570 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
Edmonton, Alta., May 13th, 1897; common by the 21st, and building 
their nests by hundreds in the town; saw a few nesting in the cut 
banks of the river between Edmonton and the Athabaska river in 
June, 1898. (Spreadborough.) A large number of old nests were 
noticed between Athabaska Landing and Lesser Slave river, Alta., 
but no birds were seen; we were very likely too early in the season. 
(J. M. Macoun.) First observed’on May 30th, 1900, then in great 
numbers, building their nests in the town of Prince Albert, Sask. 
(Coubeaux.) 
In the year 1820 this species was discovered by Major Long near 
the Rocky mountains, and in the same year by Sir John Franklin‘s 
party, on the journey from Cumberland House to Fort Enterprise, 
and on the banks of Point lake in lat. 65°, where its earliest arrival 
was noted, in the following year, to be June 12th. Its clustered 
nests are of frequent occurrence on the ‘{barren grounds,” and they 
are not uncommon throughout the whole course of the Great Slave 
and Mackenzie rivers. (Richardson.) North to Rat river on the 
Mackenzie; common. (Ross.) In 1856 about one hundred and 
fifty nests of this species were built, for the first time, at Fort Good 
Hope, on the Mackenzie river, and in 1866, one was seen examining 
the eaves of the houses at Fort Anderson, but it did not remain. 
They, however, breed in large numbers along the banks of the Lock- 
hart and Anderson rivers. (Macjarlane.) Common in British 
Columbia. (Lord.) Common everywhere in the interior; breeds. 
(Streator.) Breeding on farm buildings at Osoyoos lake, B.C. 
(Spreadborough.) I have only found this bird east of the Coast 
range, where in some localities along the Cariboo road it is very 
abundant. (Fannin.) Rare at Chilliwack; may breed in the 
vicinity. (Brooks.) Abundant east of the Coast range in British 
Columbia. (hoads.) 
This bird, from its nesting habits, is precluded from being a resi- 
dent on the arctic coast. It has been taken at Nulato, and seems 
to be common at the trading stations along the Yukon. (Nelson.) 
This species was common at Log Cabin, June 15th; at Cariboo Cross- 
ing, lat. 60°, saw a few on June 29th, probably members of the small 
colony breeding on the cliffs of a small island in Tagish lake. We 
next saw the species near Hootalingua river, July roth, and from 
this point to Dawson in lat. 64° 15’ we frequently met with colonies 
