262 FOREST LIFE IN ACADIE. 



the same number from England, comprise the list of 

 those who have encamped in its vast solitudes in quest 

 of its principal large game — the cariboo — which is scat- 

 tered more or less abundantly over an area of some twenty- 

 five thousand square miles of unbroken wilderness. 



Like Nova Scotia, the face of the country is dotted 

 with lakes innumerable, some of which, as the Grand 

 Lake (fifty miles in length) and the Eed Indian Pond, 

 are of much larger dimensions than any found in the 

 former province. These waters all abound with trout ; 

 and beaver,'"' otter, and musk-rats, being subject to less 

 persecution, are much more numerous than on the con- 

 tinent. The willow grouse (Lagopus albus) is the com- 

 mon resident game bird of the country, and is exceedingly 

 abundant ; and the migratory fowl pursued for sport 

 include the Canada goose, that excellent bird the black 

 duck (Anas obscura), curlew, and snipe. The black bear 

 and the wolf are of frequent occurrence in the interior, 

 and add a flavour of excitement to the varied catalogue 

 of sport. 



The following observations and scraps of information 

 collected on several occasions of visits of inspection to 

 the garrison town of St. John's are here presented with 

 a view to their proving of use to the intending visitor in 

 search of sport, or as interesting to the naturalist. 



The route from Halifax to St. John's is traversed fort- 

 nightly in summer, and monthly in the winter months, 

 by small screw steamers subsidied for the mail service, 

 and is as uncomfortable a voyage as may well be imagined 

 at times, the direction being that of the northern line of the 

 fog, which sometimes envelopes the steamer throughout, 



* The beaver is not now found on the peninsula of Avalon. 



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