Packard.] 270 



Castor canadensis Kulil. The Beaver, with all the other most 

 valuable fur animals, is rapidly becoming extinct upon the coast, 

 though probably still abundant in the interior, in remote and inacces- 

 sible districts. 



Fiber zibethicus Cuv. At Henley Harbor, Chateau Bay, a skin 

 ■was shown me with much finer and longer fur than that noticed in the 

 United States. 



Erethizon dorsatum F. Cuv. The Porcupine was seen in Thomas 

 Bay, a few mile south of Hopedale. 



Ursus maritimus Linn. The white bear, or "Water Bear" as it is 

 called by the inhabitants, is occasionally seen upon the Atlantic coast, 

 where it is brought down on the ice by the Polar current. At "Square 

 Island," a locality situated between Belle Isle and Domino Harbor, 

 two cubs were captured and taken to St. Johns, Nfd. At Domino 

 Harbor, the skin of a bear killed during the preceding spring, was 

 obtained by one of our party. An intelligent hunter told me that the 

 white bear was not unfrequently seen at Stag Bay, near Roger's Har- 

 bor, which is situated a little more than fifty miles south of Hopedale. 

 One was killed there during the preceding winter, and in the autumn 

 their tracks were "abundant." They were very shy, and could not 

 be seen in the day time. Farther south they are much rarer. The 

 last Polar bear said to have been seen in the Straits of Belle Isle, was 

 shot fifteen years ago at the settlement of Salmon Bay. 



Ursus americanus Pallas. The black bear is abundant on the south- 

 ern coast, where it leaves its Avinter quarters in May, but above Hope- 

 dale is very rarely seen. 



Rangifer Caribou Baird. The Caribou is still abundant upon the 

 coast. In the summer it is found only on the tops of the hills, 

 away from the woods. The hunters on the coast do not distinguish 

 any varieties, such as the "barren ground caribou," in distinction fi'om 

 the' "woodland cari])ou" of Audubon and Bachman. 



Oc'ibos moschatus Blainv. As noticed in the list above given, the 

 Labrador Esquimaux have a distinct name for the musk ox. It is 

 naturally inferred from this interesting fiict, that this species must 

 formerly have ranged as far south as latitude oG°-58° on the Labra- 

 dor Peninsula. 



PJioca vitulina Linn. The Harbor seal is not hunted by the sealers 

 as its range is confined to the shores and inlets. I have seen it up the 

 Esquimaux River ten miles from its mouth, in perfectly fresh water. 

 The young weigh about thirty pounds, while the adult attains to a 

 weight of about one hundred pounds. It should be observed that all 

 the other seals, noticed l)elow, only visit the coast in large numbers 

 during the spring and autumn months ; during the summer they are 

 rarely seen, while P. vitulina is abundant the year round. 



