388 LABRADOR 



on the edge of the Arctic Zone. Its call note resembles 

 at times the call of the night-hawk, at times the call of the 

 veery. Its song, which may be heard in the long summer 

 twilight of Labrador even after nine o'clock, is interesting 

 and beautiful. It begins with a single or double note, 

 followed by a long veery-like vibration, sweet yet mournful. 



The Canadian Zone includes the wooded region of south- 

 ern Labrador. Its limits cannot be accurately defined, and 

 the birds of this and the Hudsonian Zone intermingle. 

 Sheltered valleys often enable the Canadian birds to ex- 

 tend far north into the region of the Hudsonian class. 



It is impossible in the space of this chapter to do more 

 than mention a few of the characteristic birds. The 

 spruce grouse and the Canadian ruffed grouse here take 

 the place of the willow ptarmigan of the Hudsonian Zone 

 and the rock ptarmigan of the Arctic Zone. The spruce 

 grouse is so tame or so stupid that it is often caught by 

 a noose on a short stick. The Labrador jay is a sub- 

 species of the Canada jay, and resembles its cousin closely 

 in its pilfering habits and in the variety and weirdness of 

 its call or conversational notes. The young of the year 

 are dark plumbeous in colour, and resemble large cat-birds. 

 Pine grosbeaks, white- winged and American crossbills, 

 and pine siskins are all to be found here on the borders of 

 the Hudsonian and Canadian zones. They are all de- 

 pendent for their food-supply on the cone crop of the spruces 

 and firs. When the crop fails, they wander widely in winter 

 and visit more southern localities. The common warbler, 

 whose range extends throughout the wooded area even 

 to the edge of the Arctic Zone, is the black-poll warbler, 

 whose simple song can often be heard in little islands of 



