CHAPTER II 



TQ THE STARTING-POINT 



INSTEAD of going by way of Eastport, 

 Maine, as did Audubon, my companion and 

 I took the night train to Montreal. We — 

 Mr. Harold St. John, botanist, and myself, or- 

 nithologist — became for the time being mem- 

 bers of the staff of the Canadian Geological 

 Survey, each in his own line to make studies 

 and reports. With my friend botany was a 

 profession; he had taught the subject at Har- 

 vard College, and he was to become a per- 

 manent worker in the Canadian Survey. In 

 my own case the study of natural history in 

 general and of oimithology in particular was 

 merely a lifelong hobby. 



The steamship Cascapedia took us down the 

 great river St. Lawrence the afternoon of 

 June 24, 191 5, under the care of Captain 

 Heam. He was an old friend of another trip 

 and, as I sat next to him at table, I had the 

 full benefit of his wise and witty sayings and 

 sea-tales. We were speaking of Sable Island, 



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