372 THKOUGH THE MACKEN^ZIE BASIlSr 



of four eggs of the snowy owl, taken by Mr. Young on 

 Herschell Island, west of the outlet of the Mackenzie Kiver. 

 There are four skins, but no eggs, in the Ottawa Museum! 

 Major Bendire also states that the eggs of this hawk are 

 from three to seven in number, and nidification commences 

 frequently long before the disappearance of the ice and 

 snow. Like the hawk owl of the Old World, it lays at irre- 

 gular intervals and commences to incubate as soon as the 

 first egg is deposited, both sexes taking part in these duties. 

 Eggs may be looked for from the latter part of April and 

 through the month of May. These vary from oval to oblong 

 oval in shape, are pure white in colour, and somewhat glossy. 

 The shell is smooth and fine grained. They resemble the 

 eggs of the short-eared owl very closely and are scarcely dis- 

 tinguishaible from them. 



390. Belted Kingfisher — Ceryle alcyon (Linn.). 



At Fort Providence Mr. John Eeid shot a male bird on 

 the 16th of May, 1884, and a week later he secured a female, 

 and both were duly forwarded to Dr. Bell. Although some 

 birds were seen on the Anderson and elsewhere, and several 

 skins were obtained from the Eskimos, yet we never found 

 any nests nor received its eggs from the natives. In fact, 

 they were not desired. According to Major Bendire this 

 species nests in a burrow or tunnelled bank. The number 

 of eggs varies usually from five to eight, and sets of six or 

 seven are most often found. Instances, however, have been 

 recorded where as many as fourteen eggs have been taken 

 at one time. The eggs are pure white in colour ; the shell 

 is strong, fine grained, smooth, and rather glossy, especially 

 so in fresh eggs. In strongly incubated ones this gloss is 

 less noticeable. The eggs are generally short ovate and some- 

 times rounded ovate in shape. 



The Museum at Ottawa contains ten skins and two sets 

 of seven eggs each from British Columbia. 



