274 NEWFOUNDLAND 



formerly they were exceedingly abundant, as in the places 

 where the gunners go. Mr. Leslie^ attributes the scarcity of 

 grouse in the interior to forest fires, and has several times 

 seen coveys overwhelmed and stupefied by the smoke. Cer- 

 tainly in the course of my travels in the central parts of the 

 island, I have seen but two coveys of grouse and one covey 

 of the rare Newfoundland ptarmigan {Lagopus Leachii). Only 

 in the barrens between the upper parts of the Long Harbor 

 and Mount Sylvester have I seen a fair stock of grouse. I 

 think that a series of cold and wet summers following in 

 succession have had much to do with the inadequate supply 

 of birds. 



The habits of the Newfoundland willow grouse are iden- 

 tical with the Dal Ripa of Norway, which are too well known 

 to need any description. These western birds are, however, 

 much tamer, but are similar in their migratory habits, or, 

 it would be more correct to say, local movements. At 

 times they fly in large bodies from one district to another, 

 and often visit the outer islands on the east coast, some far 

 from land, such as the Groais Islands. 



The Newfoundland ptarmigan [Lagopus Leachii) is now 

 becoming a somewhat scarce and local species. It exists in 

 most of the mountains near the coast in Hermitage Bay, on 

 the Iron Skull in Fortune Bay, and in the Long Range 

 Mountains and hills between Victoria and Red Indian Lakes. 

 It is slightly smaller than the European species, but its habits 

 are similar. 



On this day the river became so impossible just above a 

 large waterfall, that we had to resort to a portage of one 



' Mr. Leslie has seen caribou in winter digging out the moss, and followed by a 

 crowd of willow grouse. As soon as the deer vacated the holes the birds dived in to 

 get at the partridge-berries. 



