February, 1921.] 



The Canadian Field-Xatt;ralist. 



35 



many individuals are taking food from a 

 common source they have frequent com- 

 bats, two individuals grappling, rolling 

 over and over, and using their mandibles 

 but never their stings. 



This species finds its food by the sense 

 of smell, as was shown by a few experi- 

 ments which I performed. Food hidden 

 from its sight was readily discovered, but 

 similarly-coloured objects without odour 

 were not visited. 



A. Brooker Klugh. 



A Gull in Niagara Rapids. On the 

 afternoon of February 16, 1921, at Niaga- 

 ra Falls, Ontario, I was watching through 

 binoculars (x3) Herring Gulls, {Larus ar- 

 geniatus, Pont.) and Ring-billed Gulls 

 {Larus delaivarensis Ord.) which were 

 picking bits of food out of the rapids of 

 the Niagara River. So skilfully did they do 

 their work that they seemed to receive on 

 their plumage not even a drop of spray 

 as they dipped repeatedly to the surface 

 of the rough water. But one adult Gull, of 

 which species I cannot say, must have made 

 an error as he sought to obtain some object 

 in the rapids just above the brink of the 

 Canadian Falls, for, while I watched with 

 my glasses focussed on him, he was sud- 

 denly seized by the foaming river, and in 

 a flash he disappeared beneath the sur- 

 face. I concluded that his career was end- 

 ed and that in a few moments more he 

 Avould go over the falls. Hardly had I had 

 time for the thought, however, when, several 

 feet down-stream from the place where he 

 had been submerged, the Gull reappeared 

 and succeeded in taking flight. Appar- 

 ently the rough handling which lie must 

 have received while beneath the surface of 

 the rapids had forced water into his usually 

 water-proof plumage, for, as he flew slow- 

 ly away, he was seen to shake himself 

 vigorously, as a dog will do on coming 

 out of the water. 



Harrison F. Lewis. 



The Greater Snow Goose. Most re- 

 cent writers on the water-fowl of north- 

 eastern North America speak of the Greater 

 Show Goose {Chen hyperhoreiis nivalis 

 (Forst.)) as a rare bird in that area and 

 appear to pay little or no attention to the 

 fact that Mr. C. E. Dionne, on pages 109- 



110 of his book, "Les Oiseaux de la Pro- 

 vince de Quebec" (1906), states of tliis 

 subspecies that it "is very common and 

 often occurs in considerable flocks in spring 

 and fall in certain places on our shores, 

 notably at St. Joachim, where I have seen 

 flocks of three or four thousand individ- 

 uals,' on the Island of Orleans, and as far 

 as the Sea- Wolves' Batture". The three 

 points mentioned by Mr. Dionne are Avith- 

 in sight of one another. In their vicinity 

 probably all the Greater Snow Geese in 

 existence in a wild state gather each spring 

 and autumn. From the independent sta- 

 tements of various careful observers, I 

 should conclude that their number is now 

 alxHit five or six thousand. When I visit- 

 ed St. Joachim on March 31, 1921, I saw 

 about two thousand Greater Snow Goose 

 there and was told that the maximum num 

 l)er would be present about ten days later. 

 They are Avell protected by a resident 

 M-arden maintained by the Cap Tourmente 

 Fish and Game Club. 



Harrison F. Lewis. 



The Town of Yarmouth, N.S., Buys A 

 Bird Sanctuary. 



The municipality of the Town of Yar- 

 mouth has purchased a Bird Sanctuary. 

 This was not an area suitable for a park 

 or other similar purposes,but was the Island 

 in Lake George where the colony of Great 

 Black-backed Gulls nest. It is of use for 

 Bird Sanctuary purposes only, and this 

 colony of Gulls, so ably described by Mr. 

 Harrison F. Lewis, will now be protected, 

 and will serve as an additional attractioii 

 for bird-lovers in the Yarmoutli vicinity. 



The publication of Mr. Lewis'^ article 

 in the "Naturalist" assisted in crystalli/c- 

 ing local public opinion on this question 

 for it was extensively quoted in the Yar- 

 mouth press at the time that the matter 

 was under consideration. 



The only step necessary to complete the 

 Sanctuary will be the formal setting aside 

 of the area by the provincial authorities. 



Large cities have parks where land birds 

 find refuge and may be studied by the 

 student ; these are bird sanctuaries with- 



1 Canadian Field-Naturalist Sept. 1920. 



