THE LABRADOR JOURNAL 369 



June 19. Drawing as much as the disagreeable motion 

 of the vessel would allow me to do; and although at 

 anchor and in a good harbor, I could scarcely steady my 

 pencil, the wind being high from southwest. At three 

 A. M. I had all the young men up, and they left by four for 

 some islands where the Larus marinus breeds. The cap- 

 tain went up the little Natasquan River. When John 

 returned he brought eight Alca torda and four of their 

 eggs identified; these eggs measure three inches in 

 length, one and seven-eighths in breadth, dirty-white 

 ground, broadly splashed with deep brown and black, 

 more so towards the greater end. This Alca feeds on 

 fish of a small size, flies swiftly with a quick beat of the 

 wings, rounding to and fro at the distance of fifty or more 

 yards, exhibiting, as it turns, the pure white of its lower 

 parts, or the jet black of its upper. These birds sit on 

 the nest in an almost upright position; they are shy and 

 wary, diving into the water, or taking flight at the least 

 appearance of danger; if wounded slightly they dive, and 

 we generally lost them, but if unable to do this, they 

 throw themselves on their back and defend themselves 

 fiercely, biting severely whoever attempts to seize them. 

 They run over and about the rocks with ease, and not 

 awkwardly, as some have stated. The flesh of this bird 

 when stewed in a particular manner is good eating, much 

 better than would be expected from birds of its class and 

 species. The Larus argentatus breeds on the same islands, 

 and we found many eggs ; the nests were all on the rocks, 

 made of moss and grasses, and rather neat inwardly. The 

 Arctic Tern was found breeding abundantly; we took 

 some of their eggs ; there were two in each nest, one and 

 a quarter inches long, five-eighths broad, rather sharp at 

 the little end. The ground is light olive, splashed with 

 dark umber irregularly, and more largely at the greater 

 end; these were deposited two or three on the rocks, 

 wherever a little grass grew, no nest of any kind appar- 



VOL. I. — 24 



