258 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
late breeder, and only in one case did I find eggs before the first of 
June. (Spreadborough.) 
The writer has taken many nests of this species in Saskatchewan, 
and has found that a tree is preferred to nest in but that they change 
the site to agree with changed conditions. Where oak scrub exists, 
they prefer oak; farther west, poplar (Populus tremuloides), and on 
treeless plains they descend to low bushes and last of all, cut banks 
where they often make a bulky nest. In the summer of 1895, nests 
were taken in box elder (Negundo aceroides) on Old Wives creek. 
These were lined with the outer bark of dead trees of this species. 
Each nest contained only two eggs, both fresh, May 27th and June 
ist. A nest was taken at the forks of the creek on June 2nd. This 
was under a cut bank, about six feet below the summit. This nest 
was lined with green poplar twigs, having young leaves. Later, 
nests were taken at Wood mountain, Sask., in willow clumps and 
under banks, and towards the last of the month, on the Cypress hills, 
in choke-cherry bushes. Inthe Milk River country, the nests were 
chiefly under banks. 
In July, 1861, we discovered a nest of this species which was 
built on a spruce tree along Onion river, the principal tributary of 
the Lockhart. It contained two well-grown birds. Both parents 
were about and made a great ado in endeavouring to protect their 
offspring. The male was shot. In June, 1865, another nest was 
found on the top crotch of a tall pine in a ravine, some 20 miles 
southeast of Fort Anderson, lat. 68° 30’. In composition, it was 
similar to the nest of an Archibuteo. The female was shot as-she 
left the nest, which contained but one egg in a well developed stage. 
The male was not seen. (Macfarlane.) 
This bird breeds commonly throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan 
and Alberta, seldom having eggs before the third week in May, and 
is, therefore, a late breeder. Between June 5th and 13th, rgor, I 
examined close upon thirty nests in northern Saskatchewan. All 
these nests just contained three eggs each, no more or no less, show- 
ing that three eggs is the number laid. Incubation was advanced 
at this time, but I did not find a single nest containing young. Some 
of the nests were built in fire-killed willows, and so low that I could 
reach the eggs from the ground. A few nests were in poplars and 
built from 1o feet to 20 feet from the ground. I never found two 
