August, 1885.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



123 



great many Gulls passed over here about the 

 mitUllc of May, and I also lieard that the Blaek 

 Terns had arrived at their breeding quarters. 

 Tlie Blue-winged Teal is now in great force; in 

 fact, most of the Summer birds have arrived. 

 The wealher now (end of May) is very hot, and 

 tlie mosquitoes are beginning to be troublesome. 

 Last evening I saw a Goatsucker and heard the 

 Wliip-poor-will. 



.Jiuie 4th. — Early in Juue I had a ramble out to 

 the Brandon Hills, eight miles south of here. I 

 discovered a lake, about a mile long by about 

 half-a-milc broad, full of Ducks; it is right 

 amongst the hills, which are clothed with woods 

 (111 two sides of the lake. I was looking for the 

 Wood Duck, l)Ut not seeing any on the lake did 

 not disturb the fowl there. In wandering througli 

 the woods I spied a mighty nest of large twigs in 

 a tree on the edge of the lake. On my approach 

 a bird (lapped otf, and I promptly shot it, when I 

 tound it to be a fine Ked-tailed Buzzard; I 

 I shot also a Yellow-headed Grackle (?). 



.June 30th. — In the middle of June I was out at 

 Plum Creek, thirty miles southwest, where I 

 added a few birds to the collection. Amongst 

 others I got three Phalaropes, a few Black Terns 

 (of which there were large numbers), and a very 

 good Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa fwiht, which I 

 found breeding there. I also found numbers of 

 Ducks' nests, the eggs all incubated, except two 

 lilue-winged Teal's. A Black-headed Gull was 

 lollowing the plough just as they do in Northum- 

 berland. In the first week of July I noticed a llock 

 of these Gulls flying round, screaming and com- 

 ing quite close to where I was standing. They 

 appear to be very like our English Black-headed 

 Gull, but I did not manage to get a specimen for 

 identification ; they breed on some large lakes or 

 sloughs round Portage. I shot a couple Dunlins 

 in Brandon one dav, and so have added this 

 species to my collection. The eggs of many birds 

 which are considered rare in England are easily 

 (iblainable here, viz.. Marsh Harrier, Shore Lark, 

 Buzzard, Ducks of various species, Black Tern, 

 Bar-tailed (Barbled) Golwit, Bartram's Sandpiper, 

 Yellowshauks, and many others. I shot a Kill- 

 deer Plover {^■Kyiiditis vocifenm) about the second 

 week in July, and took the eggs. 



August 5th. — The close time for Ducks and 

 Prairie Chickens has been extended to September 

 1st, but I went out on the 1st of August, and shot 

 a few Killdeer and Upland Plover (Bartram's 

 Sandpiper). I also shot three Sandpipers from a 

 Hock of about a dozen ; they are very like a Dun- 

 lin, but the breast shows no signs of any blaek 

 leathers, and I have shot similar specimens in 

 June ; they are also smaller than the Dunlin. 



[They may have been Bonaparte's, or Baird's 

 Sandpiper. — Ed.] 



August 2.jth.— H. had a day's shooting about 

 the middle of the month, and bagged seventy 

 head, including fifty-two Ducks. I have reared 

 a lame Bittern, a fine handsome full-grown 

 bird now; he seems very fond of frogs, small 

 birds and insects; it takes me nearly all my 

 time to supply him with food. On the 20th I 

 heard that a Gyr Falcon had been observed ; at 

 the same time a friend of mine caught two young 

 Canada Geese down by the river. You have no 

 idea what a i)lace this is for birds. I am often 

 lying outside the tent, smoking, when perhaps a 

 pair of Marsh Harriers will come sailing past; 

 then a big Buzzard will perch about fifty yards 

 away and remain motionless for hours, in spite of 

 my firing my catapult at him ; then a flight of 

 Ducks passes over, or perhaps a few Sand-hill 

 Cranes, or Geese, Passenger Pigeons, &c. This is 

 an ordinary occurrence, and if I take the trouble 

 to get my gun and walk down to a slough a C[uar- 

 ter of a mile away, I am sure to flush Sandpipers, 

 Plovers, Snipe, Y''ellowshanks, and other waders, 

 a few Ducks, or perhaps a couple of Water Kails 

 or a Bittern, and see the Musk Rats swimming 

 and diving in all directions. 



September 16th. — Three guns had good sport 

 early in this month ; they got 000 head in five 

 days, mostly Duck, Snipe, and Prairie Chickens. 

 Amongst the dead I found another species of 

 Phalarope, smaller than those I got previously ; 

 it is in Autunm plumage. [Probably the Ked- 

 necked Phalarope. — Ed.] There were also several 

 species of small waders, but I was too late to save 

 them. Prairie Chickens ai'c scarce this season, 

 owing no doubt to the settlers shooting them 

 during the close time. Amongst the birds I have 

 got lately are Scaup, Grebes, Kingfishers, Blue 

 Jay, Velvet Scoter, and Peregrine. Hawks are 

 particularly abundant this Autumn, especially 

 Marsh Harriers, but I rarely take the trou'ile to 

 shoot at one now. 



October 13th. — Winter is coming on fast, and 

 the wild fowl are leaving us for the south. I 

 have shot eighty Ducks in three days during 

 the early part of this month. Snipe are still 

 plentiful, but will soon be leaving. I have seen 

 several Mergansers and BuBel-heads, and secured 

 one of the former for the collection. The other 

 day I saw a Pelican (PelccauHs trachi/rhyncfitiK) 

 exposed for sale in a shop; it was shot in South 

 Manitoba, and measured eight feet from tip to 

 tip of the wings. I have added to my store a 

 Little Crake, which I shot out of a reed-bed early 

 this mouth ; it is the first of the kind I have ever 

 seen here. 



