CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 405 
an oak tree, about 10 feet high. This nest was about four inches 
deep. It was formed of the outer bark of the Asclepias, and so 
thoroughly interwoven and “darned” that the fabric was like a 
thick warm felt. It was remarkably strong, too, and with a view 
to testing it in this particular I] brought it home with the branch 
that bore it, and, having hung to it a pail by a band across the 
upper surface, proceeded to add weight. Fifteen pounds were 
gradually added without it showing any signs of breaking, but at 
the seventeenth the weight slipped to one side, and being thrown 
upon but one of the fastenings, broke it. I then procured another 
nest, an old one of the same material, and tried it successively 
with 15, 20, 25, 27 pounds, and still it held together; 29 and 30 
were reached without breakage, but at 31 it began to give, and 
after a few seconds the weight tore through the fabric, without, 
however, injuring the fastenings at the top. On October tgth 
found an old nest of an oriole down by the slough. It was woven 
of strips of Asclepias bark and suspended from four or five twigs. 
I made a careful test of its strength and found that it bore 15 
pounds weight without the least sign of breaking, but an addi 
tional two pounds, thrown carelessly on, tore it from its fastenings. 
( Thompson- Seton.) 
MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 
Six; one taken at Ottawa in May, 1888, by Prof. Macoun; 
three at Toronto, Ont., by Mr. S. Herring ; one at Indian Head, 
and another at Old Wives’ Creek, Assa., in 1895, by Mr. Spread- 
borough. 
One set of six eggs taken at Toronto and purchased from Mr. 
W. Raine. Another set of five eggs taken at Port Hope, Ont., by 
N. H. Meeking June Ist, 1900. Nest, a purse-shaped structure of 
rags, paper, thread and twine hung in the slender branches of an 
elm. 
508 Bullock’s Oriole. 
Icterus Bullocktt (Swains.) BONAP. 1838. 
Breeding in considerable numbers in trees in the valley of the 
Saskatchewan at Police Point, Medicine Hat, Assa., May, 1894; 
not noticed further east; a large colony was found breeding in the 
valley of the Thompson at Kamloops, B.C., in June, 1889; 
rather rare at Spence’s Bridge, B.C., in 1889; one spe- 
cimen seen at Chilliwack, B.C., May 23rd, 1901, (.Spreaa- 
