1917] The Ottawa Naturalist. 157 



entrance to their home was nearly always filled with expectant baby 

 mouths and later the youngsters ventured out onto the platform and 

 when able to fly they, for two or three weeks, returned every night; 

 then their visits became less frequent until one day, accompanied by 

 some friends, there being twenty-three birds in all, they bade the old 

 homestead a noisy farewell. 



The young wrens remained in the neighborhood a week or so and 

 the adults were often heard singing until late fall. 



My two male martins had the white and gray plumage similar to 

 that of the female. This spring I hope to see them in their black- 

 purple-sheened plumage which is probably acquired in their second 

 Year. 



BIRDS OBSERVED AT GRANDE PRAIRIE CITY, 

 PEACE RIVER DISTRICT. 



By Frank L. Farley, Camrose, Alia. 



I spent four days from June 30 to July 3, 1916, in and around 

 Grande Prairie City, and noted the birds mentioned below. This town 

 is the centre of the far famed district of the same name, and is about 

 sixty miles due south of the old post, Dunveagan, on the Peace River 

 and is, roughly, 250 miles northwest of Edmonton. The town is only 

 a year or so old, and is now as large as some of the towns in the older 

 settled portions of the Province. It is situate on Bear Creek, a small 

 stream which flows into the YVapita, a few miles to the south. The 

 country is mostly prairie, with scattered bluffs of poplar and willow. 

 and rolls slightly. The grasses and shrubs are very similar to those 

 around Edmonton. To the east of this prairie country the railway 

 passes through one hundred miles of large poplar, some of which is 

 twenty inches in diameter. This is surely the great summer home of 

 the White-throated Sparrow and the Junco. There were more White- 

 throats noticed than all other birds combined. I counted a dozen 

 singing in the valley of the Smoky River, all within three hundred 

 yards of the train. They were particularly very plentiful throughout 

 this territory. On the prairie, the Vesper Sparrow was by far the 

 most abundant bird. I was surprised to find the English Sparrow 

 quite at home in the town, there being at least a hundred feeding 

 around the elevators and warehouses. They of course, used their 

 regular way of travel the freight car. The list is given in the order 

 that the birds were observed. 



Junco; very common. 



White-throated Sparrow; very common. 



Clay-colored Sparrow; fairly common. 



X 



