722 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



lower part of the larger brook showed very clearly the effect of salt 

 water, being slightly silvery, although, owing to the very small size of 

 the brook, no " sea-trout" were taken. In the Greenland lakes trout 

 are said to feed largely on larvse of the mosquito, and from the abun- 

 dance of this insect, as well as the black fly, at Canada Bay, it was very 

 likely to be the case there also. An occasional salmon was seen leap- 

 ing in the inner harbor, but fish of all kinds were scarce, and cod almost 

 totally absent, so great being the dearth of food that dried capliu was 

 a common article of diet. 



After lying fogbound for four days the Grampus left Canada Bay on 

 August 3, and on the morning of the 4th was off Cape Bauld, a locality 

 where, according to reports gathered at Toulinguet, the Penguin (Great 

 Auk) was still occasionally seen. While no reliance was placed on these 

 rumors, as a matter of duty inquiries were made of the crews of severa] 

 fishing-boats, the result being, as was anticipated, that nothing was 

 known of the bird in that vicinity. 



Bounding the northern point of Newfoundland, we entered the Strait 

 of Belle Isle, and on August 4, owing to stress of weather, the Grampus 

 put in to Black Bay, on the Labrador coast. Little or no collecting 

 was done here, owing to the fact that there was nothing to be collected, 

 animals of all kinds being very scarce, although the usual Harbor Seal 

 was present and a few Ravens were seen, but these were too wary to 

 be taken. The Black River, which empties into Black Bay, is a salmon- 

 stream of some importance, the fishing privilege being rented by Mr. 

 William Ellworthy. Sea-trout are said to be abundant in the pool at 

 the mouth of Black River, but owing to the overcast sky and low tem- 

 perature at the time of our visit, they remained in deep water, and 

 only one or two young salmon were taken here. Very small brook- 

 trout abound in a tributary of Black River, and in one pool a number 

 of large trout were taken, the most noteworthy fact in regard to them 

 being that, while all were living under similar conditions, two were 

 brilliantly colored, while the remainder were extremely dull, like the 

 trout taken later on at Mingan. 



August 11 found the Grampus at Mingan, where it was hoped we 

 might be able to secure specimens of the great Gray Seal {Ralich&rus 

 gryphus), or, as it is locally known, the Horse-head. This, the largest of 

 the North Atlantic seals, is by no means common in museums, and ap- 

 pears not to be very abundant at any locality, playing but a small part 

 in the seal fisheries. According to Dr. C. Hart Merriam,to whom we 

 are indebted for information as to the whereabouts of the Gray Seal, 

 the Mingau group is the only locality in the Gulf of St. Lawrence where 

 this animal is found, with the possible exception of Anticosti. The 

 Gray Seal occurs on the south side of Harbor Island, on Mingan Island, 

 and at the Perroquets, these last being the most frequented. Like 

 other members of the seal family, it is fond of crawling out upon the 

 rocks, especially on sunny days, when it will lie basking in the sun- 



