290 Mousley, Birds of H alley, Quebec. [^ 



In contrast to the lateness of the warblers in arriving many of the 

 earlier species were well on time, and I obtained my earliest records 

 so far for several species, the most notable being amongst the 

 Blackbirds and Sparrows, the latter family also being especially 

 numerous, in fact, 1917 might be called a White-crowned Sparrow 

 year judging from my own experience, and that of some of my 

 friends, of the increase in the numbers of this otherwise somewhat 

 rare migrant. Looking back over the past seven years, I have no 

 hesitation in saying that the following birds are gradually increasing 

 and spreading over this district, viz., Bronzed Grackle, Cedar Wax- 

 wing, Prairie Horned Lark, Meadowlark, Migrant Shrike, Purple 

 Finch, and Chestnut-sided Warbler, and I hope like other parts of 

 the Province of Quebec (where it is said to be much on the increase 

 of late) we may yet get the Killdeer Plover, for I saw three of these 

 birds during March and April of the present year 1917, the only 

 other previous record being one on July 31, 1915. 



Bronzed Grackles first invaded the village of Hatley in 1916, and 

 nested in some of the firs and pines. Cedar Waxwings were un- 

 usually abundant in 1916, and I had no difficulty in locating about 

 a dozen nests, as against a total of only one or two for each of the 

 previous four years. On September 18, 1916, I saw the largest 

 flock of this species noted so far, which consisted of fifty birds. 

 Migrant Shrikes are certainly most interesting birds, and I have 

 found more nests during the past two years than all the previous 

 five put together. The favorite site here is certainly an apple tree, 

 for out of ten nests located, seven have been in these trees at an 

 average height of ten feet, whilst the remaining three have been in 

 firs, one at the record height of thirty-four feet- above the ground, 

 (see Auk, Vol. XXXV, 1918, pp. 33-36), the other two being ten 

 and eighteen feet. Purple Finches were a feature of 1916, and I 

 saw birds in my garden all through the months of April to October. 

 Prairie Horned Larks were first seen in 1917 on March 2, my 

 earliest date so far, but only one nest was located in the two years 

 with the characteristic paving as described in 'The Auk,' Vol. 

 XXXIII, 1916, pp. 281-286, and Vol. XXXIV, 1917, p. 388. 



As an offset to the above increase may be mentioned the ' status 

 quo,' if not actual decrease in the case of the two latter, of such 

 interesting species as the Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 



