74 Aknom), Si(iii)tirr liinis of Xcirfoiindlatid. 



Auk 



.lull. 



meals arc vrry pxxl and llic scrxicc excellent. Mixed trains are 

 also in service on alternate days. 'Vhv road runs throufih a. most 

 picturcs(iue territory. (Generally speaking-, the i)liysica,l featrnvs 

 of the island are of a, rocky, mountainous, hai'rcn naturi>, compris- 

 ing vast stretches oi" spruce woods and bogs, well watered in many 

 places hy streams, lakes or ponds, large and small. Fire has 

 devasted many localities on both sides of tlu> Ilumher Ui\er, lea\- 

 ing unsightly stretches of hlackciuHl skeh^tons of once handsome 

 trees. 



The lishing is excellent in ail the streams and in many of tiie 

 ponds and lak(>s, trout and salmon rising freely to the tiy. 



The l'\)x Sparrow (/V.v.sv'/v'/Za iliara llidcd) is a conunon resident 

 I)rced(>r, large, c(>nsj)icuous and handsome, a vigorous sweet singer 

 heard at all hours of the day and at times at simset. Its dear, 

 rich l)(>ll-like notes rise among the e\"ergreen woods filling the aii' 

 with <lelicious melody, beginning lustily and at I(>ngth closing softly, 

 fre(iuently drowned hy the nuisic of the wind in the tree tops. 

 This species is an early l)reed(>r. We found young in the nests 

 and otluM's (lying around during th(> first week in .lune. We 

 located a few nests with young in dill'erent stages of growth and 

 also later nests containing in each instance hut three eggs — which 

 a.p|)ea.rs to he the normal comphMiuMit in almost e\(M\v instance. 

 The nests are made of grass, moss, rootlets, twigs, etc., the lining 

 fin(> hay, rootU^ts, caribou hair, etc., and are usually i)laced on the 

 ground at (lu- foot of a small spruce, souu'times from 2 to o feet 

 up in the branches of spruce trees. The eggs arc greenish, spotted 

 and blotched with reddish brown of \arious shades, in some in- 

 sta,nc(\s so hea\y and numerous that the ground color is almost 

 obsc-iu'cd. It is the characteristic sparrow of the island and in 

 e\'id(Mice at many points along the railway. We thoroughly 

 enjoyed the beautiful bell-like notes of the Ilermit Thrush and 

 White-throated Sparrow, found (piite common at many of our 

 stoi)i)ing places. (Jreater \'ellow-h>gs {Totcuiu^' mclanolcucus), 

 Least Sandpiper (/V,w//m tniiiutilld), and Wilson's Snipe {Gallinago 

 (Iclicdfa), were the waders most in evidence, especially on the 

 elevated plateaus in the vicinity of the small lakes and ponds. 

 The (Jri>a.ter Yellow-legs {Totaiius mclanoleucus) is very noisy 

 and fre([uently followed us persistently, yelping its alarm notes. 



