^^^ioiO^^^] Ferry, Summer Birds of Saskatchewan. 187 



2. Colymbus auritus. Horned Grebe. — This species was abundant 

 in the vicinity of Prince Albert. Its nests were frequently found. At 

 Quill Lake it was much rarer, probably due to the fact that rushes and 

 other high aquatic vegetation does not grow in any abundance about the 

 Quill Lakes owing to the alkaline waters. A careful investigation of 

 neighboring sloughs and ponds might show the bird much commoner than 

 we found it. Dates of nests: May 30-31, fresh egg; June 1-5, fresh eggs; 

 June 5-9, fresh eggs. 



3. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. — Several seen at 

 Prince Albert. One female was found dead on a nest containing two 

 fresh eggs. Not positively identified at Quill Lake. 



4. Gavia immer. Loon. — A fine pair of Loons was taken at Shoal 

 Lake, Manitoba, on May 20. A single bird was seen on Big Quill on July 5. 



5. Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. — "TWs species we found 

 abundant at Big Quill Lake, where two nests were found with fresh eggs, 

 June 11, on an island well out in the lake. It nests in colonies on the 

 small, flat, sandy, grass-covered islands lying near the lake shore. June 

 16, two such islands were visited, the first of which lay about three hundred 

 yards off shore, about a mile from the creek connecting Big Quill with 

 Middle Quill Lake. This island was somewhat crescent-shaped, nearly 

 100 yards long, and 20 yards wide at the widest part. It was a mere sand 

 strip, and had grass grown over the middle of the widest part of the island. 

 Here, usually in the grass, but some out on the open sand, were 157 nests 

 of this species all containing eggs, mostly just on the point of hatching. 

 One hundred and seventeen nests had three, twenty-two nests had two, 

 eleven nests had one, six nests had four, and one nest had five eggs. 



"A visit to this island a few days later found it literally overrun with 

 young gulls. The nests in most cases were pUes a few inches Ingh of 

 floating water-weed, found in the lake. Frequently they were quite well 

 made, with a rude cup-shaped top, and sometimes were a depression 

 tramped down in the grass, lined with a few of the same weeds, and some- 

 times only a slight depression scratched in the sand, around which a few 

 of the weeds had been gathered. 



"The old birds were very fearless in defense of their young and eggs, 

 swooping and screaming around in close proximity to one's head, and, 

 owing to the very large number of them, keeping up a deafening din. 



"Within 500 feet of the above island, and slightly nearer shore, lay 

 another triangular-shaped island, similar, but about 400 feet by 200 feet, 

 slightly liigher and ha^^ng two separate grass plots, and a large patch of 

 wild nettles upon it. Here we found a motley assembly of water birds 

 breeding. The Ring-billed Gull predominated with 158 nests. They 

 surrounded entirely a rookery of fifty-two nests of the Double-crested 

 Cormorant, whose nests the gulls robbed daily to such an extent that but 

 one cormorant egg was secured by us here. The nests and the ground 

 adjacent were strewn with the shells of cormorant eggs. In another part 

 of this island was a Common Tern colony occupying a narrow strip of grass- 



