CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 469 
the nests contained four eggs and the other five. Both sets were 
far advanced in incubation and the latter set contained one infertile 
egg. The female birds were sitting closely when the nests were 
discovered, and in both cases I nearly touched them before they 
slipped from the nests. They darted quickly out of sight, making 
no solicitous demonstrations whatever. Another nest was found 
near Cape Blossom on July 1st, 1899. This was in every way similar 
to the other two, and contained four slightly incubated eggs. As 
the month of May advanced the flocks of redpolls began to break 
up though the pairs were prone to stay within call of each other, 
a sociable trait. The first nest was found on June 4th and contained 
five badly incubated eggs. This indicates that nesting begins soon 
after the middle of May. Another nest, containing five slightly 
incubated eggs, was taken on the 5th; the nest was saddled in the 
forks of a leafless willow above water at the margin of an ice-covered 
lake. This nest may be described as typical of the ones found in 
the Kowak valley. It is a very compact and well proportioned 
structure of fine dry rootlets, grasses and slender plant-stems lined 
with soft white willow down and a few ptarmigan feathers. The 
diameter of the nest cavity is 1.70, and the depth 1.25 ; external 
diameter, 4.00; depth, 2.10. A nest of five fresh eggs, taken on 
June 6th, was nine feet above the ground in the top of a small spruce 
at the edge of a dense strip of timber. The eggs of the hoary redpoll 
are pale Nile blue, with spots, lines, dots and scrawls of vinaceous, 
lavender, chocolate and so dark a brown as to appear black in some 
cases. These markings tend to form wreaths about the larger ends 
of many eggs. The eggs vary in shape from ovate to short-ovate. 
(Grinnell.) I have six nests with sets of eggs of this species. They 
were collected at Peel river; Mackenzie-delta, by the Rev. I. O- 
Stringer, who has just returned from that far away northern region 
’ after spending eight years among the Eskimos. The nests are 
beautiful structures of fine twigs and roots felted together with 
vegetable down, and snugly lined with down and feathers. One 
nest, taken July rg9th, 1898, was built in a willow only two feet from 
the ground, and contained four eggs. Another nest was built in 
a small shrub less than one foot from the ground, and contained 
five eggs, averaging in size .68x.52. The Eskimo name for this 
bird is ‘‘Peédgwak.” (W. Ravne.) 
