208 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



In answer to Mr. Wintle's query in the Jan- 

 uary No., I have been misled by the same 

 bird, Quiscalus purpureus, but seeing one ap- 

 proaching with his tail spread one day when I 

 was shooting, I took him in the act, and of 

 course he proved to be merely an ordinary 

 crow blackbird. Q. major inhabit? the South 

 Atlantic and Gulf States, never ascending to 

 New England, and is strictly maritime. 



W. E. Saunders. 



We have only one species of Crow Black- 

 bird in Canada (Quiscalus purpureus). The 

 peculiar spreading of the tail sometimes no- 

 ticed in the males of this species has led to 

 their being confounded with the Boat-tailed 

 Grackle (Quiscalus major), which is a larger 

 and more southern species. The Bronzed 

 Grackle first described by Ridgway as a sub- 

 species (Quiscalus purpureus ameas Ry), also 

 occurs here, being associated with purpureas 

 throughout the whole range of the latter. The 

 difference between the two birds appears to be 

 only a matter of color, and as the Bronzed is 

 not confined to any particular locality, many 

 ornithologists do not recognize it as a geo- 

 graphical variety. 



Montreal. W. W. Dunlop. 



From Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club. Vol. VII, No. 4. 

 Oct., 1882. 



LIST OF BIRDS ASCERTAINED TO 

 OCCUR WITHIN TEN MILES FROM 

 POINT DE MONTS, PROVINCE OF 

 QUEBEC, CANADA ; BASED CHIEFLY 

 UPON THE NOTES OF NAPOLEON 

 A. COMEAU. 



BY 0. HART MERRIAM, M. D. 



Point de Monts is the southward termina- 

 tion ot a high rocky promontory that separates 

 the river from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on 

 the north shore. It is in latitude 49° 19' 

 north. The country is well wooded, the 

 forests consisting chiefly of spruce (both white 

 and black) and balsam. Scattered about are 

 a few birches, poplars, cedars, and tamaracks ; 

 and on a sandy terrace near the Godbout 

 River is a quantity of the northern scrub pine 

 (Pinus banksiana) that here attains a height of 

 thirty and sometimes forty feet. The region 

 is so far north that not only are the oaks and 

 hickories absent, but even the hardy beech 

 and maple do not grow here. 



I visited this section of the coast in July, 

 1881, and again in July, 1882; and with the 

 observations made at these times I have in- 



corporated the notes kindly placed at my dis- 

 posal by Mr. Napoleon A. Comeau, guardian 

 of Godbout. 



The nomenclature followed is that of the 

 second edition of Dr. Coues's Check List of 

 North American Birds. 



I. Turdus migratorius ; Robin. A common summer 

 resident. Arrives about the first of May, and remains 

 till late in November. Seen Dec. 22, 1879. 



' 2. Turdus unalascce nanus ; Hermit Thrush. Toler- 

 ably common ; breeds. 



3. Turdus ustulatus sivainsoni ; Olive-backed Thrush. 

 Not uncommon; breeds. , 



4. Sialia sialis ; Blue-bird. Extremely rare. During 

 a residence of many years at Godbout, Mr. Comeau has 

 seen but one pair of these birds ; they nested in a stump 

 near his house in July, 1880. 



5. Megulus calendula'; Buby-crowned Kinglet. A 

 male was shot June 4, 1882. 



6. Parus atrieapillus ; Black-capped Chickadee. A 

 common resident. 



7. Parus hudsonicus ; Hudsonian Chickadee. A com- 

 mon resident, like the last. 



8. Sitta canadensis ; Bed-bellied Nuthatch. Tolerably 

 common in winter, but not observed in summer. 



9. Eremophila alpestris ; Horned Lark. First seen 

 April 21, 1882, after which they were common for about 

 three weeks and then disappeared. I found a young 

 one, dead, at Godbout in July, 1881. 



10. Anthusludovicianus ; Titlark. Tolerably common 

 summer resident, and doubtless breeds. I have seen 

 floeks of them in July feeding on the beach at low water. 

 First seen May 7, 1882. 



II. Helminthophila peregrina ; Tennessee "Warbler. 

 A tolerably common summer resident. First shot June 

 6, 1882. 



12. Dendrmca wstiva; Summer Warbler. Not very 

 common. First seen June 6, 1882. 



13. Dendrceca virens ; Black-throated Green Warbler. 

 A tolerably common summer resident. 



14. Dendrceca coronata ; Yellow-rumped Warbler. A 

 rather common summer resident. First seen May 29, 

 1882. 



15. Dendrceca hlackhurnw ; Blackburn's Warbler. 

 Bather rare. Shot June 9, 1882. 



16. Dendrceca striata; Black-poll Warbler. Bare. 

 Mr. Comeau shot a male, June 7, 1882. 



17. Dendrceca mdeidosa ; Black-and- Yellow Warbler. 

 The commonest Warbler, breeding abundantly. Earli- 

 est seen May 29, 1882. 



18. Siiirus nwvius; Water Thrush. Bather rare. , 

 Shot June 0, 1882. Others seen. 



19. Geotlilypistrichas ; Maryland Yellow-throat. Not 

 common. Saw two in the clearing about Mr. Allan 

 Gilmour's camp on the Godbout. 



20. Myiodioctes pusillus ; Black-capped Yellow Warb- 

 ler. Bather rare. Shot June 9, 1882. Others seen. 



21. Myiodioctes canadensis ; Canadian Flyeatching 

 Warbler. A tolerably common summer resident. 



22. Setophaga ruticilla ; Bedstart. Tolerably common. ■ 

 First seen June 9, 1882. 



