T 1 'l9i9 X:VI ] TAVERNER, Birds of Red Deer River, Alta. 13 



50. Numenius americanus. LONG-BILLED CURLEW. Both Chas. 

 and Geo. Sternberg who have had several seasons' experience on the Red 

 Deer River have spoken of Curlews occurring in the late summer or early 

 fall. July 22, when leaving, as I drove into Millicent I saw two or three 

 Curlew flying in the distance. I refer them to this species on general 

 probabilities. Horsbrough reports a sight record for the Hudsonian Curlew 

 for Buffalo Lake, May 25, 1915, but does not mention the Long-bill. In 

 western Alberta, the Hudsonian is most improbable. 



51. Charadrius dominicus. GOLDEN PLOVER. Horsbrough records 

 two specimens sent him from Buffalo Lake, Oct. 11, 1916. 



52.* Oxyechus vociferus. KILLDEER. Not seen until August 23 at 

 Camp 11, on the Little Sandhill Creek, where Young collected a single 

 specimen from five seen. We have one downy young taken at Alix June 

 1915 by Horsbrough, who reports them common. 



53. Perdix perdix. HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE. Horsbrough was 

 informed that this species was introduced near Alix in 1909, but failed to 

 .survive to date (1914). 



54.* Bonasa umbellus. RUFFED GROUSE. Said to have been very 

 common about Camp 1, a few years ago but now scarce. Though we found 

 much excellent ground we met none in this neighborhood and only occa- 

 sional ones elsewhere. The same agents that practically exterminated the 

 Sharp-tails doubtless decimated this species. See that species for further 

 discussion. At Camp 3 we saw and took one specimen; another was heard 

 drumming at Camp 4 near Nevis. A brood of half grown young was met 

 between Camps 5 and 6 and a single bird below Drumheller. Besides this 

 specimen we have three birds from Ramsey and three from Morrin, taken 

 by George Sternberg in 1915 and 1916. Of these but two birds are typical 

 umbelloides, two cannot be distinguished from eastern togata, and the 

 remainder are intermediate. B. u. umbelloides as it occurs on the Can- 

 adian prairies is a most unstable race and there is little satisfaction in 

 attempting subspecific identification of individuals in these districts. The 

 area of overlapping of the two races is very wide indeed. Horsbrough 

 refers the local form to togata but has probably not compared specimens. 



55. Tympanuchus americanus. PRAIRIE CHICKEN. I have had 

 the pleasure of examining a specimen of this species taken by Mr. Hors- 

 brough in the vicinity of Red Deer Dec. 26, 1914, as he records. As it 

 was unknown to local shooters it appears that this is the first specimen of 

 the species for this locality and may be the forerunner of a permanent 

 intrusion. 



56.* Pedioecetes phasianellus. SHARP-TAILED GROUSE. This is 

 the "prairie chicken," so called, of the Prairie Provinces, and as such is 

 well known. They were said to have been exceedingly numerous on the 

 Red Deer a few years ago but are very scarce now. Chough we covered 

 much ground where they were said to have been plentiful we saw none until 

 late in July when Young collected four July 27 to September 13, in the 

 neighborhood of the Little Sandhill Creek. We spoke to several residents 



