Bird-Life in Labrador. 63 



tramps I have at one time or another made after this prince of 

 game birds of the Northeast, the curlew. Other game is as 

 nothing when compared to this true game bird of Labrador, 

 yet it is seldom found excepting in the Fall, and then only 

 for the short space of two or three weeks. Though by no 

 means so common as it was years ago, and even now has 

 years when it is much rarer than at other times, it still 

 maintains its distinctive character of being excessively abund-- 

 ant all along the coast, at least from Belle Isle, if not Ungava 

 itself, to the mouth of the St. Lawrence. The curlews visit 

 the Labrador coast in immense flocks from their breeding 

 grounds, the Hudson's Bay territory,' and, according to Aud- 

 ubon, would pass over this region like other regions in its mi- 

 grating course to the more southern and southwestern fields, 

 were they not periodically detained by the weather. Immedi- 

 ately upon arrival the immense hordes break up into small 

 flocks, which seek feeding grounds upon the extensive plains 

 and hillsides back of the coast where its favorite food, the 

 " curlew- berry/'. grows in large numbers. This berry is of 

 an inky black color ; and juicy, and so greedy for it are the 

 birds that they often stuff themselves to repletion ; and they 

 stain everything, even to feathers and flesh, with the inky 

 juice of the berry. While on the Labrador coast their chief 

 object seems to be to feed, and they are found at all times of 

 the day on their favorite grounds fairly gormandizing. 

 They eat also molluscs, which are here in abundance at low 

 tide, though they seem to prefer the berries. The best way 

 in which- to hunt curlews seems to be for several persons to 

 conceal themselves in favorable localities near the feeding 

 grounds, while another party hunts the birds up and drives 

 them from place to place. In this way the hunters succes- 

 sively procure a large number of victims while the birds fly 

 about from one place to another of fancied security, away from 

 each gunner, only to meet another who forces them back to 

 the first again, and so on. Curlews become very fat in a . 

 very short time. Usually large flocks are much more tame 



