54 The Ottawa Naturalist. [May 



other specimen, a smaller and apparently a young^er bird, arose on 

 the wing and made its escape. The wounded eag^le was secured, 

 and is still living in captivity. It measures seven feet from tip to 

 tip of its outspread wings. It is now very rarely that a specimen 

 of this species of the feathered race makes its appearance in these 

 parts. 



Owls. The appearance of snowy owls has also been reported 

 from various localities, but no specimen of this species came under 

 my notice during the past season, indeed it is a number of years 

 since any of the species have been seen here. All the family are 

 rare in this locality, but Mr. S. McGeorge, my son-in-law, who 

 resides some five miles west of this town, reports that a "little 

 horned " or mottled owl, which is in the habit of visiting his barn 

 every winter, again made its appearance there the present season, 

 and remained about two months. He also states that three years 

 ago he saw in a piece of swampy woods adjoining his farm a nest 

 of this species containing three young. This nest was placed on 

 the horizontal branch of a small swamp elm, ten or twelve feet off 

 the ground, and was probably the deserted nest of a crow. 



Snow-flakes. These birds usually make their appearance 

 here in large flocks with the first snow-fall, and are frequently 

 seen hovering over the fields and along the roadways, until the 

 winter is nearly over, and the first members of the thrush family 

 the true harbingers of spring make their appearance. With 

 these exceptions, and the ever-present English sparrows, the only 

 other species of the avifaunian race noted in this vicinity the past 

 winter, were bluejays, chickadees, and some woodpeckers. 



Spring Birds. On the 17th of February, the first horned 

 lark was noted, and a week later this species had become com- 

 mon. On the 24th the first crow was observed, and in a few days 

 these were also common. On March nth, robins, blue-birds, 

 song sparrows, and bronzed grackles were seen. Next day a 

 pair of red-wing blackbirds were seen, and again on the 14th and 

 on the 15th the notes of the killdeer plover and the song of the 

 meadow lark were heard. On the morning of March 17th a cold 

 " nor-wester" set in, and for a time put a stop to bird migration; 

 yet it was surprising amid the arctic coldness to hear how sweetly 

 a number of song sparrows gave vent to their song notes. 



