THE AUK: 



A Q^UARTERLY JOURNAL OF 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



\^OL. III. April, 1886. No. 2. 



THE BIRDS OF WESTERN MANITOBA. 



BY ERNEST E. T. SETON. 



For the sake of conciseness and convenience of reference I will 

 first distinguish the various natural divisions of the country. 



1. The Assiniboine Valley, or first prairie steppe. This 

 includes all of Manitoba south and west of a line drawn from 

 Pembina Mountain north, just west of Portage la Prairie, and 

 thence northwest to Fort Pellv. This line is also the eastern 

 edge of the cretaceous formation. The district is essentiallv a 

 prairie region, the onlv wooded tracts of any extent being the 

 flat tops of the elevated table lands, known as Pembina, Turtle, 

 Riding, and Duck Mountains. The first two are at the United 

 States Boundary. 1'he others are on the northeast edge of this 

 region. Carberrv is just north of the Assiniboine River, about 

 the center of the region. The Big Plain is an unusuallv flat 

 prairie, between Carberry and the Riding Mountain. The Big 

 Swamp is a spruce and tamarac swamp, between Carberry and 

 the river. Moose Mountain is just outside and west of Manitoba, 

 at the head of the Souris River. Qji'Appelle is on the Qii'Ap- 

 pelle River, outside and west of Manitoba, one hundred miles 

 up the river from its junction with the Assiniboine. 



The observations for the region are my own, as I have visited 

 nearlv every part of it. I have, however, received much valuable 



