THE LABRADOR JOURNAL 



379 



minating medium of these wild and almost uninhabitable 

 climes, where cupidity and the love of gold can alone in- 

 duce man to reside for a while. Where can I go now, 

 and visit nature undisturbed? The Turdus migratorius'^ 

 must be the hardiest of the whole genus. I hear it at 

 this moment, eight o'clock at night, singing most joy- 

 ously its " Good-night ! " and " All 's well ! " to the equally 

 hardy Labradorians. The common Crow and the Raven 

 are also here, but the Magdalene Islands appear to be the 

 last outpost of the Warblers, for here the Black-poll 

 Warbler, the only one we see, is scarce. The White- 

 throated and the White-crowned Sparrows are the only 

 tolerably abundant land birds. The Indians brought in 

 no Grouse. A fine adult specimen of the Larus marimis 

 killed this day has already changed full half of its pri- 

 mary feathers next the body ; this bird had two young ones, 

 and was shot as it dove through the air towards John, who 

 was near the nest ; this is the first instance we have seen 

 of so much attachment being shown to the progeny with 

 danger at hand. Two male Eider Ducks were shot and 

 found very much advanced in the moult. No doubt exists 

 in my mind that male birds are much in advance of 

 female in their moults; this is very slow, and indeed is 

 not completed until late in winter, after which the bril- 

 liancy of the bills and the richness of the coloring of the 

 legs and feet only improve as they depart from the south 

 for the north. 



June 2!i.. Drawing most of this day, no birds procured, 

 but some few plants. I dined on board the " Gulnare " at 

 five o'clock, and was obliged to shave and dress— quite 

 a bore on the coast of Labrador, believe me. I found the 

 captain, surgeon, and three officers formed our party ; the 

 conversation ranged from botany to politics, from the 

 Established Church of England to the hatching of eggs 

 by steam. 1 saw the maps being made of this coast, and 



^ Merula tnigratoria, the American Robin. 





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