April. 1919] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[^ 



197. %RO\VN THRASHER, Toxostoma rufum. 

 Fairly common. At least two pairs lived within 



hearing of cur camp in 1917 and we met with half 

 a dozen more on our spring rambles. In 1918, 

 Young noted it constantly from May 16 to Aug. 24 

 with a couple of late individuals on Sept. 12 and 17. 



198. '^HOUSE WREN, Troglodytes aedon. 



Very abundant and heard singing everywhere. 

 They do not seem as inclined to build about the farm 

 buildings as the species does in the east. There were 

 innumerable possible nesting places about the farm- 

 steed that few eastern wrens could resist yet none 

 of them were occupied. A few individuals were 

 still present during the autumn visit. In 1918, 

 Young noted it continuously and regularly from 

 May 10 to Sept. 30. Specimens are distinctly T. a. 

 parl^mani. 



199. 'WINTER WREN, N annus h'.cmalis hiemalis. 

 Not seen in 1917, but in 1918 \ oung observed 



single individuals from May 20 to 23,. and on 

 Sept. 16. 



200. "^SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN, Cislotlwrus 



stellaris. 

 Not uncommon in certain localities. While usually 

 inhabitating damp marshes some were found in dry 

 grass or even in brushy edges in typical House Wren 

 ground. None were certainly recognized in the fall 

 of 1917 though Young lists it occasionally from 

 June 1 to Sept. 25. 



201. ''^LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN, T elmaiodyies 



palustris. 

 Hardly commoner than the Short-bill and not so 

 widely distributed. This species requires wetter and 

 more extensive swamps than that species and the 

 drying up of the marshes would more severely limit 

 its habitat. A Marsh Wren glimpsed on the shore 

 of a small pond on Sept. 19, 1917, was supposed 

 to be of this species. Owing to their more restricted 

 habitat the Long-biiled Marsh Wren was, in 1918, 

 even scarcer than the previous year. Young only 

 records occasional individuals May 7 and June 10. 

 Specimens show the light back, and brown rather 

 than black head of T . p. iliacus. 



202. ='"BROWN CREEPER, Cerlhia familiaris. 

 Young took two specimens of the Brown Creeper 



on Sept. 23 and 26, 1918. 



203. ^"red-BREASTED nuthatch, Sitta canadensis. 

 One individual seen by Young on Sept. 24, 1918. 



204. '*^black-capped chickadee, Penihestes 



airicapillus. 

 Only seen in 1917 on May 20 and Sept. 26. Of 

 the former one female was taken with an egg in 

 oviduct ready for deposition. Scattered individuals 

 noted by Young throughout the summer of 1918. 

 Specimens taken have constantly longer tails than 



any but extreme eastern specimens and hence are 

 referred to P. a. sepientr'ionalis. 



205. "^RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, Regains calendula. 

 In 1917, single individuals seen May 20 and June 



1. In September a few were seen nearly every day. 

 In 1918, noted by Young daily from May 7 to 24 

 and Sept. 9 to 30. 



206. ^Wilson's thrush, Hylocichla fuscescem. 

 Common. Its golden chain song could be heard 



every evening from our camp. In 1918, Young re- 

 corded it nearly every day from May 9 to Sept. 

 28. All specimens show the slightly olive back of 

 the Willow Thrush, H. f. salicicola. 

 1^1. "^Alice's thrush, H\)locichla alkiae. 



Thrushes of this genus were fairly common during 

 migrations, but the bush was generally so dense 

 and the birds so shy that collection gave the only 

 certain separation between Alice's and Olive-backed 

 Thrushes. I was fairly certain that we had speci- 

 mens of both in the spring collection of 1917, but 

 they all were lost in transit. One specimen taken 

 by Young on Sept. 19 belongs to this species. 



208. *0LIVE-BACKED thrush, Hylocichla ustulata. 

 In 1918, Young noted thrushes under this head- 

 ing from May 15 to June 1 and Sept. 6 to 20. All 

 his specimens except one mentioned under previous 

 heading are of this species which is probably the 

 more common. We have specimens of the following 

 dates: juvenile and adult males Sept. 18, 1917, Sept. 

 6 and 9. 1918; and juvemle females Sept. 9, 1918. 

 These four are slighlty but consistently more oliva- 

 ceous (or grayer) above and rather more heavily 

 spotted on breast than comparable eastern H. u. 

 sn>ainsoni differing from them almost as much as the 

 Willow Thrush, H. f. salicicola differs from the 

 Veery, H. f. fuscescens. I find these same 

 distinctive characters in an autumn specimen 

 from as far west as Jasper Park but not in spring 

 and summer birds from intermediate points. These 

 specimens agree closely with the description and 

 range of H. u. almae Oberholser, and if every per- 

 ceptible difference is regarded worthy of a separate 

 name this form probably has claim to reinstatement 

 in the Check List. 



209. ^HERMIT THRUSH, Hylocichla guttata. 

 Quite common during the spring of 1917. The 



last specifically recognized was on June 2. In the 

 autumn one was taken on Sept. 19. In 1918, Young 

 noted the Hermit Thrush from May 13 to 24 and 

 Sept. 3 to 30. These are of course eastern Hermit 

 Thrush, H. g. pallasii. 



210. ^AMERICAN ROBIN, Planesticus migratorius. 

 Common on all visits, in 1918, at date of de- 

 parture, Oct. 2. 



21 1. ^BLUEBIRD, Siala sialis. 



Though not known by the Ward brothers as a 



