156 



THE OOLOGIST 



From the Far Northwest 



A collector of the Oologlst located 

 on the Peace River, Northwest Alber- 

 ta Province, Canada, writes among 

 things : 



"I did practically nothing in egg 

 collecting this Spring, taking only one 

 set of Canada Goose which contained 

 the usual number of seven eggs, and 

 one of the Night Hawk. The Spring 

 was so late and snow held on so long 

 that I gave up the Hay River trip and 

 went bear hunting on the Third 

 branch of Battle River instead. We 

 had only fair success, getting five 

 black bear, two browns and a grizzly. 

 I saw many hawks' nests, but the few 

 that were occupied were Redtails and 

 I did not bother with them. 



I think the lack of Hawks and Owls 

 breeding is to be attributed to the 

 same cause as the scarcity of fur ani- 

 mals, and that is a lack of rabbits. 

 In this country at intervals of about 

 seven years, rabbits became so numer- 

 ous that they simply swarm over the 

 country and fur bearing animals which 

 feed on them are plentiful, and also 

 different birds of prey, as Hawks, Ra- 

 ven, Owls and Eagles. The rabbits 

 remain plentiful for about three 

 seasons and then they die out almost 

 completely, and the animals and birds 

 which subsist on them disappear also. 



We are in such a lean season now 

 and it would be several years before 

 they are abundant again. 



I note what you say about Northern 

 Shrike, Bohemian Waxwing and Even- 

 ing Grosbeak and I have always been 

 on the lookout for such sets, but have 

 never yet seen many of these birds 

 here except in winter and early 

 spring. In regard to the Bufflehead 

 Duck, it is a common breeder on the 

 lakes and sloughs, but I have never 

 been fortunate enough to find a nest; 

 and the same is true of the Yellow- 

 legs and also the Solitary Sandpiper. 



Here there is very little water in 

 the shape of lakes and sloughs, and if 

 any rare birds, I think most likely 

 they will be principally among the 

 Sparrows and Warblers, etc. To the 

 North about a hundred miles is Hay 

 Lake, which I am informed simply 

 swarms with all kinds of water fowl, 

 and I intend to see it the first oppor- 

 tunity; probably next Spring. Very 

 few white men have ever seen this 

 lake, and it ought to be good. 



I expect to contribute something to 

 The Oologist this winter as I will 

 have my note books and plenty of 

 leisure in the long winter evenings. I 

 am now pretty well established and 

 expect to make a good hunt every 

 spring, and will always keep an eye 

 open for anything rare in the egg 

 line. 



Some Interesting Birds of the Judith 



Basin, Montana. 

 No. 4 



P. M. Silloway 

 Nest No. 22. June 13. Western 

 Yellow Warbler. The Yellow Warbler 

 in the Judith Basin of Montana is 

 practically limited to the bottom tim- 

 ber of the water-courses. It frequents 

 the patches of willow and haw 

 thickets in the meanders of the 

 streams and irrigated regions, and its 

 hurried ripple of song is closely timed 

 with the bursting of the tree-buds in- 

 to foliage and flower. The nests are 

 constructed during the first two weeks 

 of June, while the males are in full 

 song, and full sets of eggs are ready 

 about the middle of that month. 



June 13 found me visiting the wil- 

 low groves along Spring Creek in the 

 neighborhood of Lewiston, for the 

 melody of the spring songsters was 

 an invitation not to be ignored, and I 

 imagined that the snugly built nests 

 of the Yellow Warblers were waiting 

 for the inspection of some eager 



