CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 249 
BREEDING NoTEes.—Permanent resident at Scotch lake, York 
county, New Brunswick. Breeds. (W. H. Moore.) Immature 
goshawks come regularly to Toronto in the autumn and often 
remain all winter. Until 1896 full plumaged birds were almost 
unknown, certainly I was not aware of any records of mature birds 
for ten or fifteen years previous to that date. In October, 1896 
a remarkable migration of mature birds took place. They spread 
themselves all over Ontario in large numbers, and I believe the 
New England States were invaded in like manner. I received the 
first mature bird on October 26th from Toronto, and from then 
till December the birds continued to come in. The deer hunters 
reported that the hawks were playing havoc with the partridges 
and hardly a shooting party returned in November without one 
or more mature goshawks. I fancy that the sudden inroad of the 
sharp-tailed grouse into Muskoka and the migration of the gos- 
hawks were likely caused by the same necessity—lack of food. 
Both species appeared in Muskoka together. Never a scarce bird 
in the districts of Parry Sound and Muskoka; the number of breed- 
ing birds has greatly increased since the autumn of 1896. (J. H. 
Fleming.) The only nest I ever saw of this species in Muskoka 
was in the fork of a large black birch (Betula lenta) about forty feet 
from the ground. It was made of sticks lined with leaves and clay. 
In it I found four young ones all differing in size, which leads me 
to think that they are not all hatched at the same time. In the 
nest I found a bluejay and a hairy woodpecker which had been plucked 
by the old birds. Beneath a maple log that was lying about 100 
yards away from the tree having the nest, and several feet from 
the ground, I found a large quantity of feathers which the old birds 
had plucked from barn-yard fowls and other birds. It was evident 
that the old birds had carried their prey here and picked it before 
taking it to their young. The nest was within half a mile of Brace- 
bridge, and about 300 yards from the south branch of the Muskoka 
river. They are more plentiful in Muskoka in winter than in sum- 
mer. (Spreadborough.) A not uncommon bird in winter in Ontario, 
but as a rule going north to breed. I found a nest of this species 
near Otty lake, in the county of Lanark, Ont., in 1885. It was 
a large structure built in the fork of a beech tree, about thirty feet 
from the ground, and on the 3rd of May contained three almost 
bluish-white eggs, incubation commenced. In addition to the 
breeding of this bird in the county of Lanark, Ont., I find that it 
