34 CAPTAIN CART WEIGHT'S 



At the same time I landed on the South shore, 

 and walked along it until I passed Grove Island, 

 where the boat took me on board again. At the 

 mouth of Beaver Brook was a Momitaineer ^ whig- 

 wham that had been occupied very lately; and 

 near this place we observed the head of a beaver, 

 which appeared to be newly picked. I could see 

 no difference of structure between this whig wham 

 and those made by the wild Indians of Newfound- 

 land. On some low hills, partly barren, and the 

 rest covered with small bad spruce-bushes, were 

 many large flocks of curlews feeding on the ber- 

 ries, which were very plentiful there; but could 

 kill only one. The berries of the Empetrum Ni- 

 grum, and likewise some delicious blue berries 

 which grow on a small shrubby plant, called 

 Ground Whortle,^ both of which are now ripe, are 

 what the curlews delight to feed on. These not 

 only make them uncommonly fat, but also give 

 their flesh a most delicious flavor. 



In the evening we anchored a little below Gil- 

 bert's Narrows, when mv brother and I landed on 

 the north point, which is low, flat, and without 

 trees. There we found another whigwham which 

 we concluded had been lately inhabited, as we saw 

 the fresh footmarks of the Indians on the sand. 

 On the upper side of the point were abundance of 



^ Mountaineer Indians or Montagnais of the southern half of Labrador. 

 North of Hamilton Inlet in the interior dwell the Nascaupee Indians. 

 Both belong to the Algonkin family. 



2 Probably bog whortleberry, Vaccinium uliginosum, called in some 

 places on the coast whorts. Other blueberries, V. ccBspitosum, V. pennsyl- 

 vanicum and V. Canadense, also occur in Labrador. 



