144 The American Naturalist. [February, 
almost perpendicular cliffs along the shore.. The country is almost 
destitute of trees, but there is a great profusion of mosses, principally 
sphagnum, and reindeer moss abounds. We procured here a beautiful 
specimen of the Canadian lynx (Lyns canadensis), but saw no evi- 
dences of small mammals other than the rabbit (Lepus americanus), of 
which two specimens were procured. We saw several seals, but did 
not have the good fortune to capture any. 
As the Miranda was obliged to return to St. John’s for further re- 
pairs, we embarked from Cape Charles on the regular mail boat for 
Independent Harbor, the entrance to Sandwich Bay, about sixty miles 
south of Hamilton Bay, where I had originally intended to begin my 
explorations. I was obliged to change my plans on account of the 
accident to the Miranda, and the illness of Mr. Bucknell, who had 
been taken sick shortly after leaving New York. When we arrived 
at Independent Harbor we secured passage in a small boat to Separa- 
tion Point, a narrow point of land separating the White Bear from the 
Eagle River. Here we made a cache of our provisions, and, with our 
two small boats, started to explore the White Bear River. On the 
second day out from Separation Point we came to a considerable 
cataract, sixty feet in height. Mr. Bucknell’s condition was now so 
serious that I deemed it unwise for him to proceed any further, and so 
I pitched camp at the foot of the falls, and left him in charge of Mr. 
Coates, to collect ornithological and botanical specimens, while Mr. 
Perkins and myself took the smaller boat, and provisions for ten days, 
and went around to explore the river. Weascended it to a distance of 
‘about one hundred and ninety miles from its mouth. We found the 
streams at this season of the year very shallow, with numerous rapids, 
which rendered its ascent extremely difficult. Frequently we were 
compelled to remove our trousers and boots and push the boat along, 
the water not being deep enough to float the boat while we remained 
in it. After passing a rapid, or rattle, as it is called by the half-breed 
Labradorians, there was usually quite an expanse of water extending 
for some distance ; this is called by the natives a “stiddy.” Our pro- 
gress along these “stiddies” was comparatively easy. About fifty 
miles from the coast, and on either side of the river, rose hills and 
peaks from 1400 to 1600 feet in height. These were covered with a 
dense primeval growth of spruce and tamarack, with an occasional 
clump of birch-trees, and great beds of moss from a foot to three feet in 
depth. Great numbers of dwarf cornel (Cornus canadensis) abounded. 
We came across numberless erratic boulders of labradorite, as well as 
other boulders of all sizes, which lined the bed and sides of the stream. 
