VOl i907^ IV ] Bent, Summer Birds of Southwestern Saskatchewan. 419 



1. jEchmophorus occidentalis. Western Grebe. — Abundant in all 

 of the deep water sloughs where its nests were floating in water from 

 two to three feet deep, among the bulrushes. There was a very large 

 breeding colony at Crane Lake in 1905, which had nearly doubled in 

 size in 1906, so that it must have contained several hundred pairs. Eggs 

 were found at various dates between June 8 and 26, and young birds were 

 seen on June 8, 1905, but very few of the eggs were hatched before the 

 end of June. We noticed a great mortality among these birds in 1905, 

 finding their dead bodies floating near their nests or lying on them, some- 

 times two birds at one nest. We were unable to account for this unless 

 it was done by muskrats, which were common in the sloughs. Most of the 

 nests contained 3 eggs, some 2, some 4, and one the unusual number of 11; 

 this last was apparently the work of several birds. 



2. Colymbus holboellii. Holbcell's Grebe. — This species was re- 

 corded by Prof. Macoun at Indian Head, Assa., and at Snake Lake, Alberta. 

 I saw a grebe at Crane Lake on June 7, 1905, which I took to be Holbcell's, 

 but none were collected either season and no others were seen, so I consider 

 my record very doubtful. 



3. Colymbus auritus. Horned Grebe. — Uncommon in 1905, rare in 

 1906. A few pairs were found breeding in the Crane Lake sloughs and, as 

 they were quite tame, were easily identified, though none were taken. 

 Nests were found on June 7, 1905, and on June 22, 1906, in the Western 

 Grebe colony, containing from 5 to 9 eggs. 



4. Colymbus nigricollis californicus. American Eared Grebe. — 

 Common. Breeding in all of the sloughs and laying usually 4 or 5 eggs. 

 They were found breeding quite abundantly in a large breeding colony 

 of Franklin's Gulls, at Lake of the Narrows, on June 10 and 12, 1905, at 

 which time all of the eggs collected were fresh. Nests were also found on 

 June 22, 23 and 26, 1906. 



5. Larus californicus. California Gull. — Common, on or about all 

 of the larger lakes and about the garbage piles near the towns. A large 

 breeding colony of this and the following species was found on an island 

 in Big Stick Lake, on June 14, 1906, at which time about half of the eggs 

 had hatched. 



Prof. Macoun recorded the Herring Gull as breeding at Crane Lake, but 

 we did not meet with it at all and I am confident that the birds he saw 

 should be referred to this species. We collected quite a series of large 

 gulls and all of them were either californicus or delawarensis. 



6. Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. — Common. Seen regu- 

 larly at all of the lakes we visited. The only breeding colony found was 

 the one referred to under the foregoing species. 



7. Larus franklinii. Franklin's Gull. — Abundant about all the 

 lakes and sloughs. Small flocks of Franklin's Gulls were frequently seen, 

 towards evening, skimming low over the meadows after the manner of 

 swallows and apparently catching insects on the wing. An immense 

 breeding colony of these gulls was found at Lake of the Narrows on June 



