126 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



This species breeds throughout the entire wooded region of the 

 Mackenzie River basin. Nests were discovered in the vicinity of 

 Fort Anderson, and to the borders of the forest on the east and west 

 sides of the river of that name. None were met with on the "Bar- 

 rens" nor on the Arctic coast. Several deserted hawks' nests were 

 found occupied by incubating females. (Macfarlane.) 



Breeding Notes. — Have seen several nests, some on the ground 

 and others upon old musk-rat houses. Nests made of grass lined 

 with down. Breeds early ; have seen the young the first week in June, 

 but also found eggs perfectly fresh June 9th, 1894. (Spreadborough.) 

 A nest with six eggs, incubated about one week, was found near the 

 Red Deer river. Alberta, May nth, 1888. Between Athabasca 

 Landing and Fort McMurray, two females with young about a week 

 old were seen June nth. (/. M. Macoun.) 



Breeds in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and is one of the earliest 

 breeders. Its eggs are often taken and put under fowls to hatch. 

 I have seen broods of young Canada geese that were hatched and 

 reared by turkeys at Rush lake. When the first clutch is taken the 

 bird lays another, sometimes on the same island. On INIay 25th, 

 1893, I found seven eggs in a nest built on an island in a small lake 

 north of Rush lake. A Canada goose had nested on this island for 

 several years. It is a remarkable fact that in Alberta this goose 

 often lays its eggs in the nests of buzzards. Mr. Neuman sent me 

 a set of five eggs he took from a buzzard's nest on April 25th, 1896. 

 The nest was built in a dead cotton-wood tree 45 feet from the 

 ground and the bird was flushed off the nest and shot. 1 have a 

 photograph of the nest. (Raine.) 



This species is one of the earliest to arrive in the Northwest. It 

 was first seen in 1894 at Medicine Hat on April 7th, by Spread- 

 borough, and was common by the i6th. It seems to have no fixed 

 place to breed as it has been found nesting on old musk-rat houses 

 in marshes, on masses of dead reeds, in buzzards' nests, on low 

 trees along streams, and in tv/o instances it nested in trees at least 

 forty feet from the ground. In one case the nest was in that of a 

 fish hawk, in the other in an old nest of the bald eagle. Also breed- 

 ing on rocks along Milk river, Alberta. 



