412 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



common summer resident in the wooded parts of Assiniboia, 

 at Indian Head, where nests were taken June 20th, 1892; one nest 

 was on the side" of a large poplar tree, in a bunch of small twigs 

 that grew out from the side of it about 10 feet from the ground; 

 also at Medicine Hat, and nesting in Cypress Hills in 1894; 

 in May, 1895, nests were taken in holes in Acer Negundo near the 

 mouth of Old Wives' Creek, eastern Assiniboia. First seen 

 at Edmonton, Alta., April 24th, 1897 > quite common by May 

 31st; found a nest in a balsam stub. Nest composed of weeds 

 lined with grass. Incubation had been going on for about a week; 

 next found a nest with young lately hatched. {Spreadborough.) 

 Very abundant at the Grand Rapids of the Saskatchewan. 

 {Nutting.) Breeding abundantly between the forks of the Sas- 

 katchewan. {Coubeaux.) Breeding abundantly from Winnipeg, 

 Manitoba, to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. 

 (W.RatTie!) These birds arrive on the Saskatchewan about the 

 beginning of May and soon after pair and commence to breed. 

 They build their nests like rooks, several in the same tree and 

 occasionally in the loose sticks of an osprey's nest. {Richardson.) 

 North to Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie River ; rare. {Ross) 



Breeding Notes. — In the neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ont., this 

 species nests in a tree or bush. Its nest is built of mud ; lined 

 with grass and rootlets, horse hair and leaves. Eggs five to six, 

 bluish or greenish with purple veining and clouding with dark- 

 brown and blackish. {G. R. White.) This species nests in barns 

 on islands and intervales along the St. John River, N.B.; some- 

 times there being three and four nests in one barn. They are 

 usually built on beams or in the angle of a post and brace of the 

 framework. The eggs number from three to five and are hatched 

 by May 24th. {W. H. Moore.) Numbers were building in holes 

 of dead ash-leaved maple at Old Wives' Creek, Assa., in May, 

 1895. One nest was taken on May 30th in a clump of tall choke- 

 cherries. It was about six feet from the ground and was about eight 

 inches across and built of the stems of various weeds. The inside 

 was plastered with earth and afterwards lined with grass stems 

 and a little horse hair. It was shaped like the nest of Brewer's 

 blackbird, but smaller. {Macoun.) 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Six ; one taken at Belleville, Ont.", in May, 1880, by Prof. 

 Macoun ; one at London, Ont, by W. E. Saunders ; two at Indian 



