2 TowNSEND AND Bent, Birds of Labrador. ^i^n 



of June 1-2 to Esquimaux Point, which we established as our 

 headquarters until June 14, making a number of day trips on foot 

 along the coast to the east and west to the distance of five or six 

 miles, and inland the same distance to the Romaine River. We 

 also explored Esquimaux Island and took a three days sailing trip 

 to Bald Island near Betchewun. On June 14 we took the steamer 

 to Mingan where we explored the surrovuidings, and ascended the 

 Mingan River three miles to the beginning of the height of land, 

 and traversed the Indian portage path back for a few miles. On 

 June 21 we took the steamer for our return home passing the western- 

 most point of the Labrador Peninsula on June 22. 



In the publication of the Boston Society of Natural History it 

 was stated that the "arctic area extends in a narrowing strip along 

 the entire east coast and on the south coast as far west as Mingan." ^ 

 The latter part of this statement was based on previously published 

 records, and we found it to be not quite accurate, for the coast to 

 the eastward of JMingan in places as far as Natashquan is forested 

 to the water's edge, as is also the case with the group of limestone 

 Mingan Islands. East of the Mingan Islands, however, the islands 

 are largely bare and arctic in appearance and flora, but we found 

 no evidence of breeding arctic birds such as the Pipit and Horned 

 Lark, so common in such localities further to the eastward. In 

 fact, at Natashquan in the barren plains Ave found the only instance 

 of breeding Horned Larks. 



The continuation of the range of granitic Laurentian Mountains 

 looms up to a height of 800 to 1200 feet as a forbidding barrier all 

 along this coast at a distance back of 2 or 3 miles at Mingan to '-10 

 or 40 miles at Natashcjuan; it is the beginning of the high land of 

 the interior. To the eastward of the Moisie River it is largely bare 

 of tree growth, and presents from a distance a typically arctic 

 appearance. That it is not arctic, however, our short excursion 

 inland at Mingan proved, for we found everywhere on these barren 

 hills evidence of a former forest growth of considerable proportions 

 in the shape of tree stumps and trunks, which although whitened 

 by long exposure to the weather, showed in their crevices the charred 

 and blackened signs of a previous fire. Mr. J. A. Wilson, the 



1 hoc. cit., p. 282. 



