VISIT TO MR. JONES. 285 



jokes, and journalizing. But I have amused myself drawing 

 three young shore-larks, the first ever portrayed by man. 



" These birds are just now beginning to congregate, by associ- 

 ating their families together ; even those of which the young are 

 scarcely able to fly fifty yards are urging the latter to follow 

 the flock ; so much for short seasons here. In one month all 

 these birds must leave this coast or begin to suffer. The young 

 of many birds are now fledged, and scamper over the rocks 

 about us, amid the stinking drying cod-fish, with all the 

 sprightliness of youth. The young ravens are -out, and fly in 

 flocks with their parents also ; and the young of almost all the 

 land birds are full fledged. The ducks alone seem to me to be 

 backward in their growth, but being more hardy, they can 

 stand the rigidity of the climate until the month of October, 

 when the deep snows drive them off, ready or not, for their 

 toilsome journey. 



" The water of our harbour is actually covered with oil, and 

 the bottom fairly covered with the offal of cod-fish, so that I 

 feel as if smelling and breathing an air impregnated with the 

 essence of cod-fish. 



" July 30. The morning was beautiful when I arose, but such 

 a thing as a beautiful morning in this mournful country amounts 

 almost to an unnatural phenomenon. The captain and myself 

 visited Mr. Jones this afternoon. We found his wife a good 

 motherly woman, who talked well, and gave us some milk; she 

 also promised us some fresh butter, and asked to see my draw- 

 ings of the birds of this vicinity. 



" At Port Eau our young men saw an iceberg of immense 

 size. At that place there is a large fishing establishment, having 

 a store connected with it, belonging to fishermen who come 

 yearly from the Island of Jersey. It is again blowing a young 

 hurricane. 



" July 31. Another horrid hurricane, accompanied by heavy 

 rain, and the vessel rolling so that I cannot go on with my 

 drawing. 



" August 1. The weather has quite changed, the wind 

 blows from the south-west ; it is dry, and I have used the time 

 in drawing. At noon we were visited by an iceberg, which 

 was driven by the easterly wind and storm of yesterday to 



