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REPORT OF THE ORNITHOLOGICAL AND CJOLOGIOAL. 

 BRANCH FOR THE SEASON OF 1883. 



To the Council of the Ottawct, Field-Naturalist^ Club : 



The leaders in ornithology and oology beg to report that good 

 work was done during the past season in the branch under their 

 charge. 



No sub-excursions were organized, other than those participated in 

 by all the members of the (Jlub, as it was found that, although produc- 

 tive of a large increase of work in other branches, they were, except in 

 special cases, unsxiitable to ornithology. 



The colony of great blue herons {Ardea herodias, L.) mentioned in 

 last year's report was visited on 18 th May by a gentleman from Len- 

 nox ville, P.Q., who states that he was obliged to wade to the nests 

 through water from three to four feet deep. He climbed four trees,, 

 and obtained, in all, thirty-eight eggs, all of which, however, were hard 

 set. He says, moi-eovei', that every nest contained from five to six 

 eggs, whereas, when the hei'onry was visited in July, 1882, not more 

 than three young birds were found in any one nest. Whether these 

 numbers are usual, and if so, what causes the discrepancy between the 

 number of eggs laid and the number of those which mature are ques- 

 tions well worthy of investigation next season. 



Daring the past season the following species have been added to 

 the " List of Birds found in the Vicinity of Ottawa," published in Nos. 

 3 and 4 of the " Transactions." The numbers refer to Coues' " Check 

 List of North American Birds," 1882 edition. 



13. Turdus iistidaius swainsoni (Cab.) Coues' Olive-backed 

 Thrush. A fine specimen of this thrush was shot on the 14th April 

 last, on the banks of the Rideau River, by Mr. Edward White. . Later, 

 on the 19th May, a pair was observed on Kettle Island by Mr. W. 

 L. Scott, and the male bird shot. It is quite probable that they breed 

 here, as the last mentioned locality is frequently the breeding place of 

 numbers of Wilson's thrushes {Turdus fuscescens, Steph.). 



81, Cistothorus stellaris (Licht.) Cab. Short-billed Marsha Wren. 

 A female of this bird was shot in a beaver meadow not far from the 



