52 WEATHER — WHITE PORPOISES. 



CHAPTER IV. 



The weather — Beluga horealis and other huge Animals — A Sundog — 

 Birds — The Rusty Blackbird — Bradore hills — Varieties of rocks — 

 Coast line about St. Augustine — Reaching Bonne Esperance — Old 

 Fort island — Eider duck — Other birds — Garden vegetables — Hay — 

 Raised beaches — Labrador dogs — Searching for drift-wood. 



Wednesday, September 22. The weather to-day was cold and 

 chilly, but clear ; the wind blew strong west-southwest. I made a 

 reckoning of both thermometer and barometer, and found that 

 throughout the day they ranged as follows: at 8 a. m,, ther. 51, 

 bar. 28.45; ^t 12 M,, ther. 57, bar. 28.50; at 4 p. m., ther. 51, 

 bar. 28.57 ; and at 6 p. m., ther. 50, bar. 28.52. This is an aver- 

 age pleasant day in this locality. We are now about opposite 

 Point de Monts, and swiftly approaching the Gulf. With a fair 

 breeze the vessel flew along the water sending clouds of spray 

 way over the side of the prow. Although there was quite a breeze 

 the surface of the water a little way from the vessel was quite even. 

 We saw plenty of porpoises of both the black and white varieties. 

 The latter are very abundant in the waters of this region, and 

 about this part of the coast. From the river Saguenay to the west 

 end of Anticosti, they abound more or less frequently at all seasons 

 in open water. This is the Beluga borealis of Lesson, and accord- 

 ing to Professor Tenney, ''A specimen of this animal about ten 

 feet long, and weighing about seven hundred pounds, was kept in 

 a tank in the Aquarial Gardens, Boston, for about two years. 

 He was quite docile, learned to recognize his keeper, and would 

 come and take food from his hand. He was trained to the 

 harness, and drew a young lady in a car prepared for the purpose." 

 Occasionally a large whale would be seen in the distance spouting 



