BYRON ISLAND. 15 



away in its box. Only small birds should be treated in this 

 way. They may be skinned afterwards, if desirable, but can 

 never be made to look well. It is necessary to be very care- 

 ful in using the acid, as a drop of it on the flesh hardens it 

 and sometimes produces an ulcer ; and remember that a 

 single drop of the acid in the eye will totally destroy the 

 sight. 



MAMMALS. 



There are no large animals to be found on the islands. 

 Foxes are common, and occasionally a Silver Fox is taken, but 

 the latter is rare. Rabbits are numerous on some of the 

 islands. Seals are very plenty in spring, and are hunted with 

 eagerness by the inhabitants, as the sale of their hides and 

 oil forms one of their most important incomes. A man told 

 me that he had killed one hundred and eleven in one day. 

 They kill them on the floating ice, and their hunting is often- 

 times attended with serious accidents. About seventy-five 

 years ago the Walrus was common also. I was fortunate 

 enough to obtain a very fine skull from Byron Island, and 

 several tusks. Their bones are still found in numbers near 

 Grand Entry and on the beach west of Amherst. 



