288 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 



ern Labrador. As long as there are stretches of open water near shore 

 they can obtain food, but when the bays and inlets are frozen and the 

 ice floes become more or less solid for miles from land, the birds are 

 forced to keep farther south. 



Bell ('83, p. 54) describe^ the fall migration to the west of Labrador 

 in the following words: "On Hudson's Bay in autumn, the geese, 

 ducks, plover, etc., come from the north, and also gather from either 

 side, and fly southward along each line of shore, congregating in large 

 numbers where these two meet at the head of James' Bay, from which 

 they fly so as to pass eastward of Lake Superior." Doubtless many 

 of the water birds that reach the St. Lawrence River basin in Ontario, 

 during the fall migration, come by this route, overland from James 

 Bay. 



The immense numbers of Eskimo Curlew that formerly migrated 

 to the south and east shores of Labrador before departing over sea 

 for the Antilles and South America are elsewhere mentioned, as 

 well as the migrations of the ptarmigan from the interior to the south- 

 ern coast of Labrador. 



Regarding the spring migrations there is comparatively little known. 

 Audubon mentions the arrival of the Loons on the south coast, that 

 had apparently came directly across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The 

 passage of the Brant from the southern shores overland to the polar 

 seas is said to be accomplished at a single flight. Cartwright speaks 

 of the flights of ducks in early spring looking for water and the 

 great flocks of eiders in the spring migrations are described by him 

 and by Stearns. 



An interesting wanderer is the Snow Bunting that passes south 

 in great numbers from the far north during fall. This is a bird of 

 strong flight but appears often to be carried out to sea by the north- 

 westerly gales and is known to reach even the Azores. That many 

 of the smaller land birds do cross the full breadth of the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence in their spring and fall migrations seems to be indicated 

 by the observations recorded by Trumbull ('05). It is not clear, 

 however, to what extent the presence of small birds crossing this wide 

 stretch of water is accidental. 



In addition to the migration of many of the land birds to more 

 southern climes in winter, there is some evidence of a more restricted 

 movement on the part of the hardier species, from the interior or 

 northern part to the coast of southern Labrador. Thus the Labra- 



