^"^■lOie^""] Grinnell, Some Audubon Letters. 125 



we had to keep constant fires and clothe ourselves as we would do 

 at Eastport in Winter — Yet the Musquitoes, and Black flies & 

 Horse flies were as troublesome as they are in the swamps of 

 Florida — we had storms almost every other days and rain in 

 aboundance — Yet we never gave up the task before us, that of 

 procuring New Birds and ascertaining the habits of all the species 

 which resort to that dreary Country during Summer to breed. 

 We fell in Company with the British Surveying Schooner the 

 Gulnare, commanded by Captain Bayfield R. N. — Lieut. Bo wen, 

 &c. and Doc'' Kelly — all these persons being highly Scientific and 

 Gentlemanly, were most agreable Companions to us, and we 

 enjoyed their Society much. — we gradually reached the Straits 

 of Belle Isles about the 20"' of August. — on the 15 July this passage 

 was still much encumbered with floating Ice and Icebergs, on the 

 15 of August we had an Iceberg within 2 Miles of us fastened to 

 the bottom, and looking most beautifull. — The season closing upon 

 us we returned sailing along the Northwest coast of NewFoundland 

 which we found stil more elevated, rugged and Wild looking than 

 the Labrador coast; we anchored at the head of St. Georges Bay, 

 Spent there a Week and ransacked the Country as much as the 

 dificulty of walking would permit, and sailed for Pictou (Nova 

 Scotia) near which we landed and from thence sent the Ripley 

 round to Eastport where She arrived safely 2 days before us. We 

 crossed Nova Scotia by way of Truro, Halifax and Windsor; at 

 the latter place we saw the tide rise 60 feet — took a steamer to 

 S' John's, New Brunswick and arrived at Eastport all well and 

 without having met with a single accident of note, or felt a moment 

 of sickness except that occasionned by the motions of our vessel 

 Whilst tossing over the Gulph of S' Lawrence; the vilest of seas. — 

 The Young Gentlemen under my care proved all to be excellent 

 and useful Companions, and I frequently felt as if all belonged to 

 our family. Yet I was glad to give my charge over, for my anxiety 

 was truly great and often raised to a high pitch, when ever we 

 encountered a storm out of Harbour. — 



We have secured 8 New Birds which have given us 2 Superb 

 large plates, and 6 Small ones. — The New Species consist of 2 

 Falcos, 1 Finch, 1 Titmouse, 1 Cormorant, 1 Curlew, 1 Fly catcher, 

 — The other I cannot recollect just now. I made 25 Drawings, 



