724 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



muscles, the hinder portion of the body being bent slightly upward, 

 the hind-legs sticking out stiffly in the rear. 



These seals are occasionally taken by the Indians for the oil and skin, 

 the animals being either shot while lying on the rocks, or while swim- 

 ming in water sufficiently shallow for the body to be recovered by means 

 of a long gaff. As a rule one Indian is provided with a seal-skin suit, 

 cap included, and his part of the game is to crawl about the rocks im- 

 itating the motions and cry of a seal, while Indian number two is con- 

 cealed near at hand with a birch-bark canoe in readiness. No shot 

 is fired unless there is almost a certainty of either killing or mortally 

 wounding a seal where it can be secured, a wounded animal being 

 gaffed and towed ashore. 



The Harp Seal (Phoca gramlandica) also occurs at Mingau, and ani- 

 mals were seen that probably belonged to this species, although, as none 

 could be taken, it is impossible to speak positively in regard to the 

 matter. The Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) is common about all the 

 islands and in the channel between Harbor Island and the mainland. 

 A small Pike Whale (Balcenoptera rostrata) was accustomed to cruise 

 through the channel with tolerable regularity, but no other cetaceans 

 were seen in the vicinity, although fish were said to be abundant, and 

 Caplin were seen in small schools. An effort was made to kill this 

 whale with a bomb lance while it was busily engaged in pursuing a 

 school of lant, but although the animal at first seemed to pay no at- 

 tention to the boat, yet upon being fired at, although missed, the whale 

 immediately left, showing his senses of sight and hearing to be very 

 acute. The course of the whale could be quite readily traced, the point 

 at which he was about to make his appearance being indicated by a 

 circle of wildly leaping little fish, the nose of their pursuer emerging a 

 second or two later. Several times the animal rose almost vertically, 

 about a third of his length appearing above the water, and on these 

 occasions the conspicuous white bars across the flippers served to iden- 

 tify the species. 



The birds were moving southwards, and although young Eider Ducks 

 (Somateria Dresseri) in the dowu were taken, the Black Duck (Anas 

 obscura) and white-winged Coot (Melanetta velvetina) Mere seen flying 

 southwards in considerable numbers. The Eider is said to breed here- 

 abouts in the bushes near the shore, but the only young specimens seen 

 were taken, as just stated, at Mingan Island, and had probably been 

 raised there. Large flocks of Bonaparte's Sandpiper (Actodromas fusci- 

 collis) were gathered around the tide-pools on the northern end of Min- 

 gau Islands and a few Curlew were observed, these being extremely shy. 

 Gulls (Larus argentatus smithsonianus) were abundant, and are said to 

 breed on Mingan, although the only young birds taken were obtained 

 from nests under the evergreens of Harbor Island. The Gannet for- 

 merly bred in small numbers at the Perroquets, but the continual taking 

 of their eggs by the Indians residing near by, has nearly extirpated 



