The C>piAf( Sportsman a^d Naturalist. 



No. 6. 



MONTREAL, JUNK, 1883. 



Vol.. III. 



WILLIAM COUPER, Editor. 



A NEW WORK ON THE BIRDS OP 

 CANADA. 



We have received a copy of " Les Oiseaux 

 du Canada," by Mr. C. E. Dionne, curator of 

 the Zoological Museum of Laval University, 

 Quebec. It is a neatly printed volume con- 

 taining nearly three hundred pages and several 

 wood cuts. The author has adopted the clas- 

 sification and nomenclature of Doctor Coues, 

 and gives a short description of each species 

 with notes upon their distribution, etc. From 

 the title of the work it is evidently intended 

 not to be local ; we would like to have seen a 

 more complete account of the birds of the 

 Dominion, many species occurring in Manitoba 

 and other western portions not being included. 

 In note to Brown Thrasher, Mr. Dionne states : 

 " This species is probably not found in Quebec 

 though common in Ontario." This is a mis- 

 take, as during the past few years these 

 Thrushes have been abundant in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Montreal and breed here regularly. 

 The Yellow-throated Vireo is also rather 

 common here in the spring, and the Logger- 

 head Shrike very common, breeding in suitable 

 localities throughout the island. The Meadow 

 Lark is also found in many places in the 

 Eastern Townships. Numerous other errors 

 of distribution also appear but we are not sur- 

 prised at this, and must expect some years to 

 elajjse before local ornithologists will study up 

 the birds occurring in their respective locali- 

 ties and furnish material from which can be 

 compiled a standard work upon the subject. 

 With regard to the Cow bird, Mr. Dionne 

 states : " Quelques naturalistes out affirme 

 que l'Etourneau ne construisait point de nid, 

 qu 5 il deposait furtivement ses oeufs dans des 

 nids de Pinsons, de Fauvettes, etc. C'est une 

 erreur, com me le remarque M. l'abbe Pro- 

 vancher, qui a eu occasion de voir lui-meme 



plusieurs de ces nids el presque toujour* dan- 

 lea coniferes. II pond ."> on i> oeufs bleu lendre, 

 tachetes de roussatre." 



That this bird should have abandoned the 

 habit of depositing its egg- in the nests of 

 other birds and taken to nest-building, we are 

 not prepared to credit. If Mr. Dionne can 

 corroborate his statement, it will prove an 

 interesting fact for ornithologists, it not, it is 

 a serious mistake for a writer to make with 

 regard to one of our best known birds. 



THE FOX-COLOURED SPARROW. 



During my summer visits to the Island of 

 Antieosti and the north shore of the St. Law- 

 rence, I have had many opportunities of 

 watching this beautiful sparrow. In fact it 

 was on the Labradorian coast that I first heard 

 its delightful song, and although the notes are 

 few, they are given in a sweet, clear, distinct 

 tone ; but when several males are responding, 

 they seem to cheer and add lite to their dreary 

 surroundings ; the call is certainly pleasant to 

 the ear of man, more especially when he is 

 alone in a region where the song of no other 

 bird is heard. All this class vf birds have 

 their peculiar nuptial notes — that ot the 

 White-throated Sparrow is said to represent 

 the words : — Farmer-pay— the-^ri nt-pay—the 

 rent, while those of the Fox coloured Sparrow 

 sounds to my ear like, O-dear-dear-prt ttypretty 

 creature. I do not think it has been found 

 nesting in the Province of Quebec, west of 

 Godbout. As far as I could discover, its 

 summer retreat is in the bays of Antieosti 

 and the woodlands skirting the north coast of 

 the Lower St. Lawrence. It seldom nest on 

 the ground, as those which 1 found were in 

 small trees on the margin of rivers or creeks 

 not far from the sea. Before the nesting sea. 

 son when pairing, the males will frequently 

 tight as vigourously as the English house 



