the season of love, their call resembles a groan, that of the male
being the hoarsest, but the voice of the young is exactly like the cry
of a child. They are very playful, as the' following anecdote will
s h e w O n e day a gentleman, long resident in this country, espied
five young beavers sporting in the water, leaping upon the trunk of
a tree, pushing one another off, and playing a thousand interesting
tricks. He approached softly under cover of the bushes, and
prepared to fire on the unsuspecting creatures, but a nearer approach
discovered to him such a similitude betwixt their gestures
and the infantile caresses of his own children, that he threw aside
his gun. This gentleman’s feelings are to be envied, but few traders
in fur would have acted so feelingly. The musk-rat frequently
inhabits the same lodge with the beaver, and the otter also thrusts
himself in occasionally; the latter, however, is not always a civil
guest, as he sometimes devours his host.
These are the animals most interesting in an economical point of
view. The American hare, and several kinds of‘grouse and ptarmigan,
also contribute towards the support of the natives ; and the
geese, in their periodical flights in the spring and autumn, likewise
prove a valuable resource both to the Indians and white residents ;
but the principal article of food, after the moose-deer, is fish;
indeed, it forms almost the sole support of the traders at some-of
the posts. The most esteemed fish is the Coregonus albus, the
attihhawmeg of the Crees, and the white-fish of the Americans. Its
usual weight is between three and four pounds, but it has- been
known to reach sixteen or eighteen pounds. Three fish of the
ordinary size is the daily allowance to each man at the fort, and is
considered as equivalent to: two geese, or eight pounds of solid
moose-meat. The fishery for the attihhawmeg lasts the whole year,
but is most productive in the spawning season, from the middle of
September to the middle of October. The ottonneebees, (Coregonus
Artedi,) closely resembles the last. Three species of carp, (Catastomus
Hudsonius, C. Forsterianus, and 0. Lesueurii,) are also
found abundantly in all the lakes, their Cree names are namaypeeth,
meethquaicmaypeeth, and wapawhawkeesheic. The occow, or river
perch, termed also horn-fish, piccarel, or doré, is common, but is
not so much esteemed as the attihhawmeg. It attains the length
of twenty inches in these lakes. The methy is another common
fish ; it is the gadm lota, or burbot, of Europe. Its length is about
two feet, its gullet is capacious, and it preys upon fish, large enough
to distend its body to nearly twice its proper size. It is never eaten,
not even by the dogs unless through necessity, but its liver and roe
are considered as delicacies.
The pike is also plentiful, and being readily caught in the wintertime
with the hook, is so much prized on that account by the
natives, as to receive from them the name of eithinyoo-canriooshceoo,
or Indian fish. The common trout, or nammcecous, grows here to
an enormous size, being caught in particular lakes, weighing upwards
of sixty pounds ; thirty pounds is no uncommon size at
Beaver Lake, from whence Cumberland House is supplied. The
Hioden clodalis, oweepeetcheesees, or gold-eye, is a beautiful small
fish, which resembles the trout, in its habits.
One of the largest fish is the mathemegh, catfish, or barbue. It
belongs to the genus silurus. It is rare, but is highly prized as food.
The sturgeon (Accipenser ruthenus) is also taken in the Sas-
katchawan, and lakes communicating with it, and furnishes an
excellent, but rather rich, article of food.