24 VIKINGS OF TO-DAY 



sometimes noose them with string on the end of a 

 long stick as they roost in the trees, so tame are 

 they. Like Alexander Selkirk's animals 



" They are so unacquainted with man 

 Their tameness is shocking to me." 



A covey in a tree can be killed right out, if shot 

 from the bottom upwards, so that the falling bird 

 does not disturb the rest. A common entry of Cart- 

 wright's l is, " Saw a covey of six grouse. Knocked 

 off all their heads with my rifle." 



The willow grouse in heavy weather bury them- 

 selves in the snow, only the cock bird, who acts as 

 sentry, keeping his head above ground to watch for 

 an enemy. Besides these "spruce" grouse, thrushes, 

 American robins, warblers, redpoles, snow buntings, 

 sparrows, larks, woodpeckers, crows, hawks, and 

 owls occur. The snowy owl is an exquisite white 

 in winter, brown in summer, and a large bird. The 

 jay, also, is very common, filling the woods with its 

 cries. Now and again the beautiful gyrfalcon is 

 seen, whilst the osprey, or sea eagle, also breeds on 

 the coast. All these birds are American varieties, 

 and differ slightly from our British species. 



There is a great wealth of sea-birds, and until the 

 last two years the arctic curlew ranked first among 

 these. I fear in Labrador we class all our animals 

 in a descending order, with the flesh-pot as the 

 basis. These curlew came north, in flocks which 



1 Cartwright's Journals. 



