^"'- 1^^6^"'] MousLEY, Birds oS Hatiey, Quebec. ' 169 



weeks, the exact period in 1915 being one month, males March 25, females 

 April 25. Four eggs in a set seem to be the usual number; only on two 

 occasions have I found five, and these out of fifty-seven nests examined. 



56. Sturnella magna magna (Linnaeus) . Meadowlark. — Rare 

 summer visitant; April 11 to Oct. 25. I have only seen fifteen examples 

 of this bird altogether, and these, with the exception of two, were some miles 

 away from my house, two in June of 1913 near Massawippi, which were 

 evidently breeding, one having building material in its beak, nine at Comp- 

 ton in October of the same year, one again at Massawippi in May, 1914, 

 and one in June, 1915, near Coaticook. The remaining two were seen close 

 to my house, one in April and the other in May. 



57. Icterus galbula (Linnaeus). Baltimore Oriole. — Fairly com- 

 mon summer visitant; May 11 to Aug. 25. Average date of arrival (for 

 five years) May 14; of departure (for thi'ee years) Aug. 22. Eggs: June 8. 

 The usual nesting site selected here is near the top of some fair sized tree, 

 generally a maple. The nests vary somewhat in depth, which in some cases 

 may be as much as six inches, whilst one l^uilt in a maple opposite my house 

 only measures three and one half inches. After the young leave the nest, 

 all the Orioles seem to disappear, and are not seen again until towards 

 the beginning or middle of August on their w^ay south for the winter. 

 The males generally precede the females by some few days, the exact time 

 in 1915 being a week, males May 16 and females May 23. 



58. Euphagus carolinus (Midler). Rusty Blackbird. — Rare tran- 

 sient; Oct. 1 to 27. The only example I had seen of this bird (previous 

 to the present year, 1915) was that of an immature shot on the morning of 

 October 21, 1914, and shown to me in the flesh the same evening. This 

 year however, a flock of 25 visited the marsh on October 1 and remainded 

 in the neighbourhood for some weeks. 



59. Quiscalus quiscula aeneus (Ridgway). Bronzed Grackle. — 

 Common summer visitant; April 14 to Oct. 20. Average date of arrival 

 (for five years) April 16; of departure (for four years) Oct. 10. Eggs: 

 May 29. The Bronzed Grackle is not nearly as plentiful here as the Red- 

 winged Blackbird. At one time a few of them used to nest in hollow stumps 

 in the marsh but lately all seem to have taken a liking for evergreen trees, 

 more particularly fir and pine, in which they construct their somewhat 

 bulky nests. They are interesting birds, showing great development 

 along many lines, but their egg robbing proclivities makes it undesirable 

 to have many of them about. Speaking from memory only, I fancy I have 

 always noticed the males and females arriving together hke the Cowbu'd. 



60. Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina (W. Cooper). Evening 

 Grosbeak. — Occasional but rare winter visitant; Feb. 12. The above 

 date in 1913 is the first on which I had the pleasure of seeing a small flock of 

 nine of these rare birds at close quarters, as they were feeding on the buds 

 of the row of maple trees that runs through the centre of the village of 

 Hatiey. The weather at the time was very cold, the thermometer register- 

 ing 2° below zero. On the following day a male was observed amongst a 



