396 THEOUGH THE MACKENZIE BASIN 



the male. A third nest was taken at Cumberland House. 

 In all probability it breeds at Pelican Narrows and else- 

 where throughout the district. It nests on willow and other 

 bush trees, and they are composed of coarse grasses and 

 reeds, lined with finer grasses and deer hair. 



Bendire states that " incubation lasts about two weeks, 

 and the young are able to leave the nest in about sixteen 

 days. As soon as they are large enough to provide for them- 

 selves they gather into small companies and roam all over 

 the country. In August and September they congregate 

 in large iiocks, containing many thousands, and at which 

 time they frequently do considerable damage in certain 

 favourite resorts. The eggs are mostly ovate in shape; the 

 shell is strong, finely granulated, and moderately glossy. 

 The ground colour is usually pale bluish green, and this is 

 occasionally more or less clouded with a pale smooth-gray suf- 

 fusion. They are spotted, blotched, marbled, and streaked, 

 mostly about the larger end, with different shades of black, 

 brown, drab, and heliotrope purple, presenting great varia- 

 tion in the amount, character, and style of markings. Occa- 

 sionally an entirely unspotted egg is found." 



In the Dominion Museum at Ottawa there are nine 

 specimens and but one set of 'five eggs, taken on Cherry 

 Island, Lake Winnipeg, on 15th June, 1889 ! 



509. EusTT Blackbibd — TSwpliagus carolinus (Miill.). 



We found this bird fairly numerous in the neighbour- 

 hood of Fort Anderson, but stragglers were frequently 

 observed by us as far as the eastern limits of the forest, as 

 well as near the partially-wooded " crossing " on the Wilmot 

 Horton Biver, in about latitude 69° north and longitude 

 125° west. The twenty-five nests discovered in these several 

 localities were built on trees, at a height of from five to eight 

 feet from the ground. Eive eggs was the maximum number 

 in any one nest, while the latter was always substantially 



