BIRDS OF KOETHERN C AX ADA 383 



skin were duly forwarded to Washington. The species 



might be considered as a common summer resident in New 



Caledonia district. Major Bendire remarks that " the eggs 



of the western night hawk, both in shape and markings, are 



scarcely distinguishable from those of the eastern bird, and 



the same description will answer for both. On the whole, 



however, the lighter coloured types seem to predominate over 



the darker ones." There are in the Dominion Museum at 



Ottawa nine skins from British Columbia, and one set of 



eggs taken at Eobson, Columbia River, by Mr. J. Macoun, 



and another set of two taken at Atlin Lake, B.C., by Mr. 



W. H. Boyd, on 25th June, 1900. 



433. Rufous Huj"\nrixG Bied — Selasphorus rufus Gmelin. 



When travelling by canoe from the Fraser to Fort St. 

 James by way of the Stuart River, on 24th June, 1889, Mr. 

 Ogden discovered a nest containing two nearly fresh eggs. 

 It was placed on a bush, and both parents were seen and the 

 male was shot. (The bird, nest and eggs were duly for- 

 warded to Washington.) He found them to be fairly abun- 

 dant in that locality, while they are not uncommon around 

 Stuart's Lake. " The nests of this species are lined with 

 cotton down, while the outside is more or less profusely cov- 

 ered with fine mosses, shreds of bark, and occasionally a few 

 lichens. An average nest measures IJ^ inches in outer 

 diameter by 1J4 inches in depth; the inner cup is about 

 seven-eighths of an inch in width by one-half inch deep. The 

 eggs resemble those of other humming birds in colour and 

 shape, the average measurement being about 0.50 by 0.33 

 inch." Sir John Richardson states that this species was 

 originally discovered at S'ootka Sound by the celebrated 

 Captain Cook, and that he had himself examined one of the 

 identical ' specimens. 



The red-breasted humming bird (Trochilus coluhns) 

 doubtless breeds in the district of New Caledonia, while 

 Major Bendire states that " Sir John Richardson met there- 

 25 



