44 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



rollicking fellow, always ready for plunder or mischief The greater 

 number move south at the approach of winter, but a few remain in 

 the pine woods, whence they issue on mild days to sun themselves 

 among the tree tops. They are somewhat gregarious in their habits, 

 aud even in the breeding season have a custom of going round in 

 guerilla bands of four or five, visiting the farm house in the early 

 morning seeking a chance to suck eggs, and woe betide the unlucky 

 owl whom they happen to come across on any of these excursions ; 

 his peace for that day is done, as the excitement is often kept up till 

 darkness forces the Jays to retire. 



There is another Jay peculiar to Canada which is not found so 

 far south as Hamilton. This is the Canada Jay, a constant hanger 

 on round the lumber camps, where he picks up bits of meat or other 

 refuse of the table. His taste for raw meat is so well known that 

 the lumbermen have given him the name of " Butcher's Boy," 

 " Meat Bird," etc. He is very common in the District of Muskoka, 

 which is his southern limit in this part of the country. This species 

 is strictly confined to the north, and has the singular habit of 

 building its nest during the winter and raising its young as early as 

 March, while the ground is still covered with snow. There are 

 eighteen different Jays described as North American, but the greater 

 number of these are found on the Pacific coast. 



The Woodpeckers, as a class, move off before the advance of 

 civilization, and as the country becomes cleared of heavy timber 

 very few are seen. In the district of Muskoka are tracts where the 

 fire has gone through, leaving many large trees killed and going to 

 decay. This is described by my correspondent, Mr. Tisdall, as a 

 perfect paradise for woodpeckers. Here the large black Logcock is 

 quite common, and the Arctic three-toed species are constant 

 residents. The Raven is also frequently seen in this district, and 

 during the winter I saw a fine specimen of the great Cinerous Owl, 

 which was sent down to Hamilton from one of the villages. The 

 owls are not a numerous family, but all those peculiar to the eastern 

 part of the continent have been found near Hamilton, though some 

 of them are of very rare occurrence, the most recent addition being 

 the Barn Owl (Strex Flammea), a specimen of which was shot by 

 young Mr. Reid, gardener, near the cemetery, in the spring of 1882. 

 This harmless mouser is believed to be identical with the British bird 

 of the same name, whose history is so strongly colored by super- 



