The Canadian Spo^tsmai^ aud T^atur/list. 



No. i. 



MONTREAL, JANUARY, 1883. 



[J 



WILLIAM COUPER, Editor. 



UNPAID SUBSCRIPTIONS. 

 Some of our friends have not yet sent us the 

 amount due for last year's subscription. We 

 hope this reminder will cause a prompt remitt- 

 ance, as we feel confident that all our sub- 

 scribers are able and willing to pay. 



BACK NUMBERS. 



We have several volumes of our second 

 year, also a few of our first, which we . can 

 furnish at one dollar per volume. Subscribers 

 who are short of any numbers- would do well 

 to communicate with us at once, and we will 

 endeavour to supply them as far as possible. 



TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS. 



We have now entered upon our third volume, 

 the first number of which will be sent to sub- 

 scribers of last year, trusting all will continue 

 their subscription. 



The Journal has been progressing during 

 the past two years, and further efforts on the 

 part of our friends, will enable us to extend 

 its columns. 



The study of Natural History has made 

 rapid progress during the past tew years, and 

 we have now in Canada many students whose 

 notes and observations, if published, would 

 become valuable additions to this branch of 

 literature. We are promised contributions by 

 some of our more advanced Ornithologists and 

 Entomologists and have no doubt this volume 

 will contain many interesting observations not 

 hitherto recorded, and thus become a valuable 

 reference to those interested in these studies. 

 We have, so far no recent works upon the 

 Natural History of our Dominion. In Orni- 

 thology we think the time has arrived when a 

 properly com piled work would be favourably 

 received, and we trust, ere long one of our 

 rising Ornithologists will give us a book on 

 the " Birds of Canada," as valuable and 

 Interesting as the volumes of American writers. 



FISH AND GAME PROTECT* 



The annual meeting of the Fish and Game 



Protection Society of the Province 

 was held in Montreal on the 20th instant. 

 The twenty-fourth annual report Bubn 

 was an unusually satisfactory one, a large 

 addition having been made to the membership 

 during the past year. The following gentle- 

 men have been appointed officers for the 

 ensuing year. President — Mr. B. C. Monk; 

 Vice-President — Mr. L. A. Bo surer 



— Mr. Thos. Hiam ; Secretary— Mr. <>. 11. 

 Matthews; Committee — Messrs. P.J. Brady, 

 R. H. Kilby, H. R. Ives, J. li. Stearns, - 

 Cross, W. S. Macfarlane, P. Henshaw, Alderic 

 Descbatnps, E. B. Goodacre, J. C X 

 John Nelson, W. Parker, Gustave Drolet, H. 

 Rintoul, and Geo. McKinnon. 



MIGRATION OF OWLS. 



A female of Richardson's Owl (Xyctale 

 Fichardsonii) was captured at St. Laurent, near 

 Montreal, on the 4th instant. It died after a 

 weeks confinement in a cage. On dissection, 

 the ovarium was found to be in an advanced 

 condition, and the eggs of a size sufficient to 

 show that there is no doubt of its nesting in 

 the mountains north of Montreal. No one 

 has yet positively discovered the nest of this 

 interesting little owl in Canada, but from 

 what we« noticed, this specimen supplies con- 

 clusive evidence that it would Dot go far north 

 of the city to construct its nest. Owls, as a 

 rule, build early in the year, the young 

 some species being found fully fledged in April 

 and May. The Snow Owl appeared abund- 

 antly in the low lands of this Province in 

 December last, remaining but a short time 

 after the first heavy tall of snow, and the 

 Barred Owl, almost as common, visited the 

 neighbourhood of Montreal, probably after the 

 Domestic Sparrows. The little Saw-whet Owl 

 was not uncommon throughout the country 

 during the mouth of January. The above 

 species are more or less diurnal or crepuscular 

 in their habits, and are therefore more easily 

 discovered. Two other species of this class 

 the Great Cinereous and Hawk Owl, formerly 

 occurring here during December and January 

 seem to have so far absented themselves this 



