WILLOW PTARMIGAN 185 



after that date there was a gradual whitening of the 

 primaries, and in many cases only the shafts were 

 white. 



"During the last two migrations, taking the best 

 years, 1895 and 1904, I took some trouble to try and 

 find out approximately how many birds were killed 

 between certain points. During the first year men- 

 tioned, between Mingan and Godbout, 175 miles of 

 coast, 30,000 were killed. In the second (1904), 

 14,000, but I am sure that during 1885 nearly 60,000 

 must have been shot or snared. When a flight begins, 

 every man, woman and boy able to handle a gun is out. 

 To avoid accidents, which are very rare indeed, each 

 gun occupies a certain point or station, and shoots at 

 all the birds that pass or light in his vicinity. The 

 ladies keep watch of those that may light near the 

 houses. The bags vary, of course, according to the 

 skill of the shooter and his method of shooting. If he 

 is there for business he will take all the pot shots. He 

 can frequently get five or six in one shot. I have seen 

 fourteen killed in a single shot. A few will only shoot 

 on the wing, but there are many days when the wing 

 shooter comes out ahead. The biggest bag I ever 

 made (it was in 1885), shooting at flying birds, was 

 eighty-two brace in one morning. At Caribou Islands, 

 that winter, nets were tried, but they were not very 

 successful, more being got by shooting. Indians fre- 

 quently snare them by setting their snares around wil- 

 low clumps, where the birds feed. It is a very simple 

 arrangement. A twig is stuck in the snow, a twine 



