62 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



[no. 27. 



'American Ornithology ' he figures this specimen/' a female, stating 

 that it Avas shot on the 20th of March, 1825 (probably a mistake for 

 1826) " on the Athabasca River near the Rocky Mountains." Re- 

 garding the same species Richardson says : 



This elegant bird lias only lately been detected in America, having been dis- 

 covered, in the spring of 1826, near the sources of the Athabasca, or Elk Iliver, 

 by Mr. Drnmmond, * * * and by myself the same season at Great Bear 

 Lake, in latitude 65°. Specimens procured at the former place, and trans- 

 mitted to England by the servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, were com- 

 municated, by Mr. Leadbeater, to the Prince of Musignano, who has introduced 

 the species into his great work on the birds of the United States.^ 



Bonaparte refers also to a specimen of ' Cincliis pallasiif ' in Lead- 

 beater's collection, stating that the species inhabits near the Rocky 

 Mountains, on the Athapescow Lake." ^ In 'American Ornithology ' 

 he gives the locality as "Athabasca Lake." ^ Richardson, after speak- 

 ing of specimens procured by Drnmmond near the sources of the 

 Athabaska, says : 



Several specimens, obtained at the same locality and at the same time with 

 Mr. Drummond's, came into Mr. Leadbeater's hands through the Hudson's Bay 

 Company, one of which has been figured and described by the Prince of Musig- 

 nano in his splendid American Ornithology.'" 



Rallus noveboracensis also is recorded by Bonaparte from ''the 

 Athapescow Lake near the Rocky Mountains," from a pair in Lead- 

 beater's collection.'^ In 'American Ornithology ' he figures a New 

 York specimen, but in the text states that he has '' information of 

 its inhabiting near the most north-western lakes, such as the Atha- 

 basca." 0 



Of these four species, the first three are know^n to be more or less 

 abundant near the sources of the Athabaska, and two of these, the 

 evening grosbeak and the water ousel, have not been found near Atha- 

 baska Lake. Furthermore, we have Richardson's positive statement 

 that in the case of two of these species, the Bohemian waxwing and 

 the water ousel, Leadbeater's specimens were taken near the source of 

 the Athabaska. The remaining species, the yellow rail, is nearly as 

 likely to occur there as at Athabaska Lake. It seems reasonably cer- 

 tain, therefore, that all these specimens were taken near the sources 

 of the Athabaska. 



John Ross sailed in the Victory from England in May, 1829, in 

 search of the Northwest Passage. He reached Lancaster Sound in 



« Am. Orn., Ill, PI. XVI, fig. 2, 1828. 



^ Fauna Boreali-Americana, II, p. 237, 1831. 



Zool. Journ., Ill, p. 51, 1828. 

 ^ Am. Orn., Ill, PI. XVI, fig. 1, 1828. 

 ^ Fauna Boreali-Americana, II, p. 173, 1831. 

 f Zool. Journ., Ill, p. 50, 1828. 

 9 Am. Orn., IV, p. 142, 1833, 



