760 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



768. Mountain Bluebird. 



Sialia nrr.tica. Swains. 1831. 



On October 10th, 1898, I received a fine male mountain bluebird 

 from E. H. Patterson of Brandon, Man. It had been collected 

 two days before about two miles west of that city, and was in com- 

 pany with another individual of the same species. (George E. 

 Atkinson.) A few individuals of this species were observed in the 

 Rocky mountains at Chief Mountain lake, but no specimens were 

 preserved. (Coues.) Tolerably common summer resident at 

 Aweme, Manitoba. It breeds in the more hilly country; arrives 

 about May 7th and leaves about October 15th. (Criddle.) First 

 seen at Medicine Hat, Sask., April 6th, 1894, after that a few were 

 seen every day until May 9th, when the last one disappeared, they 

 appeared to follow along the scattered timber in the valley of the 

 South Saskatchewan as they passed to the north ; a pair were found 

 breeding June 15th, 1895, at Medicine Lodge, south of Wood moun- 

 tain, Sask., and another pair in a clay bank along Frenchman river 

 at Stony Creek crossing; they were also breeding in numbers along 

 Milk river, especially at Castellated rocks in July, 1895; observed a 

 few about the end of July, 1903, at Dunvegan, Peace river; ob- 

 served nesting at Lacombe, near Edmonton, Alta., June i8th, 

 1897; common at Calgary and southward in the foot-hills to Crow 

 Nest pass; common from the upper crossing of the Lob-stick river 

 to Camp' river, B.C., west of the Athabaska pass; also seen in large 

 flocks at the Henry House, Athabaska pass, September 2nd, 1898, 

 last seen September 25th; quite common and breeding early at 

 Banff, Rocky mountains, it built its nest chiefly under the eaves of 

 houses at Banff; shot at Revelstoke, B.C., April loth, 1890; quite 

 common along the mountain slopes; breeding in Eagle pass near 

 Revelstoke in May, 1890; numbers of young birds were seen in the 

 trees along Pass creek at Robson, B.C., June 20th, 1890, the birds 

 had nested in the cliffs about 700 feet above the water; common 

 on the International Boundary between Trail and Cascade, B.C., 

 breeding in holes in houses and trees; abundant at Penticton, 

 south of Lake Okanagan, B.C., in April, 1903; they were in flocks 

 of from ten to fifty; abundant in open places around Femie and 

 Elko, B.C., in April and May, 1904; common at Midway, B.C., 

 April 10, 1905, a pair building a nest in an empty house on the 15th ; 



