26 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXIV. 



I (1); Oct. 4 (1); Oct. 6 (3); Oct. 7 (4); Oct. 

 14 (2). With the exception of the last record when 

 both species were found in company back in the 

 woods, all the ruby-crowns were noted in the orch- 

 ard below the tower. 



Hyloc'ichla aliciae. Grey-cheeked Thrush. Oct. 



7 (1)?. 



Hylocichla ustulaia sTvainsoni, Olive-backed 

 Thrush. Sept. 2 (several) ; Sept. 8, Oct. 7 (20) ; 

 Oct. 12 (50) ; Oct. 13 (3). Not one bird of these 

 numbers was observed at the tower; all clung to the 

 woods to southward. Owing to the extreme diffi- 

 culty in distinguishing the grey-cheek from the 

 olive-back in the field, it is possible that numbers of 

 the former may have been overlooked. 



Hvlocichla guttata pallasii. Hermit Thrush. Oct. 



II (1). On this date a thrush with a reddish tail 

 was observed for a few moments almost directly 



below the tower. It was doubtless a hermit. Not 

 seen elsewhere. 



Merula mlgratoria, Robin. Sept. 2 (several) ; 

 Sept. 7 and 8 and Oct. 4, heard in song; Oct. 13 

 (12); Oct. 18 (3); Oct. 31 (1); Nov. 1 (small 

 flock). 



Sialia sialis, Bluebird. Sept. (family) ; Sept. 

 14 (family); Sept. 29 (family); Oct. 4 (flock of 

 30); Oct. 6 (several; Oct. 8 (flock); Oct. 9 

 (several); Oct. 16 (several); Oct. 17 (several); 

 Oct. 18 (several). The September records prob- 

 ably were all local birds; they were seen remote 

 from the tower. But on Oct. 4 the birds were en 

 route westward. They stormed into the locusts 

 nearby — a beautiful blue blizzard — and after a short 

 council they swirled away again over the orchards. 

 On Oct. 8 a large flock went over without stopping 

 to pay their respects. The later birds were in small 

 numbers and taking their time. 



THE FLORA OF WARRENS LANDING, LAKE WINNIPEG, MAN. 



By Chas. W. Lowe, M.Sc, Botanical Department, University of Manitoba. 



Warrens Landing is at the extreme north of Lake 

 Winnipeg and at the source of the Nelson river 

 which carries all the waters of the lake to the 

 Hudson Bay. It is north of the fifty-second par- 

 allel and is, therefore, in that territory which has 

 been recently added to the Province of Manitoba. 



The source of the Nelson river is about 2'/2 

 miles wide and is almost blocked by an island which 

 is nearly 2 miles across with approximately 8 miles 

 of coast line. The eastern channel is narrow and 

 comparatively little water flows through it. The 

 western channel is the important one. Here, the 

 only signs or marks of civilization are four light- 

 houses, two on the mainland and two on the island, 

 and two fishing stations, one on the mainland and 

 one on the island. It was during a visit on the first 

 eleven days in August, 1918, to the fishing station 

 on the island that I made the observations recorded 

 here. 



Travelling northwards up Lake Winnipeg one 

 cannot help noticing a number of natural features 

 and I think the most conspicuous is the difference 

 between the eastern and western shores. The east- 

 ern shore is strewn with large red rocks of Lauren- 

 tian granite, whilst the western shore is littered with 

 grey Cambro-Silurian limestone boulders. This 

 feature is alone sufficient to make a study of the 

 flora surrounding the lake of great interest. On the 

 eastern side many species typical of Ontario reach 

 their western limits and on the western shore are 



found the first of many prairie forms not found in 

 the east. 



Another conspicuous feature travelling north- 

 wards is the gradual ascendancy of coniferous trees 

 over the deciduous ones. The coniferous trees are 

 not frequent at the southern end of the lake and the 

 deciduous trees are comparatively few around the 

 the northern shores. The prevailing conifer is the 

 white spruce, Picea alba, in the more southern parts, 

 and the bog spruce, Picea mariana, in the swampy 

 regions of the north. The deciduous trees in the 

 northern parts around the lake are comparatively 

 small and restricted to poplars, willows, and a few 

 birches. 



The island at Warrens Landing is practically all 

 muskeg. It appears to be, for the greater part a 

 deposit of mud on the top of granite and covered 

 with from one to two feet of Sphagnum. Only in 

 a few places is the rocky substratum exposed. It is 

 thickly treed with the bog spruce. The shore on 

 the south and west is littered with uprooted trees 

 and shrubs. This is the result of rapid coast erosion 

 and is due to the violence of lake storms, the strong 

 and fast current carrying great masses of ice through 

 the very shallow and comparatively narrow channel, 

 and to heavy rain storms. During the eleven days 

 I was there it rained every day and nearly every 

 night and caused frequent landslides along the shore. 

 Water slowly soaking through the Sphagnum washes 

 out the loose muddy soil underneath and when a 



