A LABRADOR SPRING 
brief that northern regions are said to have no 
spring. The whole glorious ecstasy of burst- 
ing buds and migrating birds is concentrated 
into the space of a few weeks or even days. 
As the bake-apple springs into flower when 
the snowbank melts, so does spring burst 
upon the scene in these regions when winter 
departs. 
It was with great eagerness therefore that 
I explored the country on my arrival at Es- 
quimaux Point in southern Labrador on May 
24th for signs of spring, fearing that I might 
be too late, and that the summer had already 
come. Fortunately it was a tardy season 
and all was still wintery. Cartwright in his 
Labrador journal of May 21, 1771, one hundred 
and thirty-eight years and three days before, 
made this record: ‘The first green leaf ap- 
peared to-day, which was a currant.” I found 
some wild currant: bushes but they were only 
in bud and the leaves did not appear until a 
few days later. The alders still kept their 
buds closed, but they had already begun to 
hang out their “ golden curls,’ and the yellow 
1The scientific names of the birds and plants will be 
found in the Index after the common names. 
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