126 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
This species breeds throughout the entire wooded region of the 
Mackenzie River basin. Nests were discovered in the vicinity of 
Fort Anderson, and to the borders of the forest on the east and west 
sides of the river of that name. None were met with on the ‘‘Bar- 
rens’’ nor on the Arctic coast. Several deserted hawks’ nests were 
found, occupied by incubating females. (Macjarlane.) 
BREEDING NOTES.——Have seen several nests, some on the ground 
and others upon old musk-rat houses. Nests made of grass lined 
with down. Breeds early; have seen the young the first week in June, 
but also found eggs perfectly fresh June 9th, 1894. (Spreadborough.) 
A nest with six eggs, incubated about one week, was found near the 
Red Deer river, Alberta, May 11th, 1888. Between Athabasca 
Landing and Fort McMurray, two females with young about a week 
old were seen June 11th. (J. M. Macoun.) 
Breeds in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and is one of the earliest 
breeders. Its eggs are often taken and put under fowls to hatch. 
I have seen broods of young Canada geese that were hatched and 
reared by turkeys at Rush lake. When the first clutch is taken the 
bird lays another, sometimes on the same island. On May 25th, 
1893, I found seven eggs in a nest built on an isiand in a small lake 
north of Rush lake. A Canada goose had nested on this island for 
several years. It is a remarkable fact that in Alberta this goose 
often lays its eggs in the nests of buzzards. Mr. Neuman sent me 
a set of five eggs he took from a buzzard’s nest on April 25th, 1896. 
The nest was built in a dead cotton-wood tree 45 feet from the 
ground and the bird was flushed off the nest and shot. I havea 
photograph of the nest. (Razne.) 
This species is one of the earliest to arrive in the Northwest. It 
was first seen in 1894 at Medicine Hat on April 7th, by Spread- 
borough, and was common by the 16th. It seems to have no fixed 
place to breed as it has been found nesting on old musk-rat houses 
in marshes, on masses of dead reeds, in buzzards’ nests, on low 
trees along streams, and in two instances it nested in trees at least 
forty feet from the ground. In one case the nest was in that of a 
fish hawk, in the other in an old nest of the bald eagle. Also breed- 
ing on rocks along Milk river, Alberta. 
