A HUNGRY GULL. 245 



mentioned animals and only one of the lynxes 

 was bagged from the canoes. This animal fell 

 to Mr. Sheldon's rifle. 



Of birds very few species were seen, but 

 every day we disturbed a few harlequin ducks, 

 and mergansers on the river, and saw a few 

 hawks and ravens in the trees along the banks. 

 These latter appeared to be very hungry, as 

 when they sighted the meat in the canoes they 

 flew round and round croaking loudly just 

 above our heads. 



One day, too, we came on a solitary American 

 herring gull, a bird of the year in grey 

 plumage, all by itself and evidently starving. 

 It followed our canoes for miles until we went 

 ashore for our midday meal, and then alighted 

 on the shore-ice close to us. We threw it some 

 pieces of meat, which it swallowed greedily, and 

 the amount it ate before we again proceeded on 

 our journey would have made a good meal for 

 a hungry man. We left it standing on the ice 

 absolutely gorged, but still surrounded by 

 many pieces of meat, and never saw it again. 

 What it was doing so far inland and all by 



