246 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



wick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba',' and westward to the Pacific. 

 In its northern range in the Mackenzie River valley it descends 

 to the Arctic coast. It is extremely common on the coasts of 

 British Columbia and very common in the interior of the province. 

 Passing to the north it becomes still more abundant on the 

 Aleutian Islands. 



While collecting on the Bay of Chaleursat Port Daniels near 

 Gaspe in August, 1882, I amused myself watching a fish hawk 

 trying to supply its young with flat fish caught in the shallow 

 waters of the bay. At some distance from the shore on the margin 

 of the forest were a series of large trees that had been killed by fire. 

 In a tall one of these an eagle usually stationed himself and kept 

 an eye on the" hawk. As soon as the hawk caught a fish the eagle 

 would move out in pursuit and then would commence a series of 

 gyrations by both birds. The aim of the eagle was to get above 

 the hawk and if he failed to accomplish this the hawk won. If 

 the hawk was beaten the eagle would come down on him, the fish 

 was dropped, the eagle caught it and each would sail away, the 

 eagle to the forest, the hawk to the sea. • Day after day this 

 performance was repeated and the hawk's nest was located but 

 that of the eagle was not seen. 



In June, 1893, the writer was collecting at Comox, Vancouver 

 Island, and observed the same thing to a less extent, but besides 

 getting a supply from the hawks the eagle fished for himself. 

 Not by diving, however, but by going to stony flats at Cape Lazo 

 and fishing for himself. Shallow pools were left when the tide 

 was out and in them numerous small fish chiefly under stones. 

 We had been collecting seaweeds and small fish and a " singing 

 fish ", we were told, was found there. This fish certainly made a 

 booming noise and guided us to its retreat, and numerous speci- 

 mens were collected. The eagle seemed to be guided by the 

 sound for he, too, obtained specimens under our very eyes. All 

 my observations are against this form killing birds. I have seen 

 him catch snakes and fish, steal fish from the fish hawk and eat 

 carrion, but beyond that I never saw him go. All observers 

 report this speeies as breeding near water and it seems to know 

 that it is an advantage to build its nest as near the food supply as 

 possible. 



Breeding Notes. — This bird is fast becoming scarce in east- 

 ern Ontario. Up to the year 1895 there was a nest every year in 



