THE MAGDALENS 



R( )M Perce to the Magilalens by sea 

 is about a hundred and twenty 

 miles, but hicking a proi)er vessel 

 we were forced to return to Dal- 

 housie and there take the Inter- 

 national Railroad to Pictou, where 

 a weekly steamer leaves for Prince 

 Edward Island and the " Madalenes," as the natives 

 call them. 



The journey is possessed of both present and 

 historic interest, and the hospitality for which the 

 residents of Pictou are noted assures one of a pleas- 

 ant stay in their picturesc[ue little town. Here I 

 met a veteran ornithologist — James McKinlay — who, 

 although over threescore and ten and isolated from 

 others of kindred tastes, still possesses the enthusiasm 

 of the genuine naturalist. His collecti(.)n, the greater 

 part of wliich he has presented to thc^ Pictou Acad- 

 emy, contains, among other Inrds, a Brown Pelican, 

 a Corncrake, and a Chuck-will's-widow — all shot in 

 tlie vicinity. 



The Magdalen steamer is neither a yacht nor an 

 ocean greyhound, but answers very well for the 

 short voyage of a hundred and fifty miles across 

 the gulf. Pictou was left at noon, and the following 

 morning W(^ awrdceniMl to find the steamer a,t anchor 

 140 



