NOVKMBER 1891.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



161 



(Iragges him allong a littel, all the time his 

 hind legs lyke paraliset. 



Now he made such funny movement and 

 looket so distresset and shamefull dat we 

 roaret with laughter. All at once he gave a 

 large jumpe down from the tahel, and now he 

 began to runn in starts, — here against the 

 wlial, down on his bark, up again, theire 

 against a bureau with a hard bump, down, and 

 so fort. Often when he tumbeld up after quit 

 a hard bruise, he would chake his head and 

 lui-k round in a helpless way, as if to say "I 

 can not understand iti everyting is just in my 

 way ! " So he runn on and on till, all exhaustet, 

 he fell down to sleep. 



The other day he was as well as ever. But 

 in the evening when tea and rum was brought 

 and he smellet the later, he began to snorre 

 and spit and to runn away of Into a corner, to 

 hyde himself away, and never we could make 

 him touch or smell any spirits again. 



Poor fellow 1 it was his fate to die on to 

 much drink. One morning we found him 

 head foremost (the littel hind legs picking in 

 the ayr), in a large pitcher of cream, drownet. 



O. Borrin. 



[We have taken the liberty to print Mrs. 

 Borris' letter verbatim et literatim, as we 

 judged that it would lose one-half its interest 

 in translation. — Eil.] 



Five Months in Newfoundland. 



(Continued.) 



The last of the week the Kittiwake Gulls 

 came in large Hocks, following the herring, 

 which have now set in. The Gulls are hover- 

 ing about over the schools with their erratic, 

 zig-zag flight, swooping and diving into them 

 in their efforts to capture a meal. The large 

 (iulls are away out, and flying high. Guille- 

 mots in young plumage are sitting along the 

 shore, but are very shy. Three Eider Ducks 

 seen. In fact all the sea-birds have arrived, 

 but I do not know whether it is the wind or 

 the great quantities of "bait" which have 

 brought them in, — however, they seem to have 

 come to stay. 



On October 11th, I found the Kittiw.ikes in 

 immense flocks following the herring which 

 are swimming about in great schools. The 

 Phalaropes were seen among the rocks. 



Mr. Gaboon wante<l to visit his traps on the 

 14th, so I accompanied him to the marshes 

 back of Custlett. As we got well down we 



began to flush Ptarmigan, but they were so 

 wild that we could hardly get within sight, 

 much less within shooting range. 



We found muskrats in all the traps, but no 

 otter. 



I tried to stalk two Black Duck in a pond- 

 hole some distance away, but after I had crept 

 about a quarter of a mile I saw them rise at a 

 distance of about sixty yards. I cannot imag- 

 ine what started them, but they were off before 

 I could get within range. 



In the afternoon we found a flock of Ptar- 

 migan and each of us got one on the first rise. 

 They settled among some tucks, and following 

 them Gaboon got two and I got one. 



We found a fine otter "rub" and plenty of 

 sign of fox, and a trap set in the other track. 



The Platform Hills were before us and we 

 made the ascent, finding that the top was com- 

 posed of a blue stone, cracked and broken and 

 looking as if a glacier had rubbed over them, 

 as the tops are as round and even as a wave.* 



On the top of a hill the dog disappeared, 

 while we were watching a hawk, sailing about 

 near by. .Suddenly up jumped three Ptarmigan 

 and made for the "tucks" about a mile away, 

 and away went the hawk in hot pursuit; they 

 all disappeared in the tucks, and from indica- 

 tions I should judge that he supped on 

 Ptarmigan. 



Then we flushed a single bird %vild, marking 

 him down in a tuck some distance away, and 

 f(dlo\ving him for .some time, finally flushed 

 him, and he dropped at a double report from 

 both guns. He was dead sure enough, but 

 whose bird was it ? 



We each got a bird out of the next flock, 

 and as it was growing dark and we were two 

 miles back in the marshes we turned toward 

 the settlement. We had .seen about twenty 

 Ptarmigan, all of which were feeding on the 

 edges of the "tucks," and appeared to be very 

 wild. The Shore Larks are very plenty, in 

 large flocks. Several large birds, probably 

 Goshawks, were chasing the Ptarmigan, and 

 some signs of Geese were found. 



On the next day, October l.oth, Anthony 

 Magrath killed a Great Northern Diver, which 

 turned upon its back when first shot, with the 

 blood streaming over the water, but recovering, 

 righted itself and dived. l>arely dragging itself 



* Xmte. — The geolog:y of the Avalon Peninsula 

 locates the rock as a portion of the Laurentian system , 

 and as the general character of this rock is a hard, blue 

 siliceous slate, which would present just about the 

 appearance here described under the influence of the 

 jrl.u^iers and the weather of this latitude.— Ed. 



