200 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Feb 



young and an adult. A 3-oung bird fuUy^fledged was also dis- 

 covered in a weak condition, though nothing could V:e fovmd to 

 account for its skiggishness. 



1907. 



February 6. A small band of Chickadees have been with 

 us since the winter commenced, feeding upon pieces of suet 

 placed for their convenience. Recently this has become scarce 

 and the Chickadees are now subsisting to quite a large extent on 

 waste oats. These they carry to the sunny side of a log building 

 and holding the oat with one foot extract the kernel from the 

 husk with their beak. This is quite a new departure for 

 Chickadees. 



April 28. Found two Western-horned Owls in possession 

 of a nest built by a pair of Goshawks last year. There were two 

 or three voung of different ages in the nest and an old bird made 

 several queer noises at me, one of which resembled the barking 

 of a dog. There was a recently killed field mouse at the bottom 

 of the tree. 



Ma.y 26. Examined around the Owl's nest mentioned i/: 



al)o\e and found several pellets, which were made up chiefly of 

 the hair of mice and rabbits, with the broken bones of those 

 mammals and one bird bone. 



July 26. There are two Ravens a few miles northwest of 

 here which have discovered a voung calf and dog recently 

 deceased. This is the first occasion that Ravens have been ob- 

 served at Aweme in summer time and might lead one to .suspect 

 them of breeding in the neighbourhood. 



August 11. Visited the nest of a Vesper Sparrow to see 

 what effect the heavv rain had had upon the young. Found one 

 stretched out very, much overcome, but later in the morning 

 both were perfectly well. They are almost fully fledged. 



November 16. I have for the last week been cutting down 

 trees close to a Chickadee's sleeping place, a hole some 18 feet 

 from the ground in an old tree, evidently the work of a Wood- 

 pecker. The Chickadee appears regularly and enters its home at 

 about ten minutes after sunset, there being a slight variation, 

 according to the brightness of the evening. At first the stump 

 was surrounded by trees, but though these have now all been cut 

 aAvay and the only branch upon which the bird perched before 

 entering its nest broken, it entered its hole as usual after showing 

 but momentary surprise at the change. This Chickadee is often 

 accompanied by others, but they have separate homes and soon 

 vanish to meet together again next morning. 





