316 Eifkig, Notes on Northern Birds. [july 



nineteen years, and they were three years old when he got them 

 from another person; one is nineteen years old, another seventeen. 

 The one he valued most, had died a short time previously, at the 

 ripe old age of 33 years. He feeds them finely cut up hay, much 

 oatmeal, and some sand and lime. 



Solitary Sandpiper (Helodromas soUtarius). — What seems 

 to be the first clear breeding record of this species for Ottawa and 

 its immediate vicinity was made by Mr. Edward White, who last 

 July saw the tiny and downy young of this species two or three 

 days from the egg, together with their agitated parents. This 

 was about ten miles from Ottawa, on the Ontario side of the river. 



Great Gray Owl (Scotiaptcx nebulosa). A specimen of this 

 rather rare casual visitant was shot last Nov. 20, by Mr. W. Kelley, 

 a farmer of South March, fourteen miles west of Ottawa. 



Screech Owl (Megascops a$io). — This species has now 

 been definitely established as breeding here. Last July and 

 August Mr. George White found at various times 4-5 Screech 

 Owls in a rarely used outbuilding, to which they had found an 

 entrance, but could not find the exit. Two were starved to death 

 when found, the others were yet alive and were released. 



Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoidcs arcticus). — June 

 14, 1905, while walking through a partially cleared spruce swamp 

 at Inlet, Quebec, fifty miles northeast of Ottawa, I was attracted 

 by a queer sound emanating from a bush. The sound was as if 

 produced by pulling out the end of a clock spring and suddenly 

 releasing it, producing a wiry, humming sound. The author of 

 it proved to be a male of this woodpecker. In the course of the 

 half hour that I watched him he showed himself master of quite 

 a repertoire of notes and would-be songs. When flying he would 

 say: chut chut and then rattle like a Kingfisher. When hammer- 

 ing on a tree and preening himself, he would intersperse those 

 actions by a chuckling: duck duck duck. At last a Robin chased 

 him away. — The quaint call of the Olive-sided Flycatcher (Nuttal- 

 oruis borealix): put take care, one adding: putt low, could be heard 

 at the same time. 



Canada Jay (Perisoreus cauadeusis). — While this bird was 

 abundant here during the winter 1904-5, it is 'entirely absent this 

 winter. Last Sept. 28, I saw a pair at Inlet, Quebec, where they 



