1898] Bird Notes for December. 2(3$ 



BIRD NOTES FOR DECEMBER, ^ , ^ 



The following notes were sent in by Mr. W. T. Macoun, Associate' 

 Editor in Ornithology : 



Fox Sparrow. — On the 4th of December I observed a fox spar- 

 row on the Aylmer Road. This is a very late date for this sparrow. 



_ Brunnich's Guillemot — On Sunday the 12th of December this 

 bird passed up the Ottawa river in large numbers, in fact there were 

 considerably over one thousand. The birds, in flocks ,of from 20 to 100, 

 were passing Rocklifife from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Several were shot.- 

 On Monday the 13th inst., one was caught alive in a field between 

 Metcalfe and Osgoode stations, which lived for two days. On examina- 

 tion, the stomach was found empty. AU ot the birds obtained were in, 

 very poor condition.— Geo. R. White. 



Pine Grosbeak— A small flock of Pine Grosbeaks was seen by 

 Mrs. Ridley, of Vittoria street, eating mountain ash berries, on the 21st 

 Deeember. This is the earliest date recorded for this winter. — -W. T. 

 Macoun. " , 



The Western American Goshawk, Accipiter atricapillus \z.x^, 

 striatidus is hardly entitled to sub-specific rank and should, only be re- 

 garded as a geographical race, as complete tntergrqding occurs,, and the 

 adults, unless typical, are inseparable. West of the Cascades the dark, 

 form [striatu/us) is resident, the typical form only occyrring in winter.;;, 

 here, at Vernon, B.C., in the Okanagan district, I believe both forms 

 breed, and I have taken very dark plumaged young (in the beginning 

 of August) in the Gold Range district, forty miles to the east. There' 

 are, I think, no differences in the markings of the two forms, 

 at all events in the adult ; the whole difference lies' in the darker 

 plumage of the western form. Typical young of each forrti look' very" 

 different, but are not nearly so constant as the young of Fales columbar- 

 ius and F. columbarius suckkyi, as to markings. As a rule ithe adult 

 of the western form has a scarlet, and the eastern, an orange 

 or yellow iris, but this is not to be relied on. However, the 

 two forms afe more entitled to separation than the four sub- 



