636 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA THOMPSON. 



limits (Hunter). North to Lake Winnipeg (Ridgway). Oak Point : 

 1885, first seen, one, on May 24 ; next seen May 25 ; is common and breeds 

 liere (Small). Portage la Prairie: Scarce; summer resident; a few 

 pairs seen each summer ; near Winnipeg quite common (Nash). Car- 

 berry : One record, a female with nest and eggs taken in the south sand 

 hills by my brother. Dr. A. S. Thompson, June 8, 1886 (Thompson). 

 In Minnesota : Abundant ; breeds (Trippe). 



May, 1884, Portage la Prairie : I have a single observation by Mr. 

 C. W. Nash, which records the arrival of about forty bluebirds at 

 this place at this time. They arrived in the gray down. Afterwards, 

 in the day light, a second flock descended from the upper air and joined 

 the first. Both flocks were of both sexes. One inference from this is 

 that the spring migration is performed at night. In the fall the flocks 

 are often to be seen flying by day, at a considerable elevation, while 

 from time may be heard their warbling note, which, though it sounded 

 so cheery in the springtime, now seems but a melancholy reminder 

 that the time of the singing of the birds is past. 



A recent arrival, but which seems liliely to become abundant as it is increasing fast. 

 The first I ever saw arrived in a small flock just at daylight, May 29, 1884. They 

 hovered about for a time and then pitched down near my garden at Portage la 

 Prairie. As this place is fortunately not infested with those pests, the bird col- 

 lectors, they remained, and two pairs bred near me. These successfully carried off 

 their broods. 



May 22, 1885, more of them arrived and bred in the town. 



May .3, 1886, quite a large flock arrived and spread themselves all over the place. 



Near Winnipeg they are also now quite common, but I can not say when they lirst 

 appeared there. I saw none in that district previous to 1885. 



They depart early in October, my latest record being of Octo ber 3 (Nash, in MSS.) 



A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL BOOKS AND ARTI- 

 CLES CONSULTED. 



1744. Dobbs, Arthur. An account of the countries adjoining to Hudson's Bay, etc. : 

 J. Eobinson, London. 4to. 

 Chiefly geographical. One note on eagles quoted. 

 1795. Heame, Samuel. A journey from Prince of Wales Fort, in Hudson's Bay, to the 

 Northern Ocean, 1769, '70, '71 and '72 ; 460 pp., London. 4to. 

 Birds, pp. 398-448. 

 1831. Swainson, Wm., and Richardson, J., M. D. Fauna Boreali-Americana ; or the 

 Zoology of the Northern parts of British America (etc). Fart second. The 

 Birds, by S. & R., LXVi, pp. 524 ; pis. 24-73. Woodcuts, 41. London. 4to. 

 The standard work on the Birds of Br. N. America. 

 1859. Blakiston, T. Scraps from the West. Newman's Zoologist, xvii, pp. 6318-6325, 

 6373-6376. London. 8vo. 

 Notes of a journey from York Factory to Norway House and thence up the Saskatche- 

 wan to Fort Carleton. 

 1869. Hind, Henry Youle, M. A,, F. R. G. S., etc. Report Progress. Preliminary and 

 General Rep. Assiniboine and Sakatchewan Expl. Exped. (etc.) in 1858, 

 XII, 35, 192 pp. Toronto. 4to. 

 A standard work of exploration in Manitoba and adjoining regions. 



