2o6 Cox on Rare Nezv Brunswick Birds. [July 



nerofthe Dominion (Newcastle on the Miramichi River), as 

 the reader will then be better able to appreciate the facts pre- 

 sented. 



Snow falls here about November i, and winter can be said to 

 begin about the 20th of the month. Soon pond, lake, and river 

 are ice-bound, and field and forest clad in their winter robes. 

 The snowfall increases until about the middle of March, when 

 it lies to the depth of from three to six feet ; and during all this 

 time the thermometer is hardly ever above zero. A temperature 

 of from 1^° to 30 below is often reached, and for weeks and 

 weeks the average may be 18 ; but, strange to say, our climate 

 does not seem severe, nor do our people complain of the cold. 

 This is largely due to the surprising dryness of the air, and the 

 absence of raw winds. Our days are bright, our nights, starry ; 

 the auroral displays are of surpassing grandeur, while the re- 

 markable uniformity of the temperature is not the least striking 

 feature of our climate. 



About the 20th of March, the sun's increasing power begins to 

 be felt, and the snow would henceforth waste away rapidly were 

 it not for cold east winds which at this time begin to blow from 

 oil" the floating ice-fields of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and neutra- 

 lize the action of the sun. Thus spring creeps on very slowly, 

 or rather we have no spring at all, in the genend meaning of the 

 term ; for it is frequently the 1st of May before our fields are bare, 

 and then warm summer is upon us. Thus summer and winter 

 meet, as it were, on friendly terms, shake hands, and get along tol- 

 erablv well without the interference of a meddlesome third person. 

 By the side of some ice-layer or snow-drift, the Mayflower, tril- 

 lium, and other plants are often found in bloom, marking the sud- 

 den transition of climate. 



In this latitude a cold winter generally presupposes a warm 

 summer, but luckily for our country we are an exception to this 

 rule ; for no other locality, perhaps, in the Dominion of Canada 

 can boast of such cool, refreshing weather as the shores of the 

 Miramichi and far-famed Baie des Chaleurs. Of this fact our 

 neighbors to the south and west are becoming aware ; for thou- 

 sands of them flock every summer to our little towns and villages 

 to enjov the delicious coolness and health luxuries of our sea- 

 side homes. And what visions of pleasure and happiness must 

 they fondly recall after such a visit ! Bright, sunny days, tern- 



