238 • GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



creasing in numbers in Manitoba and the west with the increase 

 of settlement. Very abundant along the Assiniboine river, and in 

 1906 noted regularly and in considerable numbers as far west as 

 Yorkton, Sask., but not beyond that point. (Atkinson.) A few 

 stragglers, males, seen at Indian Head, Sask., in the spring of 1892. 

 One seen on the trail between Lesser Slave lake and the Peace river 

 in 1903. (Spreadborough.) Common, breeding in the timber on 

 Maple creek and Skull creek, Sask. (A. C. Bent.) Maple creek. 

 Cypress hills and Big Stick lake, Sask., and MacKay creek, Alta. 

 {Bishop.) This bird is increasing rapidly in Manitoba and the 

 Northwest. 



Never seen in large flocks in British Columbia. {Lord.) Not 

 uncommon in the interior ; more were seen near the coast. {Streator.) 

 Saw one at ChilHwack lake, B.C., a few at Trail, Columbia river, B.C., 

 two at Osovoos lake and several on the Similkameen river. {Spread- 

 borough.) Mainland and Vancouver island; nowhere common. 

 {Fannin.) Tolerably common summer resident in the lower Fraser 

 valley; scarce in southern parts of Cariboo district. {Brooks.) 

 The writer has found this bird numerous at only two points, between 

 Manitoba and the Pacific coast. These were Medicine Hat, Sask., 

 and Spence Bridge, B.C. In both places they were evidently breed- 

 ing but no nests were taken. 



Breeding Notes. — A tolerably common summer resident near 

 Portage la Prairie, Man., breeding in small wild plum trees. It 

 arrives about the first of May. Nest found containing two eggs, 

 on which the bird was sitting, June 7th, 1885. {Nash vide Seton.) 

 On July ist, 1899, Mr. Robert Fraser, of Plover Mills, Ont., found 

 a nest of this species in the middle of his clover meadow. This 

 is the first that has come under my notice of this bird nesting on 

 the ground. I examined the nest and saw the shells of two eggs. 

 Nest a poor affair of a few small twigs. {R. Elliott.) These birds 

 have two or three broods in a season, usually building a frail nest 

 of sticks in a bush or tree, three or four feet from the ground, in 

 which they lay two white eggs. Nests late in the • season are 

 much more compactly built and are lined more or less with the 

 inner bark of aspens. These birds are very fond of salt. {Criddle.} 



