62 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. X XXVI 



will be seen below, the northern extension of the 

 range of the Meadow Lark suggests affinities 

 with regions hundreds of miles farther south. 



Notes of Occurrences. 

 Birds. 

 Holboell Grebe. Colymbus holboelli. One seen 

 on Roche r River, Sept. 6th. 



Pacific Loon. Gavia pacifica. Two positively 

 identified by their grey hoods near mouth of Root 

 River, July 12th, and five at Fort Norman, August 

 12th. Loons seen on Great Slave Lake, June 

 7-8th. and near Ft. Wrigley, August 10th, were 

 probably Gavia imber. 



Slaty-backed Gull. Larus shistisagus. Sev- 

 eral large, dark-backed Gulls seen on Great 

 Slave Lake, June 7th and 8th, resembling the 

 Great Black-backed Gull of the Atlantic coast. 



Herring Gull. Larus argentatus? Fairly 

 common on Peace, Slave and Mackenzie Rivers 

 and Willow Lake River (July 1-17). Immature 

 bird seen ^t Fort Wrigley, July 30th and 31st. 

 Common at Norman. Common at Wrigley 

 Harbour at foot of Great Slave Lake, Aug. 31st 

 and Sept 1st. 



Ring-billed Gull. Lams delawarensis. Fair- 

 ly common on Willow Lake River, July 6-8th. 

 Short-billed gull probably confused with this 

 species. 



Bonaparte Gull. Larus Philadelphia sp? 

 Common at mouth of Slave River, June 6th. 

 Bill black, no rosy tinge noticed. 



Common Tern. Sterna hirundo. Common on 

 Slave River, June 9th, and at Wrigley Harbour, 

 June 12th. This may be s. paradisaea. 



Black Tern. Hydrochelidon nigra surina- 

 mensis. Common at mouth of Slave River, June 

 9th. 



White Pelican. Pelicanus erythrorhynchus. 

 Six seen commonly at Smith Rapids, June 1-5. 



Merganser. Mergus americanus or serraior. 

 One female seen on Willow Lake River, June 14th. 

 Two at Wrigley Harbour. Aug. 31st and Sept. 1st. 



Mallard. Anas platyrhynchos. Common on 

 Peace and Upper Slave Rivers, May 19-30. 

 Female frightened from nest and 12 eggs under 

 spruce tree on dry lands above river about 30 

 miles above Fitzgerald, May 30th. Several 

 females seen on Willow Lake River, July 1-14. 

 Common on flats of Little Lake below Providence, 

 Aug. 30th. Common Wrigley Harbour, Aug. 

 31st and Sept. l.st. 



Baldpate. Mareca americana. One male tak- 

 en on Slave River 30 miles above Fitzgerald, 

 May 29th. Common at Wrigley Harbour, Aug. 

 31st. 



Green-winged Teal. Nettion carolinense. 

 One of the commonest ducks seen throughout trip, 



wherever narrow channels or small lakes occur. 

 Broods of year fully grown in lakes east of Wrig- 

 ley. Aug. 1-7. These were living on local berries 

 of muskeg. Common at Wrigley Harbour, Aug. 

 31st. 



Shoveller. Spatula clypeata. Commonly 



seen along E.D. & B.C. Ry., near Lesser Slave 

 Lake, and on Peace River above Carcajou, May 

 17-20. Common at Wrigley Harbour, Aug. 31st. 



Pintail. Dafila acuta. Common on Peace 

 River. Fairly common at Wrigley Harbour, Aug. 

 31st. 



Can\ ASBACK. Marila vallisneria. Several seen 

 in bag of a hunter at Fort Chipewyan, Sept. 7th. 



American Scaup Duck. Marila marila. 



Common on Peace River in small flocks, May 

 19-28. 



Buffle-head. Charitonetta albeola. Common 

 on Peace River. Female at two islands 30 miles 

 below Simpson, June 20th. Females also seen on 

 Willow Lake River, July 10th and at Old Wrigley, 

 July 23rd. 



American Golden-eye. Clangula clangula 

 americana. Common on Peace River; male and 

 female taken. Female and fourteen downy 

 young, 35 miles below Fort Simpson, June 28th. 

 Female and eight large downy young east of 

 Wrigley, August 1st, living on young clam shells 

 the size of peas. 



White-winged Scoter. Oidemia deglandi. 

 Seen on Great Slave Lake, June 8-9th. 



Surf Scoter. Oidema perspicillata. General- 

 ly common throughout region. Except for the 

 occurrences noted above, no breeding ducks were 

 observed and they do not appear to nest in large 

 numbers along the Mackenzie river where visited. 



Snow Goose. Chen hyperborea. A flock of 15 

 seen in Little Lake below Providence, Aug. 30th. 

 These were probably the Lesser Snow Geese. 

 One seen in hands of hunter at Fort Chipewyan, 

 Sept. 7th. 



Canada Goose. Branta canadensis. Several 

 flocks seen on Peace River. One taken. Report- 

 ed common on Carcajou River by Mr. Link, and 

 on Trout River above Providence by Mr. Whit- 

 taker. 



American White-fronted Goose. Anser albi- 

 frons gambeli. Birds probably of this species, 

 locally called "Brant," common on Slave River 

 and in flocks along length of Mackenzie traversed. 



American Bittern. Botaurus lentiginosus 

 One heard by party at Wrigley Harbour, foot of 

 Great Slave Lake, June 12th. 



Crane. Grus canadensis? One seen in wet 

 muskeg 3 miles back of Two Islands Village, June 

 18-20 (about 30 miles below Fort Simpson). 

 This was evidently a breeding female as it fre- 

 quented one locality and made considerable dis- 



