24 The Ottawa Naturalist. [April — May 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE 

 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. 



By EuG. CouBEAUX, Prince Albert, Sask. 

 I. 

 The Birds of Southern Saskatchewan. 

 The following annotated list is the result of a few researches 

 during the last five years in the southern part of the Saskatchewan 

 Territory, mainly in the region between 105^ and loG'' west longi- 

 tude, and 50'' 30' and 530 20' north latitude. This small portion 

 of the "rolling" prairie belongs chiefly to the partly wooded 

 prairie, its south-west corner however showing the vicinity of the 

 open prairie country. In the middle of it runs the Birch Hill 

 range, with its three summits, the " Matinasse," the Birch Hill 

 and the Red Deer Hill, that cut the south branches of the Sas- 

 katchewan. 



Throughout the country are found a number of drainage 

 basins, marshes, ponds, and lakes of considerable size, of these 

 only one, the head waters of the Carrot River, is teeming with 

 fish. These waters are more or less alkaline and contain a 

 species of Amhlysto7na. West of these hills are found a great 

 number ot erratic boulders of the glacial period and a great num- 

 ber of dried up rivers, showing there was at one time an epoch of 

 greater humidity. The commonest tree is the Aspen, Populus 

 trefnuloides, of which with Salix rostrata, the "bluffs" or " iles " 

 throughout the country chiefly consist. With the exception of a 

 few small areas in the south, the coniferous forest begins north of 



Prince Albert. 



NATATORES— Swimming Birds. 



Order Pygopodes. 



1. Colymbus aiiritus. This bird is here a common summer resident, breeding 



in great numbers in all the marshes and ponds of the prairie. It 

 arrives about the middle of May and remains rather late in the autumn. 



2. Colvmhus nigricollis californiais. Sometimes met with, but much rarer than 



the preceding. 



3. Urhiator imber. This splendid bird breeds on every large lake or pond, 



preferring those where fish are plentiful. It arrives in May and remains 

 till late in the fall, like the above mentioned species. 



