Brewster.] 366 L October 3, 



lie 23d and 24th at Ellis Bay, a lonely little harbor abounding 

 with seals and birds of several kinds not previously met with, 

 but on the whole, less rich in animal life than either Fox Bay or 

 the North Shore. 



We left Ellis Bay the evening of July 24, where our home- 

 ward voyage may be said to have fairly begun. After this no field 

 work of any consequence was attempted, although we made some 

 interesting observations and obtained a few specimens at Perce 

 Rock, a wonderful place on the western shore of the gulf, near 

 which our vessel was weather-bound for a few days. At this 

 point I was obliged to leave the expedition and return directly to 

 Boston, a fortunate necessity as it transpired, for the subsequent 

 experience of the party, delayed nearly two weeks on the coast of 

 Nova Scotia by head winds and fog, proved anything but 

 agreeable. 



The trip as a whole was attended by about the usual mixture 

 of pleasure and hardship, success and disappointment. Its draw- 

 backs and failures were mainly unavoidable, for our plans had 

 been laid with care and forethought, and the vessel equipped to a 

 fault ; while the social composition of our party proved exception- 

 ally pleasant and harmonious. But we started too late in the 

 season and the weather during most of the summer, was simply 

 abominable. Our log book records only eighteen moderately fair 

 days out of the total sixty-two, and some of these were more or 

 less interrupted by showers. The temperature in our cabin rarely 

 reached 60° Fahr., while it often fell below 40°, and once reached 

 34°; add to this the fact that, excepting during dead calms, the 

 wind usually blew half a gale, and it becomes apparent why much 

 of the time was wasted at safe, but otherwise unprofitable anchor- 

 age. Indeed it was by no means uncommon to spend several days 

 waiting for an opportunity to land on some tempting shore, and 

 when the opportunity came it was often too brief for anything 

 like thorough work. 



In my own department there were further hinderances. Our 

 vessel was so small, and her cabin so crowded, that it was usually 

 impossible to prepare specimens at sea. Thus it frequently 

 happened that when we came to anchor in smooth water and the 

 rest of the party hastened on shore, I was forced to deny myself 

 that pleasure and use the opportunity for skinning birds shot 



