They dye black with an ink made of elder bark, and a little bog-iron-ore, dried and pounded, and they have various modes of producing yellow.

The deepest colour is obtained from the dried root of a plant, which from their description appears to be the cow-bane (_cicuta virosa_.) An inferior colour is obtained from the bruised buds of the Dutch myrtle, and they have discovered methods of dyeing with various lichens.
The quadrupeds that are hunted for food in this part of the country, are the moose and the rein-deer, the former termed by the Crees, _mongsoa_, or _moosoa_; the latter _attekh_.

The buffalo or bison, (_moostoosh_,) the red-deer or American-stag, (_wawaskeeshoo_,) the _apeesee-mongsoos_, or jumping deer, the _kinwaithoos_, or long-tailed deer, and the _apistatchaekoos_, a species of antelope; animals that frequent the plains above the forks of the Saskatchawan, are not found in the neighbourhood of Cumberland House.
Of fur-bearing animals, various kinds of foxes (_makkeeshewuc_,) are found in the district, distinguished by the traders under the names of _black_, _silver_, _cross_, _red_, and _blue_ foxes.

The two former are considered by the Indians to be the same kind, varying accidentally in the colour of the pelt.

The black foxes are very rare, and fetch a high price.