280 



the Canadian sportsman and naturalist. 



strange bird, and after following the trail for 

 a considerable distance tbey caught sigbt of 

 the object of their search, which ran with great 

 speed. For a long time it distanced the dogs, 

 but was at lensht driven up a gully in Resolu- 

 tion Island and captured alive. It uttered loud 

 screams and fought and struggled violently ; 

 it was kept alive three or four days, and then 

 (the men being ignorant of its value) was 

 killed and the body roasted and eaten by the 

 crew, each partaking of the dainty, which was 

 said to be delicious. The skin, with the skull 

 and bones of the feet and legs, was preserved, 

 and obtained by Mr. Mantel], and in this 

 manner the last of the race was preserved. 

 The bin! was a magnificent creature, about 

 two feet high ; the beck was short and strong 

 and the legs were beautiful scarlet color. The 

 neck and body were dark purple, the wings 

 and back being shot with green and gold. The 

 wings were short and round and remarkably 

 feeble both in stru3ture and plumage. The 

 skeleton is now in the collection of the British 

 Museum ; price, $800. Here also can be seen 

 the remains of a nocturnal parrot ( Vestor 

 produclus) that years ago inhabited Phillips 

 Island, an isolated spot in the Southern 

 Ocean, five miles in lenght, but now, accord- 

 ing to the Norfolk Islanders who are only a 

 few miles distant, has entirely disappered. 



ON LABRADOR. 



Dear Sib, — A few words about the Natural 

 History of Labrador, while you are on the 

 subject, seem to me to be especially appro- 

 priate here now as you are finishing my report 

 on that region in the Sportsman. The forth- 

 coming Bulletin of the U. S. National Museum 

 Vol. V, I believe, will contain a report on the 

 Invertebrates which I collected in dredging in 

 the odd moments of three weeks on the coast, 

 while upon an excursion there. I have not 

 seen at this time, January 22, any sheets of 

 the report myself, but understand that it com- 

 bines, or adds a resume of the work done in 

 that region by Prof. Packard in 1860 there- 

 abouts and published in the Memoir of the 

 Boston Society of N. H. Now that good work 

 remains to be done in that part of the coast 

 can easily be seen. These preliminary reports 

 show part of the field. What could be ex- 

 pected if one acquainted well with the coast 

 should go there and spend the summer col- 

 lecting and dredging, with apparatus for this 

 and lor fishing ; and with plenty of alcohol 



and cans and jars. I could confidently predict 

 a perfectly magnificent harvest for any private 

 individual or any institution who should make 

 a small outlay for this purpose. A small 

 house could be easily obtained for the sum- 

 mer, or better one built for the purpose at a 

 small cost, and a permanent station made 

 where renewed investigation could be carried 

 on each year witli a select corps, say of one 

 j^ood man with one or two assistants, and the 

 result might even compare well with the work 

 at present being done by the U. S. Fish 

 Commissioners of the National Museum at 

 Washington. There is no doubt but that the 

 results would be invaluable in the investiga- 

 tions into the Labrador and northern fisheries. 

 I believe that $1000 would cover all expenses 

 for the first year's work, and bring in such a 

 host of rich and valuable material as to fully 

 pay for all first cost of outfit and the season's 

 work. 



I want to say here, that I believe that this 

 would aid in devising means of increasing the 

 yearly " catch" in the Labrador and neigh- 

 bouring waters. It is a fact past dispute, — 

 at least to one who has spent all the seasons 

 with the poorly fed and cared for inhabitants, — 

 though the majority have none to blame but 

 themselves anil their own idleness — that the 

 fisheries are not what they used to be on this 

 coast. Yet to show that the fish are there 

 yet, and in a goodly number, note the success 

 of several large firms during the summers of 

 '83 and '82. I believe that the establishment 

 of such a station by the Canada Government 

 would give a new impulse to the fisheries 

 there, and everywhere within Canada waters. 

 I believe that it is possible to revive the spirits 

 of the " faint hearted," and that even the 

 " habitually lazy," of which there are a great 

 number on the coast would turn to and pick 

 up more courage, and wish to improve their 

 conditions and what is $1000 it it accom- 

 plishes the double result of awakening renewed 

 impulses of thrift in two to three hundred 

 people, besides bringing in a harvest of its 

 own peculiar kind in a complete display of 

 the marine products of the fishing grounds ; 

 a complete series of the fishes in their dif- 

 ferent and peculiar stages ot growth ; and a 

 complete practically illustrated collection of 

 the Natural History of one of the most inter- 

 esting regions of northern North America, 

 How much more profitable this would be for 

 science, and the world in" general, than the 

 liy away cruise of some " dying Dutchman " 



