82 TUENER ON THE PHYSICAL AND 



such abundance of individuals, if not of species, of the smaller Dipfem, Orthoptera, Coleop- 

 tera and Arachnida. Of the last mentioned, no less than sixty-one species were obtained ; 

 and of these, forty-nine are new to the arachnologist. In late July and early August, the 

 grasses and thickets fairly swarm with minute diptera, so delicate tht>t only by their 

 incredible numbers could their presence be detected. Here, at Fort Chimo, the limit of 

 exuberance of Arctic plant life ceases, and the delicate-winged atoms, blown hither by 

 the winds, fall beneath the wall of chilled air hanging over the cold currents of Hudson 

 Strait, whose swirling waters and ice deaden the activity of all that comes within their 

 influence. 



The mollusks are represented by only one fresh-water species, and three or four species 

 to be found in moist situations. 



No tvirtle or tortoise has been found ; two or three sj^ecies of frogs occur in the 

 vicinity of Fort Chimo ; and both Indians and Innuit maintain that a species of snake, pro- 

 bably a Eutœnia, is not uncommon near the source of G-eorge River. 



Fishes. — Fishes are abundant ; the more important being Salmo salar ; Salvelinus, four 

 species ; Coregonus, three species ; and Lotu. The brackish waters contain Coitus and 

 Uranidea, these constituting the principal genera. 



Birds. — Of birds, many individuals occur, and of these the land birds constitute fully 

 one-half of the avian fauna. The morasses and ponds contain but little to attract siich 

 multitudes of water birds as are found in some other regions ; and, within this district 

 but few waders and swimmers breed in such numbers as to be compared with areas not 

 remote from it. Eighty-seven species of birds were obtained in the district ; and of these 

 only fifteen species are actual residents. This latter number is reduced to six species 

 hardy enough to endure the excessive cold of the extreme north of the area. The remain- 

 ing nine are more or less imperfectly migratory to the more sheltered tracts, depending 

 upon the exigencies of the weather. Five-sixths of the bird life is migratory, none of 

 them appearing before the last week in March or remaining as late as the end of Sep- 

 tember. From the end of May to the end of August, the occupation of nesting, incubating 

 and rearing the young calls forth the energy of the parents, striving to be detained no 

 longer, for at that time snowflakes are visible on the northern horizon, warning the birds 

 to fly from before them. 



The predominating land birds are two species of Ptarmigan, Lagopus ; several species 

 of Sparrows, Pinicola, Loxia, Acanthis, Plectrophenax, Culcarius, Zonotrichia, SpizeUa and Ammo- 

 drumus. Of other genera, Dendragupus, Archibuteo, Falco, Asio, Bubo, Nj/cleu, Picoides, Oto- 

 coris, Perisorins, Corvus, Tachijcineta, Dendroica, Punis, Turdvs and Mernla — each have one or 

 more representatives. The water birds are represented by Grebes, Loons, Geese, Ducks, 

 Terns and Gulls ; a few other species of unimportant sea birds are of common occurrence. 

 The waders are plentiful ; few species, however, breeding within the district. Those 

 breeding are a few Snipe, Sandpipers and Plovers, which find sufficient food for the young 

 so rarely found there. The larger swimmers, Merganser, Anas, Histrionicus, Somateria and 

 Oidemia are the most abundant. The Eiders breed in great numbers on the rocky, 

 outlying islets, containing patches of coarse grass on their summits. Gulls, principally 

 the American Herring G-ull, and one species of Tern, breed in goodly numbers about the 



