268 LIFE OF AUDUBON. 



Vere known he had done so. They evade all questions re- 

 specting the interior of the country, and indeed tell the most 

 absurd things to shock you, and cut short inquiries. This s 

 probably to prevent strangers from settling here, or interfering 

 with their monopoly." 



Much of the journal of these dates in Labrador is taken up 

 with an account of the birds, and nests, and eggs found here, 

 and matters relating to ornithology. But as these notes were 

 used by Mr. Audubon in compiling his " Biographies of the 

 Birds," we have omitted them here, and used only that part 

 of the records which has a more general interest, 



" Jime Sn. The morning dawned above rain and fogs, which 

 so enveloped us below that we could scarcely discern the shore, 

 distant only a hundred yards. Drawing all day. 



" June 28. The weather shocking, rainy, foggy, dark, and 

 cold. Began drawing a new finch I discovered, and outlined 

 another. At twelve the wind suddenly changed, and caused 

 such a swell and rolling of the vessel, that I had to give up my 

 drawing. After dinner the wind hauled to the south-west, and 

 all was bustle, heaving up anchor, loosing sails, and getting 

 ready for sea. We were soon under weigh, and went out of the 

 harbour in good style ; but the sea was high, and we were glad 

 to go to our beds. 



" June 29. At three o'clock this morning we were about fifteen 

 miles from land, and fifty from American Harbour. The ther- 

 mometer was 54°, and the wind light and favourable ; at ten 

 the breeze freshened, but our pilot did not know the land, and 

 the captain had to find a harbour for himself. We passed near 

 an island covered with foolish guillemots, and came to for the 

 purpose of landing on it, which we did through a great surf; 

 there we found two eggers searching the rocks for eggs. They 

 told us they visited all the islands in the vicinity, and obtained 

 fresh eggs every day. They had eight hundred dozen, and 

 expected to increase them to two thousand dozen before they 

 returned to Halifax. The quantities of broken eggs on this and 

 all the islands where eggs are obtained causes a stench which 

 is scarcely endurable. From this island we went to another 

 about a mile distant, and caught many birds and collected 

 many eggs. 



