never knew their breeding-places, as they seldom make their appearance
at Churchill River till the Fall of the year, and remain there only till
the ice begins to be formed about the shores. They seldom frequent the
interior parts of the country. They are not inferior in size to the
former, and in the Fall of the year are generally fat. The flesh is
white and very good eating; and, like {432} most other Gulls, they are a
most excellent shot when on the wing.
[Sidenote: Black Gulls.]
BLACK GULLS,[205] usually called in Hudson's Bay, Men of War, from their
pursuing and taking the prey from a lesser species of Gull, known in
that country by the name of Black-head. In size they are much inferior
to the two former species; but, like them, always make their nests on
islands, or at the margins of lakes or ponds; they lay only two eggs,
and are found at a considerable distance from the sea coast. The length
of their wings is very great in proportion to the body; the tail is
uniform, and the two middle feathers are four or five inches longer than
the rest. Their eggs are always eaten, both by the Indians and English;
but the bird itself is generally rejected, except when other provisions
are very scarce.
[Sidenote: Black-heads.]
BLACK-HEADS.[206] These are the smallest species of Gull that I know.
They visit the sea coast of Hudson's Bay in such vast numbers, that they
are frequently seen in flocks of several hundreds; and I have known
bushels of their eggs taken on an island of very small circumference.
These eggs are very delicate eating, the yolks being equal to that of a
young pullet, and the whites of a semi-transparent azure, but the bird
itself is always fishy. Their affection for their young is so strong,
that when any person attempts to rob their nests, they fly at him, and
sometimes {433} approach so near as to touch him with their pinions; and
when they find their loss, will frequently follow the plunderer to a
considerable distance, and express their grief by making an unusual
screaming noise.
This bird may be ranked with the elegant part of the feathered creation,
though it is by no means gay. The bill, legs, and feet are of a rich
scarlet; crown black, and the remainder of the plumage of a light
ash-colour, except the quill feathers, which are prettily barred, and
tipped with black, and the tail much forked. The flight, or extent of
wing, in this bird, is very great, in proportion to the body. They are
found as far North as has hitherto been visited, but retire to the South
early in the Fall.
[Sidenote: Pelicans.]
PELICANS.[207] Those birds are numerous in the interior parts of the
country, but never appear near the sea-coast. They generally frequent
large lakes, and always make their nests on islands. They are so
provident for their young, that great quantities of fish lie rotting
near their nests, and emit such a horrid stench as to be smelt at a
considerable distance. The flesh of the young Pelican is frequently
eaten by the Indians; and as they are always very fat, great quantities
of it is melted down, and preserved in bladders for Winter use,[CL] to
mix with pounded {434} flesh; but by keeping, it grows very rank. The
Pelicans in those parts are about the size of a common goose; their
plumage is of a delicate white, except the quill-feathers, which are
black. The bill is near a foot long; and the bag, which reaches from the
outer-end of the under-mandible to the breast, is capable of containing
upwards of three quarts. The skins of those birds are thick and tough,
and are frequently dressed by the Indians and converted into bags, but
are never made into clothing, though their feathers are as hard, close,
and durable, as those of a Loon.
[Sidenote: Goosanders.]
GOOSANDERS,[208] usually called in Hudson's Bay, Shell-drakes. Those
birds are very common on the sea-coast, but in the interior parts fly in
very large flocks. The bill is long and narrow, and toothed like a saw;
and they have a tuft of feathers at the back of the head, which they can
erect at pleasure. They are most excellent divers, and such great
destroyers of fish, that they are frequently obliged to vomit some of
them before they can take flight. Though not much larger than the
Mallard Duck, they frequently swallow fish of six or seven inches {435}
long and proportionably thick. Those that frequent the interior parts of
the country prey much on crawfish, which are very numerous in some of
the shallow stony rivers. In the Fall of the year they are very fat, and
though they always feed on fish, yet their flesh at that season is very
good; and they remain in those parts as long as the frost will permit
them to procure a subsistence.
[Sidenote: Swans.]
SWANS.[209] There are two species of this bird that visit Hudson's Bay
in summer; and only differ in size, as the plumage of both are perfectly
white, with black bill and legs. The smaller sort are more frequent near
the sea-coast, but by no means plentiful, and are most frequently seen
in pairs, but sometimes single, probably owing to their mates having
been killed on their passage North. Both species usually breed on the
islands which are in lakes; and the eggs of the larger species are so
big, that one of them is a sufficient meal for a moderate man, without
bread, or any other addition. In the interior parts of the country the
larger Swan precedes every other species of water-fowl, and in some
years arrive so early as the month of March, long before the ice of the
rivers is broken up. At those times they always frequent the open waters
of falls and rapids, where they are frequently shot by the Indians in
considerable numbers. They usually weigh upwards of thirty pounds, and
the lesser species from eighteen to twenty-four. The flesh of both are
excellent {436} eating, and when roasted, is equal in flavour to young
heifer-beef, and the cygnets are very delicate.
Notwithstanding the size of this bird, they are so swift on the wing as
to make them the most difficult to shoot of any bird I know, it being
frequently necessary to take sight ten or twelve feet before their
bills. This, however, is only when flying before the wind in a brisk
gale, at which time they cannot fly at a less rate than an hundred miles
an hour; but when flying across the wind, or against it, they make but a
slow progress, and are then a noble shot. In their moulting state they
are not easily taken, as their large feet, with the assistance of their
wings, enables them to run on the surface of the water as fast as an
Indian canoe can be paddled, and therefore they are always obliged to be
shot; for by diving and other manoeuvres they render it impossible to
take them by hand. It has been said that the swans whistle or sing
before their death, and I have read some elegant descriptions of it in
some of the poets; but I have never heard any thing of the kind, though
I have been at the deaths of several. It is true, in serene evenings,
after Sun-set, I have heard them make a noise not very unlike that of a
French-horn, but entirely divested of every note that constituted
melody, and have often been sorry to find it did not forebode their
death. Mr. Lawson, who, as Mr. Pennant justly remarks, was no inaccurate
observer, properly enough calls the largest species Trumpeters, and the
lesser, Hoopers. Some years ago, when I built Cumberland House, the
Indians killed those {437} birds in such numbers, that the down and
quills might have been procured in considerable quantities at a trifling
expence; but since the depopulation of the natives by the small-pox,
which has also driven the few survivors to frequent other parts of the
country, no advantage can be made of those articles, though of
considerable value in England.[CM]
[Sidenote: Geese.]
GEESE. There are no less than ten different species of Geese that
frequent the various parts of Hudson's Bay during Summer, and are as
follow: First, The Common Grey Goose. Second, The Canada Goose. Third,
The White, or Snow Goose. Fifth, The Blue Goose. Sixth, The Laughing
Goose. Seventh, The Barren Goose. Eighth, The Brent Goose. Ninth, The
Dunter; and Tenth, the Bean Goose.
[Sidenote: Common Grey Goose.]
COMMON GREY GOOSE.[210] This bird precedes every other species of Goose
in those parts, and in some forward Springs arrives at Churchill River
so early as the latter {438} end of April, but more commonly from the
eleventh to the sixteenth of May; and in one year it was the
twenty-sixth of May before any Geese made their appearance. At their
first arrival they generally come in pairs, and are so fond of society,
that they fly straight to the call that imitates their note; by which
means they are easily shot. They breed in great numbers in the plains
and marshes near Churchill River; and in some years the young ones can
be taken in considerable numbers, and are easily tamed; but will never
learn to eat corn, unless some of the old ones are taken with them,
which is easily done when in a moulting state. On the ninth of August
one thousand seven hundred and eighty-one, when I resided at Prince of
Wales's Fort, I sent some Indians up Churchill River in canoes to
procure some of those Geese, and in the afternoon they were seen coming
down the river with a large flock before them; the young ones not more
than half-grown, and the old ones so far in a moulting state as not to
be capable of flying; so that, with the assistance of the English and
the Indians then residing on the plantation, the whole flock, to the
amount of forty-one, was drove within the stockade which incloses the
Fort, where they were fed and fattened for Winter use. Wild Geese taken
and fattened in this manner are much preferable to any tame Geese in the
world. When this species of Geese are full-grown, and in good condition,
they often weigh twelve pounds, but more frequently much less.
[Sidenote: Canada Goose.]
{439} CANADA GOOSE,[211] or Pisk-a-sish, as it is called by the Indians,
as well as the English in Hudson's Bay. This species do not differ in
plumage from the former, but are inferior in size; the bill is much
smaller in proportion, and the flesh being much whiter, of course is
more esteemed. They are by no means so numerous as the former, and
generally fly far North to breed; but some few of their eggs are found
near Churchill River. It is seldom that either of these species lay more
than four eggs; but if not robbed, they usually bring them all forth.
[Sidenote: White or Snow Goose.]
WHITE or SNOW GOOSE.[212] These are the most numerous of all the species
of birds that frequent the Northern parts of the Bay, and generally make
their appearance about a week or ten days after the Common Grey Goose.
In the first part of the season they come in small parties, but in the
middle, and toward the latter end, they fly in such amazing flocks, that
when they settle in the marshes to feed, the ground for a considerable
distance appears like a field of snow. When feeding in the same marsh
with the Grey Geese, they never mix. Like the Grey Geese, they fly to
the call that resembles their note; and in some years are killed and
salted in great numbers for Winter provision; they are almost
universally thought good eating, and will, if proper care be taken in
curing them, continue good for eighteen months or two years. The Indians
are far more expert in killing Geese, as well as every other species of
game, than any European I ever saw in Hudson's Bay; {440} for some of
them frequently kill upward of a hundred Geese in a day, whereas the
most expert of the English think it a good day's work to kill thirty.
Some years back it was common for an Indian to kill from a thousand to
twelve hundred Geese in one season; but latterly he is reckoned a good
hunter that kills three hundred. This is by no means owing to the
degeneracy of the natives; for the Geese of late years do not frequent
those parts in such numbers as formerly. The general breeding-place of
this bird is not known to any Indian in Hudson's Bay, not even to the
Esquimaux who frequent the remotest North. The general route they take
in their return to the South in the Fall of the year, is equally
unknown; for though such multitudes of them are seen at Churchill River
in the Spring, and are frequently killed to the amount of five or six
thousand; yet in the Fall of the year, seven or eight hundred is
considered a good hunt. At York Fort, though only two degrees South of
Churchill River, the Geese seasons fluctuate so much, that in some
Springs they have salted forty hogsheads, and in others not more than
one or two: and at Albany Fort, the Spring season is by no means to be
depended on; but in the fall they frequently salt sixty hogsheads of
Geese, besides great quantities of Plover. The retreat of those birds in
Winter is equally unknown, as that of their breeding-places. I observe
in Mr. Pennant's Arctic Zoology, that about Jakutz, and other parts of
Siberia, they are caught in great numbers, both in nets, and by decoying
them into hovels; but if {441} these are the same birds, they must at
times vary as much in manner as they do in situation, for in Hudson's
Bay they are the shyest and most watchful of all the species of Geese,
never suffering an open approach, not even within two or three
gun-shots: yet in some of the rivers near Cumberland House, and at
Basquiau, the Indians frequently kill twenty at one shot; but this is
only done in moon-light nights, when the Geese are sitting on the mud,
and the sportsmen are perfectly concealed from their view. Though the
plumage of those Geese are perfectly white, except the quill-feathers,
which are black, the skin is of a dark lead-colour, and the flesh is
excellent eating, either fresh or salt. They are much inferior in size
to the Common Grey Geese, but equal to the Canada Geese.
[Sidenote: Blue Geese.]
BLUE GEESE.[213] This species are of the same size as the Snow Geese;
and, like them, the bill and legs are of a deep flesh-colour, but the
whole plumage is of a dirty blue, resembling old lead. The skin, when
stripped of its feathers, is of the same colour as the Snow Goose, and
they are equally good eating. This species of Geese are seldom seen to
the North of Churchill River, and not very common at York Fort; but at
Albany Fort they are more plentiful than the White or Snow Geese. Their
breeding-places are as little known to the most accurate observer as
those of the Snow Geese; for I never knew any of their eggs taken, and
their Winter haunts have {442} hitherto been undiscovered. Those birds
are frequently seen to lead a flock of the White ones; and, as they
generally fly in angles, it is far from unpleasant to see a bird of a
different colour leading the van. The leader is generally the object of
the first sportsman who fires, which throws the whole flock into such
confusion, that some of the other hunters frequently kill six or seven
at a shot.
[Sidenote: Horned Wavey.]
HORNED WAVEY.[214] This delicate and diminutive species of the Goose is
not much larger than the Mallard Duck. Its plumage is delicately white,
except the quill-feathers, which are black. The bill is not more than an
inch long, and at the base is studded round with little knobs about the
size of peas, but more remarkably so in the males. Both the bill and
feet are of the same colour with those of the Snow Goose. This species
is very scarce at Churchill River, and I believe are never found at any
of the Southern settlements; but about two or three hundred miles to the
North West of Churchill, I have seen them in as large flocks as the
Common Wavey, or Snow Goose. The flesh of this bird is exceedingly
delicate; but they are so small, that when I was on my journey to the
North I eat two of them one night for supper. I do not find this bird
described by my worthy friend Mr. Pennant in his Arctic Zoology.
Probably a specimen of it was not sent home, for the person that
commanded at Prince of Wales's Fort[CN] at {443} the time the collection
was making, did not pay any attention to it.
[Sidenote: Laughing Goose.]
LAUGHING GOOSE.[215] This elegant species has a white bill, and the legs
and feet are of a fine yellow colour; the upper part of the plumage is
brown, the breast and belly white, the former prettily blotched with
black. In size they are equal to the Snow Goose, and their skins, when
stripped of their feathers, are delicately white, and the flesh
excellent. They visit Churchill River in very small numbers; but about
two hundred miles to the North West of that river I have seen them fly
in large flocks, like the Common Waveys, or Snow Geese; and near
Cumberland House and Basquiau they are found in such numbers, that the
Indians in moon-light nights frequently kill upwards of twenty at a
shot. Like the Horned Wavey, they never fly with the lead of the coast,
but are always seen to come from the Westward. Their general
breeding-places are not known, though some few of their eggs are
occasionally found to the North of Churchill; but I never heard any
Indian say that he had seen any eggs of the Horned Wavey: it is probable
they retire to North Greenland to breed; and their route in the Fall of
the year, as they return Southward, is equally unknown. They are, I
believe, seldom seen on the coast of Hudson's Bay to the Southward of
latitude 59° North.
[Sidenote: Barren Geese.]
{444} BARREN GEESE.[216] These are the largest of all the species of
Geese that frequent Hudson's Bay, as they frequently weigh sixteen or
seventeen pounds. They differ from the Common Grey Goose in nothing but
in size, and in the head and breast being tinged with a rusty brown.
They never make their appearance in the Spring till the greatest part of
the other species of Geese are flown Northward to breed, and many of
them remain near Churchill River the whole Summer. This large species
are generally found to be males, and from the exceeding smallness of
their testicles, they are, I suppose, incapable of propagating their
species. I believe I can with truth say, that I was the first European
who made that remark, though they had always been distinguished by the
name of the Barren Geese; for no other reason than that of their not
being known to breed. Their flesh is by no means unpleasant, though
always hard and tough; and their plumage is so thick before they begin
to moult, that one bird usually produces a pound of fine feathers and
down, of a surprising elasticity.
[Sidenote: Brent Geese.]
BRENT GEESE.[217] This species certainly breed in the remotest parts of
the North, and seldom make their appearance at Churchill River till late
in August or September. The route they take in Spring is unknown, and
their breeding-places have never been discovered by any Indian in
Hudson's Bay. When they make their appearance at {445} Churchill River,
they always come from the North, fly near the margin of the coast, and
are never seen in the interior parts of the country. In size they are
larger than a Mallard Duck, but inferior to the Snow Goose; and though
their flesh appears delicate to the eye, it is not much esteemed. In
some years they pass the mouth of Churchill River in prodigious numbers,
and many of them are killed and served to the Company's servants as
provisions; but, as I have just observed, they are not much relished.
When migrating to the South, they generally avail themselves of a strong
North or North Westerly wind, which makes them fly so swift, that when I
have killed four or five at a shot, not one of them fell less than from
twenty to fifty yards from the perpendicular spot where they were
killed. Like the White, or Snow Geese, when in large flocks they fly in
the shape of a wedge, and make a great noise. Their flight is very
irregular, sometimes being forty or fifty yards above the water, and in
an instant after they skim close to the surface of it, and then rise
again to a considerable height; so that they may justly be said to fly
in festoons.
[Sidenote: Dunter Geese.]
The DUNTER GEESE,[218] as it is called in Hudson's Bay, but which is
certainly the Eider Duck. They are common at the mouth of Churchill
River as soon as the ice breaks up, but generally fly far North to
breed; and the few that do remain near the settlement are so scattered
among small islands, and sea-girt rocks and shoals, as to {446} render
it not worth while to attempt gathering their down. Their eggs, when
found, are exceeding good eating; and in the Fall of the year the flesh
is by no means unpleasant, though they are notoriously known to feed on
fish.
[Sidenote: Bean Goose.]
BEAN GOOSE.[219] This species is seldom found in any part of Hudson's
Bay, as in all my travels I have only seen three that were killed. This
bird never came under the inspection of Mr. Graham, or the late Mr.
Hutchins, though they both contributed very largely to the collection
sent home to the Royal Society.[CO]
_Species of Water-Fowl._
[Sidenote: Ducks.]
DUCKS of various kinds are found in those parts during Summer; some only
frequenting the sea-coast, while others visit the interior parts of the
country in astonishing numbers. The species of this bird which is found
most commonly here are, the King Duck,[220] Black Duck,[221] Mallard
{447} Duck,[222] Long-tailed Duck,[223] Widgeon,[224] and Teal.[225] The
two first only visit the sea-coast, feed on fish and fish-spawn; and
their flesh is by no means esteemed good, though their eggs are not
disagreeable. The Mallard and Long-tailed Duck visit Hudson's Bay in
great numbers, and extend from the sea-coast, to the remotest Western
parts, and near Cumberland House are found in vast multitudes. At their
first arrival on the sea-coast, they are exceeding good eating; but when
in a moulting state, though very fat, they are in general so rank that
few Europeans are fond of them. At those seasons the difference in
flavour is easily known by the colour of the fat; for when that is
white, the flesh is most assuredly good; but when it is yellow, or of an
orange colour, it is very rank and fishy. This difference is only
peculiar to those that frequent and breed near the sea-coast; for in the
interior parts I never knew them killed but their flesh was very good;
and the young Mallard Duck before it can fly is very fat, and most
delicate eating. The same may be said of the Long-tailed Duck. Neither
of those species lay more than six or eight eggs in common, and
frequently bring them all forth.
[Sidenote: Widgeon.]
WIDGEON.[226] This species of Duck is very uncommon in Hudson's Bay;
usually keeping in pairs, and being seldom seen in flocks. They are by
no means so numerous as the two former, and are most frequently seen in
rivers and marshes near the sea-coast. Their flesh is generally
esteemed; and the down of those I have examined is little inferior in
elasticity to that of the Eider, though much {448} shorter. The same may
be said of several other species of Ducks that frequent those parts; but
the impossibility of collecting the down in any quantity, prevents it
from becoming an article of trade.
[Sidenote: Teal.]
TEAL.[227] Like the Mallard, they are found in considerable numbers near
the sea-coast; but are more plentiful in the interior parts of the
country, and fly in such large flocks that I have often killed twelve or
fourteen at one shot, and have seen both English and Indians kill a much
greater number. At their first arrival they are but poor, though
generally esteemed good eating. This diminutive Duck is by far the most
prolific of any I know that resorts to Hudson's Bay; for I have often
seen the old ones swimming at the head of seventeen young, when not much
larger than walnuts. This bird remains in those parts as long as the
season will permit; for in the year one thousand seven hundred and
seventy-five, in my passage from Cumberland House to York Fort, I, as
well as my Indian companions, killed them in the rivers we passed
through as late as the twentieth of October. At those times they are
entirely involved in fat, but delicately white, and may truly be called
a great luxury.
Besides the birds already described, there is a great variety of
others, both of land and water fowl, that frequent those parts in
Summer; but these came not so immediately under my inspection as those I
have already described.
{449} _Of the Vegetable Productions._