THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST 



VOL. XXXIV. 



OTTAWA. ONT., DECEMBER. 1920 



No. 9 



THE VERTEBRATES OF THE OTTER LAKE REGION. DORSET. ONTARIO. 

 By a. H. Wright and S. E. R. Simpson. 

 (Continued from VoL XXXIV, page 145). 



IV.— THE BIRDS. 



By a .H. Wright and S. E. R. Simpson. 



The birds of this region have received attention 

 through all the years of this camp's establishment. 

 Each year either at the beginning of camp or in 

 the later portion, bird contests have been held and 

 almost every year of its ten years' existence the 

 camp has had a naturalist among the councillors 

 in residence from June 28 or July I to September 

 I or 10. This list is based mainly on the records of 

 the two authors for the seasons of 1913 and 1919. 

 and is now put in form to stimulate recording of 

 subsequent finds. We are sure there are forms 

 omitted but some of the naturalists did not keep 

 notes and prefer to leave almost certain observa- 

 tions unrecorded because of memory's tricks. Our 

 list then is almost solely a summer list with several 

 additions in prospect. It numbers 122 species. 

 Comparable notes are those of Messrs. W. E. 

 Saunders' and John M. Cooper- on birds observed 

 in Algonquin Park. 



Our greatest thanks are due to Mr. J. H. Flem- 

 ming' for his courtesies previous to our trip. In 

 many ways the most useful list in the field was his 

 "List of the Birds of the Districts of Parry Sound 

 and Muskoka, Ontario," also his "Birds of 

 Toronto."' 



The authors have found very helpful Macoun's 

 and Macoun's Cat. of Canadian Birds; the works 

 of C. W. Nash and Thomas Mcllwraith; and the 

 subsequent work on "Birds of Eastern Canada, 

 1919," by P. A. Taverner to whom they owe 

 favors for assistance in 1913. Of assistance were 

 the three lists of "Birds of Ottawa" in this jour- 

 nal (1881, 1891, 1910-11). Subsequent work can 

 well center on fall migration, breeding data, more 



of .MuDiiquin I'iirk. 

 XXIX., I'\>1... l:Mt;. 



(1) Saunders, \V. K., I'.irls 

 The Ottawa Naturalist. Vol. 

 .\o. 11, PI). 145-150. 



(2) OooiHT. .J. M.. o; awa Xaturalisi, XXX., .\"o. 

 10, .Jan.. I'.llT. pp. 125-1211. 



(S) Auk.. Vol. XVIII., pp. :!:!-15. 



(4) Auk.. Vol. XXTIT., pp. 4:!T-t5:!; XXI \'., Tl-s:i. 

 Also "Hinls" in "Xatural Histoi-y of the Toroiuo 

 Kt'Kion, lUl;!," P11. 212-2;!7. 



records of waterfowl, shore-birds and birds-of-prey. 

 There are twenty or more species yet to be sought 

 in summer or previous records which need verifica- 

 tion. 



1. Columbus auritus Linn. Horned Grebe. 

 One reported from Lake of Bays, August 22, 



1911, by Mrs. J. M. Haber. 



2. Podilymhus podiceps (Linn.). Pied-billed 

 Grebe. 



Present in summer but scarce in this region. Mr. 

 G. M. O'Connell reports them from Lower Fletch- 

 er lake where the residents claim they were more 

 common in earlier days. 



3. Cavia immer (Brunn.). Loon. 



Common on all the lakes and one of the most 

 distinctive birds of the Lake of Bays country. A 

 nest with two eggs found on an island in Otter 

 lake the last week of June, 1919. Later, July 7, 

 two young were seen on Otter lake. In 1913, the 

 newly hatched egg shells were found on an island 

 on Otter lake. Young not infrequently observed 

 throughout the region. Several nests have been 

 found on Otter lake since the camp was estab- 

 lished. 



4. .Lams argentaius Pont. Herring Gull. 

 Common on Lake of Bays; less frequent in the 



smaller lakes to the northward. 



5. Mcrgus anicricanus Cass. American Mer- 

 ganser. 



The most common duck of the lakes of this re- 

 gion. Every lake has a pair or more and one of 

 the most spirited sights is a parent bird with its 

 young. They either swim away or frequently half 

 swim and half fly along the surface to a safe dis- 

 tance. These broods are frequently recorded in 

 the first weeks of July and even later. 



6. Lophodvtcs cucullalus (Linn.). Hooded Mer- 

 ganser. 



Mr. L. A. Fuertes observed a female with a 

 flock of four to five young. 



7. Alias, riihripcs Brewster. Black Duck. 



In 1919 common on all the lakes in August and 

 present every season. 



