The Labrador Peninsula 



ward into the wooded country during the 

 winter, and are often plentiful during the 

 season along the north shore of the Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence. The southern migration de- 

 pends on the state of the food supply in the 

 north, and the birds only come south in great 

 numbers when the willows are covered with 

 snow, or the buds encased with a coating of 

 frozen rain. 



The rock ptarmigan is a smaller and more 

 northern species, breeding in the most north- 

 ern portion of the peninsula, and coming south 

 only in the winter. Many of these birds breed 

 on the north side of Hudson Strait and cross 

 to the south shore in September, when large 

 numbers alight on the ships then passing 

 through the strait. 



The wading birds are not plentiful inland, 

 but are common about James Bay and along 

 the Atlantic coast. Formerly curlew were 

 killed in great numbers, both on Hudson Bay 

 and on the Atlantic coast, but of late years 

 they have decreased rapidly, for some unac- 

 countable reason. The conditions in the north 

 have not changed, and the decrease is probably 

 due to slaughter on their wintering grounds 

 in the south. 



43 



