6 Geo. 5 Provincial Museum Report. N 9 



few hours daily for the collecting of botanical and entomological specimens and a few fishes, 

 reptiles, and batraehians. The total number of specimens, including duplicates, are as follows: 

 Mammals, 53 ; birds, 209 ; nests and eggs, 11 ; plants, 35 species; insects, 1,382 ; fishes, 17 ; 

 reptiles, 29; batraehians, 11." 



Mr. J. A. Munro, who collected in the Okanagan District, carried on excellent field-work, 

 and reports as follows : — 



■•The field-work extended from May 1st to August 31st. With the exception of a week 

 spent near Xahun, on the west side of Okanagan Lake, work was confined to a small area in 

 the vicinity of Okanagan Landing. Okanagan Lake is at an altitude of 1,140 feet, and at 

 this point is enclosed between low mountains. The timbered portions close to the lake are 

 open and park-like, with vellow pine (Pinus ponderosa) predominating. Towards the summits 

 the growth of timber is heavier, with Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) in the majority. 

 Deciduous trees, principally quaking-aspen (Populus tremuloides), western birch (Betula 

 occidentalis), black haw (Cratcegus douglasii), bitter cherry (Primus emarginata), etc., are 

 confined to the creek-bottoms and to certain well-defined draws in the mountain-side. On 

 both sides of the lake are large areas of open range land, with many alkaline lakes and 

 sloughs, most of them surrounded bv a heavy growth of deciduous trees. This section proved 

 a very productive collecting-ground. The muddy shores of the lakes were frequented by 

 numbers of migrating waders, and several species of ducks were found breeding, notably 

 Barrow's golden-eye (Clangula islandica) and buffle-head (Charitonetta albeola). During the 

 past fifteen years the greater part of the arable land has been brought under cultivation, and 

 with the protection and the increased food-supply afforded, there has been a marked increase 

 in the number of summer birds. This is somewhat offset by the lessening numbers of breed- 

 ing water-fowl following the drainage of the sloughs and marshes. The district described lies 

 entirely in the Transition Zone and can be taken as typical of the Okanagan country. The 

 months of May and June and early part of July were unusually wet for this region, there 

 being weeks of almost constant rain, which interfered with field-work to some extent. Birds 

 were shv and inactive and many transient species were late in arriving. This period of wet 

 weather was followed bv six weeks of dry heat that parched the vegetation on the hills and 

 dried up many of the small lakes and sloughs. The week from June 7th to 14th was spent 

 near Nahun, on the west side of Okanagan Lake, eighteen miles south of Okanagan Landing. 

 Here a settler's cabin was rented, on a wide flat 2,000 feet above the lake, at an approximate 

 altitude of 3,200 feet. This district lies in the Canadian Zone, as characterized by the dense 

 growth of lodge-pole pine (Pinus murrayana) and western larch (Larix occidentalis). 

 Englemann's spruce (Picea eagelmanni) and balsam fir (Abies lasiocarpa) occur in isolated 

 clumps. .Such typical Canadian forms as olive-sided flycatcher (Kuttallornis borealis) and 

 Columbian chickadee (Penthestes hudsonius columbianus) were noted. In some places the line 

 between the Transition and Canadian Zones is very sharply defined, the yellow pine and 

 Douglas fir ending abruptly at the summit, to be succeeded on the level top by lodge-pole pine 

 and western larch. The creek-bottoms are heavily wooded with quaking-aspen (Populus 

 tremuloides) and mountain-birch (Betula fontinalis), both of which grow to great size. 

 Following is a summary of the material collected during the four months of field-work : 471 

 birds, representing 130 species; 21 sets of eggs ; 126 mammals; 1,900 insects ; 1 7 batraehians ; 

 9 reptiles ; 40 fishes ; and 430 plants. Particular attention was paid to the collecting of 

 moulting birds and juvenals in their various plumages, much of this material being new to the 

 Museum collection." 



Mr. C. B. Garrett collected in East Kootenay District, in the vicinity of Cranbrook, and 

 reports as follows : — 



"Field-work was started on May 5th in the district surrounding Cranbrook, which is 

 situated about the centre of the East and West Kootenays, but at the more southerly end. 

 The district is hilly or mountainous and runs from 2,900 to 9,600 feet in altitude. Land is 

 not at all highly cultivated, except in very small areas, and is chiefly covered with coniferous 

 trees. Occasionally one runs across small patches of poplars which are found chiefly in the 

 river and creek-bottoms, accompanied by willow and other smaller shrubs. Creeks are 

 numerous from the mountain-slopes, and numbers of sloughs and small open lakes occur 

 throughout the district. Owing to the fact that the land is uncultivated and therefore offers 

 no special attraction to them, the birds occur in very small numbers to a species, although the 

 number of species is fully up to the average of other districts. From a collector's standpoint 

 the weather was most disappointing, for out of the ninety-two days (collecting was carried on 



