362 Dr. Dawson^ s additional notes on 



the forest or guiding the plough, than dancing among the keys 

 of a piano-forte. Which of the two is the most honourable and 

 useful employment is not difficult to determine. Let the farmer, 

 therefore, respect this little bird for its useful qualities, in clearing 

 his fruit and forest trees from destructive insects, though it cannot 

 serenade him with its sono;." 



A beautiful account of this little species may be found in 

 Audubon's works. 



Specific characters. — " Length, five and a half inches ; extent, 

 seven and a half inches ; crown, white, bordered on each side 

 with a band of black, which is again bounded by a line of white 

 passing over each eye ; below this is a large spot of black cover- 

 ing the ear feathers ; chin and throat, black ; wings, the same, 

 crossed transversely by two bars of white ; breast and back, 

 streaked with black and white ; tail, upper, and also under co- 

 verts, black, edged and bordered with white; belly, white ; legs, 

 and feet, dirty yellow ; hind claw the longest, and all very sharp 

 pointed ; bill, a little compressed sidewise, slightly curved, black 

 above, paler below ; tongue, long, fine pointed, and horny at the 

 extremity." Wilson. 



The female has not the black on the throat. 



ARTICLE XX VII. — Additional notes on Aboriginal Antiquities 

 found at 3Iontreal. 



(Read before the Natural History Socieixj of Montreal.) 



Since the publication of my former paper on this subject,^ the 

 excavations on the site of the ancient Indian villa'^^e, desciibed in 

 that paper, have proceeded to completion, and now the whole of 

 the superficial layer of sand having been removed, the spot has 

 forever lost its original contour and appearance, and little proba- 

 bility remains of farther discoveries. Througliout the past year 

 the progress of the work has been carefully watched, and special 

 excavations have been made in the more promising places. By 

 these means many additional objects have been obtained, some 

 of them of much interest. Mr. E. Murphy, of this Society, has 

 also aided in the work of exploration, and has accumulated a 

 large collection ; and I am indebted to Mr. Dand, the overseer in 



* Canadian Naturalist, vol. 5, p. 430. 



