CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 4O9 



made of dry grass. There were no weeds or grass in the pond. 

 June 13th I saw young able to fly, these were in a dried-up slough 

 in the heavy timber. {Spreadborough^ 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Nine ; one taken at Ottawa by Mr. W. T. Macoun in October, 

 1901 ; two taken at Ottawa in April, 1891, by Mr. F. A. Saunders; 

 four taken at Indian Head, Assa., in April, 1892, and September, 

 1891, by Mr. W. Spreadborough. 



One set of five eggs taken at Davidson's Lake, Hants Co.,N.S.^. 

 by " Robie " Tufts, June 12, 1901. Nest in a small spruce tree six 

 feet from the ground, made of twigs and lined with fine dry grass 

 and rootlets. 



510. Brewer's Blackbird. 



Scolecophagus cyanocephalus (Wagl.) Cab. 1851. 



This is the characteristic blackbird of the whole region along the 

 International Boundary from Pembina to the Rocky Mountains. 

 (Coues.) An abundant summer resident in most districts; thisspe- 

 cies gathers in large flocks and commits great depredations in 

 wheat and oat fields in the autumn. (Thompson-Seton?) Com- 

 mon in the Red River valley between Winnipeg and West 

 Selkirk, June 14th, 1901. {Prebles.) Very abundant at Indian 

 Head, Medicine Hat and Crane Lake, indeed throughout 

 Assiniboia wherever there was brush this species was breeding 

 in large numbers. This is the characteristic blackbird of Assini- 

 boia and Alberta, at least as far north as Edmonton, and abounds 

 everywhere from the International Boundary northward to 

 the Saskatchewan ; a few were seen in the spring of 1891 at 

 Banff, Rocky Mountains, but they do not breed there ; seen at 

 Revelstoke on the Columbia Ri\er, B.C., April 4th, 1890, and later 

 on. May 3rd, a few more were seen ; they do not breed there ; 

 in flocks 10 miles soutli of Kamloops, B.C. ; also common at 

 Agassiz in May, 1889 ; common at Chilliwack, B.C., in the spring; 

 only observed three at Huntington in the fall of 1901 ; only one 

 specimen seen on Vancouver Island, April i6th, 1893, none seen 

 afterwards. {Spreadborough.) Apparently rather common at the 

 Grand Rapids of the Saskatchewan. {NutHng.) This species, 

 the rusty grackle and the bronze grackle arrive together, in flocks, 

 in spring and afterwards separate and breed in colonies. {Cou- 



