Plate 131 – American Robin

John James Audubon first stepped foot on the coast of Labrador on June 17, 1833. All of the moss growing on the ground and the lack of trees and shrubs around the American Harbor [present-day Le Petit Havre] made Labrador look like one enormous putting green. Except underneath the soft and fluffy moss were slick boulders, sharp rocks, and muddy holes and pits. Walking and strolling in Labrador amounted to nothing more than staggering, stumbling, tripping, falling, and wallowing in mud. Audubon labeled Labrador “a poor, rugged, miserable country.” The only bird that was willing to greet Audubon and his fellow explorers in the miserable country was none other than the American robin. “That song brought with it a thousand pleasing associations referring to the beloved land of my youth, and soon inspired me with resolution to persevere in my hazardous enterprise.”