BIKDS OF NOKTHEKN CANADA 435 



west of that city and was in company with another individual 

 of the same species." Professor John Macoun also states that 

 " a nest found on 14th June, 1895, in a hole in a clay butte 

 at Medicine Lodge, south of Wood Mountain, was wholly 

 composed of the outer bark of the old stems of Bigelovia 

 graveolens, a composite plant that grew in profusion near 

 the site of the nest. It contained seven light blue eggs. 

 Another nest taken under the same conditions along French- 

 man's Eiver, Province of Saskatchewan, on 21st June, was 

 built of the outer bark of sage bush (^Artemesia cana), and 

 contained the same number of eggs." 



The Dominion Museum collection at Ottawa holds thirty 

 skin specimens and one set of seven eggs taken along French- 

 man's Eiver by the Professor himself, as above stated, on 

 21st June, 1895. 



WATER BIRDS 



38. Long-tailed Jaegee — 'Stercorarius longicaudus 

 (VieUot). 



This handsome jaeger is quite abundant along the Ander- 

 son Eiver vaUey, in the " Barrens," and also on the Arctic 

 coast. It lays two eggs in a depression in the soil scantily 

 lined with withered leaves and grasses, etc., and as the egg 

 markings greatly resemble their surroundings, the nest is 

 frequently very difficult to discover. The parent birds by 

 angry screams and hostile demonstrations invariably resent 

 the presence of intruders, and in more than one instance they 

 became so savage in their attacks, especially the female, that 

 she had to be shot at once in order to prevent actual injury. 

 Over thirty nests were taken, or double as many as that 

 of 8. parasiticus. The several species of jaeger doubtless 

 destroy a considerable number of the ^gs of other birds 

 every season. This is the most common jaeger on the 

 Alaskan coast. Occasional in Hudson Bay, very rare inland. 

 Mr. E'elson states that the pairing of the birds occurs with 



