58 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 



[Vol. XXV. 



able to determine whether they had com- 

 menced nesting or not. 



On April 3rd practically tjhe same 

 ground was covered and altihough one 

 Crossbill wem heard in flig'ht, none were 

 seen. 



It is noteworthy that this species ap- 

 pears to be the prevalent crossbill in tihe 

 Montreal district, at least during recent 

 years ; while in Compton County, during 

 tIhe years 1899-1902, and at other times, 

 I did not record it at all, but found the 

 Red Crosjsbill a common bird. 



L. McI. Terrell. 



Observations on the Birds of Prince 

 Edward Island. 



During- th.e mont^h of June and the 

 first few days of July, I was engaged 

 in marine biological work at Malpeque, 

 P.E.I. I was able incidentally to make 

 a few observations on the birds of the 

 region and these are worth putting on 

 record only because very little has been 

 published concerning t)ie avifauna of 

 Prince Edward Island. 



The country round Malpeque Bay, 

 which is also known as Ridhimond Bay, is 

 practically all cleared. Here and there 

 small patdhes of White Spruce and Paper 

 Birch remain, and on the north side of 

 nearly every house is a wind-break of 

 these same trees left as a protection 

 against the bitter nortihi winds which 

 sweep in from the Grulf of St. Lawrence. 

 Curtain Island, near t^he middle of Mal- 

 peque Bay, and some of the other is- 

 lands in the bay, are fairly well timbered. 



The chief feature of the avifauna as 

 a whole which imprassesi one is that it 

 is not particularly rich in species, but 

 that there are a great number of indi- 

 viduals of such species as do occur. 



On tjie bay and on the outier coast 

 the commonest birds are the Common 

 Tern and the Herring Gull. On Fish Is- 

 land, and on its great barrier dunes 

 wfhich extend practically across the moutih 

 of the bay, the Piping Plover is very 

 common, and its melodious yet somewhat 

 plaintive note seemed to fit in most ap- 

 propriately with the vast gray expanse 

 of the dunes and t^e roar of the surf. 



The Beltd Kingfisher is not uncom- 

 mon and a pair had their home in a 



burrow in a high eroding cliff on Cur- 

 tain Island. 



The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is 

 fairly common and a pair nested in the 

 orchard beside the North Sjiiore House 

 at which we stayed. 



Of the Woodpeckers the Flicker and 

 the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker are the com- 

 monest species, the former being abun- 

 dant and nesting in the old spruce stubs 

 which in many places are found along 

 the fences. 



T^ie Kingbird, the Olive-sided and. tihe 

 Least were the only Fly-catchers ob- 

 served. About a quarter of a mile from 

 the North Shore House there is a littJe 

 patch of spruce, and from the top of 

 one of the tallest of tJiese trees an Olive- 

 sided Flycatcher uttered hisi "Whip-whee- 

 yoo-u-u" from morning till nig^t, and 

 this clear ringing note reached us with 

 its volume but little diminished. He also 

 had a softer ^^Quilp-quilp" which he 

 used occasionally. A Least Fly-catcher, 

 which nested in the grounds, was the 

 most persistent singer of all the birds of 

 t^e neighbourhood. His chief haunt was 

 in one of the tall willows, and here he 

 sat and uttered hi&'^Chehec-chehec-chehec- 

 chehec-ckehcc-chehec" so continuously that 

 one wondered when he found time to eat. 

 On two or three occasions I saw him dies- 

 cribe an arc in the air, and while doing 

 so he sang a song quite unlike, and far 

 more melodious t^an, his usual m.onoto- 

 nous vocal performance. 



The Prairie Homed Lark is common 

 in the fields. The Crow is abundant both 

 in the fields and on the sihore. The 

 Bronzed Crackle is one of the most abun- 

 dant birds of the whole region about 

 the bay, and nearly every patch of spruce 

 held a large colony of tlhese birds. The 

 status of this species on t^ Island seems 

 to have changed since Macoun in 1888 

 wrote "One pair seen at Tracadie", and 

 Dwight in the nineties said "A pair of 

 these birds in Mr. Earle's possession 

 were tlhe only ones he had ever seen on 

 Prince Edward Island." 



The Purple Finch is a common summer 

 resident, and a male which lived in the 

 vicinity of t^e North S:hore House was 

 the most brilliant songster of this species 

 I have ever heard, his rich warbling re- 



