Bird- Life in Labrador. 43 



year, and well have I occasion for remembering it. The 

 miles and miles that I have tramped for this same " Nascopie," 

 this veritable " American man " or, better still, Labrador 

 man, would count well up into the scores. The one that I 

 followed so persistently over hill and dell, from one part of 

 the island to another, was apparently the same specimen ; 

 what a tale would be unfolded could he talk for half an hour. 

 How he would fairly chuckle could he tell of the number of 

 times that he had led the writer of this account of him over 

 hills, across deep ravines, and up to the knees in snow, only 

 to silently rise, flap his great wings, and be off for good, with 

 the aforesaid writer four, five, and even seven miles from his 

 home, at the shades of evening ; or, after a long day's hard 

 tramp, without a sight of him, had his ludship come, just as 

 said shades were falling, and planted himself in full view but 

 slowly to fade out of sight in the dusk of the evening ! The 

 snowy owl is found all along the coast, and doubtless breeds 

 in many places, even here being much more abundant some 

 years than others as I am informed : But the feeble tongue of 

 man goes a very short way towards adding halo about such an 

 object as the present one, and so I will let the matter-of-fact 

 note book tell its story without comment : A specimen of 

 this magnificent owl has been about Old Fort Island all the 

 Winter. I have often seen him perched on the summit of 

 some knoll or high hill, whence he can see about everything 

 that is going on and appears to defy approach. It is almost 

 if not quite impossible for a single man to shoot one of these 

 birds, unless he be an exceptionally fine long-distance shot or 

 uses the rifle for his weapon. The owl, apparently at least, 

 can turn his head completely around without moving from his 

 position. Owls are said to see only at dusk or in the night 

 time, but if the white owl cannot see in the daytime then all 

 birds are blind. The most successful hunters of this bird, as 

 of nearly everything else in fact that hunger can render either 

 palatable or in the least nutritious as food, for the flesh of 

 this bird is eaten by the Labradorians are the Indians. 



