CHAPTER XXI.

Birds of the North-West.

Large Numbers Breed in the Country-Enumeration of Singing Birds-Notes on the Thrushes, Warblers, Swallows, Finches-Prairie Birds-Peculiarities of the Cow-bird -Blackbirds a Great Nuisance-The Fly-catchers, Enumeration of the SpeciesNight Hawks, Humming Birds, and Woodpeckers-All these are Forest SpeciesRange of the Humming Birds-Hawks and Owls-The Owl of the Prairie-Hawks very Beautiful and Abundant-Their Habits-The Wild Pigeon-Prairie Chicken, Ptarmigan and Grouse-Enumeration of the Waders-Numerous both in Species and Numbers-Plover-Avocets-Godwits-Sandpipers and Snipe in Myriads-Bitterns and Cranes often Numerous-Enumeration of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans-Their Breeding Places-Notes on the River Ducks-Countless Myriads in the Fall-Game Birds Around or in a Pond-A Common Sight-How to Procure a Supper-The Mergansers or Sheldrakes-Pelicans, their Habits and Breeding Places-Their Modes of Fishing-Gulls and Terns-Very Abundant on the larger Lakes―Their Summer Haunts-Loons, Grebe and Dab-chicks-Habits of the Grebe-The Great Western Grebe-Synoptical Table of the Birds-Notes on the Prairie Birds-Birds near Brandon in 1880-At Flat Creek-At Moose Mountain-Souris Plain-Around Salt Ponds-Multitudes of Ducks and Prairie Chickens-Taking to the Stubble Fields-Notes on the Hawks--On the Owls-On the Gulls.

BIRDS are a most important element in the present and future of the North-West Having watched their habits and obtained their skins I am enabled to speak with certainty of many birds hitherto unknown in the interior. As they are better known by their families I shall introduce them in that way and take the highest order first.

This order is divided into two sub-orders, the Oscines and Clamatores.

The sub-order Oscines, or Singing-birds, is composed of nineteen Families, sixty Genera and ninety-five Species enumerated below:

Robin,

Varied Thrush,

Hermit Thrush,

Turdus, migratorius, L.
Turdus, nævius, Bon.

Turdus, Pallasi, Cab.

Green Black-capped Fly-Catching Warbler, Myiodioctes Canadensis, Aud.

It is not necessary to enter into details regarding the species singly, but a few remarks on the various groups may be interesting to not a few.

The Thrushes are represented by seven species, which

have their homes either in the thick forest or in the thickets bordering on the prairie. The Catbird, Robin, and Hermit Thrush are very common and are found everywhere. The Shore Lark and Lapland Longspur are very common on the prairies in September and October, and are frequently taken for Snow Buntings. While passing along the trail the traveller will see these birds running before him in the ruts, and when he approaches too near they rise up and fly some distance ahead, keeping this up for miles.

Of the seventeen warblers none belong exclusively to the prairie. All are birds of the thickets, and being very shy are not often seen except by the collector, who follows them to their haunts and occasionally gets a glimpse of their bright colors as they retire to the thickest coverts on his approach.

When going up or down a river the Bank and Cliff Swallows are often seen in myriads circling around. The former, where the bank is alluvium often perforates it to the depth of two or three feet, while the latter will cover the hard face of a clay cliff with thousands of nests, and as you glide past, from every nest one or more heads are protruded to gaze on the passing stranger. The Red Eyed Vireo fills the forest with its song, and were it not carefully watched would be taken for a variety of birds, as it has quite a variety of notes in its song.

The Finches as usual are well represented both by forest and prairie species. Many of these birds are very beautiful, especially the Evening and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. These birds live in the thick forests, and the song of the latter is often heard answering that of the Baltimore Oriole, which breeds in the same localities. On the plains near Old Wives Lakes the White Winged Blackbird and the Missouri Skylark are common, and will at once attract the attention. The former by its uncommon plumage, and the latter by its peculiar flight which might be correctly termed undulating.

Of all the birds on the prairie none will attract more attention than the Cow-birds. As they build no nests they are great travellers, often keeping with a train of carts crossing the trackless plains for weeks together. Both in 1879 and 1880, while travelling without a trail, these birds have kept with us for weeks. When on the march they would fly alongside the carts and light in the grass, and immediately pounce on any grasshopper which lit near them. In July when Bull-dogs (Gad-flies) were troubleso me these birds would sit on the horses' backs and pick them off. Often one would take up its position on the horse's rump and catch every fly that dared approach. At night they would sometimes sit in the grass, on the carts, or even perch on the horses, if no bushes were in the vicinity.

No birds to-day, are such nuisances in the North-West as the various species of Blackbirds. These birds, in many parts of Manitoba, are a heavy tax at present on farmers, but as settlements increase, their power to injure will decrease, as they will have more fields to attack and possibly be fewer in number. Meadow Larks and Bob-o-Links are very beautiful birds, and are found on almost every part of the prairie. The Magpie is very common to the west of the Touch wood Hills, but seems never to come east of the Assiniboine River, at Fort Ellice. The Whiskey Jack or Canada Jay is the first to greet the lonely traveller, when he stops for the night in any part of the forest, and in the morning, it salutes him with the first streak of dawn, and bids him good-bye when he leaves. The Cow-bird, the Whiskey Jack, and the Indian are all alike sociable, and wherever the white man stops, there these congregate-for food.

The next sub-order is the Clamatores, or Flycatchers. They are represented by one Family, five Genera, and eight Species enumerated below :—