1908.] BIRDS. 313 



Franklin mentions seeing several cranes, undoubtedly referable to 

 this form, on Parry Bay, Melville Sound, August 14, 1821.° Rae, 

 when at Fort Confidence, observed large flocks passing northward on 

 May 30 and 31, 1849. b John Ross recorded cranes as common June 

 5, 1830, near Felix Harbor, Boothia/' Armstrong observed the spe- 

 cies at Mercy Bay, Banks Land, about the middle of May, 1851. d 

 Ross lists it as occurring in the Mackenzie River region north to 

 the Arctic coast and as having been collected at Fort Simpson/ 

 Coues records eggs from Great Slave Lake and Liverpool Bay.' 

 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway record skins from Fort Resolution and 

 the lower Anderson River, 4 ' and the bird catalogue of the National 

 Museum shows that specimens were received also from Fort Simp- 

 son and Big Island. Kennicott noted the first one of the season at 

 Fort Resolution on May 7, 1800.'' Hanbury noted that brown cranes 

 were numerous and paired on Melville Sound early in June, 1902.' 

 J. Alden Loring reported seeing a pair on Grand Cache River, a 

 tributary of Smoky River, about 125 miles north of Jasper House, 

 on September 13, 1890. H. W. Jones, in a letter, reports this bird 

 near Fort Providence April 28, 1905. Seton observed the species at 

 Fort Reliance, September 14, 1907.-' 



Grus mexicana (Mull.). Sandhill Crane. 



Under the name Grus canadensis Richardson describes a specimen 

 killed at Great Slave Lake May 15, 1822, which, from its measure- 

 ments, should be referred to the present species.'' Some of our more 

 southern records, here referred to G. canadensis, may really relate to 

 the present species. Apparently G. mexicana does not regularly 

 extend its range north of the plains country, but much additional 

 information must be gained before all questions regarding the re- 

 lationship and range of this and the preceding species can be 

 decided. 



Porzana Carolina (Linn.). Sora Rail. 



The familiar sora is an abundant summer resident of the marshes 

 north, at least to the region of Great Slave Lake, but on account of 

 its elusive habits it is seldom seen. 



u Narrative Journey to Polar Sea. p. 3S3, 1823. 



6 Arctic Searching Expedition, II. p. 105, 1.S51. 



r Narrative Ross's Second Voyage, p. 390, 1835. 



^Narrative Discovery Northwest Passage, p. 522, lsr.7 



e Nat. Hist. Rev.. II (second ser.), p. 284, 1862. 



f Birds of the Northwest, p. 534, 1874. 



9 Water Birds N. A.. I, p. 41.",, 1884. 



''Trans. Chicago Acad. Sci.. I, p. 170, 1869. 



i Sport and Travel in Northland of Canada, p. 161, 1904; 



i Auk, XXV, p. 70, 1908. 



k Fauna Boreali-Aniericana, II, p. 373, 1831. 



