^°'l910^"] Tow-NSEND AND Bent, Buds of Labrador. 3 



factor of the Hudson's Bay Company's Post at Mingan, told us 

 that this was the result of a great fire which started at the Grand 

 (Hamilton) River about forty years ago and swept the interior out 

 to the shores of the Gulf where the fire front Avas over 100 miles 

 wide. From the high land back of Mingan we could see some still 

 higher land where there were patches of unbroken spruce forest, 

 showing still more clearly the Hudsonian character of this country. 

 All this of course explained the absence of such arctic breeding 

 birds as the Pipit and Horned Lark. Between this high land and 

 the sea the country consists of a succession of flat terraces, showing 

 evidence of recent elevation above the sea, which are covered in 

 places with spruce and fir forest, in places with extensive sphagnimi 

 bogs containing nimierous small ponds. The whole region is 

 dissected by rivers, some of which are of considerable size, and all 

 at this season were pouring great quantities of dark brown water 

 into the green waters of the Gulf. All are frequented by salmon 

 which begin to ascend the rivers the second week of June. The 

 more important of these rivers are the Ste. Marguerite, Moisie, 

 IManitou, Shelldrake, Magpie, St. John, Mingan, Roniaine, 

 Corneille, Piashte-bai, Watcheeshoo, Nabesippi, Agwanus, Little 

 Natashquan, and Natashcjuan. 



In the high land these rivers form numerous rapids and falls, 

 while in the coastal plains there are in places cuttings with high 

 sand cliffs. Alders, paper birches and larches are common close to 

 the water of the rivers, Avhile the general forest consists chiefly of 

 spruces, — the white, black and red,^ — • and of balsam fir. A few 

 mountain ashes and poplars also occur. 



The vegetation of the bogs or barrens is similar to that of those 

 described on the eastern coast. ^ 



Sandy beaches abound along this strip of the Labrador coast. 

 These are in places backed by sand cliffs, which near Clearwater 

 Point, six miles east of Esquimaux Point, attain to a height of over 

 100 feet. In other places, as to the west of the Hudson's Bay 

 Company's Post at Mingan, and also near the mouth of the Natash- 

 quan River, there are extensive sand-dunes regions. At various 

 places along the coast between Mingan and Betchewun there are 



• Loc. cit., p. 282. 



