492 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



[NO. 27. 



on the Simpson Islands, 40 miles northeast of Fort Resolution. On 

 their return trip in the fall Alfred E. Preble and Merritt Gary saw . 

 two individuals, collecting one, near Athabaska Landing, September 

 12, and observed another 50 miles south of Athabaska Landing Sep- j 

 tember 23. During my trip northward from Fort Rae I noted this 

 sjDecies on Lake Hardisty August 16, 18, and 19, and a few miles , 

 south of MacTavish Bay Augxist 24. 



In the spring of 1904 J. W. Mills took a specimen at Willow River, 

 near Fort Providence, on May IT. I did not note it at Fort Simpson 

 and first saw it at Sans Sault Rapid June 19, when I collected a { 

 female. j 



Baird recorded specimens from Fort Simpson, La Pierre House, : 

 and Fort Anderson.^ A specimen from Fort Simpson, September 10, 

 1860; one from Fort Anderson, taken with eggs in June, 1864; and ' 

 one from Fort Good Hope, May 31 [1862], are now in the National i 

 Museum. In the Anderson River region MacFarlane found the spe- \ 

 cies ver}^ abundant, both in the wooded country and in situations ; 

 where no trees grew, some nests being necessarily placed on the i 

 ground, contrary to the usual habit. One nest was found on the i 

 banks of Wilmot Horton River.^ In notes sent to the Smithsonian 

 he recorded the species as tolerably numerous at Fort Anderson on ; 

 May 28, 1865. Macoun, on the authority of Raine, records several i 

 sets of eggs taken by Messrs. Stringer and Young near the mouth of i 

 the Mackenzie.^ Seton records the species from Fort Reliance and , 

 the south end of Artillery Lake.^ • 



Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni (Gab.). Olive-backed Thrush. 



This thrush is abundant over the wooded country, where during ' 

 the short Arctic summer its song is heard nearly throughout the 

 entire tw^enty-four hours. In 1901 it was first noted at Fort Ghipe- 1 

 wyan. May 24, and was seen, or heard almost daily until June 4, 

 during our stay in the vicinity. After leaving Fort Ghipewyan we 

 everywhere found it common and heard its song almost continually ^ 

 day and night. We noted it daily between Athabaska Lake and 

 Fort Smith, June 5 to 18, and found the first nest, containing four ^ 

 eggs, 10 miles below Peace River, on June 10. The species was com- ^ 

 mon at Fort Smith, where we noted it almost daily, June 19 to 29, , 

 and took a nest containing three eggs on June 21. We noted num- 

 bers on Slave River, June 29 to July 2, and saw and heard several 

 on July 6 at Fort Resolution, where Alfred E. Preble also noted the 

 bird July 10, 11, and 22. I took a specimen at Fort Rae July 20, 

 but did not hear its song after leaving Fort Resolution. ; 



«Ilev. Am. Birds, p. 23, June, 1864. 



» Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, p. 445, 1891. 



Cat. Canadian Birds, Part III, p. 709, 1904. 

 ^Aulv, XXV, p. 73, 1908. 



