CHAPTER XLIII. 



En Route to Labeadob — Gut of Canseau — Jestico Island — Entree Bay- 

 Magdalene Island — The Inhabitants — Oenithological Notes — 

 Birds on the Eock — Natasquan Bi-vbr — First Impressions of La- 

 brador — ^Natasquan Falls — Halifax Eggers. 



Jvm,e 11. From the entrance to the Gut of Canseau, where the 

 Ripley lay at anchor, Auduhon had the first view of the south- 

 eastern coast of Nova Scotia, which he describes as " dreary, 

 rocky, poor and inhospitable-looking." It snowed the next day, 

 •yet, when the party went ashore, they found not only trees in 

 bloom, but the ground plants were in flower, and some tolerably 

 good-looking grass; and they saw also robins, and sparrows, 

 and finches, and their nests with young ones. But no custom- 

 house officer appeared, nor any individual who could give them 

 any valuable information. They found lobsters very abundant, 

 and caught forty in a very short time ; but to their surprise 

 they did not see a single sea-bird. 



" June 12. To-day there has been cold, rain and hail, but the 

 frogs are piping in the pools. By-and-by the weather became 

 beautiful, and the wind fair, and we were soon under way, 

 following in the wake of the whole fleet, which had been 

 anchored in the harbour of Canseau, and gliding across the 

 great bay under fuU press of sail. The land locked us in, the 

 water was smooth, the sky serene, and the thermometer at 46°, 

 and the sunshiue on deck was very agreeable. After sailing 

 twenty-one miles we entered the real Gut of Canseau, passing 



