174 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



tree near a peat bog close to Seal Lake ; none were seen after 

 this. Bernard Ross says that it extends as far north as Fort 

 Simpson on the Mackenzie River. Macfarline does not mention 

 it, but Sir John Richardson says it has been shot as far north as 

 Lat. 64°3o'. 



Nelson, in his Birds of Alaska, says that a few skins of this 

 species were brought to him from Anvik and Nulato, both on the 

 Lower Yukon, and their occurrence here involves their occurrence 

 on the Upper Yukon. Fannin and Brooks record it as being 

 tolerably common in British Columbia. 



Breeding Notes. — We have very little actual knowledge of 

 the breeding habits of this bird other than that it is solitary in 

 its habits and has a tendency to take to trees when in proximity 

 to its nest. Hutchins found the nest on the shores of Hudson 

 Bay ; and according to Richardson its eggs were deposited on 

 the beach and no nest formed. This tallies exactly with the con- 

 ditions under which its nest was found near Castleton, Vermont, 

 by Mr. J. Richardson, in May, 1878. In the latter case, the single 

 egg was placed in a small depression in the ground, withput any 

 attempt at a nest. 



In July, 1881, the writer, when leading an exploring expedition 

 up the Red Deer River, which empties into the head of Lake 

 Winnepegoosis, came upon a pair of these birds on a point of 

 bare rocks which jutted into the stream, and shot one. On the 

 report of the gun, a young bird — still in the down — jumped up and 

 ran, but was soon caught. On July 6th, 1896, while collecting 

 plants in a swamp near Prince Albert, on the Saskatchewan, I 

 saw a bird of this species sitting on a small birch, but could 

 neither raise the other bird nor find the nest. The next day I 

 visited the same place and found two birds sitting on trees, but 

 failed to find the nest. 



On July 19th, 1895, I came across a pair near Calgary, Alberta, 

 'which undoubtedly had young in the grass, one bird kept flying 

 within a few yards of me as long as I stayed in a certain locality. 

 I also observed this species in summer at Buffalo Lake, Alta. It 

 was also seen at Manitoba House, Man., at the end of June, 1895. 

 {Dippe) 



Dr. Clarke of Kingston, Ont., in The Auk, Oct. 1898, and the Rev. 

 C. J. Young in The Ottawa Naturalist, Dec. 1899, give detailed 

 accounts of the finding of a nest of this species. Mr. Young thus 



