6 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



boured in the swamps where there were few or no trees, 

 and appeared to breed in such situations; for I found two 

 nests, both of which were carefully hid in the bottom of 

 bushes, and resembled sparrows' nests, being constructed 

 loosely of hay lined with feathers, mostly those of ducks 

 or geese and grouse. One of the nests contained unfledged 

 young birds, the other eggs. The eggs were dull grey 

 in ground colour, thickly blotched and spotted with two 

 or three shades of brown. 



A curious bird frequenting the trees, and often 

 wandering about the camp in the boldest manner was a 

 bird called by the employees of the Hudson Bay Company, 

 the " whisky-jack " ; but for what reason I could not 

 discover. It greatly resembles the great grey shrike 

 (Lanius excubiter) of Europe, being about the size of a 

 missel-thrush ; but the feathers are so loose and abundant 

 that it looks a much larger bird than it really is. It is 

 a noisy and a greedy bird, being particularly fond of 

 scraps of meat and fat; and instructed by one of the 

 Indians, I lay on the ground, covered with green boughs, 

 and with the hand extended with a piece of fat in it I 

 captured many by suddenly closing the fingers when they 

 came for the bait. They cried loudly and pecked fiercely, 

 but were not much frightened; for when released they 

 flew to the nearest trees or bushes, and after shaking and 

 arranging their feathers, and uttering a few angry notes, 

 came back to look for more scraps. 



Among the most interesting birds harbouring about 

 this lake was a pair of great northern divers, called 

 throughout this country, and the north-eastern part of 

 the United States, loons. The specific name of this bird 

 is Golymous glacialis and Urinator Imher in America, 

 Colynibus r/lacialis in England ; an instance of the con- 

 fusion often engendered by " scientific nomenclature." 

 Why plain " loon " would not do to designate the bird 

 all the world over it is difiicult to say ; unless the desire 

 to mystify is ineradicable in all the " learned." Loon is 



