404 
FORKST AND STREAM. 
[May 25, 1901. 
In the Sub-Arctics, 
J. W. Tyrrell, the Arctic explorer, who has for the 
past ten years been engaged in exploring the extreme 
northern portion of Canada in the interests of the Cana- 
dian Government, has recently returned to civilization. 
His last trip covered a period of ten months, nine of 
which were spent entirely outside of the limits of civiliza- 
tion, being unable to communicate in -any Way with the 
outside world. 
While the Tyrrell brothers were traevling down the 
western coast of Hudson Bay in open canoes, during the 
month of November, tiiey met with great hardships, a few 
of which are reported in the following account, written 
by Mr. J. W. Tyrrell himself. 
When about perishing from starvation and cold, the 
Tyrrell brothers with the rest of their party were rescued 
by tJie missionary from Fort Churchill, who sent out men 
and dog sleds to bring them to that station. 
After the great five days' storm, which lasted until 
Oct. 4, the whole country was buried in snow, and every 
possibility of finding even a little moss for fuel was ex- 
cluded. Winter had overtaken us. Ice was forming all 
along the shore of the bay, and it was evident that within 
a very few days travel by canoe must be at an end. 
On the above date, though light snow continued to 
fall, the wind had gone down sufficiently to admit of 
launching the canoes after a long portage out to meet the 
tide. In spite of the most vigorous exertion, all we were 
able to make during the day was ten miles, and that 
through a chilling spray, which froze upon us and incased 
canoes and men in an armor of ice. We had great diffi- 
culty in getting ashore at night, having again to portage a 
long distance over the low-tide boulder fiats. 
On the following morning the water of the bay was 
out of sight, and it was not until about noon, when the 
tide flowed in, that we were able to iloat the canoes. We 
were so obstructed by the new ice and a strong head wind 
that we were not able to make more than a mile or two 
before being again forced to struggle to the shore. At 
this rate we would be a long time in reaching Churchill. 
We had now been more than three weeks on the coast, and 
were still at least 250 miles from our haven. 
Some different mode of travel must be adopted or we 
should never get in. The short ice was forming rapidly 
and might now block us at- any time. We had not more 
than enough meat for another day or two, and the game 
had all left the country. What was to be done? My 
brother and I talked the matter over during the night. 
The plan suggested itself of abandoning everything but 
rifles and blankets and starting down the shore on foot. 
But then, how could the numerous large rivers, which 
were still open, be crossed? Again, to this plan there 
was the objection that having been in canoes all summer 
our party, though still strong enough to paddle, was in 
poor condition to walk. The only other feasible plan 
was then suggested. It was to abandon dunnage, instru- 
ments, rock collection, etc., everj^thing except notebooks, 
photographs, plant collection, rifles, blankets and two 
small tents, and with these to start in only two light 
canoes, and with the increased force in them to travel for 
our lives. 
This plan was decided on, and in 'the morning the 
men were set to work to cache all our stuff excepting the 
articles above mentioned. This occupied the whole morii- 
ing, and to us it was a sad and lonely task, but as it 
seemed to be the only way by which we might hope to 
escape from this dreary ice-bound coast, it was felt to be a 
necessary one. As secure a cache as we could build was 
made, and then with heavy hearts we turned our steps 
toward the shore. 
After launching the two canoes it was with great dan- 
ger and difficulty we were able to force a way through 
the broken but heavy shore ice to the open water beyond. 
Having once gotten clear, we were able to make good 
progress, and even at great risk of being smashed upon 
some of the many rocks, we paddled far into the night; 
but at a late hour, being sheathed in ice from the freezing 
spray, we landed, and without supper Isiy down to sleep 
upon the snow. 
Eight more dreary days passed, six of which were 
spent in battling with the elements and two in lying storm- 
stayed in our tents. During this interval our party suffered 
much from cold and lack of food, and to make matters 
worse, dysentei-y attacked us, and it appeared as if one of 
our men would die. Still, with hollow cheeks and en- 
feebled strength we struggled on, sometimes making fair 
progress and at others very little, until on Oct. 14, as we 
advanced, the ice became so heavy and extended so far 
out to sea, that in order to clear it we had to go quite out 
of sight of land'. 
Toward evening we began to look about for some op- 
portunity of going ashore, but nothing could be seen be- 
fore us but a vast field of ice, with occasional protruding 
boulders. We pushed on, hoping to find some bluff point 
or channel of water by which we might reach the shore, 
but the appearance of things did not change in the slight- 
est. We stood up in the canoes or climbed upon boulders 
vainly hoping to at least get a glimpse of the land. Of 
course we knew the direction in which the shore lay, but 
it was so low and we were so far out that it was beyond 
our view. We were utterly helpless and could do nothing 
but remain where we were or go where the tide chose to 
carry us, until the return of daylight. 
The hours of that night vC'ere the longest I have ever 
experienced, and the odds seemed to be against us sur- 
viving till morning; but at last the day returned and found 
us still alive. My brother was nearly frozen, having been 
obliged to .sit or lie hi icy water all night. Poor little 
Michel had both of his feet frozen, and the rest of us 
were badly used up. Still we were in the same position 
as the night before. We could not hold out much longer; 
we must gain the shore or perish. At the time of high 
tide, the ice being somewhat loosened, our canoes were 
thrust into the pack, and by great exertion as well as 
much care we succeeded about 9 o'clock in reaching solid 
ice, upon which we were able to land and, for the last 
time, haul out our noble little crafts. We had been in 
them just thirty hours, battling with ice, exposed to a 
chilling winter blast, our clothing saturated and frozen 
and our bodies faint and numb with starvation and cold. 
But we were now within reach of the land, and all of us 
who were able gladly scrambled out upon the ice to 
stretch our cramped and stiffened limbs. A fire was 
quickly made, camp pitched and, better still, a meal pre- 
pared. On the previous day a seal, the only one secured 
on the trip, had been shot, and we were now in a position 
to appreciate it. The three Western men were still fairly 
strong, but the remaining five of us were very weak and 
badly used up. We knew now, howevei", that we could be 
no great distance from Churchill, for we had again 
reached the wooded country, and two or three miles back 
from the shore could be seen dark clumps of spruce trees. 
This was a most consoling fact, for besides having meat 
for several days, we felt that we would have shelter and 
fire. 
As to laiinching our canoes again, that was entirely out 
of the question. If we would reach Churchill at all it 
must be by land. 
As most of us were unable to walk, the only course open 
appeared to be to send on some of the stronger men to, if 
possible, reach the fort and bring back a relief party. This 
plan was proposed and two of the Western men, Jim and 
John, volunteered to undertake the walk. We thought 
the distance could nOt be more than fifty miles, and it 
might be considerably less. On the morning of the i6th 
the two men set out on their journey, while those of us 
remaining proceeded to move our tents back from the 
shore about two miles to the nearest woods, where we 
might make ourselves more comfortable, to await the 
success or failure of the relief party. A sheltered spot 
was selected for camp, in a thick grove of spruce trees, 
and after clearing away about 2 feet of snow which cov- 
ered the ground, tents were pitched, then well carpeted 
with spruce boughs and a big fire made. This was indeed 
a happy change from lying in canoes in the ice pack. 
Clothing and blankets were now dried, and with the seal 
meat and some ptarmigan which we shot in the grove, we 
were soon comparatively comfortable, with the exception 
perhaps of poor Michel, who suffered much from his 
frozen feet. 
On the morning of the 17th, feeling somewhat revived 
after a long night's rest, I undertook to go huntirig 
ptarmigan, which we were glad to find were plentiful in 
the woods about us. Had it not been for the fact that our 
ammunition was almost exhausted, the occurrence of these 
birds in abundance would have afforded us great con- 
solation, but being as we were reduced to a dozen 
charges, the opportunity for living on feathered game 
seemed limited to a short period. We were hoping that 
Jim and John might be successful in reaching Churchill. 
Before I had walked a hundred yards from camp 
I was forced to realize how weak I had become, and 
after making a circuit of about half a mile and shooting 
only two or three birds, I was scarcely able to crawl back 
to the tent. On my return, Frangois, taking the shot- 
gun, went out and returned in the evening with a fine 
bag of game. 
On waking the next morning my brother amused us 
by relating an extraordinary dream, in which he im- 
agined he was luxuriating in good things, and particu- 
larly sweet currant cakes, for which he was_ exhibiting a 
wonderful capacity. But, alas ! with the visions of the 
night the cakes had vanished, and for breakfast he was 
to be content with unseasonable boiled ptarmigan. 
At about I o'clock in the day, as we were seated 
within the tent, partaking of our second meal, we were 
suddenly startled by hearing the exclamation. "Hullo, 
Jim!" The eagerness with which we scrambled over 
dinner and dishes to the tent door can better be imagined 
than, described, and on looking out, sure enough there 
was Jim returning. Was he alone ? No ; thank the Lord ! 
Behind him a moment later emerged from the woods a 
number of men, followed by teams of dogs and sleds. One 
after the other there came scampering along no less than 
four teams, hauling long, empty sleds capable of furnish- 
ing accommodation for our whole outfit. 
After a hard two days' tramp, Jim and John had 
reached the fort, where they had found kind friends ready 
to send us a prompt assistance. Dog teams had been 
placed at their disposal, provisions supplied and early in 
the morning of the same day on which they had found 
us, the train had set out for our relief. With light sleds 
they had traveled at a rapid pace over the thirty miles of 
snowy plains which separated us from Churchill. An- 
other day of good travel in the canoes would have taken 
us in had this been afforded us. 
As the relief party drew up at our camp, Jim advanced 
and handed letters to my brother and myself, expressing 
kind wishes and sympathy from Mr. and Mrs. Lofthouse, 
the Chvirch of England missionary and his wife at the 
fort, whose friendship I had the privilege of making on 
two former visits to Churchill. Along with the letters 
wasi handed a box, which, when opened, was found to 
contain the very good things of my brother's dream, even 
to the sweet currant cakes. Staple provisions were also 
produced, and it is scarcely necessary to say that they 
were joyfully welcomed. It would be impossible to de- 
scribe our feelings upon this occasion, the termination of 
so many hardships and sufferings. During the after- 
noon preparations were made for the journey to the fort 
the following day. The canoes were hauled up from the 
shore, where we had been obliged to leave them, and 
loaded upon two of the dog sleds. Camp outfit and pro- 
visions were loaded upon the others and as far as possible 
everything was put in readiness for an early start in the 
morning. 
A change in the weather was already forecast, the wind 
shifting round to the south, and toward evening it be- 
came decidedly milder. During the night a rain set in, 
and between it and the warm wind a wonderful change 
was wrought before dawn. It began to look very much as 
if the fates were against us, and that now with the sleds 
and dog teams we should have no snow to travel on. But 
before daylight camp was astir, and finding that enough 
yet remained, breakfast was partaken of by the light of 
the camp-fire, and at the first streaks of dawn the journey 
on sleds to Churchill was begun. 
The arrangement of our party was as follows: As 
guide an Indian named James Westasecot led the way 
some distance ahead of the train. Next after him came a 
team of six big Eskimo dogs, hitched two and two abreast 
to a long sled carrying the big canoe, in which Michel 
was given a passage. Following this team was another 
hauling the smaller canoe, in which I was roUed up in 
my blankets. The third team consisted of only four 
dogs, and, in a carryall, hauled my brother and some of 
the baggage, and at the rear end of the train trotted an- 
other full team of six dogs, with Louis, the sick Iroquois, 
and the camp outfit. The rest of our men walked behind 
or beside the various sleds, resting themselves by jumping 
on when the traveling Avas easy, as it often was when 
crossing level plains or frozen pond.s — of which latter there 
were very many. 
The day was beautifully bright and pleasant for one 
traveling as I was, but for the drivers and dogs it was 
much too warm for comfort. In many places the higher 
ground was bare, and progress consequently slow. 
About noon a halt was made for lunch. About 3 o'clock 
in the afternoon we reached Grassy Island, at the bottom 
of Button's Bay, and two hours later gained the base of 
a long- range of rocky hills. We skirted the foot of 
these for some time, until we reached a low place in the 
ridge, where, dismounting to lighten the loads,, we turned 
up the steep pass, and after a short climb to the crest 
found ourselves within full view of Fort Churchill. It 
was not an imposing place, but even though consisting of 
only four or five old frame buildings, the sight to us was 
one of deep satisfaction. For a moment we paused on the 
summit of the ridge, then at the crack of the driver's 
whip the teams bounded forward, galloped down the steep 
slope, sped across the plains below, and in a few minutes 
landed us at the house of the Hudson Bay Company's 
traders. Here, after extricating ourselves from the vari- 
ous conveyances, we were presently received by a tall 
young Scotchman, who announced himself as Mr. Mathe- 
Bon, master of the fort. 
— ^ — 
The Starling. 
The starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is one of a family 
which is confined to the old world, but it is closely allied to 
our blackbirds and in many respects resembles them in its 
habits. It is a little smaller than our red-winged black- 
bird, but has longer and more pointed wings. During the 
breeding season the principal color is black, with green 
and purple reflections, and with buff tips to the feathers 
on some parts of the body. The bill is yellow. At other 
seasons nearly all the feathers have buff, or, on the un- 
der parts, whitish tips, giving the bird a spotted appear- 
ance, and the bill loses its bright color. 
In Europe the starling is one of the most abundant 
birds and is said to be increasing in numbers in some 
districts. In the northern coimtries it is more or less 
migratory, most of the individuals passing the winter in 
southern Europe, but it is everywhere one of the earliest 
to appear in the spring, often arriving before the snow 
is gone,, and in most places a few are to be found at 
every season of the year. 
In its breeding habits it differs from our blackbirds. 
The nest is built in hollow trees or in crevices in rocks, 
walls and cliffs, but more often about buildings, after the 
fashion of the English sparrow, or in boxes where they 
are placed for its accommodation. From four to seven 
greenish-blue eggs are laid, and two broods are regularly 
raised each summer. When the breeding season is over 
the starlings congregate in flocks, and their habits are 
about the same as those of the red-winged blackbird at 
the same period of the year. Immense flocks of starlings 
resort to suitable marshes and swamps to roost, and dur- 
ing the day scatter over the country to feed, return again 
every evening to the same roosting place, until the ap- 
proaching winter and consequent scarcity of food com- 
pels them to resort to more southern latitudes. 
Like our cowbird, they are particularly fond of feeding 
where cattle are kept, and are said to alight on the animals 
themselves in search of the insects which infest them. 
The song of the starling does not amount to very much, 
but it is a good mimic, and in captivity it will, as is well 
known, learn to produce a great variety of sotmds. 
It is not particular in regard to its food, and although 
it is injurious in certain places and at certain seasons, it 
is well established that the benefits that it confers by 
the destruction of insects, grubs and snails far exceed 
the harm done by occasional attacks on fruit or crops. 
The foregoing remarks must be understood to apply to 
the starling in Europe. In America the bird has "been 
introduced, and for some years past has been found in 
and about New York city, and has spread over the sur- 
rounding country. It is common on Long Island; I have 
seen it in southwestern Connecticut, and have heard of it 
in eastern Massachusetts, though it seems not unlikely 
that the birds in the last mentioned State, if the report 
that they occur there is correct, may have been inde- 
pendently introduced. Probably the birds already occur 
in other places besides those which I have mentioned. 
Because the starling is a desirable species in Europe it 
does not follow that it will be so in America. The case 
of the English sparrow, which is becoming a far greater 
nuisance here than it is in Europe, and of the rabbit in 
Australia, are exam.ples of what a naturally hardy and 
prolific species may do when suddenly placed in a new 
and particularly favorable environment. The starling 
certainly is a hardy and very prolific species, and it has 
had many centuries of experience in getting its living in a 
thickly populated and highly cultivated region, while our 
birds, in most parts of the countr}'. have had but a few 
generations in which to adapt themselves to greatly 
changed conditions of life .and environment due to the 
occupation of the country by man. Like the English 
sparrow, the starling is one of the mo.st clever and versa- 
tile of birds, quick to perceive danger and well able to 
take care of itself if once its suspicions are aroused, but 
tame and familiar where it is not molested. It has thor- 
oughly learned the art, which many birds seem entirely 
incapable of learning, of availing itself of every advantage 
to be derived from man's labors and productions. It i<' 
making itself at home here as if it had no intention of 
leaving, and it is losing no time in sp^ca{Iing into new 
districts. 
There is no reason to expect that the starling itself will 
be harmful to agriculture in this country. Unless it should 
become very numerous it will probably do more good 
than harm, as far as direct effect is concerned. The 
writer is not aware that any study of the habits and food 
of the starling in America has been made which would 
