THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALI8T. 





There is very little doubt but thai the coast 

 here was visited by Norsemen as earlv as the 

 tenth century. 



There exists strong proof, also, that the dis- 

 covery of this coast was made known by Basque 

 fishermen. 



As early as 1509, a chart ol the coast bad 

 been published and was in the possession of 

 the French. 



In 1532, Jacques ('artier visited the coast 

 with Basque fishermen for pilots, 



The first established colony in Labrador ap- 

 pears to be that at " Brest," now Bradore, 

 which was founded L508, and soon contained 

 200 houses and 1,000 inhabitants, which num- 

 ber was trebled in the summer time or lishing 

 season ; but this colony did not survive over a 

 century or a century and a hall. 



At present, from Red Bay to Natashquan, a 

 distance ol over -100 miles, there is scarcely a 

 township containing more than thirty resident 

 lam i lies. 



The principal seal-fishing establishments are 

 at La Tabatier, Dog Island, Bradore, Long 

 Point, and L'anse Loup. At these the average 

 catch of eight stations, where hand nets are 

 used, tliat are about 10 to 75 fathoms long and 

 30 feet deep is 800 large and 50 to I DO small 

 harp and hood seal. The catch of Newfound- 

 land and other sttamers and vessels is 13,000 

 to 10,000 young " white coats" on the ice in 

 the spring. These figures are increased or 

 diminished according to the season. 



I have visited nearly every station ol' import- 

 ance from Mingan to Triangle Harbor, some 

 miles north of Belle Isle, and every where 

 found the people hard at work at their fishery 

 in the summer time. 



Blanc Sablon forms the dividing line be- 

 tween the Province of Quebec on the left hand 

 and southwest and Labrador on the northeast. 



All along the coast there are little harbors 

 and bays some of small and some large size. 

 All these places that can harbor a. vessel con- 

 tain from one to three and eight — the usual 

 number — of houses. They are various dis- 

 tances apart, say from half a mile tc 8 miles, 

 though generally from ."> to 5 miles. It is thus, 

 save, in one or two rough places, easy to go 

 along the coast in small boats, stopping here 

 or there in rough weather or at night. 



In 1875 1 made a summer excursion to 

 Labrador, and remained there about two 

 months chiefly within a radius of 50 miles 

 southwest, and 10 northwest of Bonne Esper- 

 ance. 



[nl880 r visited the coast in September, and 

 remained there the fall, winter, and spri 

 I880-'81, returning home after an absen 

 just one year on the coast. During thai lime 



I visited nearly all the important points 

 .Mingan to Bed Bay. 



In 1882 I spent the summer on the coasl 

 again, starting from Boston, as I had done in 

 1st:, (my L880-81 trip had been from I 

 bee), with a party of aboul twelve young col- 

 lege men, when much good work was done in 

 collecting, but owing to insufficient apparatus 

 only enough to show what might be done with 

 a properly titled -out crafl going for this ex] 

 purpose and no other. 



The following list of mammals, birds, and 

 plants will show what has been accomplished 

 in that line, and it is hoped that they will add, 

 if ever so little, to our knowledge of the La- 

 brador fauna and flora.' Much more remains 

 to be done, however, in each ol these depart- 

 ments. 



My examinations have been chiefly along the 

 sea-coast. The interior has been rarely, if 

 ever, to any great extent invaded by men. 



MAMMALS. 



1 hiring the three trips thai I have made to 

 Labrador I have found the follow ing mammals 

 more or less abundant (according to their desig- 

 nation) all along the coasl : 



Lynx Canadensis (Desm.), Bat'. Canada 

 Lynx. — Common, especially in winter, when 

 it. is hunted lor its fur all along the coasl. 



(\vnis l.i I'cs, Linne, var. GR1SEO-ALBUS. 

 Gray Wolf. — Reported as seen occasionally, 

 but very rare. 



Vm.i'ES vri.vi s (Desm.), var i-Ti.vrs. Red 

 Fox. — Abundant, especially in furring season. 



Yu.i'Ks faLvus (Desm.), var. argentatus. 

 S/ir r Fox : Block Fo.r. — The former varia- 

 tion is not uncommon ; the latter is rare along 

 the coast. I saw three beautiful skins of the 

 black variation, with scarcely a light hair in 

 them, caught on the coast. 



Vulpes lagopus, (Linne) Gray. Arctic 

 Fox. — Rather common, but getting more and 

 more scarce in Northern Labrador. 



Mtjstela Pennanti, Erxleben. 

 Pound occasionally in the southern 

 Labrador. 



Mustela Americana, 'burton. 

 Sable; Marten. — Abundant inland. 

 ring season, throughout the peninsula. 



Putorius erminea, (Linne) Grift. Ermine 



Fisher. — 



portion of 



. I i rican 

 in the fur- 



