41 6 AUDUBON 



resemble the Cross-bills, notwithstanding Bonaparte, Nut- 

 tall, and others to the contrary. John kept me company 

 and skinned fourteen small birds. Mr. Jones dined with 

 us, after which the captain and the rest of our party went 

 off through the storm to Blanc Sablons, four miles dis- 

 tant. This name is turned into " Nancy Belong " by the 

 fishermen, who certainly tell very strange tales respect- 

 ing this country. Mr. Jones entertained us by his account 

 of travelling with dogs during winter. They are har- 

 nessed, he says, with a leather collar, a belly and back 

 band, through the upper part of which passes the line of 

 sealskin, which is attached to the sledge, and acts for a 

 rein as well as a trace. An odd number of dogs always 

 form the gang, from seven up, according to the distance of 

 the journey, or the weight of the load; each dog is esti- 

 mated to draw two hundred pounds, at a rate of five or six 

 miles an hour. The leader is always a well-broken dog, 

 and is placed ahead of the pack with a draught-line of from 

 six to ten fathoms' length, and the rest with gradually 

 shorter ones, to the last, which is about eight feet from 

 the sledge ; they are not, however, coupled, as often repre- 

 sented in engravings, but are each attached separately, so 

 that when in motion they are more like a flock of Par- 

 tridges, all flying loosely and yet in the same course. 

 They always travel at a gallop, no matter what the state 

 of the country may be, and to go down-hill is both diffi- 

 cult and dangerous ; and at times it is necessary for the 

 driver to guide the sledge with his feet, or with a strong 

 staff planted in the snow as the sledge proceeds ; and when 

 heavily laden, and the descent great, the dogs are often 

 taken off, and the sledge glides down alone, the man steer- 

 ing with his toes, and lying flat on his face, thus descend- 

 ing head-foremost like boys on their sleds. The dogs 

 are so well acquainted with the courses and places in the 

 neighborhood, that they never fail to take their master and 

 his sledge to their destination, even should a tremendous 



