The Lower St. Lawrence, 25 



seduced away from his Blackstone and Coke, iQt the swampy 

 Chateau Richer flats. He was bagging a few-birds leisurely, 

 when on firing his first shot, he heard a rustling in the 

 bushes, and out stepped — a bear. Sympathy for a fellow- 

 sportsman ought to have saved Bruin's life ; not so, however ; 

 his presence on the swamp was construed by the disciple of 

 St. Hubert into a clear case of trespass. A heavy charge at 

 close quarters, and Bruin was no more. 



The shores of the whole of the Lower St. Lawrence are 

 probably unequalled in the world for the numbers and 

 variety of wild-fowl which frequent them. In the fall of the 

 year especially, they literally swarm with ducks, teal, and 

 other sea-fowl. September brings forth from their breeding 

 places in the barren wilds of Labrador, and secluded lakes and 

 islands of the North, myriads of sand^pipers, curlew, plover, 

 &c. At the entrance of the Gulf, the Bird Rocks are 

 tenanted by large numbers of gannets, puffins, guillemots, 

 auks and kittiwakes, and their eggs are an article of traffic to 

 some of the neighbouring coasters, Capt. Fortin, four years 

 ago, having come upon several schooners loading up with 

 eggs at these islands. Here the ^gg collector may supply his 

 collection with many rare specimens. The largest of them, 

 or, as it is also called, Gannet Rock, is the easiest of access, 

 the' southerly side being the only place where a boat can land. 

 But the ascent cannot be made from here ; the only spot 

 whence that can be accomplished is from a rocky point on 

 the north-west, and then it is very difficult, as it is necessary 

 to jump from a boat, thrown about by the surf, on to the 

 inclined surface of a ledge, rendered slippery by the fuci that 

 cover it.* The landing once accomplished, the first ascent is 

 easy, but the upper part both difficult and dangerous, as the 

 rock is so soft it cannot be trusted to, and, in addition, ren- 

 dered slippery from the constant trickling from above, and 

 the excrements of the birds that cover it in all directions. 

 We have ourselves seen th#usands of water-fowl gobbling up 



