THE OTTAWA NATURALIST 



VOL. XXV. OTTAWA, SEPTEMBER, 1911 No. 6 



SOME NEWFOUNDLAND BIRD NOTES MAY, JUNE, 



JULY, 1911. 



By W. J. Brown, Westmount, Que. 



The Newfoundland summer is very brief. By June 3rd, 

 in the northern portions of the country, vegetation was not up, 

 and the shrubs and bushes were just breaking into bud. In the 

 spruce woods, snowbanks were repeatedly met with. Further 

 south, however, the season was much more advanced. These 

 conditions did not affect many of the birds, as nesting was going 

 merrily on at this time. The warblers, as a whole, were perhaps 

 a little late in arriving and did not start building until about 

 the middle of the month. 



It is regrettable that the Newfoundland Government officials 

 do not take active measures in the direction of protecting the 

 water-fowl. The fisherman not only take the eggs of the gulls 

 throughout the breeding season, but shoot the young as soon 

 as they are able to fly. Certain islands were visited on the 

 western coast where the gulls had nested by the hundreds a 

 few years back, and to-day the cliffs are occupied by a solitary 

 pair of Northern Ravens. 



The Reid-Newfoundland Railway, which is a narrow gauge 

 one, probably runs through the most picturesque territory. 

 Roughly speaking, the physical features of the island are appar- 

 ently of a rocky and mountainous nature, punctuated with 

 vast stretches of spruce woods and bogs, and well watered by 

 streams, lakes, or "ponds." 



The following list is the result of careful study and work at 

 only six points contiguous to the line of the Reid-Newfoundland 

 Railway, and is not, therefore, complete. 



1. Loon. One pair seen on a small ''pond" on June 6th. 

 At this date they had not started to nest. 



2. Black Guillemot. Fairly abundant. Breeding on 

 the "Banks" on June 10th. 



3. Glaucous Gull. Common. Several pairs had their 



