288 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



■I 



[NO. 27. 



This species was recorded from the Mackenzie River regioii by 

 Ross, who listed it as occurring north to the Arctic coast, and as 

 having been collected at Fort Simpson." Kennicott noted its arrival 

 at Fort Resolution on May T, 1860.^ Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway 

 record eggs from Fort Rae ;^ and the bird catalogue of the National 

 Museum shows that specimens were received from Fort Rae, Big 

 Island, Fort Simpson, and Peel River [Fort McPherson] ; one from 

 the latter locality is still in the collection. Macoun states that he 

 has found it breeding on Buffalo Lake, near Methye Portage.'^ J. 

 Alden Loring reported shooting several along the upper Athabaska, 

 near Jasper House, in the fall of 1895. 



Clangula islandica (Gmel.). Barrow Golden-eye. 



This golden-eye is knovrn from the region only from a few scatter- 

 ing specimens which have been taken in the Mackenzie and Anderson 

 River valleys. Brewer states that " a single individual was taken 

 by Mr. M. McLeod, June 29, 1863, in the vicinity of Fort Anderson. 

 On the 14th of June in the following year (1864) Mr. MacFarlane 

 secured a fine male example at Fort Anderson. This individual had ; 

 been in the habit of flying over the fort for several evenings in sue- \ 

 cession, and was at length secured on a small lake just behind the ! 

 reservation. The female had her nest somew^here in the vicinity, i 

 but eluded all their endeavors to discover the place. Mr. MacFarlane 

 speaks of this species as the rarest of the ducks that visit those i 

 parts." ^ MacFarlane mentions the same circumstances more i 

 briefly ; f and Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway also record the two 

 specimens,^^ one of which is still in the National Museum. The [ 

 museum catalogue records also a specimen of Bucephala islandica \ 

 from Fort Rae, but apparently it is not at present in the museum. 



In the collection of mounted birds in the museum of the Hudson's 

 Bay Company at Fort Simpson are two specimens, shot some years 

 ago at Willow River, near Fort Providence. 



Charitonetta albeola (Linn.). Buffle-head. ^ 



The buffle-head is an abundant breeder along the Athabaska and 

 Slave rivers, especially along the lower parts of their courses, where 

 nesting sites are easily found, and occurs less commonly along the 

 Mackenzie to its mouth. In the spring of 1901 we found this bird 

 abundant on the Athabaska, noting it daily between Athabaska Land- 

 ing and Athabaska Lake May 6 to 17. We saw a few near Fort Chip- 



«Nat. Hist. Rev., II (second ser.), p. 288, 1862. 



^ Trans. Cliicago Acad. Sci., p. 170, 1869. 



c Water Birds N. A., II, p. 47, 1884. 



^ Cat. Canadian Birds, Part I, p. 95, 1900. 



^ Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, IV, pp. 150, 151, 1879. 



t Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, p. 421, 1891. 



9 Water Birds N. A., II, p, 44, 1884. 



