228 Tkotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. [ju\t 



mon"; of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, "not common about 

 Halifax, but of more frequent occurrence in the vicinity of Truro 

 and Pictou" (Truro and Pictou are toward the west and nearer 

 the Amherst district). The Goldfinch Downs speaks of as common. 

 Of the Red-winged Blackbird he says: "very rare .... A few oc- 

 cur in the western part of the Province," and of the Meadowlark, 

 "Very rare. Only a mere straggler." These are significant 

 statements regarding two such widespread birds, especially the 

 reference to the Red-wing occurring in the western part. The 

 Vesper Sparrow he speaks of as a "common summer resident" 

 though I never saw it about Barrington and Chester, nor did I see 

 either the Field Sparrow or the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Of the 

 Catbird, which I found sparingly the first summer (1901) about the 



villages at Barrington, Downs says: "Rather common It 



does not arrive until the summer is well advanced. Breeds in 

 alder swamps." This lateness of arrival, together with its appar- 

 ently irregular appearance, may indicate a tardiness in the general 

 northeastern extension of this species' range. The House Wren 

 and the Thrasher are not included in Downs's list, nor have I ever 

 observed these birds in the Province. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet 

 is spoken of as uncommon, and this enlightening observation is 

 made in regard to the Bluebird: "Uncommon. 1 have seen it 

 breeding in an apple tree at Kentville. It appears to be getting a 

 footing in Nova Scotia." I may add that 1 have never met with the 

 Bluebird in the Province though I found it much farther north — 

 on the north shore of the St. Lawrence near Les Eboullements in 

 the Province of Quebec, and Dr. Dwight has recently reported it 

 from Tadousac in the same region. 1 



Further confirmatory evidence in regard to the extension of the 

 range of certain birds is given by Dr. Dwight in his 'Summer Birds 

 of Prince Edward Island' 2 where he speaks of the Chipping 

 Sparrow as "Not a common species, and only occasionally ob- 

 served." Of the Goldfinch he notes, "a few seen almost daily." 

 Of the Vesper Sparrow Dr. Dwight says: "An abundant bird, 

 frequenting the open fields in the more settled districts." Neither 

 the Catbird nor the Bluebird are recorded by Dr. Dwight in this 



1 Auk, Vol. XXVI, Jan., 1909, p. 83. 



2 Ibid., Vol. X, Jan., 1893, p. 1. 



