caught sixty of them, weighing exactly 30 lb., in two or three hours.

Of wild animals there were not many. We rarely saw deer, although their tracks were now and then to be found. Now and again we encountered a bear, particularly on the higher and less frequented reaches. Once when dropping quietly down-stream I suddenly encountered one swimming aeross the river. My boatmen immediately started in hot pursuit, but the bear won by a short head, gained the shore, and shambled up the mountainside before we could overtake him. Upon the whole it was perhaps fortunate that we failed. An entry in H. A.'s journal, "His Excellenoy rose a bear," probably refers to this incident. We often caught sight of 8 mink sneaking quietly along the bank. There were occasional musk-rats, and high up the river, a large beaver dam, the occupants of which I never had the good fortune to set eyes on. Amongst the smaller mammalia was the little ground-hog, a kind of marmot, nearly the size of a rabbit, whose burrows were quite common.

I must not, however, omit from the list of wild animals one which constantly made its presence felt during our wanderings. The beautiful and, alas! evil-smelling skunk Was not uncommon, but I never got to close quarters with him save on one occasion. I had gone up the river to the Lazybogan Camp and taken possession of the log-hut which

one of us generally occupied on these occasions. It was not long before I found out that the premises were already tenanted. A family of skunks had established themselves under the floor of the hut. I could hear them scratching and souffling underneath the boards, and I could most unmistakably smell them. It was unpleasant but tolerable, except when something happened to upset the equanimity of the household. They greatly resented, for example, my morning ablutions, which were noisy and involved the splashing of a good deal of cold water, some of which no doubt percolated to the family quarters. They showed their resentment by a liberal use of poison gas, which fairly drove me out of the house; but we got used to one another after a time, and ended by making bon ménage. H. A., who relieved me when I went down, was less fortunate. On his first evening he caught sight of the mother skunk as she left her home through a bolthole, which was evidently the ordinary means of ingress and egress. H. A. saw his opportunity, and proceeded to "stop her out." No earth was ever more carefully closed, but the result was deplorable. The young family were disconsolate for the absence of their dam; the lady on her side was inconsolable, and hung about the place all night, making herself extremely objectionable. H. A. had a bad time of it, and took out the stopping next morning. Those who have

sat in a stuffy church near a lady wearing a skunk stole or muff will be able to form some idea of his discomfort.

The birds were few, but interesting. As you travelled along the river you constantly came upon a beautiful night heron flapping lazily along the stream. Not infrequently one met with a so-called "fishhawk"-an osprey of some kind, I think - much interested in the capture of trout in the shoal water. Then there were partridges, really wood grouse, very tame, and unmolested by us, as we were there during the breeding season. Large kingfishers had their homes in the steep sandbanks, and gave a note not unlike that of their Australian relative, the "laughing jackass." Woodpeckers were common, and their holes were noticeable on the trunks of many of the decayed or partly dead trees. After dark the night-jars made themselves heard; the hurtling sound of their flight as they swooped unseen across some forest clearing was indescribably weird and ghostlike.

In my brief enumeration of the animals which frequented the Cascapedia I see that I have forgotten to mention the insects. These are by no means a negligible quantity. Mosquitoes, black flies, and sand - flies are a formidable triple alliance. I suffered less than most of us, and sandflies, although maddening, are, I think, not more maddening than Scotch or Irish midges; but to most of our visitors the flies were a real terror. There

were many remedies, some of them worse almost than the disease, notably a horrible brown unguent with which we were expected to smear our faces. Pieces of rag dipped in malodorous essenees were not quite so bad. Veils which interfered with one's breathing and clung to one's skin when one was perspiring were, I thought, intolerable. When driven to desperation, I found that the best plan was to light a "smudge" in the canoe. A smudge is a little fire of touchwood which can be kindled in a glue-pet, and when fairly set going, supplemented by a little damp moss, so as to produce a dense column of pungent smoke. This the mosquitoes at any rate will not face; and by keeping olose to the smudge, and yet not within its fumes, it is possible to elude the enemy; but, as I have said before, I was fortunate, which was more than I could say for all our visitors. One of them, a rather fullblown, well-nourished Britisher, was a sight for gods and men after a fortnight's experience of Cascapedia insects. I feel pretty sure that newcomers suffer more than those who have already undergone the experience, and it has always seemed to me probable that the human blood, if once it has been inoculated with the mosquito virus, may become comparatively immune afterwards.

Butterflies were plentiful, notably the beautiful swallowtail. My sons, who like most boys were keen ento

mologists, once caught a black variety of this species, which they were told by the experts was rare and valuable, but they never got a second.

Of trees I have said something elsewhere. Amongst the shrubs none were more beautiful than the so-called high bush oranberries, a Cornus of some kind, bearing great olusters of scarlet fruit not unlike its Irish relative to be found on most of the Kerry streams. Of small wild flowers there were any number, including a tiny and very beautiful orchid -I believe the most northerly species of its kind. On the beaches and sand- banks an Enothera was common and very attractive.

I must not forget the berrybearing plants, which were numerous, particularly on the slopes where the high forest had been burnt,-oranberries, bear - berries, orowberries, partridge berries, and so forth. Some of these were most interesting and attractive; the last-named was, I think, a dwarf Gaultheria, creeping along the ground almost like thyme, with its festoons ornamented at intervals by pure white, pearl-like fruits.

But

I must not omit the edible berries. There were thickets of raspberries in every direotion, and nothing could have been more delicious than their fruit. It yielded, when pressed, an admirable syrup, wholly unconnected with raspberry vinegar, for which, even in my school-days, I had no great taste. A wine-glass of this syrup, added to a tumbler of

VOL. CCVIII.-NO. MCCLXI.

iced water, was a glorious beverage for a thirsty soul. In the open spaces wild strawberries were plentiful, particularly at the edge of the sandy beaches, and I used often to tramp across these and take advantage of my opportunities while the men poled the canoe up-stream.

these

The trudge across beaches was interesting in other ways. It was generally possible to find among the pebbles good specimens of agate and jasper brought down from the volcanie formations of the St Anne's range. Some of these I had polished and still preserve. As a rule my specimens were of small size, but now and again I encountered, and could not resist carrying off, a large lump, perhaps of ordinary rook with a likely nodule of agate bedded within it. My men, who at first regarded my proceedings as a kind of harmless lunacy, began after a time to look ruefully at me when I returned to the canoe bearing with me such weighty treasures. They finally represented to me respectfully that we were already heavily laden with the spoils of the chase, that our Plimsoll-line was all too low, and that several pounds' weight of precious stones was a wholly uncalled-for handicap. I had to be content with smaller specimens, surreptitiously smuggled on board in my jacket pockets.

How much or how little ought I to say in these notes as to our own performances in the fishing line? A mere reprint of our journals would be

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monotonous and unintelligible to an outsider. I may as well, however, give here the summary of our catch during the four seasons. We caught amongst us 1245 salmon, weighing 29,188 lb., an average of 231 lb. 210 of these fish weighed 30 lb. and over, and the largest weighed 45 lb. The fishing season was very short, lasting from the second week in June to the end of July, after which time there were other calls to meet, while the river became too low for fishing. It should, perhaps, be explained that our party consisted of the writer and his little staff, assisted now and again by the ladies. Besides these there were occasional visitors, amongst them Sir Lionel Sackville-West, then Minister at Washington, Lord Alexander Russell, in command at Halifax, Admiral Commerell, and two or three others.

We always did our greatest execution during the first three weeks, when the river was still full of water. After that it fell rapidly to a low summer level, with only occasional freshets anxiously watched for by all of us. Towards the end of the time it became difficult to inveigle a fish into rising. We had to depend mainly upon the evening fishing, and to use quite small flies.

The high average weight of our fish compels attention, We caught scarcely any grilse. I never understood why this was so. Was there an autumn run of grilse? The men had apparently never heard of it. I think we could have ool

lected heavier bags if we had fished all day, but as a general rule we were content with an hour or two in the early morning and another spell when the sun got low. During the intervening hours there was plenty of time for reading and writing, and perhaps for a siesta in the verandah.

The summary gives an idea of the number and size of the fish caught. It may, however, be interesting to single out a few specimen days when exceptional good fortune attended our efforts. H. A. was a born statistician, and kept a journal in which is entered the weight of every fish and the place and date of its capture. From this interesting record I select the items which follow.

During the season of 1884 I find that on the 29th July I caught in the Upper or Lazybogan pools ten fish, weighing 33, 24, 11, 9, 20, 24, 9, 22, 22, and 21 lb. On the following day and on the same water, but higher up, Lord Alexander Russell killed eight fish, weighing 18, 18, 18, 10, 10, 3, 24, and 23 lb.

This 3-pounder was much the smallest specimen which we collected.

In the season of 1885, on the 23rd June, I am oredited with nine fish, weighing 26, 23, 25, 10, 27, 29, 30, 38, and 23 lb. This catch was made when I was on my way down from the Middle Camp. caught one fish before starting. Seven were caught in a pool known as "Little Picot," which we had not intended to fish, but it looked well, and there was a nice beach from

I

which it could be commanded. Casting from this beach, I caught the fish, and then made the best of my way home. I went out for a few minutes in the evening and tried the pool opposite the house, which yielded the ninth fish.

On the following day I had eight in the home pools, weighing 24, 31, 25, 22, 25, 27, 33, and 22 lb.

I see that I pleaded guilty to having lost six fish on each of these two days.

On the 24th Mr Herbert Smith had five, weighing 40, 25, 28, 25, and 30 lb., and on the 27th the same fisherman caught two, weighing 25 and 45 lb.

On the 3rd July H. A. landed eight fish, weighing 19, 28, 26, 11, 20, 29, 22, and 211⁄2 lb., and lost five,

On the 20th July Lord Alexander Russell fished the Lazybogan pools and caught ten fish weighing 209 lb. On the following day he had four weighing 119 lb. On the 22nd he had twelve weighing 245 lb., on the 23rd five weighing 93 lb., and on the 24th nine weighing 197 lb.

From the records of 1886 I extract the following:

June 16th. The Hon. John Baring, now Lord Revelstoke, five fish, weighing 38, 31, 32, 301, and 22 lb., a goodly average. On the following day Mr Baring oaught seven, weighing 32, 25, 251, 20, 18, 19, and 25 lb.

On the 22nd June I had rather an exceptional piece of good fortune. I had caught a nice 25-pounder before break

fast close to the Home Camp. In the afternoon I travelled up to the Middle Camp, reaching my destination about 5 o'clock. After tea, between 6 P.M. and 8 P.M., I caught four fish, the only ones that I moved; they weighed 39, 33, 31, and 33 lb. I have an idea that for an evening's fishing this would be difficult to beat.

On

On the 5th July, fishing the Home pools, I caught seven, weighing 28, 28, 22, 28, 8, 33, and 25 lb., and lost three. the 10th July I caught in the same pools four fish, weighing 35, 28, 25, and 38 lb., and next day two, weighing 29 and 30 lb.

On the 15th July Lord Alexander Russell caught nine fish, weighing 32, 30, 30, 25, 201, 23, 28, 291, and 91 lb.

Passing to the season of 1887, when we did not reach the river until nearly the end of June, I note that on my first day, the 27th, I had eight fish, weighing 22, 22, 28, 33, 24, 27, 25, and 23 lb., on the Home pools; and next day, on the same pools, eight, weighing 18, 25, 22, 23, 28, 38, 37, and 18 lb.

The staff also did well, H. S. securing on the 27th, on Limestone, nine fish, weighing 32, 28, 21, 23, 11, 33, 23, 26, and 21 lb.; while on June 28th H. A., on Jam Rapids, had ten, weighing 27, 24, 13, 26, 8, 27, 20, 28, 271, and 241⁄2 lb.

On July 1st, fishing the Middle Camp pools, I had eight fish: weights, 30, 24, 22, 24, 30, 24, 34, and 29 lb.

On the 13th and 14th July, on the Lazy bogan pools, I had