CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 339 



River Landing, Atha. (Spreadborough.) Common from Atha- 

 basca Landing, where it is very abundant and frequently met with 

 up the Athabasca river to the mouth of Lesser Slave river, common 

 on the Clearwater river, lat. 56° 30', and on Methye Portage, com- 

 mon between Methye lake and Isle a la Crosse. (/. M. Macoun.) 

 This is the only woodpecker that visits the Northwest Territories in 

 flocks. It made its first appearance in 1827, on the plains of the 

 Saskatchewan on the 14th May in considerable flocks. In the 

 breeding season it is much more retiring and ranges as far north as 

 lat. 61°. (Richardson.) North to Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie 

 river; common. (Ross.) 



Breeding Notes. — I notice that this bird is very common in 

 spring along the St. Lawrence. It breeds plentifully in the coun- 

 ties of Leeds, Lanark and Renfrew, in all of which I have found 

 its nests. The locality chosen varies very much; it is partial to 

 an ash swamp, like the hairy woodpecker, but it is also fond of 

 poplar trees, commencing its nest-hole about the beginning of May. 

 I have found fresh eggs on May 19th. They vary much in size 

 and shape and a complete set consists of five or six. I have noticed 

 a nest several years in succession in a poplar at the foot of Grenadier 

 island, St. Lawrence river, and have observed that the nest hole is 

 usually from 25 to 40 feet from the ground, though on one occasion I 

 found it in a dead stub, standing in water, not more than three feet 

 above the surface. (Rev. C. J. Young.) I found a nest of young 

 birds of this species, June 21st, 1887, on St. Bruno mountain, in a 

 hole drilled in a live oak tree, only about six feet high in the trunk 

 of the tree above the ground, and another nest of its young, July ist, 

 1885, at Calumet, Que., 58 miles west of Montreal. This nest was 

 in a small hole drilled in the trunk of a live elm tree, and about 

 thirty feet high from the base. (Wintle.) 



On June 20th, 1883, at the spruce bush, I found the nest of a 

 sapsucker. It was in a new hole in a green poplar tree, about 30 

 feet from the ground. It contained five newly hatched young, 

 and in the chamber with them were some of the shells, out of which I 

 reconstructed two eggs. The male, length 8|, stomach full of ants, 

 the female, length 8|, stomach full of ants, her bill also was full of 

 black ants, intended probably as food for the young ones; excess- 

 ively fat ; no red feathers at all except three or four scattered on the 

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