170 Bird-Nesting 



CHAPTER XXI. 



^felwUNE 19tli.— This morning I was up and 

 ^^^(ijl and found a number of nests of comn 



fS?^ 



d out early, 

 common marsli 

 Inrds. After breakfast I started out for the bhifFs 

 "^^ north of Reaburn towards Lake Manitoba. In 

 crossing a three mile stretch of prairie, I came across 

 ^*' several nests of the kildeer, and Bartram sandpiper. 

 On reaching the first bluff, I found a crow's nest containing 

 four eggs advanced in incubation. This is rather a late date 

 for crows' eggs. The bluffs offer suitable nesting-places for 

 the smaller birds, and I soon found a number of nests of king- 

 birds, white-rumped shrike and other species. I flushed a 

 meadow lark from its nest containing six eggs. The species 

 found here is the western meadow lark, and in a large series 

 of eggs it is at once seen that the eggs of the western meadow 

 lark are smaller and not so heavily spotted as those of the 

 eastern meadow lark. While walking through one of the 

 bluffs I flushed a whip-poor-will from under a shrub, and there 

 found its two beautiful eggs. They are creamy white, illip- 

 tical, quite equal at both ends, and spotted with yellownsh 

 brown and numerous shell markings of lilac. 



The eggs of the whip-poor-will are rather handsome. I 

 have before me a beautiful set I collected near Toronto, Ma}' 

 24th, 1889. The ground colour is creamy wdiite, over which 

 are large splashes of lilac gi'ey, and on the top of these are 

 spots and blotches of sienna brown. The eggs were found by 

 flushing the bird from in front of my feet. There was no 

 nest, the eggs being simply laid on dead leaves. The whip- 

 poor-will is common in Manitoba, and is more fret^uently 

 heard than seen. The western nighthawk is also common 

 and breeds in the bluffs, laying its two marbled and spotted 

 eggs on the ground without an attempt at a nest. 



