442 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



{Nutting.) This species, the rusty grackle and the bronze 

 grackle arrive together, in flocks, in spring and afterwards 

 separate and breed in colonies. (Coubeaux.) Very abundant in 

 the timber along creeks in Saskatchewan. (A. C. Bent.) Very 

 abundant at Indian Head, Medicine Hat and Crane lake, wherever 

 there was brush. This is the characteristic blackbird of Saskat- 

 chewan and Alberta, at least as far north as Edmonton, and 

 abounds everjrwhere from the International Boundary northward 

 to the Saskatchewan ; common on the Grande Prairie, Peace 

 River district, Aug. 15th, 1903 ; a few were seen in the spring of 

 1 89 1 at Banff, Rocky mountains, but they do not breed there ; 

 seen at Revelstoke on the Columbia river, B.C., April 4th, 1890, 

 and later, on May 3rd, a few more were seen; they do not breed 

 there; saw two at Bayne lake, near Fernie, B.C., May 2nd, 1904; 

 common at Midway, B.C., April 6th, 1905, and found a number of 

 nests at Sidley, May 14th ; they were built in bushes in a swamp 

 and made of fine grass and horse hair; they were also found on the 

 ground at the base of a clump of dwarf birches; in flocks 10 miles 

 south of Kamloops, B.C.; also common at Agassiz in May, 1889; 

 common at Chilliwack, B.C., in the spring; only observed three at 

 Huntingdon in the fall of 1901 ; only one specimen seen on Van- 

 couver island, April i6th, 1893, none seen afterwards that year; 

 three seen at Clayoquot, Vancouver island, Oct. 17th, 1907. {Spread- 

 borough.) A few individuals of this species remain at Lake 

 Okanagan, B.C., all winter. {Brooks.) Both east and west of 

 the Coast range ; common in spring and fall at the mouth of the 

 Fraser, B.C.; breeds in the neighbourhood of Clinton. {Fannin.) 

 Breeding in suitable localities, both east and west of the Coast 

 range to Vernon, B.C., in the south and Lac la Hiche in the north. 

 {Rhoads.) North to Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie river. Not 

 rare. {Ross.) Common in some parts of British Columbia. {Lord.) 

 Generally distributed in British Columbia, but not common. 

 {Streator.) 



Breeding Notes. — On June 8th, 1882, C. T. found a grackle's 

 nest on the newly harrowed ground in a field not more than 20 

 yards from a clump of willows. The eggs, five in number, were 

 in a slight hollow in the ground, without a single straw or any 

 pretense of lining. My brother sprang the bird and then called 



