86 Capt. Blakistou on the Birds of British North America. 



heard of this bird being seen near Fort Carlton on the 26th of 

 March, in 1858; and Mr. Donald Gunn informed me that it 

 arrived at Red River Settlement in 1859, which was a late spring, 

 before the 4th of April. The ' Fauna Bor.-Am.^ mentions that 

 it does not approach within 500 or 600 miles of Hudson's Bay ; 

 but I find that Mr. Murray, whose ' Contributions to the 

 Natural History of the Hudson's Bay Company's Territories ' I 

 have noticed before, mentions a specimen from Trout Lake post, 

 between Lake Winipeg and Hudson's Bay. There is also a 

 specimen in the Smithsonian Institution from Nelson River, 

 which flows into Hudson's Bay ; and Mr. Ross says that it goes 

 as far north as latitude 61°, on the Mackenzie. 



84. PiCICORVUS COLUMBIANUS. 



I only observed this bird in the Rocky Mountains, at the Koo- 

 tonay Pass (' Ibis,' vol. iv. p. 7) . 



85. Pica hudsonica. 



A resident during the entire year on the Saskatchawan (' Ibis,' 

 vol. iv. p. 7), but said to be rare to the east of Lake Winipeg. 

 Mr. Ross notices it as ranging to the west side of the Rocky 

 Mountains in the far north. 



86. Cyanura cristata. 



There is a specimen in the Smithsonian Institution from Red 

 River Settlement, where I observed the Blue Jay in the spring. 

 I also saw it in some pine-woods near Fort Carlton in March, 

 and the previous autumn on the Lower Saskatchawan ; but I never 

 observed it to the westward. Perhaps the absence of pine- woods 

 in the prairie country may be sufiicieut to account for this. The 

 'Fauna Bor.-Am.' mentions that it seldom visits Hudson's Bay ; 

 and during my boat-voyage I noticed the absence of it on the 

 route between York Factory and Lake Winipeg. Mr. Ross does 

 not include it among the birds of the Mackenzie. 



87. Cyanura stelleri. 



Besides the specimen obtained by Mr. Drummond in the 

 Rocky Mountains, and described by Swainson in the ' Fauna 

 Bor.-Am.,' I believe mine (' Ibis,' vol. iv. p. 8) is the only other 

 example from British territory. 



