286 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



Often regarded as much more delicate eating 

 than the common cod Seldom grows large. 

 Swims in bodies with small "torn cods," as 

 they are called, which are probably the young 

 of the common cod. 



Cottos scorpioidbs Sculpin — Common in 

 shoal water, about the fish stages, all along 

 the coast. 



Cottos Gr<enlandicus. Northern Sculpin — 

 Common with scorpioides, all along the coast. 



Gymnacanthus pistilliger. Sculpin. — Rather 

 common in the northern portions along the 

 coast like the others. 



Hippoglossoides platessoides. ArcticDab. — 

 Com mon about the stage heads along the coast. 



Pledronectes Americanos. Common Flounder. 

 — Rather common, usually in deeper water 

 than the II. Plateswides, along the whole coast. 



Somniosus microcephalus. This species of 

 shark is found not rare all along the coast, 

 some years doing more damage than others. 

 It breaks the fish-nets, stops the fish from 

 attacking themselves to the trolls of the fisher- 

 men, and is finally captured itself by some of 

 the innumerable hooks of this same troll. 

 After tangling and otherwise ruining the lines 

 to the best of its power, it itself becomes the 

 prey of the fishermen, who cut se it heartily. 

 The liver of this fish is said to yield the most 

 delicate and pure oil of any fish known upon 

 the coast. Several portions of the vitals are 

 preserved by the people with the greatest of 

 care, under the supposition that the wearing 

 or carrying of them or the simple having them 

 in the house will prove sure protection against 

 not only the rheumatism, but several diseases 

 peculiar to the male sex. 



There are several other species common 

 along the coast but of which we >vere not for- ' 

 tunate enough to obtain specimens, notably 

 the Lauuce, or Lance, the fall bait ior the 

 codfish. Several other species of trout are 

 also common. 



PLANTS. 



In reviewing and adding to the excellent | 

 list of " Labrador Plants," by the Rev. S. R. 

 Butler (Canadian Naturalist, vol. v, 1870, i 

 September, p. 350), it seems necessary to say j 

 a lew words explanatoiy of the nature of the i 

 regions bordering the sea coast, as well also' 

 of those in the interior of Labrador. 



There are two well-defined areas to which 1 

 would call attention ; a simple designation of 

 them as sea-coast and interior will present to 

 you the general idea which I wish to convey. 

 I will draw the line, as near as my own obser- 

 vation coincides with that of others, at some- 

 where between 2 and 4 miles inland. Of the 

 interior of this whole region very little is 



known. In summer, woods of mostly low, 

 stunted spruce, with various evergreens, are 

 everywhere abundant, and it is with the ut- 

 most difficulty that one can niake any progress 

 whatever. Few have attempted to penetrate 

 this area, and we know but little of it. Its 

 accessible edges abound in many plants very 

 similar to ours, especially those crowning the 

 summits of the White Mountains. That part 

 styled the coast differs from the province just 

 mentioned in that it is composed mostly of 

 numerous low, hilly, inland crests, every- 

 where interposed with narrow straits of water, 

 besides a narrow ribbon of land up and down 

 the coast line itself. The general flora of all 

 the islands is much the same, but there are 

 localized species of both wild aud introduced 

 plants. Mr. Butler makes the following re- 

 marks prefatory to his enumeration of species 

 in the above named paper : " The two places 

 I have most thorougnlv examined are Caribou 

 Island and Forteau Bay. When a plant is 

 marked ' Caribou,' it is meant that 1 found 

 it only at that place ; when ' Forteau ' is men- 

 tioned, the plant may occur all around For- 

 teau Bay, while ' Amour ' means that I have 

 found it only at ' L'Ance Amour,' and that it 

 is not likely to occur elsewhere in the Bay ; 

 and where no locality is specified, the species 

 may be expected to occur at many places, if 

 not all along the coast." The collection of 

 Miss MacFarlane, referred to in the same 

 paper, has also afforded much valuable mate- 

 rial. The specimens collected by myself were 

 procured at Harrington, Harbor, the southern- 

 most limit visited, Bate des Roches, Bonne 

 Esperance (in and about Salmon B iy) ; also 

 the "winter quarters" of the inhabitants, a 

 distance of 7 miles inland, up Esquimaux 

 River, and which belongs to the mainland. 



The list here presented is impartial and 

 imperfect at best, but it will suffice until a 

 more accurate and thorongh examination of 

 the country shall perfect it. The letter B, alter 

 a plant, signifies that the remarks are by Mr. 

 Butler. 



1. Anemone parviflora, Michx. — Com- 

 i .on upon the high lands of Forteau. B. 



2. Thalictrum moicUiW, Linn. — Common 

 on the highlands, along the margin of streams, 

 and in the interior visited by me, August 5. 



3. Thalictrum cornuti, Linn. — "(Miss 

 MacFarlane, No. 1)." 



4. Ranunculus acris, Linn. — Rather com- 

 mon on the level grassy plats of Forteau, B., 

 probably more or less distributed all along the 

 coast in suitable localities. 



