60 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [March 



the neighbourhood of the fork no plants were observed different 

 from those aheady mentioned; but one expedition to Grand Pond, 

 in the centre of the island, brought back specimens of the Bastard 

 Toad-flax (Comandra livida,) Epllohium latifoUum and avgusti- 

 folium and Viburnum opidus. After spending a few days at the 

 main fork of the Humber, we started down the river, and after a 

 long pull of from ten in the morning till eleven at night, reached 

 the schooner in safety. At the mouth of the river we passed 

 several long salmon nets, some of which . were stretched so far 

 across the stream as to render it almost impossible for any salmon 

 to reach their spawning ground. In buying some salmon from 

 one of the fishermen, it was singular to find how very ignorant he 

 was of the value of the various silver coins in common use, so 

 general is the system of obtaining by barter all goods imported 

 to these stations. 



For two nights after our arrival we had the rare opportunity 

 of seeing the woods on fire on a magnificent scale, on the north 

 side of the south arm of the bay, This grand conflagration 

 commenced from a "smudge," or smouldering, smoking fire of 

 rotten wood, lighted by some woodmen at the head of the bay to 

 keep away mosquitoes. The weather had been warm and dry for 

 some time previously, and had prepared the firs, birches, fallen 

 wood, and even the vegetable mould for this terrific bon-fire. As 

 the fire spread along the ground, and from tree to tree, it sent 

 immense clouds of smoke and wreaths of flame upwards to the 

 sky, and created a draught for itself, which added yet greater 

 fierceness to the devouring element, and carried up ashes and 

 burning cinders, which again fell to the ground only to be new 

 foci of destruction. The crackle, roar and crash of the burning 

 and falling trees could be heard for miles ; and as the fire, with 

 almost the rapidity and violence of an explosion, ran up the 

 immense fir and birch trees on the tops of the hills, it made a 

 sight which, when once seen, can never be forgotten. As the fire 

 travelled along the hills towards the fishing station, opposite which 

 the schooner was anchored, the ashes and cinders covered the 

 deck, and it required constant watching to prevent the sails from 

 catching fire, while the ship's crew were away helping to tear 

 down fences to prevent the spread of the fire, and to save the 

 houses of the settlers. A fall of rain on the morning of the 

 22nd of July quenched the ardour of the conflagration, and a 

 smart easterly breeze springing up the same afternoon, gaily 



