&'">'• 



436 



AUDUBON 



'i''m 





such insect does either Labrador or Newfoundland afford. 

 The voice of a Bkie Jay was melody to me, and the sight 

 of a Humming-bird quite filled my heart with delight 

 We were conveyed a short distance from the island to the 

 main ; Ingalls and Coolidge remained in the boat, and the 

 rest of us took the road, along which we moved as lightly 

 as if boys just out of school. The roads were good, or 

 seemed to be so ; the woods were all of tall timber, and the 

 air that circulated freely was filled with perfume. Almost 

 every plant we saw brought to mind some portion of the 

 United States ; in a word, all of us felt quite happy. Now 

 and then, as we crossed a hill and looked back over the 

 sea, we saw our beautiful vessel sailing freely before the 

 wind, and as she gradually neared the horizon, she looked 

 like a white speck, or an Eagle high in air. We wished 

 our captain a most safe voyage to Quoddy. We arrived 

 opposite Pictou in two hours and a half, and lay down on 

 the grass to await the a/rival of the boat, enjoying the 

 scenery around us. A number of American vessels were 

 in the harbor, loading with coal; the village, placed at 

 the upper end of a fine bay, looked well, though small. 

 Three churches rose above the rest of the buildings, all of 

 which are of wood, and several vessels were on the stocks. 

 The whole country appeared in a high state of cultivation, 

 and looked well; the population is about two thousand. 

 Our boat came, we crossed the bay, and put up at the 

 *' Royal Oak," the best house, and have had what seemed 

 to be, after our recent fare, a most excellent supper. The 

 very treading on a carpeted floor was quite wonderful. 

 This evening we called on Professor McCullough, who 

 received us very kindly, gave us a glass of wine, showed 

 his fine collection of well-preserved birds and other things, 

 and invited us to breakfast to-morrow at eight, when we 

 are again to inspect his curiosities. The Professor's 

 mansion is a quarter of a mile out of town, and looks much 

 like a small English villa. 



