COUNTRY AND HISTORY 159 



lodge, while in the States of New York and New Jersey 

 they may be seen in most suitable ponds where they 

 have not fallen victims to the steel trap. Otters are 

 scarce, if one may judge from the small number taken 

 by trappers ; they are of large size and have very fine, 

 heavy pelts. Mink do not exist in Newfoundland, neither 

 do squirrels, raccoons, opossums or porcupines ; this seems 

 curious, as the conditions which favour them in the adjoining 

 provinces appear to exist in the island, so far as we can 

 judge. The varying hare is fairly abundant, but a disease 

 is said to have greatly depleted their numbers a few years 

 ago. Birds are not as numerous as one would expect from 

 the position of the island. A few Canada geese breed on 

 the marshes ; ducks of several kinds are found, including 

 the harlequin (I have found the young of the latter 

 bird in the northern portion of the peninsula, thus proving 

 that they breed, at least in that part of the island). A 

 few of the waders breed there, or pass through in the 

 course of their migrations. Of the game birds, the 

 ptarmigan is probably the most numerous, but they are 

 very restricted in their distribution. Unless much harassed 

 by sportsmen, they are aggravatingly tame and can scarcely 

 be induced to fly. This gives a rough idea of the fauna 

 of Newfoundland, without going into great detail or 

 mentioning the minor species. 



The flora, though interesting, is not very varied. The 

 island is richest in the lower forms of plant life, such as 

 the lichens and mosses, which are extremely abundant, and 

 their richness and diversity of colours do much to make 

 the beauty of the barrens so noticeable. Of the flowers, 

 by far the most noticeable is the fire weed {Chamce?ierion 

 angustifoliuni)^ whose wonderful masses of magenta pink 

 brighten the burnt ground and line the banks of some of 



