Interior of British North America, 155 



liarity, from Hudson^s Bay; it is also mentioned in the 'Fauna 

 Bor.-Am.j' besides, I observed it in Hudson's Straits, but that 

 locality does not come within the range of this paper. And I 

 may here observe that the fact of not embracing the eastern 

 Arctic lands prevents my including more than one other of the 

 species of Guillemots (as is the case also with the harida) given 

 in the ' Fauna Bor.-Am./ which is 



Ubia lomvia, the Foolish Guillemot, given under the name of 

 TJ. troile, from York Factory, on the western coast of Hudson's 

 Bay. 



Thus I bring to an end a list which, although it does not 

 carry on its face a circular note of credit to general ornithologists, 

 yet, from the labour bestowed upon it, may, I hope, prove useful 

 to future inquirers on North American birds. To say that I 

 am aware of its defects would be to criminate myself, because it 

 might be in justice remarked, why did not I rectify them ? I will 

 therefore observe that I have drawn from every reliable authority 

 within my reach, but have never given the information so gained 

 as if it were my own, the scantiness of which is, I am afraid, too 

 apparent. When remarking on my own labours in the field, I 

 would ask the reader to bear in mind that, as a member of a 

 Government Exploring Expedition, my duties were widely dif- 

 ferent from those of a zoologist; in fact, I had properly nothing 

 to do with natural history, my work being of a nature which 

 required the use of the sextant more than the fowling-piece, the 

 pen and pencil instead of the dissecting-knife, and observations 

 of the movements of magnets rather than of birds. It was con- 

 sequently only spare moments at uncertain times that I was able 

 to devote to my favourite pursuit, ornithology ; while the putting 

 together of these notes has been done at a period when memory 

 cannot serve me. I will therefore conclude with the simple 

 request that if any censoriously inclined naturalist meditate 

 severe criticism, he will be guided by the memorable advice of 

 ' Punch ' — questionable perhaps in the case in which it was 

 offered, but often so very appropriate — " Don't ! " 



London, November 1862. 



M 2 



