252 



XOETH AMEKICAX FAUXA. 



[NO. 27 



Athabaska at Athabaska Landing, Alberta, September 15. During 

 my trip northward from Fort Rae I found it rather common and 

 undoubtedly breeding in the small marshy lakes along lower Grandin 

 Riyer, August 1 to 4. An indiyidual which had succumbed to the 

 weather, probably haying been wounded, was picked up on the 

 Mackenzie 10 miles aboye the mouth of the Blackwater, October 8. 



In the spring of 1904 the species was first brought to my notice 

 late in May, when a fine male, taken near Fort Proyidence, May 25, 

 was brought to me at Fort Shnpson. While descending the Macken- 

 zie I obseryed a pair in a small lake near Nahanni Eiyer, June 4. 

 The nest, a floating bunch of coarse grass, was anchored to a sub- 

 merged log 15 feet from the shore. It appeared to be nearly finished, 

 and was held in place by a limb which projected aboye the surface of 

 the water, and around which the nest had been constructed. Xumbers 

 of the species were eyidently breeding in the ponds which studded 

 the yalley of the Nahanni, and seyeral were obseryed on the following- 

 day. I saw a pair in a small lake on Manito Island, near Fort Good 

 Hope, June 23, and noted the sj)ecies on the Mackenzie, 75 miles below 

 Fort Good Hoj)e, June 27, and near the mouth of Peel Riyer, June 30. 

 I obseryed one on lower Peel Riyer, July 1, and found the species com- 

 mon about the small lakes near Fort McPherson during the first half 

 of July, seeing or hearing it nearly eyery day. 



The species was first recorded from this region by Richardson, 

 who quotes from Sabine a description of " a mature indiyidual, 

 killed at Great Slaye Lake, May, 1822." « Sabine, whose description ^ 

 Richardson quotes in part, apparently was not aware of the precise 

 locality of the specimen, but Richardson, probably from personal 

 knowledge, was able to supph^ this information. Ross giyes the species 

 as being found north in the Mackenzie Yalley to Peel Riyer, and as 

 haying been taken at Fort Simpson.^ Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway 

 record its occurrence at Fort Rae, Fort Simpson, Fort Anderson, 

 Peel Riyer, and in the mountains west of the lower Mackenzie, and 

 mention eggs from Fort Simpson and Peel Riyer.^ MacFarlane re- 

 cords two nests, containing, respectiyely. 4 and 5 eggs, found 40 or 

 50 miles south of Fort Anderson.^ ]More recently Frank Russell has 

 recorded it from Fort Rae. where he took a specimen, which I haye 

 examined, August 22, 1893.^ MacFarlane, in notes recently sent me, 

 states that this grebe was found breeding at Green Lake, Saskatche- 

 waus in June, 1880, by AY. S. Simpson, and at Fond du Lac, Atha- 

 baska Lake, in 1885, by J. Mercredi. 



« Fauna Boreali-Americana, II, p. 411, 1S31. 



* Franklin's Narr. Journey to Polar Sea, Appendix, p. 692, 182.3. 



<^Xat. Hist. Rev., II (second ser.), p. 290, 1862. 



^ Water Birds N. A., II, p. 430, 1884. 



e Proc. r. S. Xat. Mus., Xiy, p. 415, 1891. 



f Expl. in Far North, p. 254, 1898. 



