106 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. V. 



number of birds varried and almost immediately were seen mating. 

 These included the shore lark, water ihrush, stone chat, rough-legged 

 buzzard and others ; the only insects to be seen, however, on the last 

 day of May were a few spiders and flies. 



Turning our attention seaward we see a very different scene from that 

 presented on shore. Throughout i\)e month of May the ice, now some- 

 what honeycombed and much broken outside the smaller bays, is floating 

 back and forth under the influence of the winds and tides, sometimes 

 leaving a belt of open water round the shore several miles in width, and 

 then, with a change of wind, returning in a compact mass, the pans being 

 from a few feet to several acres in area Upon this ice may often be 

 seen great masses of stone, gravel, seaweed and plenty of dead vegetable 

 matter, and when met with far out upon the Atlantic this appears as an 

 -extraordinary phenomenon; a short stay on shore, however, soon dispels 

 this wonder, for here we see the crumbling cliffs in springtime letting 

 loose huge pieces of rock upon the ice below, the winds and rivulets 

 depositing loose shrubs and moss, and the rising tides overturning great 

 blocks of ice with stones and seaweed adhering. 



From the end of May to about the middle of June is a very short 

 period, and yet we see some marked changes in vegetation. The snow, 

 with the exception of a few deep drifts that will never melt completely, 

 has now nearly gone, and although a fresh fall often occurs, and the 

 temperature still occasionally falls to the freezing point, it has reached 

 as high as 45° and has averaged about 37°, the sky being overcast for 

 nearly two-thirds of this period. On June 15th twenty or more different 

 plants were in leaf and two were in full bloom ; the snowbird, ducks and 

 gulls were nesting, and it is probable all the birds that migrate to these 

 regions had arrived ; the only insect seen, however, besides the spidei 

 and fly, was the bumble bee. 



Up to this time the Eskimo have not been considered, having been 

 noticed in a former paper. It may be of some interest to know, however, 

 that a June sun also has its effect upon them, and the young lord of this 

 sub-arctic wilderness may now be seen casting a meaning glance towards 

 some dusky damsel, which is just as quickly returned and often with 

 interest, for catching one of these lords means a more plentiful supply of 

 food, and although it is done under the into.xicating influence of the 

 season, it is quite legal. 



Between June 15th and 30th there was a noticeable improvement in 

 temperature at Cape Prince of Wales ; light frosts occurred only twice, 

 and once 60" was registered, the days being pleasant and the nights cool, 

 while the average temperature was about 39'', the last snow of the season 



