CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 663 



Breeding Notes. — Nests, in bushes, vines, and trees of every 

 kind, never high up, made of branches, dry leaves, bits of paper, 

 bark and grasses, always lined with black rootlets. At Ottawa 

 the catbird begins-to lay in the latter part of May. {Garfieau.) 

 Nest, built in a tree at Ottawa from 5 to 20 feet from the ground, 

 composed of twigs, leaves, bark, rootlets and bits of twine, lined 

 with black rootlets. Eggs 4 to 5, dark bluish green. {G.R.White.) 

 Breeds in June at iicotch Lake, N.B.; the nest is a roughly con- 

 structed affair of weed-stalks, grasses and other material, lined 

 with "rootlets and resembles a bunch of drift stuff lodged in a bush. 

 The female keeps good watch over the nest and the male sings 

 at some distance away to attract enemies to himself. {W.H. Moore.) 

 This species builds its nest on the prairies in the densest thickets 

 and is difficult to find; nest in willows and Elmagnus argentea. The 

 base consists of leaves of thistles and Artemisia, then of bark of 

 dead willow, lined on the inside with small black root fibres ; three 

 nests of the same character were taken on Frenchman's River, 

 Assa., June 22nd, 1895. {Macoun.) 



MUSEUM specimens. 



Eleven; two taken at Ottawa, May, 1888, by the writer; one at 

 London, Ont., July 2nd, 1880, by Mr. W. E. Saunders; one at 

 Indian Head, Assa., June 2nd, 1892, two at Medicine Hat, Assa., 

 in May, 1894, one at Edmonton, Alta., May 25th, 1897, one at 

 Robson, Columbia River, B.C., June 21st, 1890, one at Trail, B.C., 

 June 5, 1902, and two at Spence's Bridge, B.C., in June, 1889, all 

 by Mr. W. Spreadborough. 



One set of four eggs taken at Ottawa, and presented to the 

 museum by Dr. James Fletcher. 



CCXL. TOXOSTOMA Wagler. 183 i. 

 705. Brown Thrasher- 



Toxostoma rufum (Linn.) Cab. 1847. 

 A common summer resident around Montreal; observed in the 

 spring of the year, April 30th, and a nest found on the spur of 

 Mount Royal, containing three eggs. May 24th, 1890; not observ- 

 ed in the autumn, and think it must be an early migrant in the 

 fall. (Wintte.) A moderately common summer resident around 

 Ottawa. {Ottawa Naturalist, Vol. V.) Common in suitable places 



