17 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 



The Yellow-throated Vireo near Seeley's of the other genus taken there and in the nearby 



Bay. This bird is usually looked on as rather regions. When I showed the specimen to a noted 



southern in Ontario, and I was a little surprised mammalogist he said at once that he recognized 



to hear its well-known and easily distinguished Phenacomys roughly by the long thick fur, but inr.- 



song in the woods near Seeley's Bay while motoring mediately he found that Microtus druminondi from 



to Ottawa on July 3, 1919. On looking up the the same locality was indistinguishable. The root 



records I find that there are many reports of its characters of the teeth turn out to belong to very 



occurrence in eastern Ontario, but that observed on old individuals only, and this leaves the younger, 



the above date is the first one that I remember to though fully grown adults, in the class of "very 



have seen myself, and perhaps the occurrence is difficult to identify." 



worthy of record. The tail is short, but so are tails of Microtus 



W. E. Saunders. found alongside. To illustrate the difficulty the 

 following measurements are of several specimens: 



A New Mammal for Canada. In the summer Length. Tail, 



of 1890 the writer, with Dr. F. A. Saunders, was 854 Phenacomys 123 27 



collecting mammals at Ottawa, and among others 882 Microtus minor 118 26 



we were after bats. On the evening of July 10, 880 " drummondi 126 35 



we took in "Clarke's woods," immediately north- 88-4 " minor 127 29 



west of the Observatory gate of the Experimental 883 " " 127 29 



Farm, a little brown bat, and unfortunately, we W. E. SaunDERS. 



managed to lose the skull. Recently, I was send- 



ing some specimens for identification to Washing- Brewer's Sparrow IN SASKATCHEWAN AND 



ton, and decided that the little bat was sufficiently Alberta. In a recent issue of the Condor, there 



different to be identified without the skull, so I in- j^ ^ ^^^^^j ^f ^1^^ occurrence of this sparrow in 



eluded it. Alberta, and it is given as the first record for the 



The answer comes back that it is the Pipistrelle, province. When I looked it up in Macoun's 



Pipisirellus subflavus, and the first to be taken in gj^j^ ^f Canada, I was surpnsed to find that the 



Canada. It does not differ from the specimens ^\^^j^ jj correct. My impression had been that it 



taken in New York state near Lake George, and ^^^ f^j^ly ^^n ^no^n and widespread near the 



that general region, the only source of records up Alberta-Saskatchewan line, but in this I was mis- 



to the present. taken Moreover, I find that I have failed to find 



This bat may now be looked for in all the ter- -^ ^^^^^ ^-^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^j^^t ^-^^^ b^ considered 

 ritory between Ottawa and the St. Lawrence, and ^^ ^e favorable ground in those provinces, name- 

 ought to be found at Montreal. ly_ at Gull Lake, Sask. ; High River, Aha., and 



The little known bats are near enough ahke to Dunmore, Alta. On Sept. I, 1896, I took a 



be a moderate puzzle to those who do not know specimen, my first, at Maple Creek, Alta., and my 



them, but most species can be readily picked out records do not show any others observed on that 



by the initiated. We have in Ontario Eptesicus j^y j j|j j^^t ^^^^t ^jtj^ it ^^^^^ ^j^fjj j^^^ g 



fuscus, Myotis subulatus, M. lucifugus, and prob- ^gQ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ t^^i^^ ^^^ delightfully held up all 



ably Nyciicejus humeralis, besides the additional ^^^ ^^ Cummings, in the dry region of Saskatche- 



species noted above. wan, owing to a "washout." The other passengers 



W. E. Saunders. fretted, but to me it was a great chance. In my 

 wanderings through the muddy plains that day. 



Phenacomys intermedius from High River, I found two nests of Brewer's sparrow and took 



Alberta. Among a small number of mammals two male birds, and heard and saw many others, 



sent to Washington for identification, one is re- These are now in my collection and measure 



turned with the above label. I have been hunting 138, 64, 56, 18 and 140, 65. 61. 17. 



for specimens of this genus for years, and it is a These birds were inhabiting a sage brush coun- 



sad commentary en one's acuteness to find that an try, and the nests were in sage at about a foot 



example has been taken and remained unrecog- from the ground. They resembled those of the 



nized ! field and chipping sparrows, and the eggs are of 



It was with a lot of Microtus living in a shrubby the same type, 



valley, and is really remarkably like some members W. E. SaunDERS. 



