PEIGHT OF THE LABRADOE WOMEN. 297 



bottles of milk, though the village contains two hundred inhabi- 

 tants. Mackerel, and sharks of the man-eating kind, are said 

 to be abundant here. Some signs of cultivation are to be seen 

 across the harbour, and many huts of Michmaes Indians adorn 

 the shores. We learn that the winters are not nearly as severe 

 here as at Quebec, yet not far off I could see dots of snow of 

 last year's crop. Some persons say birds are plenty, others say 

 there are none hereabouts. 



" The ice did not break up, so that this bay was not navigable 

 until the 17th of May, and I feel confident that no one can enter 

 the harbours of Labrador before the 10th or middle of June. 



" August 14. All ashore in search of birds, plants, and the usual 

 et ceteras belonging to our vocations, but all had to return soon 

 on account of a storm of wind and rain, showing that Newfound- 

 land is cousin to Labrador in this respect. We found the 

 country quite rich however in comparison with the latter place ; 

 all the vegetable productions are larger and more abundant. 

 We saw a flock of house sparrows, all gay and singing, and on 

 their passage to the south-rwest." 



Audubon names about twenty different species of birds 

 which he saw here ; hares and caraboos are among the animals, 

 and among the wild plants he found two species of roses. 



" The women flew before us as if we were wild beasts, and 

 one who had a pail of water, at sight of us, dropped it, and ran 

 to hide herself; another who was looking for a cow, on seeing us 

 coming, ran into the woods, and afterwards crossed a stream 

 waist deep to get home to her hut without passing us. We are 

 told that no laws are administered here, and to my surprise not 

 a sign of a church exists. The people are all fishermen and live 

 poorly; in one enclosure I saw a few pretty good-looking 

 cabbages. We can buy only milk and herrings, the latter ten 

 cents a dozen ; we were asked eight dollars for a tolerable calf, 

 but chickens were too scarce to be obtained. Two clearings 

 across the bay are the only signs of cultivated land. Not a 

 horse has yet made its way into the country, and not even a 

 true Newfoundland dog, nothing but ciu:s of a mixed breed. 



" Some of the buildings looked like miserable hovels, others 

 more like habitable houses. Not a blacksmith's shop here, and 

 yet one would probably do well. The customs of the people are 



