570 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



Edmonton, Alta., May 13th, 1897 ; common by the 21st, and building 

 their nests by hundreds in the town; saw a few nesting in the cut 

 banks of the river between Edmonton and the Athabaska river in 

 June, 1898. (Spreadhorough.) A large number of old nests were 

 noticed between Athabaska Landing and Lesser Slave river, Alta., 

 but no birds were seen ; we were very likely too early in the season. 

 (/. M. Macoun.) First observed on May 30th, 1900, then in great 

 numbers, building their nests in the town of Prince Albert, Sask. 

 (Coubeaux.) 



In the year 1820 this species was discovered by Major Long near 

 the Rocky mountains, and in the same year by Sir John Franklin's 

 party, on the journey from Cumberland House to Fort Enterprise, 

 and on the banks of Point lake in lat. 65°, where its earliest arrival 

 was noted, in the following year, to be June 12th. Its clustered 

 nests are of frequent occurrence on the "^barren grounds," and they 

 are not uncommon throughout the whole course of the Great Slave 

 and Mackenzie rivers. {Richardson.) North to Rat river on the 

 Mackenzie; common. (Ross.) In 1856 about one hundred and 

 fifty nests of this species were built, for the first time, at Fort Good 

 Hope, on the Mackenzie river, and in 1866, one was seen examining 

 the eaves of the houses at Fort Anderson, but it did not remain. 

 They, however, breed in large numbers along the banks of the Lock- 

 hart and Anderson rivers. (Macfarlane.) Common in British 

 Columbia. (Lord.) Common everjrwhere in the interior; breeds. 

 (Streator.) Breeding on farm buildings at Osoyoos lake, B.C. 

 (Spreadhorough.) I have only found this bird east of the Coast 

 range, where in some localities along the Cariboo road it is very 

 abundant. (Fannin.) Rare at Chilliwack; may breed in the 

 vicinity. (Brooks.) Abundant east of the Coast range in British 

 Columbia. (Rhoads.) 



This bird, from its nesting habits, is precluded from being a resi- 

 dent on the arctic coast. It has been taken at Nulato, and seems 

 to be common at the trading stations along the Yukon. (Nelson.) 

 This species was common at Log Cabin, June 15th; at Cariboo Cross- 

 ing, lat. 60°, saw a few on June 29th, probably members of the small 

 colony breeding on the cliffs of a small island in Tagish lake. We 

 next saw the species near Hootalingua river, July 19th, and from 

 this point to Dawson in lat. 64° 15' we frequently met with colonies 



