of the District of Montreal. 287 



of tbe district of Montreal, and one of by far the greatest impor- 

 tance. 



It was the intention of the author at the commencement of his 

 task, to have given a general outline of the habits of the species 

 which would come under notice. It was found, however, that such 

 a step would render the essay far too volnminous ; and as nothing 

 could be said beyond what is contained in any ordinary work on 

 the subject, it was deemed a superfluous repetition, and moreover 

 foreign to the real object which he had in view. 



Of the mammalia, 43 have been described as being met with 

 in the district of Montreal, the description of 39 of which have 

 been taken from prepared specimens, two from dead ones which 

 had been placed in the author's way for the purpose, and two 

 compiled. Of these the genera sorex, scalops, condylura, putorius, 

 sciurus and mus, are the most common, and generally speaking 

 resident in the district. The others are all more or less migra- 

 tory, and range throughout all parts of the fur countries, re- 

 maining in different places a greater or less period of time, 

 according to the plenty or scarcity of their food. 



The birds are by far the more numerous, interesting and im- 

 portant, and amply repay the labour of their investigation. Of 

 200 species described, the descriptions of about 24 or 25 are 

 compiled, and that of all the others taken from prepared or 

 dead specimens, and where the author has had it in his power to 

 verify the description by reference to other specimens, it has in- 

 variably been done, so that the descriptions may be relied on as 

 correct, as far as laid in the author's power. A table is annexed, 

 " the winter quarters," and " extreme northern migratorial range " 

 of which are taken from a similar table in the valuable work of 

 Richardson and Swainson's American Fauna, its other columns 

 being filled up according to the author's observations. The 

 months in it are given without dates, and in such cases, a date, 

 say from 1st to 20th is to be understood. In this country it 

 must be observed, that it is impossible to assign dates, or to give 

 an approximation to the actual times of the arrival and departure 

 of birds. These events depend altogether upon the temperature 

 or state of weather at the time, and bear a ratio with it. 



The district of Montreal, the locality of the subsequent list, in 

 the Province of Lower Canada, is bounded on the west by the 

 north-eastern boundarv of the Fief Durable or Nouvelle York, on 

 the north side of the St. Lawrence ; east by the county of St. 



