760 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
768. Mountain Bluebird. 
Sialia arctica. SWAINS. 1831. 
On October roth, 1898, I received a fine male mountain bluebird 
from E. H. Patterson of Brandon, Man. It had been collected 
two days before about two miles west of that city, and was in com- 
pany with another individual of the same species. (George E. 
Atkinson.) A few individuals of this species were observed in the 
Rocky mountains at Chief Mountain lake, but no specimens were 
preserved. (Coues.) Tolerably common summer resident at 
Aweme, Manitoba. It breeds in the more hilly country; arrives 
about May 7th and leaves about October 15th. (Criddle.) First 
seen at Medicine Hat, Sask., April 6th, 1894, after that a few were 
seen every day until May 9th, when the last one disappeared, they 
appeared to follow along the scattered timber in the valley of the 
South Saskatchewan as they passed to the north; a pair were found 
breeding June 15th, 1895, at Medicine Lodge, south of Wood moun- 
tain, Sask., and another pair in a clay bank along Frenchman river 
at Stony Creek crossing; they were also breeding in numbers along 
Milk river, especially at Castellated rocks in July, 1895; observed a 
few about the end of July, 1903, at Dunvegan, Peace river; ob- 
served nesting at Lacombe, near Edmonton, Alta., June 18th, 
1897; common at Calgary and southward in the foot-hills to Crow 
Nest pass; common from the upper crossing of the Lob-stick river 
to Camp river, B.C., west of the Athabaska pass; also seen in large 
flocks at the Henry House, Athabaska pass, September 2nd, 1898, 
last seen September 25th; quite common and breeding early at 
Banff, Rocky mountains, it built its nest chiefly under the eaves of 
houses at Banff; shot at Revelstoke, B.C., April roth, 1890; quite 
common along the mountain slopes; breeding in Eagle pass near 
Revelstoke in May, 1890; numbers of young birds were seen in the 
trees along Pass creek at Robson, B.C., June 20th, 1890, the birds 
had nested in the cliffs about 700 feet above the water; common 
on the International Boundary between Trail and Cascade, B.C., 
breeding in holes in houses and trees; abundant at Penticton, 
south of Lake Okanagan, B.C., in April, 1903; they were in flocks 
of from ten to fifty; abundant in open places around Fernie and 
Elko, B.C., in April and May, 1904; common at Midway, B.C., 
April 10, 1905, a pair building a nest in an empty house on the 15th; 
