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THE

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Official Bulletin
Of The

■YORKTON NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY

OFFICERS: OBJECTS:

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Honorary President:

L. T. McKim, K.C.- Melville

President:

Mrs. I. M. Priestly

Vice-President:

J. R. Foreman

Secretary- treasurer:

C. Stuart Houston

Directors:

Miss Ethel Lloyd
Mrs. E. Johnson
Vernon Barnes
Harvey Beck

To foster an active interest in
every branch of nature study,
and to promote the conservation
of all wild life; also to act

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as a connecting link between
nature lovers in Saskatchewan.
SECRETARY'S ADDRESS:

Box 642,

Yorkton, Sask.

Membership fee 250 per year

VOLUME 1, NO. 3

I

APRIL-MAY -JUNE 1943

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PUBLISHED QUARTERLY

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With the best few weeks of the year for bird lovers lying immediately ahead one has
little desire to look backward at the winter scene. So we will merely mention that,
in the season just past, while the winter birds which come around our homes we re,
for the most part, scarce, out in the open country the larger birds - Snowy Owls
and Goshawks were more abundant than usual. A marked decline in the numbers of
Sharp-tailed Grouse has been noted in most districts.

Up to the end of April migration this spring has presented some interesting feat¬
ures. A very cold March kept back the early migrants. Then warmer days the first
week of April brought the birds back with a rush, particularly on the 3rd and 4th.
Since then a return of chiller weather has again put a check on migration and we have
been looking in vain for several old friends which, most years, put in an appearance
before the end of April.

A highlight for our Society was Dick Bird’s visit to Yorkton in February to give his
talk "Camera Trails Along Nature Trails." Mr. Bird is an ardent conservationist
and, apart from the vivid memories of his lovely nature pictures, two points in his
talk stand out in our mind. Firstly his explanation to the school children that
"standing on guard for Canada" means protecting everything that goes to make this
Canada of ours, right down to the little yellow warbler on its nest, or the first
silky "crocus" in springtime. One wishes everyone who preaches conservation to
children could have Mr, Bird’s gift for presenting this subject.

And then there was his plea to his adult audience for greater appreciation of the
beauty to be found in our province, Mr. Bird feels there has been too much stress
laid on the "bald headed prairie" and that we have failed to build up, in our
children, sufficient love and pride in the western landscape. Certainly Mr. Bird's
lovely films were proof enough of the beauty that lies right at our very doorstep
or in the poplar bluff just down the road.

We are most grateful at the increasing number of letters and reports coming in.

Owing to lack of space it is not possible to include every item in our bulletin,
but all records received are filed for future use or reference . We should be
glad to get any suggestions for improving the "Blue Jay". Realising that there
is so much more known about the birds than the animals of our province we have
been wondering if it would be a good idea to devote one page of each issue to
notes on animal life, or if we might concentrate on information regarding one
particular species each issue, just as we have collected this time quite a lot
of information about bats. Please let us know.

We are honored to be allowed to print Mr. Potter's list of bird records made in
the province since the publication of Mitchell's "Catalogue of Saskatchewan Birds"
in 1924. We have placed this list on the back page of this number of the "Blue
Jay", so that it may be easily detached for inclusion in files,

-16-

Mrs. I.M. Priestly,

President,

Yorkton Natural History Society.

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LOCAL NOTES

Dick Bird, A.R.P.S., F.Z.S., Regina, was a busy nan during the two days he
spent in Yorkton in February. Not only did he give his talk, ,fCanera Trails
Along Nature Trails” on Feb. 22 to a capacity audience in St. Andrew’s United
Church, but he spoke to the Rotarians at their regular Monday luncheon, showed
his films at all three public schools and the Yorkton Collegiate, and also went
out and showed his lovely pictures to the R.C.A.F. boys and girls at the
Recreation Hall at No, 11, S.F.T.S. on Sunday evening.

This time of year reminds us of activities a few seasons ago, of some of our
boys now in the Armed Forces - of nDoug” Foreman, now experiencing his fourth
spring in England, who could always be relied upon to see the first horned lark,
and of Jack Gulver and Frank Priestly, returning muddy and wet of foot from an
April hike to York Lake with reports of swans or pelicans. We send them all our
best wishes, also to Mr. Baines’ two sons from Crescent Lake, Dave with the
R.C.A.F. on the Pacific coast and Phil in India.

Starlings seem to have taken up residence on the farm of Dave Stearn at
Willowbrook. Last winter a pair of these newcomers were noticed, but this season
ten or twelve have stayed about the barns and straw yard all winter.

Several correspondents have wanted to know if the pet Purple Finch, described
by L.T. McKim in the last number of the ’’Blue Jay”, was keeping its colour in
captivity. According to Mr. McKim, his little friend, in spite of careful feeding,
shows signs of becoming yellow. Already there is one spot on his breast and a
few yellow feathers in his wings. Otherwise he has sung all winter and appears
very healthy. (Perhaps he needs some more of his favorite chickweed to preserve
his coloring.)

On April 6 J.R. Foreman noticed a Golden Eagle flying in a northerly
direction at a good height. A plane approached from the east and the eagle made
a sudden dive to a lower level apparently badly frightened. On the whole, birds
seem little disturbed by the training planes. We understand that recently a
crow crashed right through the Yfindshield of a plane from No. 11, S.F.T.S. and
landed a shattered mass on the floor of the cockpit.

We have had three Yorkton reports of people who were lucky enough to see a
flock of lovely Mountain Bluebirds passing through in migration early in April.

F. Baines was out on his snow-shoes in the Saltcoats district making
observations on the doer after the heavy storm in mid-March and reports that they
have evidently come through the winter well, there having been little crust to
the snow in the bush this season.

Water is already starting to flow into York Lake and there is every
indication that thanks to the work of Ducks Unlimited it will regain its
former level this summer.

-17-

ORIOLF-S - by Ethel Lloyd

With pleasurable jaunts by car likely to be only a memory this summer, our
local surroundings will come into their own, and it is with the idea of pointing
out the fun and interest to be had right in one's own back yard that these notes
are being written.

For a number of years our family has taken a great interest in the orioles
and considered it a privilege to provide them with nesting materials. So, at the
end of May, we put out pieces of string and yarn of different lengths and colors,
and bits of sheep wool, on the branches of the trees behind our bird-bath, as well
as laying them alongside the bird-bath stand. Then we wait for the fun to begin.
As a matter of fact, it is the more soberly clad Mrs. Oriole who does all the
home building and weaves the deep swinging cradle for her babies, . Her brilliant
mate merely acts in an advisory capacity.

Two years ago our first customer came at noon and the noisy chatter of a male
oriole had us dashing up from the dinner table. We spotted two orioles perched
in the maples back of the bird bath. The male bird was pouring out constant
warnings, and incessant alarm notes until he reduced his little wife to such a
state of nerves she hardly dared to light on the edge of the stand and pick up
the coveted material. Twice she came down and peeked at the string, and then
dropped it in a mad rush to take cover at her lord's command. This pair of birds
made numerous trips during the next few days, the male bird always remaining well
hidden in the maples while his more daring mate would fly to the bath stand,
hastily pick up a piece of white string and return with it streaming behind her
to the safety of the trees. There she would neatly loop the string in her bill
before carrying it to the home site. Her mate tagged along, each flight back and
forth to the garden, and never ceased to give loud advice. Perhaps it was his
choice that nothing but white string was used, for she was never seen to take any
other .

Later another couple found the supply-yard, the male bird again acting in the
same capacity as a noisy escort. His lady-love was much calmer, however, and paid
scant attention to his ravings as she deliberately chose her materials. She was
very fond of orange yarn and we later identified her nest by a tassel of orange
wool waving from it'. Rope fibres also intrigued this lady and she would tug
strenuously at the strands to unravel them. The next lady that came also flew
straight to the bird bath, so we concluded that the first one was a very timid
bride who doted on her husband's every word, alarmist that he was I

This third lady took sheep's wool, rope and string, but no yarn. She
decidedly did not like short pieces of string and any that were under ten inches
were immediately dropped. Each piece was carefully looped up into a neat hank
before being carried off. One warm day a very much harassed little female, to the
dismay and surprise of her escort, suddenly dropped her hank of string, cast a
longing glance at the cool water of the bird bath and stepped in for a refreshing
dip.. Then after a good splashing she flew up into the tree to preen her feathers
while "friend hubby" alternately sulked and scolded in the shade of the leaves
at this interruption to nest building.

This is but one charming example of the fun that can be had bird watching
in even quite a small patch of garden.

18-

PROVINCIAL NOTES.

Mrs. John Hubbard, of Grenfell, sent some interesting observations in
February on the Hairy Woodpecker. "Have you received any complaints about the
destructiveness of the Hairy Woodpecker?”, she asks, then goes on to report that,
on their farm, "one of these birds had been ripping holes in the bins out in the
field allowing the grain to run out, (in "cahoots" with the grouse, no doubt),"
Another bird, she states, "is very active in the yard. Not content with the
woodpile, it has made many more holes in a granary already badly mutilated by
flickers. My husband says he has noticed this bird feeding on "chop" where it has
been spilled on the ground, so evidently grain is sometimes relished by this species
Something else that has not added to the popularity of this particular Hairy is
that he is now working vigorously on the bottom of a telephone pole. When he gets
down to business chips fly in all directions - as a carpenter he makes a good
wrecker." (Even if a woodpecker goes to work on apparently sound trees or lumber,
you may be sure that the wood-boring grubs have already been at work out of sight.
The Hairy has been known to spend nearly an hour of hard labor digging out a
single borer . -Editor . )

Mrs, Hubbard also reports finding a Saw-whet Owl in their garage on Jan, 2
who was not as much impressed with the Hubbard family as they were with him.

"When inspected too closely he stuck out his tongue and sputtered like a small
rather badly behaved boy." Apparently Saw -whets have been more in evidence than
usual this winter; one was reported by Jim Rogerson from Saltcoats in the Xmas
Bird Census and W. Niven, Sheho, came across one in January and again in February,
and several have been noted in Manitoba. Are any of our members acquainted with
the famed "saw- filing" notes of this diminutive owl?

Bohemian Waxwings are now regular winter visitors in most places, and some
interesting comments on this fact appeared recently in the Free Press bird column,
"Chickadee Notes." The editor, A.G. Lawrence, points out that "The great increase
in the number of crab apple and other small fruit trees and berry-bearing shrubs
in the Prairie Provinces has undoubtably attracted the Bohemian Waxwings in recent
years. Formerly the birds were scarce stragglers and seeing a flock was an event."

Most bird books make a note of the Bohemian Waxwing’s fondness for the berries
of the Mountain Ash and H. Downing, of Moosomin, was telling us that he and Mrs,
Downing always spread the Mountain Ash berries, used in the Harvest Festival
decorations, on the trellis in their garden for the Bohemian Waxwings and the Pine
Grosbeaks. Siberian crabs are also a special favorite of the former and every year
the first spot in Yorkton to receive a visit from the Bohemian Waxwings are some
very fine crabapple trees in the C.P.R. station gardens. Here, quite unperturbed
by the shunting of trains only a few feet away, these birds from the northern
solitudes svstematically set to, and stripjp^* all the tiny apples from the branches.

And while on the subject of Bohemian Waxwings, have any members ever noticed
these birds sallying after insects on a warm day in early spring? On April 9
Mrs, Priestly came across a flock of Waxwings in a bush close to town which were
darting into the air "Flycatcher-fashion" after tiny flies. One can quite
understand that some tasty morsel would be welcome after a steady winter diet of
frozen berries.

"Man is the worst enemy with which wild life has to contend. If he can be
restrained by law, persuasion or education, most wild creatures of prairie and
forest will take care of themselves, as they have always done in the past, in
spite of epidemics and so-called vermin." -Dr. T.S. Roberts.

-19-

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PROVINCIAL NOTES (continued)

Support of H. Rayner’s plea, in the last issue of the ’’Blue Jay”, for protec¬
tion of the weasel has come to hand. F, Baines, Saltcoats, writes ”1 am heartily
in sympathy w.-:»h Mr* Rayner, of Ituna, who thinks weasels should be protected. I
know that they sometimes kill chickens, but this is unusual and they probably save
many more by killing rats and grey squirrels.”

Mrs. J. Nixon also says ”Do not make the mistake of holding chicken stealing
against the short-tailed weasel, he is a real mouser and, as far as I have been
able to ascertain, there are no bad marks against his name. The Long-tailed Weasel
is sometimes destructive of poultry and may also rob birds’ nests on occasion, but
they are to be commended as a natural check on gophers.”

And here we should mention a weasel seen last Fall by Mr. Sinclair Mow at of
Saskatoon which had so completely lost its sense of direction that it was noted
right in downtown Saskatoon opposite the post-office I And shortly after that Mr.
Mowat saw another unusual sight - a beaver swimming in the river making his way
past the Bessborough Hotel,

Most of us have had some experience of extreme friendliness on the part of
Chickadees. In fact, just recently, Miss E. Jones, of Raymore, wrote that the
Chickadees she was feeding this winter had become so tame that they would sit on
her head and eat out of her hand all the time. However a letter from W.J. Orchard,
Regina, shows the ’’cheerful Chickadee” in a totally different light.

”A certain Calgary lady,” says Mr. Orchard, ’’who always makes a habit of
feeding the birds got on very friendly terms with one particular chickadee in the
winter of 1941-42. Last summer while having tea on the lawn some chickadees were
heard up in the surrounding trees. The hostess spread some crumbs on her hand and
held them out. A moment later a chickadee lit on her outstretched hand and started
to pick up the crumbs. But hardly had this started when an angry shriek was heard
and a second chickadee came down like a rocket and knocked the first bird end over
end. The attacker then came back and perched on her hand but, instead of eating
the crumbs , he pecked viciously at her fingers. Evidently the second bird was the
one who had been fed that way during the previous winter and considered that he had
a monopoly of the affection and benefactions of this lady. Finding a hated rival,
he was not content with driving off the interloper but must also wreck vengeance
on his benefactor for daring to encourage that rival.”

Dr, R.W. Kirkby, Prince Albert, writes of the Timber Wolf and states, "Timber
Wolves are taking an immense toll of the big game animals in the northern part of
the province. This last fall, while hunting in the muskegs to the south and east
of Candle Lake, I saw far too many signs of their work. Within the radius of our
camp we came upon six kills and the hard paths padded down by the wolves were much
in evidence. I consider there again should be a bounty put on timber .wolves to
encourage the trappers to go after this menace to game animals.” (This is sonie-
thing with which we in the south have little first hand knowledge, but according
to some authorities the timber wolf docs not make excessive inroads on the deer
population unless there is a shortage of smaller animals, such as the snowshoe
rabbit, which normally constitute the bulk of its food. Most animals under natura
conditions have marked cycles of abundance and scarcity, and possibly even without
any artificial control, the Timber Wolf itself may show a decrease in numbers
within the next few years. -Editor)

The V’ild Flowers of the countryside belong to us all. Protect them.

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PROTECTION FOR THE RED LILY

"There is no more gorgeous sight in nature than a field of Red Lilies in bloom
in early July. Even the chance glimpse of one or two along a roadside or among
trees in open woods is a picture to enjoy.

"There was a time when the Red Lily bloomed in vast numbers everywhere. Then
it began ^ to decrease, partly due to the increased cultivation of the land. That
was inevitable as people surged west. The inexcusable procedure of people, profes¬
sing to love wild flowers, actually tearing up every lily in sight, is another
matter . Red flowers are not very common and the very showiness of our lily has all
but proved its undoing. When flowers decrease as the population increases, the
smaller number of flowers must be left for a larger number of people to enjo^r, Only
through education and public sentiment can the Red Lily be saved."- From "Wild
Flowers of the Prairie Provinces" by Elizabeth Burnett Flock.

Dick Bird also made a strong appeal for the preservation of the Red Lily,
Saskatchewan’s Floral Emblem, when he was speaking in Ycrkton in February. (And
incidentally his "stills" of this lovely blossom are among some of the most beau¬
tiful examples of color photography we have ever seen.) We ask all members of our
Natural History Society to take an active interest in the question of Wild Flower
Protection and to spread the slogan of "Enjoy but do not Pick", both for the Red
Lily and many other prairie . flowers . Even the little "crocus" is becoming less
abundant every year.

A SPARROW HAWK PET -by LeRoy Simmons, Maymont.

Last spring I discovered a Sparrow Hawk's nest in what was evidently an aban¬
doned flicker hole. It was about ten feet from the ground, in a tall stub, set well
back among a group of poplars, but so placed that the entrance hole faced a large
open meadow bordering on a wheat field.

When I found the nest it contained five eggs. Later one more was laid. I had
always thought that the Sparrow Hawk did not incubate until a full clutch of eggs
had been laid but evidently I was wrong as several days elapsed between the hatch¬
ings. Only three of the eggs hatched and two of the young were so much larger that
they smothered the third nestling. I watched the mother bird feeding them by the
hour - her mate never assisted her in the task of feeding the young ones. Grass¬
hoppers formed the main item of their diet but mice, large moths, and quite a num¬
ber of yellow warblers, wrens and chipping sparrows were also brought to them.

The t«) young were male and female and even at this early stage, the difference
in plumage was well marked. Finally I picked out the young male bird and brought
him home. After hand feeding him for some time on grasshoppers and sparrow meat
he soon became very tame. He would fly about the yard all day and sleep in the
elevator office at night. During the day he would come to see me at any time. With
the approach of Fall he showed no desire to migrate so when the days began to get
really cold I shipped him to my friend, C.T. Ridley, well-known bird fancier of
Winnipeg, and the last time I heard he was still chattering happily at all and
everybody.

The two wintering Meadowlarks, reported in the Christmas Bird Census, both
failed to survive. F, Roy of Tullis tells us that the one around his yard was
picked up dead on the morning of Jan. 22 when the temperature had gone down to 54
below zero. Up to that time the bird had appeared perfectly normal and survived
35 and 40 below all the previous week. The Sheho bird also disappeared around
New Year, possibly destroyed by a cat.

-21-

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INFORMATION PLEASE.

F . Dairies, Saltcoats, asks ’’What has become of the real Prairie Chicken or
Pinnated Grouse? Some years ago they were plentiful and their ’’booming” could be
heard in spring Yirhere ever there were low fla.ts. New they seem to have disappeared
completely.” W. Niven, Sheho, writes that Pinnated Grouse have not been present
in that area since 1929. Before that they were fairly common and had one of their
’’dancing grounds” on his farm. On our Yorkton Bird List we have only two records
of this bird for the past five years. In contrast to these reports however, it is
interesting to learn that the Greater Prairie Chicken (to give this species the
name now accepted by the- authorities) is becoming established as far north as
Prince Albert National Park. The Greater Prairie Chicken was not an original
inhabitant of the West but came into Manitoba and Saskatchewan from the States to
the south, and followed settlement westward and northwestward. This bird is also
sometimes called the ’’Prairie Hen.”

We received several reports of the Great Blue Heron. After the close commun¬
ity life of the breeding season the Blue Heron adopts a completely solitary exist¬
ence and wanders far and wide, and it is as a lone individual along some creek or
quiet lakeside that most correspondents know this picturesque bird, Two letters
mention the fact that anglers regard the Blue Heron with disfavor and consider it
a menace to game fish. This prejudice is open to question (see Taverner’s comments
in ’’Birds of Canada”). E.P. Coe, Wawota, states that at one time herons did
considerable damage to brown trout and brook trout in Cypress Hills Park, but now
that the waters there are well stocked, these birds make little noticeable inroads
on game fish.

The breeding range of the Blue Heron extends all over the province. Several
colonies are located in stands of White Spruce in Prince Albert National Park.

L.T, McKim knows a heronry on the south shore of Crooked Lake in the Qu’Appelle
Valley. There are about twenty nests in this colony, all in dead poplars, and
when Mr. McKim visited it early in August last year, about six of the nests still
had almost full-grown young in them. He also knows of a second heronry on an
island in a lake about 14 miles north of Punnichy, and has-been told of another on
the shores of Round Lake in the Qu’Appelle valley. And R.M. Ferrie of North
Battle ford wrote to tell us of a heronry in an island in the South Saskatchewan
River, fifteen miles north-west of North Battleford which he has been acquainted
with for several years and which he believes is quite an old colony. We should be
interested to hear of other nesting places of the Great Blue Heron.

Magpies are evidently increasing in numbers all over Saskatchewan and also
extending their range northward, as they are now reported from Nipawin. In the
south they constitute a pest. Steve Mann, of Skull Creek (S. of Piapot) writes:
’’Magpies are becoming more numerous yearly in spite of persecution. Last fall I
counted as many as eighty in one flock. In the Fall they are beneficial as insect-
eaters, particularly grasshoppers, but they destroy untold numbers of young birds,
both wild and domesticated, earlier in the year and are a menace to grouse. They
will even go right into the hen house for eggs, and will pick up small chicks from
the yard the minute one's back is turned. They have also been known to attack the
brands on cattle, picking them raw. I feel that the Magpie should be hunted down
relentlessly, only unfortunately they so often nest in wild bush country such as
that up towards the headwaters of our creek where they are almost unmolested.”

And, from the south-east corner of the province, Mrs. Nixon, of Wauchope, says
that, although as a naturalist she enjoys watching the magpie collect sticks for
their bulky nests, ”onc can’t let them stay with young chicks about. Last year
they came over a mile, one after the other, and played havoc with our hatch.

-22-

I NF ORMAT I ON PLEASE ( c ont inued )

A report of Starlings near Yorkton appears in this issue. To what extent
have these birds succeeded in establishing themselves in Saskatchewan? A few
years ago, when the Starling first appeared in the West, there was’ a mild flutter
of excitement in the newspapers and so on but of late we have read little concern¬
ing this probably undesirable migrant. (Just as we "go to press" we have received
a letter from M.G* Street saying he has seen his first Starlings at Nipawin. We
think this must be the most northerly record to date for Starlings in Saskatchewan.

We have now collected quite a lot of information about bats. First of all,
thanks to Dr. D.S. Rawson, Professor of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan,
we have found out that there are five species of bats listed for the province.

Most common is the Little Brown- Bat with province-wide distribution. The Red Bat
is also abundant over the southern half of the province and the Silver-haired Bat
is likewise common, particularly where there are trees. Rarer are two large bats,
the Big Brown and the Hoary. The latter being almost entirely confined to the
northern woods.

Francis Roy, of Tullis, tells us that bats are fairly common in that district
and he believes the majority are Red Bats, although he has seen several dark ones
which are probably Silver-haired. A few years ago a colony of bats summered in an
abandoned log house, on the banks of the Saskatchewan river, about ten miles from
Tullis. "Bats", he says, "are sometimes found roosting around the elevators and it
is believed, locally, that these bats may have come in box cars from points east,
but this is mere guesswork and has never been substantiated."

Further north, at Nipawin, M.G. Street once found a small light brown bat
asleep in a gunny sack thrown over the side of a wagon and he has seen others under
the eaves of a granary. However, when birding with his brother near Tisdale a few
years age, noticed an old flicker hole, apparently well used, in a poplar stub.

Upon giving the stub a sharp slap, to their surprise out poured seven bats en masse
in a most startling manner. One of these bats alighted on his brother’s trouser
leg. These bats had long dark fur with the long guard hairs tipped with silver.

And nearer Yorkton, F. Baines, of Crescent Lake, writes that they used to see
more bats, years ago, when mosquitoes were more plentiful, Mr. Baines has come
across bats in day-time under the bark of dead poplars but he has never heard of
them being found hibernating in winter.

In her column "Nature", Mrs. Nixon has described an experience with a Silver-
haired Bat, which was found, almost drowned, in the water tank under the- eaves of
their house. The Nixon family placed the forlorn but defiant little creature in a
box with a glass front and watched it proceed to dry itself off. "With flickering
pink tongue it licked its fur just as a cat would, combing out the tangles with
the hooked claws of the back feet, finally "mouthing" all over the extensive webbing
of the wings with meticulous care." Dead flies were dropped into the box and after
a while, one or two of these were eaten. Then, with the approach of dusk, Mrs.
Nixon placed the box in the crotch of a tree and next morning the bat was gone.

Bats are extremely beneficial as insect destroyers, particularly in forest
areas, but very little is known about the details of their life histories. Appar¬
ently no hibernating bat has ever been found on the Prairies, but Mrs. Nixon
wonders if there is a possibility of any bats spending the winter in the Bienfait
mines. We should like to get some reports when bats are first noted in spring j
do they return with the swallows as soon as the small flying insects become plenti¬
ful? Somehow one only connects seeing bats with hot summer nights.

Do pelicans nest any place in the Qu'Appelle Valley? Dick Bird was telling us
recently that he believes all the Pelicans seen in summer on the Qu'Appelle Lakes
are non-breeding birds.

■23-

SASKATCHEWAN NATURE COLUMN

"Nature", by Marion Nixon, is the title of a delightful nature column which
appears every two weeks in the Saskatchewan Farmer. From her farm home at Wauchope,
Mrs, Nixon writes of a wide variety of subjects- the beauty of the fresh green of
the young poplars, salamanders in the cellar, butterflies, or meadow mice; in fact,
anything that comes before her observant eyes. Her first column appeared April 1st,
1939, and we send her our very best wishes as she commences her fifth year as nature
reporter for the Saskatchewan Farmer.

PREDATORS .

Several records in this issue of the "Blue Jay" refer to the status of various
predatory birds and animals. It is heartening to realize what a much more intell¬
igent approach is now made to this question. The whole problem of predation is
most complex and needs to be made the subject of extensive scientific research. So
many of the predatory creatures are unsuspected links in the chains which preserve
the balance of nature, and too often in the past, wholesale destruction of a so-
called "undesirable" species has brought about disastrous results.

We agree that in some extreme cases, where a species has increased out of all
proportions and become an economic pest, as have the crow and magpie, wholesale
methods of destruction seem advisable. But in many instances, particularly in the
case of hawks and weasels, it is often quite sufficient to destroy the individual
offender rather than wreck vengeance on the species as a whole. We have seen too
much of the destruction of wild creatures, on hearsay or circumstantial evidence,
and we ask all our members, particularly the country members, to make a most care¬
ful study of any instances of predation that may come their way.

FIFTY YEARS OF BIRD RECORDING.

We are proud to include as a member of our society Mrs. C.W. Cates of McLean,
Sask. For fifty years Mrs. Cates has been forwarding bird migration dates to the
U.S. Biological Survey (now part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.) As Miss
C . Ester Wemyss she sent in her first reports in 1893 from the family home at
Reaburn, Manitoba, and later from Neepawa and Qu'Appelle. Since 1915 her obser¬
vations have come from McLean. In 1896 a sister, Margaret (now Mrs. D.C. Dickson),
sent records from Neepawa and still reports regularly from Wisetown, Sask. We hope
to give a fuller account of the remarkable record of these two ladies in the next
issue of the "Blue Jay."

NEW BIRD BOOK.

An outstanding new book dealing with wild life is the recently published
"Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America", by F.K. Kortwright and illustrated by
T.M. Shortt, a native son of Winnipeg and former member of the Manitoba Natural
History Society. We have not yet seen a copy of this book, but it is evidently the
most comprehensive and at the same time readable book yet published on these spec¬
ies. "Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America" may be obtained in Canada through
MacMillan Company, St. Martin’s House, Toronto at $5.50, It was published in the
United States by the American Wildlife Institute, price $4.50 U.S. funds. B. W.
Cartwright, Chief Naturalist for Ducks Unlimited, in reviewing it in the Winnipeg
Tribune, said that "Every naturalist and bird lover will find it an essential
addition to his library."

There is far greater beauty in a wild flower growing in its natural setting
than in any wild flower plucked. Let us remember Nature’s garden is one we share
with others.

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SASKATCHEWAN BIRD RECORDS MADE SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF
MITCHELL'S CATALOGUE OF SASKATCHEWAN BIRDS IN 1924.
Contributed by Laurence B. Potter, Eastend.

CASPIAN TERN . r Specimen taken by H. H. Mitchell at Lake Johnston, June 28, 1927.
BLUE GOOSE.- Specimen taken at Stoughton by Dr. J. R. Hoag, April 27, 1931.
AMERICAN EGRET.- Specimen taken at Davidson by Reuben Lloyd, August 7, 1937.

Specimen taken at Crescent Lake (south of Yorkton) by F. Baines,

October 25, 1941.

LITTLE BRO'fF CRANE Specimen collected at Skull Creek (south of

Piapot) by S. A. Mann, May 8, 1930.

YELLOW RAIL.- Specimen, Mrs. T. Willers, Viceroy, May 21, 1930.

KNOT.- Three specimens taken by Mitchell at Last Mountain Lake, May 27, 1924.

HUDSONIAN CURLEW.- Specimen taken by Mitchell at Last Mountain Lake, May 29, 1924.
MOUNTAIN PLOVER.- Sight record, J, Dewey Soper near Bracken, June, 1939.

3L..CK VULTURE.- Sight record, E.H.M. Knowles, Regina, September 19, 1937.

COOPER'S HAWK,- "Donated by R. H. Carter, Museow", 1926 (to the provincial museum)

No other data given.

BARM OWL.- Specimen obtained from Aylesbury, May 5, 1924.

SCREECH OWL.- Specimen taken by Mitchell, Souris Valley, 1926.

CHIMNEY SWIFT.- Two specimens secured by F.G. Bard from the Pasquia Hills,

May, 1939.

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD.- Specimen picked up at Eastend in dying condition, Aug. 10,

1929 by Henry Clarke. Sent by L.B. Potter to Provincial
Museum.

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD .- Specimen taken by Charles Guiguet at Shaunavon, August 22,

1935.

CRESTED FLYCATCHER.- Specimen taken by Mitchell at Rocky Lake, Moose Mountain

district, June 21, 1924.

PINYON JAY.- Sight record, L.B. Potter, Eastend, September 16, 1910.

BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.- Sight record by Potter at Eastend, May 27, 1937. Specimen

of young bird taken by Potter, July 10, 1937.

HEPBUR:N ' S ROSY FINCH .- Specimen taken by Spencer Pearse, Ravenscrag,

March 1, 1933.

GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.- Specimen taken by Norman Clarke at Tregarva, June 6, 1929.
LAZULI BUNTING.- Male specimen obtained by F.G. Bard at Round Lake (north of

Broadview) in the spring of 1931.

ROUGH-' WINGED SWALLOW.- Specimen collected by Mitchell near Ravenscrag, May 22,

1925.

BIACK- THROATED BLUE WARBLER,- Specimen taken by John Nelson at Percival,

October 21, 1936.

CONNECTICUT WARBLER.- Specimen taken at Madge Lake (north of Kamsack) by Mitchell,

May, 1926.

SAG® THRASHER.- Specimen taken south of Shaunavon on Frenchman River by Charles

F. Holmes, June 24, 1933.

MOCKINGBIRD .- First seen by Potter at Eastend, May 31, 1928. Specimen collected

June 4. Second specimen collected by S.A. Mann, Skull Creek,

Nov. 1, 1929.

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.- Two specimens taken by Mitchell at Regina, Oct. 11, 1929.

One picked up dead at Gainsborough by J.T.S. Reynolds
on October 12 p 1929.

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