LABRADOR JOURNAL 47 



the other three men altered the kitchen t-hiiimey. 

 In the afternoon I made twenty-four bridges and 

 tongues for deathfalls, and caught two jays ^ on 

 the porch, with birdUme. 



It thawed all daj^; some showers of small snow 

 fell; but it began to freeze again at night. 



Wcd)ies., November 7, 1770. The two jays 

 v.'hich I caught on the fifth instant, I have hitherto 

 kept confined in a cage; but they now have the 

 liberty of the room; and I was greatly surprised 

 to see them fly to me for food, and familiarly perch 

 upon my hand: they even suffered me to stroke 

 them with one hand, while they were eating some 

 pork fat out of the other. 



Friday, November 9, 1770, At nine o'clock this 

 morning, an old stag, a hind, and her calf, came 

 down the river upon the ice, and stopped opposite 

 to the house; there was also a young stag, follow- 

 ing at a distance. I snatched up my Hanoverian 

 rifle, and should certainly have killed the hind, 

 but the gun was not loaded. On hearing the snap 

 of the cock, they hastily ran back again. As soon 

 as I had loaded the piece, I took it, with my little 

 rifle, and walked up the river on this side; but, 

 finding that they had taken the woods on the other, 

 I returned, crossed before the door, an<l hastened 

 for Prospect Hill; sending Charles and the boy 

 with a bl(»odhound, 1o di'aw upon tlie slot. T'^'pon 

 the hill, I came upon their slol in the snow, and 

 soon got within a hundred yards of them; when 



' Labr.Klor Jay, PiriAnrun rnnmlijiKh nigricajrillus, a bird that rescmblrfl 

 closely the Canadu Jay, or whiakey jack. 



