CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 459 



two at Crane Lake, Assa., June, 1894, all by Mr. Spread- 

 borough. 



Numerous nests were taken at Crane Lake in June, 1894, but 

 riearly all contained young or eggs nearly hatched. In June, 1895, 

 many nests were found south of the Cypress Hills and in all the 

 nests the sets ranged from 3—5. The sets in the collection were 

 taken at Crane Lake June 8th and 9th, 1894, by Prof. Macoun. 



CXCV. BHYNCHOPHANES Baird. 1858, 

 539 . McCown's Longspur. 



Rhynchophanes mccownii (Lawr.) Ridgw. 1877. 

 A specimen of this bird was taken just west of Manitoba by Mr. 

 Thorpe near Dalesboro. {Thompson- Seton) This species was never 

 seen in the Red River region and I do not think it occurs on that 

 watershed which is so thickly populated in summer with C.ornatus. 

 It seems to be one of the many birds that mark the natural divi- 

 sion between that region and the Missouri Basin. The first, speci- 

 men taken was near Fort Buford. As we progressed towards the 

 Milk River the bird became more and more abundant and it occur- 

 red throughout the country thence to the Rocky Mountains. 

 McCown's longspur was very abundant in the country about 

 Frenchman's River where both species were breeding, but further 

 west C. ornatus, diminished in numbers while McCown's longspur 

 increased and extended to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. 

 (Coues.) First seen at Indian Head, Assa., May 23rd, 1892; by 

 the first June they were abundant on burnt prairie and land that 

 had been broken and let run to weeds. Numbers remained to 

 breed ; two individuals were seen at Medicine Hat, Assa., April 

 2ist, 1894, after which time they became common both there and 

 at Crane Lake 100 miles further east. By May 2nd they were in 

 thousands at Medicine Hat and numbers of males were in full song. 

 Common at Crane Lake in June ; amongst other nests one was 

 found containing five eggs, one of which belonged to a cowbird. 

 The nest was a rather deep hole in the prairie, lined with a little 

 dried grass ; in 1895 they were common at Moose Jaw, at Old 

 Wives' Creek, Wood Mountain, Frenchman's River up to the 

 Cypress Hills, Assa., but not in the hills, and westerly from there 

 to Milk River, where they decreased in numbers and only a few 

 extended to the foothills near Waterton Lake ; observed a num- 



