108 WRECKS, WESTERN ARM OF BAY. 



contrary direction from that looked for ; to the surprise of all the 

 bird at last escaped without so much as a single wound. I have 

 noticed nearly all the changes of plumage in this bird that I have 

 seen in the pigeon during the first year, though the head, so far as 

 I have seen, is always black. It is a familiar little fellow, and sel- 

 dom killed, unless scarcity of food demands it. 



Thursday the 4th. Some of the men started off early this morn- 

 ing hunting for logs or pieces of wood from what appears to be a 

 wreck. The lookout in these regions for wrecks is at all times 

 sharp and continued. It not unfrequently happens that a barque or 

 brig, and in one or two cases a steamer, going from Quebec or 

 Montreal to Newfoundland or Liverpool, is lost or led astray by 

 the fog and wrecked on some of the many treacherous rocks on this 

 part of the coast. Only yesterday one of the men returned with a 

 large piece of the bulwarks of some ship that had been evidently cast 

 away. It looked quite fresh, and hearing in addition that one of 

 the owners of a large establishment here had sent in a hurry for 

 several men to help him do some work the nature of which he 

 was shrewd enough to withhold, we fairly concluded that there must 

 be a wreck somewhere near. While they were away investigating 

 the matter I took my gun and started off, proposing to climb the 

 ridge on the western arm of the bay and see what results might be 

 obtained in that quarter. 



I first ascended the hill at the foot of the bay. The path was an 

 old Indian foot path, and most of the way ascended almost per- 

 pendicularly. I reached a level after much trouble, and found 

 that the needle of my barometer registered three hundred feet 

 above the sea's level. I then went carefully all over the top of the 

 height, and was much interested in finding the singular features 

 presented. The elevation seemed to be a plateau three to 

 five hundred feet high, with several crests arising from seventy-five 

 to one hundred feet higher, but with a general level at the distance 

 given above. There were several small ponds, much mucky 

 ground, and several patches of what we should call, on the sea- 

 shore, mud flats. Deep ravines were plentiful, and several times I 



