Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-12
Exploration. of Newfoundland.

Though Newfoundland was discovered by Ca
bot, one of the earliest American explorers,
within five years after the first voyage of Column
bus, and has been inhabited by Europeans al
most as long as any other part of North Amer
lea, the interior of the island is almost unknown,
and has never been explored by white man
until Mr.. Cormack crossed it recently with only
one companion, a Micmac Indian. He found
the interior a vast savanna country, adorned
with woods and water, Astounding in beautiful
scenery AIyriads of the finest reindeer traverse
these wilds, migrating annually from the south
east to the northwest. Beavers are extremely
numerous in the streams and lakes. OF other
characteristics of the country it is said:
Towards the centre of the island Cormack
crossed extensive districts, remarkable for
abundance of berries, which attract great num-
bers of black bears. The paths or beats of these
animals through their feeding grounds are
stamped with marks of antiquity seemingly CO.
eyal with the country. The points of rock that
happen to project in their way are perfectly pol
ished from having been continually touched and
rubbed. The fresh tracks of wolves were fire.
quently observed; but only few of them seen,
as they fly before the approach of man. Two
kinds were obseryed-one large, that prowls
singy or in couples; another small, sometimes
once plenty all over the island, and so destruc-
tive to the cattle and sheep of settlers that gov
eminent offered a reward of five pounds for the
head aud skin of every wolf that was killed.
Thirty years ago wolves were rather numerous
in the neighborhood of the capital, but are now
rarely heard of in the vicinity of any settlement,
although troops of them roam through the in
terror and prey upon the deer. In 1912 a wolf
was shot at the head of Conception Bay that
was a noble specimen of his race. His color
was silvery, and his general appearance much
like that of silver-haired fox. In length he
measured six feet six inches, and was two feet
nine inches in height; length of lower jaw nine
inches, with muscles of the mouth and head re-
markably large and powerful. Like the
rat, the wolf is not wholly bad. One
winter a party of wolves were seen cross
ing frozen pond, with one in the centre that
appeared to be sick, and was surrounded by the
rest in the manner of body guard. On being
pursued, they dropped off one BY one, till only
two remained with the supposed invalid. These
two, when fired at, retired evidently with great
reluctance. On coming up to the remaining
one, they found ii was an old she wolf, COM
pletely blind from age, her teeth being almost
worn down. The men put rope round her
and led her TO the village. In the woods they
found her den, strewed with vast number of
deers bones, etc., all around which the snow,
though three feet deep, was trodden hard and
smooth; and from the number of paths leading
W lulo epOtJ IL dppedTeu eNiuIut lndl tulS aSCu
wolf had for long time been supplied luXuri-
ously with food by the assiduous attentions of
Others 1t is interesting to find such traits of
affection and tender regard for the helplesSness
of old age among creatures whose hearts are
usually supposed to have no soft spot.
Only single bear was shot by our travellers,
but he proved to be a splendid specimen, three
hundred and fifty pounds in weight, and the
fat round his body four inches in thickness.
They rested two days to feast on him. On the
3)th of October, they shot hare weighing up
wards of fourteen pounds, white in color, eX-
cept the tip of the ear and tip of the tail, which
always remain black. The hare of Newfound-
land is the Arctic hare. In certain localities
foxes were observed in abundance-black, sill
ver-gray and red-all these colors being pro-
duced at one litter.
The climate of the interior Cormack pro-
nounces delightful, totally different from that
of the eastern coast, along which the chilling
Arctic current sets, and also from that of the
southern Shores that in summer are so fire.
quenty enveloped in fog. The register of the
weather kept by him during September and
October shows forty-one bright days, eight rainy
days, four foggy days and five snowy days. His
remarkable record of travel awakens deeper
longing to know more of this untrodden region
Let us hope that it will not much longer remain
a terra incOqnitd,"