" The Plague of Mice " in Nova Scotia. 479 



known here. The ground was covered with a sheet of ice 

 perhaps an inch thick. It came so early that the wild 

 geese had not left the north shore. At that time they 

 were in the habit of stopping there for some time. They 

 then passed over to the shores of the Bay of Fundy, where 

 they lingered a few days, and then passed to the southern 

 shore, where they again stopped before taking their final 

 flight to the South. But, on this occasion, they were 

 caught in the sleet-storm when crossing the Cobequid 

 mountains. Their wings became so encrusted with ice 

 that they were unable to fly. Their cries were heard, and 

 settlers, attracted to the place, killed numbers of them. 

 This, or the difficulty of obtaining food in consequence, was 

 regarded by my informant as the cause of the disappear- 

 ance of the mice. The next year, it was supposed from the 

 same cause, the wild animals were found to be very scarce. 

 However, I have not found any person in the eastern or 

 southern portion of the district who recollects this storm, 

 and perhaps it did not extend that far. 



At all events, over nearly the whole district, which one 

 season was ravaged by these creatures, in the next, as Mr. 

 Graham says, scarce a mouse was to be seen. The only 

 exception to this of which I have heard was at the East 

 River of St. Mary's. Here Mr. Roderick McKay informs 

 me that, for several years, they were numerous enough to 

 be troublesome. But it may be observed that there were 

 not more than five families there, who only arrived in the 

 year of the mice, and made the first breach in the magnifi- 

 cent hardwood forests of that region. 



6. Causes. — I do not intend fully to discuss the causes of 

 these phenomena. All I design is to supply such informa- 

 tion as I have obtained which may throw some light on 

 the subject. The Rev. Thomas Trotter, late of Antigoiiish j 

 arrived in the province in 1818. He had heard the con- 

 tents of Mr. Graham's letter before leaving Scotland, and 

 was interested in the question. When he arrived, the 

 whole matter was fresh in the minds of the people, and by 

 enquiring into the facts he thought he had arrived at an 

 explanation of the case. He gave me his views, but it is 



