CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 249 



Breeding Notes. — Permanent resident at Scotch lake, York 

 county, New Brunswick. Breeds. (W. H. Moore.) Immature 

 goshawks come regularly to Toronto in the autumn and often 

 remain all winter. Until 1896 full plumaged birds were almost 

 unknown, certainly I was not aware of any records of mature birds 

 for ten or fifteen years previous to that date. In October, 1896 

 a remarkable migration of mature birds took place. They spread 

 themselves all over Ontario in large numbers, and I believe the 

 New England States were invaded in Uke manner. I received the 

 first mature bird on October 26th from Toronto, and from then 

 till December the birds continued to come in. The deer hunters 

 reported that the hawks were playing havoc with the partridges 

 and hardly a shooting party returned in November without one 

 or more mature goshawks. I fancy that the sudden inroad of the 

 sharp-tailed grouse into Muskoka and the migration of the gos- 

 hawks were likely caused by the same necessity — lack of food- 

 Both species appeared in Muskoka together. Never a scarce bird 

 in the districts of Parry Sound and Muskoka ; the number of breed- 

 ing birds has greatly increased since the autumn of 1896. (/. H. 

 Fleming.) The only nest I ever saw of this species in Muskoka 

 was in the fork of a large black birch (Betula lento) about forty feet 

 from the ground. It was made of sticks Uned with leaves and clay. 

 In it I found four young ones all differing in size, which leads me 

 to think that they are not all hatched at the same time. In the 

 nest I found a bluejay and a hairy woodpecker which had been plucked 

 by the old birds. Beneath a maple log that was l3dng about 100 

 yards away from the tree having the nest, and several feet from 

 the ground, I found a large quantity of feathers which the old birds 

 had plucked from barn-yard fowls and other birds. It was evident 

 that the old birds had carried their prey here and picked it before 

 taking it to their young. The nest was within half a mile of Brace- 

 bridge, and about 300 yards from the south branch of the Muskoka 

 river. They are more plentiful in Muskoka in winter than in sum- 

 mer. (Spreadborough.) A not uncommon bird in winter in Ontario, 

 but as a rule going north to breed. I found a nest of this species 

 near Otty lake, in the county of Lanark, Ont., in 1885. It was 

 a large structure built in the fork of a beech tree, about thirty feet 

 from the ground, and on the 3rd of May contained three almost 

 bluish-white eggs, incubation commenced. In addition to the 

 breeding of this bird in the county of Lanark, Ont., I find that it 



