26 Bent, Summer Birds of Southwestern Saskatchewan. [fan 



next tree, about 15 feet away. Two more adult Horned Owls were col- 

 lected on June 25 and 30, 1906. 



All of our birds are very light colored, particularly above, where they 

 are fully as light as the average and almost as light as the most typical 

 arclicus. On the under parts, however, there is more ochraceous and less 

 pure white than there should be. The legs and feet are somewhat clouded 

 with pale ochraceous and the legs faintly barred with dusky. 



If we recognize the large pale owls of the northern prairie States as 

 occidentalis Stone, and admit, as Mr. Oberholser claims, that it has both a 

 dark and a light phase, then our birds should, in my opinion, be referred 

 to occidentalis, as being nearer that than pure arcticus. The status of 

 our birds depends on the relative importance of the characters named, 

 and as they are more or less intermediate between these two forms, I 

 prefer to let them stand as above, for the present at least. 



80. Speotyto cunicularia hypogsea. Burrowing Owl. — Only 3 pairs 

 were located. A pair was found breeding on the prairie near Crane Lake, 

 and the nest was dug out on June 2, 1905, containing 7 fresh eggs. Birds 

 were also seen at Hay Lake and near Maple Creek. A nest with young 

 was found near Many Island Lake on July 13, 1906. 



81. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Black-billed Cuckoo. — This spe- 

 cies was recorded by Prof. Macoun as far west as Medicine Hat. A Black- 

 billed Cuckoo was seen by Mr. Day in the Skull Creek timber on June 9, 

 1905. None were collected and no others seen. 



82. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — Prof. Macoun recorded 

 it as common. Dr. Bishop saw one in Maple Creek on June 16 and another 

 there on July 4, 1906. None were collected. 



83. Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-headed Woodpecker. — Rare. 

 Mr. Day saw one in the Skull Creek timber on June 9, 1905, and Dr. Dwight 

 collected one in the Big Stick timber on July 19, 1906. 



84. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker. 



85. Colaptes cafer collaris. Red-shafted Flicker. — Flickers were 

 very common in the heavy timber along the creeks and were also seen in 

 the Cypress Hills. A nest with 6 fresh eggs was found on May 30, 1905, 

 and nests with young were found on June 5 and 14, .1906. 



Practically pure blooded birds of both species were taken and quite a 

 series of hybrid birds showing all the intermediate grades of plumage. 

 Almost all of the males show some traces of the red moustaches of cafer, 

 and nearly all show traces of the red nuchal crescent of auratus; the other 

 characters seem to be less constant. I collected in 1905 a pure blooded 

 male auratus, which was apparently mated, with a nearly pure blooded 

 cafer female. Two young in juvenal plumage, one almost pure cafer and 

 the other equally near auratus, were taken from the same family on June 

 30, 1906. 



86. Chordeiles virginianus. Nighthawk. — An adult male was taken 

 by Dr. Bishop at Maple Creek on June 5, 1906, which he called this form. 

 All the others that we took were referred to sennetti. 



