96.★ Empidonax trailli. Traill’s Flycatcher.—On the uplands about Camp 1, in the thickets adjoining sloughs, this species was recognized a number of times. Thereafter we were seldom in proper country for it. At Camp 11 on the Little Sandhill Creek, Young collected specimens, August 9 and 11, probably early migrants. Both are referable to E. t. alnorum. Farley lists it at Red Deer and Camrose.
97.★ Empidonax minimus. Least Flycatcher.—Common all along the river. Specimens taken at Camps 3, 3½, 5 and 11.
98.★ Otocoris alpestris. Horned Lark.—We saw no Horned Larks until Camp 11 on the Little Sandhill Creek was reached, where Young reports that he found them common on the flats of the north side of the river feeding on wild buckwheat. Fourteen specimens were taken between July 26 and September 20. These are all leucolœma as recognized by the A. O. U. or enthemia according to Oberholser and Ridgway.
99.★ Pica pica. Magpie.—One of the pleasures of the trip was acquaintanceship with this bird. We heard of occasional Magpies being seen about Camp 1, but did not meet with them personally until between Camp 5 and 6 when we found a family party of partially fledged birds discussing the world and things in general in the Saskatoon bushes. “Chattering like a Magpie” hardly gives a clear idea of the performances. They keep it up continually in season and out, but the talk is deliberate rather than “chattering.” They are never still for a minute and their curiosity is insatiable. Every morning our camp was the center of interest and conversation to a group of these long-tailed clowns, uniting the gravity of judges with the talkativeness of a debating society. At Camp 11 a nearby creek bed cut down some twelve feet below the general level and dry and parched in the sun was the repository of our empty cans and table scraps. Magpies were always in attendance and no sooner had the falling can ceased its noisy rattling and come to rest than a “Pie” was on hand to glean what it might from its depths. They seemed to go in small companies, probably original families though perhaps in some cases more than one brood had joined together and haunted the brush in the wooded river edges or the low dense tangle on hill tops sailing from clump to clump and furtively following one another from cover to cover. Their nests were conspicuous objects in the heavier bush. Great oval masses of sticks four or five feet high and two or three feet through with the nest in the center reached by openings in opposite sides for ingress and egress. The fact that we invariably found them in the neighborhood or not more than a hundred yards or so from nests of Red-tail or Swainson’s Hawks may or may not have a meaning; nor is it clear, if it is more than accidental, which—the “Pie” or the hawk—was first to choose the locality. Specimens were obtained at Camps 5½ and 11 while we have others from Rumsey and Morrin collected by Geo. Sternberg.
Farley, Horsbrough and Dr. George of Red Deer, all declare that this species is increasing. Farley writes,—“No one knew this bird ten years ago and for the past few years a month does not pass that some one does not ask about it. I think this about its limit line as I never saw or heard of one farther north than ten miles from Camrose.”
100.★ Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay.—Fairly common on the upper parts of the river but not seen below Camp 4, near Nevis. One specimen, Camp 1. Reported nesting by Horsbrough.
101. Perisoreus canadensis. Canada Jay. —Spreadborough’s hypothetical record of this species at Red Deer is substantiated by Farley who says he found two nests of the Canada Jay ten miles east of Red Deer, the eggs from which he sent to W. E. Saunders of London, Ont. According to Oberholser’s determinations these birds should probably be referred to P. c. canadensis.
102. Corvus corax. Raven.—Farley says,—“The Raven is seen nearly every November at Red Deer. I have never seen them brought in except in early winter.”
103.★ Corvus brachyrhynchos. American Crow.—Only fairly common in the narrow parts of the valley where the river is in closer proximity to cultivation. Below, where the valley is wide, and more arid conditions prevail, it was but occasionally seen. Young reports, at Camp 11 on the Little Sandhill Creek after the middle of September, that they appeared in large flocks. The farmers about Camp 1 did not regard the crow as dangerous to crops but complained of the number of small chickens they kill and the duck nests they rob. Specimens from Camp 8½ and 11, also Morrin, October, 1916, Geo. Sternberg and Alix, April 24, 1914, Horsbrough. Amongst our prairie province specimens I can find little to substantiate the Western Crow, hesperis. The birds of smallest measurement in our collections come from Ottawa and Point Pelee, Ontario; Red Deer, Alberta; and Lillooet, British Columbia, whilst our largest specimens are from Ottawa and Indian Head, Saskatchewan. Even the averages from eastern and western Canadian specimens are too similar for the recognition of any subspecies. I therefore prefer to class these birds with the type form brachyrhynchos.
104.★ Molothrus ater. Cowbird.—Rather scarce. We saw but two at Camp 1. Young took a specimen at Camp 11 on the Little Sandhill Creek, August 2. We also have one bird from Morrin, July 1916, taken by Geo. Sternberg. The bird from Camp 11 is a juvenile but extraordinarily heavily striped below, almost as conspicuously so as a juvenile Red-wing. Above, every feather is bordered with sharp buffy edges. The Morrin bird is similar but does not depart from normal in so marked a degree. As these are both juveniles their measurements are not satisfactory for subspecific comparison. Examining our series of western Cowbird specimens I can only see that they average slightly larger than eastern ones. The bills are comparatively a little longer but the concave character shown by Grinnell as characteristic of artemisiæ is not recognizable even though the sage brush Artemisia tridentata with which its range is supposed to coincide extends far north of here to the Peace River Valley. Without further data I can only regard these Red River birds as abnormal ater.