430 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



at Indian Head, Sask., in 1892; at Medicine Hat, Crane lake and 

 Cypress hills in 1894; in 1895 it was abundant at Moose Jaw and 

 Old Wives creek in eastern Saskatchewan; southward they were 

 breeding at the forks of that creek ; also in a marsh at 30-Mile lake 

 and at 12 -Mile lake; after this they became scarcer and only a few 

 were seen at Wood mountain at the police post and at Medicine 

 Lodge 16 miles south. After this none were seen for 50 miles to the 

 west as the country was without water. A few were seen along 

 Frenchman river and at East End Post and in the marshes of the 

 creeks flowing south out of the Cypress hills ; a few were observed in 

 the Milk river valley, above Kennedy crossing. It is common in 

 northern Alberta and was quite common at Edmonton in 1897. 

 (Spreadborough.) Common in the Red river valley and abundant 

 about the marshes below Robinson portage, where two specimens 

 were collected June 27th, 1901. A number was seen near Oxford 

 House, Keewatin, July 4th, in the marsh between Oxford and Back 

 lakes. (Preble.) Common at the Grand rapids of the Saskatchewan. 

 (Nutting.) Common summer resident between the forks of the 

 Saskatchewan, frequenting the -willows and poplar-edged sloughs 

 and marshes where it breeds in numbers. (Coubeaux.) Common 

 at Methye Portage, lat. 56° 30' in the spring; very common at the 

 discharge of Methye lake in July, 1888; not seen elsewhere. (/. M. 

 Macoun.) This species reaches the Saskatchewan about the begin- 

 ning of May and does not pass beyond lat. 57°. It associates itself 

 with the other blackbirds and does great injury to sprouting grain. 

 (Richardson.) North to Fort Simpson, on the Mackenzie river, 

 common. (Ross.) 



If Mr. Oberholser is right in segregating A. phoeniceus arctolegus 

 from fortis, practically all the above references would go to arctolegus, 

 but for the present the redwings of the Canadian prairies and the far 

 north are all referred to fortis. 



Breeding Notes. — June nth, 1882: Went in the morning with 

 two brothers to the lake in the sand-hills east of De Winton; saw 

 there large numbers of marsh terns and various kinds of black- 

 birds. I was unable, from the depth of the water, to reach the 

 place where the terns seemed to be nesting, but found the nest of 

 the red winged blackbird in a few twigs that projected about a 

 foot above the water, here three feet deep, and some ten feet from 



