260 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



(/. H. Fleming^ This bird seems to prefer holes in trees, the 

 old nests of the flicker are probably the ones used. The eggs, 

 five in number, are of a buff or pale yellowish brown, with 

 splashes of d?irk brown all over, but most numerous, at the 

 greater end. About the first week in May, the nest maybe looked 

 for in the neighbourhood of Ottawa. {G. R. White ^ Breeds 

 always in cavities in trees — eggs 4-6. (W. E. Saunders) 



This species was first seen in 1892 at Indian Head, Assa., on 

 i6th April, and was common by the 24th. It breeds in the woods 

 and in trees in the stream valleys. A nest was found in an old 

 flicker's nest in a poplar, June 5th; it contained five eggs. In April, 

 1894, it began to breed on the 17th in holes in poplars. On the 

 27th May, 1895, ^ "^st was discovered in a flicker's hole in a box 

 elder tree on Old Wives' Creek, Assa. The female sat so close 

 that she had to be shoved with a stick before she would move. 

 The nest contained five eggs of a deep cinnamon buff, but becom- 

 ing brown or cinnamon at the larger end. This species is also 

 common on Vancouver Island, always breeding in holes. It feeds 

 upon mice, young birds, grasshoppers and other insects and on 

 one occasion I saw one catch a small snake. I have seen nests 

 from 60 to 70 feet above the ground. {Spreadborough.) It breeds 

 in the interior at least as far north as Fort Rae, Great Slave Lake, 

 in Lat. 62° N. {Bendire, Vol. I., 309). 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Fourteen ; of these two were taken at Toronto, Ont., by S. 

 Herring ; two at Ottawa by F. A. Saunders ; the others by W. 

 Spreadborough at Indian Head, Assa., Banff, Rocky Mountains, 

 and Revelstoke on the Columbia River, B.C. 



A set of five eggs taken near Edmonton, Alta., May 31st, 1893; 

 another [set taken on Old Wives' Creek, Assa., by W. Spread- 

 borough, May 27th, 1895. 



-,360a. Desert Sparrow Hawk. 



Falco sparverius deserticolus Mearns. 1892. 



Near the mouth of Milk River, Montana, June 30th, 1874, col« 

 lected by Dr. Coues. (Mearns in The Auk., Vol. IX, 266.) Abund- 

 ant resident ; Mr. Brewster informs me that my Chilliwack speci- 

 mens of sparverius belong to this form. It is a permanent resident 

 throughout the southern part of British Columbia ; a few remain 



