IN AUDUBON'S LABRADOR 



thirteen inches from the surface. These sand- 

 ridges were exactly like the ridges paralleling 

 the beach at Natashquan, and, although now 

 several miles back from the coast and fifty or 

 a hundred feet above it, they were once at sea- 

 level and point to the elevation that is in prog- 

 ress on this coast. 



In one of the small ponds, with steep, over- 

 hanging sides of matted sphagnum, laurel, and 

 spruce, I came upon a mother whistler or 

 golden-eye duck with a brood of ten young, 

 which, with their black caps and white cheeks, 

 looked for all the world like great chickadees 

 that had taken to the water. The mother held 

 her head erect as she swam back and forth, 

 and all her movements betokened anxiety in 

 the presence of man. The young swam dutifully 

 after her in a compact bunch and showed no 

 fear. 



In a sheltered valley where the trees were 

 twenty feet or so in height a pigeon hawk 

 launched himself at me quivering his wings 

 and crying with anger. His assault was at 

 once followed up by the assault of a slightly 

 larger bird, the female, and as long as I re- 

 mained in the vicinity, they con|:inued to scold 

 88 



