1902] Saunders Birds of Sable Island, N.S. 17 



The superintendent, Mr. Robert J. Boutilier, has now been 



in office for about seventeen years, during which time he has 



brought the lite-saving work up to a high standard of excellence, 



and he is certainly entitled to the highest credit tor the present 



efficient state, which is in marked contrast to the condition of 



affairs before his incumbency. His kindness and that of his 



family was very much appreciated, and cannot be too highly 



spoken of. We were made to feel at home from the moment we 



landed, and when we left, our farewell was a pressing invitation 



to come back at the first opportunity and make a further visit. 



When Mr. Boutilier went there he had the landsman's dislike of 



drinking surface water, and instead of settling down to use the 



rain water from the roof he sank a well in order to get pure water, 



at some depth. What was his surprise to find that the fresh 



surface water was merely floating upon the salt water beneath, 



and no matter how deep the well was sunk only salt water was 

 obtained. 



The island is in the form of an elongated crescent, with its 

 concave side to the north. It is nearly 25 miles long and only 

 about a mile wide in most places. At each end it tapers down 

 to a point of bare sand without any sign of vegetation whatever, 

 and over which the sea sweeps at every high tide, and with every 

 stormy wind. Approaching the island as we did from the north, 

 the first view we received of it rather confirmed our ideas of a 

 desert. All along the north side there is a line of sandy cliffs, 

 varying from 40 to nearly 100 feet high. These are occasionally 

 broken by gulleys which the wind has made, but the general effect 

 is of one continuous cliff. The face of it is, of course, of bare 

 sand, with very little vegetation, so that one receives the impres- 

 sion of white sand with only a scanty covering of grass upon the 

 top of the hills. As the steamer approached closer we could see 

 but little more of the island, as the cliffs barred our vision. But 

 soon we could make out the men bringing the surf boat from its 

 shelter to the water's edge, and it was not long before the first 

 of the Sable Islanders stood on the deck of the Minto. We were, 

 of course, eager to land, and took the first opportunity of doing 

 so. While we were waiting for the boat to come out we were 

 much interested in watching the large school of codfish which 



