266 The Ottawa Naturalist. [March 



BIRD NOTES. 



By W. T. Macoun. 



Winter birds were not numerous at Ottawa this year with the 

 exception of the house sparrow, which is always here in large 

 numbers. Some interesting notes, however, have been taken and 

 these should be recorded. 



The snowy owl has been much commoner than usual. Three 

 live specimens in a store on Sparks street attracteii much atten- 

 tion during the month of January. 



The first pine grosbeaks of which I have a record were seen 

 by me on Jan. 26th at the Normal School, when two males were 

 observed, and on the following day a flock of from eight to ten 

 birds were noted none ot which, however, was highly coloured. 

 The birds may have been here earlier than these dates but no 

 notes were sent in. They have been quite common ever since and 

 were seen to-day, Feb. i8th. 



On Feb. 6th I noticed two white-breasted nuthatches on a 

 shed near Concession street. 



The following notes were supplied by Mr. W. A. D, Lees and 

 are of special interest ; 



" On i8th December, 1901, I saw, near my house in Ottawa 

 East, a bird which I took to be a meadowlark [Sturjiella magna). 

 I was not qtiite certain of my identification as the bird rose sud- 

 denly from near the open end of a street drain and flew some 

 distance off and took refuge under some old lumber where I had 

 not the time to follow it. Again, yesterday, gth January, 1902, I 

 saw the same bird flitting from place to place along the railway 

 embankment near the round-house in Ottawa East, and this time 

 I satisfied myself beyond a doubt that my first guess as to the 

 species had been correct. So far as I know this is the first winter 

 record of this bird here, and it may interest the readers of The 

 Ottawa Naturalist to know of it." 



On Feb. 6th Mr. Lees, in company with another person, saw 

 a robin at the Normal School grounds feeding with a flock of pine 

 grosbeaks. It seemed plump and in good health. 



On Dec. 15th I saw a specimen of the bohemian chatterer 

 feeding on the berries of the mountain ash on Somerset street, 

 and I carefully noted the markings of the bird. 



