74 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



Its. centre of abundance seems to be northern Manitoba, and 

 the districts towards the mouth of the Saskatchewan ; here it 

 finds dead trees and flooded ground, which seem to be its chief 

 requisites when breeding. After pairing, the males come south 

 and congregate on the lakes and ponds while the females are 

 hatching. Many broods have been seen, but very few accom- 

 panied by more than one parent. It seems to be a common 

 summer resident in the Rocky Mountains, as an old bird with 

 her young brood was seen at Waterton Lake, Lat. 49°, in July, 

 1895, ^nd in July, 1897, ^'^ Crow Nest Pass, thirty miles farther 

 to the north. Breeding at Banff, Rocky Mountains, May, 1891, 

 and at the mouth of the Illecillewaet, B.C., May 20th, 1890; 

 also found breeding in small ponds at Tete Jaune Cache, B.C., by 

 Spreadborough, in July, 1898. 



This species is common throughout British Columbia ; and 

 Fannin and Brooks say it is common on the Pacific coast and in 

 Fraser River valley and winters on Okanagan Lake. Only occa- 

 sional in Alaska, where Dr. Bannister reported a flock at St. 

 Michael in October, 1885, and shot one. 



Bkeeding Notes. — A pair has built in an elm stub for years, 

 at about thirty feet from the ground, at the mouth of Sharp's 

 Creek, Bracebridge, Ont. The stub is on the bank of the stream. 

 The old bird carries her young from the tree to the water in her 

 bill. At first the young are rather helpless and are very easy to 

 catch, but in a few days they are well able to take care of them- 

 selves. A pair of these birds was seen on Moose River, between 

 the Canadian Pacific Railway and James Bay, June 5th, 1896 ; 

 another pair was seen in the interior of Labrador on July i6th 

 the same year. {Spreadborough.) Seen, and believed to be breed- 

 ing, at Reaburn, Manitoba, June 8th, 1893. {Dippie.) 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Seven specimens. Taken at Toronto, Ont., by Mr. S. Herring; 

 at Ottawa, by Charles Saunders ; and at Indian Head, Assa., 

 Banff, Alberta, and at Kamloops, B.C., by Mr. W. Spreadborough. 



XLV. CASARCA Bonaparte. 1838. 



141.1. Ruddy Sheldrake. 



Casarca casarca (Linn.) Allen. 1896. 

 In 1892 the Geographical Society of Berlin sent an expedition 

 to West Greenland, which was accompanied by Dr. VanhQffen as 



