Oet.-Dee. 1921.] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



1.35 



quite distinct, might easily pass as an ab- 

 normal one of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 



DiCKCISSEL. 



This bird was first recorded for the pro- 

 vince by Mr. G. E. Atkinson, who took a 

 specimen near Portage la Prairie on June 

 14, 1897. He concluded that the example 

 was a straggler from the south, though the 

 date at which it was taken would indicate 

 that it was breeding in the neighborhood. 



On June 24, 1921, I was out on grass- 

 hopper work in company with Mr. F N. 

 Vroom. "We stopped at Melita and had 

 gone out in the evening to do a little col- 

 lecting south-west of the village. About 

 half a mile away there is a ravine wi^h 

 stagnant pools of water, and just beyond, 

 to the right, a ratlier wide dry meadow 

 dotted over with low-lying shrubs consist- 

 ing of Silverberry {Elaeagnus argentea), 

 "Western Snowberry {S}i)nphorocarpu<> oc- 

 cidentalism and a few others in lesser num- 

 bers. There is some high herbage, too, 

 which provides abundance of cover for 

 small birds. It was on the edge of "his 

 meadow, near the road, that I heard a 

 song with which I was unfamiliar and 

 which I traced' to a small bird sitting upon 

 a fence post. We soon obtained a close 

 view of the singer, which I recognized by 

 the characteristic black patch beneath the 

 throat to be a Dickcissel. This was a 

 male in full song and, interestinglv enough, 

 his song was answered by a second indi- 



vidual about 80 yards away in the same 

 valley. No nests were found or even 

 sought for, but from the fact that there 

 were two or more males singing there. I 

 think we may safely conclude that the 

 species breeds in the vicinity. 



Lark Bunting. 



This species ranges east to Aweme, 

 where it has been known to nest. It is, 

 however, but a casual visitor in most parts 

 of the province, though it breeds quite 

 commonly in the extreme south-west cor- 

 ner. 



Black-throated Blue Warbler. 



Two examples, both males, have been 

 seen since my original record of this species. 

 While these birds were not collected the 

 markings a:e so distinctive that it would 

 he an extraordinary lack of observation to 

 mistake the species for any other. 



Mountain Bluebird. 



It is interesting to relate that this hand- 

 some species has taken readily to nesting 

 boxes and that it is steadily increasing. 

 Both this and the common Bluebird have 

 made their nests in the vicinity of my 

 ' ome for some years past, and while the 

 House Sparrow is there, too, and has a 

 reputation for fighting, he is invariably 

 ' anquished when he comes in contact with 

 t'le Bluebirds. 



LESSONS LEARNED FROM A TAME SPARROW HAWK. 



By P. A. Taverner. 

 {Published by permissio)t of the Director of the Victoria Memorial Museum.) 



Some years ago we kept what I 'was 

 about to call a captive Sparrow Hawk; 

 but the word "captive" conveys an er- 

 roneous impression of relationship. 

 "Tame" is weak and ec|ually misleading. 

 Perhaps it is better to make a new start 

 and state that, once upon a time, I was 

 on intimately friendly terms with a Spar- 

 row HaM'k. She had been taken from her 

 deep, dark nest cavity a half downy 



tlirougli contact witli human kind, than 

 of normal Sparrow Hawk education. 

 Wlien I first met her, an adolescent bird, 

 as friend and master, there is reason 

 to suspect that experience with humans 

 liad not predisposed her in their favor; 

 but, as events proved, nothing serious 

 enough had happened to prevent the es- 

 tablishment of thorough confidence be- 

 tween us. During the two or three years 



youngster, inexperienced in the Avays of this charming intimacy endured I had un- 



Sparrow Hawks in the wide, wild world: usual opportunities for studying Sparrow 



and whatever she afterwards did or Hawk nature in general and this bird in 



thought or attained was more the result particular, 



of instinct and natural ability developed Ornithological observers are familiar 



