374 AUDUBON 



young uses many beautiful stratagems to save its brood, 

 and elude the hunter. They will dive and lead their 

 young under the surface of the water, and always in a 

 contrary direction to the one expected ; thus if you row 

 a boat after one it will dive under it, and pow and then 

 remain under it several minutes, when the hunter with 

 outstretched neck, is looking, all in vain, in the distance 

 for the stupid Goose ! Every time I read or hear of a stu- 

 pid animal in a wild state, I cannot help wishing that the 

 stupid animal who speaks thus, was half as wise as the 

 brute he despises, so that he might be able to thank his 

 Maker for what knowledge he may possess. I found 

 many small flowers open this day, where none appeared 

 last evening. All vegetable life here is of the pygmy 

 order, and so ephemeral that it shoots out of the tangled 

 mass of ages, blooms, fructifies, and dies, in a few weeks. 

 We ascertained to-day that a party of four men from Hal- 

 ifax took last spring nearly forty thousand eggs, which 

 they sold at Halifax and other towns at twenty-five cents 

 per dozen, making over ^800; this was done in about two 

 months. Last year upwards of twenty sail were engaged 

 in "egging;" so some idea maybe formed of the birds 

 that are destroyed in this rascally way. The eggers de- 

 stroy all the eggs that are sat upon, to force the birds to 

 lay again, and by robbing them regularly, they lay till 

 nature is exhausted, and few young are raised. In less 

 than half a century these wonderful nurseries will be en- 

 tirely destroyed, unless some kind government will in- 

 terfere to stop the shameful destruction. 



June 22. It was very rainy, and thermometer 54°. 

 After breakfast dressed in my oilskins and went with the 

 captain in the whale-boat to the settlement at the entrance 

 of the true Natasquan, five miles east. On our way we 

 saw numerous Seals; these rise to the surface of the 

 water, erect the head to the full length of the neck, snuff 

 the air, and you also, and sink back to avoid any further 



