CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 3S3 



gian bay to Lake Erie in most retired localities. (W. E. Saunders.) 

 North to Norway House, foot of Lake Winnipeg. {Dr. R. Bell.) 

 A common summer resident in Manitoba, arriving early in May. 

 (E. T. Seton.) Very common in thick woods at Manitoba House, 

 Manitoba lake, and westward along Lake Winnipegosis, nesting in 

 the poplar woods in June, 1881. During the day many specimens 

 were seen lying at full length, and perfectly flat, lengthwise on the 

 branches. {Macoun.) Has becoifte common at Aweme, Man. in 

 recent years, nesting in open woods. (Criddle.) An abundant 

 breeder in all the wooded parts of Manitoba but not noted west 

 of Fort EUice. {Atkinson.) Not seen or heard anywhere on the 

 prairie. {Spreadborough.) 



Breeding Notes. — Common in central Ontario in rocky uneven 

 ground, partially wooded. I noticed it in a plantation of small 

 oaks near the canal, Wolfe island, opposite Kingston, but it is not 

 common in level sections of the country. It arrives earlier in the 

 spring than the nighthawk, and I have heard its "call" as early 

 as the end of April, and as late as September. It is nowhere com- 

 moner than among the Thousand islands. On some of the larger 

 of these it breeds, returning to the same vicinity year after year. 

 On one island, among ferns, and second growth trees I came across 

 the eggs three times. They are laid in pairs on the bare ground 

 without a vestige of nest, generally among trees. I have found 

 them on the 9th and 1 6th of June, but two years ago I saw two eggs 

 that were said to have been found on the 8th May. This bird leaves 

 Ontario nearly a month later than the nighthawk, at least many do. 

 {Rev. C. J. Young.) 



Fifteen years ago this bird could be heard any evening on the 

 outskirts of Toronto, but of late years it has become scarce. I 

 found a set of two beautiful eggs of this species at Rosedale, Toronto, 

 May 24th, 1889. There was no nest and the eggs were laid on dead 

 leaves on the ground in a wood. On the evening of June i8th, 

 1894, Mr. Menzies drove me from Woodlands, Manitoba, to Shoal 

 lake, and we were astonished at the number of whip-poor-wills, 

 calling in the woods at the sides of the trail. {W. Raine.) 



23 



