2^0 Life of Auduhon, 



no new hurricane, and I have finished the drawings of 

 several new birds. It appears that northern birds come 

 to maturity sooner than southern ones ; this is reversing 

 the rule in the human species. The migration of birds is 

 much more wonderful than that of fishes, because the lat- 

 ter commonly go feeling their way along the shores, from 

 one clime to another, and return to the very same river, 

 creek, or even hole, to deposit their spawn, as the birds 

 do to their former nest or b-uilding-ground as long as they 

 live. But the latter do not feel their way, but launching 

 high in the air, go at once, and correctly, too, across im- 

 mense tracts of country, seemingly indifferent to them, 

 but at once stopping, and making their abode in special 

 parts heretofore their own, by previous knowledge of 

 the advantages and comforts which they have enjoyed, 

 and which they know await them there. 



" August lo. I now sit down to post up my poor book, 

 while a furious gale is blowing without. I have neglected 

 to make daily records for some days, because I have 

 been so constantly drawing, that when night came, I was 

 too weary to wield my pen. Indeed, all my physical pow- 

 ers have been taxed to weariness by this little work of 

 drawing ; my neck and shoulders, and most of all my 

 fingers, have ached from the fatigue ; and I have suffered 

 more from this kind of exertion than from walking sixty- 

 five miles in a day, which I once did. 



*^ To-day I have added one more new species to the 

 '■ Birds of America,' the Labrador falcon ; and may we live 

 to see its beautiful figure multiplied by Havell's graver." 



The journal gives a list of the names of one hundred 

 and seventy-three skins of birds, which were obtained on 

 the coast of Labrador by Audubon and his party on this 

 expedition. The episode given in the following chapter 

 seems to summarize Audubon's observations of the in- 

 habitants of Labrador. 



