The Canadian Field-Xaturalist. 



[Vol. XXV. 



able to determine whether they ihad com- 

 menced nesting or not. 



On April 3rd practically t^ie same 

 ground was covered and altihough one 

 Crossbill was heard in flight, none were 

 seen. 



It is notewort.hy that this species ap- 

 pears to be the prevalent crossbill in tilie 

 Montreal district, at least during recent 

 years; while in Compton County, during 

 the years 1899-1902, and at other times, 

 I did not record it at all, but found the 

 Red Crossbill a common bird. 



L. McI. Terrell. 



Observations on the Birds of Prince 

 Edward Island. 



During the mont^i of June and tlie 

 fii*st few days of July, I was engaged 

 in marine biological work at Malpeque, 

 P.E.I. I was able incidentally to make 

 a few observations on the birds of the 

 region and these are worth putting on 

 rec-ord only because ver>' little has been 

 published concerning t^ie avifauna of 

 Prince Edward Island. 



The comitry round Malpeque Bay, 

 wliich is also knowm as Ridhmond Bay, is 

 practically all cleared. Here and there 

 small patches of "White Spruce and Paper 

 Birch remain, and on the north side of 

 nearly every house is a wind-break of 

 these same trees left as a protection 

 against the bitter nortih' winds- which 

 sweep in from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

 Ciirtain Lsland, near tjie middle of Mal- 

 peque Bay, and some of the other is- 

 lands in the bay, are fairly well timbered. 



The chief feature of the avifauna as 

 a whole which impresses one is that it 

 is not particularly rich in species, but 

 tlhat there are a great number of indi- 

 viduals of .such species as do occur. 



On the bay and on the outier coast 

 the commonest birds are the Common 

 Tern and the Hen-ing Gull. On Fish Is- 

 land, and on its great barrier dunes 

 which extr^nd practically acro.ss the mouth 

 of the bay, the Piping Plover is very 

 common, and its melodious yet somewhat 

 plaintive note seemed to fit in most ap- 

 {jropriately witlh the vast gray expanse 

 of the dunes and tjie roar of the surf. 



The Bell^'d Kingfisher is not uncom- 

 mon and a pair had their home in a 



burrow in a high eroding cliff on Cur- 

 tain Island. 



The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is 

 fairly common and a pair nested in the 

 orchard beside the North S^iore House 

 at which we stayed. 



Of the Woodpeckers the Flicker and 

 the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker are the com- 

 monest species, the former being abun- 

 dant and nesting in the old spruce stubs 

 which in many places are found along 

 the fences. 



Tjhe Kingbird, the Olive-sided and tihe 

 Least were the only Fly-catchere ob- 

 served. About a quarter of a mile from 

 the North Shore House there is a littJe 

 patch of spruce, and from the top of 

 one of the tallest of tiiese trees an Olive- 

 sided Flycatcher uttered hLsi "Whip-whee- 

 yoo-u-u" from morning till nig^t, and 

 this clear ringing note reached us with 

 its volume but little diminished. He also 

 had a softer "Quilp-quilp'' which he 

 used occasionally. A Least Fly-catcher, 

 which nested in tihe grounds, was the 

 most pereistent singer of all the birds of 

 t^e neighbourhood. His chief haunt was 

 in one of the tall willows, and here he 

 sat and uttered \\\&'^ Chehec-chehec-dhehec- 

 chehec-chehcc-chehec" so continuously that 

 one wondered when he found time to eat. 

 On two or three occasions I saw him des- 

 cribe an arc in the air, and while doing 

 so he sang a song quit« unlike, and far 

 more melodious tjhan, his usual monoto- 

 nous vocal performance. 



The Prairie Horned Lark is common 

 in the fields. The Crow is abundant both 

 in the fields and on the sihore. The 

 Bronzed Grackle is one of the most abun- 

 dant birds of the whole region about 

 the bay, and nearly every patch of spruce 

 held a large colony of these birds. The 

 status of this species on t^e Island seems 

 to have changed since Macoun in 1888 

 wrote "One pair seen at Tracadie", and 

 Dwight in the nineties said "A pair of 

 these birds in jMr. Earle's possession 

 were tthe only ones h^^ had ever seen on 

 Prince Edward Island." 



The Purple Finch is a common summer 

 resident, and a male which lived in the 

 vicinity of t)ie North Shore HoiLse was 

 the most' brilliant songster of this .species 

 1 have ever heard, his rich warbling re- 



