In North-West Canada. 77 



The notes are simply indescribable, but once heard they can 

 never be forgotten. Their volume and penetration are truly 

 wonderful : they are neither loud nor strong, yet the whole 

 air seems filled with the tender strains, and the delightful 

 melody continues long unbroken. The song is only heard for 

 a brief period in the summer, ceasing when the inspiration of 

 the love season is over, and it is only uttered when the birds 

 are soaring." 



It is not a little singular that the Missouri skylark should 

 have so long continued to be rare in collections, since it is 

 very abundant in the extensive region which it inhabits. The 

 first specimen was taken by Audubon at Fort Union, June 

 19th, 1843, and long remained unique. Some years after- 

 wards another specimen was taken by Captain Blackiston, on 

 the Saskatchewan, and which is now preserved in the Smith- 

 sonian Institute at Washington. We carefully packed this set 

 of rare eggs and tramped homewards. The only nest we 

 found on our return journey was that of the western vesper 

 sparrow, with four eggs ; they are similar to those of tlie com- 

 mon vesper sparrow found in the east, but are somewhat 

 smaller : the nest was also similar. We came across two large 

 flocks of cowbirds ; there must have been a hundred in each 

 flock. They are known here as buiFalo birds, from their habit 

 of following the herds of buffalo. They frequent the ranches, 

 and are always seen amongst the cattle, perching on their 

 backs and feeding on the insects found around cattle : they 

 become very tame and will hardly get out of the way. Like 

 the European cuckoo, they lay their eggs in other birds' nests, 

 and know nothing of the cares of bringing up their young, 

 leaving this for other birds to attend to ; and, like the Euro- 

 pean cuckoo, the cowbird lays a very small egg for the size of 

 the bird, and the habits of both species in regard to nidifica- 

 tion are very similar. I have several times found two cow- 

 bird's eggs in one nest and the eggs so much resembled each 

 other as to leave no doubt as to their having been laid by the 

 same bird ; but they usually only lay one egg in each nest, 

 and probably lay five or six eggs during the season. Dr. 



