of jihites the same; those of the sides and back seem to rc.-cmblc it more closely. The snout is also more slender; but hud not LesiuMir mentioned that the species which ho saw is of small size, wo Tuiglit have supposed that our specimen was the young, which have generally the snout more pointed than full-grown specimens. ACIPENSER RIIYNCHMTS, AgaSS. This species is very similar to the preceding; it dilfers from it only in a few characters which wc shall hero enumerate briefly . The body is more slender and diminishes less abruj)tly towards the caudal region. The curve of the back is more ellii)tical ; slightly concave at a small distance behhid the head, Avhere the third escutcheon is sensibly smaller. The head is contained about four times in the whole length. The face, from the anterior margin of the branchial cavity, forms the fifth part of the length of the trunk, and the snout from the nostrils is in the pru[ior- tions of one to five. The whole length of the fish is nearly twenty- three inches. The head is slender, elongated, proportionally nar- row ; its upper surface is very sloping, forming a line feebly broken at the level of the nostrils. A sinus quite deep, widened on both sides, extends along the median line of the skull ; narrow at the top, it widens before it disappears upon the snout. I'ho frontal and parietal bones are carinatcd in their middle. The snout is pointed, but truncated. It is completely covered with small plates which pass beforr- the nostrils and go to join again the bone which terminates the lower and posterior angle of the face. The nostrils open in a bare space which is situated under PISnE3 OP LAKE SCPEUIOK. 277 the cyo. Their form and direction arc not quite the same as in tlje iirecediii;^ npccicg. Thi! shit.'llates, elon- gated, narrow, irregularly triangular, the most acute point directed upwards, much rescmljling those of the preceding si)ccies. The ahdominal series has from eight to nine plates, generally more irreg\ilar, more strongly denticulated, with a strong carina and jiromiuent hook. The articular hone of the pectoral fin is stronger and more widened. The pectoral fins themselves are longer and more rounded on their posterior margin. The anal is also more narrow. The other fins resemble each other excepting the caudal, which seems to be less furcated. Wo have not been able to make a fuller C'lmparison of the two species, hiiving had oidy a dried Hpoei- meu of the latter in our possession. The following formula of the rays is only an apjtroximation, as the fins arc somewhat defective. "r. L r,2 or 8^ ; V. "Ji; ; D. 3-4 ; A. 2.j. C. lower lobe one hundred and more. Ycrv distinct fulcra exist along the anterior margin of all the fins, with the exception of the pectorals. Habitat, Sault St. Mary. AciPENSER RurERTiANUS, Richardson. This species, which wc did not find in our excursion, is men- tioned here only incidentally, for comparison with those which we have described, llichardson has figured and described it in hia Fauna Boreali-Americana. Our comparisons have been made upon a skin from Sault St. Mary, for which I am indebted to Mr. McLeod. iH I I iu: 1 1 \ 278 LAKE 81'1'KIIIOR. f* .. II Its li(>;nl is thicker tliim it is lotiiT, forminj? ono-sovcnth of tlio wlinlo lotiL^tli, wliicli is twi'iity indies; tlu; snout is covered with ilis- tiiict siii;ill |ihites upon its surface, though it is also ;^rimulute(l. Tho frontal sinus is hi-oatler than deep, and extcmls over that part of tlio snout which is CHnli;;uoiis to the skull. The dorsal plates, twelve or thirteen in nuniher, arc ollipticul ; tho hiterul series imniher tweiitv- fiv(^ or twenty-seven, and resenihlo somewhat those of tho [)recedini,' species. Tho ahdominal series have eij^ht or nine plates, loni^vr than hroad, whilst the contrary is the case in tlie ^l. r/ij/nc/i'cim, [\i,\i\ the Sault St. Mary. Their circiunferenee is also less. The tins which we have heeu ahlo to compare show but slight diflereuccs in tho two species. SirA'iiin.E. Whenovor wo !Tro induced to consider orpraTiizcd hcinsjs in their connection rather than hy themselves, we perceive at unco dilVerenccs between them, whicli throw more lij^ht upon the hi\v.s that rrii;ulatc their structure, than the most minute investigation of isolated facts. The Sihu-idse are fishes whicli it is ditKcult to coniliinc ■with any other ^roup, imless by far-fetched considerations, and afii.nl a strikin.1^ example of the imi>ortance of ^^eneral considerations in the special study of zo<>lo;i;y. Speakiui; of the sturi^oons above, I have ah'cady mentioned their afhnity to tho (loniodonts. It is now a matter of '^voat importance to examine upon what tliis rehitiou rests, for tho systematic position assi;j;ued to that family is also decisive for tho kfilurithe, which arc vorv closely allied with the Ooniodonts. Indeed, Goniodonts and Siluriihv! may be united into one family vith almost as much pro- priety as they can bo separated, and -wherever one of these grou[is is placed, in a general classification of fishes, tho other must follow. That sturgeons belong to tho ordc of Ganoids is now fully ascer- tained ; but whether the alUnitv of Goniodonts and sturgeons is suf- ficieiit to connect the !Silurid;e, or whether 8ilurid;\; and Goniodonts are to continue in some connection or other with the many fam- ilies of Abdominales, with which they have hitherto been combined, remains to be seen. That the position of the ventrals is not sufficient W' ! t FISIIKS OF LAKi; SirKKlUU. 070 ith (if ilio , with ilis- to>< of llichardson, and 1*. all'idus, nebulosiis and trncus of Lesueur, besides a ncAV species from Lake Superior, to be described below. All authors have not admitted P. nehiilosKS as a species ; the natural history of P. albidus and '''jicici leaves also much to be desired, so it is also with P. punctxi- hdi(i<. ^^o that we are still in doubt about the real number of si)ecies whioli will compose the genus Pimelodas proper. The Pundvdm (JatKi<, Avhich is perhaps the best known diflfers considerably from our northern si)ecies, so that we need hardly mention the ditferenecs ; but P. nehidosus and P. albidus seem to bo very closely allied to P. Ccdiis, if Ave judge by the description which we have before us. The P. (CUIUS would come near P. 2->unctulatu8, which in its turn would remind us of P. Catus. Hence we may sec how im[iortaiit it may be tu submit anew these species to a close examination, to study them each in its locality and by minute anatom.'ical as avcII as zoological investigation, to ascertain the value of their characters. For the present, however, I cannot undertake this comparative study from want of sufficient materials, but I shall attempt to descrilie the species we brought from Lake Superior, and com- pare it with J\ canosus and borealis of Richardson, from which, though allied to them, it seems however to diifer specifically. FISIIKS OF LAKE SUPEIIIOR. 281 PiMi:i,nm-3 Fi;lts, A^rass. The irencral form is that of most s[H"jios of the _L:;onu^, ncitlicr thick, ii'ir eh)iigatc(l. The abiloincu i.s |H'')tuiiiout in tiie sjiace cimtiiined hetweeu tlic braiichiostegal a['iKU'atus and the vcutnils. The cui'vo of the back rises to the hei,:iht of the dorsal, wheuco it slopes rajiidly upon the head. The body is very coinprcsscd from behind the dorsal and ventral fins to tlio t il. It is coai- plotely bare, Avith a punctulated ap[)earanee, caused by the a(iui- ferous iinles Avliicli open at the surface of the skii:, and which are especially numerous on the anterior region and on the liead. The lateral line is straight, ascending from the middle of the caudal to the upper angle of the oi)ercular apparatus. The head, from the oecijiut, forms the fifth jiart of the whole length, whilst fiom the posterior margin of the o[)erculum to the end of the snout it constitutes onlv one fourth. The head is longer than it is broad, and forms a regular oval, truncated behind in the occipital region and elliptical in the anterior circund'erence. The mouth cMends as far back as the eyes ; the lips surrouuil it under the form of a lieshy, ela;-tlc swelling, in the middle of the jaws only ; but at their reunion uitli the angles of the mouth they grow thinni'r, widen and Ihitten, and iijrm a kind of funnel, wliicli enlarges, for a third at least, the opening of the mouth. The teeth are arrangeil like those of a card, and distributed irregularly upon the circund'erence of the jaws. Ttii>y vary hi length and size, but are r.ll acute. On the I'.iwer jaw they extend much more backwards in the mouth than on the up]ier jaw, where they do not extend beynnd the basis of inser- tion nf tlie maxillary barbels. Thesi' hitter, two inches hmg, reach to the posterior margin of the prenperculuni. 'i'hey ibjlow tlie upper (.•ireuuirerence of the cutancinis ftmnel at the angles of the mouth fir the extent of six-eighths of an inch. Hard, horny and llattened at their basis, they grow gi'adually softer and more slendir towards their termination. The nostrils are sitiiated