Rare Bird Records of Manitoba 



The following paper on rare Manitoba 

 birds was read to the Historical and 

 •Scientific society of Manitoba on Feb. 

 9 by George E. Atkinson, naturalist, 

 a member of the society: 



In presenting to the scientific world 

 any series of new or unusual records 

 we must always base our claims for 

 their rarity within the district in ques- 

 tion upon the previously published 

 records of that district, and for that 

 reason the proof which I have to pro- 

 duce, viz.: That th& published records 

 of Manitoba birds to date have not 

 included these species herein claimed as 

 new to the Manitoba lists nor referred 

 to the other color phazes described as 

 usual within the district, is possibly 

 the strongest which could be produced 

 no matter what subsequent critics may 

 say: In speaking of unusual records 

 I have included new records, or these 

 made "for the first time within the dis- 

 trict, last records or the last record of 

 disappearing species. Records of in- 

 crease, or those records of certain 

 species which' have found conditions 

 favorable and adapted themselves to 

 and increased in numbers within the 

 district, and a few unusual color 

 phazes, giving a few examples of the 

 eccentric changes of plumage found 

 among some birds as a result of certain 

 causes. The material has been some- 

 what systematically arranged and the 

 species under description are dealt 

 with entirely from the scientific point 

 of view. The species referred to have 

 all come under my own personal notice 

 in the course of my business in Mani- 

 toba since Jan. 1897, a period of about 

 seven years, and I have not made any 

 attempt to use the records of others 

 which I have not had personal ex- 

 perience with and all records herein 

 made can at any time be authenticated 



in the majority of cases with the in- 

 dividual speciment. 



Various reasons may be given for the 

 occurrence of these birds among us. 

 Some species becoming crowded within 

 certain' districts are constantly ex- 

 tending their ranges, and with condi- 

 tions favorable, will add themselves to 

 our regular list. Others, however, hav- 

 ing reached us as a result of having 

 for some reason or other wandered for , 

 a very long distance out of their 

 course during migration may be safely 

 classed as accidentals and there is 

 little probability of their ever be- 

 coming other than this. And all these 

 species have been referred to under 

 their proper heads as to cause of their 

 appearance in the province. One thing 

 I think that when a species accidentally 

 arrives among us from any cause, and 

 begins to breed, they may thereafter 

 be included upon the list of our regu- 

 lar species, but where an individual 

 reaches us without a mate there is 

 little possibility of that species being 

 more than an accidental. Of species 

 breeding north and wintering 

 south of us with more or less erratic 

 migrating habits we can never be sure 

 when nor in what numbers they may 

 reach us in their travels and one may 

 wait a life time without a sight of 

 them. 



STERCORARIUS LONGICAUDUS. 



Long-Tailed Jaeger. 



In October of 1902, Mr. Moore, of 

 this city, a well-known bird lover, was 

 called by a local taxidermist to iden- 

 tify a strange bird. The species proved 

 too much for him and he applied to me 

 for the information. His description 

 was not the most definite and I asked 

 him to get the bird, which he did, and 

 I at once recognized it as an immature 

 Longtailed Jaeger, wing measurement 

 VlVi inches, tail 8% inches. I also se- 

 cured the information that it had been 

 collected by one Capt. Fellows, an Eng- 

 lish gentleman, while shooting at 

 Clandeboye marsh on Oct. 8. A few 

 weeks subsequent to this a note in the 

 Free Press announced the capture of a 



