54 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 



[Vol. XXV. 



being positive about the identity I was 

 on the prairie the following morning at 

 5 a.m. to collect a cabinet specimen to 

 niake sure, and was surprised tihat no 

 birds were to be seen. Their absence how- 

 ever was only apparent, for by 6 a.m. 

 a few scattered individuals were in evi- 

 dence and in the course of the next 

 Ihalf hour, as the sun rose higher, flocks 

 of hundreds appeared from t^e stubble. 

 Individually they are not- shy, hut as 

 a company they are very restle-ss, rising 

 erraftieally to w'heel and dash in reckless 

 abandon without apparent cause. A 

 source of some surprise to me (with a 

 ground-loving species) was tiheir habit in 

 one instance of alighting on telegraph 

 wires whiclh intersected t/ie prairie. 



48. Black-Capped Chickadee {Pen- 

 thestes atricapillus) . More common about 

 the mixed woods in the vicinity of the 

 lakes, but frequently seen in low willow- 

 grown depressions on the prairie, far 

 from large (trees. Very common at Lau- 

 rier Lake and Wiliitney Lake on Sep- 

 tember 1, in company with the warblers. 



Others notied in the vicinity of Island 

 Lake. 



49. Olive-backed Thrush {Hijlocichla 

 ustulata). A specimen was colleoted Sep- 

 tember 1 at Laurier Lake. It was ex- 

 ceedingly wary, and considerable man- 

 oemo-ing wajg necessary before tjSie bird 

 was obtained. It was vigilantly feeding 

 about tihe tangled growth on the margin 

 of the lake shore. 



50. American Robin {Planesticus mi- 

 gratorius). Very common throughout the 

 fall. The last record was a solitary bird 

 feeding in the snow near Pleasant Valley 

 on October 10, two days after the big 

 storm. No record since. 



51. Mountain Bluebird {Sialia curru- 

 coides). Rather uncommon; scattered in- 

 dividuals in widely separated localities 

 noted during September. My last entry 

 is on October 5, "Three mountain blue- 

 birds observed near evening along t^e 

 trail east of the Twin Hills." 



(To be continued.) 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



Bird Migration. Replying to Prof. A. 

 B. Klugh's note in the September, 1920, 

 number of the Canadian Field-Naturalist 

 I wish to point out that I made no dog- 

 matic statement regarding self-conscious- 

 ness in animals. What I did say was that 

 I thought there was no such thing, which 

 is very different from positively asserting 

 the fact. 



What I meant and intended to convey 

 by pure nature was life carrying on its 

 functions untrammelled by man's in- 

 fluence or interference, when elaborate 

 schemes are seen to work out with the ut- 

 most precision, the lepidopteron in the one 

 case, and the bird in the other, making no 

 preliminary experiments, and hence no 

 mistakes, but carrying out through their 

 subconscious minds those changes and acts 

 which are necessary for the propagation 

 and continuance of their respective races, 

 which changes and acts are surely of the 

 Infinite. Very little onus I imagine rests 

 upon me to prove that millions of birds 

 as well as other animals are everv vear 



making no mistakes in these matters. Of 

 course it goes without saying that many 

 lose their lives in carrying out these sub- 

 conscious promptings. In the case of the 

 bird, after having started on its journey 

 it may be overtaken by a violent storm 

 whilst crossing some large sheet of water 

 and lose its life, but surely this and similar 

 instances cannot be put down to the mis- 

 takes of the said creatures. 



If, as Prof. Klugh says, tlhere is absol- 

 utely no proof that any mind can com- 

 municate with any other mind save 

 through the medium of the senses of hear- 

 ing, sight, touch or smell, so likewise there 

 is absolutely no proof that any mind can- 

 not communicate Avith any other mind save 

 through the above mediums. I personally 

 much prefer to keep an open mind on the 

 subject, believing that it may be possible 

 for any one mind to communicate with 

 any other mind irrespective of the afore- 

 mentioned mediums. 



I also do not see that it is so very hard 

 to account for the fact th-at birds will 



