In North- West Canada. 179 



before me are from the foot of the Riding mountains, near 

 Minnedosa, taken Maj^ 19th, 1891. Tlie nest was composed of 

 sticks and leaves, and built in a tir tree forty feet up, and the 

 three eggs are plain bluish-white unspotted. 



This is a noble hawk, and one of the handsomest of the 

 family when in perfect plumage, and is a decidedly boreal 

 bird. It breeds in northei'n New England, New Brunswick 

 Nova Scotia, the province of Quebec and North-West to 

 Alaska, where Mr. Dall records it as abundant, and resident 

 in the Yukon region. The American goshawk has occurred in 

 Great Britain, and is now considered specifically distinct from 

 the goshawk of Europe. 



The American rough-legged hawk also breeds sparingly 

 throughout the North-West, and I have a set of two eggs that 

 were taken at Crescent Lake, Assiniboia, May 3rd, 1890. The 

 nest was in a tree, and made of sticks and leaves. The e^£!;& 

 are much larger than Swainson's hawk, which is the most 

 common buzzard in tile North-West. These two eggs of the 

 rough-legged measure 2.40x1.87 and 2.34x1.80. The ground 

 colour is dirty white, and one egg is heavilj- blotched at the 

 smaller end with reddish brown, the other egg being blotched 

 chiefly at the larger end. 



Though a large bird, the rough-legged buzzard's quarry is 

 humble. The}^ pi'ey upon field mice, gophers, frogs and lizards. 

 These birds have none of the dash of the falcon. They appear 

 heavy and indisposed to active exertion : flying slowly, and 

 often remaining for a long time motionless on their perch. 



As it was one o'clock, and I began to feel hungry, I turned 

 back and worked the bluffs further to the Avest, where I found 

 a number of nests of common birds, and started a prairie \vo\i 

 who bounded out of the bluff' as I entered. In crossing the 

 prairie to Ra3burn station, I came across a nest and five eo-o-s 

 of the chestnut-collared longspur, and also a nest and four eo-o-s 

 of the killdeer. I reached the cabin about three o'clock, and 

 had a lunch of milk and bread and butter, which was all the 

 proprietor of tlie hotel could offer me, 



