190S.] 



BIKDS. 



317 



Recurvirostra americana Gmel. American Avocet. 



In the museum at Fort Simpson are two sj^ecimens taken soni^ years 

 ago at Fort Cliipewyan, Alberta; and I was informed by J. W. 

 Mills that several had been seen at Willow River, near Fort Provi- 

 dence, by J. S. Camsell, Avho formerly collected quite extensively and 

 was familiar with the species. 



First recorded from the Mackenzie region by Ross, who gives it as 

 occurring north to Fort Rae, but as rare.« Baird, Brewer, and Ridg- 

 way state that examples were procured at Fort Rae, Fort Resolution, 

 and on Peace River ; ^ and the catalogue of the birds in the National 

 Museum records two specimens from Fort Rae, two from Peace 

 River, and one from Fort Resolution, the latter taken June 1, 1864, 

 as well as one taken at Lesser Slave Lake, probably in 1808, by 

 Strachan Jones. Eggs from the same locality, also collected by 

 Jones, are in the National Museum. 



Philohela minor '(Gmel.) . Woodcock. 



In .Vugust, 1892, Avliile exploring on Black River, between Black 

 Lake and the eastern end of Athabaska Lake, J. B. Tyrrell, of the 

 Canadian Geological Survey, saw a woodcock, and refers to the cir- 

 cumstance as follows: 



A quarter of a mile below the foot of the rapid, on the soft bank, the canoes 

 were pushed in among the willows over a soft mnddj% swampy flat to the be- 

 ginning of Woodcock Portage, so called because we aroused a woodcock 

 (Philohela minor), in one of the swamps as we passed it, this bird being ex- 

 ceedingly rare so far north. ^ 



The occurrence of the species at this point nnist be merely acci- 

 dental. 



Gallinago delicata (Ord). Wilson Snipe. 



The common snipe probabl}' breeds throughout the wooded region, 

 but is not common on its extreme northern border. In 1901 it was 

 abundant between Edmonton and Athabaska Landing, Alberta, April 

 29 to May 5. The males were then performing their aerial evolutions 

 and Avere heard almost continually morning and evening, and in 

 cloudy weather at all times of the day. After leaving Athabaska 

 Landing, we did not again meet with the species until May 15, Avhen 

 one Avas heard in a marsh beloAv the mouth of Red River, Alberta. 

 AAliil(> I was collecting on the Quatre Fourches marsh, near Fort 

 Chipewyan, May 23 and 21, several were seen, and a male was taken 

 on the latter date. About a small marsh near Slave RiA^er, 25 miles 

 below the Peace, we saAv a pair daily June 11 to 13, and Ave found 

 their nest, Avhich contained four eggs on the point of hatching, on 



'^Nat. Hist. Rev., II (second ser.), p 284, 1862. 

 ft Water Birds N. A., I, p. 342, 1884. 



g Ann. Kept. Can. Geol. Surv., VIII (new ser.), p. 73D, 1896. 



