aie tp tivaet
Rare eee eee
sede
fo Het reteAe dm
jobegi nde Mlle rane iede re weber’
Jiu Behan oe otd = {ital dete
old 1961 > 1962 > 1959 (coldest), and in rainfall 1959 (wettest)
1962) > 1960: = 1961 (driest).
TABLE 1. — Temperature and rainfall data during the summers of 1959-62
at Baker Lake, and the mean values for 1950-60.
June July August
Mean Monthly Temperature (°F)
1959 35 50 46
1960 46 54 52
1961 41 53 46
1962 36 52 50
Mean 1950-60 39 52 50
Total Rainfall (in.)
1959 0.89 1.78 Dake
1960 0.14 1.28 1.11
1961 0.37 0.24 1.98
1962 1.24 1.49 13h:
Mean 1950-60 0.73 168) 1.72
PHENOLOGY
Figure | presents data on eleven physical and biological events of the spring
and summer phenology in the Baker Lake area. Most of these events are self
explanatory. Pedicularis lanata is usually the first flower of the season and
Epilobium latifolium is usually the last plant to bloom ( excluding grasses, sedges
and willows). Plants in unusual situations were disregarded in determining the
dates when blooming began.
*Present address: Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
25
26 Tue Canapian Fietp-NaturAList Vol. 78
CoMPARISON OF GROWING SEASONS
Information on the amount of standing forage in sedge marsh habitats at
the end of each summer’s growing season was gathered on paired enclosed and
open quadrats in order to measure the effect of lemmings on their forage.
These data, reported in detail elsewhere (Krebs, 1963), show a steady increase
in forage produced from 1959 to 1962 in both the open and enclosed quadrats:
LISY 1960 1961 1962
Enclosed 100% 139% 168% WI 6
Open 100% 124% 150% 192%
The reasons for this steady increase in production remain unknown. The
yields are poorly correlated with temperature and rainfall, cannot be attributed
to the grazing effects of lemmings (which peaked in 1960), and are not due to
changes in techniques.
Discussion
Bruggemann and Calder (1953) have pointed out that spring phenology
appears to be later as one moves north to about Baker Lake and Chesterfield
Inlet, but in the high arctic above this latitude spring comes slightly earlier.
Savile (1959) has supported this observation, and the data presented here also |
seem to fall into this pattern.
Table 2 summarizes the reported dates of first flowering for two species
which occur at many of the localities studied, and shows that the high arctic
stations have as early or earlier springs as Baker Lake.
There is some difficulty in comparing dates of first flowering for all these
different areas because it is not always clear whether this refers to the earliest
date the species was found in flower in the most favorable situations (e.g. on
the south side of a large rock in dark soil) or the earliest date the species was
found in flower in a normal, open tundra situation. I have used the latter
meaning. For the species from Baker Lake discussed here these two dates
would differ only slightly; in other situations these dates could differ by as much
as two weeks.
TABLE 2. — Phenological comparison of eastern arctic stations.
Date of first flowering
Saxifraga oppositifolia Dryas integrifolia
Alert!, 1951 8 June 1 July
Isachsen?, 1954 20 June —
1960 18 June —
Chesterfield Inlet!, 1950 22 June 6 July
Frobisher Bav!, 1948 — 22 June
Baker Lake, 1959 6 July 10 July
1960 14 June 16 June
1961 24 June 27 June
1962 30 June 4 July
1Bruggemann and Calder, 1953.
Savile, 1961. ~
|
]
Pao ede”
hey? re
aa
1964. Kress: PHENOLOGY AT Baker LAKE 27
FIRST GEESE SEEN
MAJOR THAW BEGINS
1962 @----®
MAJOR BIRD MIGRATION
RUNNING WATER ON TUNDRA
LONGSPURS BEGIN LAYING
_ SEDGE GROWTH BEGINS
PEDICULARIS LANATA IN BLOOM ‘e
\
|
LOWER THELON RIVER BREAKUP @
. \
LONGSPUR HATCHING BEGINS »
S
‘ \
MOSQUITOES OUT IN FORCE . a
Roe
EPILOBIUM LATIFOLIUM IN BLOOM ““@ aS
15 25 5 15 25 5 15
MAY JUNE JULY
Figure 1. Spring and summer phenology at Baker Lake, Keewatin, 1959-62.
SUMMARY
1. Four years’ data on eleven physical and biological events of the spring and
summer phenology at Baker Lake, N.W.T., show wide variation between
years.
2. There is also great variation in the amount of standing forage produced in
wet habitats, and this does not seem to correlate well with temperature,
rainfall, or with the season’s phenology.
3. The evidence presented seems to support the observation of Bruggemann
and Calder (1953) that high arctic stations have earlier springs than do low
arctic stations like Baker Lake.
REFERENCES
BruccEeMANN, P. F. and J. A. Catper. 1953. of Arctic Institute of North America,
Botanical investigations in northeast Flles- February, 1963.
mere Island, 1951. Canadian Field-Na- Saviz, D. B. O. 1959. The botany of
turalist 67:157-174. Somerset Island, District of Franklin.
Canadian Journal of Botany 37:959-1002.
Kress, C. J. 1963. The lemming cycle at —__, 1961. The botany of the north-
Baker Lake, N.W.T., during 1959-62. Sub- western Queen Elizabeth Islands. Canadian
mitted for publication in Technical Papers Journal of Botany 39:909-942.
Received for publication 8 April 1963
A DISTRIBUTIONAL SUMMARY AND SOME
BEHAVIORAL NOTES FOR SMITH’S LONGSPUR,
Calcarius pictus.
EMERSON KEMSIES AND WortTH RANDLE
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
SINCE PUBLICATION OF THE Fifth Edition of the A.O.U. Checklist of North
American Birds the winter distribution of Smith’s Longspur has been more
accurately defined by an increase in published observations. These observa-
tions have appeared in such journals as the Avk, Wilson’s Bulletin, the Migrant
(Tennessee), the Texas Ornithological Society Newsletter, and Mid-South Bird
Notes. Other records, the authors have garnered from direct correspondence
with such well-known ornithologists as Ben Coffey in Tennessee and Tom
Imhof in Alabama. A brief summary of records, other than for Ohio which is
summarized separately, will indicate the present distributional status. Begin-
ning in 1951, Smith’s Longspurs began to turn up at Lonoke, Arkansas, where
fifteen were identified on December 24. Since that time Ben Coffey, et al,
working nine airports and a few pastures, have compiled a number of records
ranging from the latter part of November to early March. As many as 155
were seen at Ft. Smith Airport on November 26, 1955, and 110 the next day at
Hot Springs Airport, but totals dropped considerably thereafter until March
11. He has recorded varying numbers up to 1960. Coffey and his colleagues
working in nearby Mississippi, located eleven Smith’s Longspurs at Sanders
Field on November 29, 1953, the first record for the state. Subsequently, and
up to 1960, this species was discovered at four other airports throughout the
entire winter; they were in small flocks of not more than fifteen birds. In
Tennessee on November 22, 1953, Ben Coffey found the first state record for
the species at the Memphis Penal Farm; on November 28 he counted a flock of
twenty-seven Smith’s. In two other places in Tennessee Coffey reported this
Longspur in small numbers intermittently through 1959, extending from the
latter part of November through mid-March. Meanwhile, Horace H. Jeeter,
working in Louisiana, discovered the first state record of this longspur on an air-
port north of Shreveport, on December 13, 1952. On January 25, following,
feeter counted 46 individuals in the same place. He noticed that these birds
always occurred in the same patch of a characteristic grass which was later iden-
tified as of the genus Aristida. (In two birds collected by Coffey, one in
Tennessee and one in Mississippi, seeds of this same grass were found.) As in
the other Southern States, Jeter’s records show a numerical decline during
February; while 100 were still present on March 1, none were found on March 8.
In Alabama, Tom Imhof found the first Smith’s Longspur for that state on an
abandoned Birmingham airport on December 5, 1955. One was still there on
January 17. Another was found on pastureland near Marion in December of
1957 and two more near Montgomery feeding on waste grains of wheat in
December of 1958.
28
(1964 Kemsies AND RANDLE: SmitH’s LONGSPUR 29
Although Ridgway (1901) lists northwestern Indiana and Illinois in his
distributional summary for pictus at the turn of the century and the authors
have made several recent observations and collected two specimens from Jasper
County, Indiana, in April of 1955, the first conclusive record of Smith’s Long-
spur for Ohio was not established until April 18, 1949, at the Miama University
Airport, near Oxford in Butler County, when four specimens were collected,
all males in advanced molt (Kemsies, 1950). Since that date, the species has
been found there regularly each spring and once in the fall. There is an old
record of two specimens of C. pictus reportedly taken by Clark P. Streator
at Ravenna in northeastern Ohio on January 29, 1888 (Jones, 1904). In the
original note, no mention was made of the disposition of the specimens. Exten-
sive search by Kemsies has failed to locate them. Streator’s date of late January
is amazing in light of Ohio observations in the past twelve years, inasmuch as
this species has not been seen at Oxford before March 15 in spring and only
once in fall, on November 15. These birds have usually appeared during the
last week of March and have departed by late April. At least one specimen
has been taken during each of the first ten years of observation; these are in the
University of Cincinnati Collection.
Elsewhere in Ohio, records may be summarized quickly: Arthur B. Wil-
liams (1950) lists two possible sight records for May 8 and 24, 1924; Irving
Kassoy and Donald Smith found an estimated flock of 250 in Walnut Town-
ship on April 15, 1956 (Pickaway County); Milton B. Trautman saw three on
April 16 in the same general area, 150 on April 19, fifty on April 22, thirty on
April 23 (he collected one on this date), and two on May 1 (in the company
of Edward S. Thomas of the OSU Museum). On April 3, 1954, Trautman and
Kemsies collected one in Auglaize County at the State Fish Hatchery. From
April 15 to 29, 1956, Neil Henderson recorded a flock of about twenty-
five Smith’s Longspurs at the Cuyahoga County Airport; he saw one or two
here in March and April of 1957 and April of 1959, also.
The regular occurrence of this species at Oxford Ohio Airport every year
in rather large numbers poses many interesting questions concerning its distri-
bution and migration. Although as many as 250 individuals have been noted
at one time at the airfield, it is not known how many birds pass through the
area nor the length of time individuals remain. A summary of banding records
emphasizes a general paucity of information concerning this species. Previous
to 1958 only five Smith’s Longspurs had been banded — all juvenals at Churchill,
Manitoba. A. V. Harper banded three on July 15, 1933, and G. B. Happ banded
two on July 17, 1941. After several unsuccessful attempts due to strong sea-
sonal winds, Ronald Austing and Edward Johnstone trapped and banded the
first adults, two males and a female at the Oxford Airport on April 14, 1958.
Using mist nets set at places preferred by the longspurs, the three birds were
“herded” with considerable difficulty to within twenty feet of the nets and
then quickly flushed into them. The following year, 200 pounds of cracked
corn were used as bait, and the birds were quick to find it. From March 28
to April 23, thirty-nine Smith’s Longspurs were caught and banded. Five were
retraps — two of the birds banded on April 4 were retaken on April 10, six
days later; another banded on April 4 was retaken on April 23, nineteen days
30 Tue Canapian Fietp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
later; one banded on April 10 was recaptured on April 18, eight days later, and
another banded on April 10 was retaken on April 23, thirteen days later. In
1960, cracked corn was tried again, but the birds showed no interest in it.
Additional bait — seeds of clover, orchard grass, and lespedeza — was tried
without success. Six birds were eventually banded at a nearby puddle of water
where seventy to eighty came regularly just before noon to drink and bathe.
Again unfavorable winds prevented the capture of more longspurs. Thus, a
total of forty-eight were banded during the three-year effort.
On November 15, 1958, Jay M. Sheppard (1959) collected two Smith’s
Longspurs from a flock of thirteen birds seen at the Oxford Airport. ‘These
specimens are in the University of Cincinnatti Collection and mark the only
fall date for Ohio. Professor W. D. Klimstra of Southern Illinois University
examined the crops of both specimens. He writes, “We have examined the
crops of the two Smith’s Longspurs. In the case of both there were two species
of plants represented: Sporobolus vaginiflorus and Digitaria ischaemum. In
both cases Sporobolus represents over ninty-nine per cent of the seeds. I
would not stake my life on the species identification; however, I am reasonably
sure that it is correct.” It is interesting to note that no seeds of the genus
Aristida were discovered in the crops of these two birds although Aristida grass °
occurred in the field where they were collected.
Detailed information about this species’ general habits and behavior is
meager. Birds at the airport are often very unwary and may be approached to
within fifteen or twenty feet. When first flushed they are likely to fly close
to the ground for a distance of only twenty or thirty yards. Repeated flushing
usually results in the birds spiraling high, occasionally out of sight, and remain-
ing aloft for several minutes. The rattling call notes are commonly given as
the birds take wing, but are also heard on the ground. These notes are similar
to those of the Lapland Longspur, but some observers believe that they can
detect a difference in quality between the two species. A group of birds calling
overhead may induce others on the ground to join them in flight, or vice versa.
In August, 1958, Kemsies had the opportunity to visit Churchill, Manitoba,
to see the species on its breeding ground. Through the kindness of Mrs. H.
L. Smith, he was able to visit four areas where the Smith’s Longspur occurs.
At one location a male flew up from the tundra and perched in a black spruce,
about eight feet from the ground, giving the alarm rattle steadily. A few
minutes later two nearly full grown young and a female flew up from the
ground near the base of the spruce. The elevated perch of the male astonished
Kemsies, who had previously seen the species only on the ground.
According to our observations at the airport and in northwestern Indiana
fields, Smith’s Longspurs do not associate with the Laplands, Calcarius lap-
ponicus, unless they are forced into close proximity by such circumstances as
a general disturbance of migratory concentration or by crowding during the
peak of the massive migration of Japponicus. Mrs. Smith mentioned that she has
recorded Japponicus at her feeding station in spring, when both Japponicus and
pictus are present in the area, but that she has never seen pictus anywhere in
town. She also indicated that, usually, most of the Smith’s departed before the
1964 -KeMsIEs AND RANDLE: SMITH’s LONGSPUR 31
end of August. In the spring, both birds are found around Churchill for a
short period, but they apparently never associate.
In 1959 and 1960, Kemsies undertook a taxonomic study of the species to
determine whether there might be subspeciation as with lapponicus. From an
examination of 240 specimens, the species pictus was subdivided into three races
—an Ontario race breeding along the Hudson Bay coast, a Churchill race breed-
ing north and west from that place, and a Central Alaskan race (Kemsies, 1961).
So far it would appear that birds migrating as far east as Ohio come from
both Alaska and Churchill. There is only one migratory record of the Ontario
race and this is from Kansas.
The authors hope that with increasing observation of the Smith’s Long-
spur more data may be compiled to present a more detailed map of the distribu-
tion of the species and its races and to gain further knowledge of its behavior.
REFERENCES
Corrry, Ben B., Jr. 1954. Smith’s Long- ————. 1961. Subspeciation in the
spur in the Mid-South. The Migrant 25 (3) Smith’s Longspur, Calcarius pictus. The
46. Canadian Field-Naturalist 75 (3): 143-149.
Ripeway, Ropert. 1901. Birds of North
Jever, Horace H. 1953. Smith’s Longspur: and Middle America, Part I. The Fringil-
an addition to the Louisiana list. The Wil- lidae (Finches) Bulletin of the United
son Bulletin 65 (3) :212. States National Museum 50(Pt. 1) 715 pp.
: ae , leap d
Jones, Lynps. 1904. An addition to the SHEPPARD, Jay M. 1959. Sprague’s Pipit an
Birds of Ohio. The Wilson Bulletin 16(3) Smith’s Longspur in Ohio. The Auk
85. 76(3): 362-363.
Wiuiams, ArrHur B. 1950. Birds of the
Kemsties, Emerson. 1950. Smith’s Long- Cleveland Region. Cleveland Museum of
spur in Southwestern Ohio. The Wilson Natural History, Scientific Publication 10.
Bulletin 62 (1) :37. 215 pp.
Received for publication 20 May, 1963
We
FLOWER VARIATION OF Epilobium angustifolium L.
GROWING OVER URANIUM DEPOSITS*
Hansrorp T. SHACKLETTE
United States Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
FLOWER COLOR VARIATION in fireweed, Epilobium angustifolium L., is known
throughout the wide range of this common species. In its North American
range Anderson (1959, p. 350) describes the color as “petals . . . rose-purple
or occasionally white or pink.” Fernald (1950, p. 1058) states, “petals
magenta or pink (rarely white),” and lists two color forms as being “occa-
sional” and “local.” Hultén (1947, p. 1146) says, “The whiteflowered type
with white sepals, f. albi‘lorum (Dum.) Hausskn. is not rare, nor is f. spectabile
(Simmons) Fern. with white flowers and red sepals. Specimens with more
or less striate or darkveined petals also occur.” ‘These forms mentioned by
Hultén were discussed in more detail by Fernald (1918, p. 4). Gleason (1952,
p- 586) gives the flower color as “petals purple, varying to white” and adds,
‘“‘Numerous varieties and forms have been described, but the variants within °
our range seem to be environmental rather than genetic.”
The experience of the writer has been that the species, from a numerical
standpoint, shows a remarkable uniformity of color throughout a great variety
of habitats. The plant is so common in the north temperate to arctic regions
that it often forms a blanket of color over vast areas, particularly on disturbed
sites where logging, road building, or fires have produced an ecological dis-
turbance. Yet in all this abundance of flowering specimens, variations in color
from the usual magenta were seldom found. Certain ecological forms may
have somewhat more intense color in an adverse environment, such as in over-
drained, poor soil or at their altitudinal limit. Reduced sunlight tends to in-
hibit color development, thus paler forms are often found on shaded sites.
In Alaska this plant often assumes “aspect dominance” along the high-
ways during its flowering season, frequently growing on the road shoulders
through areas where it is unable to grow elsewhere. It is classified as a nitro-
philous species by Braun-Blanquet (1932, p. 239), its occurrence on disturbed
soil apparently being related to the more rapid nitrification in such soil.
Analysis of this plant as found growing under natural conditions in Alaska
reported by Sweetman and Bundage (1960, p. 4) show it to have an
unusually high protein content (average 19.4 percent of dry weight), which
indicates that it most probably has a high nitrogen requirement for optimum
development. If the hypothesis of Sutcliffe (1962) is correct, viz., that the
protein molecule is the principal “carrier” of ions from the soil solution
across the cytoplasmic membrane and into the cytoplasm and central vacuole,
plants with a high rate of protein synthesis should be especially active in
absorption of salts from the substrate. Sutcliffe says (1962, p. 163), “Salts
diffuse across the cellulose cell wall . . . to the surface of the cytoplasm where
*Publication authorized by the Director, United States Geological Survey.
32
1964 SHACKLETTE: FLOWER VarRIATION oF E. angustifolium 33
they become attached to protein molecules located in the surface membrane. .
.. Asa result of protein synthesis, new sites are created to which salts may be
bound, and uptake from the medium continues as long as newly synthesized
protein is being exposed at the external surface.” From this it appears that
plants having a high rate of protein synthesis and the accompanying increase
in salt absorption may be more affected by unusual substrate chemical com-
position than are those having a low rate.
The writer, in driving over the highways of Alaska, British Columbia, and
Yukon Territory, has scanned the roadsides for the occurrence of abnormally
colored flowers of this species. On the Haines Highway near Dezadeash Lake,
British Columbia a variant was found which was easily seen from a consider-
able distance. Closer examination showed the variation to be limited to a large,
many-stemmed clone, in which the sepals and petals were almost pure white
with only a touch of pale pink near their bases. In the summer of 1960 six clones
of light pink variants were observed, all in the vicinity of Circle Hot Springs,
interior Alaska. No other color variants were seen during three summers of
field work in many areas of Alaska having extremely diverse habitats.
Field studies of this species were made by the writer in 1948 while he was
a member of the Port Radium Expedition of the Botanical Gardens, University
of Michigan, for the Detection of Hereditary Mutations in Plants, an expedi-
tion supported by the Office of Naval Research, U.S. Navy. The principal
areas of study were in the vicinity of Port Radium, at Sawmill Bay, and at
Dease Arm, all on Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, although
observations were also made at Coppermine on Coronation Gulf, and at Great
Slave Lake. Fireweed was found in profusion in all these areas and was one
of the plants under close observation for variation in color or other character-
istics. No variation was seen until a study was made of this species growing
in the vicinity of uranium ore at Port Radium. Here immediately adjacent to
the “glory hole” (the site of the original uranium ore discovery and from which
ore had been removed by surface mining) and in the small drain leading there-
from to the bay was a colony of fireweed having great variation in color. The
variants occurred as individual clones, each having uniformity of color within
the clone. Eight of these were selected for study, and descriptions of flower
color were made before the specimens were dried in the plant press. A com-
parison of these clones is given in Tablue 1. It should be noted at this point
that quite near the site of these Epilobiwm variants were found the clones of
Vaccinium uliginosum 1. which exhibited a remarkable diversity in fruit shapes
(Shacklette, 1962).
In regard to the six clones of fireweed having pale pink petals mentioned
earlier, it is noteworthy that in this part of Alaska there is greater-than-average
ground radiation associated with the localized intrusive granitic rocks. In dis-
cussing radioactive deposits in the Circle Hot Springs area Nelson, West, and
Matzko (1952, p. 15) conclude that there is little hope of discovering commer-
cial concentrations of uranium in this area by the use of portable survey meters
because of the widespread cover of vegetation, soil, and disintegrated bedrock;
but they add “On the other hand, this area, particularly the watershed of Port-
age Creek, cannot be ruled as unfavorable for the occurrence of uranium in
34 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
lode deposits, because of the relatively high uranium content of water and the
presence of uranothoriate in concentrates from Portage Creek. Prospectors . .
. . will probably find that geochemical methods of prospecting, such as water,
soil, and vegetation sampling, would be the best techniques to use in the search
for uraniferous lodes in the area.” A description of the color variant found
here (clone No. 9), as well as of a “typical” plant of this species from this
region (clone No. 10) is given in Table 1, and the two forms and their pollen
are illustrated in Figure 1, A, B, D, and E.
Mr. Robert M. Chapman, Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, reports in
correspondence (College, Alaska, February 21, 1963) the occurrence of a
single group of white-flowered fireweed near the Richardson Highway in the
vicinity of Paxon, Alaska. He writes that although no anomalous areas of
radiation are known to occur near here, ‘“There is some mineralization of gold,
copper, and some other metals, and the possibility that this particular fireweed
might have been subjected to more than normal radiation cannot be entirely
ruled out.”
A specimen of white fireweed has been kindly sent the writer by Mrs.
Florence R. Weber, Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, College, Alaska, who
collected it ‘east of Fairbanks International Airport, elevation 435 ft., side of
small road, open woods, on silty soil of the Tanana River floodplain, June 20,
1959.” She states in correspondence that it “was the only white one amidst a
group of normal colored plants . . . it is the only white fireweed I have ever
seen.” The dried herbarium specimen (Figure 1, C), which is in full flower,
shows no trace of anthocyanin in any of its parts, the leaves are much narrower
and shorter (maximum, 4.7 cm long, 6 mm wide) than usual for the species, and
the entire plant has a slender aspect. The flower parts are smaller than those
of typical plants. The locality and substrate from which this specimen came do
not suggest any unusual environmental conditions.
While examining the field notebooks (lent me by Dr. Howard A. Crum,
National Museum of Canada) written by the late Dr. Louis H. Jordal during
his botanical explorations on the south side of the Brooks Range, Alaska, the
following entry was found: “Wiseman, Alaska, June 21, 1949 . . . The people
have been commenting on a peculiar Epilobium angustifolium which 1s said
to have arisen on some heaps of mine diggings at Nolan. It is reported to have
greenish flowers, not to spread, and never set seed. The kids brought over a
couple of clumps of these to my cabin, where I dug them in along the north
wall. Maybe they'll revive.” A later entry (Wiseman, July 18, 1949) is as
follows: “2328, Epilobium angustifolium f. albiflorum (Dum.) Hausskn. Albino.
Only local stand, around old cabin whereto once brought from dump of mine
tailings at Nolan where this variant is said to have occurred spontaneously only
once. Does not spread, and perhaps not produce viable seeds. Flowers pure
white.” This specimen (No. 2328) presumably is from the clumps trans-
planted to his cabin as mentioned in his first entry, and is preserved in the
Herbarium, University of Michigan. In addition to this specimen there is
another variant of this species, referrable to E. angustifolium f. spectabile (Sim-
mons) Fern., in this same herbarium, and which is recorded in his field notebook
(Wiseman, July 18, 1949) as follows: ‘2326. Epilobium angustifolium L. In
35
FLOWER VARIATION OF E. angustifolium
SHACKLETTE
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qJnoysno1yy aseq }e aso yuid eso1 jsowlye Ssulreadde | (¢¢T¢ ‘ON Uoultoods)
ayy M ude1d-Ystnyq ystdind ‘oqTyM ead 0} ofed ‘quid aed AoA ‘Dy
ystusois pesuliy sulreoddye
Jnoysno1y4 aseq ye oSIM19y}O ‘uns ‘gvepnpun ‘yuid | (ZETEe °ON Ueuttoeds)
ayy | any[q-ystusei3 ystdind yuid ‘azryM UI Pet 9SO1 Tes] esol syed A1aA ¢
qynoysno1y} o}IYM SOUT qynoysno1y} yecrdAj ueyd | (Tete ‘ON uewtoeds)
ayy |‘onlq aed AoA MOTIOA o}1yM 1nd 9[dind-ysipper Jayed ‘ejusseul oC,
Jnoysno1y4 Jnoysno1yy (O€TE ‘ON Uswtoeds)
ayy enyq eyed yuid Aysnp ayy vind astiao yutd vso1 syed aL
2744S uz]]od JayWy JUOUWIETI sjedas s[eqod ‘ON 9u0[D
*eYSeTY ‘ssurids JOH spo1tD pue ‘epeued “L'M'N ‘exe Ieog Jean ‘wMIpeYy Og }e SUIMOIS SoUO[D WN1OfysnsUD WN1QO/1¢q Ul WOIZeIIeA IaMOY Jouosiredwi0D — "|, AT#VL
36 THe Canapian FieLtp-NaATuURALIST Vol. 78
more or less dense stands, in drained open situations. Petals pale, sepals deep
purple. Wiseman.” .
From the evidence presented above it appears that the color variants of
fireweed, although generally rare, are frequently (but not invariably) associated
with the occurrence of substrates having unusual properties. ‘This observation
prompts a closer examination of the nature of this variation, with a search for
causal relationships. First, a genetic evaluation of this plant will be suggested,
although Michaelis (1954, p. 294) says, “A complete genetic analysis in Epilo-
bium is not yet possible...” Most research on inheritance in this genus has
been done with species other than E. angustifolium. Schwemmle (1924) states
that all Epilobium species have the same number of chromosomes, that is, n =
18. However, abnormalities in the genome complement of pollen are known,
resulting in hypohaploid and hyperhaploid conditions. Michaelis (1954, p.
293) writes that the normal haploid pollen grain in the Onagraceae family has
three large germ pores, the hypohaploid pollen has only one or two germ
pores, and the hyperhaploid pollen has more than three germ pores. Mr. John
R. Keith, Department of Botany, University of Michigan has kindly examined
pollen of my specimens No. 6405 (f. spectabile) and No. 6406 (f. “typicum”),
both from Alaska, and the Alaskan specimen (f. albiflorum) of Mrs. Weber.
(Figure 1). He reports (in correspondence): “Basically, all three forma have
the same type of pollen, as described in your Michaelis reference; that is, the
pollen is essentially all haploid. The occurrence of the diploid grains in
‘typicum’ indicates no unusual irregularity, from the standpoint of percentage
of normal grains. For a more statistically valid account I made observations
of 387 grains of your ‘typicum’ sample, of which only 2 were diploid. To
obtain a correlation for this figure, | counted 243 grains from a slide of E.
angustif olium from Isle Royal, Michigan, in the University of Michigan refer-
ence collection, and obtained 43 diploid grains. I do not know why this re-
ference specimen should have a much higher percentage of diploid forms than
your ‘ty picum?—perhaps it is actually some sort of variant . . . Measurements of
these grains give the following sizes (across body only, pores not included): —
albiflorum, 62 microns, spectabile, 60 microns, ‘typicun? hap\oid, 59 microns,
‘ty picun? diploid, 61 microns.”
From these studies it appears that color differences in these forms are not
related to different conditions of ploidy in the male gametophyte. It should
be added that dwarfing or heterosis, which are often associated with abnormal
ploidy, were not found by field observations at Great Bear Lake to distinguish
the color variants from the normal plants, although Mrs. Weber’s pure white
form from Alsaka (Figure 1,C) was somewhat reduced in size of its parts. This —
suggested genome stability may favor an increased rate of radiation mutations, —
as concluded by Nilan (1956, p. 156) who reports, “Thus .. . it has been gener- _
ally accepted that polyploidy influences [reduces] the apparent frequency of all
mutations in a similar vein. Furthermore, it has been held that reduplication of
genes confers a buffering ability which enables the polyploid to tolerate greater
X-ray damage and to exhibit fewer mutations than the diploid.”
Michaelis (1954) presents abundant evidence of cytoplasmic inheritance by
means of postulated “plasmons” in Epilobium which act in concert with, or
nl
Wiest
SHACKLETTE: FLOWER VARIATION oF E. angustifoliunz 37
fee B.
TERIA Bt AEAK REAETEN FOI. aI
Parte Sixes
eae ee
3 a oe op ee
e Poses Calida setetshatabe libata l ser)
Figure 1. Plants and pollen, Epilobium angustifoliwm forms. A, plant and D, haploid
pollen of f. “typicum”. B, plant and E, haploid pollen of f. spectabile. C, plant and F,
haploid pollen of f. albiflorum. G, diploid pollen of f. “typicum”.
38 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
antagonistic to, certain genes in producing phenotypic expression of character-
istics. He says, in speaking of the plasmon of E. hirsutum Strain Jena (1954,
p. 307) that a large number of F, crosses and backcrosses show that the cyto-
plasms are not all alike, and that their differences can be transmitted over an
indefinite number of generations. These cytoplasmic differences, however,
cannot be associated with certain phenotypes. “The observed phenotypes, ex-
pressed as distorted leaves, stunted or heterotic growth forms, abnormal occur-
rence of, or lack of, anthocyanin, and so forth are believed by Michaelis to be
due to disturbances of the gene-cytoplasm relations. He further holds that
these cytoplasmic factors (plasmons) can change in a manner at least analogous
to mutations, which he prefers to call “alterations.” They are reported (1954,
p. 298) to “maintain their reaction norm even while subject to the influence
of a foreign nucleus for as long as 24 generations.” Exposures of the plants to
radiation (1000r to a sublethal dose) and fertilizing the plants with radioactive
phosphorus and sulfur produced no unquestioned cytoplasmic alterations.
However, among the phenotypic effects produced were growth stimulation at
low doses, fine spotting of leaves, anthocyanin formation in the vegetative
zone but not in the inflorescence, and transformation of flower buds to vegeta-
tive buds (1954, p. 351-352).
An explanation of this cytoplasmic-nuclear interaction is offered by the
hypothesis of Ross (1948) that disharmonious interaction between gene and
cytoplasm may disturb the enzyme balance in varying degrees, and may be ex-
pressed, for example, by inactivation of oxidative enzymes thus making the
anthocyanins disappear. Treatment with heteroauxin, reduction of respiration
by low temperatures, cultivation under short-day conditions, and excess car-
bohydrate accumulation diminish these disturbances, whereas high temperatures
or long-day conditions tend to increase them (Michaelis, 1954, p. 307-308).
These reported differences in response may offer a partial explanation of the
changes in E. angustifolium discussed in this paper, for the observed variations
were all in an environmental of long-day growing season, and at least in some
habitats occasional high temperatures during this season in the individual
inicrohabitats. Michaelis (1954, p. 309) states, “. . . [cytoplasmic] differences
were found even among strains that lived distances of only 0.5 to 3 km. apart.
The cytoplasm of strains that lived in the same geographical area, but in differ-
ent ecological niches—for example, in dry ground or moist ground, turned out
to be different.”
A rather special type of “inheritance” in this genus, the transmission of
plastids through the pollen tube and their incorporation into the new zygote, is
reported by Michaelis (1954, p. 295) to result in paralbomaculate plants. In
his experimental plants it occurred only rarely, and could not be produced by
X-ray radiation (2000r to 9000r). However, this phenomenon may be the
explanation of the “more or less striate” petals mentioned by Hultén (1947).
Whether the variations reported in this paper are produced by cytoplasmic
or nuclear alterations, the variants described in Table 1 can be discussed in
traditional heredity terms. From this table it is apparent that the color of the
various flower parts is inherited separately (not linked). For example, the
clone (No. 4) with the palest petals has the reddest filament bases, whereas the
er
ie ee
;
4
|
|
4
1964 SHACKLETTE: FLOWER VARIATION oF E. angustifolium 39
clone (No. 6) having the most intense magenta flowers had filaments that were
white throughout. The range of colors through the anthocyanin series seems
to indicate a cumulative color effect; in the absence of breeding experiments, it
is suggested that this range may be due to multiple genes existing as three or
more pairs of alleles. The color series shown by the anthers, 1.e., both antho-
cyanin and xanthophyll, may indicate that this inheritance is determined by
multiple alleles, with either the gene for anthocyanin or the gene for xantho-
phyll production occurring in an individual clone. There could also exist at the
same time the condition of multiple genes, which would explain the anthocyanin
range of variation, variation in xanthophyll, however, was not observed.
These postulated multiple allelic mutations are of a type that can be caused
by ionizing radiation mutagens (in the Port Radium location, alpha, beta, and
gamma radiations from the uranium ore). The low level of radiation provided
these plants in this natural habitat during the long period when plant occupancy
of this site was possible is believed to be sufficient to have caused the variations
that occurred. In this matter Sparrow and Pond (1956, p. 135-136) state that
exposure of flowering plants to low levels of chronic gamma radiation did result
in an increase in the number of somatic mutations, and conclude, “ ... muta-
tions are produced to a significant degree with low dose rates, a nonlinear re-
lationship has frequently been found to exist between the number of induced
mutations and the dose rate, and seasonal and biological variations affect the
degree and nature of the radiation effect.”
Nilan (1956, p. 158), in discussing the effects of temperature on plant
radiosensitivity, says, “Less extreme temperatures have also been effective in
altering the radio-sensitivity of plant tissues. Generally speaking, tissues
irradiated in temperatures ranging from 0°C. to 20°C. are more sensitive than
when the radiation is conducted at temperatures slightly above or below this
level.” It should be noted that in the regions considered in this paper a fair
estimate of ambient temperature range during the growing season is just that
mentioned by Nilan above.
Mutations of a single gene are expected to produce changes in one factor
in differing degrees, or less commonly, to affect different characters (Snyder
and David, 1957, p. 352). These authors (1957, p. 353) further point out, “Iwo
identical genes at corresponding loci mutate independently, just as different
genes do.” ‘The resulting heterozygosity in respect to these alleles normally
would segregate and recombine in succeeding generations, thus producing
genotypic variants which could reproduce indefinitely by vegetative means, and
which would result in clones of specific and uniform phenotype.
The variation of the flower parts considered together demonstrates the
fact that the cause of mutations, whatever it may be, is not a gross environmental
cause affecting all genes alike. It is suggested that here the long exposure of this
genetic stock of fireweeds to a radioactive substrate has provided sufficient time
_ for many such mutations to have occurred, and that these mutations have been
preserved in the offspring to be phenotypically expressed according to the well-
known principles of heredity.
From these observations it is apparent that the comment of Gleason (1952)
—that in the range of his study the variations are environmental, not genetic—
40 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
does not agree with the conclusions regarding variants in the area of this study.
Throughout this area examples of variation were rare, even in very diverse
habitats. The occurrence of occasional isolated variants as mentioned in the
literature cited and as observed by the writer could be caused by “normal”
mutagenic processes to which organisms everywhere are exposed. Their rare
and isolated appearance is the situation to be expected; it is not necessary to pos-
tulate an abnormal environment as the causative agent. Deposits of radioactive
minerals constitute “environment” in a very special dual sense. The effects of
radiation on the organism may in certain cases be only physiological, e.g.,
inhibition of normal growth and development or even favoring growth as
reported by Cannon (1957, p. 475, 481), Sparrow and Pond! (1956, 9.152)),
and others. This effect results in the production of transient forms that may be
equated with ordinary climate or edaphic variant forms which are not within
the scope of taxonomic consideration. On the other hand, the variants produced
by natural radiation mutagens resulting in genetic change are not in the same
category as the former, but could be considered for taxonomic recognition of
a low rank.
Isolated variants are expected to be the result of recessive mutant genes,
which in a population of normal dominant alleles would attain phenotypic ex- °
pression only rarely until sufficient time had elapsed to permit the recessive
mutant gene to be widely distributed through the population. ‘This is a slow
process, for even though the mutation does not reduce the competition potential
of an individual, the disparity in proportion of diaspores of normal versus mu-
tant forms increases greatly with the distance from the original mutant. Thus
the mutant form would tend to be “smothered” by the predominant normal
form by sheer force of numbers of new seedlings in the restricted areas avail-
able for invasion and ecesis that occur in an essentially “closed” community.
It can scarcely be imagined that the type of variation discussed in this study
could give a competitive advantage to those individuals having it.
The great variability within the limited area of the Port Radium uranium
deposits can be explained by the increased mutation rate due to more radiation
dosage than at other sites having only “background” dosages. The possibility
of identical gene mutations having occurred at different times is not remote, for
mutations occur more often in some directions than in others. It is known that
many genes mutate to a certain allele more frequently than to another. This
accumulation of numbers of mutant recessives greatly increases the chance of
large numbers of homozygous recessives appearing in the population and of
the mutant genes being rather quickly dispersed throughout this area of very
limited extent. These individuals may soon outnumber the normal dominant
homozygous types. A colony of clones could therefore be produced which
would show the areal intensity of variation observed in the Port Radium
colony, and be perpetuated indefinitely by clonal offshoots.
The concentration of variants found here definitely indicates the location
of the radioactive ore that is present. Geobotanical interpretation of variation
in a species must depend on the greater-than-average frequency of occurrence
in a localized area, and is thus analogous to geochemical evaluations which de-
pend on anomalous values based on an established background value. Therefore
=
—se =
A a A tal alll ts te eas ede
Ie
skcdiede Sak cer = Ty
ONS I Ss een aS NT
a A asad nS Mi Ns Pe il ME Os Si Spe
1964 SHACKLETTE: FLOWER VaRIATION oF E. angustifolium 41
the geobotanical prospector must have a conception of variation frequencies of
a certain species, even though it may not be possible to reduce it to quantitative
values because of the vast range of many species, and insufficient observations.
These variations, however, can be adequately expressed by rather subjective
terms such as “rare,” “infrequent,” “common,” or “abundant.” Where fre-
quency of occurrence of variants begins to become apparently greater than this
conception of normal frequency, environmental factors may be causative sus-
pects. Where frequency of occurrence is areally concentrated far in excess of
the conceptual norm, edaphic peculiarities are strongly indicated. Where
variants of a definite character are produced experimentally by definite edaphic
modifications, the geobotanical relationship is proven. ‘This latter procedure
was followed by Cannon (1957, p. 415) in “salting” soils with radioactive
agents. Naturally occurring variation in a species can be of use to geo-
botanical prospecting only if these relationships are properly evaluated.
Numbered specimens referred to in this paper were presented to the
Herbarium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The writer wishes to ac-
knowledge the encouragement and helpful criticism of the late Professor H. H.
Bartlett, Department of Botany, University of Michigan, who was the director
of the Port Radium Expedition. He also wishes to express appreciation for the
advice and assistance of Dr. William C. Steere, the leader of the field party on
this Expedition. The support given by the Office of Naval Research, U.S.
Navy, is gratefully acknowledged. Appreciation is extended to the Director,
U.S. Geological Survey, for permission to use material acquired while the
writer was employed by this agency. Dr. William S. Benninghoff, Department
of Botany, Dr. Rogers McVaugh, Curator of Phanerogams, and Mrs. Jennie V.
A. Dieterle, Herbarium Botanist, all at the University of Michigan, are also
thanked for their assistance in this study.
REFERENCES
ANpeERSON, J. P. 1959. Flora of Alaska and
adjacent parts of Canada. Iowa State Uni-
versity Press, 543 pp.
Braun-Bianouet, J. 1932. Plant sociology.
Hutten, Eric. 1947. Flora of Alaska and
Yukon. Lunds Universitets Arsskrift, new
series, section 2, 43 (1): 1069-1200.
Micuagtis, P. 1954. Cytoplasmic inheri-
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
439 pp.
Cannon, H. L. 1957. Description of indi-
cator plants and methods of botanical
prospecting for uranium deposits on the
Colorado Plateau. United States Geologi-
cal Survey Bulletin 1030-M, pp. 399-516.
_ Fernatp, M. L. 1918. American variations
of Epilobium section Chamaenerion. Rho-
dora 20: 1-10.
1950. Gray’s manual of botany,
eighth edition. American Book Company,
New York. 1632 pp.
Gteason, H. A. 1952. Illustrated flora of
the northeastern United States and adja-
cent Canada, 2: New York Botanical Gar-
_ den, New York. 655 pp.
tance in Epilobium and its theoretical sig-
nificance, im Advances in Genetics 6: 287-
401. Academic Press, New York. 488 pp.
Netson, A. E., W. S. West, and J. J. Matz-
KO. 1952. Reconnaissance for radioactive
deposits in eastern Alaska. United States
Geological Survey Circular 348. 21 pp.
Nizan, R. A. 1956. Factors governing plant
radiosensitivity, 77 Radioactive Isotopes in
Agriculture, pp. 151-162. United States
Atomic Energy Commission. Government
Printing Office, Washington. 416 pp.
Ross, H. 1948. Uber die Verscheidenhei-
ten des dissimilatorischen Stoffwechsels in
reziproken Epilobium-Bastarden und die
physiologisch-genetische Ursache der re-
ziproken Unterscheide. V. Uber die Per-
42 Tue CaANnapiAN FreLtp-NatTurRALIST
oxydaseaktivitat in gehemmten und enthe-
mmten Wuchsformen reziproker Epilo-
bium-Bastarde mit der /irsutum-Sippe
Jena. Zeitschrift fiir Vererbungslehre 82:
187-196.
SCHWEMMLE, J. 1924. WVergleichend zyto-
logische Untersuchungen an Onagraceen.
Deutsche botanische Gesellschaft, Berlin
Berichte 42: 238-243.
Vol. 78
Sparrow, A. H. and VireintaA Ponp. 1956.
Some cytogenetic and morphogenetic ef-
fects of ionizing radiation on plants, im
Radioactive Isotopes in Agriculture, Uni-
ted States Atomic Energy Commission,
pp- 125-139. Government Printing Office,
Washington. 416 pp.
SurTcuiFFE, J. F. 1962. Mineral salts absorp-
tion in plants. Pergamon Press, New
York. 194 pp.
SWEETMAN, W. J. and A. L. Bunpace. 1960.
SHACKLETTE, H. T. 1962. Fruit variation in
Vaccinium uliginosum L. Canadian Field-
Naturalist 76 (3): 162-167.
Snyper, L. H. and P. R. Davin. 1957. The
principles of heredity, fifth edition. D. C.
Heath and Company, Boston. 507 pp.
University of Alaska Agricultural Ex-
periment Station Bulletin 30. 9 pp.
Received for publication 30 June, 1963
WZ
AN EXTENSION IN THE BREEDING RANGE OF
BREWER’S BLACKBIRD IN ONTARIO
O. E. Devirr
83 Harding Blvd., Richmond Hill, Ontario
In Canapa prior To 1943, Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) was
considered a bird of the western provinces. ‘Taverner (1934) in Birds of Canada
gives its range as “from Manitoba west to the coast”. In adjacent mid-western
Namerican states a definite eastward movement by this species has been noted
since early in the present century (Lyon, 1930; Roberts, 1932; Schorger, 1934;
Mayfield, 1949). Bent ( 1958) says “the Brewer's Blackbird seems to have
extended its range eastward in recent years, and it has now been recorded as a
breeding species in Ontario, Eastern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois”.
Walkinshaw and Zimmerman (1961) state that during the twentieth century
it has “extended its breeding range eastward — to central, and possibly eastern,
lower Michigan”.
The purpose of the present paper is to review the status of this species in
Ontario and to document an eastward extension in breeding range of 143 miles
in 1962 and a further eastward extension of seventy-eight miles in 1963, as well
as to record intermediate summer occurrences hitherto unreported.
A male collected for the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology by Clifford E.
Hope at Lake Attawapiskat in northern Ontario on June 5, 1939 marked its
first reported occurrence in Ontario (Baillie, 1953). This remained the only
record until Dr. A. E. Allin observed a small male blackbird with straw-
coloured eyes at Port Arthur during the summer of 1943. On June 13, 1945,
Better forage for Alaska’s dairy industry.
4
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4
;
1964 Devitt: Extension or Brewer’s BLACKBIRD 43
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6
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LAKE ATTAWAPISKAT
SCALE OF MILES
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——O¢S/0Ux LOOKOUT
OF PART OF THE PROVINCE OF
ONTARIO
Ficure 1. Summer records of Brewer’s Blackbird in Ontario. Large dots indicate locality
records, circled dots are where the species has been known to nest. Triangles designate
where specimens have been taken.
Af Tue CanapiAN Frietp-NaATUuRALIST Vol. 78
a colony of at least eight birds was found in the same locality, a cleared area,
eight acres in extent, by Allin and Dear ( 1947). A male was collected on June
14 and L. S. Dear tou a nest containing four young to establish the first
breeding record for Ontario.
The twelve Brewer’s Blackbirds recorded by Walkinshaw and Zimmerman
(1961), as having been seen by E. E. Kenaga on September 1, 1948 at Longlac,
were probably early fall migrants.
Allin and Dear located a second colony of Brewer’s Blackbirds in Paipoonge
Township, Thunder Bay District, in 1952 ‘but could find no nest (Baillie, 1953).
In 1955 a nest with five eggs was found there by Dr. MacLaren on June 5
(Allin and Denis, 1955). By 1955, the species was established in summer in five
areas around the Lakehead (Baillie, 1955).
Brewer’s Blackbirds have nested in a willow-grown muskeg area at Fort
Frances, Rainy River District, since 1951 according to Leslie Patterson (Baillie,
1961). They remained until 1957 when the immediate area was burned over.
Mr. Patterson saw adults feeding newly-emerged young on several occasions.
Further evidence of an eastward movement in Ontario came to light when
Dean Amadon and Jeff Carleton, en route home after attending the Wilson
Ornithological Club meeting at Douglas Lake, Michigan, saw a pair near Garden
River, half way between Sault Ste. Marie and Echo Bay, June 17, 1953 (Baillie,
1953). By coincidence, the writer, his wife and D. S. Miller returning from
the same meeting two days later (june 19) also saw a pair of HHS s Blackbirds
along No. 17 Highway near Echo Bay.
At Sault Ste. Marie, Dr. and Mrs. J. M. Speirs and William Morris found
a nest containing four young on June 6, 1954. Mrs. Speirs located two more
nests on June 11 (Speirs, 1954). A fourth nest with five eggs and a fifth nest
containing well-developed young was discovered a few days later by D. M.
Wood in the same colony, which was located at the eastern city limits of
Sault Ste. Marie in a quarter-mile stretch between the highway and the railway
(Wood, 1955). At Echo Bay, fourteen miles east of Sault Ste. Marie, two
more pairs were known to be resident, but breeding evidence was restricted
to adults carrying food to young and carrying away excretory pellets. A
careful search failed to reveal the young (Speirs, 1954). One bird seen seven
miles east of Thessalon on July 31, 1959 and another at Blind River on August
4 of the same year have been recorded by Speirs (1959).
On July 1, 1962, a small colony of five pairs of Brewer’s Blackbirds was
discovered by the writer and his wife at the easterly outskirts of McKerrow,
in Baldwin Township, Sudbury District, 143 miles east of Sault Ste. Marie.
The birds were frequenting a narrow band of territory between the railway
and Highway No. 17. A search disclosed two young birds, out of the nest,
but as yet unable to fly. The young were easily captured, photographed Arg
released. A dead female that had been hit by an automobile on the highway
was recovered and sent to the Royal Ontario Museum. ‘The writer had occasion
to travel the same highway on August 11, 1962 and noted Brewer’s Blackbirds
at the following points: Echo Bay, 3, Blind River, 4; McKerrow, 16. The
following day a group numbering twenty-five was Aaaieet at the westerly limits
of Copper Cliff to mark their most easterly observed occurrence for that year.
lees
1964 Devitt: ExtTENsION oF BREWeER’s BLACKBIRD 45
While en route to Sudbury on May 31, 1963 to check for possible nesting
sites of Brewer’s Blackbirds, the writer and his wife were surprised to come
upon two pairs at Rutter, thirty-seven miles south of Sudbury, in Bigwood
Township, Sudbury District. After watching the actions of the birds for half
an hour, we decided that they must be nesting in a marsh alongside Highway
No. 69. After a short search we flushed a female from a nest of five eggs.
The well-built nest of grasses and rootlets was placed in the centre of a clump
of dried rushes, approximately fifteen inches above the water of the marsh.
The outside diameter of the nest measured six inches while the inside width was
four inches. ‘The nest and eggs were collected and sent to the Royal Ontario
Museum. With the exception of a small stand of narrow-leaf cattail (Typha
angustifolia) near the road and a few Spiraea sp. and red-osier dogwood (Cornus
stolonifera) bushes around its borders, the marsh occupied by these birds
consisted of almost pure Scirpus cyperimus (L.) Kunth. and covered approxi-
mately ten acres. A dense growth of alders (Alnus sp.) and willow (Salix
sp.) grew along the west and north sides of the marsh.
Besides the Brewer’s Blackbirds other birds noted in the immediate vicinity
were the Short-billed Marsh Wren (Cistothorus platensis), Yellowthroat
(Geothly pis trichas) and Traill’s Flycatcher (Emzpidonax traillit).
Rutter is seventy-eight miles east of McKerrow, the previous most easterly
breeding locality for this species.
The Copper Cliff area was re-examined on June 1, 1963, and about one
half mile west of the town two pairs of Brewer’s Blackbirds were found that
showed strong attachment to a small cattail marsh along the railway tracks.
One pair, in particular, protested our intrusion but no nest was located. The
behaviour of the birds indicated probable nesting.
About five miles farther west along Highway No. 17 and approximately
one mile west of the intersection of Highway No. 536 to Lively, we saw a male |
Brewer’s Blackbird gathering a beakful of insects.
At McKerrow, on the same day at least five pairs were again occupying
a quarter-mile stretch of territory adjacent to the highway. ‘Three nests were
located, all built on the ground in low cover. ‘The nests were made of fine
sticks and grasses and lined with fine rootlets. In size they averaged six inches
outside width, with a cup four inches in diameter and a depth of two inches.
The first nest contained four newly-hatched young plus one egg. It was half-
hidden beneath dead bracken (Pteridium aquilinumt) and a small Spiraea sp.
A second nest, which held five young about a week old, was located about one
hundred yards to the east of the first nest; a third nest contained five eggs. Two
other pairs were definitely on territories and apparently nesting but the actual
nests were not located.
Vegetation surrounding the three nests was essentially the same and,
besides bracken and spiraea, consisted of wild strawberry (Fragaria sp.), wild
raspberry (Rubus sp.), blueberry (Vaccinium sp.), Aster sp., goldenrod
(Solidago sp.), fringed polygala (Poly gala paucifolia), false lily of the valley
(Maianthemum canadense), ground pine (Lycopodium obscurum), willow
(Salix sp.), common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and sweet fern (Myrica
asplentfolia). Across the highway from the nesting colony was a large alder
46 Tue CanapiAN Frevcp-NaTurRALIST Vol. 78
(Alnus sp.) thicket which was used to some extent by the blackbirds as perching
sites, although the preferred lookout seemed to be the telephone wires.
An additional breeding locality was discovered by the writer on July 1,
1963 in MacGregor Township, Thunder Bay District at the junction of High-
ways No. 17 and No. 587, near Pass Lake. At least four pairs were occupying
wet grassy fields bordering the highway. Two nests were located in low
vegetation on dry knolls. Both were sunken in depressions so that their tops
were flush with the ground. One contained three young about a week old,
plus one egg; the other had four small young and an unhatched egg. This area
is twenty-three miles east of Port Arthur.
As an indication of the remarkable increase in numbers of this western
species in Ontario, the writer observed them in thirteen different localities
between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury along Highway No. 17 on July 6, 1963,
in groups of up to eight birds.
In view of a similar rapid eastward spread of Brewer’s Blackbird in the
United States, especially in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, it should be
looked for in the lowlands of the Lake St. Clair-Windsor region of Ontario.
REFERENCES
Aun, A. E. and L.S. Dear. 1947. Brewer's
Blackbird Breeding in Ontario. Wilson
Bulletin 59: 175-176.
Aun, A. E. and Kerry Denis. 1955. Breed-
ing Records—1955, News Letter of the
Thunder Bay Field Naturalists Club 9:33
(No. 5, Dec. 21).
Baur, J. L. 1953. [Region reports] On-
tario-western New York Region, Audubon
Field Notes 7:13-15, 306-307.
1955. [Region reports] Ontario-
western New York Region. Audubon Field
Notes 9:377 (No. 5, Oct.).
1961. More New Ontario Breed-
ing Records. Ontario Field Biologist 15: 1-9.
Bent, A. C. 1958. Life Histories of North
(cniaiiean Blackbirds, Orioles, Tanagers,
and Allies. U.S. National Museum Bulletin
211.
Lyon, W. I. 1930. Brewer’s Blackbird
Nesting i in Illinois. Wilson Bulletin 42:214.
Mayrietp, H. 1949. [Spring migration]
Ahiglsllenesueaa Prairie Region. Audubon
Field Notes 3:210-211.
Roserts, T. S. 1932. The Birds of Minne-
sota. Vol. 2, University of Minnesota Press,
Minneapolis.
ScHorcErR, A. W.
tribution of Some Wisconsin Birds.
Auk 51:482-486.
Speirs, J. Murray. 1954. Brewer’s Black-
bird Nesting at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Bulletin of the Federation of Ontario Na-
turalists 65:29.
. 1959. Worth Noting. Bulletin of
the Federation of Ontario Naturalists 85:
23..
Taverner, P. A. 1934. Birds of Canada.
National Museum of Canada Bulletin 72.
1934. Notes on the Dis-
The
Wa tkinsHaw, Lawrence H. and Date A.
ZIMMERMAN. 1961. Range Expansion of
the Brewer Blackbird in Eastern North
America. Condor 63:162-177.
Woop, D. M. 1955. Nesting of Brewer's
Blackbird at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Ontario Field Biologist 9:23.
Received for publication 21 July 1963
WZ
sbobs
ee ea a
- ll ae ess,
NN ee a dn ae: i eae
REPORT OF COUNCIL
TO THE EIGHTY-FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING OF
THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’ CLUB
December 3, 1963
During the past year, five meetings of Council were held at the National
Museum of Canada: December 12, 1962, February 28, May 23, October 8 and
November 12, 1963. The average attendance was seventeen members. The
Club’s business was conducted in the usual orderly manner.
Appointments for 1963 were made as follows: —
Editor, THe CanapiANn Fretp-Natura ist — F. R. Coox
Business Manager, THe CanapiAN Fre_p-Naruratist — W. J. Copy
Chairman, Publications Committee — D. D. Hocartu
Chairman, Excursions and Lectures Committee — G. R. Hanes
Chairman, Reserve Fund Committee — H. Ltoyp
Chairman, Membership Committee — F. H. Scnuitz
Chairman, Bird Census Committee — G. H. McGee
Chairman, Macoun Field Club Committee — F. R. Cook
succeeded by A. H. Crarkg, Jr. in April, 1963
Chairman, F.O.N. Affairs Committee — R. Friru
Chairman, Public Relations Committee — E. L. BousFirLp
Chairman, Preservation of Natural Historic Sites Committee —
W. K. W. BaLpwin
Chairman, Mer Bleue Conservation Committee —D. A. Smiru
O.F.N.C. Representative to A.A.A.S. Council —V. E. F. Sotman
At its February meeting, Council elected Mr. Stuart Criddle, longtime
Prairie naturalist now residing in Sidney, B.C., as an Honorary Member of the
Club. He joined the illustrious company of previously elected Honorary
Members, Dr. Alice Wilson, Mr. Herbert Groh, Dr. Harrison F. Lewis and
Dr. George H. Turner.
REPORT OF THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
Since the last report of Council, five numbers of THe Canapian FIEevp-
Narura.ist have been published. These included the last two numbers of
Volume 76 which contained 112 pages, and the first three numbers of Volume
77 which contained 182 pages, or a total of 294 pages in all. Papers, notes and
reviews were distributed as follows:
Papers Notes Reviews
IBS eet yi ee ie Si SLL NE 8 Fe 5 6 5
RETA PO MNONO frye een as eS 2 2
IG cool apr yy eine EE Sa 1
icuperolo py saul noe 3 6 2
[COG 00) (0) 2 ey a tae si ee 3 3
Malacca log yi ua ists a 1
iWVannimial @ pays ee Nee eS 3 4 5
Ornithology, Ul ci os 6 19 5
Muascellaneous 228 win a 2 1 6
48 THE CANADIAN FrIeELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
The editor has reported that Volume 77, No. 4 is in an advanced state of
preparation and should be published shortly. Some manuscripts are on hand
for the first two numbers of Volume 78, but he would welcome more good
contributions.
Expenditures for the year were as follows:
Volumesi76.(Nos:3 and\4)yand 77 (@Nos ol) Dvand) 3) 9 2 eee $4,469.12
Binding of official Club set of Tur Canapian Frecp-NaTuratist__. 36.00
Reprints for volumes 76 (Nos. 2, 3 and 4) and 77 (No. 1)_------- 676.21
McOtal Wests ye 5) Otitlrt Mw sc ic oe NON ea ea RRs AMIE ARE 9 a ec rea $5,181.33
REPORT OF THE ExcuRSIONS AND LECTURES COMMITTEE
The Excursions and Lectures Committee met three times and arranged:
four lectures (of which one was co-sponsored by the National Museum of
Canada), a film night, six daytime and two evening field trips, four morning
bird walks and the annual dinner. Six Newsletters were issued. ‘The first of
a winter series of six bird identification lectures for beginners was recently
presented by Mr. George McGee and evoked considerable interest.
Approximately ninety people attended the annual dinner at the Experimen-
tal Farm, and heard a most interesting talk entitled “Birds and Men” given by
Dr. D. A. Munro.
The Newsletter now appears under a printed letterhead designed by
Mrs. G. R. Haynes. The Committee purchased a supply that should last about
three years.
ReporT OF THE RESERVE FUND COMMITTEE
There has been no change in the Club’s investments during the past year.
Report oF THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
The committee distributed information on Club activities and solicited
new memberships. Of forty-two new individual members, thirty-five were
active members and seven associate members. In addition twelve institutions
were added as subscribers to the Club journal. No expenses were incurred.
REPORT OF THE Birp Census CoMMITTEE
The forty-fourth consecutive Annual Christmas Bird Census was held by
The O.F.N.C. on Sunday, December 23, 1962. Forty observers in thirteen
groups reported a total of 5,375 birds of forty-five species. While the count
was down slightly from the 6,310 birds of forty-eight species reported in the
1961 Census, two new birds, Common Loon and Loggerhead Shrike, were —
added to our all-time list which now stands at eighty-nine species.
The details of the Census were published in the Christmas Census edition
of Audubon Field Notes and, in addition, were circulated to local members in
a Newsletter.
Report oF THE Macoun Fietp CLus COMMITTEE
In terms of total membership, apparent interest of the members in club
activities and in other developments, the 1963 Macoun Field Club season has
been an outstanding success. Attendance at meetings has nearly doubled,
iene ari
RT er ae
EP Pe SOR oon eR TIOE Gee ea are
~s Anat ——-
i
1954 REPoRT OF COUNCIL 49
innovations in club activities have met with enthusiasm, and the administrative
personnel of the club has been increased from one to three. In addition to
sponsorship by The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, the Macoun Club has now
become an official administrative responsibility of the National Museum of
Canada and is therefore doubly assured of year to year stability.
Regular meetings of the club have been held throughout the year except
for the period from May to September. In April, a newspaper report on the
Macoun Club with coloured photographs was published nationally and much
additional interest was engendered. Attendance, which averaged forty-five
for all three sections in the spring, increased to an average of eighty-five in the
fall. ‘Three field trips were held in May, to Hogs Back and Mer Bleue in Ottawa
and to Fitzroy Harbour Provincial Park in Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario.
A*tendance on these trips averaged fifty-eight, with many new members
participating.
Speakers at the Macoun Club during 1963 were as follows: F. R. Cook,
D. J. Damas, A. D. DeBlois, H. B. Herrington, S. D. MacDonald, W. W. Mair,
W. R. M. Mason, J. R. McLintock, H. Monahan, V. E. F. Solman, and J. S.
Tener. In addition, Dr. Alice E. Wilson gave a fine series of lectures on the
geology of the Ottawa area.
Officers for 1963-1964 are as follows: Senior Group, President Robert
Bender, Secretary John G. Robertson, Attendance Paul Valentine, Observations
Clair Suddon; Intermediate Group, President David Smiley, Secretary Arthur
Clarke, Attendance Derek Munro, Observations Susan Young; Junior Group,
President Peter Teal, Secretary Chris Fyles, Attendance Colin Barnard, and
Observations Don Beckett.
In April, A. H. Clarke, Jr. replaced F. R. Cook as Macoun Club Chairman
and in the fall the National Museum assigned two staff members, Messrs. A. A.
Ellis and G. Tessier, as assistants. In addition, the club is continuing to benefit
from the dedicated assistance of Mr. Herbert Groh. Further assistance has
enabled additional services to be given such as renovation of the club’s collection
of natural history objects, more assistance to members in conducting projects,
assistance with film projection equipment, etc.
REPORT OF THE F.O.N. AFrrairs COMMITTEE
The committee during November and December has supervised the usual
sale of Christmas Cards and stationery purchased from the Federation of Ontario
Naturalists and re-sold for the benefit of our Club.
‘There are no official joint activities of the two organizations to report.
Major Federation functions, usually held in Toronto or points west, had present
on most occasions a small number of members of the O.F.N.C.
REpPoRT OF THE PusLic RELATIONS COMMITTEE
At the request of council members, the committee was active in developing
publicity for the Mer Bleue Project and forwarding news-worthy items to the
Ottawa press.
50 THe CaNnapiAN FieLtp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
REPORT OF THE PRESERVATION OF NaAtTuRAL Historic Sires COMMITTEE
The Committee met once to discuss the preservation of the Mer Bleue
peatland. A report on this subject, with recommendations for action, was
presented to Council. The Committee co-operated with the Excursions and
Lectures Committee and the ad hoc Mer Bleue Conservation Committee to
present to Club members at the regular meeting in March a program of activities
designed to further this project. Later the Committee co-operated with the
Editor of The C.F.N. in planning a series of scientific papers to be written by
interested scientists on various aspects of the Natural History of the Mer Bleue.
No meeting of the Citizens’ Committee for Preservation of Historic Sites
was held during 1963.
Report oF THE Mer BLEUE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
This ad hoc committee was set up early i in 1963 to co-ordinate a variety
of Club activities to be held under the auspices of other committees—all with
the aim of expressing the urgency for preserving the Mer Bleue Peat Bog and
taking steps to further its preservation. This Committee co- operated Sah
others in arranging and participating in the special Mer Bleue meeting in March
and a successful field trip to Mer Bleue in June. Moreover, it assisted in
stimulating the efforts of individuals, both within and outside the Club member-
ship, to begin synthesizing our present knowledge of the bog and its inhabitants
into a series of papers to be published in The Canadian Field-Naturalist.
Largely as a result of correspondence with the Club, a meeting of repre-
sentatives of organizations interested in the Mer Bleue was convened in April
by the National Capital Commission. At this exploratory meeting, a Technical
Committee of which our retiring President is Chairman, was set up to give
advice to the National Capital Commission on matters concerning multiple use
of the Mer Bleue in its natural state as part of the Green Belt. The whole
situation is currently under study and the committee is hopeful of a satisfactory
outcome of its actiivties.
Donatp A. Situ, Secretary
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL STANDING
The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, November 27, 1963
CURRENT ACCOUNT
ASSETS
Balance in bank, Nov. 27, 1963.... $2,911.91
@ashronchand ss 220 Helen Sea! 22.20
Bills receivable, separates......... 599.25
$3,533.36
RECEIPTS
Balance in bank, Nov. 29, 1962.... $2,868.32
Fees:
Current...... $2,860.54
Arrears....... 139.00
Advance...... 273 .40
Associate..... 78.00
—_—_—__—_ 3,350.94
Separates and illustrations........ 1,994.13
Sale of back numbers............ 280.89
Miscellaneous................... 137.26
$8,631.54
LIABILITIES
Cheques outstanding.......... $ 343.35
Balances, ces eee arlae ee 3,190.01
$3,533.36
EXPENDITURES
Can. Field Nat. 5 numbers.... $4,505.12
Separates and illustrations..... 676.21
Editor’s honorarium.......... 200 .00
Business Manager’s honorarium 100.00
Newsletter, Yiu ee ar 78.26
Excursions and Lectures Committee 52.25
RESERVE FUND
ASSETS
$3,000 Ontario Hydro 3% Bonds,
Manketivaluer ee ety ye Se $2,737.50
20 shares Bell Telephone Stock,
[TBICIEE AVVO Ga Sy ee Re 1,065.00
Balance in bank Nov. 27, 1963.... 411.43
$4, 213.93
RECEIPTS
Balance in Bank Nov. 29, 1962.... $273.77
BankeTmterest)) 26 5 eee a 8.66
Bond Interest................... 90.00
Bell Telephone Dividends......... 44.00
$416.43
PUBLICATIONS FUND
ASSETS
$1,500 Ontario Hydro 3% Bonds,
Mmankew value. (oe ed a2, $1,353.75
Balance in bank Nov. 27, 1963.... 292.97
$1,646.72
RECEIPTS
Balance in bank Nov. 29, 1962.... $240.72
Banlerimterest shee ob iin sek: WEDS
Bond, Interest. fee eee 45.00
$292 .97
Audited and found correct (Signed)
R. J. Moore J. M. Gillett, Auditors
51
Macoun Field Club........... 113.75
FROIN satiliationhea ae ae 45 .40
Postage and Stationery........ 188.31
Bank discount............... 33.00
Miscellaneous................ 48.48
Bank balance Nov. 27, 1963
plus cash on hand less
cheques outstanding........ 2,590.76
$8,631.54
LIABILITIES
NIL
EXPENDITURES
Safety Deposit Box........... $ 5.00
Bank Balance Nov. 27, 1963... 411.43
$416.43
LIABILITIES
NIL
EXPENDITURES _
Bank Balance Nov. 27, 1963... $292.97
$292.97
(Signed) Anne Banning, Treasurer
REVIEWS
Never Cry Wolf
By Fartey Mowat. McClelland and Stewart,
Toronto. 247 pages. $4.95.
The reason I was asked to review this
book, I suspect, was that the editor knew
I had worked closely with the author in
the North. Farley refers to me as a school
chum he had known in more carefree
days. A glance at the dust cover forces
the incredible admission that I knew him
as a beardless youth! During the period
dealt with in the book Farley was assist-
ing me on the preliminary caribou in-
vestigation conducted by the Canadian
Wildlife Service in 1948-9. But his career
with the Federal Government lasted only
about six months. As the reader is well
able to confirm, Farley wasn’t cut out to
be a civil servant. Since his retirement he
has gone on to greater heights and writ-
ten three semi-fiction books based upon
his experiences with the caribou investi-
gation crew.
These books are a fascinating mixture
of fact and fancy with the central theme
of the ineffectual, bumbling civil servant
trying to cope with Mowat’s raw north.
This theme finds ready acceptance among
his uninformed readers who cherish the
same point of view. Never Cry Wolf has
been heralded as hilariously funny—and
It is, especially to the few of us who were
involved in the episodes described by
“Squib” in the early chapters. With a fair
share of malice and considerable literary
licence with the facts, he caricatures us
and parodies the Canadian Wildlife Ser-
vice. Most of us are recognizable
through our thin disguises. Lance-Cor-
poral J. Smith is undoubtedly Dr. Dean
Fisher and his banishment to study
sticklebacks on Ellesmere Island is a re-
ference to his later leadership of the
Arctic Unit of the Fisheries Research
Board. I am not so sure of the “Chief”,
who clacked ground-hog jaws at Squib.
52
Dr. Harrison Lewis was then Chief of
the Canadian Wildlife Service. Since he
is a distinguished ornithologist, I suggest
that a room full of pickled cormorant
stomachs would have been more appro-
priate. But, if it is I, as Chief Mammalo-
gist, who is caricatured, I must protest
that I have never given the dentition of
Marmota monax more than a casual
glance. As for joining the federal service
in 1897,—I suspect that we just looked
that much more mature to Squib.
One caricature I do deplore is that of
Gunnar Ingebritson, of Arctic Wings
Ltd., who flew him from Churchill to
Nueltin Lake. Gunnar was one of that
colourful band of bush pilots, which
served our Arctic frontier with verve.
He effected several exciting rescues, in-
cluding that of the crew of an American
Air Force plane forced down on the
shifting ice floes of Hudson Bay. He lost
his life tragically a few years later in an
Arctic crash. Gunnar’s real life was far
more exciting than Farley’s shallow cari-
cature.
On the lighter side, however, I found
Farley’s comments on our post-war mili-
tary phase quite incisive. I wonder what
he would say about our latest phase of
wearing berets and ceintures fléchees!
His description of us as Dantesque
bureaucrats doesn’t seem appropriate: |
always pictured .us as Caspar Milque-
toasts!
At the risk of being considered pedan-
tic and mundane, I would like to set the
record straight on those events so the
reader can appreciate the full measure of
Squib’s humour. Farley was only one of
three biologists who assisted in the cari-
bou survey and as he has emphasized, he
was assigned the problem of assessing the
effect of wolf predation upon the caribou.
I prepared the field instructions which
are generously ridiculed in the book, or
else given sympathetically as his own
program. Mowat’s suggestion that he was
i
/
4
;
vs |
‘i
a
4
1954
hired to produce incontrovertible proof
to damn the wolf is a woolly fabrication
of fact. I am sure his disclosure will
come as a shock to those few extremist
members of the hunting fraternity who
have been condemning the same Service
vehemently for years as apologists for
predators and wolf-lovers.
He reports that he was hired at the
munificent salary of $125 a month. Ac-
tually he was hired as a technical officer,
grade 1, at $175 a month, which was the
established scale for a second year Arts
student in May, 1948. He submitted a
very long list of equipment and supplies
which he required, and it was filled. This
included a folding boat, along with an
eighteen foot canoe, tents, outboard
motor, axes, alcohol, smoke generators,
etc. and etc. If he had any complaints
concerning the equipment and supplies—
they were largely due to his own choice.
Mowat’s description of the start of his
field work is completely fanciful. He and
Andrew H. Lawrie flew from Ottawa to
Churchill in an R.C.A.F. Dakota. I met
them at the Churchill airport, since I had
been there six weeks carrying out an
aerial survey of the migrating caribou.
Arrangements had already been made to
rent Fred Schweder’s cabin at Windy
Bay, Nueltin Lake, Keewatin District,
for $15 a month (not $10 for three
months) to serve as a base to store their
equipment (they planned to tent and
travel extensively by canoe). However,
as Farley states they occupied the cabin
much of the summer and an adjustment
was later made on the cabin rent. It
should be noted that Squib was never
“alone with the wolves”. Andrew Lawrie,
a graduate biologist, was his constant
companion all summer and nominally in
charge of the party.
Prior to their arrival, Gunnar, Charlie
Weber (the engineer) and I had flown
to Nueltin Lake, taking much of their
heavy equipment such as canoe, outboard
motor and a cache of gasoline. Even then,
when they were finally flown in the load
taxed the carrying capacity of their
Norseman aircraft. (The last JU.52, tri-
RevIEWws 53
motor to fly in Canada was scrapped in
1947). I might also point out that the
Moose Brand Beer served in Churchill
must have packed quite a punch in order
for Squib to rush out of the beer parlor
and catch hold of the wing of the aircraft
landing at the skiplane base five miles
away!
The character of Mike is based upon
Charlie Schweder. He met Farley in 1947,
when Farley first visited Nueltin Lake.
Any reticence on Charlie’s part was pro-
bably based upon his experience with
Mowat the year before.
Of course Mowat’s various messages in
italics and capitals are sheer bunk! He
was supplied with a Forestry-type radio
transmitter (with extra batteries). Farley
and I set up the radio and tested it at
Churchill before they departed. With it
they communicated with Churchill Sig-
nals until about mid-August when it
became unserviceable and was flown out
for repairs on one of the regular service
flights. The Department exchanged with
Mowat several radio messages and mailed
reports during the summer. It had no
reason to doubt his location unless it was
when Mowat flew out to Toronto and
gave a press interview. (The call letters
assigned to the transmitter by D.O.T.
were CF6E-—rather prosaic compared to
“Daisy Mae”).
As Farley states he submitted a report
upon his studies. However, there 1s
nothing in the style, spelling, or grammar
of this report to foretell that it would
some day form the basis of a “best seller”.
I abstracted the report and published the
highlights in the preliminary barren-
ground caribou report of 1951, crediting
the observations to Mowat. He now bor-
rows several of my conclusions from
that report such as the importance of
human utilization of the caribou includ-
ing the annual human kill of 100,000 ani-
mals (which I reported in 1951, without
losing my C.S. “head”).
During Mowat’s “indoctrination”
period in Ottawa, he was given several
books to read including Adolph Murie’s
The Wolves of Mount McKinley, 1944.
54 Tue CANADIAN FrieLtp-NATURALIST
Any resemblance between Never Cry
W olf and that book is not coincidental.
Much is familiar, including first names
for the wolves and the crawl into the
burrow. Squib disproved no scientific
concepts about wolves—only his own mis-
conceptions. Instead he sets up his own
straw men to bowl over. For instance,
an estimate of 36,000 wolves was pub-
lished by C. H. D. Clarke, in 1940, for the
total caribou range of 600,000 square
miles, not just of Keewatin District.
Wolf bounties have not been paid in the
N.W.T. for many years and were dis-
continued in the Prairie Provinces prior
to 1954. There is no “official” book
which says wolves do not bark.
Farley gives a hilarious description of
his struggle with the use of the Raunkiar’s
Circle in range studies. It is evident that
he lacked the equipment and training to
do any nutritional analysis in the field
and was not asked to do it. He literally
interprets the word “throw” in spite of
the detailed instructions that the fre-
quency data were to be collected on
systematic transects at intervals of ten
paces. The situation is comparable to the
technician at a satellite launching pad,
tearing out the control panel when the
monitoring officer exclaims, “All systems
go!”. A recent Civil Service pamphlet,
which outlines career opportunities for
biologists, includes a photograph of two
young biologists, on their hands and
knees, staring at a Point Sampler, while
conducting range studies in Wood Buf-
falo Park. It appears therefore that such
studies are still in style for biologists.
Farley was, therefore, well advised to
recognize his limitations in biological
research potential and to seek fame else-
where.
Mowat also curiously telescopes time
in his book. Considering the life ex-
pectancy of a wolf, it is extremely doubt-
ful that George, Angelina and Uncle
Albert would still be around in May,
1959, eleven years after his visit in 1948,
Vol. 78
when they appeared to be in the prime of
life. In the meantime there were several
developments which influenced wildlife
management programs in northern
Canada. First of all there was the unpre-
cedented outbreak of rabies among
wolves, coyotes and foxes. Then there
was the continued decline of the caribou
herds. These natural catastrophes neces-
sitated immediate co-operative action as
outlined in my article in the Spring
issue, 1956, of The Beaver. A broad
caribou management program was in-
itiated which placed primary emphasis on
reducing the human kill by tightening
regulations (such as the prohibition of
sport hunting). A part of this program
was the introduction of limited wolf
control (not eradication) by trained
wolf hunters instead of the ineffective
bounty system. Wolf numbers were re-
duced: the rabies epizootic subsided: and
the crop of caribou fawns jumped dra-
matically. Since 1959 the wolf control
program thas tapered off. This is the
background of Mowat’s fanciful Epi-
logue. The facts are that two control
stations were established on Windy Lake,
27 and 30 miles southwest of “Wolf
House Bay” during the autumn of 1958.
On April 10, 1959, these sites were
visited, records of the wolves taken and
biological information were gathered and
the stations destroyed. No cyanide “wolf
getters” were employed in the District
of Keewatin.
Much of the book consist of a fascinat-
ing embellishment of Mowat’s observa-
tions on the home life of a wolf pack. It
is certain that not since Little Red Riding
Hood has a story been written that will
influence the attitude of so many towards
these animals. I hope that the readers of
Never Cry Wolf will realize that both
stories have about the same factual con-
tent.
A. W. F. BanFieLp
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
a
, “
"yas cds
1954
Wildlife’s Ten-Year Cycle
By Lroyp C. Kerry. Madison, University of
Wisconsin Press, 1963. 16 + 201 pp. $6.00
(U.S.).
Dr. Keith’s book is in the main a review
of literature bearing on the occurrence
and characteristics of the ten-year mam-
mal and bird cycle. The subject is one of
great interest in Canada, for many of its
most striking examples come from the
records of the fur trade in our boreal
forests. Furthermore, the cycle strongly
influences the lives of many Canadians,
from trappers to ammunition salesmen.
As well as providing a survey of data, the
book presents several interesting and
original contributions, and an extensive
bibliography.
The book was written in order to pro-
vide background material for cycle
studies and to point up promising re-
search topics. Available kinds of data are
evaluated, ranging in sophistication from
fur returns to the capture-recapture
census. A technique is demonstrated for
calculating fiducial limits around mean
intervals in serially correlated series of
random numbers, the series being of
various lengths. If the mean interval of a
series of census figures of comparable
length lies outside the confidence limits
given (98% and 95%), the series is con-
sidered non-random, or cyclic in the
strict sense. By means of this technique
evaluations are made of census figures on
the local, regional, and continental levels
in the New and Old Worlds.
The criterion of synchrony is adopted
as of great importance in the validation
of cycles; “strict regularity” is abandoned
as a criterion, and the term “ten-year
cycle” is retained as “a useful description
of the non-random long-term fluctua-
tions” of certain North American fur-
bearers and gallinaceous birds, and the
snowshoe hare. The latitudinal and other-
wise geographical progression of con-
tinental cycles is discussed, as is the
order of amplitude of well-studied ex-
amples. Other characteristics of cycles
and of cycling populations reviewed in-
REVIEWS 55
clude reproduction, mortality, popula-
tion structure, pathology, and_ beha-
viour.
The last chapter is a review of the
various explanations that have been pro-
posed to account for the ten-year cycle.
The series of population estimates upon
which the generalization rests are not
equivalent to serially correlated random
number series, and the well-known hypo-
thesis of Palmgren and Cole must there-
fore be rejected. Postulated meteoro-
logical influences have the merit of ex-
plaining the synchrony so important in
the earlier review; when sought, how-
ever, they cannot be found, or, if found,
they cannot be related convincingly to
the species concerned. Various theories
including those implicating predator-
prey and relaxation oscillation are ex-
amined. In conclusion, Keith states that
he is “convinced, and assuredly many
others are as well, that none of the fore-
going hypotheses can adequately ac-
count for the ten-year cycle”, and pro-
poses a long-term, comprehensive field
study by a diversified team of specialists.
Most students of cycles have been
convinced of their general validity by
certain very impressive series of popula-
tion indices, notably lynx pelt returns of
the Hudson’s Bay Company. Field work,
however, has failed to establish a uni-
versal cause for the declines observed and
has even given indications that the con-
spicuous causes, pathological conditions,
for example, may be relatively unimpor-
tant. Cycles observed in laboratory
populations seem to have little direct
relevance to those studied in the field,
and Keith makes no attempt to fit the ten-
year cycle into the formal ecological
framework that has been constructed
around the laboratory data. There is no
discussion of the nature of an oscillatory
biological system. Hutchinson’s observa-
tion, from a symposium (1954, Journal
of Wildlife Management 18) to which
reference is made, that a population
might “resonate” by virtue of its intrin-
sic characters such as life history chro-
56 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
nology, to one or a combination of subtle
environmental frequencies, was perhaps
considered too general for inclusion.
Similarly the views of Dunbar (1960,
American Naturalist 94) on the insta-
bility of immature ecosystems were not
discussed. A hypothesis recently put
forward by Chitty (1960, Canadian
Journal of Zoology 38) relating the four-
year vole cycle to a postulated general
autoregulatory capacity of animal popu-
lations may have application to the ten-
year cycle and should pehaps have been
mentioned.
In my opinion a major short-coming
of Keith’s approach is his apparent re-
jection of earlier contributions to the
problem of cycles. Surely each piece of
research on the ten-year cycle, and each
contribution to the conceptual side of
the problem, has left certain questions
unanswered and certain hypotheses un-
tested. It would seem unfortunate to
abandon the patient, particulate unravel-
ling of the problems involved along the
lines already begun in favour of a totally
new start. Modern experimental methods
in ecology have perhaps barely had time
to prove themselves wanting in the
answering of the many questions remain-
ing.
The nature of the evidence for the
validity of the ten-year cycle is such that
a completely nonpartisan book might be
impossible to write: the phenomenon,
for example, seems confined to certain
species within a certain area, and it is
dificult not to introduce a bias when
selecting the reports to be evaluated. The
scepticism of the reader is nonetheless
occasionally aroused by such statements
as ‘when the effects of extensive habitat
restoration schemes and regulated trap-
ping .. . are added to the profound in-
fluences of adverse water conditions,
snowfall, etc., . . . it is, I think, surprising
that any semblance of regularity should
still prevail” (pp. 43-4), or, “There is
perhaps still a suggestion of a cycle in
the Ontario data” (p. 50). A reference
to a discussion by Lack of the adreno-
pituitary exhustion hypothesis is infelici-
Vol. 78
tous: “only as long as such mortality does
not in the long run have survival value”
(p. 112), harking as it does to the no-
man’s land of population selection.
In conclusion this book can only be
welcomed. It is attractively produced
and well written. It provides a concise
summary of cycle research and available
census series, and a very useful biblio-
graphy. North American cycle research
is once again, with the development of
modern techniques and concepts, an at-
tractive field of study, as it was when
Clarke and MacLulich made their
famous contributions. The orderly addi-
tion to our knowledge of population
regulation in wild species will un-
doubtedly in time make possible an un-
derstanding of what Rowan called
“Canada’s premier problem of animal
conservation.”
A. H. MacpHerson
Canadian Wildlife Service
Ottawa, Ontario
The Birds
By Rocer Tory Prererson and the Epirors of
Life. Time Inc., New York. 1963. 192 pp.
Profusely illustrated (64 pp. in full color).
$3.95.
This is the twelfth in Life’s Nature
Library series. In this handsome book
lucid writing is combined with drawings
and colored photographs to give the
reader a clear and up-to-date account of
a great many aspects of birds.
Beginning with the origin, evolution,
and classification of birds it takes the
reader enjoyably through such subjects
as bird anatomy and particular avian
adaptations (especially for flight) the
mechanics of flight, food and feeding
adaptations, distribution, numbers, mi-
gration, navigation, communication, the
breeding cycle, man-bird relationships,
and many other subjects too numerous to
mention.
One noteworthy feature is an up-to-
date breakdown of the numbers of bird
species (1) known to occur or to have
te Sion
1954
occurred, and (2) known to breed, in
each of the countries of North America
and Europe. For the United States and
Canada figures are given for each state
and province. This is the first published
attempt to bring together these figures on
such a wide scope.
The numerous colored photographs are
outstanding, sometimes spectacular.
They, with many drawings and paintings,
illustrate and clarify the text. The latter
is extremely readable and authentic. The
book contains a useful bibliography and
closes with a five-page (four columns
each) index. It is an outstanding popular
treatment of the ways of birds.
W. Eart Goprrey
Principles in Mammalogy
By Davip E. Davis and Frank B. Gottey.
Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New
York. 1963. 335 pp. $8.50.
This excellent textbook follows com-
petitively on the heels of Cockrum’s
“Introduction to mammalogy” recently
reviewed by me (Canadian Field-
Naturalist, 77:54). However, the two
works approach mammalogy with dif-
ferent emphasis. Cockrum leans heavily
towards taxonomy while Davis and Gol-
ley are oriented towards ecology. The
authors say that “The material is selected
to provide an idea of how the mammal
lives, not only in its environment, but in
association with other mammals as well”.
Chapter titles include “The Kinds of
Animals”, “The Nature of Adaptation
and Evolution”, “Adaptation”, “The Evo-
lution of Mammals”, “Zoogeography”,
“Reproductive Processes”, “Mammalian
Populations”, “Metabolism of Popula-
tions” and “Activity and Behavior”.
I find the book generally well written
and authoritative. The references are
numerous, although they largely ignore
work done outside of the United States
of America. The book is attractively
REVIEWS 57
bound and well printed, although some
graphs and line drawings appear to have
been rushed to meet a deadline. There is
some lack of evenness between chapters,
probably reflecting the division of sub-
jects between the authors. Chapter seven
is in some places awkwardly written, for
instance (p. 165): “Of some importance
in understanding the lives of mammals is
a knowledge of the clitorus .. .” and (p.
168) “Whales keep the testes within the
abdomen at all times and the penis is held
inasac...’. The statement that “rodents
are entirely spontaneous ovulators . . .” is
incorrect. A serious omission is the failure
to include A. V. Nalbandov’s “Reproduc-
tive Physiology” among the references
for this chapter.
A keener taxonomic eye would have
prevented the inclusion of a nonexistent
species of whale in a table on page 90.
However, the book is relatively free of
typographical errors.
A professional mammalogist will find
he has no choice but to own both Davis
and Golley’s, “Principles in mammalogy”
and Cockrum’s, “Introduction to mam-
malogy”. The teacher of a course in
mammalogy will consider himself for-
tunate to be in a position to choose from
two texts.
Parti. M. YouNGMANn
The Monarch of Mularchy Mountain
By Bruce S. Wricutr. Brunswick Press,
Fredericton, N.B. 1963. 149 pages, 40 illus-
trations. $3.95.
This book consists of a collection of
five stories concerning familiar Canadian
mammals: the white-tailed deer; eastern
panther, or mountain lion; black bear;
bobcat and moose. The chapters are not
disconnected however. The scene is the
same in each story—Mularchy Mountain
and the Burnt River Valley, N.B., and
the main actor of each chapter appears
briefly in the previous chapter in a minor
role. For each species, birth, death and
58 Tue CANabIAN Fiectp-NaATuRALIST
the annual cycle of events concerned
with the four seasons are described.
The natural homeostatic processes in
wildlife populations which tend to main-
tain an integrated community are
stressed. The disruptive forces of human
activity are highlighted and the benefits
to be reaped by sportsmen and farmers
in a balanced biotic community are
pointed out. The game warden and the
wildlife biologist play important roles in
interpreting the wildlife community to
the local populace.
The excellent illustrations, gleaned
from the files of the U.S. Fish and Wild-
life Service, Canadian Wildlife Service,
N.B. Travel Bureau and Colorado Fish
and Game Department, have been clever-
ly worked into the text. The style is
straightforward, even facile in spots,
particularly the description of the stalk
of the white-tail buck—the Monarch of
Mularchy Mountain.
This book is a useful first reader in
animal ecology and wildlife management,
set in the Canadian scene, for students
from about grades seven to ten.
A. W. F. BanFieLp
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
A Sharing of Joy
By Martna Repen. Harcourt, Brace and
World Inc,, New York. 1963. 183 pp. $4.95.
The dust jacket of this volume proudly
announces its content as “The true story
of amazing friendships in a mountain wil-
derness” (italics mine). If the potential
reader is worried that this might indicate
a somewhat anthropomorphic approach
by Miss Reben, a quick sample of chapter
Vol. 78
headings —““Goose Ways”, “Treetop
Tumblers”, “Duck People”, “Miss Prim-
sy’s Last Flight” or names for individual
animals—“Goosie”, “Philander”, “Dump-
ling” or “Wee Willie Winkie” will serve
to assure him that the assumption is en-
tirely warranted. However, despite this,
the text is readable, sincere and entertain-
ing and is reasonably free from the
exaggerations which usually accompany
an approach of this type.
The mountain wilderness is the fast
shrinking forest of the Adirondack
Mountains of New York State, and the
amazing friendships include a variety of
animals, both domestic and wild, from
goat to bear to wasp, which at various
times lived near or with the author.
Miss Reben received her first oppor-
tunity to live out-of-doors after spending
three years in a sanatorium, bedridden
with tuberculosis. Her writing has the
genuine enthusiasm of one who suddenly
contacts a previously unappreciated por-
tion of life. The personalization of the
animals encountered arises from this en-
thusiasm and from the conviction that
each has its own individual qualities.
Her introduction mirrors both her en-
thusiasm and her approach: “I doubt that
one can really know a wild animal unless
it has full freedom in natural surround-
ings. ... 1 have tried not only to show
the extraordinary diversity of some of
the wild friends I have known, but also
to capture and thereby share a little of the
joy they have given me”. Many readers,
especially those who have had the satis-
fying yet often exasperating experience
of sharing surroundings either in nature
or at home with an animal allowed its
freedom, will enjoy this volume.
Francis R. Cook
We
NOTES
Common Egrets Nesting near
Amherstburg, Ontario
AFTER moving to Essex County, Ontario,
in 1956, I enjoyed seeing Common Egrets
(Casmerodius albus egretta) in the
marshes along the highways and feeding
in some secluded places. By the summer
of 1958, I was convinced that they were
nesting on the mainland but it was July
1959 before I located a heronry with
egret nests on the mainland between
Amherstburg and Harrow. A mixed
heronry, located on private property, has
had egrets nesting in it since 1954.
The first Common Egrets known to
nest in Canada were found in 1953 on
East Sister Island, Ontario (Langlois,
1953, Audubon Field Notes 7:306). The
following year egrets were found nesting
on islands in the Detroit River and Lake
St. Clair (1955, Jack Pine Warbler 33:8);
this is the first record of nests in Michi-
gan. With nests on islands on three sides
_of the county it was difficult to know
where the egrets that came to feed in the
marshes were nesting.
About a mile from Lake Erie and
surrounded on three sides by marsh is the
mixed heronry of about one hundred
nests in a hardwood grove composed
of elm (Ulmus americana), shagbark
hickory (Carya ovata), and oaks of dif-
ferent species. The nests vary in size but
are used by Great Blue Herons (Ardea
herodias) and Common Egrets only.
Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycti-
corax nycticorax) and Green Herons
(Butorides virescens) have been seen fly-
ing around the heronry but do not nest
there.
Young Great Horned Owls (Bubo
virgimianus ) were often seen in the woods
in the spring of 1960 and a nest of Bald
Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was
found about half a mile from the heronry.
In five years’ observations, the Com-
mon Egrets arrive from a week to ten
59
days after the Great Blue Herons to feed
in the marshes. Feeding grounds surround
the heronry, but because of variations in
water levels, the egrets are forced to
move from season to season and some-
times, as in 1958, several times within one
season.
On July 25, 1959, I first visited the
heronry. There were several nests of
egrets and when the birds were disturbed,
the egrets flew off in groups of fours and
fives. The young herons were not as far
advanced and few were flying.
A second visit was made on August 4,
with Mr. R. D. Ussher, but by this time
the birds landed in the trees and not in
the nests. As the sun set, the egrets as-
sembled to roost in a row of trees near
the heronry and fifty-five were counted.
On April 23, 1960 one week after
arrival, a pair of egrets was seen flying in
and out of the nest. On May 17, Mr. J. L.
Baillie, of the Royal Ontario Museum,
visited the heronry and saw two pairs of
egrets flying in and out of the nesting
area. Eggshells were already on the
ground as the young herons were starting
to hatch.
The first nest was never actually lo-
cated because of the thick foliage. The
second nest was in a dying elm tree with
thirteen other nests, several of which
were occupied by Great Blue Herons.
This second nest raised one young bird,
which was able to fly off after the parents
when I visited the heronry on July 23.
There were more dead herons in the
heronry this year than last, and, on
August 18, a dying young egret was
picked up on the Lake Erie shore and
sent to the Southern Research Station at
Maple.
October 15, (1960), is the latest that I
have seen egrets in the Lake Erie area.
In’ the Lake St. Clair marshes, Mr. E.
Hueghlin has seen egrets as late as Octo-
ber 30, (1959). The flocks that fly over
these marshes and roost in the trees be-
come quite a spectacle in late summer.
60 Tue CANADIAN FieLp-NATURALIST
Unfortunately the Lake Erie heronry was
25 miles from my home and the nests
could only be observed on weekends. I
should like to acknowledge the help of
Mr. R. D. Ussher, Park Naturalist of
Rondeau Provincial Park, in this project.
WINNIFRED SMITH
304 Delhi St.
Guelph, Ontario
4 April 1961
A Breeding Record For
The Bobolink in
Prince Edward Island
Tue Bosortwx, Dolichonyx oryzivorus
(L), is relatively common in suitable
areas of Nova Scotia (Tufts, 1961, The
Birds of Nova Scotia), including dyke-
lands and coastal meadows across
Northumberland Strait from Prince Ed-
ward Island. Despite the narrowness of
the strait, nine to about twenty-five miles,
the bird has been infrequently observed
in P.E.I., most visitors appearing in the
area south of Charlottetown.
In mid-July, 1955, the author first heard
the Bobolink near Grand River, Prince
County, in the western third of the pro-
vince. On June 10, 1957, a male was seen
at Bideford, Prince County, but almost
daily visits there failed to elicit further
sightings. In 1961 several observations
were made at Ellerslie, Prince County:
May 25, 1 male; May 26, 2 males, May 27,
6 males; June 1, 1 male, 1 female. On July
7 four males were seen at Bideford. A
similar record was obtained in 1962 at
Ellerslie: May 19-21, 1 male; May 26, 4
males; June 10, 3 males, 3 females; July
18, 1 male. Nests were not sought in the
latter two years but breeding probably
occurred.
Beginning May 20, 1963, five males be-
came established in a riverside meadow at
Ellerslie. On July 1, a ground nest of soft
grass was found containing six fledgelings
and one egg. The advanced young left the
nest during the observation, and the nest
was later abandoned by the family. The
parent birds were frequently observed
Vol. 78
feeding their scattered brood during the
ensuing week, and from similar beha-
viour among other adult Bobolinks the
existence of four, possibly five more nests
in the meadow was deduced. The first
flying young was seen on July 4. Singing
and general activity were suppressed
from about July 15 to 21, except for one
pair tending a late-developing brood.
After July 31 no Bobolinks were observed
at Ellerslie until August 23, when six were
seen among a large flock of mixed black-
birds feeding in harvested grain fields.
Singing males were occasionally seen
elsewhere in central Prince County dur-
ing the summer, and several reports
which accurately described the bird were
received.
Considerable meadowland lays fallow
in Prince Edward Island, offering excel-
lent habitat for the Bobolink, and it is
surprising that the species has not long
since become established. Also, Northum-
berland Strait would seem to present no
great difficulty to this long-range mi-
grant. The question arises then, whether
the Bobolink’s current extension of its
range represents a true and continuing
migration path, or a temporary displace-
ment of the Nova Scotian coastal birds
arising from population pressure there.
STANLEY E. Vass
Ellerslie, P.E.I..
17 September 1963
A Spadefoot Toad from Manitoba
THE MOST RECENT PUBLISHED RANGE MAP
of distribution of the Plains Spadefoot,
Scaphiopus bombifrons, in Saskatchewan
(Cook, 1960, Copeia (4):363-364) shows
the eastern limit as the area between
North Portal and Roche Percee, south-
east of Estevan. Incidentally noted in the
text was a single Manitoba locality,
Dauphin.
On July 22, 1963, the junior author
collected an adult Scaphiopus bombifrons
on his parents’ farm, approximately five
miles southwest of the town of Oak Lake,
scieisipi
1964
Manitoba. It was discovered while he
was hoeing raspberry plants in the gar-
den, about fifty yards from the house, and
appeared suddenly, hopping into the
open from under a raspberry bush. It was
probably disturbed, perhaps unearthed,
by the hoeing. The weather was bright
and sunny and the time about 3 p.m.
The specimen has the darkly pigmented
throat of a male in breeding condition.
It has been catalogued as NMC 7379 and
measures (after preservation) 55 mm
snout-vent length and 18 mm tibia. It
has been compared with Saskatchewan
material of the species and agrees in
colour and proportions.
The Dauphin collection, NMC 1863,
Dauphin, Manitoba, July 25, 1935, C. M.
Sternberg, has been re-examined. It con-
sists of three immature, probably re-
cently transformed, specimens which
measure 28, 24 and 23 mm snout-vent.
The senior author had previously doubted
the provenance of this collection due to
the lack of additional specimens from
Manitoba and because the locality lies in a
northern extension of the forest and
grassland region of Rowe (1959, Forest
Regions of Canada). All known localities
of the spadefoot in Alberta and Saskat-
chewan lie within the grassland region
of these provinces (Cook, unpublished
data). Communication with the collector,
C. M. Sternberg, has verified that he
was in the Dauphin area at the date of
collection, although he does not recall the
specimen nor the circumstances of cap-
ture. The later is of little significance
after a lapse of twenty-eight years.
The Oak Lake locality is also within
the forest and grassland region. This
region is a mixture of prairie and aspen
woodland in which the grassland areas
apparently supply habitat for Scaphiopus.
Bird (1961, Ecology of the Aspen Park-
land of Western Canada) has indicated
that the southern border of this region
fluctuates, and that since 1900 it has pro-
bably extended considerably southward
into the formerly pure grassland. It is
possible that these collections represent
NoTEs 61
relict populations of spadefoots from a
period of more northern extension of
the grassland region. However, the
species may be wide-spread within grass-
land areas throughout the grassland and
forest region and have evaded discovery
due to their nocturnal habits and sporadic
(only after heavy rains) breeding. Al-
though the senior author and R. A.
Henry spent July and August, 1960, col-
lecting reptiles and amphibians in south-
western and south-central Manitoba, in-
cluding brief periods in the Daphin and
Oak Lake regions, their failure to find
Scaphiopus must have been due to its
secretiveness.
Francis R. Coox
Davip R. M. Hatcu
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, and
Oak Lake, Manitoba
11 October 19638
A Weevil in the Ear of Child
at London, Ontario
On May 5, 1963, at 4.00 p.m., a six year
old girl at London, Ontario, complained
of having “a butterfly in my ear”. When
her right ear was examined the posterior
end of a beetle was seen moving about in
the external ear. When removed from the
ear the insect was alive and active and
proved to be a Sweet Clover Weevil,
Sitona cylindricollis Fahr., identified by
Mr. W. J. Brown, Entomology Research
Institute, Department of Agrciulture,
Ottawa. The specimen is preserved in the
collection of the Department of Zoology,
University of Western Ontario. After
the weevil had been removed the child
reported no further discomfort. It had
evidently entered the ear when the child
was playing in the grass in a backyard.
Horsfall (1962. Medical Entomology.
Ronald Press, New York) records that
people have experienced pain as a result
of small beetles entering an ear and then
crawling over the ear drum. Specific
cases of such invasion by scarabeid
62 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
beetles are reported by Hallock (1936.
Life history and control of the Asiatic
garden beetle. U.S. Department of Agri-
culture Circular 246) and Metcalfe, Flint
and Metcalfe (1951. Destructive and Use-
ful Insects. McGraw-Hill, New York).
Maddock and Fenn (1958. Human ear in-
vasions by adult scarabeid beetles. Jour-
nal of Economic Entomology, 51:546-
547) record invasions of the ears of 186
people at a scout jamboree in Pennsyl-
vania. The scarabeid beetles Cyclocephala
borealis and Autoserica castanea were 1n-
volved in these cases and caused pain
because the tibial spines of the beetles
pierced the skin of the ear canal.
Wiiiam W. Jupp
Department of Zoology
University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario
12 September 1963
Mass Mortality of Gulls at
Rondeau Park, Lake Erie
On Aucusr 22, 1963, the writers found a
large number of dead and dying gulls
along a beach at Rondeau Provincial
Park, Ontario. This section of beach runs
west from the south end of Rondeau
Park Road; it is composed mainly of
sand, and is some 1.25 miles in length.
Along this beach, eighty dead and four
dying gulls were found. In addition,
several swam a few yards offshore and
refused to flush. Unlike most dead gulls
found along beaches, most of these birds
appeared intact and quite fresh. Four
Ring-billed Gulls, Larus delawarensis,
two adults and two immatures, crouched
low with their eyes open, and allowed
themselves to be picked up without
struggling. The dead consisted of sixty-
two Ring-billed Gulls, fourteen Herring
Gulls, Larus argentatus, and four Bona-
parte’s Gulls, Larus philadelphia. One
dead immature Ring-billed Gull carried
band No. 585-77425. No dead terns were
noted although both Common Tern,
Vol. 78
Sterna hirundo, and Caspian Tern, Hy-
droprogne caspia, were abundant in the
area.
No signs of “oiling” were found on the
plumage of any of the birds. It is con-
ceivable that the mass mortality may
have been due to local water pollution.
Doucias D. Dow
M. AnNE Dow
Department of Zoology
University of British Columbia
Vancouver 8, Canada
15 October 1963
Three New Bird Records for
Prince Edward Island
In W. Eart Goprrey’s Birds of Prince
Edward Island (1954, National Museum
of Canada Bulletin 132) Mr. Godfrey
states, “It is hoped that the present re-
port will stimulate ornithological ob-
servation on the island and that observers
will publish such additional information
as comes to their attention”. My bird-
watching activities there each summer
enable me to report the following three
new species for this Province.
Little Blue Heron Florida caerulea. On
August 20, 1958, I learned that a large
white bird had been shot by Wilfred
Saunders near one of the fish hatchery
breeding ponds at Tyne Valley, fifteen
miles northwest of Summerside. It had
been passed to a local storekeeper for
safekeeping in his freezer on August 10,
1958. I obtained it from him and sent it
by air express to the National Museum
of Canada, Ottawa, and received word
back that it was the first record of the
Little Blue Heron for Prince Edward
Island and that the specimen had been
prepared for the research collection of
the Museum.
Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus.
Eric Holdway recorded the first Willets
observed in Prince Edward Island. Mas-
ter of the ferry Lord Selkirk which runs
between Caribou, Nova Scotia, and
Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island,
1964
Captain Holdway takes advantage of the
opportunity to keep complete records of
birds seen during the fourteen mile
crossings. On July 4, 1958, hearing birds
calling, he observed three feeding on the
mud flats 150 feet from his ship, docked
at Wood Islands. Identifying them as
Willets, he gave two quick blasts of the
ship’s whistle, startling them so that he
was able to see plainly the flashy wing-
pattern. On August 10, 1958, I saw two
Willets at Covehead and one August 29,
1963, at Rustico Island, both areas being
in the National Park of the Province.
Since the breeding range of this species
is extending, observers should be on the
lookout for evidence of breeding in
Prince Edward Island.
Stilt Sandpiper Micropalama himanto-
pus. Near one end of the bridge at Cove-
head there is a sizeable brackish pond
between the road and the ocean beach.
- On August 30, 1963, as I drove by, I
noted a Greater Yellowlegs and then a
much smaller bird wading up to its belly
and although I did not at once see its legs
it did not look like a Lesser Yellowlegs
but appeared to be something different.
Flushing it first from one side of the pond
and then from the other I knew I was
looking at my first Stilt Sandpiper, a bird
very uncommon on the Atlantic Coast.
At one time when the Greater Yellow-
legs and the Stilt Sandpiper were feeding
together the difference in their bills was
plainly noticeable, the latter bird’s bill
showing a tapering and droop at the tip.
Later, when I was watching from my car,
it emerged from the water fifty feet
away and | was able to see its greenish
legs in a good light. After a thorough
preening it took off in a westerly direc-
tion and finally disappeared from view.
An examination of a study skin of this
species in Fall plumage in the Nova
Scotia Museum of Science further con-
firmed my identification.
Witetr J. Mitts
5486 Spring Garden Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia
31 October 1963
Notes 63
An Eastern Spiny Soft-shelled
Turtle from Quebec Province
A HATCHING FEMALE Eastern Spiny Soft-
Shelled Turtle, Trionyx spinifer spinifer,
was captured (by J. L.) at Ile Perrot,
Quebec, in late August 1962. Ile Perrot
is at the junction of the Ottawa and St.
Lawrence rivers.
The site of the capture is a small bay
downstream from Brussy Point, one-half
mile downstream from the bridges con-
necting the towns of Ile Perrot and Ste.-
Anne-de-Bellevue, at approximately 73°
57’ W., 45° 22.8’ N. (All names and
measurements from the “St. Lawrence-
Lake St. Louise” chart published by the
Hydrographic and Map Service, Ottawa,
1939),
The turtle was found about fifteen feet
from shore while crawling across a small
mudbank which was about two feet wide
and surrounded by water on all sides.
The bay is very shallow—one to two feet
deep—with a fine sand and mud bottom
and with dense subaquatic vegetation.
The shore is boulders and sand, reed
fringed, and backed with low shrubs
growing in swampy ground which is
flooded in spring. The head of a second
turtle of the same species was seen at the
same time. This second turtle was ob-
viously an adult since the head and neck
exposed above water was estimated to be
about two inches long.
There are no known collected speci-
mens of this turtle from Quebec Pro-
vince. Logier and Toner (1961. Checklist
of amphibians and reptiles of Canada and
Alaska, The Royal Ontario Museum)
list it for Iberville, Quebec, on the
Richelieu River. According to Mélancon
(1950. Inconnu et méconnu. La Société
Zoologique de Québec) it is occasionally
captured in the Richelieu River. Clarke
(1908. The Ottawa Naturalist. 22:7-14)
reports it from L’Ange Gardien, and
Alexandre (1937. Les Tortues du Qué-
bec, Bibliotheque des Jeunes Naturalistes,
Société Canadienne d’Histoire Naturelle,
Tract No. 39) from Lake Champlain and
64 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
the Richelieu River. We also have a sight
record with a photograph from the Pike
River where it enters Mississquoi Bay of
Lake Champlain at approximately 73° 06’
W., 45° 04’ N. (P.C.: Hon. Mr. Justice
G. M. Montgomery).
The turtle is still alive and in captivity.
The carapace was estimated to be about
30 mm long at the time of capture; at the
time of writing (October 1963) it has
grown to 97 mm. During this time it has
been fed on earthworms and pieces of
raw fish and raw meat.
It will eventually be deposited in the
National Museum of Canada, Ottawa.
JosEpH Lovriry
Norris DENMAN
34 Sixth Avenue
Tle Perrot, Quebec, and
350 William Birks St.
St. Bruno, Quebec
2 October 1968
Breeding Record for the
Bufflehead West of the Coast
Range in British Columbia
‘THE FOLLOWING NOTE REVIEWS the nesting
records for the Buflehead Bucephala
albeola (L.) west of the coast range sum-
mit in Canada, and presents the first
record of Bufflehead breeding on Van-
couver Island, British Columbia. Brooks
(1917, Auk 34:34) reported a female
Bufflehead and three young on Sumas
Lake, B.C., and Taverner (1919, Condor
21:80-86) reported a brood seen by
Spreadborough near Hazelton, B.C.
These appear to represent the only re-
corded nesting records for the Bufflehead
west of the coast range summit. Anthony
Erskine (pers. comm.) of the Canadian
Wildlife Service considers these two
records as accidentals (here meaning a
breeding record in an area outside the.
defined and accepted breeding range of
the species).
The following is a summary of inform-
ation I collected on two small ponds two
miles north of Middle Quinsam Lake
Vol. 78
(at49> S96 vlong.31255929 \e Vancouver
Island. The data are supplemented by
notes supplied through correspondence
with William Munro, of the Canadian
Wildlife Service, and James Bendell and
Peter Elliott, of the University of
British Columbia.
1960. Pond Number 1.
May 29—female with four downy
young about 8-10 days old (“1 b” stage,
1954, Gallop and Marshall, Mississippi
Flyway Council and Technical Council.
A guide for aging duck broods in the
field) and a female with eight 4-6 days
old (“1 a” stage) downy young. Two
males and a broodless female were also
present. :
June 19—two adult females but no
young.
1961. Pond Number 1.
June 7—Elliott observed female buffle-
head leaving nesting hole.
June 9—female with nine downy young
(Elliott).
1961. Pond Number 2.
June, between the 13th and the 20th—
female and two downy young seen by
Munro.
1962. Pond Number 1.
No date—female and brood seen several
times (Elliott). ;
For a number of summers prior to 1960,
Buffieheads were reported in this area
though no positive evidence of breeding
was detected (Bendell pers. comm.).
These records clearly establish the
Bufflehead as a breeding bird of the
Quinsam area for the years 1960 through
1962.
It is interesting to speculate on some of
the reasons responsible for this recent
invasion. A comparison of the structure
of the vegetation in the Quinsam burn
area, with that of established bufflehead
breeding range, for example the Cariboo
district, suggests much similarity. The
following is a description of the vegeta-
tional structure of the Quinsam area.
Thirty-two thousand acres of logged and
mature timber were burned in 1951. The
present successional stage has much bare
ground, charred stumps, recently planted
jee
1964: Notes 65
conifer seedlings, and open to dense
thickets of willow (Salix spp.) and alder
(Alnus oregona). Salal (Gaultherta shal-
lon), bracken (Pteridium aquilium),
blackberry (Rubus macropetalus), and
hare’s ear (Hypochaeris radicata) are the
shrubs and herbs in greatest abundance.
The ponds are ringed by dead and living
mature conifers which escaped both axe
and fire. The first pond, about four acres
in size, is mud bottomed and bordered by
a floating sphagnum mat. A few feet from
the water’s edge this mat supports a thick
layer of sweet gale (Myrica gale) and
labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum).
On the east and west sides of the pond
this gives way to the soils of the original
; pond edge which supports salal and a
narrow ring of tall conifers, Douglas fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii), western red
cedar (Thuja plicata), and western hem-
lock (Tsuga heterophylla). Beyond the
edge of the pond is the open burn. At
a
_marily . cedars, surrounding it.
the north and south ends of the pond are
thickets of willow and hardhack (Spiraea
dougiasi). The second pond, about five
and a half acres in size, lacks the sphag-
num mat and the living conifers, but has
an extensive stand of dead conifers, pri-
Much
windfall makes the shoreline impene-
trable. The elevation of the ponds is
approximately 900 feet.
It is likely that extensively logged
and/or burned areas offer a habitat whose
structure fulfills the nesting require-
ments of the Buffiehead. Fires had oc-
curred in the area of Taverner’s and
Brook’s Buftlehead records. However,
British Columbia Forest Service records
of these areas are incomplete for these
early dates, and it is, therefore, impos-
sible to either fully substantiate or dis-
pute the view that similar conditions
prevailed in these areas at the time of ~
_ their records.
If, as suggested, the physiognomy of
large logged and burned areas meets the
_ breeding requirements of the Bufflehead,
it is difficult to account for the lack of
_ previous coastal nesting records in these
_ areas. These new breeding records may
represent “accidentals”, but it appears
more likely to me that they are the result
of recent invasion into a newly created
breeding range. I suggest such a popula-
tion of birds be regarded as transient.
Population densities will rise and then
fall both spatially and temporally as the
habitat progresses from an open logged
or burned area to a forest. The few
records available are, I suggest, primarily
the result of the lack of data from these
regions. No final decision can be reached,
however, without further investigation.
I] am grateful to the above contributors
for the use of their notes. Acknowledg-
ment and thanks are here given to Dr.
J. F. Bendell, and to Dr. E. M. Hagmeier
of Victoria University, for their advice
and criticism in the preparation of this
note.
Davi A. Hancock
Department of Zoology
University of British Columbia
6 November 1963
A Northern Range Extension for
Bufo americanus with Notes on
B. americanus and Rana sylvatica
Durine Jury, 1963, a National Museum
of Canada field party collected along
the coast of James and Hudson Bays
from Moosonee, Ontario, to the Port
Harrison Gulf area, Quebec. The expedi-
tion consisted of A. H. Clarke, Jr., and
D. E. McAllister, leaders, and H. D.
Athearn.
Only two species of herptiles were seen
during the course of collecting which
was concentrated on fresh and salt water
mollusks and fish. Due to the paucity of
records from the area all herptile speci-
mens are reported here. Numbers pre-
fixed NMC are National Museum of
Canada catalogue numbers.
Bufo americanus: Quesec: NMC 7383,
Eastmain, July 5 (1 specimen); NMC
7385, at RCAF Station, Great Whale
River, July 8 (1); NMC 7387, 2-3 miles
up from mouth of Deer River, Rich-
66 Tue CANapDIAN FreLp-NaATURALIST
mond Gulf, July 19 (1); Onrartio: NMC
7389, Creek tributary to Moose River,
Moosonee, July 26 GN.
The Deer River specimen (56° 17’N.,
76° 10’ W.) represents an approximately
85 mile range extension from the pre-
viously known northern limit of this
species at Great Whale River (Logier
and Toner, 1961, Checklist of the Amphi-
bians and Reptiles of Canada and Alaska).
The Moosonee specimen shows the
greatest resemblance to the disputed race
B. a. copei in having a strongly con-
trasted pattern, wide mid-dorsal stripe,
heavily spotted and reticulated venter,
and long, narrow parotoid glands. The
other specimens show a south to north
cline from the Moosonee to the Deer
River specimen which is more-or-less
typically B. a. americanus with only
partial ventral spotting.
The habitat for the Deer River speci-
men was a grassy area bordered by a low
muddy river bank on one side and clumps
of willow, reaching a height of four to
five feet, on the other. Richmond Gulf
is at the northern limit of the tree line on
the east coast of Hudson Bay. Spruce
grew on the opposite bank of the river
but not on the side where the collection
was made.
Specimens were 63, 70, 69 and 65 mm
respectively. The Deer River toad is a
male, probably in breeding condition,
with a dark throat vocal sac.
Two collections of toad tadpoles were
made. NMC 7393, Fort George River,
17 mi. E. of Fort George, Quebec, July
17, was taken in rock pools at the edge
of rapids. The nineteen specimens were
staged as follows: 29 (1), 32 (1), 33 (5),
359 1(5)5 7 3690,(2) NMG 76l0sistreana, aN;
central Burton Lake (S. of Great Whale
River), Quebec, July 24. Three tadpoles
staged at 35 (1), 43 (2). The stages fol-
low Gosner (1960, Herpetologica 16 (3):
183-190).
Rana sylvatica: Quesec: NMC 7382,
Eastmain River, 1 mi. E. of Eastmain,
July 3 (2); NMC 7384, Bank of Fort
Vol. 78
George River, 8 mi. E. of Fort George,
July 3 (2); NMC 7386, Deer River 2-3
miles up from mouth, Richmond Gulf,
July 19 (6); Ontario: NMC 7388, Creek
tributary to Moose River, July 26 (1).
The Deer River specimens are imma-
tures, 28 to 25 mm snout-vent length, and
all lack a dorsal line. Specimens from the
other localities are 40-49 mm and all have
a dorsal line. Logier and Toner (1961)
give George River as the northern
locality on this coast. Bleakney (1954,
Canadian Field-Naturalist 68(4):165-171)
cites a collection from Richmond Gulf.
One collection of tadpoles was made,
NMC 7609, N. central Burton Lake, Que-
bec, July 24. Two tadpoles were staged
as above at 31 (1) and 32 (1).
Bleakney (1958, National Museum of .
Canada, Bulletin 155, table 3, p. 67; map
5, p. 74) delineated herpetofauna zones
in eastern Canada. Zone 6 contains Bufo
americanus, Rana sylvatica and Rana
septentrionalis; zone 7 contains only the
latter two species. At the east coast of
Hudson Bay the northern limit of zone
6, which is based on the northern limit
of Bufo americanus, must now be moved
from Great Whale River to Richmond
Gulf, making it synonymous with the
northern limit of zone 7 at this point.
Future collecting will establish if Bufo
americanus ranges as far north as Rana
sylvatica at all points, thus eliminating
zone 7, or if the Richmond Gulf situa-
tion is caused by some factor such as
a warming effect at the coast while the
inland areas remain validly differentiated
into two zones.
No frogs were observed at Port Har-
rison, north of Richmond Gulf, nor on
any the coastal islands visited between
Great Whale River and Port Harrison.
I am indebted to the collectors for the
specimens, their field notes, and their
permission and encouragement to report
on these specimens.
Francis R. Cook
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
8 October 1968
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AFFILIATED SOCIETIES
Edmonton Bird Club
President, H. J. Montcomery; Vice-President,
Dr. V. E. Lewin; Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. W. G.
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Honorary President, Dr. M. Y. Wiu1AMs; Past
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E he CANADIAN“
FIELD-NATURALIST
Published by THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’ CLUB, Ottawa, Ontario
_ Articles
; Winter Mortality among Red-necked Grebes (Colymbus grisegena) in Ontario
ANTOON DE Vos and Arsert FE. ALIN 67
A Eke of Vascular Plants from around Ogac Lake, South Coast of
Frobisher Bay, N.W.T. Tan A. McLaren 70
Preliminary Trials of a Camera Recording Device for the Study of Small Mammals
C. H. Buckner 77
‘4 Local Distribution of Two Voles: Evidence for Interspecific Interaction
Garrett C. CLoucH 80
_ New Bird Records from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
ANTHONY J. Erskine 89
_ Potentilla stipularis L. and Draba sibirica (Pall.) Thell. New to North America
. A. E. Porsttp 92
Vole Populations in Southwestern Ontario Rosert H. Stinson 98
- A Plant Collection from Southwest Newfoundland — John Bell, 1867
IsaBeL L, Bayty 107
- Reviews 119
_ Birds of the Labrador Peninsula and Adjacent Areas — Birds of the Lake Athabasca Region,
Saskatchewan — Cacti and Other Succulents — Handbook of North American Birds,
Vol. 1. Loons through Flamingos — Minnesota’s Rocks and Waters: A Geological Story
—Les Libellules du Québec — Investigations in the Natural History of the Soviet Far East.
Notes
‘Changing Status of the Cowbird in Prince Edward Island Stantey E. Vass 125
_ Some Interesting Plants in the Baron Canyon in Algonquin Park Mary I. Moore 125
The Holotype of the Franklin Grouse (Canachites franklinit) I. McT. Cowan 127
_ Bushy-tailed Wood Rat in the Peace River District, Alberta A. W. F. Banrietp 128
_ The Stonecat, Noturus flavus, Newly Recorded in Alberta J. R. Nursaty and Victor Lewin 128
' Letter to the Editor Douetas E. Wane 130
| Can. Field Nat. | Vol. 78 | No. 2 | p. 67-130 | Ottawa, April-June 1964
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Ser sé 196
The Canadian Field-Naturalist — sasvarc
UNIVERSITY,
VoLuME 78 : APRIL-JUNE 1964 Numser 2
WINTER MORTALITY AMONG RED-NECKED GREBES
(Colymbus grisegena) IN ONTARIO
ANTOON DE Vos AND ALBERT E. ALLIN,
Department of Zoology, Federated Colleges, Guelph, Ontario ;
and Regional Laboratory, Ontario Department of Health, Fort William, Ontario
DuRING LATE FEBRUARY and early March 1963, many reports came into the
offices of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests and the Ontario
Humane Society stating that Red-necked Grebes, Colymbus grisegena, had
been found stranded, either dead or alive, in unlikely places on land. Because
it was suspected that further information could be obtained, an inquiry was
launched, the results of which will be discussed.
The Red-necked Grebe was considered a bird of the Prairies, but during
recent decades it has shown a tendency to extend its summer range into the
Great Lakes area. It has been found nesting near Burlington at the western
end of Lake Ontario since 1943 (Speirs et al., 1944), and in the Cochrane
District in northern Ontario since 1955 (Snyder, 1957).
This species has been found wintering on Lake Ontario near Toronto, near
Niagara Falls, on Lake Erie near Ashtabula, Ohio, and on Lake Michigan
(Bent, 1919). Snyder (1929) reported that a specimen was sent in to the
Royal Ontario Museum on January 16, 1929, which was picked up from a
local marsh near Kingston, Ontario. In another paper (Snyder, 1930) he
reported that on December 12, 1929, during a heavy sleet storm many grebes
had landed on Toronto streets. By mid-afternoon of the thirteenth, twenty-
seven live birds had been picked up. By December 15 a total of thirty-seven
had been reported for Toronto. One other specimen was reported to have
been captured at Brantford, Ontario. Not all birds passing through the
Toronto area were stranded, as indicated by several individuals observed
along the waterfront on December 14.
Forbush (1925) stated that the species is seldom seen in the interior
~ of southern New England, except when severe cold waves freeze up the Great
rere eo
Lakes or other large lakes westward in which, in ordinary seasons, many of
the birds pass the winter. According to him, in trying to escape to open
water, many grebes become fatigued and fall or alight on the snow or ice in
New England, eastern New York and New Jersey.
Todd (1940) states on pages 35 and 36 “in the winter it prefers the sea
coast but sometimes remains on the Great Lakes”: He adds, “there are
February records for this grebe from Erie, Warren, Clinton, Armstrong and
Washington Counties. If not pertaining to birds that were actually wintering
where they were found, these records must indicate a considerable wandering
Mailing date of this number: 28 August, 1964
67
68 Tue CANADIAN FieLtp-NaTuRALIST Vol. 78
at certain times from a presumed winter habitat elsewhere, probably Lake
Erie. This explanation is suggested by the fact that Mr. Simpson has on
several occasions found this grebe at Warren early in February during bliz-
zards. Some were picked up in an exhausted condition, due apparently to
lack of food.”
Janet C. Green obtained several reports of Red-necked Grebes wintering
at the extreme western end of Lake Superior near Duluth, Minnesota:
1 bird on Nov. 1, 1961 (The Flicker, 33(4): 114, 1961)
1 bird on Feb. 19, 1962 (The Flicker, 34(1): 22, 1962)
1 bird on Dec. 6, 1962 (The Flicker, 34(4): 114, 1962)
1bird;von Jan: 5,,.1963 (fhe Elicker; 35,( 1h): 1557 1963))
1 bird on Jan. 15, 1963 (The Flicker, 35(1): 15, 1963)
S. D. Robbins (im letter dated March 14, 1963) stated that there are no
winter records for Wisconsin, but that little winter work has been done along
the Lake Superior shore of Wisconsin. His latest date for the state is November
16, 1951 at Milwaukee. Probably the specimen seen on March 5, 1962 at
Madison (Audubon Field Notes 16(3): 331, 1962) was a very early arrival.
W. Nickell (im letter dated March 7, 1963) reported that there were no winter
records for Lake Michigan. _
Records about observations of grebes in Ontario during the winter were
obtained from the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests (courtesy Mr. R.
E. Mason), the Ontario Humane Society (courtesy Mr. T. I. Hughes), and
The Ontario Naturalist (1(2): 33, 1963 (Table 1). In addition to data con-
tained in Table 1, “numbers” were found in snow drifts in the Paisley-Wing-
ham area (Ontario Naturalist, 1963).
An analysis of data covering winter 1962-63 suggests that the largest
number of grebes was displaced during the second half of the month of Feb-
ruary. It also suggests that the majority of these displaced birds were found
in a relatively restricted section of the peninsula of southern Ontario, namely
Bruce, Grey, Simcoe, Huron and Wellington Counties. It should be stated
here that personnel of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests could
not obtain any records in reply to our questionnaire from area west and east
of those referred to in Table 1. As will be noticed, the majority of the grebes
were alive when found. The bird found in early March on the shore of
Inverhuron Park was perhaps netted. Most grebes were found on roads or
road shoulders. Perhaps roads bare of snow have a special attraction for
displaced grebes.
What may cause large numbers of grebes to become stranded on land
during the winter? The most obvious answer that comes to mind is certain
weather conditions.
The winter of 1962-63 was unusually severe, which resulted in all of the
Great Lakes, except Lake Ontario, becoming completely covered with ice
or nearly so. Data supplied by the Meteorological Branch, Department. of
Transport, Canada, indicated that on February 15 Lake Erie had only relatively
small stretches of open water, while only very little open water could be
found at the south ends of Lakes Huron and St. Clair. On Lake Superior
there was almost no open water on February 12. These records were taken
ee ee ee
1964 ‘DE Vos AND Atitin: Morrariry AMONG GREBES 69
TABLE 1. — Records obtained of stranded Red-necked Grebes
Date Location No. | Dead | Alive Source
Dec. 13, 62 Blanchard Twp. 1 xX L&F
an. 6, 63 Cobourg 1 xX O.N.
Feb. 6, 63 W. Luther Twp., Wellington Co. 1 xX L&F
Feb. 14, 63 Fort William 1 xX A. E. Allin
Feb. 16, 63 Harriston 1 xX L&F
Feb. 20, 63 Howick Twp., Huron Co. 1 xX L&F
Feb. 20, 63 Guelph 1 >. O.H.S.
Feb. 21, 63 Barrie 3 xX O.H.S.
Feb. 22, 63 Southampton L&F
Feb. 23, 63 Kincardine Twp., Bruce Co. 1 x L&F
Feb. 23, 63 Huntsville 1 xX O.N.
Feb. 26, 63 Allendale 1 xX O.H.S.
Feb. 28, 63 Collingwood 1 xX O.H.S.
Feb. 28, 63 Stroud 1 xX O.H.S.
Feb. , 63 Glengarry Co., 14 mi. N of St. Lawrence 1 xX O.H.S.
Feb. _, 63 Blanchard Twp. 1 xX L&F
Feb. _, 63 Downie Twp. 1 xX L&F
Feb. _, 63 Ellice Twp. 1 xX L&F
Mar. 2, 63. +| Port Elgin 1 x L&F
Mar. 5, 63 Rostock, Ellice Twp. 1 Xe L&F
Mar. (early) | On shore of Inverhuron Park 1 xX L&F
Mar. 18, 63 | Guelph : 1 x O.H.S.
Mar. 23, 63 | Huron Twp., Bruce Co. 3 xX L&F
Note: February 17-23: Twelve telephone calls were investigated by Conservation Officer
G. R. Harris about grebes along sides of roads in Bruce County. Several grebes were
also found in the Wingham area. Six more calls were investigated since then.
No reports were received from the Clinton, Meaford, Lions Head and Paris area..
L&F = Ontario Department of Lands & Forests records
O.H.S. = Ontario Humane Society records s
O.N. = The Ontario Naturalist (1), 1963.
during the
period when most casualties were observed among the grebes.
Nevertheless, there was some open water. Would it be plausible that the
grebes were displaced by drifting ice or were moving from one lake to the
next and unable to find open water? The problem is not adequately solved
by this report, but further documentation might clarify the situation.
REFERENCES
Bent, A. C. 1919. Life histories of North
American diving birds. U.S. National
Museum Bulletin 107, p. 19.
Forsusu, E. H. 1925. Birds of Massachu-
setts and other New England States. Part
One — Water Birds, Marsh Birds and
Shore Birds. Massachusetts Department of
Agriculture.
Snyper, L. L. 1929. Holboell’s Grebe near
Kingston, Ontario, in midwinter. Canadian
Field-Naturalist 43(7): 166.
———. 1930. A flight of Holboell’s
Grebes (Colymbus holboelli) at Toronto.
Auk 49(2): 240-241.
1957. Changes in the avifauna
of Ontario. In: Changes in the fauna of
Ontario. Contributions of the Royal
Ontario Museum, University of Toronto
Press. 75 pp.
Speirs, J. M., G. W. Nortu, and Joun A.
Crossy. 1944. Holboell’s Grebe nesting
in southern Ontario. The Wilson Bulletin
56(4): 206-208.
Topp, W. E. C.
Pennsylvania.
Press.
1940. Birds of Western
University of Pittsburg
Received for publication 4 October, 1963
A LIST OF VASCULAR PLANTS FROM AROUND
OGAC LAKE,
SOUTH COAST OF FROBISHER BAY, N.W.T.
Ian A. McLaren R
Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Arctic Unit, 505 Pine Ave. W., Montreal 18, Que.*
‘THE PLANTS LISTED HERE were collected by several people during three seasons
at Ogac Lake at 62° 52’ N and 67° 21’ W on the south side of Frobisher Bay.
In each season plants were collected incidentally to the main program, which
was the study of the hydrography and biology of the lake, which is in fact the
almost landlocked head of a fiord, with a depauperate marine biota, including
a relict population of the Atlantic Cod Gadus morhua L. The general nature
and interest of the lake have been discussed briefly by Dunbar (1958, p.
198-199).
In 1952 R. S. McCall and A. D. Dawson, under the auspices of the Arctic
Institute of North America, made a preliminary survey of the lake between
July 16 and August 22, and collected sixty-three species of vascular plants.
In 1957 I stayed at the lake between June 1 and October 4, and my wife
Bernice, who was my sole companion and assistant, made a collection of seven
species, including nine not taken in 1952. In 1962 I made further detailed
studies at the lake between June 1 and August 28. Armed with Porsild’s
(1957) manual, my assistant Mr. T. E. Welch (who paid special attention to the
grasses and sedges) and I were able to increase the list of local plants to 124
species.
The area around the lake consists of metamorphic and igneous Precambrian
rock. The coast of Frobisher Bay here is rugged and indented with a series
of steep-sided inlets, Ogac Lake is at the head of one such inlet, Ney Harbour.
There is very little level ground around the lake, and since the lake is L-shaped,
its steep sides face in almost every direction. There are cold, barren faces
receiving very little sunlight during the day, and other slopes which are warm,
sheltered and lush with flowers. In general, the local climate is rather more
salubrious than that found even five miles away, on the coast of Frobisher Bay. —
The high, steep hills, up to 2000 feet, inhibit winds from most directions and
trap heat. The snowfall along the south coast of Frobisher Bay is unusually
high, enough to sustain the most southerly glaciers in the Archipelago, about
forty miles southeast of Ogac Lake (see Mercer, 1956).
Most previous collections from southeast Baffin Island are listed by Polunin
(1940). Since that time, the only major published collections from the region
appear to be those of Calder (1951), who lists 149 species from the head of
Frobisher Bay, which is topographically, climatically, and botanically rather
different from the Ogac Lake region. The recently described flora of the
vicinity of Merewether Crater, Northern Labrador (Gillett, 1960), is in many
ways more comparable with that from Ogac Lake.
*Present address: Marine Sciences Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
70
ee
1964 McLaren: PLants FrRoM Ocac LAKE 71
Of especial interest in southeast Baffin Island is the presence of amphi-
Atlantic and subarctic elements, otherwise found in Greenland and Labrador-
Ungava and points east or west. The three additions to the flora of the Can-
adian Arctic Archipelago given in this paper (Carex anguillata, Luzula multi-
flora ssp. frigida var. contracta, and Viscaria alpina) are all of this distribution,
and a few other species of comparable range have previously been collected
only once or twice from the Archipelago. A number of plants are found in
the Greenland flora which have not hitherto been recorded in North America
proper. It may be that the unnamed species of Erigeron discussed in this
paper will prove to be one of these. ‘The southeast corner of Baffin Island may
be important in understanding a number of phytogeographic problems, and
deserves more collecting activity.
I wish to thank Messrs. A. D. Dawson, R. S. McCall, and T. E. Welch,
and my wife Bernice, who did much of the collecting. Dr. Paul Maycock,
Department of Botany, McGill University, gave me free access to the Her-
barium, and helped in other ways. Dr. Askell Love, Montreal Botanical
Garden, offered an opinion on the identity of the unnamed species of Erigeron.
Dr. A. E. Porsild, National Herbarium, examined and revised all the critical
material in the collections — the grasses, sedges, Luzzla spp., willows, Draba
spp., and Antennaria spp. — and also read critically this manuscript. I am most
grateful for his help.
ANNOTATED List OF SPECIES
In the following list, the nomenclature of Porsild (1957) is used throughout.
Specimens of all species listed are in the McGill University Herbartum, Mont-
real. Some of the more unusual material has been deposited in the National
Herbarium, Ottawa, as well. The listed specimen numbers consist in each
case of the year of collection (1952, 1957, or 1962) followed by the collecters’
field numbers.
W oodsia ilvensis (L.) R. Br.: Common on
crumbling cliffs near the lake outlet. 1962-27,
103.
Woodsia glabella R. Br.: One collection
from rock clefts. 1962-26.
Cystopteris fragilis (L.) Bernh.: The com-
monest fern. 1962-29, 30, 106. Large speci-
mens (1962-106) up to 35 cm were collected
from among dense shrubs of Salix cordi-
folia on the south-facing slope of the inner
lake basin.
Equisetum arvense L.: Common. Densest
stand of plants noted on rather sterile sand
at the bottom of a deep gorge one mile west
of the lake (1962-104), but also occurred on
sunny, grassy slopes (1962-105).
Equisetum variegatum Schleich.: Not com-
mon, or overlooked. 1962-51.
Lycopodium annotinum L.: Common only
among willows and on herbmats on the
south-facing slope of the inner basin of the
lake. 1962-109, 110.
Lycopodium Selago L.: Common on hea-
thy areas. 1962-108.
Hierochloé alpina (Sw.) R. & S.: The re-
lated, recently described H. orthantha Sor.
did not occur in the four collections, al-
though it might be expected in the region.
1952-74; 1957-7; 1962-95, 99.
Agrostis borealis Hartm.: Common. 1952-
70; 1962-98.
Trisetum spicatum (L.) Richt.: Common.
1962-96, 97.
Poa alpigena (Fr.) Lindm.: Collected only
by the 1952 expedition from damp, rich soil
near the lake. 1952-68.
72 Tue CANnaDIAN Fietp-NaTurRALIsT
Poa arctica R. Br.: Abundant. 1952-72, 82;
1962-120, 121.
Poa alpina L.: Scattered clumps every-
where around the lake, but nowhere very
common. 1962-118, 122, 123.
Poa glauca M. Vahl.: A few specimens
collected. 1957-4; 1962-119.
Festuca brachyphylla Schultes: Probably
the commonest grass around the lake. 1962-
92, 93, 94.
Eriophorum angustifolium Wonck.: The
commonest cotton grass; found around the
numerous ponds near the lake. 1962-83,87.
Eriophorum Scheuchzeri Hoppe: A few
unexpanded specimens were taken near a
stream one mile west of camp on August 24
(1962-88). A single expanded specimen was
taken in 1957 (1957-1).
Eriophorum callitrix Cham.: This attrac-
tive species grew in some numbers on black
humic soil near Pinguicula vulgaris (see be-
low), and a few specimens were taken on a
like site near the outlet of the lake. 1962-
85, 86.
Eriophorum vaginatum L. ssp. spissum
(Fern.) Hult.: Collected only twice. 1952-
80; 1962-84.
Scirpus caespitosus L. ssp. austriacus (Pal-
las) Asch. & Graebn.: Common. 1962-53, 76.
Carex nardina Fr. var. atriceps Kiik.: On
gravel beach of lake and on south-facing,
grassy slope. 1962-65, 68.
Carex scirpoidea Michx.: Common. 1962-
54, 62, 70.
Carex rupestris All.: Only a single speci-
men collected. 1962-69.
Carex Lachenalii Schk.: One collection
from near stream emptying into inner basin
of the lake, 1962-61.
Carex glareosa Wahlenb. var. amphigena
Fern.: Collected only by the 1952 expedition,
which found it common near the shores of
a small pond, less than one metre above the
level of Ogac Lake.
Carex Bigelowii Torr.: The commonest
sedge in a variety of habitats, and often the
Vol. 78
commonest plant. 1952-67; 1962-62, 64, 73.
Specimens of C. anguillata [f. anguillata
(Drej.) Fern.) were collected from dry,
sandy soil between streamlets, and identified
from among the material by Dr. Porsild
(1962-60). This appears to be the first re-
cord of this form from the Archipelago.
Carex norvegica Retz.: Only a single
small specimen taken in 1962, although noted
as being common near the outlet of the lake
in 1952. 1952-68; 1962-93.
Carex holostoma Drej.: Collections from
black humic soil near Pinguicula vulgaris and
Eriophorum callitrix and on a similar site
near outlet of lake. 1962-52, 66.
Carex supina Wahlenb. ssp. spaniocarpa
(Steud.) Hult.: On the upper parts of a
sandy-gravel beach on the east side of the
lake. 1962-62.
Carex glacialis Mack.: Collected only by
the 1952 expedition, atop Knife Edge Moun-
tain (ca. 600 m). 1952-97.
Carex misandra R. Br.: This high-arctic
species was collected only from two slopes,
both south-facing in 1962. 1952-75; 1962-55,
file
Carex capillaris L.: A single, over-ripe
specimen taken from wet ground on the
south-facing side of the inner lake basin on
August 18. 1962-72.
Carex membranacea Hook.: Locally com-
mon 1952-84; 1957-3; 1962-56, 67.
Juncus biglumus L.: Apparently scarce.
1952-91; 1962-89.
Juncus trifidus L.: Not common, but con-
spicuous on dry sunny slopes, and also at
the bottom of a deep gorge, one mile west
of the lake. 1962-74, 75, 90.
Luzula nivalis (Laest.) Beurl.: Taken only
once, on rather damp tundra. 1962-79.
Luzula spicata (L.) DC.: 1962-80, 81, 92.
Luzula confusa Lindebl.: Everywhere
common. 1952-75; 1962-57, 58, 78, 91, 92.
Luzula multiflora (Retz.) Le}. ssp. frigida
(Buch.) Krecz. var. contracta Sam.: This is
the first collection from the Archipelago,
1964 McLaren:
where it was anticipated by Porsild (1957),
in view of its occurrence in Ungava and
Greenland. At Ogac Lake specimens were
taken from the lush, south-facing slope of
the inner basin. 1962-82.
Tofieldia pusilla (Michx.) Pers.: 1952-34;
1957-31; 1962-77.
Salix herbacea L.: 1952-12, 86; 1957-13.
Salix Uva-Ursi Pursh: 1957-8; 1962-101.
Salix reticulata L.: 1952-33, 61; 1962-100.
Salix cordifolia Pursh var. callicarpaea
(Trautv.) Fern.: 1952-94; 1962-115, 117.
Formed low thickets about 0.5 m high on
parts of the south-facing slope of the inner
lake basin (1962-115).
Salix arctophila Cockerell: The most com-
mon willow on the low ground around the
lake (1952-19, 62; 1957-12; 1962-116), al-
though two collections come from dry hill-
sides (1952-95: 1962-116).
Salix arctica Pall.: A few flowering speci-
mens in 1957 were the only ones taken, al-
though doubtless overlooked in 1962. 1957-9.
Oxyria digyna (L.) Hill: Abundant. Very
lush growth in alluvial gravel at the head
of the lake. 1952-71, 78.
Polygonum viviparum L.:
1957-35.
1952-58, 59;
Stellaria longipes Goldie s. lat.: Specimens
of the race monantha were common on dry
areas around the lake outlet, but good cili-
atosepala were collected from an old tent
ring. 1952-37; 1957-39, 1962-44, 45.
Stellaria humifusa Rottb.: Common on
more sterile beach gravel and sand near out-
let of lake. 1962-43.
Cerastium alpinum L.: Ubiquitous. 1952-
41, 64.
Cerastium cerastoides (L.) Britt.: Speci-
mens taken in 1952 were the first Archipelago
record (identified by Porsild and mapped in
his manual, 1957). In 1962 it was found to
be moderately common near the lake edge
on more humic, consolidated shores, and
was also noted on several wet, mossy sites
up to 150 m above sea-level. It was not in
PLANTS FROM OGac LAKE Reh
flower until early-through mid-August, long
after Cerastium alpinum. 1952-13; 1962-41, 42.
Sagina intermedia Fenzl.: Uncommon.
Found only in damp crevices near the out-
let. 1962-25.
Arenaria peploides L. var. diffusa Hor-
nem.: Common on gravel shores of lake
near outlet. 1957-44.
Arenaria rubella R. Br.: Uncommon. 1962-
23, 24.
Arenaria sajanensis Willd.: Common in a
variety of settings, especially on rather dry
grassy slopes and herbmats. 1962-19, 20, 21,
2D
Silene acaulis L. var. excapa (All.) DC.:
Common. 1952-22.
Melandrium apetalum (L.) Fenzl. ssp.
arcticum (Fr.) Hult.: Curiously rare, al-
though looked for. Collected only once in
a damp herbmat on an east-facing slope
about 300 m above the lake. 1962-35.
Melandrium affine (J. Vahl) Hartm.:
Common. 1952-44; 1957-16. :
Viscaria alpina (L.) G. Don.: The beauti-
ful alpine campion has not hitherto been
recorded in the Archipelago, although anti-
cipated in Porsild’s (1957) manual. Two
patches of several plants each were found
on August 15-18, 1962, along steep, unstable
slopes below weathering cliffs on the east
side of the lake. The flowers were past
rime when discovered. 1962-35. I also col-
lected this plant on August 5, 1951, near the
Grinnell Glacier, about 40 miles down the
southwest shore from Ogac Lake. These
specimens were given to a private collection
(Now in McGill Herbarium), and remained
unrecorded in the literature.
Ranunculus nivalis L.: This was the com-
mon buttercup at Ogac Lake. 1952-30, 77. I
looked carefully for R. sulphureus Sol.,
which apparently does not occur.
Ranunculus pygmaeus Wahlenb.: Locally
common. 1952-16; 1957-36.
Ranunculus Allenii Robins.: This rather
rare endemic of subarctic eastern North
America has apparently been taken only
once before from the Archipelago, again
74 Tue Canapian Fiectp-NaTurRALIst
from the Frobisher Bay region (see Benson,
1948). It was taken only in two places at
Ogac Lake in 1962. A few plants were found
growing around the springy base of a huge
boulder on the south-facing slope of the
inner basin on August 20 (1962-36), and
three plants were picked from wet moss on
one of the few extensive horizontal “mea-
dows”, at around 150 m on the west side of
the lake, two days later (1962-37).
Papaver radicatum Rottb.: 1952-40; 1957-
24.
Cochlearia officinalis L.: The prostrate
form, ssp. groenlandica (L.) Porsild, was
common on the shores of Ogac Lake, and
typically biennial (1957-21). A large, up-
right fruiting specimen was taken from
sandy clay of a barren scree slope about 100
m above the southeast side of the lake; it
had set seed the previous year (1962-46).
Cardamine bellidifolia L.: Local. 1952-15.
Cardamine pratensis L.: Tiny rosettes of
the peculiar leaf of this plant appeared com-
monly on black mud of drying pools around
the lake in early August, 1962. They achiev-
ed some vegetative growth, but no flowers
were noted. Also collected in the same state
in 1952. 1952-79.
Draba crassifolia Grah.: Rare. Found only
on two sheltered snow-patch areas. 1962-13.
Draba nivalis Liljebl.: Collected only once,
on a dry ledge on the shaded side of the
inner lake basin. 1962-17.
Draba lactea Adams: Much the common-
est of the genus at Ogac Lake and, as usual,
quite variable. 1962-11, 12, 15, 18.
Draba glabella Pursh: The common large
draba. 1962-14.
Draba cinerea Adams: Taken only from
calcareous cliff rubble on the east side of
the lake. The siliques are, atypically, simple-
pubescent. 1962-16.
Arabis alpina L.: Common along streams
flowing into the lake. 1952-29, 47, 57; 1957-18.
Saxifraga aizoides L.: Common locally;
forming dense and extensive mats on steep
seepage areas and along rivulets. 1952-27, 63;
1957-43.
Vol. 78
Saxifraga Aizoon Jacq. var. neogaea But-
ters: Regular on drier ledges and slopes,
but nowhere really common. 1952-53, 54;
1957-37.
Saxifraga caespitosa L.: Plants referable
to ssp. eucaespitosa. Nowhere very com-
mon. 1952-28, 81; 1957-38; 1962-50.
Saxifraga cernua L.: Conspicuous but scat-
tered. 1952-21; 1957-34.
Saxifraga foliosa R. Br.: Found only on
otherwise almost sterile, black mud on mar-
gins of drying streamlets and ponds in Aug-
ust. None had flowers. Almost all specimens
were less than 3-4 cm high, but one of 13
cm was collected. 1962-38.
Saxifraga nivalis L.: 1962-39. This and the
four following saxifrages were all well re-
presented at the lake.
Saxifraga oppositifolia L.: 1952-17; 1957-47.
Saxifraga rivularis L.: 1957-46.
Saxifraga tenuis Sm.: 1952-14; 1957-5; 1962-
39.
Saxifraga tricuspidata Rottb.: 1952-5; 26;
1957-41.
Potentilla Crantzii Beck: This species is
well known in Greenland and northern
Ungava-Labrador, but its presence on the
Archipelago has hitherto been based on a
specimen collected by Kumlien in Cumber-
land Sound in 1878. In 1962 it was found to
be regular around Ogac Lake in typical hab-
itats — in deep grass and among willow
shrubs between braided streams and on
damp, south-facing slopes. 1962-2, 3, 107.
Potentilla hyparctica Malte: The com-
mon cinquefoil in a variety of habitats. 1952-
4; 1962-34.
Potentilla nivea L.: Less common than the
above, and usually in drier habitats. Plants
referable to the typical race. 1962-31, 32, 33.
Potentilla Vahliana Lehm.: A few speci-
mens of this high-arctic species were taken
from a south-facing slope on June 27, 1962.
These were the earliest blooms of the genus
noted, and the species was not found else-
where thereafter. 1962-1.
1964 McLaren:
Sibbaldia procumbens L.: This species
just enters the Archipelago in southeast Baf-
fin Island. It was found in 1962 to be fairly
common on the south-facing slope of the
inner lake basin and, once noted, was found
sparsely in a number of places — even on
gravel beaches well above the lake level.
1962-4.
Dryas integrifolia M. Vahl.: 1952-3, 39,
1957-48.
Empetrum nigrum L.: Common. 1952-no
field number.
Epilobium angustifolium L. var. inter-
medium (Wormskj.) Fern.: Found only in
a dry thicket of Salix cordifolia on the south
facing slope of the inner basin of the lake.
No evidence of flowering when collected
on August 15. 1962- 40.
Epilobium latifolium L.: 1952-7, 32, 60;
1957-14, 49. A single specimen of the white-
flowered f. albiflorum Nathorst was noted
and collected by the expedition in 1952
(1952-32). Several white blooms occurred
among the typical form at the same site in
1957 (1957-14), but the white form had
apparently disappeared in 1962.
Pyrola grandiflora Rad.: 1952-23; 1957-33.
Ledum decumbens (Ait.) Lodd.: 1952-1,
87, 92. This and the following seven heaths
are well represented at the lake.
Loiseleuria procumbens (L.) Desv.: 1957-
26.
Cassiope hypnoides (L.) D. Don: 1952-10,
51; 1957-51.
Cassiope tetragona (L.) D. Don: 1952-9,
85: 1957-45.
Phyllodoce coerulea (L.) Bab.: 1952-18;
1957-50.
Rhododendron lapponicum (L.) Wahlenb.
1957-25.
Arctostaphylos alpina (L.) Spreng.: 1952-
89.
Vaccinium uliginosum L.: 1952-6, 88, 93.
Vaccinium Vitis-idaea LL. var. minus
Lodd.: The only heath which can be said
to be rare. 1957-45.
PLANTS FROM Ocac LAKE 75
Diapensia lapponica L.: Regular on gravel
between rocky ridges. 1952-96, 1957-40.
Armeria maritima (Mill.) Willd. ssp. lab-
radorica (Wallr.) Hult.: Rare. A few speci-
mens found on damp cliffs on the fiord
in mid-July, 1957, and a few clumps taken
from the gravelly brow of a south-facing
hill in 1962. 1957-22; 1962-102.
Mertensia maritima (L.) F. J. Gray: A
few growing on gravel beaches near the out-
let of the lake. 1952-35; 1957-42.
Veronica alpina L. var unalaschcensis C. &
S.: Formed dense stands on a few moist sites
on south-facing slopes, but elsewhere un-
common. 1952-57; 1957-32.
Eupbhrasia arctica Lge.: Quite common on
sunny slopes, but often almost hidden in
grassmats. 1952-55; 1957-29.
Bartsia alpina L.: Small local stands. 1952-
50; 1957-30.
Pedicularis lapponica L.: 1952-38, 1962-
126.
Pedicularis flammea L.: 1952-20; 1957-17.
Pedicularis hirsuta L.: The common louse-
wort at the lake. 1952-45; 1957-15. I searched
for P. lanata, but if it occurs it must be rare.
Pinguicula vulgaris L.: A few dozen plants
were discovered on August 19, 1962, grow-
ing on black soil of a seepage slope facing
southeast on the outer basin of the lake.
Most had finished flowering. The species
is rare on the Archipelago, and apparently
hitherto known only from a few specimens
collected by Polunin (1940) around Lake
Harbour. 1962-47.
Campanula uniflora L.: Although perhaps
more widely distributed, this species did not
form local concentrations like the following.
1957-27.
Campanula rotundifolia L.: Beautiful thick
stands of the species were found at several
places in cliff rubble along the east side of
the lake and elsewhere. 1952-56; 1957-28.
Erigeron eriocephalus J. Vahl: This high-
arctic form was found only once, on a
sandy-clay barren, about 400 m up the east
side of Knife Edge Mountain. 1962-112.
76 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Erigeron unalaschkensis (DC) Vierh.: The
common composite on a wide variety of
habitats around the lake. 1952-25; 1957-23;
1962-125.
' -Erigeron sp.: On August 15, 1962, a stand
of several dozen Erigeron, ‘quite unlike the
above two species, was found below the
weathering cliffs on the east side of the
lake. Most were past flowering, and attract-
ed attention from a distarice by their large
white pappus and general robustness. A few
late blooms resembled superficially those of
E. eriocephalus in their large, loose invol-
ucres, spreading phyllaries, and dense cov-
ering of pale hairs. However, the high-
arctic E. eriocephalus, which I have -seen
in abundance on Ellesmere Island, is densely
grey-to-white villous, exactly as described
in Porsild’s (1957) manual, whereas the pre-
sent specimens are mauve-villous and much
more robust. Dr. Porsild (pers. comm.) con-
curs in the opinion that they are not E.
eriocephalus. It is perhaps significant that
E. eriocephalus at Ogac Lake (above) was
taken on one of the most barren alpine sites
examined, whereas the present specimens
grew on one of the most warm and shelter-
ed flower slopes, a stone’s throw from the
first Archipelago record of the subarctic,
amphi-Atlantic Viscaria alpina. Along with
E. eriocephalus and E. humilis (= unalas-
chkensis), the two “low-arctic, oceanic-
montane” species EF. uniflorus L. and E.
borealis (Vierh.) are maintained in the cur-
rent Greenland manual of Bocher et al.
(1957). Cronquist (1947) described E. alpini-
formis from Greenland material, but this is
considered to be E. uniflorus p-p- and £.
borealis p-p. by Boécher et al. (1957). Further
E. uniflorus and E. eriocephalus are consid-
ered only subspecifically distinct by some
authors, and are not separated at all by
others. In my opinion the material from
Vol. 78
Ogac Lake is referable to E. uniflorus L.
(s. str.) as described in the recent manuals
for Greenland (Bécher et al., 1957) and Ice-
land (Léve, 1945), and Dr. A. Love (pers.
comm.) concurs that it is E. uniflorus as he
knows it in Iceland. However, there are
systematic and nomenclatural problems
which preclude any easy decision on such
limited material. It is perhaps sufficient to
suggest that there is an entity in the Eastern
Arctic flora distinct from E. unalaschkensis
and E. eriocephalus, somewhat resembling
the latter, but of decidedly subarctic rather
than high-arctic habitat. 1962-113.
Antennaria canescens (Lge.) Malte: Col-
lected on dry herbmats on the south-facing
slope of the inner basin of the lake. 1962-7.
Antennaria angustata Greene: The com-
mon Antennaria at the lake. 1952-24; 1957-11;
1962-5, 10.
Antennaria Ekmaniana Porsild: This high-
arctic form was taken only on a gravelly
ledge on the steep, north-facing slope of the
inner basin of the lake. 1962-9.
Artemisia borealis Pall.: Small specimens
taken in 1957 from the exposed cliffs of the
fiord. Luxuriant collections from river gra-
vel and from cliff rubble along the east side
of the lake in 1962. 1957-19; 1962-95.
Arnica alpina (L.) Olin ssp. angustifolia
(Vahl) Maguire: 1952-2, 48, 83; 1957-20.
Taraxacum lacerum Greene: 1952-42;
1957-10; 1962-48. Both dandelions are com-
mon, this species perhaps more around the
shores, and the next on sunny slopes.
Taraxacum lapponicum Kihlm.: 1952-49
1962-49.
REFERENCES
Benson, L. 1948. A treatise on the North
American Ranunculi. American Midland
Naturalist 40: 1-261.
Bocuer, T. W., K. Hotmen, and K. Jaxos-
SEN. 1957. Grgnlands flora. Copenhagen,
P. Haase & Sons.
Caper, J. A. 1951. Plants from the Frob-
isher Bay region, Baffin Island, N.W.T.,
Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 74: 8-27.
Cronguist, A. 1947. Revision of the North
American species” of Erigeron north of
Mexico. Brittonia 6: 121-302. :
Dunsar, M. J. 1958. Physical oceanogra-
phic results of the “Calanus” Expeditions
in Ungava Bay, Frobisher Bay, Cumber-
land Sound, Hudson Strait, and northern
Hudson Bay, 1949-1955. Journal of the
Fisheries Research Board of Canada. 15:
155-201.
Giiett, J. M. 1960. The flora of the
vicinity of the Merewether Crater, north-
ern Labrador. Canadian Field-Naturalist
74: 8-27.
1964 McLaren: PLANts FROM Ocac LAKE 77
Love, A. 1945. islenzkar jurtir. Kaupman- — PoLuntn, N. 1940. Botany of the Canadian
tit Eastern Arctic. Part I, Pteridophyta and
Spermatophyta. National Museum of Can-
Mercer, J. 1956. Geomorphology and gla- ada, Bulletin 92. ;
cial history of southernmost Baffin Island. Porsmp, A. E. 1957. Illustrated flora of the
Geological Society of America, Bulletin. Canadian Arctic Archipelago. National
67: 553-570. Museum of Canada, Bulletin. 146.
Received for publication 21 July, 1963
PRELIMINARY TRIALS OF A CAMERA RECORDING
DEVICE FOR THE STUDY OF SMALL MAMMALS*
C. H. Buckner
Forest Entomology Laboratory, Box 6300, Winnipeg 1, Manitoba
TESTS OF A STOP-LAPSE CAMERA DEVICE for studying the habits of small mammals
in forest and bog habitats of southeastern Manitoba were made in 1961. The
apparatus was similar to those employed by Pearson (1959), Dodge and Snyder
(1960), and Abbott and Dodge (1961). “These have been described elsewhere,
and shown in photographs at the sites of operation. Examples were also
presented by these authors of the individual recordings made by the devices.
‘The apparatus I used was obtained through the joint assistance of the Engineer-
ing Research Institute and the Bio-Graphic Unit of the Canada Department of
Agriculture. P. W. Voisey, Instrumentation Engineer, Engineering Research
Service, Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, Central Experi-
mental Farm, Ottawa, Canada, was responsible for basic construction and design
of electrical circuits.
The apparatus consisted of two units: one containing a 16 mm movie camera
with electronic photoflash, and a photoelectric cell and light source; the other
a small mirror, scale, clock, thermometer and relative humidity gauge. The
units were housed in glass-fronted weatherproof shelters. In operation, these
were positioned facing each other at a distance of two feet so that the red-light
source from the camera unit was reflected back to the photoelectric cell from
the mirror unit. Interruption of this beam fired the red light electronic flash
and exposed one frame of film. The flash and shutter could also be fired by
a treadle tripping device (Voisey and Kalbfleish, 1962) but preliminary tests
indicated that the photo cell has greater advantages. The device operated on
120 volt line current and differed from Pearson’s model chiefly in the inclusion
of an isolation transformer to eliminate a shock hazard. Peas ;
The apparatus was operated in a tamarack bog from August 2 to 23
inclusive. Preparations included a three-day mark-and-release program one
*Contribution No. 971, Forest Entomology and Pathology Branch, Department of Forestry, Ottawa,
Canada.
78 THe CanapiaAn Fietp-NaTurRALIsT Vol. 78
week prior to the trial. “Trapped animals were marked in the standard manner
by toe-clipping, and also by fur-clipping in various patterns for photo identifica-
tion. Animals marked in this way included two masked shrews, two meadow
voles, eleven red-backed voles, two deer mice, two meadow jumping mice, and
one red squirrel.
A total of 1,055 exposures were made, not including manual tests, of which
244 were discarded for the following reasons: subject not in camera field, 162
exposures; flash unit failure, 67 exposures, tripping by inanimate objects, 15
exposures. A garter snake and a white-throated sparrow each accounted for
one exposure and grey jays for 21. The remaining 788 photos were of
mammals, as follows: masked shrew, Sorex cinereus, 69 exposures of at least
2 individuals; short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda, 4 exposures of at least 1
individual; meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus, 28 exposures of at least 2
individuals; red-backed vole, Clethrionomys gapperi, 290 exposures of at least
8 individuals; deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, 36 exposures of at least 2
individuals; meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius, 11 exposures of at least
2 individuals; red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, 181 exposures of at least 2
individuals; least chipmunk, Eutamias minimus, 3 exposures of at least 1
individual; snowshoe hare, Lepzs americanus, 166 exposures of at least 1
individual.
Probably all marked animals were photographed, several of these many
times. Ease of identification varied with the position of the subject in relation
to the camera and indistinct images of the fur-clipped patches often made
identification difficult. Two animals were photographed carrying objects:
a red squirrel carrying a spruce cone and a meadow vole carrying a blade of
grass.
As an example of information obtained by the technique, Figure 1 shows
the relative daily activity of the three most frequently photographed species,
as determined by the number and timing of photographs.
The snowshoe hare was active almost exclusively during the periods a
darkness, whereas the red squirrel was active only during the daylight hours.
In contrast, the red-backed vole was active intermittently during both daylight
and darkness. Scanty records on the other species suggest that the masked
shrew, the deer mouse and the meadow jumping mouse behave similarly to the
red-backed vole. The meadow vole, and the four recordings of the short-
tailed shrew, were photographed only at night. The three photographs of the
least chipmunk were taken in daylight.
Concomitant readings of temperature and relative humidity on each photo-
graph provide data for more critical analysis of the factors affecting activity.
Present data are too limited to employ appropriate multiple regression techniques
but provide interesting preliminary indications of the Conditions under which
the greatest activity occurred. For example, the snowshoe hare was recorded
at temperatures ranging from 45°-78° F and relative humidity from 20-68%.
The greatest activity occurred within a combination of ranges of 58°-66° F
and 37-47% RH and the largest number of individual readings was at 58° F
and 40-42% RH.
1964 Buckner: A Camera ReEcorpDING DEVICE 79
SNOWSHOE HARE
N
RED SQUIRREL
NUMBER OF FRAMES EXPOSED
S
RED-BACKED VOLE
Wo QB iM eh OE ee Dee i) a ess el AS ss Arh eds AIG 7A) 72
TIME (C.S.T.)
22 23 MM
Ficure 1. Number and time of photo-recordings of three species of mammals, in a tamarack
bog, August 2-23, 1961.
Encouraging results from the preliminary tests have warranted further
improvements to the equipment. Reliance on line power has been eliminated
by converting to battery operation. A re-designed model operates for about
a week on a standard 6-volt car battery before recharging and at temperatures
of 28° F or lower. Other improvements in the electronic and flash equipment
have reduced the incidence of premature and faulty exposures. Experiments
are planned to improve identification of marked animals.
The device promises to be of value in behaviour and population studies of
small mammals, particularly during the winter when trapping techniques are
less feasible. It may also prove useful as a supplementary means of obtaining
seasonal population estimates of small mammals on permanent study plots.
REFERENCES
Assott, HerscHeL G. and Wenpett E. Pearson, O. P. 1959. A traffic survey of
Dover. 1961. Photographic observations Microtus-Reithrodontomys runways. Jour-
of white pine seed destruction by birds nal of Mammalogy 40: 169-180.
and mammals. Journal of Forestry 59:
292-294. VoiseYy, Peter W. and W. KALBFLEIscH.
Dopcr, WeENpELL FE. and Dana P. Snyper. 1962. A mechanical treadle for the study
1960. An automatic camera device for re- of small mammal traffic in the field or
cording wildlife activity. Journal of Wild- laboratory. Journal of Mammalogy #3:
life Management 24: 340-342. 281.
Received for publication 14 July 1963
LOCAL DISTRIBUTION OF TWO VOLES:
EVIDENCE FOR INTERSPECIFIC INTERACTION
Garretr C. CLoucnu*
Zoological Laboratory, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTION Of small mammals is often explained on the basis of
physiological limitations of the animal to physical factors of the environment.
Examples of studies supporting this assumption are works of Pruitt (1953) on
the short-tailed shrew, of Getz (1960 and 1961) on voles and shrews, of Bendell
(1961) on the deer mouse and of Pearson (1962) on red-backed voles.
Since a species usually does not occupy all of the space which apparently
suits its physiological requirements and limitations, other limiting factors must
be involved in some cases. Indirect evidence that presence or absence of other
species of small mammals may influence the local distribution of small mammals
is given by Wirtz and Pearson (1960), Findley (1954), Curry-Lindahl (1959)
and Ota and Jameson (1961). Interspecific interactions might be expected to
be most important in cases of predator-prey combinations or with species of
similar ecology.
The present study was undertaken to learn if two closely related species
of voles influenced each other in their local distribution in southern Nova
Scotia. The species studied were the meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus
acadicus and the red-backed vole, Clethrionomys gapperi pallescens. Both
species are common in Nova Scotia. They are both widespread in North
America with Microtus extending slightly further north into Alaska and the
Northwest Territories and slightly further south into central United States
than Clethrionomys (Hall and Kelson 1959).
This study was performed between October 1961 and November 1962.
Collecting efforts were aimed at areas containing more than one type of habitat.
A total of 2769 trap nights contributed to the results. “wo introduction
experiments were conducted in which Clethrionomys were added to isolated
areas of mixed habitat which had contained only Microtus.
The National Research Council of Canada supplied financial support with
Operating Grant No. A-1342. The National Museum of Canada, through the
courtesy of Mr. Phillip Youngman, kindly provided some of the traps.
MeruHops AND DESCRIPTION OF AREAS
Field Collections: The collecting was done primarily in Halifax County.
Museum special snap traps, baited with peanut butter and rolled oats, were set
in lines through the areas. Since the aim of the collecting was to record the
presence or absence of the two voles the trapping method sometimes varied
from area to area. The trapping details are given below with the description
of each collecting site.
*Present address: The Norwegian State Game Research Institute, Vollebekk, Norway.
80
i
1964 CioucH: Locat DistripuTion oF Two VoLeEs 81
Habitat Types: The habitats found on the collecting sites were distinguished
on the basis of vegetation form and general condition of substrate. These fell
into six major types which were subdivided into fourteen habitat types.
I. BoG.
A. Open Bog. This was primarily a wet Sphagnum mat with sedges and
scattered low heaths.
B. Conifer Bog. On this habitat black spruce (Picea mariana) and larch
(Larix laricina) grew as low trees on the Sphagnum and heath bog.
II. GRASSLAND.
C. Meadow Grass. This habitat included moist to mesic areas which had
dense covers of grass of various species without a shrub or tree layer.
~D. Dry Grass. The grass on this habitat was sparse and the soil was dry
compared to the previous one. On the well-drained sandy soils of coastal
beaches the major grass was Ammophila.
III. CONIFEROUS Woops.
E. Wet Spruce Woods. This habitat contained an overstory of white
spruce (Picea glauca) with black spruce at the wetter edges. The ground and
herb layers supported many mosses and ferns. Sphagnum often grew in the
depressions.
F. Mature Spruce-Fir Woods. Balsam fir (Abies balsamifera) with either
white or red spruce (Picea rubra) formed the tree layer of this habitat. Tree
cover was usually dense. Withe-rod (Viburnum cassinoides) and alder (Alnus)
were the most common shrubs in the forest openings. Ferns and various annual
herbs were common at some seasons.
G. Open Spruce Woods. This habitat was the remnant of the mature
spruce-fir woods a few years after logging operations had been completed.
Only a few trees were standing. The sapling layer was dense with young
poplar (Populus tremuloides), birch (Betula), spruce and fir. Viburnum and
Alnus were common shrubs. Many brush heaps and fallen logs covered the
ground. :
H. Dry Spruce Woods. Spruce which grew on the thin soil of rocky
uplands were thinly spaced with branches growing thickly to the ground.
Lichens and sparse shrubs grew on spots of exposed bed rock and areas of little
soil.
I. Virgin Hemlock Woods. In this stand of virgin hemlock (Tsuga
canadensis) the dense, high canopy of trees allowed little vegetation to grow
on the ground below.
IV. MIXED woops. .
_ J. Northern Mixed Woods. In this habitat the major tree species were
Abies balsamifera, Picea glauca, Pinus strobus, Betula lutea, Acer rubrum and
Fagus grandifolia. “Yopography was varied with moist hollows and drier ridges.
The sapling, shrub and herb layers were well developed in places.
82 Tue CanapiAn Fiectp-NaTuRALIST : Vol. 78
V. SHRUB.
K. Old-field Shrub. This habitat consisted of thick growths of plants at
the shrub layer and almost no herb layer. In one case these shrubs, dense
Spiraea and goldenrod (Solidago), prevented any grass from developing.
L. Heath Shrub. This habitat contained various low ericacous shrubs
such as blueberry (Vaccinium), rhodera (Rhododendron canadense), sheep-
laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), leather leaf (Chamadaphne calyculata) and ground
heaths such as foxberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), cranberry (V. macrocarpon)
or the heath-like crowberry (Eupetrum nigrum). This habitat was on drier
ground than the Conifer Bog.
VI. ECOTONE.
M. Grass-Spruce Ecotone. The edge between Meadow Grass or Dry
Grass and Mature Spruce-Fir Woods was often wide enough to contain several
trapping stations and therefore was classified as a distinct habitat. This was
characterized by spruce and fir trees of different heights widely spaced in
grassland.
N. Bog-Spruce Ecotone. The Open Bog and Conifer Bog often merged
gradually with Mature Spruce-Fir Woods or with Wet Spruce Woods. ‘These
areas were composed of a mixture of wet bog with sparsely growing conifer
trees of different sizes.
Collecting Sites: The collecting was done on fifteen different areas selected
to represent all the habitats containing at least one of the vole species under
study. The habitats and method of trapping on each collecting site are
described separately below. ‘This material is summarized in Table 1.
1. On the first site a trap line extended from a Conifer Bog through a
Bog-Spruce Ecotone into a Wet Spruce Woods. Fifteen traps were placed
25 feet apart in a single line for four nights from October 29 to November
i, 1961.
2. ‘This site included Conifer Bog, Bog-Spruce Ecotone and Open Spruce
Woods habitats. Three parallel lines of 15 traps each were set with each line
completely within one habitat type only. The traps were spaced at 50-foot
intervals and the lines were 50 to 75 feet apart. ‘The traps were set for five
nights from November 19 to 22, 1961. |
3. ‘This site was entirely within Northern Mixed Woods. Sixty traps
were set in groups of three at 20 stations about 10 yards apart in a single line
through the woods. The trapping was done for three nights from May 7
to 10, 1962.
4. This site was in a large area of Dry Spruce Woods. Sixty traps were
set in groups of three at 20 stations about 10 yards apart. The traps were set
for three nights from May 7 to 10, 1962.
5. This trap line was placed in an extensive Mature Spruce-Fir Woods.
Fifty traps were set at approximately 10-yard intervals along a line for three
nights from May 14 to 17, 1962.
6. ‘This site had two trap lines. One line started in Meadow Grass and
passed abruptly into Mature Spruce-Fir Woods and the other line, which also
OT LT XW
an e) 40d qd 2) 0) 410d @) 2) 410d @) W W W W sodA} yeqIqGey
co ye sajOA
9SZ eSZ :
W Fj WI WI 3 = aa aa 7a WI == a WY Fo = L6E 6
dé 2S7
2) a <5 9ST ore ae are sx = Os = @ = ra = OLC 8
VE
uoljonNpoUy
4s0g
Ww = We WC =z a Sa = = ©) “oa = Ss ea oF 02 ST
n =e
3 al ‘dé ‘OST
o) yI0g a = mE = = ‘WI ‘O09 i = = = 2 ae as a Oct ial
— yd dé ‘O07 a = as =< a = =F z= = =e = = Wt TL eT
° a (ioe i | Ea se oe tes | ee eS
3 @) ani =a er =e ==¥ oa a aa dz ‘07 —“The Gravel”,
252. Bell has this specimen listed as Salix
humilis.
Betula lutea Michx.—St. Georges Bay, 158.
Bell lists B. excelsa for Flat Bay Brook.
Betula pumila L._—St. Georges Bay, 131.
Betula glandulosa Michx—sphagnum marsh
near Cairn Mt. Nfld.*
Betula Michauxiit Spach—St. Georges Bay
(Flat Bay Brook), 127, 140.
Alnus crispa (Ait.) Pursh.—St. Georges Bay,
130, 196.
(Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh.—see dis-
cussion, 7.)
Urtica urens L.—South Arm, Bay of Islands,
75.
Comandra livida Richards—Southwest Nfid.,
25, 33, 68.
Polygonum viviparum L.—Flat Bay Brook,
St. Georges Bay, 204; Long Point, Port au
Port Bay, 185.
Polygonum lapathifolium L—Southwest
Nfid., 58.
(Polygonum virginianum L.—See discussion,
11.)
Chenopodium album L.—Southwest Nfid.,
66.
(Phytolacca americana LL—See discussion,
315)
Montia fontana .—Southwest Nfld., 37. Bell
has listed Claytonia caroliniana and Fernald
has suggested that it must have been rare
or local in Newfoundland. The genus
Claytonia is not present in Bell’s collec-
tion. Montia is represented by this single
collection.
Stellaria longipes Goldie—Southwest Nfld.,
17; Great Cod Roy River, 318.
Stellaria calycantha (Ledeb.)
Southwest Nfld., 43, 47.
Bongard—
Vol. 78
Stellaria crassifolia Ehrh—Southwest Nfid.,
44.
Arenaria lateriflora L.—Southwest Nfid., 64.
Sagina nodosa (L.) Fenzl—South Arm, Bay
of Islands, 79; North shore*.
Honkenya peploides (L.) Ehrh—Southwest
Nfid., 67; Flat Bay (in St. Georges Bay),
June 30, 285*; Port au Port Bay, July 24,
207*.
Nuphar advena Ait—N. Fork, Humber R.,
Newfoundland*. Macoun lists J. Bell as
the first collection of this species on the
west coast of Newfoundland.
Thalictrum alpinum L—South Arm, Bay of
Islands, 102. IT. cornuti, and T. dioicum
are both listed by J. Bell. Fernald has ques-
tioned the presence of IT. dioicum. The
collection does not support Bell’s paper.
Ranunculus Cymbalaria Pursh—Flat Bay
Brook, 191; Great Cod Roy River, 348.
Bell listed R. repens for a “boggy rill”
near Ryan’s on the Great Cod Roy River.
Ranunculus pennsylvanicus L—Great Cod
Roy River, 271. This has the same collect-
ing location as R. repens.
Cakile edentula (Bigel.) Hook—Flat Bay,
286.
(Draba arabisans Michx.—See discussion, 1,
14.)
(Cochlearia tridactylites Banks.—See dis-
cussion, 4, 29.)
Cardamine pennsylvanica Muhl—Port au
Port Bay, 206. Bell listed C. birsuta for
Long Point, Port au Port Bay.
Drosera intermedia Hayne—South Arm, Bay
of Islands, 119; St. Georges Bay, 133.
Sedum Rosea (L.) Scop—Flat Bay Brook,
31.
Saxifraga aizoides L.—“The Gravel”, St.
Georges Bay, 251.
Mitella nuda L.—F lat Bay Brook, 109.
Ribes hirtellum Michx.—St. Georges Bay,
123, 146; Flat Bay Brook, St. Georges Bay,
198.
Ribes lacustre (Pers.) Poir—St. Georges Bay
(Ryan’s), 143.
Ribes triste Pall—Great Cod Roy Island, 326.
Ribes glandulosum Grauer—St. Georges
Bayle ye 20,
(Liquidambar Styraciflua L.—See discussion,
6.)
(Potentilla palustris L. Scop—See discussion,
13. P. fruticosa listed for Flat Bay Brook.)
Potentilla tridentata Soland.—Southwest
Nfld., 65; South Arm, Bay of Islands, 98,
Great Cod Roy Island, 278, 323.
a
1964 BayLy:
Geum macrophyllum Willd—Great Cod
Roy River, Nfld., July 8, 242*.
Rubus pubescens Raf—Flat Bay Harbour,
178.
Rubus Chamaemorus L—Long Point, Port
au Port Bay, 184; Great Cod Roy River,
274.
Sanguisorba canadensis L.—Southwest Nfid.,
34.
Rosa sp—tlabel reads Rosa blanda? Ait.—
N. shore*. Sheet has eglandular stipules
and fruit, coarsely toothed leaflets. Speci-
men lacks flowers.
Rosa virginiana Mill—Southwest Nfid., 41,
50.
Rosa nitida Willd.—St. Georges Bay, 126.
Pyrus floribunda Lindl—South Arm, Bay
of Islands, 81, 94.
Pyrus decora (Sarg.) Hyland—Flat Bay
Brook, 200.
Amelanchier Bartramiana (Yausch). Roemer.
—St. Georges Bay, 141, 148.
Crataegus Brunetiana Sarg—Fork, Humber
River, 212. Bell has listed C. coccinea in
his paper: Macoun has noted this in the
Catalogue (Vol. 1, p. 147).
(Trifolium agrarium L—See discussion, 9.)
Hedysarum alpinum L—Great Cod Roy
River, 235, 240.
Vicia Cracca L.—Southwest Nfid., 23.
Lathyrus maritimus (L.) Bigel. var. pellitus
(Fern.) Gl.—Cod Roy Island, Nfld., July
13, 281*. Bell has listed a “variety of beach
pea” for Cod Roy Island.
Empetrum nigrum L.—St. Georges Bay, 150;
Cod Roy Island, 279; Cairn Mountain,
Nfid.*.
Nemopanthus mucronatus (L.) Trel—South
Arm, Bay of Islands, 107; St. Georges Bay,
153; Deer Lake 209.
Triadenum virginicum (L.) Raf—Great Cod
Roy River, 243. This species is represented
by leaf fragments only.
(Lythrum Salicaria L.—See discussion, 8, 12.)
Epilobium latifolium L—Flat Bay Brook,
189, Great Cod Roy River (?) 249; shingle,
Flat Bay Brook*. Fernald (1911) suggested
that E. latifolivm must be very rare or
local.
Epilobium palustre L.—Great Cod Roy
River, 347.
Ocenothera biennis L—Southwest Nfid., 69.
Aralia hispida Vent—tlLabel reads _ only
“Aralia hispida Michx—Bristly Sarsapar-
illa”.
PLANT COLLECTION FROM SW NeEwFouNDLAND
113
Conioselinum chinense (L.) BSP—Great Cod
Roy River, 328.
Angelica atropurpurea L.—Great Cod Roy
River, July, 1867, 329*.
Cornus canadensis L.—Great Cod Roy River,
309.
Cornus suecica L.—Southwest Nfid., 18, 49;
Long Point, 183; Port au Port Bay*; Great
Cod Roy Isd., July 18, 322*.
Moneses uniflora (L.) Gray.—Great Cod
Roy River, 221.
Pyrola asarifolia Michx—St. Georges Bay,
160. Bell thas listed P. rotundifolia, Flat
Bay Brook area.
Pyrola elliptica Nutt—Deer Lake, Nfld.,
July 17, 1867, 208*.
Pyrola secunda L.—Great Cod Roy River,
222.
Rhododendron canadense (L.) BSP.—St.
Georges Bay, 145, 147; Cairn Mountain’,
Flat Bay, Nfld.*.
Loiseleuria procumbens (L.) Desv.—Flat
Bay Brook, St. Georges Bay, 82, 93, 99,
111, 118, 120; Cairn Mountain, Nfld.*.
Kalnna polifolia Wang—St. Georges Bay,
124.
Kalmia angustifolia L.—St. Georges Bay, 152.
Andromeda glaucophylla Link—St. Georges
Bay, 154; sphagnum bog near Flat Bay,
Nfld.*.
Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench—St.
Georges Bay, 155; heath, near Cairn
Mountain, Nfid.*.
Arctostaphylos alpina (L.) Spreng—Great
Cod Roy River, 223, 230, 290, 307; Flat Bay,
Cairn Mountain*. Bell has listed A. Uva-
urst for Cairn Mountain.
Vaccinium uliginosum L—St. Georges Bay,
96, 119, 112, 113; Great Cod Roy River,
308; Cairn Mountain, Nfld.*.
Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea 1.—Southwest Nfld.
(Flat Bay Shore), 40, 70; St. Georges Bay,
97; Cairn Mountain*.
Vaccinium angustifolium Ait—St. Georges
Bay (Flat Bay Brook), 116, 128, Great Cod
Roy River, 311.
Vaccinium Oxycoccos L.—Southwest Nfld.,
21; St. Georges Bay, 90; Great Cod Roy
River, 166, 174.
Diapensia lapponica L.—Great Cod Roy
River, July 8, 1867, 289, 298, 337*; Flat Bay
Brook (Cairn Mountain) *.
Primula mistassinica Michx.—St. Georges
Bay, 108.
Primula laurentiana Fern—Long Point, 179;
Flat Bay Brook, St. Georges Bay, 205*.
Ne
Gentiana nesophila Holm—-Long Point, Port
au Port Bay, 182, 186.
Menyanthes trifoliata L.—Southwest Nfid.,
32; St. Georges Bay, 134; ponds in sphag-
num bog or heath near Cairn Mountain*.
Mertensia maritima (L.) S. ¥. Gray—South-
west Nfld., 42; Flat Bay (in St. Georges
Bay) June 30, 283*.
Scutellaria galericulata L.—Great Cod Roy
River, 257, 270.
Euphrasia Randi Robins—Long Point, Port
au Port Bay, 181.
Melampyrum lineare Desr.—Southwest Nfid.,
26.
Castilleja septentrionalis Lindl.— Humber
River, July 17, 210*.
(Campsis radicans (L.) Seem.—See discus-
sion, 5.)
Orobanche uniflora L—St. Georges Bay, 137;
woods near Cairn Mountain, Nfld.*.
Pinguicula vulgaris L._—St. Georges Bay, 100;
Flat Bay Brook, Nfld.*.
Plantago maritima L.—Long Point, Port au
Port Bay, July 12, 180*; St. Georges Bay,
254; Flat Bay (in St. Georges Bay), June
30, 284*.
Galium kamschaticum Steller—Great Cod
Roy River, 226.
Galium asprellum Michx.—Great Cod Roy
River, July 7, 1867, 266*.
Galium palustre L.—Great Cod Roy River,
167.
(Galium labradoricum (Wieg.) Wieg.—See
discussion, 2.)
Tue CanapiAn FieEtp-NaATuRALIST
Vol. 78
Viburnum cassinoides L.—St. Georges Bay,
151. Bell has identified this plant as V.
Lentago. Fernald has suggested a mis-
identification.
Viburnum opulus L. var. americanum Ait—
Fork, Humber River, July 18, 1867, 213*;
Viburnum Opulus VL—island, N. Fork
Humber River*.
Viburnum edule (Michx.) Raf.— Southwest
Nfld., 24*. Viburnum pauciflorum—Nn.
shore*. The presence of a sheet identified
by Bell as V. pauciflorum does little to
clear Fernald’s contention that Bell could
not have seen V. acerifolium in Newfound-
land. Bell has listed both species. Neither
authors give authority names. Viburnum
acerifolium L. is not contained in the col-
lection. V. pauciflorum Pylaie and V.
acerifolium Bong. are both names which
are no longer in use for V. edule (Michx.)
Raf.
Lonicera villosa (Michx.) R. & S.—St.
Georges Bay, 125, 144, 149; Great Cod
Roy River, July 8, 1867, 177, 310*, 317*.
Bell has listed L. oblongifolia. Fernald
doubted the identification.
Solidago macrophylla Pursh—Southwest
Nfld., 39.
Aster umbellatus Mill—Southwest Nfld., 20,
55.
Achilea Millefolium L.—Southwest Nfld., 52.
Leontodon autumnalis L—Cod Roy Island,
July 13, 1867, 275*, 280, 282.
Prenanthes racemosa Michx—Southwest
Nfld., 36.
Hieracium kalmii L.—Southwest Nfid., 35.
Discussion
Present status of John Bells collecting localities
As far as possible the collecting sites were checked during the summer of
1960 and 1962. The flora of the area of Flat Bay Brook village is much the same,
as is that of Flat Bay Brook itself (Figure 2), which is now a scheduled salmon
river. A bush road described by Bell is there, but now is overgrown, and
the gravel beds in the stream where he collected Epilobium latifolium still
support that species. “The Trans-Canada highway crosses Flat Bay Brook about
four miles above its mouth and there are some disturbances associated with
road building. A few white pines mentioned by Bell but not authenticated
by the collection still grow on the shores. “The Gravel”, Bell’s collecting area
at Port au Port, is readily identified. It has a sheltered harbour and a one mile
stretch of gravel beach and cliff. Unspoiled in Bell’s time, the trees and ferns
on the top are now gone, through storms, farming, introduction of a road cut
and use of part of the area as a garbage dump. Despite this, Shepherdia,
1964 BayLty: PLant CoLLecTION FROM SW NewFounDLAND 115
Figure 2. Flat Bay Brook, Newfoundland. A licensed salmon river, little changed from
the time of John Bell. Water here is saline, shores support Mertensia maritima and
Cakile edentula. July, 1960.
Figure 3. “The Gravel”, Port au Port. Expansion of town dump, and road building, have
changed the flora on top of the cliffs, but cliff itself still supports Shepherdia, Carex
aurea, dwarf juniper. July, 1960.
FicureE 4. Boggy meadow, Long Point, Newfoundland, described by Bell. Unchanged
except for overgrazing on nearby hill. July, 1960.
Ficure 5. Dwarfed spruce, Long Point, Newfoundland. Note heavy incidence of witches’
brooms. July, 1960.
116 Tue Canapian FieLtp-NaTurRALIStT Vol. 78
Oenothera, Rhinanthus, Antennaria and Carex aurea still hold the crumbling
gravel together (Figure 3). The Grand Cod Roy River, a scheduled salmon
stream, has minimum farming and is roughly the same as when Bell travelled
there. A stream which has the name of Ryan’s Brook indicates his collecting
location for the “profusion of garden flowers and weeds” which he mentioned.
From Cod Roy, Bell’s schooner sailed up the coast to Long Point, a narrow
sliver of land which separates the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Port au Port Bay.
This area is heavily overgrazed, because local residents use the point as a
community sheep pasture. The boggy meadow mentioned by Bell was located
(Figure 4). It contains a quaking bog which supports Toffieldia, Habenaria
and the typical members of the sphagnum bog community, although it is only
about 20 feet from the sea itself. The close cropping by the sheep on Long
Point has left little of the original flora except the dwarf spruces (Figure 5) and
the bogs. The region of the Humber Arm, or as Bell says, the south arm of
the Bay of Islands, has been used by a pulp and paper company as a flotation
basin for pulp logs and there has been extensive cutting of timber. Deer Lake
also fills with pulp logs, and farmlands occupy parts of the shore of Deer Lake.
At the mouth of the Humber River, which is described by Bell as choked with
eel grass, the water is now filled bank to bank with floating pulp logs. There
is a point of land just before the mouth of the river on which Bell camped and
collected. Along this strand, close to the town of Deer Lake, grow two species
of maple (spicatum and rubrum) as Bell said. These are old trees, many-
suckered from their parental root stocks. It is possible that these are
descendants of the originals which Bell mentioned (but did not collect). The
areas above Deer Lake visited by Bell are now timber limits, and cutting and
forest fires have changed the original collecting site.
Present status of the Newfoundland collection of John Bell
When Dr. John Bell published his Newfoundland papers he assumed that
his readers would enjoy an account of the trip, and since he was an enthusiastic
member of the Canadian Botanical Society he included as many plants with
Latin nomenclature as possible. The insertion of such names was necessarily
limited. “The nomenclature was only as accurate as Bell’s experience allowed,
since nobody except perhaps Robert Bell ever saw the collection. That Macoun
and Fernald placed such emphasis on his list of plants seems good reason for a
re-listing of this important, though obscure, collection.
The contents of the press, additional mounted sheets and John Bell’s two
papers form the basis of this discussion. They help to answer the questions of
Fernald and Macoun concerning the doubtful presence of some species and
the misidentification of others. In turn, they present additional problems.
These are misidentifications which have gone unchallenged and presence of
anomalous species which appear at the front of the press.
Fernald has questioned the presence of the following plants: Asplenium
thelypteroides, Salix petiolaris, Betula lenta, Thalictrum dioicum, Lonicera
oblongifolia and Viburnum acerifolium. None of these plants is represented
in the collection. The listing of Asplenium thelypteroides may have been a
1964 BayLy: Piantr CoLLecrion From SW NeEwFouNDLAND 117
sight misidentification of a young plant of Thelypteris noveboracensis (L.)
Nieuwl. Salix pellita Anderss. is the closest representative of that genus. The
Betula lenta listing by John Bell was a sight record made at the “bend of the
river” (Flat Bay Brook) below Cairn Mountain. The plant may have been
Betula lutea forma fallax Fassett. The only Thalictrum in the collection is
T. alpinum L. Lonicera villosa (Michx.) R. & S. holds the collecting label
“Great Cod Roy River, July 8, 1867”, the collecting station for the plant Bell
identified as Lonicera oblongifolia. The problem of Viburnum acerifolium
is complicated by Fernald’s omission of authority name. The collection does
not contain Viburnum acerifolium L., but Viburnum edule (Michx.) Raf. which
in former times has been named Viburnum acerifolium Bong. or V. pauciflorum
Pylaie is present. Macoun did not make use of Bell’s listing of V. acerifolium
for Newfoundland, and said of such records “This species is reported from
Newfoundland . . . but, as it was formerly confounded with the next
(V. pauciflorum Pylaie) I believe these references belong with the next.”
In addition to the problem of the distribution of certain species, Fernald
also challenged parts of the Bell listing as misidentifications. These species
identifications were: Vallisneria spiralis which Fernald assumed was Zostera
marina; Viburnum Lentago which Fernald suggested was V. cassinoides;
Cirsium pumilum considered to be C. muticum; Aspidium marginale which
Fernald believed to be “the there common Aspidium Filix-mas”. Neither
Vallisneria nor Zostera are among the plants in the collection. This sight
record “on the coastal shoreline at Flat Bay village” would certainly add support
to the view of Fernald that the plants that Bell saw were Zostera marina L.
Viburnum cassinoides L. is in the collection. There is no representative of the
genus Cirsium. A fern which recently turned up in the mounted specimens
bears the label “sarginale South Arm, Bay of Islands, Nfld.” is, as Fernald
suggested, a specimen of “Male fern” (now Dryopteris Filix-mas (L.) Schott.).
Plants which Fernald considered rare or local in the Bell listing were:
Claytonia caroliniana, Aspidium fragrans and Epilobium latifolium. The
collection does not contain the genus Claytonia but does contain Montia
fontana L., a close relative. The specimen has flower buds and well-developed
leaves. Present in the collection is Dryopteris fragrans (L.) Schott (collecting
label “Cairn Mountain”). One of the sheets of Epilobium latifolium L. bears
the label “shingle, Flat Bay Brook”.
Macoun made extensive use of the Bell plants in his Catalogue. Of 143
John Bell records cited, 15 are from the west coast of Newfoundland. One is
not listed in the papers, nor is it present in the collection (Ranunculus acris L.),
two are sight records (Acer saccharinum Wang., Myriophyllum spicatum L.),
one is listed but is not in the collection (Aralia nudicaulis L.), several are mis-
identified (Sagina procumbens L., Crataegus coccinea L., Lycopodium lucidu-
lum Michx., Lycopodium obscurum L.) and the remainder (including Nuphar
advena Ait., Sanguisorba canadensis L., Saxifraga aizoides L., Angelica atro-
purpureum L. and several species of Lycopodium) are present and correctly
identified.
A final problem arises from the presence in the plant press of a set of
plants (my numbers 1-15) which do not appear to be from Newfoundland.
118 Tue CaANapiAN FiIeLp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
The distribution of some (Castanea, Liquidambar, Campsis radicans) is more
southerly. Others, like Draba arabisans Michx. and Trifolium procumbens L.
are of very wide distribution on the eastern coast of North America. All lack
collecting labels. At first, the only immediate explanation for these plants was
that they represented the cultivated flowers from the Ryan’s Brook area or from
Flat Bay Brook village. Considering the wealth of detail which Dr. John Bell
wrote in his papers, it is unlikely that he would overlook such items as Castanea
or Lythrum Salicaria. It seems doubtful that the first numbers in the press
are from the west coast of Newfoundland. The only other explanation is
that John Bell had inserted a small collection from some other source in the
top of the press. When he began to mount up the press contents, he would
first select from the press the more interesting items, leaving most of the
anomalous specimens still on the top of the press. The mounted sheets con-
tained labelled specimens from Newfoundland plus one Lygodium palmatum
(Bernh.) Sev. This fern lay on a herbarium sheet, but had not been affixed
to it. The collecting label reads “Miss Isabella McIntosh, Northampton, Vt.
US.”. It is possible that the other problem species may have the same source.
This collection, made by a young medical doctor in the year of Confedera-
tion, helped to increase the knowledge of the flora of Newfoundland. John
Bell was not the first to collect on the island, but his papers, so carefully written
and free from ambiguity, are useful to all who have an interest in the distribution
of vascular plants in Newfoundland. The extent of the collection, exclusive
of the Bryophytes, is embodied in this paper. The collection is now housed
in the Carleton University herbarium.
REFERENCES
Beit, JoHn. 1869. The Plants of the West Expedition to Newfoundland and southern
Coast of Newfoundland. The Canadian Labrador. Rhodora 13:109-162.
Naturalist and Journal of Science, Septem- Greason, Henry A. 1958. The new Brit-
ber, 4:256-263. ton and Brown Illustrated Flora of the
S700 RLeUPlantsho Riche mice Northeastern United States and adjacent |
Coast Be Newfoundland. The Canadian Canada. New York Botanical Garden.
: : “RM. Macoun, JoHN. 1883, 1888. Catalogue of
Naturalist and Journal of Science 5:54-61. Ginddian Pinte uVole ad) Sele tibaeon
Fernatp, M. L. 1911. Contributions from Brothers, Montreal.
the Gray Herbarium of Harvard Univer- Potunin, Nicuoras. 1959. Circumpolar
sity. New Series—No. XL. A_ botanical Arctic Flora. Oxford University Press.
Received for publication 3 January 1964
Ws
REVIEWS
Birds of the Labrador Peninsula and
Adjacent Areas
By W. E. Crype Topp. 1963. University of
Toronto Press, Toronto. 819 pp. $18.00.
In size, scope, and content this is a big
book. Its subject is the bird life of a vast
and ornithologically poorly-known part
of Canada that encompasses some 600,000
square miles of the Quebec-Labrador
peninsula, eastern Hudson and James
bays, and part of extreme northwestern
Ontario. Its author is one of this con-
tinent’s most distinguished ornitholo-
gists.
It is a long-awaited book that really
had its beginning back in 1901 when the
author made his first expedition to the
wilds of Labrador to study the bird life
there. This initiated what was to become
a series of no less than 25 expeditions
conducted by the Carnegie Museum to
the ‘north country’. The valuable results
of these expeditions, heretofore un-
published, are presented in this book. In
addition, related data from all other avail-
able sources, published and unpublished,
are meticulously brought together, docu-
mented, and competently appraised.
There are 72 pages of introductory
material, the bulk of which (pp. 13-57)
is devoted to the itineraries and interest-
ing narratives of the 25 Carnegie Museum
expeditions. The geography, physio-
graphy, general geology, climate, popula-
tion and resources, ecological conditions,
life zones, and geographic history are
dealt with briefly. A good history of
previous ornithological work in the area
is given.
The systematic list of birds (pp. 73-
723) makes up the main body of the book.
Each subspecies is treated as a separate
unit. Treatment of distributional data is
uniform and thorough. For each sub-
species there is a list of the literature
references arranged by the various names
used by the authors concerned. There is
usually a list of additional records and one
of skins and eggs examined by the author.
The details derived from these published
sources and the great mass of records and
observations gathered by the Carnegie
Museum expeditions are then presented
in an orderly and readable manner.
Emphasis is on bird distribution and
the data presented are well documented
and definite. In many cases locality re-
cords are plotted on maps. The signi-
ficance of climatic, ecological, and topo-
graphic features as factors affecting bird
distribution is often indicated. Migration
dates are cited when available.
Taxonomic studies of many of the
forms are an important aspect of the
book. While not everybody will agree
with all of the opinions expressed (for
example, the treatment of the Blue-Snow
goose complex) many have much merit.
For instance, the treatment of the eastern
races of Passerculus sandwichensis is, in
this reviewer’s opinion, by far the most
realistic one that has yet appeared in
print.
A feature of the text is the author’s
frank, unbiased, and common-sense ap-
praisal of published data that for one
reason or another seem questionable. He
concludes, for instance, that in so far as
Labrador is concerned, too much respect
has been paid to J. J. Audubon as an au-
thority, and that many of Audubon’s
published records must be expunged. To
this reviewer this view appears to be long
overdue.
In such a laborious undertaking, in-
volving overwhelming detail, a few
minor oversights are inevitable. For in-
stance, the author states that he is not
aware of the authority for the Baie Johan
Beetz record of the Dickcissel cited in
the A.O.U. Check-list (ed. 5, Poy.
This is based on a collected specimen and
was published in The Auk 71(3):317.
There is no reference in the book to the
119
120
Ruff, Philomachus pugnax although there
is a generally overlooked record of a
“magnificent” male shot at Seven Islands,
Quebec, on May 27, 1933, in the collec-
tion of the late Dr. D. A. Dery (Pro-
vancher Society of Natural History of
Canada, Annual Report for 1933, p. 15).
A very few questionable assertions are
made such as (p. 373) that murres some-
times undertake a southward migration
from Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes, or
(p. 646) that the Evening Grosbeak is
still a casual summer resident in New
Brunswick (it is now one of the common
summer birds there). Such questionable
assertions are exceptional and the work
is characterized by meticulous accuracy
and astute observation and interpretation.
An extremely useful adjunct of the
book is a 32-page gazetteer of localities
which is skilfully prepared and anno-
tated. The 54-page (double columns)
bibliography, each item of which is ex-
pertly annotated, is another extremely
useful feature.
Eight colored plates by George M.
Sutton add beauty to the book and in a
number of species show rarely-pictured
and evanescent juvenal or the downy
plumages. A colored plate by C. L.
Ripper effectively portrays the natal
plumages of four grouse. A considerable
number of photographs showing habitats,
terrain, and other interesting aspects of
this rugged country are included.
This important work fully maintains
the very high standards that have long
characterized the author’s publications
and will be indispensable, now and for a
long time to come, to anyone interested
in the bird life of the large part of the
country that it covers.
W. Eart Goprrey
ws
Tue Canapian FIrtp-NaTurRALIST
Vol. 78
Birds of the Lake Athabasca Region,
Saskatchewan
By Roserr W. Nero. 1963. Saskatchewan
Natural History Society, Special Publica-
tion 5. 1943 pp. Illustrated. $2.50.
This useful and attractive publication
presents an excellent account of the bird
life of the Lake Athabasca region, Sas-
katchewan. Actually it~ considerably
transcends the northwestern part of the
province and gives a much clearer picture
than has been possible heretofore of bird
distribution in northern Saskatchewan in
general south to Clearwater and Churchill
rivers.
The Lake ene eee ae are based
mainly on the author’s very creditable
field work there in the summers of 1960,
1961, and 1962 and he has included also
data from all other available sources, both
published and unpublished, notable
among which are notes made by Francis
Harper i in 1914 and 1920, and Dig as oVi.
Shortt in 1945.
The copiously- -annotated list of birds
contains much definite and authentic in-
formation on distribution, status, and
dates for each species in the area, and for
many of those species there are notes also
on behavior, aspects of the breeding
cycle, and ecology. Substantial additions
are made to the known breeding ranges
of several species, and nesting is estab-
lished for a number of others where it
was only suspected heretofore. Valuable
data are given also for more eastern parts
of northern Saskatchewan, notably Has-
- bala Lake in the extreme northeast.
The introduction includes a general
account of the author’s three expeditions,
a good summary of previous work by
others, a description of the area, notes
and comments on bird distribution there,
and a map of the area. The report is
illustrated by photographs of bird habi-
tats and other subjects. Interesting draw-
ings by Ralph D. Carson are scattered
through the text. This report adds vastly
to our knowledge of the birds of northern
Saskatchewan.
W. Eart Goprrey
1964
Cacti and Other Succulents
By R. Gryns. Penguin Books Ltd., Har-
mondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1963.
191 pp., 125 half-tone pl., 5 text fig. (Cana-
dian distributer: Longmans Canada Ltd.,
Paperback Division, 55 Barber Greene
Road, Don Mills, Ontario. $1.85).
This small book is the most pleasant
and handsome introduction to the study
and culture of succulent plants which has
yet appeared. The profusion of really
excellent photographs, beautifully repro-
duced, shows for the most part close-up
views of either small mature plants or of
well-grown seedlings of large species,
thus portraying the plants as the home
grower is most likely to see them. There
is also a generous smattering of photo-
graphs of larger plants including a few in
the wild.
The text is well and interestingly writ-
ten to present an outline of the habitats
of succulent plants, much detail on
methods of culture and, for the latter
half of the book, a short description of a
number of genera and species well suited
to pot culture.
Although the book is written for an
English audience, the directions for cul-
ture are generally satisfactory for
Canadian growers. North American
readers might like to use the University
of California soil mixes rather than the
John Innes formulas, or for epiphytic
plants the chopped sphagnum moss me-
dium developed and used with great suc-
cess by the Montreal Botanic Garden.
Mr. Ginns gives a too brief list of more
extensive reference books. Those wanting
more information on the botany, es-
pecially the taxonomy of these plants
should refer to:
The Cataceae by N. L. Britton and
J. N. Rose. Reprint 1964, Dover
Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y.
1066 pp., 1279 ill., 2 vols. cloth $20.00
(U.S.)
A Handbook of Succulent Plants by
Hermann Jacobsen, 1960, Blandford
Press, London. 1441 pp., 1617 fig., 3
maps, 3 vols. $45.00 (U.S.)
REVIEWS
- statements,
121
Die Cactaceae, by Kurt Backeberg, re-
commended by Mr. Ginns, is a very
beautiful German work but should be
used with caution, since Backeberg is the
“ most notorious. splitter among cactus
taxonomists, and many of his names will
not stand. :
The best American journal for ama-
teurs is the Cactus and Succulent Journal
of the Cactus and Succulent Society of
America. This magazine is $5.00 (U.S.)
per year (6 issues) and may be ordered
from Scott Haselton, Editor, 132 West
Union Street, Pasadena, California.
To return to Mr. Ginns’ book, we can
recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone
interested in succulent plants, especially
cacti. The book is free from important
technical blunders, most of the few de-
tected being the result of incomplete
unavoidable in so short a
work.
Anyone who buys the book may want
to buy plants as well. Aside from local
shops, the only Canadian grower of im-
portance is Ben Veldhuis, Dundas,
Ontario, who deals with the public
mostly through visits to his greenhouses.
Other sources may be found in classified
columns of gardening magazines or in
the Cactus and Succulent Journal.
E. W. Greenwoop
Ramsayville, Ontario
Handbook of North American Birds,
Vol. 1. Loons through Flamingos
Edited by Ratpx S. Parmer. Yale University
Press, New Haven. 1962. 567 pp. $15.00.
When all volumes of this handbook
are published they will constitute the
most comprehensive assemblage of facts
on North American birds that has ever
been available. Everyone with a profes-
sional interest in birds, and many serious
amateur students of ornithology, should
have access to the set.
For each species, information is given
under the following headings: diagnostic
characters, detailed description of the
122 THe CanabiAn FIELD-NaTURALIST
definitive stage (the Villalobos system of
colours is used), descriptions of plumages
and moults, measurements, weight, colour
phases, hybrids, diagnostic description of
subspecies, field marks, voice, habitat,
distribution (maps show breeding range,
wintering range, and, in some instances,
migration routes and areas of hybridiza-
tion), migration, banding studies, repro-
duction, survival and longevity (if data
are available), habits, and food. The pre-
ceding list gives some idea of the breadth
of this work; it scarcely conveys any
idea of its detail.
Different sections and subsections are
the work of different authors, who are
identified by their initials. All data are
credited. A telegraphic style of writing is
employed. Not all species are illustrated,
but colour plates depict some of the less
familiar characteristics of plumage and
soft part colouration. Black-and-white
sketches illustrate some aspects of be-
haviour.
Davi A. Munro
Canadian Wildlife Service
Ottawa, Ontario
Minnesota’s Rocks and Waters:
A Geological Story
By Georce M. Scuwartz and Georce A.
TuieL with the assistance of Peggy Hard-
ing Love. The University of Minnesota
Press, Minneapolis. Revised (second) Edi-
tion. 1963. 366 pp.; 161 illustrations. $4.50.
(Minnesota Geological Survey Bulletin
37). Canadian representatives: “Thomas
Allen Limited, 266 King Street West,
Toronto.
The State of Minnesota, comprising
over 84,000 square miles, is situated ap-
proximately in the central part of North
America. Its surface waters drain in three
major directions: to the northward into
the Red River and eventually Hudson
Bay, to the eastward into Lake Superior
and the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south
by the Mississippi into the Gulf of
Mexico. Its northern boundary is Canada,
and while the volume was prepared for
Vol. 78
the citizens of Minnesota its description
of the geological features and how they
were developed will be of great interest
to many Canadians.
The landscape is composed of lakes,
swamps and rivers—of hills, ridges and
plains—of farm country, and rocky area
in the northern part. It contains some
14,000 lakes, giving a larger water area
than any other state in the union. The
details of the surface were largely pro-
duced by continental glaciers which ad-
vanced and in turn retreated during the
Great Glacial Age. The last glacier re-
treated from Minnesota as recently as
11,000 years ago.
Over the greater part of the state the
consolidated rocks at the surface are of
Precambrian age. They are ancient lava
flows, intrusives, and sediments including
iron-formations. The length of Precam-
brian time and the absence of fossils for
dating any beds makes correlation in
widespread areas difficult. In Minnesota
these rocks are regarded as having formed
in three geological eras: the Early Pre-
cambrian, the Middle Precambrian, and —
the Late Precambrian. Most of Canadian
geologists prefer to divide Precambrian
time into two eras, an older called the
Archaean and a younger era named the
Proterozoic. Both of these are sub-
divided, the Archaean into the Keewatin
and the Timiskaming, and the Protero-
zoic into the Huronian and the Keween-
awan. In the southern part of the state are
Cambrian, Ordovician and Devonian
strata but Upper Paleozoic and Lower
Mesozoic ages are not found. Rocks of
Cretaceous rest on Precambrian and on
early Paleozoic formations.
The mineral resources are of very
great value. The chief production is iron
ore. The total production in the state up
to January 1, 1962, was 2,529,737,533
tons. Toatl taxes paid on iron ore to
January 1, 1961, were approximately
$1,257,448,400., a very important source
of funds for the state government. Some
60 per cent of the total produced in the
United States has come from Minnesota.
Three iron ranges are the Mesabi, the
1964
Vermilion and the Cuyuna. Other
mineral resources in the state are archi-
tectural, monumental and _ structural
stone, produced from granite, limestone,
dolomite and other rocks; gravel and
sand are excavated and clay is used for
many ceramic products.
F. J. Aucock
398 Third Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
Dr. Alcock is a former director of the National
Museum of Canada.
Les Libellules du Québec
By Aprien Rosert, c.s.v. Ministere du
Tourisme, de la Chasse et de la Péche,
Province de Québec. Service de la Faune,
Bulletin 1. 1963. 223 pages, 278 figures.
Now that the taxonomy of the Can-
adian Odonata rests on a firm foundation,
there is a place for popular regional
manuals which will encourage the be-
ginner and provide an abridged yet ade-
quate guide for the local collector.
Brother Robert’s book is designed to
meet this need for Quebec, a province in
which he has studied dragonflies actively
for more than twenty-five years. It is
appropriate that this province should be
the first in Canada to devote a handbook
to its dragonflies. It contains at least 130
of the some 200 species recorded from
Canada; and yet, with its northern parts
extending beyond tree-line, it offers en-
vironments which limit the distribution
of dragonflies as a group. This handbook
will therefore foster interest in these
Insects in an area where their study
should be singularly rewarding.
Printed in an edition of 1,000 copies,
this book is sent free to libraries and
entomologists who apply to the publisher
(at 5075, rue Fullum, Montreal). En-
tomologists will be gratified that the
Ministry has devoted the first bulletin of
this series to an insect group; and this _
being so, the choice of dragonflies was a
happy one. The behaviour of these strik-
ing and beautiful creatures can readily
be observed in nature, their capture fre-
REvIEws
123
quently offers a challenge to the in-
genuity and patience of the collector, and
they are particularly numerous near lakes
and rivers where so many people congre-
gate during the summer.
The book is arranged in three parts. In
the first, which provides a general intro-
duction to the order, there are sections
devoted to the structure and life-history
of the larva and adult; the relationships
of dragonflies with aes animals (pre-
dators, prey, parasites, etc.); the history
of saath on the order in Quebec; and
methods of collection and preservation.
The second, principal part (of 112 pages)
comprises a key for identification of
adults, and the third part an annotated
list of species with brief remarks on
their dates of adult appearance and dis-
tribution. An addendum and bibliography
of 62 references complete the text. The
book is liberally illustrated with bold,
clear line-drawings and eleven well-pro-
duced photographs, the latter show
typical habitats and are unusually attrac-
tive.
Information is clearly presented, and
great care has been taken to make the key
incisive and easy to use. An excellent
feature is the accompanying drawings in
which pertinent characters are indicated
by arrows. This will earn the gratitude of
all who use the key, and (we may hope)
provide a precendent to be followed in
subsequent bulletins of this series. The
author’s aim—to provide a guide for
identification—has been effectively ful-
filled: this book should certainly be
possessed by all who intend to study
dragonflies in or near Quebec. But it
also provides a readable introduction to
the Odonata, and draws attention to the
varied and fascinating problems their
study offers the naturalist. It would
therefore make a useful addition to any
high school library.
The few errors lie in the illustrations
or their captions and only one is serious.
This is the portrayal (page 36) of a pair
of Coenagrion interrogatum ovipositing
in a manner exemplified by neither sub-
124
order. To be correct (and typical of the
sub-order this species represents) this
figure should show the female legs grasp-
ing a support, and the eggs being inserted
into plant tissue. Less important sources
of potential confusion include the ter-
minology of the larval labium, which
does not conform to current usage, and
the use of the ambiguous (though pos-
sibly correct) generic name Agrion in-
stead of Calopteryx. These shortcomings
represent minor and exceptional depar-
tures from the high standard which
characterizes the text and illustrations.
The author and publishers are to be
congratulated on producing this attrac-
tive and eminently useful handbook.
Puitie S. Corset
Entomology Research Institute
Canada Department of Agriculture
Ottawa, Ontario
Investigations in the Natural History
[Floristics and Geo-morphology] of the
Soviet Far East [Kamtchatka] Issledovanie
prirody dal’nego vostoka)
E. Parmasto, Editor. A collection of papers
published as No. 450 of the Academy of
Sciences of the Estonian S.S.R., Tartu,
1963. 1.54 rubles.
The text is in Russian, but each paper
is followed by a clear English summary,
sufficiently detailed for evaluation of the
work. The translated table of contents
lists the following:
Kaarel Orviku. On the Morphology of
the Coast of Kronoki Bay (9 pp., 4
photographs) ;
A. V. Raukas. On the Geology of the
Geyser Valley (17 pp., 6 photographs) ;
A. Raik. On the Regime of Kamchatka
Geysers (56 pp., 8 photographs) ;
Kaarel Orviku & A. Raukas. Geyserites
in the Geyser Valley, Kamchatka (15
THe CanapiaAn Firtp-NaATURALIST
Vol. 78
pp, 12 photographs) ;
H. Trass. On the Vegetation around Hot
Water Springs and Geysers of Geyser
Valley, Kamchatka (34 pp., 7 photo-
graphs);
E. Kukk. On the Algal Flora of the Gey-
ser Valley (12 pp., 30 species);
H. Trass & E. Lellep. Floristical Notes
from Kamchatka and the Island of
Medny (9 pp., 112 species),
H. Trass. On the Lichen Flora of Kam-
chatka I. (50 pp., 218 species including
1 sp. nov., 2 vars. nov., 8 f. nov., and 3
comb. nov.; 9 figures of gross charac-
ters);
FE. Parmasto. On the Fungus Flora of
Kamchatka (68 pp., 185 species includ-
ing 3 sp. nov., 1 var. nov., 2 f. nov., 3
comb. nov.); 7 photographs, 7 figures
mainly of the spores of 7 species;
T. Nikolajeva. The Hydnaceae in Kam-
chatka and Kunashir (9 pp., 30 species,
2 figures);
A. Raitviir. List of Fungi belonging to
the order Helotiales collected in Kam-
chatka and Kunashir (5 pp., 18 species
including 1 sp. nov., 1 comb. nov.);
A. Raitviir. List of Dacrymycetales and
Tremellales collected in Kamchatka
and Kunashir (4 pp., 14 species).
Four striking color reproductions of
paintings from the area add to the ar-
tistry of the book which is attractively
designed and bound, legibly printed. For
those of us completely unfamiliar with
Kamchatka, and for all interested in
floristics and especially for taxonomists in
the groups covered, this book is an essen-
tial addition to the scientific library and
desirable in the personal library.
Lue.ia K. WERESUB
Plant Research Institute
Canada Department of Agriculture
Ottawa
ee ee
NOTES
Changing Status of the Cowbird
2 in Prince Edward Island
Prior To 1960 THE EasterRN Cowsirp,
Molothrus ater ater (Boddaert), was re-
corded from Prince Edward Island on
but four occasions. Godfrey (1954, Na-
tional Museum of Canada Bulletin 132:
155-213) reported observations of three
birds made in 1933 and 1947; and Mills
(1957, Nova Scotia Museum of Science
Newsletter 2(2):25-27) recorded one
bird each in 1953 and 1954, with evidence
of breeding. Its status in Nova Scotia is
given by Tufts (1962, Birds of Nova
Scotia) as a rare summer resident until
1950, then increasing as a permanent resi-
dent seen more often in winter than in
summer.
The writer first recorded the Cowbird
through a reliable report from Bideford,
Prince County, in the fall of 1960. On
April 15, 1961, one male and one female
were observed at Ellerslie, Prince
County; and from April 16 to 29, eight
birds remained in that district. None were
seen again until October when several
adults and juveniles, and a flock of about
twenty-five were recorded from Ellerslie.
On April 9, 1962, a few were seen. among
flocks of Starlings and Common Grackles
which might have been female Cowbirds,
but conditions were unfavourable for
identification.
‘In 1963 the Cowbird was frequently
observed. Fourteen birds representing
both sexes were recorded from Ellerslie
May 4-28. Thirteen juveniles, often ac-
companied by Robins, Flickers, or Spar-
rows, Were seen in central Prince County
during late July; and about sixty Cow-
birds were recorded throughout August,
mostly associated with other blackbirds
foraging in meadows. In the period Sep-
tember 23-October 16 two flocks of
about two hundred Cowbirds each, and
about ten similar flocks of mixed Starlings
and Cowbirds were observed. No para-
sitized nests have yet been discovered.
A small summer population may have
existed here before 1960, for with few
observers and an abundance of black-
birds, the Cowbird could remain unde-
tected for some time. However, no resi-
dent has yet been encountered who had
previously seen the bird. The Cowbirds
seen among migrating flocks during late
September, 1963, were probably from
regions beyond the province, most local
blackbirds having left by late August.
Since about 1955 several species of
birds apparently have extended their
range into Prince Edward Island, or have
become more numerous there. Unfor-
tunately, the scarcity of observers here
may result in these changes being inade-
quately documented, as were avifaunal
conditions in the past.
STANLEY E. Vass
Ellerslie, P.E.I.
4 November 1963
Some Interesting Plants in the
Barron Canyon in
Algonquin Park
IN THE COURSE OF VisITs to the canyon of
the Barron River we have been delighted
to discover several plants whose occur-
rence was most unexpected. This part of
the river, noted for its beauty, is ac-
cessible only by canoe. The Barron River
drains Grand Lake on the east side of
Algonquin Park and joins the Petawawa
River not far from its junction with the
Ottawa. Judging from the vegetation,
this area is similar to the general sur-
rounding terrain in having the acid soil
of the southern part of the Canadian
Shield. ;
During our first visit in October 1961
we found that one of the rare rock
cresses Arabis Holboellii Hornem. grew
on exposed rock ledges. We had pre-
viously seen it on the rocks of the lower
125
126
Barron and T. C. Brayshaw of the
Petawawa Forest Experimental Station
has found it nearby on the Ottawa River
on the face of famous Oiseau Rock.
Celastrus scandens L. was fairly com-
mon on rock slides and of interest because
it bore fruit. Scattered vines of bitter-
sweet are well established at Des Joachim
and Deep River but do not fruit as they
do in the calcereous soil to the east. It
has been suggested that both sexes may
not have moved along together and I
must check this. These localities are just
beyond the limit of spread shown by
Soper and Heimburger (1961, 100 Shrubs
of Ontario).
In June of 1962 on the cool, shaded,
north-east side we were excited to find
Saxifraga aizoon Jacq. and one plant of
the little spleenwort Aspleniunz tricho-
manes L. That the occurrence here of
the saxifrage is unusual may be inferred
from the report of Soper and Maycock
(1963, Canadian Journal of Botany 41
(2):183-198). On May 26 of the follow-
ing year, much to our pleasure since it
was a hot day, we encountered a fall of
ice in this part of the canyon.
Also on May 26, 1963 we found a
colony of another rare crucifer Draba
hirta L. (D. arabisans). A second dis-
covery which defined identification was
a unique, evergreen, dwarf shrub or tree
about 30 inches tall sprawling at the base
of a moss and lichen-covered rock slide.
It would not appear to be a new species,
but rather a mutant of some more com-
mon plant as there are three forms of —
needles or branches. In appearance it is
rather like a large Cassiope mertensiana
(which of course it could not be, so far
out of range) with a few branches of
enlarged needles of Juniperus horizon-
talis and a few more of J. communis.
W. G. Dore, by sectioning a part of the
stem, has established that it is a conifer
of several years growth and it is said by
C. Frankton to smell of cedar.
Three more visits were made in 1963.
In mid-June we located Dryopteris
fragrans (L.) Schott var. remotiuscula
THe CanapiAn FieLtp-NaATURALIST
Vol. 78
Komarov. The presence on the Barron
of this fern has been reported by T. C.
Brayshaw who first discovered it there
(In press, Canadian Field-Naturalist).
In September, after examining many
rock ferns, a small colony of the glandu-
lar, jointless Woodsia cathcartiana Ro-
bins, was found. B. Boivin who made the
identification considers this to be a form
of W. oregana. The plants were on a
dry, exposed rock and earth face on the
south-east side. A few more specimens of
Asplenium trichomanes were located.
Several plants of Dryopteris fragrans
were seen under a moist overhang beside
the main waterfall and it was also ob-
served on dry rock slides where little
grew except this and the common Wood-
sia ilvensis. D. fragrans is evidently fairly
common in the canyon and also, we have
observed, on the cliffs of the Mattawa
River between Pimisi Bay and the Talon
Chute. In addition to the plants found
in the canyon, we have collected Cepha-
lanthus occidentalis LL. (button-bush),
Acorus calamus L. (sweet-flag) and the
uncommon Viola primulifolia L. along
the shores of the Barron River. Ceanothus
ovatus Desf. has been observed in the
canyon and along the valleys of the Chalk
and Petawawa rivers but not to the west.
In conclusion it is noted that the Bar-
ron and Petawawa Rivers are considered ©
to have been part of an old drainage
system between the Upper Great Lakes
and the Champlain Sea which once filled
the Ottawa valley. The plants may have
arrived at this time, then become stranded
in crevices of the cliffs where they found
survival possible. Some of them are
known to require lime in the soil. This
region is underlain mainly by acid,
granitic rocks and the occurrence of
lime would be unusual. However, it
might occur in glacially transported soils
or the plants may signify the presence of
calcium bearing rocks such as the Gren-
ville-type limestones known to occur
nearby, or of other calcium-bearing
rocks, such as amphibolite or other basic
rocks, that occur within the complex of
1964
igneous and metamorphic rocks of the
Canadian Shield. Whatever the reason,
these unusual occurrences make the can-
yon of the Barron River of considerable
interest botanically.
I wish to acknowledge the advice of
the members of the Plant Research Insti-
tute, Ottawa, mentioned above to whom
specimens were submitted and of N. R.
Gadd of the Geological Survey of
Canada.
Mary I. Moore
6 Laurier Ave.
Deep River, Ont.
12 November 19638
The Holotype of the Franklin
Grouse (Canachites franklinit)
STENHOUSE (1930, Novitates. Zoologicae
35:270-276) calls attention to the exis-
tence in the Royal Scottish Museum,
Edinburgh, of a specimen of Canachites
franklin, probably the type specimen.
I have recently examined the specimen
to determine any further details about it.
The specimen is now catalogued as
1930/183 in the museum, and bears two
labels. One, evidently originally attached
to the stand of the bird while it was on
display as a mounted specimen, bears no
data of significance except the written
statement on the reverse “Exhibited
Wernerian Society, 20.2.1830”. The ink,
and the position of this note relative to
the position of the red “Type” label of
recent origin, leads to the suspicion that
even this note may have been applied
recently. The data upon the museum
label were evidently transcribed from the
details contained in Douglas’ diary, pub-
lished in 1914. There would, therefore,
be grave doubts about the authenticity
of this specimen were it not for certain
supporting details. In the first place the
specimen was originally in the Edinburgh
University collection, where it is known
Douglas’ specimens were deposited. More
important, however, and apparently un-
noticed heretofore, is that it agrees close-
ly with the description by Douglas of the
Notes
127
specimen collected by him on the west
side of Athabasca Pass) now in British
Columbia) upon May 1, 1827.
As described (Douglas, 1914, Journal.
London, p. 258) the bird taken was an
adult male. It is further stated that: “This
being the first I have seen, could not re-
sist the temptation of preserving it,
although mutilated in the legs.” The
specimen in the Royal Scottish Museum
has had the right leg shattered just above
the foot and the left foot almost removed,
apparently by shot. There seems to me,
therefore, to be little doubt that the
specimen in the Royal Scottish Museum
is in fact the one mentioned by Douglas.
Later in his travels, Douglas mentions
shooting other specimens. These were
taken in the eastern foothills of the
Rocky Mountains, in an area that we now
know to be inhabited only by Canachites
canadensis or by a population showing
intermediate characters. No mention is
made of any specimens being preserved
except for the one above mentioned.
When Douglas prepared the original
description of Canachites franklini (1833,
Transactions Linnaean Society of London
16:139) he included an accurate account
of its colour in every detail, except that
he remarks in the English, but not in the
Latin description, “Tail square . . . black,
white at the points”. The tail in franklinni
is almost always completely black, as it 1s
in the specimen here described. It is safe
to assume that the statement was based
on his memory of the other individuals
shot in the foothills and believed by him
to be the same as his first specimen.
These eastern foothill birds do in fact
have the tail tip yellowish brown or dirty
white. The inadequate description of the
female was also no doubt added from
memory and without reference to a
specimen. Another product of faulty
memory is the statement in the original
description that the flesh is white, where-
as in his diary he records accurately that
the flesh was dark.
Although Douglas makes no specific
mention of any specimen in his original
128
description, and thus designates no type
specimen, his treatment, in prior position,
of the male plumage in detail that was
not merely extracted from his diary,
leaves no doubt that he had a male speci-
men before him. In my opinion the speci-
men in question is the one now in the
Royal Scottish Museum and, as the only
specimen known to have been in the
possession of the describer, can be re-
garded as the holotype. The type locality
then becomes Athabasca Pass, British
Columbia, on the headwaters of the
Canoe River.
I. McT. Cowan
Department of Zoology
University of British Columbia
Vancouver 8, B.
18 November 1963
Bushy-tailed Wood Rat in the
Peace River District, Alberta
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE BUSHY-TAILED
woop RAT, Neotoma cinerea drummondi
(Richardson), is usually reported as in-
cluding the Peace River district of
British Columbia, without mention of the
Alberta section (Rand, 1948, National
Museum of Canada Bulletin 108:162-163;
Hall and Kelson, 1959, The Mammals of
North America 2:704).
Soper (1948, Journal of Mammalogy
25:59) reported the species in the Wapiti
River valley south of Wembley, Alberta.
He was informed that it formerly oc-
curred at Dunvegan, but had been re-
cently exterminated. It seems desirable,
therefore, to record a specimen in the
National Museum of Canada from Dun-
vegan, Alberta. The specimen (no.
11573), a juvenile male, was taken by Dr.
L. S. Russell on August 30, 1932, at his
field camp on the banks of the Peace
River just east of Dunvegan (Section 8,
Township 80, Range 4, W.6).
It appears that bushy-tailed wood rats
(or pack rats), emigrated from the
Rocky Mountains eastward down the
Tue CaNnapbiAn FIELp-NatTurRALIStT
Vol. 78
river valleys into the Peace River District
of north-western Alberta.
A. W. F. BANFIELD
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
10 December 1963
The Stonecat, Noturus flavus,
Newly Recorded in Alberta
‘THREE SPECIMENS OF the stonecat, Notu-
rus flavus Rafinesque, were caught in the
Milk River, about 18 miles west of Wild-
horse, Alberta, on the night of June 19-
20, 1962, by J. R. Nursall and R. C. B.
Hartland-Rowe, who were participating
in a faunal survey of the Milk River
canyon for the University of Alberta.
The party was stationed at the winter
camp of George Ross, a rancher of the
district; the fish were captured at the
camp. The water was thick with sediment
(“milky”) and the current was swift.
At 9:00 a.m., June 19, 1963, the water
temperature at the camp was 19.6°C,
the pH 7.8. Conductivity of the water
was about 200 micromhos.
Seining was attempted in the river,
but was of limited success, owing to tur-
bulent water and a treacherous, shifting,
sandy bottom. Only flathead chub,
Hybopsis (Platygobio) gracilis (Richard-
son), were taken by this method. Subse-
quently, small traps were fabricated from
window screening and wire, baited with
hamburger and bacon and staked into
the river. The stonecats and several flat-
head chub were taken by this method.
Seining in oxbows of the Milk River,
about one mile east of the Ross camp,
produced more flathead chub plus some
specimens of the burbot, Lota lota (Lin-
‘naeus), but no stonecats. Here also were
found specimens of the Western Painted
Turtle, Chrysemys picta belli Gray, as
reported by Lewin (1963, Copeia (2):
446-447),
The specimens noted are deposited in
the University of Alberta Museum of
Zoology, Edmonton. Measurements on
Noturus flavus are as follows:
1964 Notes 129
Catalogue Total Standard Weight Dorsal Anal
No. length length preserved rays rays
(mm) (mm) (gm)
100 229 193 138 1+6 16
101 225 192 131 1+6 16
102 176 153 58 1+ 6 16
W. B. Scott (1958, A Checklist of the
Freshwater Fishes of Canada and Alaska,
Royal Ontario Museum, p. 19) said that
Noturus flavus “is to be expected in
southern Canadian plains region, al-
though no valid records exist”. In the
same place Scott throws doubt on the
record of Bissett (1927, Canadian Field-
Naturalist 41(6) : 127-128) of Noturus
flavus in Manitoba. Hinks (1943, The
Fishes of Manitoba, Manitoba Depart-
ment of Mines and Natural Resources,
102 pp.) mentioned only Bissett’s (1927)
record and stated that “the record needs
confirmation” (p. 62).
Rostlund (1952, University of Cali-
fornia Publications in Geography, 9, p.
274) published a range map for Noturus
flavus, showing it in the South Saskatche-
wan River drainage of the southeast cor-
ner of Alberta, and the Assiniboine —
Red River drainage of Manitoba, with a
doubtful distribution between these
across southern Saskatchewan. The Mani-
toba record was based on Hubbs and
Lagler (1947, Fishes of the Great Lakes
Region, Cranbrook Institute of Science,
Bulletin 26, p. 72), which was based on
Bisset (1927). The Alberta record was
from Eigenmann (1895, Bulletin of the
U.S. Fish Commission 14: 101-132), who
stated (p. 107) that “A number of speci-
mens of this species (150 to 250 mm.
long) were obtained with hook and line
at night in the Missouri River at Craig,
Mont. They were [also] reported to me
at Medicine Hat, but I did not procure
any specimens at that place.” It seems
probable to us that verbal accounts of
the stonecat from Medicine Hat would
refer to specimens taken in the Milk
River or its tributaries, which lie about
60 miles south of that city. Eigenmann
himself (1895 p. 119) lists Noturus flavus
only for the Missouri River system.
The species was not listed by Rawson
(1949, A Check List of the Fishes of
Saskatchewan, Royal Commission of the
Fisheries of Saskatchewan, Saskatche-
wan Department of National Resources
and Industrial Development, 8 pp.). F.
M. Atton (pers. comm.) states that no
specimens have been collected in Saskat-
ewan.
The Milk River is tributary to the Mis-
souri River. The stonecat is found in
the upper tributaries of this system (e.g.,
Simon, 1946, Wyoming Fishes, Bulletin
4, Wyoming Game and Fish Department,
pp. 94-95; Brown, 1962, Proceedings of
the Montana Academy of Science 22,
pp. 21-26). Mr. W. Alvord (Chief of
Fisheries Management, State of Montana
Department of Fish and Game) further
informs us (pers. comm.) that this spec-
ies has been recovered from the Milk
River within Montana.
J. R. Nursatt,
Vicror LEWIN
Department of Zoology
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
13 November 1963
Se
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
During early July, 1962, my family and
I spent seven days exploring Churchill,
Manitoba, and environs. Through the
courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Smith
and mutual use of their truck and canoe,
we were able to range as far as Twin
Lakes in one direction and Button Bay
in another. The Smiths have a deep love
and respect for the North and its native
peoples, plants and animals. Mr. Smith
(“Windy”) has background experiences
in the North worthy of documentation.
The Smiths have been gracious hosts to
many amateur and professional natura-
lists.
In spite of several cold, rainy days and
hordes of mosquitoes on two sunny days,
we soaked up the magnificence of tundra
and forest edge and the great Churchill
River and Hudson Bay.
Our first impressions of Churchill’s
richness of nature came from the displays
of native flowers. The natural lavish
gardens were a dramatic contrast to the
rawness of man-made disturbances of the
land and the careless disposal of all sorts
of junk. Here is a frontier town and a
seaport with its share of. Indians and
Eskimos, already or fast becoming human
derelicts. All too well and woefully illus-
trated in Churchill are the almost insane
and depraved manners in which “civil-
ized” peoples can slash into and depre-
ciate the native beauty of a countryside
and can disturb the integrity of Indians
and Eskimos.
Within a few hours of beating around
Churchill—its truly wonderful “Town
Slough”, river front and great coastal
rocks, pools, pockets of soil and cobble
and sand beaches—the thought that
Churchill could be a place of great
natural beauty began to gnaw away
within our reflections. We discovered a
few town’s people who resented the
rough manner in which developers of all
sorts, including the armed forces, had
treated the area.
Many naturalists have gone to Churchill
and tourist excursions are made periodic-
ally by train each summer. Yet no one to
our knowledge has come out strongly
with a proposal that Churchill is worthy
of careful planning with a major goal of
preserving its natural beauty and wealth
of flora and fauna. While there we wit-
nessed three white town boys shooting
down Parasitic Jaegers. Some of the
most beautiful natural gardens and parts
of the Town Slough were being used as
dumping grounds.
More seriously, we were deeply dis-
turbed by maladjustments obviously
existing among the whites, Indians and
Eskimos who make up permanent and
drifting populations of the area.
There is great challenge all through
Canada’s North for better planning of
towns and for development premised in
large part on preservation of natural
beauty of the land and integrity of
Indians and Eskimos.
Admittedly these observations made
by my family and me are sketchy and
limited, but we believe they are of import
and worthy of reporting.
Doucias E. Wane
Northern Illinois University
Lorado Taft Field Campus
Oregon, Illinois
28 March, 1964.
Vs
130
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Honorary President, Dr. M. Y. Witiiams; Past
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Mrs, H. Pinver-Moss; Editor of Bulletin, C. B. W.
Rocers; Recording Secretary, Miss K. Mizroy.
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A GUIDE TO THE GEOLOGY
OF THE OTTAWA DISTRICT
by
ALice E. Witson
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OF THE GATINEAU-LIEVRE DISTRICT
by
DonaALp D. HocartH
may be obtained at a cost of one dollar each.
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LIBRARY
The CANADIAN:
FIELD-NATURALIST
Published by THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’ CLUB, Ottawa, Ontario
Articles
William Copeland McCalla — An Appreciation A. E. Porsiwp 131
Plant Collections from Carswell Lake and Beartooth Island, Northwestern
Saskatchewan, Canada Grorce W. Arcus 139
Some Interesting Plant Records from the Chalk River District, Ontario
T. C. BraysHaw 150
Notes on the Amphibians of Browns Flat Area, New Brunswick
STANLEY W. GorHamM 154
The Rock Ptarmigan, Lagopus mutus rupestris in Ontario and Manitoba
Harry G. LumMspEn 161
Fish Collections from Eastern Hudson Bay D. E. McALuister 167
The Food Habits of the Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, in Manitoba
Ravpu D. Birp and Lawrie B. SmitH_ 179
Additional Records and a Correction of the Type Locality for the Boreal
Chorus Frog in Northwestern Ontario Francis R. Cook 186
Reviews 193
The Last Horizon — Where is that Vanished Bird? — Fishes of the Western North Atlantic —
Fish and Wildlife, A Memorial to W. J. K. Harkness — Rowan Field Notes: A Review —
Other New Titles.
Notes
Occurrence of Some Small Mammals in Southwestern Ontario Cuartes A. Lone 197
Black Duck Breeding Record for Alberta Wii G. Lerrcu 199
Piping Plover in Ottawa, Ontario A. E. Bourcuignon 199
Two Interior British Columbia Records for the Ancient Murrelet Watter B. JoHNSTONE 199
A Probable Breeding Record of the Bobolink at Vermilion, Alberta James K. Lowruer 200
Harris’ Sparrow in Quebec James K. LowrHer 200
Additional Specimens of the Small-mouthed Salamander from Pelee Island, Ontario
Francis R. Coox 201
Nest-Site Competition between Bufflehead, Mountain Bluebird and Tree Swallow
A. J. Erskine 202
Notes on Townsend’s Solitaire in ‘Western Chilcotin District, British Columbia
W. Anrian B. Paut 203
Notes on the Birds of Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba Donatp A. BLoop 204
Letter to the Editor 206
Can. Field Nat.
Vol. 78 | No. 3 | p. 131-206 | Ottawa, July-September 1964
THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS - CLUB
FounDED IN 172
= Patrons = po
The objects of the club are to ms an acquaintance :
encourage investigation and to publish | the results of ones resear
in all branches of natural history. — |
The club is a corporate member of the F ener ‘of Ontario N tur
affiliated with the American peedioe for the Advancement of Scienc
MEMBERS OF COUNCIL
President: Grorce H. McGer, 2052 Woodcrest Road, Orawa 8, , Ontario.
First Vice-President: W. Winston Mair
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150 Wellington St., Ottawa 4, Ontario
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Additional Members of Council: Mrs. F. R. Coox, Miss de Kineston, Virs. L
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Sa near and ‘e Tee
Auditors: J. M. Guierr and R. J Moore
THE CANADIAN FIELD. DN A’
Editor: FRaNcIs R. Cook — e
National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, Onene "Centra
Associate Editors: F, J. Atcock (Geology), Tone W. Arnotp Entomol gy
(Paleontology), J. Suerman Brieaxney (Herp okey _ ARTHUR |
(Malacology), WiLt1AM G. Dore (Botany), . ON th
GoDFREY (Ocaiheloey): A. Be (
(Mammalogy). : ete
The Canadian F ‘el Netmealioe: is bets
Club with assistance of the affiliated societies listed on ‘ i
representing personal observations or the results of origin:
tural history are invited. In the preparation of par
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DEC 2 9 1964
The Canadian Field-Naturalist
UNIVERSITY,
VOLUME 78 JULY-SEPTEMBER 1964 NuMBER 3
WILLIAM COPELAND McCALLA — AN APPRECIATION
A. E. Porstip
National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
William Copeland McCalla, normal school teacher and internationally
known amateur botanist, was born on November 8, 1872, at St. Catharines,
Ontario, and died at Calgary, Alberta, on August 22, 1962. He grew up in St.
Chee aes where he received his early education; in the early 1890's he went
to Cornell University but, unfortunately, had to eeancimae his studies owing
to indifferent health and eye troubles. However, he was at Cornell long
enough to come under the lasting influence of Dr. L. H. Bailey and Dr.
K. M. Wiegand.
McCalla had been interested in plants from early childhood and in his teens
took care of the plants in his father’s conservatory at St. Catharines; about this
time he also became deeply interested in photography. In the summer of 1899
he made his first botanical collecting trip which took him to Banff in the
Canadian Rockies. Among the plants brought back were many not previously
known from Alberta and even some that proved undescribed. A distinctive
western willow, a tiny purple Primula and a western Draba were named for
McCalla by the specialists who described and recorded them as new to Science.
For some years McCalla operated “Sunny Acres” fruit farm now a part
of the city of St. Catharines. A victim of asthma, he was advised to leave
Ontario and in 1913 moved with his family to Edmonton where for one year
be became a partner in a construction firm that disappeared with the bursting
of the great building boom. In 1914 he bought a farm near Bremner, 13 miles
east of Edmonton. For some years he was free of asthma, but soon hie health
forced him to abandon farming. In 1922 he joined the She of the Edmonton ©
Normal School as librarian, and later as a teacher of Nature Study. In 1925
he moved to Calgary where he taught Natural History at the Normal School
until he retired in 1938. During these years hundreds of student teachers had
the stimulating experience of field trips with him and of examining his Natural
History specimens and photographs. For teaching purposes McCalla made
nearly 1000 hand-coloured lantern slides of plants and animals. Many of these
are now in the Department of Botany of the University of Alberta at Calgary,
or in the Department of Entomology at Edmonton.
Following his retirement McCalla was able to devote an increasing part
of his free time to botanical studies, plant photography, and to extended field
trips from Canada’s western prairies to the coast of British Columbia, south
Mailing date of this number: 23 December, 1964
131
132 THE CaAnapiAn FIeLp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Ficure 1. William Copeland McCalla.
1964 Porsitp: Wuiit1am CopeLanpn McCatia 133
eae ae :
Ficure 2. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) on steep bank above Bow River Falls,
Banff, Alberta.
134 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
through the western States to the Mexican border. On all these he was
accompanied by Mrs. McCalla who took a devoted and active interest in his
work; she was also an experienced camper and, besides cooking, kept notes and
records for her husband. On most of these trips they carried camping equip-
ment so as to be independent of commercial hostelries. Once, when revisiting
the habitat of a rare plant, they camped near it for an entire week, until
conditions were suitable for obtaining the photographs they had come there to
make. This was before the coming of dependable light meters, electronic
flashlights and miniature cameras, when the field photographer had to carry a
portable dark-room for reloading his plate holders and for making test develop-
ments of negatives.
During these field trips McCalla kept adding to his growing herbarium in
which he invariably deposited “voucher specimens” of all plants photographed.
The winters following the field trips were spent developing and printing his
negatives and in the study and classification of plant specimens.
Widely recognized as an authority on the flora of Alberta, McCalla corres-
ponded and exchanged plants with many Canadian and foreign botanists, giving
freely of his time and personal observations. Many thousands of duplicates,
often of rare or little known western plants, were presented to the herbartd of
the National Museum of Canada at Ottawa, the Royal Botanical Gardens at
Kew, England, the New York Botanical Garden, and the University of British
Columbia. In 1960 McCalla presented his entire herbarium, numbering about
14,000 sheets, to the University of Alberta, Edmonton, together with the
negatives of his plant photographs. In the collecting and preparation of
botanical specimens McCalla devoted meticulous care and thought, and those
selected for his own herbarium, all carefully annotated, were of such exceptional
perfection and beauty as is rarely attainable in standard herbarium practice.
During seven field seasons in the Canadian Rockies I was often a guest in
the hospitable McCalla residence on the North Hill in Calgary when evenings
were spent examining specimens in McCalla’s herbarium or in viewing selections
from his large collection of exquisite colour transparencies or of black and
white prints of wild flowers. A selection of 1411 enlarged wildflower photo-
graphs, including many of landscapes and plant habitats, all carefully labelled
and mounted in 25 large albums, Dr. McCalla presented to the National Museum
of Canada. In a letter dated February 14, 1959, he wrote about these:
“T have considered the matter and have come to the conclusion that nothing
could give me the same satisfaction as to present as a gift the 25 albums,
containing all 1411 photographic prints, to the National Museum of Canada.
“These photographs were taken over a long period of time and under all
kinds of conditions; there were frequent difficulties, I often breathed something
like a prayer that I might be able to do justice to the beauty of Nature in front
of the camera.
“T had no thought of the financial value of what I was doing. The work
was fascinating, challenging, sometimes disappointing, often rewarding—a grand
1964 Porsitp: Wiutttam Copetanp McCatta 135
Figure 3. Western Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Nuttallii) near Victoria, B.C.
THe Canapian Fietp-NATURALIST
Ficure 4. Western Flowering Dogwood. 3 natural size.
Figure 5. Flowering Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) .
1964 Porsitp: Wiurtiam CopeLanp McCatia 137
natural size.
Nie
Ficure 6. Flowering Bitter-root (Lewisia rediviva) near Cranbrook, B.C.
he. ia
Figure 7. Pasque-flower or Prairie Crocus (Pulsatilla Ludoviciana), near Calgary, Alberta.
2 natural size.
138 Tue CANaApIAN FIeEL_p-NATURALIST Vol. 78
avocation adding to the interest and joy of life. I am happy to have so many
of them go to the National Museum where they will be useful and be given
good care”.
The 25 albums of photographs are now in the National Museum of Canada
where they will long remain an invaluable research tool and a lasting source of
botanical information and aesthetic pleasure. The six plant portraits illustrating
this article are truly representative of Dr. McCalla’s photographic skill.
To the hundreds of student teachers who attended his classes and examined
his biological specimens or photographs, and to the many who from time to time
were able to accompany McCalla in the field, the association with this gifted
and knowledgeable student of Nature must have been truly inspiring. Several
distinguished Canadian biologists have acknowledged their indebtedness to him
for their initial interest in Nature and its many wonders.
In his teaching, and not least in his private herbarium, now in the Univer-
sity at Edmonton, in the thousands of duplicated specimens distributed to other
herbaria and in the truly unique collection of photographs presented to the
National Museum of Canada, McCalla has left an invaluable heritage to the
botanical science, and a great monument to one of the ablest and yet most
modest of Canadian botanists. It is most appropriate that the University of
Alberta, in 1956, saw fit to confer upon William Copeland McCalla the degree
of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa.
wy
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
The Kitchener-Waterloo Field-Naturalists’ Club has collected and
tabulated results of the 1963 Christmas Bird Counts from 26 clubs in
Ontario. The tabulated data is contained on a single sheet 11 x 17
inches. Photostatic copies of this interesting data can be obtained
from F. W. Cooper, President, K.-W. Field-Naturalist’ Club, 317
Highland Road East, Kitchener, Ontario. The price is 25 cents
per copy.
It is interesting to note that a total of 133 species and 175,000 in-
dividuals were reported by the participating clubs.
PLANT COLLECTIONS FROM CARSWELL LAKE AND
BEARTOOTH ISLAND
NORTHWESTERN SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA
GerorGE W. Arcus
W. P. Fraser Herbarium, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
THE FLORA AND VEGETATION OF NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN is known primarily
from the collections and publications of Professor Hugh M. Raup (1936, 1946)
who explored the Saskatchewan portion of the Lake Athabasca region in 1935.
Other collections from this area have been made by J. B. Tyrrell in 1892 and
1893 (Tyrrell and Dowling, 1896), and more recently by Scotter (Scotter,
1961; Thompson and Scotter, 1961) in the Black Lake region east of Lake
Athabasca. Collections of bryophytes made by Mr. M. Welsh in northern
Saskatchewan are included in Conard’s list (1957). The Alberta section of
Lake Athabasca is better known botanically than the Saskatchewan section and
several expeditions were made in northeastern Alberta by H. Raup (1936) and
Lucy Raup, who concentrated on the lichens (1928, 1930). More recently
collections by Cody (1956) have added to the knowledge of the flora of Alberta.
However, northwestern Saskatchewan has been infrequently visited by botanists
and most collections are from the shores of Lake Athabasca, with the exception
of Scotter’s work in the Black Lake region. Prior to this study the vast inland
sedimentary region south of Lake Athabasca was unknown botanically.
During the summer of 1962 two localities in the Lake Athabasca region of
northwestern Saskatchewan were visited: Carswell Lake and Beartooth Island.
These localities were visited as an incidental part of studies in the sand dune
region on the south shore of Lake Athabasca. The time spent at each locality
was short, three days at Carswell Lake (July 12-14) and two days on Beartooth
Island (July 15 and 16), and the total number of collections small; however
they have proved to be of floristic importance.
The Carswell Lake region was of particular interest because of the
anomalous limestone outcrops in this area and the promise that species unknown
in the surrounding region may occur here. The sand blowouts on Beartooth
island led us to suspect that the island may support an unusual flora similar to
that of the sand dunes on the south shore of the lake only 14 miles away.
However, the flora of Beartooth Island proved to be like that of the north shore
of Lake Athabasca and contained none of the endemics known from the south
shore (cf. H. Raup, 1936).
The 143 taxa listed here only represent a sample of the flora. For the area
explored was small, many common species were not collected due to the press
of time, and the mosses and lichens were only incidentally collected. However,
of the total, 34 taxa are new to northern Saskatchewan, of which two vascular
plants, 11 bryophytes, and three lichens are new to the province; 11 taxa are
new to northwestern Saskatchewan but have been known from adjacent
Alberta, and 33 taxa were previously uncollected from the south side of Lake
Athabasca.
139
140 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
The field research was supported by the Institute for Northern Studies,
University of Saskatchewan, during my tenure as a National Research Council
of Canada Postdoctorate Fellow. My field companion on the expedition was
Dr. Robert Nero, ornithologist, University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus.
Dr. Nero (1963) has published an account of the ornithology of the Lake
Athabaska region. At Carswell Lake we had the good fortune to accompany
a party of geologists including Professor F. Edmunds and Mr. L. Beck and
party. My appreciation is extended to the specialists who identified or verified
specimens in certain difficult groups and to Dr. Dix for reading the manuscript
and helpful suggestions.
CARSWELL LAKE
Carswell Lake (locally known as Trout Lake) is located about 22 miles
east of the provincial boundary and 32 miles south of Lake Athabasca (lat.
58° 35’ N., long. 109° 25’ W.). The region south of Lake Athabasca is under-
lain by sandstone of the Athabaska formation (Tyrrell and Dowling, 1896).
Rising out of the gently rolling terrain are a series of limestone escarpments
produced by six ridges of fine-grained, highly folded and metamorphosed
limestone extending in an arc westward from the southwestern end of Carswell
Lake (Blake, 1956). Blake reports that this rock is unknown in the region
north and immediately south of Lake Athabasca. Our camp was located near
the lake at the foot of a cliff marking the edge of one of these ridges. Botanical
exploration was mainly carried out in the limestone area.
The vegetation in the vicinity of the limestone ridges is predominantly
open Pinus banksiana woods on the uplands and Picea mariana, Larix laricina
muskeg on the lowlands. At the base of the cliffs are mixed Pinus banksiana,
Populas tremuloides woods associated with the shrubs, Cornus alba ssp.
stolonifera, Amelanchier alnifolia, and Prunus virginiana. Woods of Picea
glauca are rare and only two small stands of that species were observed. The
dry south-facing cliffs and the drier portions of the ridge tops support a
xerophytic vegetation including Juniperus communis, J. horizontalis, Saxifraga
tricuspidata, Erigeron compositus, et al. ‘The limestone cliffs also support some
taxa apparently confined to calcareous rocks in northern Saskatchewan, includ-
ing Pellaea glabella var. occidentalis and Draba cinerea. A wet limestone cliff
over which water was falling contained an interesting assemblage of plants
including Dryas drummondii, Selaginella selaginoides, Anemone parviflora,
Carex leptalea and the mosses Cinclidium sty gium and Bryum pseudotriquetrum.
BEARTOOTH ISLAND
Beartooth Island is a small sandy-gravel island about three-quarters of a mile
long and one-half of a mile wide. It lies near the center of Lake Athabasca about
eleven miles east of the provincial boundary. The island consists of sand
overlying sandstone boulders and stones, and although it is mapped geologically
as Athabasca sandstone no bedrock outcrops were observed.
In the recent past Beartooth Island apparently supported well developed
forests of Picea glauca and Betula papyrifera and the island was passed longingly
rrr er
1964 Arcus: CoLLections From NW SaskaTcHEWAN 141
VOR REA
c ee
108° = :
Carswell L.: in Pinus banksiana woods on
limestone cliff, 521-62.
Tue CaNnapDiANn Fietp-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
Rubus idaeus L. var. canadensis Richards.
Beartooth I.: on an old gravel beach ridge,
651-62.
Sorbus scopulina Greene
‘Beartooth I.: on old gravel beach ridge,
uncommon, 653-62.
EMPETRACEAE
Empetrum hermaphroditum (Lge.) Hagerup
Beartooth I:: forming large mats in sand
blowouts, common, 643-62.
ELAEAGNACEAE
Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt. (LA-S)
Carswell L.: in Pinus banksiana woods on
limestone ridge, 468-62.
HALAGORIDACEAE
Hippuris vulgaris L.
Carswell L.: emergent aquatic on lake
shore, 625-62.
UMBELLIFERAE
Cicuta mackenzieana Raup
Carswell L.: in marsh on lake edge, 613-62.
CORNACEAE
Cornus alba L. ssp. stolonifera (Michx.)
Wangerin (LA-S)
Carswell L.: in limestone rubble at base of
cliff, 592-62. Previously known in northern
Saskatchewan from one locality on the north
shore of Lake Athabasca (H. Raup, 1936).
PYROLACEAE
Pyrola asarifolia Michx.
(Bunge) Fern.
Carswell L.: on boggy edge of pond, asso-
ciated with Betula glandulosa and Salix
candida, 526-62A.
var.
purpurea
ERICACEAE |
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.
Observed in Pinus banksiana woods at
Carswell Lake.
Ledum groenlandicum Oeder
Observed at Carswell Lake in Picea
mariana muskeg and on Beartooth Island in
Picea glauca burn regeneration.
Vaccinium myrtilloides Michx.
Observed in Pinus banksiana woods at
Carswell Lake.
PRIMULACEAE
Androsace septentrionalis L. (LA-S)
Carswell L.: on dry south-facing limestone
cliff, 487-62. Previously known from one
locality on the north shore of Lake Atha-
basca (H. Raup, 1936).
1964 ARGUS:
LABIATAE
Moldavica parviflora (Nutt.) Britt. (LA-S)
Carswell L.: on limestone scree slope,
531-62. Previously known in northern Sas-
katchewan from one locality on the north
shore of Lake Athabasca, as Dracocephalum
parviflorum Nutt. (H. Raup, 1936).
Scutellaria galericulata L. (A-NS)
Carswell L.: in marsh on lake edge, 614-62.
SCROPHULARIACEAE
Melampyrum lineare Desv.
Carswell L.: on wet sandy soil at edge of
Carex meadow, 535-62.
RUBIACEAE
Galium septentrionale R. & S. (G. boreale of
authors) (A-NS)
Carswell L.: on dry south-facing slope of
limestone cliff, 494-62.
CAPRIFOLIACEAE
Lonicera dioica L. var. glaucescens (Rydb.)
Butters. (LA-S)
Carswell L.: on limestone outcrop, 527-62.
CAMPANULACEAE
Campanula rotundifolia L.
Carswell L.: in Pinus banksiana woods on
limestone ridge, common, 474-62.
LOBELIACEAE
Lobelia dortmanna L. (NS)
Carswell L.: emergent aquatic in sand on
lake edge, water 2-3 feet deep, only basal
leaves collected in 1962, 626-62. The identity
of this vegetative collection was later veri-
fied by collections made in 1963 at Little
Gull Lake, about 30 miles northward. This
collection represents the second report of
this principally eastern species in Saskat-
chewan, the other is from Windrum Lake,
appr. lat. 56° 02’ N., long. 104° (Breitung,
1957).
COMPOSITAE Seas
Determined or verified by Dr. A. Cronquist.
Achillea millifolium L. var. nigrescens Meyer
(A-NS) ee Tae e
CoLLEcTIONS From NW SaskaTCHEWAN
147
Carswell L.: in Pinus banksiana woods on
limestone ridge, 471-62, 528-62.
Antennaria pulcherrima (Hook.)
(NS)
Carswell L.: at edge of Carex meadow,
560-62. This record fills a gap in the distribu-
tion of this species between Wood Buffalo
Park (H. Raup, 1935) and McKague, Sas-
katchewan (Breitung, 1957).
A. rosea (D. C. Eaton) Greene (LA-S)
Carswell L.: in Pinus banksiana woods on
limestone ridge, 469-62.
Artemisia campestris L. ssp. borealis (Pall.)
Hall & Clements
Carswell L.: on dry south-facing limestone
cliff, 491-62.
Aster junciformis Rydb. (A-NS)
Carswell L.: on wet limestone cliff near
waterfall, 569-62; on wet sand at edge of
Carex meadow, 534-62.
Erigeron compositus Pursh var. discoideus
Gray (E. trifidus Hook.) (NS)
Carswell L.: on dry south-facing limestone
cliff, uncommon, 486-62. This represents a
southward extension of this taxon from
Great Slave Lake (H. Raup, 1936).
E. glabellus Nutt. (NS)
Carswell L.: in Pinus banksiana woods on
limestone ridge, 478-62. Apparently the only
record of this species between Rocky Lake,
Manitoba, 70 miles north of The Pas (Scog-
gan, 1957) and Wood Buffalo Park, Alberta
(H. Raup, 1935).
E. hyssopifolius Michx.
Carswell L.: on limestone outcrop, 529-62.
Petasites frigidus (L.) Fries var. palmatus
(Ait.) Cronq.
Carswell L.: in Picea mariana, Salix spp.
woods in wet drainage area on limestone
ridge, 565-62.
P. sagittatus (Pursh) Gray (LA-S)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 562-62.
Senecio streptanthifolius Greene (LA-S)
Carswell L.: in Pinus banksiana woods on
sandy limestone rubble, 465-62; in similar
woods on limestone ridge, 472-62.
Solidago hispida Muhl. (NS)
Carswell L.: on limestone scree slope, un-
common, 533-62. A northern extension of
the range of this principally southern species.
Greene
Musci:
Genera. arranged in alphabetical order.
Identified by Dr. H. Crum.
Abietinella abietina (Hedw.) Fleisch. ~
Carswell L.: on limestone boulders in
Pinus banksiana, Populus tremuloides woods,
581-62A, 589-62.
148
Amblystigiella sprucei (Bruch) Loeske (A.
jungermannioides (Brid.) Giac.) (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 584-62.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Brachythecium salebrosum (Web. & Mohr)
B.S.G. (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 587-62.
Not previously known in Saskatchewan
north of latitude 56° (Conard, 1957).
Bryoerythrophyllum recurvirostrum
(Hedw.) Chen (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 586-62.
Not previously known in Saskatchewan
north of latitude 56° (Conard, 1957).
Bryum lacustre Bland (NS)
Beartooth I.: in wet clay slump below
Picea mariana muskeg, 657-62. New to the
flora of Saskatchewan.
B. pseudotriquetrum (Hedw.) Schwaegr.
(NS)
Carswell L.: on wet limestone cliff near
waterfall, 574-62A. Not previously known
in Saskatchewan north of latitude 55°
(Conard, 1957).
Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) Jens. (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 574-62A.
Not previously known in Saskatchewan
north of latitude 56° (Conard, 1957).
Cinclidium stygium Sw. (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 574-62B.
New to northern Saskatchewan.
Dicranum rugosum Brid.
Carswell L.: on limestone boulders in
Pinus banksiana, Populus tremuloides woods,
§80-62A.
Distichium capillaceum (Hedw.) B.S.G.
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 577-62.
Ditrichum flexicaule (Schwaegr.) Hampe
(NS)
Tuer CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 587-62,
588-62A. New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Encalypta procera Bruch (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 587-62,
584-62. New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
E. vulgaris Hedw. (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 577-62.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Grimmia apocarpa Hedw. var. stricta
(Turn.) Hook. & Tayl. (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 588-62B.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 576-62,
581-62B, 583-62, 612-62. Not previously
known in Saskatchewan north of latitude
56° (Conard, 1957).
H. fastigiatum Brid. (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 587-62.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Neckera pennata Hedw.
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 578-62.
Orthotrichum anomalum Hedw.
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 579-62.
Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt.
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 580-62B;
in wet Picea mariana, Salix spp. woods on
limestone ridge, 566-62.
Rhytidium rugosum (Hedw.) Kindb. (NS)
Carswell L.: on limestone boulders in
Pinus banksiana, Populus tremuloides woods,
589-62. New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Tortella tortuosa (Hedw.) Limpr. (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 585-62.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Tortula ruralis (Hedw.) Crome (NS)
Carswell L.: with the preceding, 581-62B.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Lichenes
Genera arranged in alphabetical order.
Identified by Dr. M. Hale and by Dr. J. W. Thompson.
Caloplaca elegans (Link.) Th. Fr.
Carswell L.: on dry south-facing lime-
stone cliff, 603-62A, 603-62C, 603-62D;
with Physcia sciastra, 603-62B.
Candelariella vitellina (Ehrh.) Mull. Arg.
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, 647-62E.
Cladonia amaurocrea (Flk.) Schaer.
Carswell L.: on limestone boulder in Pznus
banksiana, Populus tremuloides woods,
§82-62.
C. coccifera (L.) Willd.
Carswell L.: in wet sandy soil at edge of
Carex meadow, 539-62.
Dermatocarpon miniatum (L.) Mann.
(A-NS)
Carswell L.: on dry south-facing lime-
stone cliff, 600-62.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Lecanora melanophthalma (DC.) Ram. (NS)
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, with Leca-
nora polytropa, Rhizocarpon disporum, R.
geographicum, and Umbilicaria hyper-
borea, 647-62B.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Lecanora polytropa (Ehrh.) Rabenh. (NS)
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, with Leca-
1964 ARGUS:
nora melanophthalma, Rbhizocarpon dis-
porum, R. geographicum, and Umbilicaria
hyperborea, 647-62B.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Lecidea rubiformis Wahl. (NS)
Carswell L.: on dry south-facing limestone
cliff, 599-62.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Parmelia centrifuga (L.) Ach.
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, 647-62D.
P. conspersa (Ach.) Ach. (A-NS)
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, 647-62].
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
P. lineola Berry (NS)
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, 647-62K.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Physcia muscigena (Ach.) Nyl. (NS)
Carswell L.: on dry south-facing limestone
cliff, 601-62.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
P. sciastra (Ach.) Du Rietz (NS)
Carswell L.: on limestone cliff, with Calo-
placa elegans, 603-62B.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
CoLLEecTIONS From NW SaskaTCHEWAN
149
Ramalina intermedia Nyl. (NS)
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, 647-62F.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
Rhizocarpon disporum (Naeg.) Mull. Arg.
(NS)
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, with
Rhizocarpon geographicum, Lecanora
melanophthalma, L. polytropa, and Um-
bilicaria hy perborea, 647-62B.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
R. geographicum (L.) DC. (NS)
Beartooth I.: with the preceding and assoc-
ciated with the same species, 647-62B.
New to the flora of Saskatchewan.
R. obscuratum (Ach.) Mass.
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, 647-62C.
Umbilicaria hyperborea (Ach.) Hoffm.
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, with Leca-
nora melanophthalma, L. polytropa, Rhizo-
carpon disporum, and R. geographicum,
647-62B.
Xanthoria candelaria (L.) Arn.
Beartooth I.: on beach cobbles, 647-62G.
REFERENCES
Axcock, F. J. 1936. Geology of Lake Atha-
basca region, Saskatchewan. Geological
Survey of Canada Memoir 196.
Buaxe, D. A. 1956. Geological notes on
the region south of Lake Athabasca and
Black Lake, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Geological Survey of Canada Paper 55-33.
Breitune, A. J. 1957. Annotated catalogue
of the vascular flora of Saskatchewan.
American Midland Naturalist 58:1-72.
Copy, W. J. 1956. New plant records for
northern Alberta and southern Mackenzie.
Canadian Field-Naturalist 70:101-130.
Conarp, H. 1957. Bryophytes of Saskat-
chewan, Bryologist 60:338-343.
Nero, R. 1963. Birds of the Lake Athabasca
region, Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Na-
tural History Society, Regina. Special
Publication 5.
Porsitp, A. E. 1963. Stellaria longipes
Goldie and its allies in North America.
National Museum of Canada Bulletin
186:1-35.
Raup, H. M. 1935. Botanical investigations
in the Wood Buffalo Park. National
Museum of Canada Bulletin 74:1-174.
1936. Phytogeographic studies
in the Athabasca -Great Slave Lake re-
gion. I. Catalogue of the vascular plants.
Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 17:
180-315.
1946. Phytogeographic studies
in the Nifabaska (Great Slave Lake re-
gion. II. Journal Arnold Arboretum 27:
1-85.
Raup, L. C. 1928. A list of the lichens of
the Athabaska Lake region of northwestern
Canada. Bryologist 31:83-85, 100-104.
1930. Lichens of the Shelter
Point region, Athabasca Lake. Bryologist
33:57-66.
Scotter, G. W. 1961. Botanical collections
in the Black Lake region of northern
Saskatchewan, 1960. Blue Jay 19:28-33.
Tuompson, J. W. and G. W. Scotter. 1961.
Lichens of northern Saskatchewan. Bryol-
ogist 64:240-247.
Tyrre.t, J. B. and D. B. Dow.ine. 1896.
Report on the country between Athabasca
Lake and Churchill River, etc. Geological
Survey of Canada Annual Report for 1894,
vol. 8, pt. D.
Received for publication 10 October 1963
SOME INTERESTING PLANT RECORDS FROM THE
CHALK RIVER DISTRICT, ONTARIO*
T. C. BraysHAw
Forest Research Branch, Forest Experiment Station, Chalk River, Ontario
WHILE COLLECTING IN THE CHALK River area during the past few years, the
author has found several species growing beyond their previously known range
limits. Some of these are obviously recent arrivals which have followed
railways or roads into the district, but others are undoubtedly naturally
occurring species that hitherto have gone unrecorded.
The following species are considered worthy of note and are treated in
detail below:
Isoétes macrospora Dur.
Dryopteris fragrans (L.) Schott var. remotiuscula Komarov
Juniperus virginiana L. var. crebra Fern. & Griscom
Najas gracillima (A. Br.) Magnus
Butomus umbellatus L.
Panicum virgatum L.
Epipactis Helleborine (L.) Crantz
Thalictrum venulosum Trel.
Saxifraga Aizoon Jacq. var. neoqaea Butters
Potentilla Hippiana Lehm.
P. gracilis Dougl. var. pulcherrima (Lehm.) Fern.
P. rivalis Nutt. var. millegrana (Engelm.) S. Wats.
Rhus aromatica Att.
Cephalanthus occidentalis L.
In citing herbarium specimens, the herbaria in which they are located are
indicated by their codes, as follows:
CAN National Museum of Canada, Ottawa.
DAO Plant Research Institute, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa.
PFES Petawawa Forest Experiment Station, Chalk River, Ontario.
TRT Department of Botany, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
The area within which most of these records occur is indicated in Figure 1.
Figures 2 and 3 show the distributions of two species; in these maps, solid spots
indicate the sites of collections and open circles sight reports only.
Isoétes macrospora Dur.
This species of quillwort is distinguished
from the locally common IJsoétes riparia
Engelm. by its larger megaspores (0.6-0.8 mm
diameter) with low-crested reticulate ridges
and its short, broadly deltoid ligule. It has
been found at only one locality in the dis-
trict: King Point on the Ottawa River near
Chalk River. It occurs in water with a silty
bottom, in company with /. riparia and J.
muricata Dur. It probably would not have
been found but for the fact that at the time
of collection, the river level, lower than at
any time in the past fifty years, permitted the
discovery of plants that are normally
covered by several feet of water.
*Department of Forestry, Canada, Forest Research Branch Contribution No. 629
150
pemee t S pke=
1964 BraysHaw: Priant Recorps From CHALK RIVER 151
: R Sa A
Figure 1. Map of the Chalk River district (top).
STATION
Scale in Miles
Ficure 2. Distribution of Dryopteris fragrans var. remotiuscula in the Chalk River
district (bottom, left).
Ficure 3.. Distribution of Cephalanthus occidentalis in the Chalk River District
(bottom, right).
In Canada, I. macrospora is widely distri-
buted along the Atlantic seaboard, in Que-
bec, the Maritime Provinces and Newfound-
land; but it is occasionally present further
inland, as records from Amos and Senneterre
in the eastern Clay Belt region of Quebec
indicate. It is also known from inland re-
gions of the eastern United States. So far as
the writer is aware, this is the first record of
the species in Ontario. However, its pre-
152
sently known distribution suggests that it
may be found in other parts of the province.
Specimen 4470 has been examined by Dr.
B. Boivin of the Plant Research Institute,
Ottawa, who has confirmed the identity.
Specimen 4425 is similar, but with the im-
mature megaspores only 0.5-0.6 mm in di-
ameter.
Specimens: King Point, Chalk River,
Ontario, 2 September 1962, Brayshaw (PFES
4470); King Point, August 1962, Brayshaw
(PFES 4425)...
Dryopteris fragrans (L.) Schott var. remo-
tiuscula Komarov
This arctic and subarctic fern, known
from a number of points on the north shore
of Lake Superior, the Gulf of St. Lawrence
and further north, has been collected at two
localities and sighted at two others in this
district. All the plants found so far are in
the valley of the Barron River (see Figure
2) growing on vertical or near-vertical
north-facing cliffs overlooking water. These
are naturally cool habitats, seldom if ever
receiving direct sunlight. It may or may not
be significant with regard to the palatability
of this species to deer that all plants found
are above a conspicuous browse-line that
follows the shores here.
The local occurrence of this fern is no
doubt a function both of its ecological re-
quirements and of the history of the area.
The Barron River, at present a clear stream
with a small flow volume, runs for several
miles through a series of gorges cut into the
Precambrian Shield to a maximum depth of
about 400 feet, with long deep still reaches
through the depths of the gorges. In its
present form this river is obviously incapable
of eroding such a formation. This fact, to-
gether with the disjunct occurrences of at
least two plants of generally more northern
distribution (see also under Saxifraga Ali-
zoon), suggests that possibly in the late Plei-
stocene Epoch (while the ice still covered
the Ottawa and Petawawa River valleys to
the north) the Barron carried the main dis-
charge of water from the land to the west,
and possibly even from the upper Great
Lakes.
In addition to the two collections cited
below, the species has been observed without
collection at two points in the Barron River
Canon (the deepest part of the series of
gorges, just above the point where the river
THe CanapiANn FIeE_p-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
leaves Algonquin Park). One of these sites
is close to the station for Saxifraga Aizoon.
Specimens: S bank of Barron R., 2 miles E
of Barron River road, 13 October 1961, Bray-
shaw (PFES 3909); S shore of Carcajou Bay,
Achray, Algonquin Park (with isolated
colony of Alnus crispa), 7 July 1962, Bray-
shaw (PFES 4187).
Juniperus virginiana L. var crebra Fern. &
Griscom
The previously known northern limit of
red juniper in this part of the country was
at Deacon, near Killaloe, in the Bonnechere
Valley. However, it has recently been found
at two localities near Chalk River.
On ledges on the vertical south-facing
cliffs of Oiseau Rock overlooking the Ot-
tawa River, several trees (some with fruit)
up to 25 feet tall have been found. This site
is an isolated, warm, dry, sunny habitat,
where the trees obviously form a permanent
stand. However, the second locality is in a
red pine plantation on the Petawawa Forest
Experiment Station, where the junipers must
have arrived fairly recently. One of the two
very stunted bushes found there showed
clear signs of having been repeatedly
browsed; although the plant was only some
two feet high, a low branch from it was
found to be 10 years old. The plants pro-
bably originated from seeds carried by birds
from the Oiseau Rock stand, five miles ENE
of this site.
Specimens: Oiseau Rock, Chalk River, 18
July 1961, Brayshaw and Van Wagner
(PFES 3486, duplicate in TRT). Two miles
E of Chalk River, 1 November 1961, Mayo
& Brayshaw (PFS 3745).
Najas gracillima (A. Br.) Magnus
Though this species is reported from much
of the eastern United States, in Canada it
has previously been collected only in Nova
Scotia. Its discovery near Chalk River is, so
far as the author is aware, the first record
for Ontario.
It is present in two rivers, the Barron and
Chalk, and also in Corry Lake (on the Chalk
River). In these waters it is not uncommon,
occurring mixed with the more widely dis-
tributed N. flexilis (Willd.) Rostk. and
Schmidt. N. gracillima can be distinguished
from N. flexilis at sight by its more diffuse
appearance, caused largely by its significantly
narrower and more thread-like leaves. The
1964
wider leaves of N. flexilis produce an overall
greener, denser foliage which hides objects
beyond it; whereas such objects are generally
visible through a plant of N. gracillima.
Specimens: The Canadian records of N.
gracillima known to the author are as fol-
lows: NOVA SCOTIA: Charlotte Lake,
Queens Co., 16 August 1954, E. C. Smith
et al. 12345 (CAN); Cameron Lake, Hants
Co., 18 August 1954, E. C. Smith e¢ al. 12500
(CAN); ONTARIO: Corry Lake, Chalk
River, 5 September 1958; Brayshaw (PFES
213); same locality, 30 August 1962, Bray-
shaw (PFES 4466); Chalk R. above Corry L.,
3 September 1962, Brayshaw (PFES 4478,
specimen now in DAQ); Barron River at
Brigham Chute, Algonquin Park, 8 Septem-
ber 1962, Brayshaw (PFES 4491).
Butomus untbellatus L.
The flowering rush, a European marsh
plant first established near Montreal, has
now extended its range up the Ottawa River
as far as Pembroke. It was first seen there
by the author in 1958, but was not collected
until 1962. It grows on a marshy shore at the
mouth of Indian River, accompanied by
Sparganium eurycarpunm, Scirpus fluviatilis
and Iris pseudacorus.
Specimen: Pembroke, 14 July 1962, Bray-
shaw (PFES 4337).
Epipactis Helleborine (L.) Crantz
This, the only European orchid to become
established wild in this country, has recently
been found in the district. In 1961 it was
found in an old clearing a mile south of the
Forest Experiment Station Headquarters.
Specimen: Chalk River, Petawawa Forest
Experiment Station, 29 August 1961, Bray
shaw (PFES 3579).
Panicum virgatum L.
Known from the St. Lawrence Valley and
Great Lakes region in southern Ontario, this
grass has recently arrived in the Chalk River
district by rail. It was found on the embank-
ment of the Canadian Pacific Railway some
three miles SE of Chalk River. So far as it
is known to the author, this is its first re-
corded appearance in the Ottawa Valley.
Specimen: Chalk River, 29 August 1961,
Brayshaw (PFES 3604).
Thalictrum venulosum Trel.
This subarctic and prairie meadow-rue has
not previously been reported from the
BraysHaw: PrLant Recorps From CHALK RIvER
153
southern half of Ontario. It has established
itself in a small but spreading colony on the
railway embankment not far from the above-
mentioned site for Panicum virgatum and
undoubtedly has entered the district by the
same means.
Specimen: Chalk River, 16 August 1961,
Brayshaw (PFES 4506).
Saxifraga Aizoon Jacq. var. neogaea Butters
The presence of this unexpected saxifrage
in the district was first drawn to the author’s
attention by the late Dr. A. M. Moore of
Deep River. A calciphilous plant of arctic
distribution, S. Aizoon grows in this area in
two small colonies on near-vertical north-
facing cliffs in the gorge of the Barron River
in Algonquin Park. The rocks are non-
calcareous, but the presence of a white limy
surface deposit on south-facing cliffs farther
down the gorge suggests that lime-bearing
seepage-water must be the source of calcium
for these plants. Dryopteris fragrans has
been seen close to one of the colonies of
this saxifrage.
Specimen: S. bank of Barron River cafion,
Algonquin Park, 2 July 1962, Brayshaw
(PFES 4139).
Potentilla Hippiana Lehm. and P. gracilis
Dougl. var. pulcherrima (Lehm.) Fern.
Both these species are native to the Great
Plains region from Minnesota westward
(P. Hippiana is also known from northern
Michigan). Both have been found by Mrs.
M. I. Moore, growing within a few yards of
each other in an old pasture south of Deep
River. Their locality suggests introduction
in imported hay. This probably occurred
many years ago, since the pasture is now
largely overgrown with bush and does not
appear to have been in regular use for a long
time.
Specimen: P. Hippiana: Wylie Road,
Deep River, M. I. Moore (PFES 3600);
P. gracilis var. pulcherrima: Wylie Road,
Deep River, M. I. Moore (PFES 3601).
Potentilla rivalis Nutt.
(Engelm.) S. Wats.
The finding of this species in the forest
here marks a considerable eastward exten-
sion of its known range, since it has not pre-
viously been recorded east of Sault Ste.
Marie.
Specimen: Maunsell Lake, Chalk River, 16
July 1957, Brayshaw (PFES 2/38).
var. miuillegrana
154 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Rhus aromatica Ait.
This low shrub which is distributed
around the shores of the Great Lakes and
along the southern fringe of the Canadian
Shield, with an isolated population in the
Ottawa district, has not previously been
recorded from further up the Ottawa Valley
than Pontiac Station, 30 miles west of Hull.
It is present at the First Chute on the Barron
River at the southern boundary of the
Petawawa Forest Experiment Station. Only
one small clump has been found at this
locality, but Mrs. M. I. Moore has recently
shown the writer a specimen collected on
Oiseau Rock.
Specimen: Barron River at First Chute,
Petawawa Forest Experiment Station, 3
September 1961, Brayshaw (PFES 3615;
duplicate in TRT).
Cephalanthus occidentalis L.
Already known from the Barron River,
this marsh-inhabiting shrub has been found
at several points in the valley of the Peta-
wawa River which joins the Barron in Lac
Vol. 78
du Bois Dur near Petawawa. In addition to
the points on the Petawawa River, button-
bush has been found at a few places around
the shore of Cartier Lake and along Cartier
Creek, the highest and northernmost locality
so far being on the creek just below the out-
let of Moosegrove Lake, half a mile above
the head of Cartier Lake. This point is about
eight miles north of the previously recorded
station on the Barron River (see Figure 3).
It should be looked for along the upper
reaches of the Petawawa River. .
Dr. D. A. Fraser of this Station informs me
that he recently saw, but did not collect, a
plant on an island in the eastern end of
Sturgeon (Chalk) Lake, about five miles ESE
of Chalk River village.
Specimens: Petawawa River below Half-
mile Rapid, 2 September 1961, Brayshaw
(PFES 3617); rocky island in Cartier Lake,
6 October 1960, Brayshaw (PFES 3205);
Cartier Creek below Moosegrove Lake,
Petawawa Forest Experiment Station, 20
October 1962, Brayshaw (PFES 4509).
Received for publication 17 October 1963
wy
NOTES ON THE AMPHIBIANS OF BROWNS FLAT AREA,
NEW BRUNSWICK
STANLEY W. GorHAM
National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
THE FOLLOWING NoreEs, most of which were made during the years 1948-1953,
deal with the amphibians of the Browns Flat area, Kings County, New Bruns-
wick. The Browns Flat area here defined (Figure 1) includes the village itself
and the area for 10 miles along the western shores of the Saint John River
from Victoria Creek, near Greenwich Hill, northeast to the most northeasterly
part of Oak Point village. The average width of this area, between the river
and the Kings-Queens County line, is two to four miles. The area is about
15 miles due north of the city of Saint John.
The Browns Flat area is a rather hilly and rolling region of the southern
Saint John River valley. The greater portion of the cleared land is within a
mile of the river; the remainder of the area has a heavy softwood growth with
a hardwood growth on the ridges. The greatest elevation is Mount Serjeant
(1000 feet), three miles northwest of Browns Flat village.
1964 GorHAM: AMPHIBIANS OF BROWNS FLAT
46" LAT. NORTH 66° Lona west
FREDERICTO
375'
LARK LAKE
pw
aN
\ 350°
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. 5 \
LR 690
SLAND Laken = \
\ BACON Lake VB \
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GREENWICH HILL@ Be
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é ——___________ HGHway @)
BET et ARIES Oe EAD A USER GN RNS a A ae pee Le Tee SECONDARY ROADS
aes CREEK AAIa-e
’)
ly
Figure 1. Map of Browns Flat Area
66°03’ LONG WEST
155
5°33" LAT. NORTH
There are three main drainage systems in this area emptying into the Saint
John River: Devils Back Brook at Victoria Creek, near Greenwich Hill
village; Jones Creek Brook at Jones Creek, near Central Greenwich villa e:
Flaglor Brook at Marley Creek, approximately one-half mile southwest of Oak
Point. There are also numerous smaller spring-fed brooks which empty
directly into the Saint John River. There are six lakes in the area and many
156 Vol. 78
THE CANADIAN FIeLp-NATURALIST
ponds, bogs and swamps. Clark Lake, three-quarters of a mile in length, is the
largest lake. ‘The ice is generally out of the lakes by the last week of April
but it may be out as early as April 10, or as late as May 5.
The greatest width of the Saint John River within this area is about one
and one-half miles. There are five islands: Catons Island, near Browns Flat and
Glenwood, is about one mile in length and mainly wooded; Rocky Island and
Isle of Pines, opposite Glenwood and Central Greenwich, are connected by
intervale land but are in themselves mainly wooded, Rush Island, one-quarter
mile south of Oak Point, is a low grassy island which is underwater during the
spring freshet,; Grassy Island, opposite Oak Point village, is approximately
three-quarters of a mile in length and is a low grassy island which is usually
covered by water during the spring freshet. The river level raises as high as
twelve to fifteen feet during April and May.
My interest in amphibians has always been keen but it was Mr. W. Austin
Squires, Curator of Natural Science Department, New Brunswick Museum,
who impressed upon me the importance of keeping notes in regard to early
spring appearance of amphibians. Mr. Squires also supplied me with a manu-
script checklist of the amphibians (also reptiles, birds and mammals) of New
Brunswick. From 1953 to 1957 Dr. J. Sherman Bleakney, Curator of Herpet-
ology, National Museum of Canada was always willing to help me with my
queries regarding the amphibians of New Brunswick. Mr. Francis R. Cook,
the present Curator of Herpetology at the National Museum of Canada, has
helped me in every way possible with my inquiries regarding New Brunswick
amphibians. Through the courtesy of Dr. W. B. Scott I was allowed to
examine the New Brunswick amphibian specimens in the collection of the
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
Ambystoma maculatum, SpotteD SALAMAN-
DER (local name—yellow-spotted lizard)
This species was most commonly seen
during the spring when the adults travelled
to the breeding ponds and ditches. The
roadside ditches along both the main and
secondary roads, railway ditches and mead-
ow and woodland ponds were very good
spots to observe the Spotted Salamander at
that time of year. On an early morning
(April 1950) after a night’s rain and over a
distance of one mile of main highway, I
counted twenty Spotted Salamanders which
had been killed by automobiles. My notes
for the first spring appearance are April 3,
1948; April 4, 1949; April 5, 1950, April 3,
1951. In the fall I have seen Spotted Sala-
manders on several occasions under logs, but
never in ponds, as late as October 19, 1950
and October 11, 1951.
Ambystoma laterale, BLUE-sPOTTED SALAMAN-
per (local names — blue-spotted _ lizard,
black lizard, big lizard)
New Brunswick material formerly referred
to Ambystoma jeffersonianum in the Na-
tional Museum of Canada has been identi-
fied as Ambystoma laterale by ‘Thomas M.
Uzzell, Jr. This species was found in the
spring in a similar habitat as the. Spotted
Salamander but sometimes frequented shal-
lower ditches. A good collecting spot in
early April was at Oak Point in a roadside
ditch where the main highway crosses the
railway track, another was the railway ditch
near Grandview station at Browns Flat.
Whether this species was as plentiful as
the Spotted Salamander I cannot say; how-
ever, over a mile of road during the April
morning when twenty dead Spotted Sala-
manders were picked up, I could not find a
single Blue-spotted Salamander. One of the
earliest appearance dates was April 9, 1953.
Other dates are from April 15 to the end
of April. During the summer months I have
taken Blue-spotted Salamanders under wood
piles. November 5, 1950 is the latest record
I have and this was a half-grown specimen.
1964
Notophthalmus viridescens, RED-SPOTTED
Newr (local names—red lizard, green
lizard, trout lizard)
The adults of this species were fairly
common at Browns Flat during the latter
part of April and early May where they
could be found in muddy woodland ponds
and shallow lakes. In late April, I saw Red-
spotted Newts in the railway ditch at ap-
proximately one mile above Victoria Sta-
tion and in Galilee Lake (artificial) at
Browns Flat, also at Clark Lake in the shal-
low muddy waters near the outlet. Red-
spotted Newts could usually be observed
during the summer along the shallower
edges of Lily Lake, Browns Flat. The red
eft or immature of this species could often
be found under woodpiles or slabs of wood
during the summer. The earliest appearance
date for the red eft was May 15, 1955 when
a specimen was found in a rotted log while
I was looking for Red-backed Salamanders.
The latest date the Red-spotted Newt was
observed in ponds was October 20, 1951.
Desmognathus fuscus, Dusky SALAMANDER
(local names — spring lizard, black lizard,
brook lizard, well lizard)
This is a common salamander of wells,
springs and spring-fed brooks. I have taken
Dusky Salamanders and Two-lined Sala-
manders under the same stone only a few
inches apart. However, certain habitats
where the ITwo-lined Salamanders are col-
lected, for example, large permanent streams
which are not spring-fed, one is not likely
to find the Dusky Salamander. The spring
appearance of this species was May 2, 1951
and April 20, 1952. The Dusky Salamander
was most plentiful during the months of
June, July, August and early September and
was found in decreasing numbers up until
November. I have seen Dusky Salamanders
dug from the bottom of cold springs in
early December.
Eurycea bislineata, Two-L1nep SALAMANDER
(local names — brook lizard, brown lizard)
This was a common salamander of the
large permanent gravelly and rock bottom
brooks and streams. They also frequented
smaller brooks which were spring-fed. I
collected Two-lined Salamanders in the
Devils Back Brook during early May. It
was very common during the months of
June and early July in the spring-fed Lindsay
Brook (too small to be included on map)
about one-third mile from Browns Flat
GorHAM: AMPHIBIANS OF BRowns FLAT
157
centre. The Two-lined Salamander was
most common in June, early July and Sep-
tember and in varying numbers during the
latter part of July, August and early
October.
Plethodon cinereus, RED-BACKED SALAMANDER
(local names— _ red-back lizard, wood
lizard)
The Red-backed Salamander was very
common in the wooded swamps (mostly
cedar, some black spruce) during the late
spring and summer where they could be
found in partly rotted fallen trees and
stumps. On May 15, 1955, I collected them
in partly rotted logs in a cedar swamp ap-
proximately one mile north of Browns Flat
centre. In addition I have one report of
this salamander in late April 1953 when it
was found in a rotted log. During the last
week of July 1956 I took a specimen from
under a partly submerged stone in a brook
while collecting Two-lined Salamanders two
miles southwest of Browns Flat. In the
middle of August 1958, about one mile north
of Browns Flat centre, Red-backed Sala-
mander eggs were found in a partly rotted
cedar log. This salamander was not com-
monly collected after the heavy frosts of
mid-October but individuals have been
taken in early November under rotted cedar
logs in a swamp.
Bufo americanus, AMERICAN Toap (local
name — toad)
This was probably the best known of the
amphibians in Browns Flat area. They could
be heard calling in late April, May and early
June in most roadside ditches and ponds.
The earliest calling dates were May 1, 1950
and April 30, 1951. The latest date I have
heard an American Toad calling from a
breeding pond was on July 30, 1952. On May
1, 1951, I observed an American Toad in a
small burrow where it had apparently spent
the winter. The burrow was on a bare sec-
tion of a side hill which had been covered
by snow until quite recently. The toad had
apparently picked a spot where there was
little danger of frost penetration as small
potatoes which were left in the ground
at this spot the previous fall were untouched
by frost and sprouted later. This showed
a frost penetration of not more than four
to six inches. As the weather remained quite
cool it was usually only in the afternoons
that the toad would have its head out of the
burrow getting the sun. It appeared to be a
158
male. Each day I visited the burrow and it
was not until May 25 after a heavy rain that
the toad disappeared. I examined the bur-
row and it was about six to eight inches in
depth. On July 2, 1952, after a month’s
drought, many recently transformed and
transforming American Toads were observed
on the edge of a drying pool. They were so
small that they were being picked up by
Chipping Sparrows. Adult American Toads
were observed in varying numbers until the
end of October and the first week in
November, usually under stones or rotted
logs and wood.
Hyla crucifer, Sprrnc PEEPER (local name —
peeper)
This small amphibian was very common
in the meadow and woodland ponds and
roadside ditches in the spring from the
middle of April onward. It was heard call-
ing on April 19, 1950, April 6, 1951 and
April 10, 1952. Spring Peepers were picked
up dead on the highway road on April 4,
1951 and April 7, 1952. The latest date I
have heard a Spring Peeper calling from
a breeding pond was July 12, 1951. The
chorus is usually over by late June. On
July 19, 1956, transformed and transforming
Spring Peepers were collected, some still
had their tails and had climbed up in the
bushes which bordered the edge of a pond.
In August, September and October I heard
individual Spring Peepers calling from trees,
particularly before a shower or rainstorm.
On November 15, 1949, it was very mild
and Spring Peepers were calling occasion-
ally from trees. On October 1-18, 1950 in-
dividual Spring Peepers were heard calling
from trees. October 22, 1950, was extremely
cold — one of the coldest days on record
for that date — with several inches of snow.
November 17, 1950, the weather was mild
and Spring Peepers were heard calling from
trees. December 12, 1950, was very mild
with a temperature of 60°F.; a single Spring
Peeper was heard calling from a bush very
low to the ground or on the ground but it
could not be located. On November 1, 1951,
the weather was cold and Spring Peepers
were not heard after that date.
Rana sylvatica, Woop Froe (local name —
brown frog)
This frog was an early spring caller at
Browns Flat and was commonly found in
woodland ponds as well as ditches and ponds
bordering woodlands. Early spring appear-
Tue CANapDIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
ance was noted on April 9, 1949; April 19,
1950; April 10, 1952 and April 9, 1953.
Calling lasts until mid-May. During the
summer adults were often seen in damp
woodland areas. On November 17, 1949, a
Wood Frog was heard calling from the edge
of a pond. On November 17, 1950 a Wood
Frog was heard calling from a damp section
of an apple orchard but it could not be
located. On November 27, 1950, a Wood
Frog was heard calling and was located in
leaves under a maple tree. On December 3,
1950, it was mild and a Wood Frog was
heard calling and was located in leaves only
a short distance from the tree where the
November 27 frog was observed. This frog
was smaller than the one seen on Novem-
ber 27.
Rana pipiens, Leoparp Frog (local names —
spotted frog, meadow frog)
This species was common around the end
of April and early May where they were
heard calling from ponds, ditches and along
the shores of lakes. On May 6, 1949, and
April 30, 1950, they were heard calling.
The Leopard Frog called until mid-June
although the main chorus was usually over
by the end of May. During the summer
months they are numerous in the meadow-
lands and occasionally they were seen in
this habitat until the end of October. On
October 23, 1949, a Leopard Frog was ob-
served in the water at Grassy Island in the
Saint John River opposite Oak Point.
Grassy Island is about one-third of a mile
from the nearest mainland. There is a fifteen
inch rise and fall of tide in the river at Oak
Point during the summer and early autumn,
with slightly less rise and fall of tide if the
autumn rains have been heavy. During the
summer when the river is low the water is
known to be slightly brackish, although
never to the point where it is unfit for cattle
to drink.
Rana palustris, PickEREL Frog (local name —
spotted frog)
During the spring this species may be
found in ponds, roadside ditches and lakes.
In the breeding season they are considerably
more plentiful in lakes than the Leopard
Frogs. I have heard Pickerel Frogs calling
in late April from ponds and roadside
ditches but the main chorus is to be
heard in May from the larger ponds and
lakes. When Leopard Frogs and Pickerel
Frogs were calling from the same habitat
1964
it was somewhat difficult to distinguish the
call. Early spring calling was noted on April
29, 1950, from a roadside ditch. On April 3,
1952, a live adult Pickerel Frog was found
in a well. During the haying season of July
and August I have seen adult Pickerel Frogs
in the hayfield, although in not as large
numbers as the Leopard Frogs. By late
August and early September I have seen
hundreds of young Pickerel Frogs on the
bogs near Lily Lake, Browns Flat and at
Clark Lake, north of Oak Point. On Nov-
ember 28, 1950, an adult Pickerel Frog was
found in a cold spring. On January 18, 1951,
three adult Pickerel Frogs were found dead
in a cold spring where they had apparently
been hibernating.
Rana clamitans, GREEN Frog (local names —
green frog, bullfrog)
This species was common in the ponds,
ditches and springs during the spring, sum-
mer and fall. On March 27, 1954 I took a
Green Frog from under a slab of wood
in a ditch about a mile north of Browns
Flat. Snow was still on both sides of the
ditch so the frog had apparently spent the
GorHaAM: AMPHIBIANS OF BROwNS FLAT
159
winter there. Green Frogs called from late
April until mid-June but the main chorus
ends around the latter part of May. During
the haying season I have seen half-grown
Green Frogs in the damp sections of mead-
owlands. Green Frogs, both adult and
juvenile, have been observed around springs
in early November.
Rana catesbeiana, Buttrroe (local name —
bullfrog)
This species is common in the lakes and
larger ponds during the latter part of the
spring and summer months. I have also
taken both half-grown and adult Bullfrogs
in roadside ditches and springs. On April
20, 1952 a large Bullfrog was found in a
cold spring. During the summer months I
have observed half-grown Bullfrogs in damp
meadowlands. I have taken half-grown
Bullfrogs under stones along the shores of
lakes in mid-October and have also observ-
ed a few Bullfrogs around cold springs in
early November. After September 20 or
October 1, depending on weather condi-
tions, Bullfrogs were never seen resting on
lily pads in the lakes and ponds.
It is possible that Rana septentrionalis, the Mink Frog, occurs in the Browns
Flat area but I have never collected or observed it there.
This may have been
due to insufficient collecting at favourable localities. Bleakney (1958) mentions
this species as common in northern and south-central New Brunswick with
records from the counties of Madawaska, Restigouche, York, Saint John and
Albert. Logier and Toner (1961) mention an additional record for York
County and there is a specimen (No. 5931) in the Royal Ontario Museum
from Digdeguash River, Dumbarton Township, Charlotte County, which was
collected by W. B. Scott and E. J. Crossman in May 1958. While on field
work for the National Museum of Canada during late August 1959 I found
the Mink Frog to be the most common species at Twin Lakes, about 12 miles
north of St. Andrews and about 12 miles northeast of St. Stephen. Nineteen
specimens were collected at that time and later deposited in the National Mu-
seum of Canada (NMC 4970, NMC 4979). No Mink Frogs were observed
in other lakes in the same general area. However in a small lake near Piske-
hagen (in Sunbury County near the Charlotte County border) Mink Frogs
were observed. Most of the Mink Frogs were observed resting on lily pads
and appeared to hold the head and back lower than a Bullfrog would in a
similar position. I have never observed or heard Hyla versicolor, the Gray
Treefrog, in the Browns Flat area; however, it has been taken near Fredericton
which is approximately sixty-five miles to the north. There are two specimens
in the Royal Ontario Museum (Nos. 4605-4606) which were taken by C. E.
Atwood on June 26, 1935 “4 mile from the mouth of the Nashwaak River”.
160 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Bleakney (1958) also reported this species from vicinity of Fredericton. Hemi-
dactylium scutatum, the Four-toed Salamander, is found in Ontario, Quebec
and Nova Scotia and with sufficient collecting in favourable localities it is likely
that it will be taken in New Brunswick. The bogs bordering some of the
lakes in the Browns Flat area may be suitable habitat for this species but although
I have looked for it my efforts have been unsuccessful.
Comparative data (earliest spring appearance, or earliest calling date) with
Logier (1952):
Browns Flat area, southern
New Brunswick Ontario
Ambystoma maculatum April 3 early April
Ambystoma laterale April 9 early April
Notophthalmus viridescens late April middle or late
April
Desmognathus fuscus ANTONE AO 5
Eurycea bislineata eal Whey
Plethodon cinereus mouaclle eye
Bufo americanus late April late April
Ayla crucifer April 4 April
Rana sylvatica April 9 late March
or early April
Rana pipiens April 30 April
Rana palustris April 20a
Rana clanutans lae Aprl
Rana catesbeiana April 20 © ——+———
Of the six species of salamanders and nine species of frogs and toads known
from New Brunswick, thirteen are found in the Browns Flat area. Nova
Scotia has five species of salamanders (one of which has not yet been found in
New Brunswick) and eight species of frogs and toads. Prince Edward Island
has four species of salamanders and five species of frogs and toads. (Bleakney,
1958; Logier and Toner, 1961; Cook, In Press).
REFERENCES
BieaknEy, J. S. 1958. A zoogeographical Irwin & Co., Ltd., Toronto: 1-127
study of the amphibians and reptiles of Locirr, E. B. S. and G. C. Toner. 1961.
Eastern Canada. National Museum of Check list of the amphibians and reptiles
Canada Bulletin, No. 155:1-119. of Canada and Alaska. Royal Ontario
Cook, F. R. [In Press.]| An analysis of the Museum, Life Sciences Division, Contri-
herpetofauna of Prince Edward Island. bution 53:1-92.
National Museum of Canada Bulletin. Sourres, W. A. [1948]. Check list of the
Locirr, E. B. S. 1952. Frogs, toads and amphibians of New Brunswick (Unpub-
salamander; of Eastern Canada. Clarke, lished manuscript).
Received for publication 24 October 1963
Ms
Boras
THE ROCK PTARMIGAN, LAGOPUS MUTUS
RUPESTRIS, IN ONTARIO AND MANITOBA
Harry G. LuMspEN
Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, Maple, Ontario
For SOME YEARS Indians in Northern Ontario have reportd the occurrence of
Rock Ptarmigan on the Ontario coast of Hudson Bay. The purpose of this
paper is to place on record the recent information on the status of the bird in
Ontario and Manitoba and to summarize the history of its discovery in the
Hudson Bay area.
Earty REcorps
The earliest mention of the occurrence of Rock Ptarmigan on the south-
western Hudson Bay coast is that of Isham who completed his Observations on
Hudson’s Bay in 1743 (Rich and Johnson, 1949). He describes wood partridges
(Spruce Grouse Canachites canadensis), willow partridges (Willow Ptarmigan
Lagopus lagopus) and rock partridges saying that the last are smallest and are
white with black from the eye to the bill and with 14 black tail feathers.
Isham was stationed at York Factory and Churchill during his years of
service with the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada, and probably became
familiar with the bird during its winter invasions of that area.
There is another early mention of the occurrence of Rock Ptarmigan on
the south shore of Hudson Bay in another manuscript titled Observations on
Hudsons Bay (about 1782). This manuscript has been attributed to Dr.
Thomas Hutchins, but Glover (im Rich and Johnson, 1951), has pointed out
that it is in all probability by Andrew Graham. Glover wrote as follows about
this manuscript “.... long attributed to Thomas Hutchins .. . . is in many places
identically worded with other versions of Graham’s “Observations” and contains
internal evidence showing that Hutchins could not have written it. To
Graham, then, is due the credit for the information on birds and animals for
which Aatiivalists using this marniscil py have made acknowledgement to
Hutchins.”
The first of those who used this manuscript was probably Pennant who
quoted part of Graham’s section on the Rock Ptarmigan almost verbatim in the
second edition of his Arctic Zoology (1792). (First edition 1784-87 not seen.)
He then clearly had access to Graham’s manuscript.
At the time that Pennant was preparing and publishing the first edition of
his work, Dr. Thomas Hutchins was the corresponding secretary of the
Hudson’s Bay Company in London; it is very likely that Pennant met him
because in the second edition of his Arctic Zoology he wrote that: “I was
unspeakably obliged for his [Hutchins] judicious remarks made during 16
years residence in Hudson’s Bay of which he most liberally indulged me with
the perusal.” This is clearly an acknowledgement of the loan of a manuscript.
Could this have been the one by Graham? The warmth of his remarks suggest
161
162 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
a personal acquaintanceship. Pennant’s acknowledgement of help from Andrew
Graham is far less warm, it merely mentions “numbers of observations” and
“the use of multitudes of specimens of animals transmitted by him to the late
Museum of the Royal Society.”
Graham (about 1782) had this to say about the Rock Ptarmigan. “Us-
cathachish. Is a bird of the Grous Genus and denominated by us the rock
partridge. At all seasons of the year it frequents dry rocky ground and Juniper
plains. Its natural history corresponds with the Ptermigan only it is a size
smaller; has a black line under each eye and makes a croaking noise which is
performed with a stretched neck and seeming difficulty. They are numerous
on the extremes of the Bay and never visit our middle settlements but when the
Ptermigans are scarce and too truly denotes a hard winter with the poor natives.”
Manning (1952) has pointed out that Pennant’s description of the Rock
Ptarmigan (which was really Graham’s) was the basis for Gmelin’s (1789 not
seen) formal description of Tetrao rupestris. The type locality was given as
“in borealibus oris ad sinum Hudsonis = shores of Hudson Bay” (American
Ornithologists Union Check List, 1957). Graham encountered the southern
race of the Rock Ptarmigan, now known as Logapus mutus rupestris some time
during his service on Hudson Bay. The only trading posts at which he served
in Canada, prior to the completion of his observations, according to A. M.
Johnson (Archivist, Hudson’s Bay Company, pers. com.) were Fort Prince of
Wales, at the mouth of the Churchill River and opposite the present site of
Churchill, York Factory, and Fort Severn. Rock Ptarmigan are likely to occur
at all three of these localities (see below) but are far more regular in occurrence
and more abundant in the Churchill area. It is reasonable then to restrict the
type locality of this form to “Fort Prince of Wales, Manitoba”.
Swainson and Richardson (1831) in listing two species of Rock Ptarmigan
did not recognize as we do today a single species with a circumpolar distribu-
tion. They quoted Graham with the credit again going to Hutchins under
the heading Tetrao rupestris and added “.. . . is found on Melville peninsula and
the barren grounds seldom going further south in winter than Latitude 63° in
the interior but descending along the coast of Hudson’s Bay to Latitude 58°
and in severe seasons still further southward.” Under the heading Tetrao
mutus they list “.... a specimen in summer plumage sent to Sir John Franklin
from Churchill river [which] was identified by John Sabine esq. with the Scotch
Ptarmigan thus establishing it as an inhabitant of the American continent.”
Hellmayr and Conover (1942) state that Audubon gave the range for his
Lagopus americanus as “Melville Island, Churchill River”, and further remark
that Audubon later quoted Richardson as his authority for the Churchill River
locality. Today we recognize that different races of Rock Ptarmigan occur
at these two localities. Hellmayr and Conover (1942) therefore recognize the
priority of Audubon’s name for the northern race with the type locally
“Melville Island”. Gmelin’s name rupestris, however, applies to the southern
race which occurs at “Churchill River” with the type locality restricted here
to “Fort Prince of Wales, Manitoba”.
1964 LumMspEN: Rock PTARMIGAN 163
Localities where Rock Ptarmigan
have been reported
Localities where Rock Ptarmigan
specimens have been taken
HUDSON BAY
SUTTON
RIVER
CAPE HENRIETTA
Se MANITOBA SHAMATTAWA 3 ok:
pos JAMES
LAKE BAY
SHERMA
© 2 aes
aren FORT
ALBANY
Ficure 1. Localities in Ontario and Manitoba mentioned in the text.
In 1845 Dr. Gillespie Jr. of the Hudson’s Bay Company presented a
collection of birds to the Edinburgh Museum among which was a pair of Rock
Ptarmigan in winter plumage (Clarke, 1890). They were collected by him
during his residence at Fort Churchill.
Macoun (1900) wrote somewhat inconsistently that: “No authentic
records of its being taken in Ontario or southern Quebec have been seen and
the same statement may be made of Manitoba and westward.” However, he
later quotes Richardson’s statement that they descend along the Hudson’s Bay
coast to Lat. 58° (which would include the Churchill area), and in severe seasons
to Lat. 55°. This latitude was actually not mentioned by Swainson and
Richardson (1831); it does, however, include the whole Hudson Bay coast of
Ontario.
According to Preble (1902) the people of Fort Churchill say that the species
occurs at that post regularly in winter.
RECENT RECORDS AND REPORTS FROM MANITOBA
Taverner and Sutton (1934) reported that: “Lloyd, who was stationed at
Churchill for several years, saw Rock Ptarmigan every winter, but he was of
the opinion that the species never occurs regularly i in summer.” They found
Rock Ptarmigan rather numerous at Churchill in May and ae June, 1931.
They recorded their last observation of the species on July 10. In 1930 the
only one they collected was an autumn plumaged bird taken on August 19 near
164 Tue CaNnapDiAN Fretp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Fort Prince of Wales. They reported this to be a female but W. E. Godfrey,
Curator of Birds, National Museum of Canada, in a personal communication
states that the only specimen in the National Museum taken on that date at that
locality was an adult male.
Figure 1 shows the localities round the Hudson Bay coast of Ontario and
Manitoba mentioned in the text and the places from which Rock Ptarmigan have
been reported.
There seems to be no specimen evidence at present of Rock Ptarmigan
breeding anywhere in Manitoba, although the Manitoba Department of Mines
and Natural Resources (1945) suggests that the species may breed in the
Churchill area.
In the Registered Trapline annual reports for Manitoba there are three
recent references to the occurrence of Rock Ptarmigan in that province. All
refer to the winter season.
Mr. T. M. Nichol (1954) then with the Manitoba Game Branch in his
1953-54 report mentions that: “.... The Kaska trappers reported an increase in
rock ptarmigan.” Again in his 1954-55 report he states that: “....A few rock
ptarmigan were reported from the Kaska group.” The Kaska Indians occupy
the coastal area east of Cape Tatnum adjacent to the Ontario Boundary.
The third reference to the species was made by Mr. W. R. Burns (1957)
Manitoba Game Branch in his 1956-57 report for the Churchill area. He states
that both Willow and Rock Ptarmigan were found in the Churchill area but
the latter were scarce.
Sometimes Rock Ptarmigan may penetrate inland south of the area occupied
by the Kaska Indians. At Shamattawa, Mr. Stephen Redhead told me that he
saw a flock of three during the winter of 1961-62 about five miles northwest
of the village on the God’s River.
RECENT RECORDS AND REPORTS FROM THE Hupson Bay AREA OF ONTARIO
The Indians living in the northern part of the Patricia portion of Ontario
know the Rock Ptarmigan well and call the bird “Apistabemish”. They say
that flocks appear on their traplines in winter only, at intervals of six or eight
years. Unless otherwise stated, the reports on the distribution of the Rock
Ptarmigan in Ontario which follow were derived from personal communications.
Mr. Joseph Chokomolin told me that during the hard winter of 1935 his
brother John killed six small ptarmigan, at the mouth of the Sutton River. He
said that they all had black feathers between the eye and the bill.
During the winter of 1956-57, Conservation Officer T. M. Nichol, then
with the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, reported a single Rock
Ptarmigan on the airport at Weenusk.
During he winter of 1960-61, a small flight of Rock Ptarmigan penetrated
as far as the region of Shagamu Lake (55°05’N, 87°05’W). Mr. Michel
Hunter, the chief of the Weenusk Indian band, shot about 15 Rock Ptarmigan
there on his trapline. He also killed over 100 Willow Ptarmigan during the
same winter. He saved one Rock Ptarmigan and took it to Weenusk as a
specimen but it was later destroyed in error.
a eee ae
1964 ~ Lumsven: Rock PraRMIGAN 165
The winter of 1961-62 was marked by a major flight of both Willow and
Rock ptarmigan into the Hudson Bay area of Ontario. Rock Ptarmigan were
most abundant close to the coast but one Ontario report refers to birds in the
interior. Mr. Joseph Morris, the chief of the Big Trout Lake Indian band,
told me that he saw a flock of about 30 Rock Ptarmigan ten miles north of
Sherman Lake at 54°38’N, 91°25’W;; which is about 180 miles from the Hudson
Bay coast.
At Fort Severn Willow Ptarmigan were extremely abundant and both Mr.
Fred Close of the Hudson’s Bay Company and Mr. Angus Miles reported that
many thousands were killed for food by the villagers during the winter. Mr.
Close told me that about one in fifty was a Rock Ptarmigan. He personally
killed three Rock Ptarmigan in one day but kept no record of the total number
he killed during the winter.
Mr. Mason Koostachin reported that there were about 20 Rock Ptarmigan
among the Willow Ptarmigan he killed near Fort Severn during the winter
of 1961-62.
At Weenusk also, Rock Ptarmigan were abundant and Mr. Michel Hunter
said he saw flocks numbering from 25 to 60 birds. They fed in the willows
along the coast and frequently flew out onto the sea ice where he saw them
while trapping arctic foxes. He killed 30-35 Rock Ptarmigan and 60-70 Willow
Ptarmigan during the winter while trapping west of the mouth of the Weenusk
River. He reported that they arrived just before Christmas, 1961, and did not
leave until the snow began to thaw at the end of March, 1962.
Mr. Moses Koostachin reported that Rock Ptarmigan were present on his
trapline, which lies east of the mouth of the Weenusk River, during the winter
of 1961-62. His son John George Koostachin killed two there that winter.
Mr. Xavier Sutherland told me that Rock Ptarmigan occur regularly in
winter on Cape Henrietta Maria and birds were present in 1960-61 and 1961-62.
Seven specimens were preserved from the 1961-62 flight, one is in the Royal
Ontario Museum of Zoology and Palaeontology and six are at the Southern
Research Station, Maple. There were three males and one female killed in
January, 1962 by Mr. Elijah Stoney and Mr. Peter Patrick at Fort Severn; and
two males and one female killed on March 25, 1962 by Mr. Michel ‘Sinn: at
Weenusk.
RECENT REPORTS FROM THE JAMES Bay AREA
Baillie (1956) has suggested, on the basis of a report from Mr. Sam Waller,
who lived at Moosonee for some years, that Rock Ptarmigan might be found
some winters in the James Bay region. According to Mr. Simeon Scott and
other Indians, who were present at Fort Albany when I enquired, Rock
Ptarmigan are never found north of Moosonee on the west side of James Bay.
They all said that Cape Henrietta Maria was the nearest place where the species
might be found.
In Qubec, on the east side of James Bay, however, the situation is quite
different. Mr. Josie Sim at Fort George said that both species of ptarmigan
166 THE CanapiAN FIeLp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
occur there. The Rock Ptarmigan appear only in winter, they come every
year and occasionally in great numbers.
Farther south at Rupert House, Mr. Willie Weestchee and Mr. Isiah Salt
told me that the Rock Ptarmigan, which they call “Skangish”, appear nearly
every winter.
Rupert House lies about 80 miles east and a little north of Moosonee on the
southern end of James Bay. I seems likely then that if Rock Ptarmigan do
occur at Moosonee, they come from the Quebec side of James Bay and not
from the west.
Taverner and Sutton’s (1934) summary of the status of the Rock Ptarmigan
in the Churchill area of Manitoba as “a winter visitor irregularly common”, can
probably not be improved. In Ontario the species should be regarded as a
periodic winter visitor in the extreme north occurring sometimes in substantial
numbers, and of hypothetical occurrence at the southern end of James Bay.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I should like to acknowledge the help of Miss A. M. Johnson, Archivist
and Mrs. S. S. Smith, Librarian of the Hudson’s Bay Company, who supplied
me with biographical sketches of Thomas Hutchins and Andrew Graham and
drew my attention to the correct authorship of the manuscript “Observations
on Hudson’s Bay”. ‘The quotation on Rock Ptarmigan from this manuscript
is published by permission of the Governor and Committee of the Hudson’s
Bay Company. Dr. E. F. Bossenmaier sent unpublished references on the
occurrence of Rock Ptarmigan in Manitoba and gave permission for publication.
Finally, I am grateful to Mr. M. Hunter, Mr. E. Stoney and Mr. P. Patrick who
collected specimens and preserved them for me.
REFERENCES
AMERICAN OrniTHOLoGiIsts’ UNron. 1957. Ottawa. 207 pp.
Check List of North American Birds.
Baltimore, Maryland. 133 pp.
Baur, J. L. 1956. Ontario Grouse. Royal
Ontario Museum. 14 pp.
Burns, W. R. 1957. Manitoba Game
Branch Regulated Trapline Annual Re-
port, 1956-57. Unpublished. 116 pp.
Criarke, W. E. 1890. On a collection of
birds from Fort Churchill, Hudson’s Bay.
The Auk 8 (4) :321.
Gmeun, J. F. 1788. Systema Naturae 1
(pt)2). 2 751epp:
GraHaM, A. About 1782. Observations on
Hudson’s Bay. Unpublished ms. Hudson’s
Bay Company archives. E 2/13. 97 pp.
Hetitmayr, C. E. and B. Conover. 1942.
Catalogue of Birds of the Americas and
the Adjacent Islands. Zoological (1)
Series. Field Museum of Natural History
13(pt. 1) Pub. 514:205-207.
Macoun, J. 1900. Catalogue of Canadian
Birds, Part 1. Geological Survey of Canada,
ManrropA DEPARTMENT OF Mines anp Na-
TURAL Resorces. 1945. Game Birds and
Animals of Manitoba. 47 pp.
Mannine, T. H. 1952. Birds of the West
James Bay and Southern Hudson Bay
Coasts. National Museum of Canada, Bul-
letin 25. 38 pp.
Nicuot, T. M. 1954. Manitoba Game
Branch Regulated Trapline Annual Re-
port 1953-54. Unpublished. 89 pp.
————. 1955. Manitoba Game Branch
Regulated Traplines Annual Report 1954-
55. Unpublished. 49 pp.
Pennant, T. 1792. Arctic Zoology. Second
Edition. Vol. 1. London. 364 pp.
Presie, E. A. 1902. A Biological Investiga-
tion of the Hudson Bay Region. North
America Fauna No. 22, Washington. 104
ple
Ricn, E. E. and A. M. Jonnson. 1949. James
Ishams Observations on Hudson Bay 1743.
The Champlain Society, Toronto. 123 pp
1964 LumMspEN: Rock PraRMIGAN 167
. 1951. Cumberland House Jour- Fauna Boreali-Americana Part 2. London.
nals and Inland Journal 1775-82. Hudson’s pp- 350-354.
Bay Record Society, Vol. 14. London. Taverner, P. A. and G. M. Sutton. 1934.
Introduction XVIII. The Birds of Churchill, Manitoba. Annals
Swarnson, W. and J. RicHarpson. 1831. of the Carnegie Museum 23. 43 pp.
Received for publication 20 January 1964
wy
FISH COLLECTIONS FROM EASTERN HUDSON BAY
D. E. McALLIsTER
National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
INTRODUCTION
FEw COLLECTIONS have been made in the eastern waters of Canada’s inland sea,
Hudson Bay. Vladykov (1933) and Dymond (1933) describe the marine fish
and summarize past literature. Dunbar and Hildebrand (1952) describe the
fishes of Ungava Bay. The only further marine ichthyofaunal study has been
that of Edwards (1961) on the fishes of Richmond Gulf. However, reports on
single species have appeared: McPhail (1961) on Arctic charr and (1963) on
ninespine stickleback, Legendre (1961) on the Greenland cod and Scott (1960)
on the round whitefish. McAllister (1960) provided a key to the marine Arctic
Canadian fishes, including Hudson Bay. References to the literature up to
1960 on freshwater fishes may be obtained from Harper (1961) and Fowler
(1961). Power and Oliver (1961) give freshwater records from the southern
Ungava Bay drainage.
The area must still be considered poorly known as each study has revealed
further species. In Richmond Gulf, for example, the National Museum of
Canada expedition in only ten marine stations was able to add four species to
Edward’s (1961) list—the lumpfish, round whitefish, lake whitefish, and the
Arctic sculpin. One collection by the Fisheries Research Board in 1959 has
been found to contain a further species, the American plaice, Hippoglossoides
platessoides. Further work would be worthwhile, particularly in the deeper
waters.
This paper briefly reports on marine and freshwater fishes collected by
the National Museum of Canada expedition to eastern Hudson Bay in the
summer of 1963. The author and Dr. A. H. Clarke, Jr., assisted by Mr. H. D.
Athearn, collected fishes, molluscs, and other invertebrates from Port Harrison
in the north to Moosonee, James Bay, in the south. Additional collections
made by John G. Robertson at Povungnituk in 1963 are also reported on.
Figure 1 shows the locality of the collecting sites; Table 1 presents the field data.
ITINERARY
The author left Ottawa on July 7, by train and arrived at Moosonee July 8.
On July 10 he took off by Canso aircraft for Port Harrison and en route picked
168 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
TABLE 1.—Field Data for Collections
; pbs Temperature Capture
Coll. No. Locality Salinity oC Bottom Depth - Gear
Feet
NMC63-162 P.Q.: Povungnituk — 16 stones, pebbles — seal net
NMC63-163 P.Q.: Povungnituk — — glene and seaweed — gill net
rocky
NMC63-164 P.Q.: Povungnituk | salt — algae and seaweed 5-30 line with spoon
stones, pebbles gill net
NMC63-165 P.O.: Povungnituk | salt — algae and seaweed 5-30 line with spoon
stones, pebbles
NMC63-166 P.Q.: Small stream | fresh — algae, rocky 2 gill net
entering
. Povungnituk R.
NMC63-167 P.Q.: Povungnituk | salt — else and seaweed] 10-40 line with spoon
rocky
NMC63-168 P.Q.: Povungnituk | salt — algae and seaweed 4-20 line with spoon
rocky
NMC63-169 P.Q.: Povungnituk — — algae, rocky 2 3 inch gill net
NMC63-170 P.Q.: Povungnituk — — algae, rocky 3-6 gill net
NMC63-171 P.Q.: Povungnituk — — rocky 1-3 gill net
NMC63-172 P.O.: Povungnituk | salt — plese and seaweed] 10-20 line with spoon
rocky
NMC63-173 P.Q.: Povungnituk — = algae, rocky 1-3 gill net
NMC63-174 P.Q.: Povungnituk — — rocky == =
NMC63-175 P.Q.: Povungnituk — — = — gill net
NMC63-176 P.Q.: Small stream | fresh — algae, rocky 1_5 gill net
entering
Povungnituk R.
NMC63-177 P.Q.:PovungnitukR.| fresh — algae, rocky 3 gill net
NMC63-178 P.Q.:PovungnitukR.| fresh — algae, rocky 4 gill net
NMC63-179 P.O.:PovungnitukR. — — rocky 15-30 line with spoon
NMC63-180 P.O.:PovungnitukR.| fresh i algae, rocky 2 gill net
NMC63-195 P.Q.: Head Five 7.9 parts 8.5 algae, sand 0-3 bag seine
Mile Inlet per thou-
sand
NMC63-196 P.Q.: Head Five 7.9 parts 9.0 rocky 0-2 rotenone
Mile Inlet per thou-
sand
NMC63-197 P.Q.: Rivermouth, probably 3 boulders 8-15 3-inch gill net
head Five Mile brackish
Inlet
NMC63-198 N.W.T.: off n. end | salt ca. 4 mud 60 2-foot dredge
Patterson I.
NMC63-199 P.Q.: rill tributary | fresh 10.5 grass, pebbles, 0-23 rotenone
to lake 3 mi. ne. mud
Port Harrison
NMC63-200 P.Q.: mainland opp.| 28 parts 6 sand 0-3 bag seine
Hotchkiss Is. per thou-
sand
NMC63-201 P.Q.: mainland opp.| salt 6 boulders, gravel 20-40 3_and 23-inch
Hotchkiss Is. gill net
NMC63-202 P.Q.: mainland opp.) salt 9.5 sand and clay 0-3 rotenone
Hotchkiss Is. few boulders
NMC63-203 P.Q.: bay 4+ mi. off | salt — ar 60 3_ and 24-inch
rowel Kikkerteluk gill net
NMC63-204 P.Q.: mouth _ — rock and sand 0-3 ' 3-inch gill net
Kikkerteluk R.
NMC63-205 P.Q.: 2 mi. above fresh — weeds — dipnet
mouen Kikkerteluk
NMC63-206 N.W.T.: Tottenham] 24partsper 8.5 sand 25 3- and 23-inch
Bay! ne. end thousand gill net
Broughton I. at surface
NMC63-207 N.S.T.: Tottenham | 24 parts 8.5 fucus, boulders 0-2 rotenone
ne, end Broughton | per thou-
1 sand
NMC63-208 N.W.T.: lakes, fresh 14 gravel, sand, 1-3 line with
Conee Broughton boulders spinner
NMC63-209 N.W.T.: side pool, | fresh +14 grass, sand, silt 0-4 rotenone
upper lake, centre
Broughton I.
NMC63-210-S | N.W.T.: found on — — = os =
shore e. central
Broughton I.
NMC63-211 N.W.T.: bay, s. end] salt 10 = 40 3- and 23-inch
Mowat I. gill net
NMC63-212 N.W.T.: bay, s. salt 10 at surface] fucus, rocky 10 jigging with
, end Mowat I. i spoon
NMC63-213 P.Q.: Nastapoka R. | fresh — sand, gravel 75 dipnet
2 mi. above mouth
1Suggested name for unnamed bay at 57°25’N, 76°49’W, at northeast end of Broughton Island (see fig. 1 and 4).
Named after Const. R. L. Tottenham of the Northwest Mounted Police.
tributary to
Moosonee 3 mi.
above mouth at
Moosonee
1964 McALLIstTeR: Fish From Hupson Bay 169
TABLE 1.—cont'd.
: nee Temperature Capture
Coll. No. Locality Salinity be Bottom Depth - Gear
Feet
NMC63-214 N.W.T.: bay, ne. salt — sea urchins, 30-35 gill net
end Anderson I. brittle stars aa
NMC63-215 N.W.T.: stream, fresh 6 algae clumps Br i8 dipnet
enters bay ne. end sand, silt, i
Anderson I. detritus
NMC63-216 N.W.T.: lake, 35-ft. | fresh — boulders and sand 1-2 hand
altitude ne. end
Anderson I,
NMC63-217 N.W.T.: tide pool salt 10 rocky with 0-1 rotenone
s. tip Ross I. boulders and
gravel 5
NMC63-218 P.Q.: pool, lake fresh = weeds, sand = hand
outlet s. side large ze
island, Richmond
Gulf
NMC63-219 P.Q.: bay s. side ca. 14-16 14 sand 1-3 bag, seine
large island, parts per
Richmond Gulf thousand '
NMC63-220 P.Q.: bay s. side +16 10 at surface| sand, silt 5-20 #- and 24-inch
large island, parts per gill net
Richmond Gulf thousand
NMC63-221 P.Q.: bay s. side fresh 16.5 algae, boulders 0-34 rotenone
large island,
Richmond Gulf
NMC63-222 P.Q.: Deer R. 2 mi. | fresh 16.5 algae, boulders 4 gill net
above mouth,
Richmond Gulf
NMC63-223 P.Q.: Richmond salt — mud and clay 36-90 2-foot dredge
Guit Z mi. w. Deer
R. mouth
NMC63-224 P.Q.: Richmond salt — — — floating 4-inch
Gulf 3 mi. nw. gill net
Deer R. mouth
NMC63-225 P.Q.: island off ca. 16 18 fucus, boulders 0-3 rotenone
Charr Lake? w. parts per and sand, rocky
central Richmond | thousand
Gulf
NMC63-226 P.Q.: Charr L.?, w. | fresh — _ — —
central Richmond
Gulf
NMC63-227 P.Q.: just outside somewhat — sand Q-2 bag seine
Clearwater R. brackish
lagoon
NMC63-228 P.Q.: Clearwater R.| fresh —_ boulders 0-10 2-inch gill net
just below rapids
at mouth
NMC63-229 P.Q.: lagoon, mouth] brackish —- — 12 3- and 24-inch
; of Clearwater R. gill net
NMC63-230 P.Q.: bog pond, fresh — grass, moss, 1} dipnet
shore Clearwater black mud
R. lagoon
NMC63-231 P.Q.: bay, s. of e. salt 12.5 boulders and sand| 10-15 jigging with
end of Gulf at surface spoon
Hazard, in
Richmond Gulf :
NMC63-232 P.Q.: bay, s. side of | salt > algae mat on 0-24 bag seine
e. end of Gulf gravel
Hazard ;
NMC63-233 P.Q.: bay, s. of e. salt — sea urchins and 25 3_ and 23-inch
end of Gulf shells gill net
Hazard, in
Richmond Gulf :
NMC63-234 P.Q.: bay, s. of e. salt = boulders, sand 7-15 2-inch gill net
end of Gulf
Hazard, in
Richmond Gulf ,
NMC63-235 N.W.T.: n. end of salt —_ fucus, sea urchins 15-50 4- and 23-inch
Castle I. in e. end mussels, rocky gill net
of Boat Passage 4
NMC63-236 P.Q.: bay n. central | fresh ca. 18 sand and detritus 0-24 bag seine
shore Burton L. patches :
NMC63-237 P.Q.: creek, n. fresh —_— mud, gravel 0-3 bag seine
central shore patches
Burton L. :
NMC63-238 P.Q.: middle branch | fresh — rocky = angling
Roggan R. 4
NMC63-239 Ont.: Moose R. at fresh 24 mud 0-3 bag seine
Moosonee
NMC63-240 Ont.: creek fresh 20.5 mud 0-6 dipnet
2Unofficial local name for lake, unnamed on charts.
170 Tue CANADIAN Fre_p-NATURALIST Vol. 78
up Dr. Clarke and Mr. Athearn at Great Whale River. We collected in the Port
Harrison area until July 13, when we left via chartered trap boat (see Figure 7)
for Great Whale River. Collections were made on route to Great Whale
River at numerous points. On July 23 the expedition arrived in Great Whale
River; the boat and crew then returned to Port Harrison. A chartered flight
was made to Burton Lake and Roggan River on July 24. The following day
we left via Canso for Moosonee. Final fish collections were made on July 25
and 26 in the Moosonee area. The author then returned to Ottawa by train.
ConDITIONS
Ice was reported to have broken up on the Moose River at Moosonee on
May 18 and on James Bay on June 18. On the trip up, little ice was seen on
James Bay. In Hudson Bay there were rare patches of ice south of Great
Whale River, a few broader patches northward, rivers and lakes were com-
pletely ice free, but a few ravines had snow. On the return trip by boat only
a single piece of ice was seen. Weather during the boat trip varied from cool
to warm, never approaching freezing. About half the days were cloudy, and
most cloudy days had some rain. Winds were light, the maximum being
about 40 mph. In Richmond Gulf swimming was comfortably indulged in.
Water temperatures at collecting stations varied from 3° to 18° C in brackish
and salt waters (the highest temperatures of 14 and 18° C in Richmond Gulf,
10° C elsewhere) and from 10.5 to ca. 18° C in freshwater (except in Moosonee
area where 20.5° and 24° were recorded). In Gulf Hazard, which joins
Hudson Bay to Richmond Gulf, surface temperatures were cooled to 3.5 ° Cat
its narrowest and most turbulent point; here mist formed above the water.
Twenty-eight species of fishes (12 marine, 5 anadromous, and 11 fresh-
water), belonging to 14 families were collected. These are discussed below
in phylogenetic order. The collection number and the number of specimens
(in parentheses) are given for each collection of that species.
SPECIES
RAJIDAE
Raja radiata Donovan, THORNY SKATE, raie
de mer épineuse.
Collections: NMC62-233 (1)
Represented only by an egg capsule. Al-
though the capsule is of smaller size (36x48
mm) than those given by Vladykov (1936),
48-73x66-90 mm, they are within the limits
of those given by Jensen (1948), 24-41x45-66.
Raja radiata is the only skate known from
Richmond Gulf (Edwards 1961), or indeed
Hudson Bay.
SALMONIDAE
Salmoninea
Salvelinus namaycush (Walbaum),
CHARR (TROUT), touladi. Figure 2.
Collections: NMC63-208 (2).
One specimen had eaten half a dozen Pun-
gitius pungitius.
LAKE
Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus), ARCTIC CHARR,
omble chevalier.
Collections: NMC63-162 (1); NMC63-163
(2); NMOC63-170 (1); NMC63-173 (2);
NMC63-178 (1); NMC 63-180 (1); NMC
63-197 (not kept); NMC 63-199 (3); NMC
63-204 (2); NMC63-226 (2).
This species is being commercially fished
by Eskimos in Richmond Gulf with Depart-
ment of Northern Affairs co-operation.
Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell), BRooK CHARR
(trout), omble de la fontaine.
Collections: NMC63-169 (1); NMC63-176
(2); NMOC63-177. (1); NMC63-178 (1);
NMC63-205 (1); NMC63-208 (2); NMC
63-220 (2); NMC63-221 (26); NMC63-228
(22).
Specimens from the lower lake Broughton
Island (NMC63-208) were apparently sea-
1964 McA.LIsterR: Fish From Hupson Bay 171
Povungnituk
a mc63—162 to 180
QUEBEC
nmc 63——199
nmc 63—200 to 20
nmc63—203 to 205 Kikkerteluk.R.
HUDSON BAY
nmc 63-208 to 210
Broughton. |s nmc 63-206 to 207
Mowat.ls.
nmc 63—213
nme 63-227 to23
nmc 63-221to0 222
J
. nmc 63-211 to 212
1 Nastapoka.R.
8
nmc 63-2 23 to 224
me 63-225 eer R
NG 163 2.44 f021 Ge ea ee
25: nmc 63—226 | t
nmc 63-21 8to 22 nine BS 017 Clearwater. R.
nmc 63-232
ime nmc 63—231,233,234
|
|
nmc 63—236to23
Ficure 1. Map of eastern Hudson Bay showing collection sites of 1963 National Museum
of Canada expedition. The Moosonee sites in southern James Bay are not shown.
Numbers preceded by NMC are catalogue numbers.
172
run, as evidenced by copepods in their
mouths. The Povungnituk specimens ap-
parently extend the known range north-
ward over 50 miles from the previous nor-
thernmost point of Payne Lake, mouth of
outlet, reported by Legendre and Rousseau
(1949). Brook charr specimens from 15
miles inland were also seen at Port Harrison
(but not preserved).
Coregoninea
ROUND
Prosopium cylindraceum (Pallas),
WHITEFISH, Menomini.
Collections: NMC63-178 (1); NMC63-180
(1); NMC63-228 (3); NMC63-229 (1).
All collections were from fresh water, ex-
cept NMC63-229 which was brackish. The
northernmost Quebec record in the litera-
ture appears to be Bateman’s (77 Harper,
1961) at Iron Lake south of Leaf Bay. The
Povungnituk specimens are from over 75
miles north of this point. The species is
known north of Povungnituk in the western
Arctic, however.
Coregonus artedi Lesueur, Cisco, cisco. Figure
3.
Collections: NMC63-171 (1); NM(C63-220
(11); NMC63-225 (1); NMC63-229 (2).
This species has apparently been known
north only to Fort Chimo, in Quebec. The
Povungnituk specimens are from over 130
miles north of that point. The species is
known to range further north than Povung-
nituk in central Arctic Canada.
Coregonus clupeaformis (Mitchell), LaKe
WHITEFISH, corégone de lac. Figure 8.
Collections: NMC63-171 (1); NMC63-176
(3); NMC63-177 (9); NM0C63-178 (4);
NMC63-180 (5); NMC63-204 (6); NMC
63-220 (1); NMC63-229 (1); NMC 63-236
(104); NMC63-239 (1).
The northernmost Quebec record appears
to be the lower Leaf River. The Povung-
nituk specimens recorded here extend the
known Quebec range over 75 miles further
north. The species does occur further north
than Povungnituk in the western Arctic.
This species is being commercially caught
in Richmond Gulf by Eskimos with Depart-
ment of Northern Affairs’ cooperation.
OsMERIDAE
Mallotus villosus (Miller), caPetin, capelan.
Collections: NMC63-220 (60).
THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
About a thousand capelin were caught in
one overnight set of a 30x6 feet panel of 3-
inch mesh; 60 were kept.
EsoctpaE
Esox lucius Linnaeus, NORTHERN PIKE, grand
brochet.
Collections: NMC63-238 (2).
Pike were reported in Clearwater Lake,
inland from Richmond Gulf.
CATOSTOMIDAE
Catostomus catostomus (Forster), LONGNOSE
SUCKER, Meunier.
Collections: NMC63-166 (1); NMC63-176
(4); NMC63-178 (4); NMC63-180 (1);
NMC63-221 (29); NMC63-222 (2); NMC
63-237 (1).
The most northerly record previously
reported appears to be that of Dunbar and
Hildebrand (1952) for the Leaf River. The
Povungnituk specimens reported here are
at least 75 miles north of this point.
CyYPRINIDAE
Rhinichthys cataractae (Valenciennes), LONG-
NOSE DACE, goujon a long nez.
Collections: NMC63-213 (27); NMC63-221
(13).
The upper lip and lower fins of the Deer
River specimens were red. The Nastopoka
River specimens, though not constituting a
northern record (they extend north in the
interior to Whale River (Power and Oliver,
1961), are further north on the Hudson Bay
coast than previous records.
Couesius plumbeus (Agassiz), LAKE CHUB,
méné de lac.
Collections: NMC63-239 (1).
Notropis sp.
Collections: NMC63-239 (1).
GADIDAE
Gadus ogac Richardson, GREENLAND cop,
ogac. Figure 6.
Collections: NMC63-162 (1); NMC 63-
164 (8); NMC63-165 (16); NMC 63-167
(22); NMC63-168 (6); NMC63-172 (4);
NMC63-179 (4); NMC63-197 (8); NMC
63-201 (26); NMC 63-206 (4); NMC 63-120-
S (skeleton on beach); NMC63-212 (1);
NMC63-214 (2); NMC 63-233 (3); NMC
63-245 (13).
This was one of the most commonly
caught marine species. Its numbers might
well provide the basis for local fisheries.
173
McAL Lister: Fish From Hupson Bay
1964
IN
Za,
, 360 mm in standard length, from NMC
Salvelinus namaycush
’
A lake charr.
63-208, a lake on Broughton Island.
Figure 2.
Coregonus artedi, 262 mm in standard length, from NMGC63-171, a
stream at Povungnituk.
]
A cisco
FIGuRE 3.
174
Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
Figure 4. Tottenham Bay, Broughton Island, site of collections NMC63-206—gill net in
25 feet of water, sand, out from lefthand man—Gadus ogac, Myoxocephalus scorpius,
Lumpenus fabricii and NMC63-207 rotenone among boulders with Fucus, near right-
hand man—Myoxocephalus scorpioides, M. scorpius, Stichaeus punctatus.
PERCIDAE
Stizostedion vitreum vitreum (Mitchell),
WALLEYE, doré jaune.
Collections: NMC63-237 (1).
CorripAE
Myoxocephalus quadricornis (Linnaeus),
FOURHORN SCULPIN, chaboisseau a quatre
cornes.
Collections: NMC63-164 (1); NMC 63-174
(1); NMC63-175 (1); NMC 63-195 (11);
NMC63-196 (5); NMC63-200 (2); NMC63-
201 (1); NMC63-202 (6); NMC63-220 (10);
NMC63-229 (4); NMC63-232 (1); NMC
63-234 (3).
This was the most common species of
Myoxocephalus caught, scorpioides the
rarest. The three species of Myxocephalus
rarely may be caught in the same gill net set
(NMC63-234). M. quadricornis is generally
caught in more brackish water (7.9-28°/00)
and in shallower depths (0-40 feet), scorpius
in more saline water (16+ to 24+:°/oo) and
in deeper depths usually 5 to 50 feet deep.
Myoxocephalus scorpius (Linnaeus), SHOoRT-
HORN SCULPIN, chabolsseau espines.
Collections: NMC63-201 (2); NMC63-203
(1); NMC63-206 (12); NMC63-207 (19);
NMC63-211 (2); NMC63-214 (5); NMC
63-220 (1); NMC63-231 (4); NMC63-234
(1); NMC63-235 (8).
Myoxocephalus scorpioides (Fabricius),
Arctic scuLPIn, chaboisseau artique.
Collections: NMC63-207 (2); NMC63-217
(13); NMC63-234 (1).
The three collections of M. scorpioides
were caught in generally saline water 0-15
feet deep.
Gymmnocanthus tricuspis (Reinhardt), Arctic
STAGHORN SCULPIN, tricorne arctique.
Collections: NMC63-211 (2); NMC63-233
Gil):
In a male specimen, NMC63-211, there
are bright white spots on the abdomen, on
1964 McALLISTER:
FisH From Hupson Bay
175
Figure 5. Crew of cruise, left to right, Joe, Lasarus, Charlie and below, Judd.
the inside of pectoral fins and on both sides
of the pelvic fins; these spots turn yellowish
on the posterior of the body. The vertical
fins are striped black and yellowish; the chin
is yellowish; the head and most of the body
are dark brown; the pineal region is white;
the eyes are bronze coloured; the buccal
cavity is white.
Cottus bairdi
chabot.
Collections: NMC63-221 (2); NMC63-237
(3); NMC63-240 (1).
The Deer River collection extends the
known coastal distribution considerably to
the north, although it is known to extend
almost to Ungava Bay in central Quebec.
Girard, MOTTLED SCULPIN,
Cottus cognatus Richardson, sLIMyY SCULPIN,
chabot visqueux.
Collections: NMC63-221 (35); NMC63-240
(4).
AGONIDAE
Aspidophoroides olrikit Litkin, Arctic ALLi-
GATORFISH, poisson alligator arctique.
Collections: NMC63-198 (1).
CYCLOPTERIDAE
Cyclopterus lumpus Linnaeus,
grosse poule l’eau.
Collections: NMC63-224 (1).
This specimen represents the first speci-
men for eastern Hudson Bay. Lumpfish were
caught fairly commonly in floating gill nets
set for Arctic charr in Richmond Gulf by
LUMPFISH,,
176 Tue CaNnapDIAN FIeELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Ficure 6. Gadus ogac, collection NMC63-201, from east side of Hopewell Channel,
opposite Hotchkiss Island. Note the absence of a prominent white lateral band which
is found in the related species, Gadus morhun.
Figure 7. The motor launch used on the cruise.
1964 McALLISTER:
the Eskimo commercial fishing camp being
started by the Department of Northern
Affairs.
STICHAEIDAE
Stichaeus punctatus (Fabricius),
SHANNY, stichée arctique.
Collections: NMC63-207 (3).
These specimens were brown bodied and
had a reddish eye, the edge of dorsal and
anal white, the pectoral and caudal with
red-brown stripes, the anal with yellow and
charcoal stripes, the dorsal yellow brown
with black spots having yellow ocelli, and
the chin with black stripes. They represent
the first record for eastern Hudson Bay.
ARCTIC
Lumpenus fabricii (Valenciennes), SLENDEER
EELBLENNY.
Collections: NMC63-206 (1).
AMMODYTIDAE
Ammodytes hexapterus Pallas, sAND LANCE,
langon d’Amérique.
Fish From Hupson Bay
LAG
Collections: NMC63-195 (15); NMC63-219
(16); NMC63-227 (54).
GASTEROSTEIDAE
Pungitius pungitius (Linnaeus), NINESPINE
STICKLEBACK, €pinoche a neuf épines.
Collections: NMC63-195 (1); NMC63-199
(6); NMC63-208 (6 in stomach of lake
charr); NMC63-209 (50); NMC63-215 (15);
NMC63-219 (23); NMC63-226 (1); NMC
63-227 (12); NMC63-232 (9); NMC 63-236
(4); NMC63-247 (11).
Gasterosteus aculeatus Linneaus.
THREESPINE STICKLEBACK, €pinoche a trois
épines.
Collections: NMC63-215 (8); NMC63-216
(4); NMC63-218 (15); NMC63-219 (185);
NMC63-221 (2); NMC63-226 (18); NMC
63-227 (73); NMC63-230 (21); NMC 63-232
(32); NMC63-237 (9).
The collections consist mainly of the
semiarmata type, with a few of the trachura
type.
Figure 8. Coregonus clupeaformis, collection NMC63-204, from mouth of Kikkerteluk
River.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The cooperation and assistance of Dr. A. H. Clarke and Mr. H. D. Athearn,
who accompanied the author on the expedition and of the able Eskimo crew
Lasarus, Charlie, Judd, and Joe who selflessly worked long hours, greatly
contributed to the success of the expedition. To the director of the Protection
Service, Jean Duguay, Département des Pécheries et de la Chasse, is due thanks
for authorization to collect fish specimens. Howard Dove, Hudson’s Bay
Company, and Rodney Evans, Department of Northern Affairs, of Povung-
nituk, assisted greatly in organization of the expedition. Dave Price contri-
buted a specimen of lumpfish from Richmond Gulf, and David Neave two
pike from Roggan River (both of the Department of Northern Affairs). The
178 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
elegant drawings and map are by John Tottenham. To all these persons the
author is very grateful.
SUMMARY
Distribution and ecological data are presented from the 1963 National
Museum of Canada expedition to eastern Hudson Bay. Twenty-eight marine
and freshwater fishes are reported. The known northern limits in Quebec of
Salvelinus fontinalis, Prosopium cylindraceum, Coregonus artedi, Coregonus
clupeaformis, and Catostomus catostomus are extended. Cyclopterus lumpus
and Stichaeus punctatus are reported for the first time from eastern Hudson Bay.
REFERENCES
Dunpar, M. J.. and H. H. Hiuvvesranp.
1952. Contribution to the study of the
fishes of Ungava Bay. Journal of the
Fisheries Research Board of Canada 9(2):
83-128, 1 fig.
Dymonp, J. R. 1933. The coregonine
fishes of Hudson and James Bays. Contri-
butions to Canadian Biology and Fisheries,
New Series 8(2):1-12.
Epwarps, Rosert L. 1961. The fishes of
Richmond Gulf, Ungava, Canada. Pro-
ceedings of the American Philosophical
Society 105(2):196-205, 2 fig.
Fower, Henry W. 1961. Taxonomic
notes on fishes of the interior of the Un-
gava Peninsula. Journal Elisha Mitchill
Scientific Society 77(2):309-311, 2 fig.
Harper, Francis. 1961. Field and_his-
torical notes on fresh-water fishes of the
Ungava Peninsula and on certain marine
fishes of the north side shore of the Gulf
~ of St. Lawrence. Journal Elisha Mitchill
Scientific Society 77 (2):312-342, 20 maps,
2 pl.
Fae A. S. 1948. Contributions to the
ichthyofauna of Greenland, 8-24. Skrifter
udgivet af Universitetets zoologiske
Museum Kgbenhavn 9:1-182.
LEGENDRE, VIANNEY. 1961. Ogac ou morue
de roche, Gadus ogac Richardson 1836:
Synonymie et bibliographie. Naturaliste
Canadien 88 (4) :85-93.
LEGENDRE, VIANNEY, and Jacques Rousseau.
1949. La distribution de quelques-uns de
nos poissons dans le Québec Arctique. An-
nales de PACFAS 15:133-135, 1 fig.
McAtuister, D. E. 1960. Keys to the
marine fishes of Arctic Canada. Natural
History Papers, National Museum of
Canada (5):1-21.
McPuan, J. D. 1961. A systematic study
of the Salvelinus alpinus complex in North .
America. Journal of the Fisheries Research
Board of Canada 18(5):793-816, 6 fig.
1963. Geographic variation in
North American ninespine sticklebacks
Pungitius pungitius. Journal of the
Fisheries Research Board of Canada 20(1):
27-44, 6 fig.
Power, G. F., and D. R. Otiver. 1961.
Notes on the distribution and relative
abundance of fresh-water fish in Ungava.
Canadian Field-Naturalist 75 (4) :221-224,
1 fig.
rie W. B. 1960. Summaries of current
information on round whitefish and
mountain whitefish. Ontario Department
of Lands and Forests. Research Informa-
tion Paper (Fisheries) (8) :1-19.
VuiapyKkov, Vapim D. 1933. Fishes from
the Hudson Bay region (except the Core-
gonidae). Contribution to Canadian Biol-
ogy and Fisheries, New Series 9(2):
13-61, 5 fig.
=, 1936:) (Capsules docuts dei irares
d’Atlantique Canadian appartenant au
genre Raja. Naturaliste Canadien 63:
211-231, illus.
Received for publication 19 February 1964
4
~w-*
THE FOOD HABITS OF THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD,
AGELAIUS PHOENICEUS, IN MANITOBA*
Ravpy D. Birp and Lawrie B. SMITH
Canada Department of Agriculture, Research Station, Winnipeg, Manitoba
‘Tue Rep-wincep Biacsirp, A gelaius phoeniceus (L.), has been shown to feed
on a variety of vegetable and animal material. Beal (1900), examined the
stomachs (gizzards) of 1083 Redwings collected throughout the United States
at various times of the year and found vegetable matter to be 73.4 per cent of
the yearly average with a large proportion being weed seeds. In farmed
areas the food of autumn concentrations of Red-wings has been found to be
mostly grain; rice in Arkansas (Neff and Meanley, 1957); corn in Ohio (Giltz
and Stockdale, 1960) and South Dakota (DeGrazio, 1961); and sunflowers,
wheat, oats, and barley in Saskatchewan (Hurd, 1962).
Allen (1914) studied the ecology of Red-winged Blackbirds in a cat-tail
marsh in New York and examined the stomachs of about 100 birds. He found
the food to be nearly 100 per cent vegetable in the spring and autumn, and 100
per cent insects in the mating and nesting periods.
This paper reports on food consumed by the Red-winged Blackbird and
the habitat occupied by the species during its period of residence in agricultural
and marsh areas, in south-central Manitoba, in 1960.
MatTERIALS AND METHODS
Southern Manitoba, now intensively cultivated, is situated in the aspen
parkland region of Western Canada (Bird, 1961). Red-winged Blackbirds
nest in emergent vegetation around bodies of water in the farming area and in
large marshes at a distance from cultivated land. ‘Their use of nesting habitat
in two different types of areas gave an opportunity to compare their food habits
under disturbed conditions and under relatively natural conditions. Two
representative agricultural areas and a marsh were selected for study.
Areal. Sunflower and cereal crop area near Altona, Manitoba
Cereal crops, sunflowers, sugar beets, field peas, corn and alfalfa were
grown in this area, which is situated 80 miles southwest of Winnipeg near the
North Dakota boundary. A small breeding population of Red-winged Black-
birds occurred along Buffalo Creek. They nested in cattails, Typha latifolia
L., and bullrushes, Scirpus spp. In August and September thousands of
migrants formed night roosts in the rushes and ranged into the adjacent fields
to feed. |
Area ll. Cereal crop area northeast of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
In this district, known locally as Flee Island, barley, wheat, and oats were
the main crops. No sunflowers or corn were grown and there was only a small
»Contribution No. 1380 Canada Department of Agriculture Research Station, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
179
180 Tue CAaNnapiAN FrireLtp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
acreage of sugar beets and field peas. There was a small breeding population
of Red-winged Blackbirds in ponds and roadside ditches. Large flocks of
migrant Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Xanthocephalus xantho-
cephalus (Bonaparte), visited the fields to feed from roosts in the adjacent
marshes at the south end of Lake Manitoba from July 20 to October 15.
Area Ill. Marsh area along the shore of Lake Manitoba near St. Ambroise,
Manitoba
Large numbers of Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds nested in
dense stands of reed grass, Phragmites communis Trin. var. berlandieri (Fourn.)
Fern., rushes and cattails. They fed in adjacent hay meadows and left the area
by August 20, as soon as the young were able to fiy. No grain fields were
found within 10 miles.
The three study areas were visited every second week from May through
October in 1960. While the birds were nesting, typical study sites within these
areas were used for observations and collections. Later, flocks feeding in fields
and pastures, and returning to roosts within the areas were studied. The birds
were observed with a pair of 8 x 30 binoculars and a 15x telescope, and collec-
tions were made for gizzard analysis of at least four adults of each sex, and of
nestlings when present, from each study site, or from flocks. In 1960, 434
Red-winged Blackbirds were collected.
Gizzard and gullets were removed, shortly after the balckbirds were shot,
and preserved in 70% alcohol. The contents were examined in a petri dish
under a binocular microscope. A combined method of volumetric and
numerical analysis as recommended by McAtee (1912) and Hartley (1948)
was used. The volume of food, in alcohol, was measured in cubic centimeters
and the percentage of each item estimated by measurement over a quarter inch
grid. Individual seeds and insects were identified and counted when possible.
RESULTS
Observations on the Ecology of the Red-winged Blackbird
Adult male Red-winged Blackbirds commenced to return in early April
but it was not until May 1 that they were abundant and had started to defend
territories. Females and immature males arrived about two weeks later than
the males. Nesting commenced shortly thereafter and the first eggs were
found on June 7. Nests were built in cattails, reed grass, sedges and willows
erowing in shallow water. Some nests were found in patches of snowberry,
Symphoricarpos occidentalis Hack., in pastures adjacent to creeks or ponds
without suitable nesting sites but there was no nesting in fields of grain or
alfalfa as reported by Giltz and Stockdale (1960) for Ohio and Neff and
Meanley (1957) for Arkansas. Roadside ditches with water and sufficient
vegetation to support nests were utilized. A breeding population of 509 males
and females was counted in roadside ditches on a single trip on May 24 along
thirty miles of highway between Winnipeg and Poplar Point. Our observations
indicated that Red-winged Blackbirds nested readily close to cultivated fields
where grain gleanings and weed seeds were abundant since few breeding birds
were found in a community pasture between Areas IJ and III that appeared to
1964 Birp AND SmitH: Rep-W HINGED BLACKBIRD 181
contain suitable nesting habitat. However, larger marshes such as Area III
were used, but the birds left that area when the young were able to fly,
presumably to join flocks feeding in fields. The first fledgling was seen at the
end of June and the last in the first week of August. There was no indication
that there was more than one brood of young per breeding pair per season.
Flocks began to form as soon as the young were strong fliers. “These flocks
ranged in size from four or five hundred to a thousand or more and were seen
feeding in fields during August and September. Most of the birds were
migrants, some leaving for the south as others moved in from the north. The
population was reduced by October and by the middle of the month only
stragglers were left.
The flocks were predominantly Red-winged Blackbirds but other species,
Yellow-headed Blackbirds; Brewer’s Blackbirds, Euphagus cyanocephalus
(Wagler),; Common Grackles; Brown-headed Cowbirds, Molothrus ater (Bod-
daert); and Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris L., were associated with them. Mature
males usually formed in flocks separate from those composed of females and
immature males.
During the flocking period the blackbirds spent the night in roosts. The
roost was usually in cattails, rushes or Phragmites growing in shallow water and
contained many thousands of birds. Suitable sites for night roosts were an
essential habitat requirement. Three were located in Area I and several were
known to occur in the marshes adjacent to Area II. The birds returned to the
roost during the hour before sunset and left the roost during the half hour after
sunrise. During the day they alternately fed in fields, drank at nearby water
(often a farm pond) and rested in adjacent trees between periods of feeding.
Water and trees close to food and suitable sites for night roosts were essential
requirements for blackbirds after the young were on the wing.
Analysis of the Food of the Red-winged Blackbird
The total volume of food and mineral grit found in the gullet and gizzard
increased with the season. The average, per bird, for May, June, July, August
and September was 1.25, 1.30, 1.60, 1.75 and 2.95 cc, respectively. Only after
the young were flying and flocks had begun to form was food retained in the
gullet, the quantity sometimes exceeding that in the gizzard. The mineral grit
was greatest when the vegetable food was greatest and was absent when the
diet was solely insects.
The food of the blackbirds in the agricultural districts, Areas I and II was
similar. When the birds returned in the spring the food averaged 90 per cent
vegetable material. Animal food, chiefly insects, increased to 70 per cent in
June and early July, when the young were being fed. Vegetable food again
became dominant when flocks commenced to form and was 69 to 94 per cent
of the total contents when the birds left on migration (Tables 1 and 2).
Although the adults continued to eat some vegetable food in June the nestlings
were fed entirely on insects.
The food of the blackbirds nesting in the large marsh, Area III, was almost
exclusively animal (Table 3). Some vegetable material was found in the
Vol. 78
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184 Tue CanapiANn Fie_p-NaTuRALIST Vol. 78
gizzards of birds taken on May 24. This had probably been picked up when
the birds were migrating. Some of the birds taken on July 19 contained the
dehulled seeds of a grass.
The main items of vegetable food in Areas I and II were wheat, sunflowers,
oats, green foxtail, Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv., and barley (Tables 1 and 2).
Wheat averaged 37 per cent of the food in Area II but only 6 per cent in Area I.
Observations indicated that it was taken mostly as gleanings from the fields
since only mature kernels were found in the stomachs until mid-July when the
current crop began to ripen. After mid-September harvesting operations had
been completed in virtually all fields. But wheat was also removed from the
ripening heads in the late milk and dough stages. Sunflowers were very attrac-
tive to the blackbirds and made up 23 per cent of the gizzard contents of birds
collected in Area I. Flocks concentrated on them from the time the kernels
formed until the seed coat became too hard for them to break. They also
consumed gleanings from threshed fields. Oats were eaten in the milk and
dough stage and as gleanings. The hull was always removed. Green foxtail,
which was abundant in most of the fields, was consumed in large quantities.
Nine hundred and eighty-four seeds were found in one bird. Barley was eaten
in the milk and dough stage. No evidence was found of barley being eaten
after it was ripe. Sweet corn was eaten in gardens but field corn was not eaten
to any extent except as gleanings. Fields of soup peas were visited for insects
but the peas were not eaten.
Animal food was mainly insects and consisted mostly of pest species;
grasshoppers e.g. Melanoplus bivittatus (Say) and Camnula pellucida (Scudd.),
lepidoptera e.g., the larvae of the beet webworm, Lowostege sticticalis (L.),
coleoptera e.g., the sweetclover weevil, Sitona cylindricollis Fabr., and the
strawberry root weevil, Brachyrhinus ovatus (L.). The corn leaf aphid,
Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), the pea aphid, Macrosiphum pisi (Harr.), and
the sugar-beet root aphid, Pemphigus betae Doane, along with their predators,
lacewing larvae and syrphid larvae, were eaten. Carabid beetles were often
consumed, particularly in the spring and fall. Recently emerged damselflies
and chironomids were taken in the early summer. Spiders and harvestmen
(Phalangida) were eaten to a limited extent throughout the season.
The soft parts of insects were quickly digested, but the hard parts, particu-
larly the jaws and the chitinous plate found on each side of the knee of the hind
legs of grasshoppers were retained for grit. One gizzard contained 44 jaws
and 77 chitinous plates.
SUMMARY
In southern Manitoba the food of the Red-winged Blackbird consisted
of up to 90 per cent vegetable materia! in the spring and again in the autumn.
It was composed of the seeds of cereal crops, sunflowers, and weeds. In June
and July, animal food, mostly insects, was dominant and represented up to 70
per cent in agricultural areas and 100 per cent in a large marsh. Young were
fed entirely on animal food. When insect food increased, mineral grit de-
creased, its function apparently being carried out by the hard parts of insects.
1964
Birp AND SMITH:
Rep-WIncGeEp BLACKBIRD
185
TABLE 3.— Gullet and gizzard content of the Red-winged Blackbird from the marsh area
at St. Ambroise, Man., in 1960
May June July Aug.
Date ae et ee. Total
24 7 24 5 19 yD; 17
Number of Blackbirds 6 5 7 7 7 2 2 36
Total Volume of Food cc 7.1 6.3 8.0 9.5 | 14.2 4.6 Des} 52.0
Average
Vegetable Food
Sunflower 0.5 — — — — — T
Incidental and Undetermined | 4.0 — — — 19 i ak 3
SO aa Oe rae 3
Animal Food
Snails T T le 1 wT T
Phalangida — — = 7 — — 1
Spiders 1 “Ee 9 — — Tr T 1
Insects
Odonata (Damselflies) — — — 7 4 — — 2
Orthoptera — — — | 34 28 99 99 37
Lepidoptera 26 47 14 11 —_ — — 14
Coleoptera 22 24 14 25 16 T T 14
Carabidae 18 20 57 14
Diptera 13 8 6 14 19 — 9
Incidental & Undetermined | 13 T — 1.0 | 14 — — 4
93 100 100 100 81 100 99 96
Mineral Grit
2 0 0 0 A @ 1 0.5
*Less than 05%
Differences in the food items consumed by the birds in different areas were due
to differences in local abundance of foodstuffs.
Food consumption per bird increased as the season progressed and in the
autumn flocking period food was stored in the gullet.
Red-winged Blackbirds nested close to agricultural land when suitable sites
were available. ‘They also nested readily in large marshes remote from agricul-
ture. In August and September they gathered in large flocks to feed in the
fields. They required trees for resting and water for drinking close to a food
supply. A suitable site for a night roost within a few miles of the feeding area
was also essential.
The Red-winged Blackbird has adapted itself to changes brought about
by agriculture and has benefited from an abundant food supply. It still utilizes
nesting sites in remote marshes but appears to abandon them for cultivated areas
as soon as the young are able to fly.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to thank Dr. W. R. Richards, Entomology Research Institute,
Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, for identification of aphids, H. A.
186 THe CanapiANn FIEtp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Hochbaum and Dr. F. M. McKinney of Delta Wildfowl Research Station,
Delta, Manitoba for helpful suggestions and information on blackbird behaviour;
and Professor A. de Vos and Dr. David A. Munro for criticism of the manu-
script.
REFERENCES
Aten, A.A. 1914. The Redwinged Black-
bird: A study in the ecology of a cattail
marsh. Proceedings Linnean Society New
York, Nos. 24-25: 43-123.
Beat, F. B. L. 1900. Food of the bobolink,
blackbirds and grackles. United States De-
partment of Agriculture, Division of Bio-
logical Survey, Bulletin 13, 77 pp.
Biro, R. D. 1961. Ecology of the aspen
parkland of Western Canada. Publication
1066, Canada Department of Agriculture.
DeGrazio, Joun W. 1961. Cooperative in-
vestigations on blackbird depredation con-
trol in the vicinity of Sand Lake Nat.
Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota. Progress
Report No. 1. Bureau of Sport Fisheries
and Wildlife, Denver Wildlife Research
Center, Denver, Colorado.
The Redwinged Blackbird Story. Special
Circular 95, Ohio Agricultural Experiment
Station.
Harttey, P.H.T. 1948. The assessment of
the food of birds. Ibis 90: 363-381.
Hurp, A. E. 1962. Prevention of crop
damage caused by blackbirds. The Blue
Jay 22: 110-111.
McAtee, W.L. 1912. Methods of estimat-
ing the contents of bird stomachs. Auk
29: 449-464.
Mean ey, Brooke. 1961. The distribution,
ecology and population dynamics of black-
birds. Report Patuxent Wildlife Research
Center.
Nerr, J. A. and B. Meantey. 1957. Black-
birds and the Arkansas rice crop. Arkansas
Agricultural Experimental Station (Fay-
Gittz, M. L. and T. M. Srocxpate. 1960. etteville), Bulletin 584.
Received for publication 20 February 1964
Ms
ADDITIONAL RECORDS AND A CORRECTION OF THE
TYPE LOCALITY FOR THE BOREAL CHORUS
FROG IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
Francis R. Cook
National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
COLLECTIONS OF AMPHIBIANS from northwestern Ontario are few and the present
range maps are often inadequate for even the commonest species. ‘This is
particularly true for the Boreal Chorus Frog, Pseudacris triseriata maculata
(the choice of scientific name for this form is discussed at the end of this paper).
Logier and Toner (1961, p. 38) list and map its Ontario occurrences as:
“Cochrane Dist., Fort Albany (ROM). Patricia Dist., Akimiski Island (PC:
F. R. Gelbach). Fort Severn (ROM). Rainy River Dist. Emo (ROM).” One
additional locality listed with the above but received too late to include on
their map was “Thunder Bay Dist., Connor Twp. (PC: A. E. Allin).” This
should be corrected to O’Connor Township, which is 20-25 miles almost due
west of Fort William (PC: A. E. Allin, August 15, 1963).
On the afternoon of May 20, 1963, the writer heard several Boreal Chorus
Frogs calling from small roadside ponds 10 miles northeast on Hwy. 11 of
Beardmore, Ontario. One specimen (NMC 7077) was collected at that time.
* en eee
1964 Coox: BorreaL CHorus FRoG 187
The area was boreal forest with tamarack, black spruce and aspen predomin-
ating. The chorus frogs were calling from three small, shallow grass-edged
ponds in roadside clearings. The locality was revisited after dark and eight
more specimens (NMC 7081) were obtained. Only about a half dozen addi-
tional individuals were heard calling. Other species collected at this area, in
roadside ponds or along the nearby flooded edge of a small lake, were Rana
clamitans, Rana sylvatica and Hyla crucifer. he latter was in full breeding
chorus and 68 specimens were collected. Tiny Rana sylvatica tadpoles were
taken still clustered around the disintegrating egg mass from which they had
hatched. The afternoon had been warm and partly sunny but temperatures
dropped rapidly during the evening and most of the collecting after dark was
done during a light but steady snowfall.
A survey was made along Hwy. 11 to Geraldton by car, stopping period-
ically to listen for chorus frogs. They were heard at the following localities
(recorded by nearest town and distance from it by Hwy. 11): Jellicoe, 1 mi.
E. (few), 11.6 mi. E. (several); Geraldton, 13.7 mi. W. (few), 12.2 mi. W.
(one), 0.8 mi. W. (one). Falling evening temperatures made an auditory
survey east of Geraldton impractical.
The range extension to Geraldton diminishes, to some extent, the eastern
gap between records from the western end of Lake Superior and those from
James Bay. Geraldton is about 150 miles northeast of O’Connor Township
and 290 miles southwest of Fort Albany.
It is interesting to note that during field studies in the Lake Nipigon area
in 1921, 1922 and 1924 by E. B. S. Logier of the Royal Ontario Museum this
species was not found (Logier, 1928). As his studies were made in June, July
and August it is likely the species escaped notice because its breeding season
had ended.
A few additional Ontario locality records are available. The Royal
Ontario Museum has five unreported specimens from Halfway Point, Cochrane
District, collected June 1, 1942. Halfway Point is listed in the Ontario volume
of the Gazetteer of Canada (p. 226) as on the west shore of James Bay at 51°
54’ N., 80° 45’ W. This is a slight eastward extension of the range along
James Bay from the published limit, Fort Albany, 52° 14’ N., 81° 36° W. One
ROM specimen from Goldpines, Patricia District, collected in 1935 had been
_ previously cited by Smith (1956). The National Museum of Canada has three
unreported specimens (NMC 7036) from Big Trout Lake, collected by D. H.
Johnston, June 20, 1961. This is the village at 53° 4% N., 89° 53’ W., 170
miles southwest of Fort Severn, rather than any of the numerous bodies of
water in Ontario by that name.
Dr. A. E. Allin of Fort William, who is familiar with the call of this species,
has kindly contributed the following auditory records: Rossport, April 18,
1938; April 28, 1939; April 11, 1941, April 23, 1946, May 25, 1946, and Fort
William, May 2, 1946 (PC: August 15, 1963). Rossport, on Lake Superior, is
85 miles due east of Fort William and 67 miles southwest of Geraldton. It
is the easternmost locality known for the subspecies along the north shore of
Lake Superior. Dr. Allin (PC: October 3, 1963) has also provided additional
188 Tue CaANnapiaAn FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
records of when the species was heard, usually the “first heard” of the year,
from his series, The Canadian Lakehead, published in The Flicker. All of these
records are from the Thunder Bay District and are as follows: April 10, 1955
(The Flicker 27(2): 88); April 22, 1956 (The Flicker 28(2): 75); April 20,
1958 (The Flicker 30(2): 62); April 26, 1959 [at Whitefish Lake] (The Flicker
31(2): 49); April 28, 1960 (The Flicker 32(3): 95); April 21, 1961 (The
Flicker 33(3): 79). The Whitefish Lake locality is southwest of O’Connor
Township. In addition, Mr. Kenneth Campbell of Peterborough had reported
that he collected, recorded and photographed this species within the city limits
of Port Arthur in 1949 and 1950, and that it was heard commonly all over
the district (PC: August 24, 1963).
Dr. Allin (PC: October 3, 1963) also heard the species at Emo, April 26,
1951 (This record was noted in his article in The Flicker 24(2): 92-93, June
1952). On May 27, 1959, the writer heard it calling fairly continuously from
roadside ponds and ditches while driving from Fort Frances to Kenora via Hwy.
71 and 70, and from Kenora to the Manitoba border via Hwy. 17. One
specimen (NMC 4470) was collected at Dryden, June 28, 1960. The species
was heard at numerous localities along Hwy. 17 from 23.3 miles south-
east of Borups Corners to the Manitoba border, May 1, 1962. All of the above
localities are shown in Figure 1.
The nine specimens collected 10 miles northeast of Beardmore (NMC
7077, 7081) vary in snout-vent length from 25 to 29 mm. The tibia divided
by the snout-vent length gives percentages of 33 to 36 with a mean of 34.1%.
The Dryden specimen (NMC 4470) had a snout-vent length of 27 mm with
a tibia/snout-vent percentage of 37. These are well below the 39.3% mean
for the tibia/snout-vent percentage reported for the short-legged Boreal
Chorus Frog by Smith (1956). Specimens reported here were measured after
they had been killed with ether and before they were preserved. They would
be expected to average less than Smith’s figures as the latter were taken from
preserved specimens. Bleakney (1959, pp. 202-203) has pointed out that dif-
ferential shrinkage is common in preserved specimens. However, the per-
centage is enough below Smith’s figure to indicate agreement even allowing
for differential shrinkage.
The eastern limit of the Boreal Chorus Frog is still to be determined. The
night previous (May 19) to the collections reported here from the Beardmore-
Geraldton area was spent at Hearst, about 150 miles northeast. Due to snow
and cool temperatures no amphibians of any species were heard.
By retracing the field work back to May 16, it is possible to show a real
hiatus between the Boreal and Western chorus frogs. The evening of May 18
was spent collecting in the area around Kenogami Lake (the northernmost of
the three solid triangles in Figure 1). Rana sylvatica, Hyla crucifer and Bufo
americanus were calling in large choruses. A few Rana pipiens, although not
calling, were collected. The evening of May 17 was spent collecting along
Hwy. 17, 13% to 10% miles south of North Bay (southeasternmost of the three
solid triangles in Figure 1). Hyla crucifer and Bufo americanus were calling
in large choruses. A few Rana pipiens and Hyla versicolor were calling, and
1964 Cook: BoreaL CHorus FRoG 189
Figure 1. Distribution of Chorus Frogs in Ontario.
Boreal Chorus Frog (northwestern Ontario): solid circles = published records, half-
filled circles = new records (museum specimens) reported in this paper, hollow circles
= new auditory records reported in this paper.
Western Chorus Frog (southern and eastern Ontario): solid squares = published records
from Logier and Toner 1961, hollow squares = auditory records reported in this paper.
Solid triangles are localities in central Ontario given in the text where Chorus Frogs
are known to be absent.
Rana clamitans and Rana septentrionalis, although not heard, were also col-
lected. At both of these localities ideal weather conditions prevailed. If
Pseudacris occurred in these areas it certainly would have been heard calling.
The evening of May 16 was spent at Renfrew, which is within the range of
the other Ontario chorus frog subspecies, the Western Chorus Frog, Pseudacris
triseriata triseriata. Pseudacris t. triseriata, Hyla crucifer, Bufo americanus
and Rana pipiens were noted calling. The limit in eastern Ontario for the
190 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Western Chorus Frog is at or near 7 miles southeast of Pembroke. On April
28-29, 1962, the writer noted Psewdacris calling from roadside ponds and ditches
along Hwy. 17 from Ottawa to this point but not beyond (see Figure 1). Other
known limital records for the Western Chorus Frog in Ontario are given by
Logier and Toner (1961, pp. 36-37) and are shown in Figure 1.
Some additional evidence is available for the gap between the two Ontario
subspecies of Pseudacris in central Ontario. On May 24, 1959, the writer
heard a loud chorus of breeding amphibians from roadside ponds at 2.1 miles
east on Hwy. 17 of Narin Centre (southwesternmost of the three solid triangles
in Figure 1). Hyla crucifer, Hyla versicolor, Rana pipiens and Bufo ameri- —
canus were represented but no Pseudacris were heard. Logier (1942) did not
find Pseudacris in the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, region. C. Bruce Powell col-
lected for the National Museum of Canada at Massey, Ontario, from August 24
to September 3, 1963, without finding chorus frogs, although 568 specimens of
other herptiles were taken during this time. Unfortunately, both of the latter
studies were carried out after the Psewdacris breeding season and auditory
checks were not possible.
Available data strongly suggest that, although the eastern limit of the
Boreal Chorus Frog is not yet known, its apparent separation from the closely
related Western Chorus Frog in Ontario as shown on previous range maps
(Conant, 1958; Logier and Toner, 1961) is real. Auditory surveys during the
peak of the spring amphibian breeding season in the critical area between the
presently known limits of the two subspecies will eventually establish the area
of separation. As shown by Bleakney (1959) auditory surveys at this time
give positive evidence for the presence or absence of Psewdacris.
Although Harper (1963) has recently expressed reservations on the validity
of the Boreal Chorus Frog as a distinct subspecies, it is accepted here pending
further study. Collection and analysis of several thousand specimens of this
form from the Canadian Prairies, which should shed light on the problem, is in
progress as part of a general study of that region.
Some Beardmore specimens in life exhibited the green color phase which
is typical of many individuals from the Canadian Prairies. This color does
not occur in several hundred Ontario Pseudacris triseriata triseriata which have
been examined. Some specimens exhibit the spotted pattern which is fairly
frequent in the northern form but rare in triseriata.. Although neither of these.
characters seems taxonomically significant in separating these subspecies, they
do emphasize a difference in their gene pools. The best character for separating
this subspecies seems to be the tibia/snout-vent ratio as outlined by Smith
(1956).
The correct scientific name for the Boreal Chorus Frog has been a matter
of contention. Despite recent papers recommending nomenclature changes,
Logier and Toner (1961) and Harper (1963) have retained the name Pseuda-
cris nigrita septentrionalis Boulenger. Smith (1956) re-evaluated the range of
the subspecies and pointed out that the subspecies name maculata Agassiz 1850
should supplant septentrionalis Boulenger 1882. A subsequent change in the
species name became necessary when Schwartz (1957) presented evidence that
1964 Cook: BoreaLt CuHorus FroG 191
the Pseudacris nigrita complex should be treated as two species, P. nigrita and
P. triseriata. The latter separation has been questioned but is, at least tent-
atively, widely used (e.g. Conant, 1958). Boreal Chorus Frog is a subspecies of
the Pseudacris triseriata group.
The problem of maculata vs. septentrionalis centers around Agassiz’s failure
to record where he collected the specimens on which he based his description
of Hylodes maculatus (in Agassiz and Cabot, 1850, pp. 378-379). Nor is there
any indication of this locality in Cabot’s narrative in the same volume (pp.
11-133). However, Cope (1899, pp. 345-346) in placing Hylodes maculatus
in the synonymy of Chorophilus triseriatus gave a description based on
“Professor Agassiz’s typical specimen,” and noted three specimens from “Lake
Superior, north shore, Prof. L. Agassiz.” ° Barbour and Loveridge (1929, p.
281) also gave the locality as “Lake Superior” and listed two specimens, number
38, as the types of Hylodes maculatus. They indicated that this name was a
synonym of Pseudacris nigrita. Schmidt (1953, p. 75) placed the name in the
synonymy of Pseudacris nigrita triseriata and restricted the type locality to
“vicinity of Sault Ste. Marie.” As Harper (1963) has pointed out there is
no indication whether he intended it to apply to the locality in Ontario or
the one in Michigan, and if he intended the Ontario locality the restriction is
invalid as no Psewdacris are known from that part of Ontario.
As the specimens were collected from Lake Superior according to Cope
(1889) and Barbour and Loveridge (1929) they must have come from the north
shore at or east of about 20 miles west of Fort William, the most westerly point
of the expedition according to Cabot’s narrative (in Agassiz and Cabot, 1850,
pp. 11-133). Specimens from this area were correctly assigned to the Boreal
Chorus Frog by Smith (1956) and maculata must therefore replace septentrio-
nalis as he suggested. Previous assignments of maculata to the synonymy
of nigrita or triseriata are invalid. Pseudacris is known along the north shore
of Lake Superior only as far east as Rossport, although it may yet be found
farther east. Lacking any other evidence, the type locality has to be arbitrarily
chosen from somewhere within this area. As the Boreal Chorus Frog occurs
at Fort William and the expedition is known to have stopped and explored
there (im Agassiz and Cabot, 1850, p. 80-88), the corrected type locality
designated here is the vicinity of Fort William, Ontario. This correction is in
accordance with Recommendation 72E of the 1961 International Code of
Zoological Nomenclature which states (p. 77) that “If a type locality was
erroneously designated or restricted, it should be corrected.”
The correct name for the Boreal Chorus Frog is Pseudacris triseriata
maculata. Its synonymy is that presented by Smith (1956) with the addition
of the change in species name from Pseudacris migrita to Psewdacris triseriata
according to Schwartz (1957) and the type locality corrected to “the vicinity
of Fort William, Ontario” of this paper.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writer would like to express his appreciation to Dr. A. E.. Allin for
permission to use his unpublished data and for compiling a list of the records
which he published in The Flicker; to Kenneth Campbell for contributing
192 Tue CanapDIAn FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
unpublished records and to Dr. W. B. Scott and Dr. E. J. Crossman for the
loan of specimens in the Royal Ontario Museum.
Particular thanks are due to R. A. Henry and C. Bruce Powell who assisted
in the field in 1960 and 1963 respectively, and to Joyce C. Cook who prepared
the map.
SUMMARY
Nine specimens collected 10 miles northeast of Beardmore on May 20,
1963, and auditory records between this point and Geraldton extend the range
of the Boreal Chorus Frog eastward in northwestern Ontario. Additional
records for northeastern Ontario, including Halfway Point, an eastern extension
along James Bay, and Rossport, an eastern extension along Lake Superior,
are reported.
The reported gap between the range limit of the Boreal Chorus Frog and
the Western Chorus Frog is real as substantiated by three localities between
the known range of the two subspecies where no Pseudacris were calling during
observations at the height of the spring amphibian breeding period.
The nomenclatorial problem of the correct scientific name for the Boreal
Chorus Frog is discussed and the name Psezdacris triseriata maculata 1s
accepted. The erroneous type locality restriction of Schmidt (1953) is
rejected and a replacement, vicinity of Fort William, Ontario, is designated.
REFERENCES
Agassiz, Louis anp J. Exrior Cazor. 1850. gation of the Lake Nipigon region, Ontario
Lake Superior: its physical character, Transactions of the Royal Canadian In-
vegetation, and animals, compared with _ stitute 16 pt. 2):233-291.
those of other and similar regions. Boston. _—————. 1942. Reptiles and amphibians
pp. 1-xii, 9-428, 16 pl. 1 map. of the Sault Ste. Marie region, Ontario.
Barsour, THomMas AND ARTHUR LOVERIDGE. pp. 154-163 i7 Snyder, Tvl, 2. Bes.
1929. Typical reptiles and amphibians. Logier and T. B. Kurata. 1942. A faunal
Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative investigation of the Sault Ste. Marie re-
Zoology 69(10) :205-360. gion, Ontario. Transactions of the Royal
BLEAKNEY, SHERMAN. 1959. Post _ glacial Canadian Institute 24(pt. 1): 99-165.
dispersal of the Western Chorus Frog in Logier, E. B. S. and G. C. Toner. 1961.
eastern Canada. The Canadian Field-Nat- Check list of the amphibians and reptiles
uralist 73 (4) :197-205. of Canada and Alaska. Royal Ontario
Conant, Rocer. 1958. A field guide to Museum, Life Sciences Division, Contri-
reptiles and amphibians of the United bution No. 53:1-92.
States and Canada east of the 100th meri- Scumipt, Kart P. 1953. A check list of
dian. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. pp. North American amphibians and reptiles.
i-xv, 1-366. Sixth Edition. American Society of Ich-
Corg, E.D. 1889. The Batrachia of North thyologists and Herpetologists. pp. i-viii,
America. Bulletin of the United States 1-280.
National Museum 34: 1-524. Scuwartz, Apert. 1957. Chorus Frogs
Harper, Francis. 1963. Amphibians and (Pseudacris nigrita LeConte) in South
reptiles of Keewatin and northern Mani- Carolina. American Museum Novitates
toba. Proceedings of the Biological So- No. 1838:1-12.
ciety of Washington 76:159-168. SmitH, Poe W. 1956. The status, cor-
Logirr, E. B.S. 1928. The amphibians and rect name, and geographic range of the
reptiles of the Lake Nipigon region. pp. Boreal Chorus Frog. Proceedings of the
279-291 In Dymond, J. R., L. L. Snyder Biological Society of Washington 69:
and E. B. S. Logier, 1928. A faunal investi- 169-176.
Received for publication 26 February 1964
REVIEWS
The Last Horizon
By Raymonp F. Dasman. The MacMillan
Company, New York (Collier-MacMillan
Canada Ltd., Toronto). 1963. vi + 279 pp.
$8.00.
“There are many ways of life that
remain with us today that seem already
doomed unless some cogent reasons for
maintaining them can be discovered .. .
It is difficult, however, to attract people’s
attention to such problems as these under
the present circumstances. Our
people are too baffled or too cynical to
be much interested in a crusade, yet
once more a crusade is needed, one to
keep this world a fit place for people,
all kinds of people.”
At a time when the complexity of
controversial issues often drives the pro-
fessional biologist into a non-commital
refuge of pure scientific objectivity,
Dasman has penned a strongly crusading
and self-admittedly opinionated sum-
mary of man’s ever-increasing effects on
his environment. He presents some
straightforward reasons for restraints on
the seemingly inevitable destruction of
every last untouched refugia of the pre-
civilized “natural” world.
From two thought-provoking intro-
ductory chapters which stress the rapid-
ness with which man has accelerated his
obliteration of the former landscape,
Dasman traces the means and types of
change and points out how often a single
purpose has prevailed over a perspective
of potential over-all effects. These chap-
ters cover grassland, fire, introductions,
forestry, arctic and boreal regions, the
last wild game herds and islands. The
two concluding chapters dwell on the
human population explosion and the
increasing world uniformity in habitat
and culture. The coverage is necessarily
brief but a thirteen page bibliography
documents the text by chapters.
It is possible that books stressing the
rate at which the destruction of the
world flora and fauna is being accom-
plished and the need for strong measures
for conservation are merely an exercise
in futility in a world seemingly commit-
ted to discovering the maximum number
of human beings that can be crowded
onto a finite planet. However, if the tide
can be stemmed, Dasman has produced
an eloquent and readable contribution.
It should be read by every biologist,
naturalist, and “nature-lover”, and per-
haps especially by those in other spheres
of interest with little previous inclina-
tion or sympathy toward conservation.
Francis R. Cook
Where is that Vanished Bird?
By Paut Haun. 1963. Royal Ontario Mu-
seum, Toronto. 347 pp. $3.50.
The late Paul Hahn’s deep interest in
extinct birds goes back to 1887 when, as
a 12-year-old boy living in Germany,
he was appalled by the accounts of the
shocking slaughter of Passenger Pigeons
that was taking place in North America.
Some years later he moved to Canada
and, in 1902, when he first saw a mount-
ed specimen of the Passenger Pigeon he
was impressed by its beauty and sadden-
ed by the certainty that never again
would anyone see the incredible flocks
that once darkened the sun.
This was the beginning of a lifelong
avocation of searching out and acquiring
specimens of the Passenger Pigeon. He
donated these to the Royal Ontario Mu-
seum where they are now safely preserv-
ed for scientific purposes. No less than
seventy were acquired by Hahn, many
of which were thus saved from eventual
destruction by insects, fire, or neglect.
In 1957, he became curious to know
how many specimens of the Passenger
193
194 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Pigeon are preserved in other institutions
and private collections throughout the
world. He prepared and widely distri-
buted a questionnaire requesting infor-
mation on specimens of this and six other
extinct, or nearly extinct, North Ameri-
can bird species. In the course of five
years he received over one thousand
replies which showed the following
numbers of specimens preserved as skins
or mounts, or as skeletons, in various
parts of the world:
Passenger Pigeon (1532; also 16 skele-
tons); Eskimo Curlew (365; 2 skeletons);
Great Auk (78; 2 skeletons); Ivory-bill-
ed Woodpecker (413; 5 skeletons);
Whooping Crane (309; 8 skeletons);
Carolina Parakeet (720; 16 skeletons);
Labrador Duck (54; no skeletons).
The book gives all the basic data
furnished by the owners concerning each
specimen, including (when known) the
name and address of the present owner,
catalogue number, sex, collecting date
and locality, and name of collector. In
the case of many specimens of the Great
Auk and Labrador Duck extensive his-
torical notes concerning the individual
specimens are given. This valuable and
interesting record of vanishing data is an
appropriate memorial to the enthusiasm
and dedication of Mr. Hahn, who died
on July 20, 1962.
W. Earit GopFReY
Fishes of the Western North Atlantic
By H. B. Bicetow, M. G. Brapsury, J. R.
Dymonp, J. R. GREELEY, S. F. HILDEBRAND,
G. W. Mean, R. R. Miter, L. R. Rivas,
W. C. Scuroeper, R. D. Sutrkus, V. D.
Vuiapykov. Memoir of the Sears Founda-
tion for Marine Research, New Haven.
Number 1, Part 3, 1963 (?1964), 630 pp.,
129 fig., 2 maps, $27.50.
The most recent part of this monu-
mental work has just been issued. The
text quality of the preceding volumes
has on the whole been maintained. The
extensive descriptions and synonymies,
Vol. 78
the carefully constructed keys, and the
figures of adults and in some cases larvae
will make this work the starting point
for much future research.
The reviewer’s general comments are
few. Some authors have neglected to
examine as large or as geographically
extensive a series of specimens as might
be desirable. In several sections a region-
al bias is exhibited. Most of the charac-
ters in the descriptions of some families
(Engraulidae, Clupeidae, Elopidae and
Albulidae) are external. In some species
descriptions, characters which the au-
thor should have examined himself are
given from the literature, e.g. “Branchi-
ostegal rays 10-11 reported.” (p. 509),
“Pyloric caeca, average 38.4 reported.”
(p. 527). Common names are capitalized.
Some minor errors have crept in.
Branchiostegals are present in some fos-
sil Dipnoi and one is present in acipen-
seroids; the polyodontoids lack the sub-
operculum (p. 5, etc.). A small gular is
present in Albula (p. 132). Clupea haren-
gus is the type-species of the genus
Clupea not “by implication (unquestion-
ed)” but by selection by Gill, 1861. The
types of some of the other genera are
not correctly cited.
In this volume are included the orders
Acipenseroidei, Lepisostei, and in part,
the Isospondyli. The long sections on the
Atlantic salmon, Arctic charr, brook
charr and tarpon will be of particular
interest to the angler.
Although the part is dated 1963, the
reviewer did not receive his copy until
1964. The most recent reference found
in a quick perusal was 1961. It is to be
hoped that future manuscripts will be
published more rapidly although the task
in a multi-authored volume is not easy.
Another problem is the rising price
of the volumes. The first was $10, the
second $15; the present one is $27.50. At
the present rate of price increase and
since less than one-quarter of the fishes
are yet covered, only millionaires will be
able to buy the last volumes! While the
volumes are large and use the finest
1964
paper and binding, they do not have
coloured plates and are published in
large editions, therefore one would
think that $27.50 per volume is some--
what excessive.
Despite the high price, it is an essen-
tial reference for the working ichthyo-
logist. Its style renders it readable to the
intelligent amateur. It would grace the
shelves of both.
D. E. McALLisTER
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
Fish and Wildlife: A Memorial to W. J.
K. Harkness
Edited by J. R. Dymonv. Longmans Canada
Ltd., Toronto. 214 pp. Frontispiece.
$6.00.
Among the contributions of the fifteen
authors are: The naturalist in modern
society, The need for a habitat, Animal
numbers and behavior, The fisheries of
the Great Lakes, How are fisheries man-
aged, A philosophy of conservation, and
The footsteps of a sportsman, as well as
sketches of Harkness. Among the not-
able scientists and authors who contri-
bute are Gregory Clark, J. R. Dymond,
~W. E. Ricker, Dennis Chitty, E. J. Fry,
W. M. Sprules and C. H. D. Clarke. The
variety of topics bespeaks the breadth of
W. J. Harkness’ interests.
Despite the shortness of the articles
each adequately covers its topic. Despite
the diversity in authors the editor has
managed to infuse a unity of style. Tech-
nical problems of limnology and popu-
lation dynamics are discussed in clear
English. The writing is almost error free,
and is free of sentiment.
The vignettes of the man and articles
on fish and wildlife will provide several
evenings of pleasant and thoughtful
reading.
The book is a fine and useful tribute
to the memory of W. J. K. Harkness.
D. E. McALLisTER
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontar‘o
REVIEWS 195
Rowan Field Notes — A Review
When Dr. Wm. Rowan died on June
30, 1957, he left a considerable amount of
unpublished written material, much of it
pertaining to the ornithology of the pro-
vince of Alberta. Some of this was pur-
chased by the University of Alberta and
deposited in the Library of that institu-
tion. Among it were his journals, con-
tained in a series of volumes entitled
“Ornithological and other notes by Wm.
Rowan”. These journals cover the period
from 1908 to June 5, 1957; the entries
for the first few years however, are quite
brief and apparently were made from
recollections at a later date. The earlier
volumes especially contain much illus-
trative material in the form of sketches,
wash drawings, and photographs. Each
of the volumes is indexed. Some of the
volumes cover periods of more than one
calendar year and many of them do not
begin and end with a calendar year.
A typewritten transcription of these
journals has been made and, under the
title “Rowan Field Notes”, has been
bound into six volumes. Volume I in-
cludes notes of the period 1908 - May
15, 1921; Volume II, May 16, 1921 - Oct.
22, 1929; Volume III, Mar. 17, 1930 -
Dec. 11, 1935; Volume IV, Feb. 15, 1936
- Jan. 4, 1943; Volume V, Jan. 14, 1943
- Dec. 29, 1951; and Volume VI, Jan. 4,
1952 unens. 95)7.
The transcription is a reasonably good
but not an exact copy of Rowan’s Jour-
nals. It contains some omissions of words
and phrases and many errors of spelling,
grammar and English, many of which
reflect the inability of the transcriber to
read Rowan’s handwriting or to under-
stand his scientific and colloquial expres-
sions. The original journals of course,
are not entirely devoid of such errors.
Illustrative material is not copied into
the transcription but a short verbal des-
cription of each illustration appears in
its place. The volumes are well bound
but the transcription, which was nor
196
initially intended for publication, is on
unsuitably flimsy paper.
During the first years of his residence
in Alberta, Rowan was an enthusiastic
field-man whose major interest was the
shorebirds. At that time these birds oc-
curred on migration in great abundance
and variety at Beaverhills Lake about 50
miles east of Edmonton. Here he camped
during the migration periods making
observations and collections of skins. His
field notes for this period are quite com-
prehensive reflecting perhaps the enthus-
iasm engendered by sights new to him.
These early journals are of particular
interest since they provide present-day
ornithologists with some basis for com-
parison. For example, Rowan, who never
missed the spectacular, gives only pass-
ing mention to Snow Geese in the 1920’s
while today they stop over in the area
in tens of thousands. His interest in the
shorebirds also led him to the muskeg
areas northwest of Edmonton where he
found snipe, dowitchers, and Greater
and Lesser yellowlegs nesting.
In later volumes one can trace chang-
ing enthusiasms, taxonomy being on the
wane and physiology in the ascent.
There are references to the canaries and
juncos caged in his backyard for early
experiments on the effects of changing
light and activity periods. His stories of
attempts, not always successful, to cap-
ture crows to prove his hypothesis are
sometimes amusing, sometimes almost
pathetic. Descriptions of his experiments
are not included. Still later his interest
in cycles of abundance of some bird and
mammal populations is evidenced by
lists of weights of game birds taken by
himself and his friends. At this time
descriptions of hunting expeditions form
a large part of the journals.
One does not read far before realizing
that Rowan was inclined to overlook or
ignore certain groups of birds. If the
journals are any indication there are
some species not uncommon in Alberta
which rarely if ever came under his ob-
servation. The passerines in general re-
THe CaNnapDIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
ceive little attention; one may look in
vain in some volumes for mention of
warblers, thrushes, or flycatchers. Birds
of prey, which were still abundant when
he arrived in Alberta, receive little more
than passing mention. Records of num-
bers are rarely precise and seem at times
devoid of the objectivity expected of a
scientist.
Among the ornithological notes are
interspersed numerous references to his
family, his friends, his acquaintances and
his pets. Characteristically his pithy
comments usually serve to give a more
vivid picture of their author than of
their subjects, often revealing unexpect-
ed facets of his personality. His opinions
are expressed freely and forcefully.
Rowan was not one to sit on a fence.
It is doubtful that the Rowan journals
will be published in any but this present
form. Copies of the typewritten tran-
scription bound in six volumes have been
placed on the shelves of the Library of
the University of Alberta. They form
a part of the regular Library collection
and are made available to readers under
the usual Library regulations.
W. Ray Sat
Department of Anatomy
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
OrHer New TITLes
Queen Elizabeth Island Game Survey
1961
By Joun S. Tener, Canadian Wildlife Serv-
ice Occasional Papers No. 4. 1964. 50 pp. _
+ map. (Queen’s Printer, Ottawa).
Age Determination in the Polar Bear
By T. H. Mannine. Canadian Wildlife Serv-
ice Occasional Papers No. 5. 1964. 12 pp.
A Wildlife Biologist Looks at Sampling
Data Processing and Computers
By Denis A. Benson. Canadian Wildlife
Service Occasional Papers No. 6. 1964.
16 pp.
Rabiolaria in Plankton from Arctic Drift-
ing Station T-3, Including the description
of three new species
By Kunicunpe HULseMaN. Arctic Institute
of North America. Technical Paper No.
13. 1963.
1964
The Peacock Camping Book
By Rex Haztewoop and Jonn THURMAN.
A Peacock Book. 1964., (Available in
Canada through Longmans Canada Ltd.).
$0.85.
Birds of the Detroit-Windsor Area: A
Ten-Year Study
By Auice H. Ketiey, Doucras A. Mippie-
TON, WALTER P. NickeLt and THe Detroir
Avupugson Society Birp Survey CoMMIT-
TEE. Cranbrook Institute of Science.
Bulletin 45. 1963. 119 pp. $1.00.
Stefansson: Ambassador of the North
By D. M. LeBourpais. Harvest House,
Montreal. 1963. 204 pp.
REVIEWS
197
Contributions to Zoology, 1963
National Museum of Canada Bulletin No.
199. 109 pp. $1.50. (Queen’s Printer,
Ottawa).
Contents:
P. C. Adshead, G. O. Mackie and P. Paetkau,
On the Hydras of Alberta and the Northwest Ter-
ritories;
Arthur H. Clarke, Jr. and Anne Meachem Rick,
Supplementary records of Unionacea from Nova
Scotia with a discussion of the identity of Ano-
donta fragilis Lamark;
Edward B. Reed, Records of freshwater Crus-
tacea from Arctic and Subarctic Canada;
George O. Mackie and Gillian V. Mackie, Sys-
tematic and Biological notes on living Hydrome-
dusae from Puget Sound;
D. E. McAllister and E. I. S. Rees, A revision
of the Eelpout Genus Melanostigma with a new
genus and with comments on Maynea.
Ys
NOTES
Occurrence of Some Small
Mammals in Southwestern
Ontario
From Avucust 24 to Aucust 29, 1963,
my wife Claudine F. Long and I visited
southwestern Ontario to collect mam-
mals. Collections were made in the vicin-
ity of English River (August 26); three
miles west of Dryden (August 27); and
one mile south and ten miles east of
Kenora (August 29). All of the localities
are in Kenora District. Habitats were
chiefly characterized by numerous moist
situations where grasses and sedges were
abundant and by the presence of spruce,
fir, and birch growing abundantly on
high ground. Lake-shore habitats were
investigated at English River and in the
vicinity of Kenora. Cleared marshy fields
were investigated west of Dryden, as
were woods on high ground (the latter
with no success). I am grateful to my
wife for helping with the field work
and to Professor Donald F. Hoffmeister
for examining manuscript and for his
suggestions. All specimens are in the
Museum of Natural History, University
of Illinois. Kinds of mammals obtained
in this study are listed as follows:
Sorex palustris palustris Richardson:
This shrew is seemingly rare in western
Ontario (Cahn, 1937, Journal of Mam-
malogy 18: 21), but is known from
Quetico Provincial Park. Another record
is from Michipicoten Island, in Lake
Superior (Jackson, 1928, North Ameri-
can Fauna 51:180). Anderson (1947, Na-
tional Museum of Canada Bulletin 102, p.
20) states that S. p. palustris occurs in
western Ontario. Two specimens (28829-
28830, ? females) of this subspecies were
obtained from the shore of Brown’s Lake,
English River, Ontario. They were taken
within two meters of the water in dense
timber, mainly birches. Both were molt-
ing, and the pigmentation on the under-
sides of their skins showed molt extend-
ing from nose to eyes to pinnae to shold-
ers to tail in 28830. In 28829 the pattern
was similar except that immediately an-
terior to the eyes there was no evidence
yet of molt, although a distinct spot of
pigmentation showed evidence for molt
immediately behind the nose.
198
Tamias striatus griseus Mearns: A. H.
Howell (1929, North American Fauna
52:21) recorded the eastern chipmunk
from Ingolf, Ontario. To the eastward
(as near as Kapuskasing) Cameron (1950,
Journal of Mammalogy, 31:347-348) as-
signed records of occurrence to T. s. que-
becensis. A marginal record of occur-
rence for the species is provided by a
specimen (28835) from one mile south
and ten miles east of Kenora. This speci-
men is indistinguishable from specimens
of griseus from Minnesota, Wisconsin,
and Illinois, except that the mid-dorsal
black stripe is wider and less obscure on
the Canadian specimen than on some
specimens from Illinois. The Kenoran
chipmunk was trapped among weathered
outcrops in coniferous forest approxi-
mately 100 yards from a lake.
Eutamias minimus neglectus (J. A.
Allen): Three specimens (28837-28839)
of the least chipmunk were taken 2-24
miles west of English River in glades in
coniferous forest. One chipmunk (28840)
from one mile south and ten miles east of
Kenora was trapped in sedges and grasses
one meter from the shore of a lake. This
grassy habitat was adjacent to sparse
coniferous forest where another least
chipmunk was observed. Tamuias and
Eutamias occur together in the forest at
this locality.
Tamiascirus hudsonicus hudsonicus
(Erxleben): The red squirrel, or chicka-
ree, was seen or heard at all of the trap-
ping localities. One (28841) was found
dead on a highway five miles west of
English River.
Peromyscus maniculatus maniculatus
(Wagner): Concerning the deer mouse,
Osgood (1909, North American Fauna
28:41-45) ascribed southern Ontario to
the geographic range of P. m. manicul-
atus, indicating that this subspecies inter-
graded with gracilis in northern Minne-
sota. The latter subspecies is character-
ized by long tail, narrow skull, and bright
THe CaANapDIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
upper parts; therefore, it is surprising
that Gunderson and Beer (1953, The
mammals of Minnesota, Occasional Pap-
ers of the University of Minnesota, Mu-
seum of Natural History 6:104-105) re-
fer without comment ten specimens to
long-tailed gracilis inasmuch as their
measurements do not fit with those re-
corded by Osgood for gracilis. Of addi-
tional interest are the nine specimens
(referred to gracilis by Osgood) obtain-
ed from Tower, Minnesota, having short
tails. These assignments are supported
by Cahn (1937, Journal of Mammalogy
18: 26), who listed gracilis from Quetico
Park. On the basis of dull upper parts,
broad skulls, and tails shorter than usual-
ly seen in specimens of gracilis, three
specimens (28843-28845) of the deer
mouse from one mile south and ten miles
east of Kenora are assigned to Peromy-
scus m. maniculatus. Their close resem-
blance to specimens from northern Min-
nesota is noted, and their external mea-
surements are as follows: Total length,
184, 177,—(subadult); length of tail,
91, 90, 89; hind foot, 20, 20.5, 20; ear from
notch, 18, 18, 17. A subadult (28842)
from two miles west of English River is
provisionally assigned to P. m. manicul-
atus on geographic grounds. External
measurements are: 155, 80, 20, 19.
Clethrionomys gapperi gapperi (Vig-
ors): One specimen (28846) of the red-
backed vole taken two miles west of
English River, contained the record num-
ber of eight foetuses (Hall and Kelson,
1959, The Mammals of North America,
2:713). Each measured approximately 22
mm in crown-rump length. Another
specimen (28847) from one mile south
and ten miles east of Kenora was lactat-
ing. Both voles were taken in dense
coniferous forest.
Microtus pennsylvanicus drummondi
(Aud. and Bach.): The meadow vole
was abundantly taken in grassy habitats.
Two specimens were taken from two
miles west of English River; seven were
1964
taken three miles west of Dryden; and
three were taken one mile south and ten
miles east of Kenora.
Synaptomys cooperi cooperi Baird: A
specimen (28863) of the southern bog
lemming from one mile south and ten
miles east of Kenora provides a marginal
record of distribution for the species, the
second for southwestern Ontario (see
Wetzel, 1955, Journal of Mammalogy,
36:13). The bog lemming was trapped
in dense coniferous forest among ferns,
mosses, and weathered rock-outcrops.
Zapus hudsonius hudsonius (Zimmer-
mann): The meadow jumping mouse was
abundant among sedges and grasses with-
in two meters of bogs, lakes, and streams.
Specimens were taken as follows: two
miles west of English River, 2; three
miles west of Dryden, 1; one mile south
and ten miles east of Kenora, 4.
CuHartes A. LoncG
Department of Zoology
and Museum of Natural History
University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
2 December 1963
Black Duck Breeding Record
for Alberta
WHAT Is BELIEVED to be the first breed-
ing record for the Black Duck (Anas
rubripes) in Alberta was obtained in the
vicinity of Hanna (9 miles north and 3
east), on June 9, 1963, when Angus
Gavin, General Manager of Ducks Un-
limited (Canada) and Fred Sharp, Pro-
vincial Naturalist for the same organi-
zation, saw a female Black Duck with a
brood of 5 young, approximately 10 days
old. The weather was clear with little
wind. Identification was positive since
the observers were able to approach
within 100 feet of the duck and broad.
Eight-power binoculars were also uti-
lized.
The brood was on the creek channel
immediately below the Ducks Unlimited
Mattis Project. Water is maintained in
the channel from a small pipe through
Notes
199
the dam. The surrounding area is typical
of the treeless southern Alberta plains.
Taverner (1926, Birds of Western
Canada) mentions the spread of Black
Ducks westward, as do Salt and Wilk
(1958, The Birds of Alberta). This has
been apparent to waterfowl biologists
working on the prairies. Black Ducks
are now common in Manitoba during
the hunting season and there are many
reports from Saskatchewan and Alberta
each fall.
Wii G. LertcH
Chief Biologist
Ducks Unlimited (Canada)
606-389 Main Street
Winnipeg 2, Manitoba
20 January 1964
Piping Plover in Ottawa, Ontario
On Aueust 24, 1950, the writer collect-
ed a male Piping Plover, Charadrius
melodus, at Britannia Beach, Ottawa,
Ontario. This is an addition to the birds
of the Ottawa area and was not included
in Lloyd’s (1944, Canadian Field-Na-
turalist, 58:143-175) list.
A. E. BourcGuigNon
979 Hare Avenue
Oitawa 13, Ontario
12 February 1964
Two Interior British Columbia
Records for the Ancient
Murrelet
On January 20, 1964, Mr. O. W. Aast-
land, a Cranbrook, British Columbia
taxidermist, asked me to verify his iden-
tification of a bird. On arriving at his
place of business I was somewhat aston-
ished to find a live Ancient Murrelet,
Synthliboramphus antiquus, in typical
winter plumage. Mr. Aastland informed
me that this bird had been found that
morning floundering in the snow near
the western boundary of the Cranbrook
city limits.
A discourse about this rather unusual
occurrence prompted Mr. Aastland to
produce from his deep freeze another
200
Ancient Murrelet in the flesh and in
similar plumage, which he had picked
up dead during the early winter of
1960, at a point approximately twenty
miles north of the site of this more
recent discovery.
As far as I am aware, there is only
one published record of this bird for
the British Columbia interior, viz., Swan
Lake, Okanagan, October 26, 1939
(Munro and Cowan, 1947, A Review of
the Bird Fauna of British Columbia).
The appearance of this sea bird so far
inland from the Coast Littoral Biotic
Area, its natural habitat, leads to con-
jectures as to whether each occurrence
inland had been immediately subsequent
to a weather disturbance on the Pacific
coast. The finding of this live Murrelet
at Cranbrook on January 20, 1964, cer-
tainly suggests this, for press reports
state that there were westerly winds of
up to sixty-five miles per hour on the
Pacific coast during January 19, 1964.
Watter B. JOHNSTONE
P.O. Box 704
Cranbrook, British Columbia
28 January 1964
A Probable Breeding Record of
the Bobolink at Vermilion,
Alberta
On JuLy 29, 1961, a flock of Bobolinks,
Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linnaeus), was
seen at Grizzly Bear Coulee near High-
way 41, five miles south of Vermilion,
Alberta. After observing the birds for
about 45 minutes, the author was able
to count five adult males, seven which
were presumed to be adult females, and
17 recently fledged young. Most of the
young had short tails, and uttered call
notes characteristic of Bobolink young.
A few of these birds could not fly more
than 100 yards before dropping to the
ground. Twice the author watched an
adult female carry food to and actually
feed one of the immature birds.
THe CanapiAN FIeELp-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
Several attempts were made to catch
one of the young birds, but the wetness
of the valley made running difficult, and
it was impossible to exhaust any of them.
However, these birds were such poor
fliers that it is unlikely that they were
born very far from the site of observa-
tion.
The A.O.U. Check-list of North
American Birds (1957, Fifth Edition)
reports that Bobolinks breed in southern
Alberta, although no specific region is
cited. Salt and Wilk (1958. Birds of
Alberta. Queen’s Printer, Edmonton)
state that this species is scarce in the
province, and that it is known to nest
around Calgary, Heinsberg (approxi-
mately 35 miles northeast of Vermilion)
and Camrose (approximately 65 miles
west southwest of Vermilion). These
authors suggest that it is almost certainly
nesting in other regions of Alberta.
In the summers of 1957 and 1958, the
author was in the temporary employ of
the Canadian Wildlife Service to assist
in waterfowl studies around Vermilion.
During this time, there was no evidence
of Bobolinks breeding in the area. Thus
the observation of the flock of 12 adult
and 17 flying young Bobolinks reported
herein suggests that a breeding colony
may have been established in a new
locality in Alberta, namely Vermilion.
James K. LowTHER
Biology Department
Bishop’s University
Lennoxville, Quebec
19 February 1964
Harris’ Sparrow in Quebec
On SEPTEMBER 29, 1957, an adult Harris’
Sparrow, Zonotrichia querula (Nuttall),
was caught at St. Laurent, Quebec. The
bird was part of a flock of Song, Lincoln’s
and White-throated sparrows, and
Swainson’s and Gray-cheeked thrushes.
These birds were casually moving
through some hedgerows that mark the
boundaries between farm fields. These
hedgerows are composed of wild cherry,
1964
hawthorn, elm, and ash trees which are
overgrown with vines of Virgina creeper
and wild grape. Some of the birds, in-
cluding the Harris’ Sparrow, were chased
by the author and his wife into a Jap-
anese mist net placed across an opening
through a hedgerow.
The Harris’ Sparrow was identified by
its black cap, pink bill, and heavy black
streaks on the upper flanks. The black
throat and large amount of black on the
crown distinguished it as an adult. The
bird was taken back to Montreal alive,
but unfortunately it escaped before it
could be made into a museum skin. It was
wearing band numbered 22-108480, with
which it had been banded immediately
after capture.
To the best of the author’s knowledge,
there are no previous records of Harris’
Sparrow in Quebec. The 4.0.U. Check-
list of North American Birds (1957, Fifth
Edition) shows that in eastern Canada,
this species occurs occasionally around
Toronto, Ontario. To the south, Harris’
Sparrows have been reported during the
winter and early spring from Connecti-
cutt (Ball, 1946. Auk, 63: 448-450), and
from Ingham, Ipswich, and Boxford in
Massachusetts (Mason, 1949. Auk. 66:
95-96). The “in-hand” observation of
the adult Harris’ Sparrow reported here-
m appears to be an easterly record for
this species in Canada, as well as a new
record for the province of Quebec.
James K. LowTHER
Biology Department
Bishop’s University
Lennoxville, Quebec
19 February 1964
Additional Specimens of the
Small-mouthed Salamander from
Pelee Island, Ontario
THE SMALL-MOUTHED SALAMANDER, A777-
bystoma texanum, was first reported for
Canada by Uzzell (1962, Canadian Field-
Naturalist 76(3): 182) on the basis of
two previously misidentified museum
specimens from Pelee Island, Ontario.
Notes 201
The writer spent April 16-17, 1963, on
Pelee Island and collected four addition-
al specimens of this species. As these add
to our limited knowledge of the
Canadian population of A. texanum, they
are reported here.
During the afternoon of April 16, areas
of low, partially flooded woodland were
searched for salamanders. Despite abun-
dant cover in the form of rotting logs,
no salamanders were found. The even-
ing was cool and an auditory survey for
frogs along the main roads of the island -
failed to detect any calls. About 9:30
p-m. a ditch at the south end of the
island was carefully examined. It was
deep and steep sided, bordered by bushes
along the road edge and by open fields
on the opposite side. At first no amphi-
bians were seen or heard, but three sala-
mander eggs (Ambystoma, sp.) were
found in relatively shallow water along
the ditch’s roadside edge. One end of
the ditch was fairly steeply banked like
its sides, and was bordered by an area
covered by a few scattered bushes and
thick matted dead grass. Crayfish bur-
rows were numerous. An adult Amby-
stoma texanum was discovered in the
matted grass about three feet from the
edge of the ditch. Careful search over
the next half hour in an area up to about
30 feet from the edge resulted in the
discovery and capture of three more
adults. These specimens were apparently
foraging, as all were more or less in the
open.
Dissection has shown them to be two
males and two females. The latter con-
tain eggs indicating that breeding had
not occurred. The measurements and
proportions of these specimens (NMC
6904) are (in millimetres): 7zales — total
length 156, 143; snout-vent length 86,
79; tail length/total length ratio .449,
.448; females — total 173, 169; snout-vent
101, 94; tail/total .416, .444. All speci-
mens are larger in snout-vent length than
the only adult, a 70 mm female, available
to Uzzell (1962). All exceed the 43-53
inches given by Conant (1958, A Field
202
Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, p.
211) as the usual range of total length,
but none approach his maximum of 9%
inches. All had 15 costal grooves count-
ing one over each limb, or 13 if only
those between the limbs are counted.
The colour was bluish black to slightly
brownish in life. In three specimens the
sides were a light bluish grey giving
them a more or less evenly frosted ap-
pearance. In one specimen the bluish
grey was broken into lichen-like mark-
ings on the sides and back. The sides of
the tails were variously frosted or lichen-
marked with bluish grey. The venters
were black. In two specimens they were
marked with bluish grey lichen markings
and the throat and chin were solid bluish
grey. In the other two the venter was
marked with a few irregularly shaped
bright blue spots and the throat and
chin were also spotted with blue. In
preservative all markings have faded so
that they are nearly indistinguishable
from the ground colour. The relative
smallness of the mouth and head char-
acteristic of this species is evident in all
specimens. Tooth and tongue characters
agree with those given by Uzzell (1962).
The three Ambystoma eggs collected
(NMC 6944) were in an advanced stage
of development. The embryos measured
approximately 6 mm and had three pro-
minent gill stubs on each side of the
head. Both front and rear limb buds
were evident. The jelly capsules were
large, and the diameter of the eggs were
12, 11 and 9.5 mm after preservation.
According to Bishop (1943, Handbook
of Salamanders, p. 158) the eggs of A.
texanum may be deposited singly or in
small clusters. A. laterale which has been
recorded from Pelee Island as well, also
occasionally lays single eggs so that as-
signment of this collection is not pos-
sible. It is likely that the eggs were laid
in late March or early April as southern
Ontario had a period of warm spring
temperatures at that time and the eggs
are well advanced. If they were laid by
A. texanum a breeding season of more
Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
than two weeks is indicated for the
species on Pelee Island.
The only other amphibian seen was a
single Blanchard’s Cricket Frog, Acris
crepitans blanchardi (NMC 6905), 22
mm. snout-vent, collected in water at
the end of the ditch after the last of the
salamanders had been taken.
Francis R. Cook
National Museum of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
27 February 1964
Nest-Site Competition between
Bufflehead, Mountain Bluebird
and Tree Swallow
SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF INTERACTIONS be-
tween hole-nesting birds were observed
in the Cariboo district of British Colum-
bia, in the summers of 1958 and 1959
(Erskine, 1959, Canadian Field-Natural-
ist, 73:131, and 1960, 4:161-162). Ob-
servations at a nest, in a poplar tree at
Watson Lake near 100 Mile House, are
outlined in Table 1.
The Mountain Bluebird, Sialia curru-
coides, was remarkably persistent in re-
building its nest after the nest material
was removed and _ scattered. Suitable
nest-holes were numerous in that area,
although the rapidly increasing popula-
tion of Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, oc-
cupied a large proportion of available
sites in 1958. The bluebird built a com-
plete nest and laid one egg between our
visits on May 17 and 20. Perhaps the
need to lay may have prompted such
feverish nest-building activity.
The 14 Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola
eggs were laid over a period of nearly
one month. The laying sequence up to
May 14 was normal for Bufflehead, but
the addition of only two eggs in the next
nine days suggested that a second bird
had been involved. Measurements of the
eggs (Erskine, 1960, M.A. thesis, Univer-
sity British Columbia, p. 45 and Figure
9) suggested that at least eight of the
first 11 eggs were laid by one bird, and
two by another. The last three eggs
ie
Nores 203
1964
TABLE 1.—Contents of nest cavity on visits during May and June, 1958
Date Contents of cavity, and remarks
6 May Female Buff.* on nest, contents unknown.
Tedee 4 Buff. eggs, cool.
Oe 5 Buff. eggs, cool, under grass nest; grass was removed.
VA 9 Buff. eggs, cool, at several levels in dry grass of nest; grass was removed.
17) 9 Buff. eggs, cool, under grass nest; grass was removed.
20 _,, 1 Mountain Bluebird egg in grass nest; 10 Buff. eggs under and in lowest
layers of grass.
DR en 1 Buff. egg in grass nest; Bluebird egg broken through grass; 10 Buff. eggs
under grass; grass was removed.
3 June Buff. eggs (not counted), warm, in grass nest.
te) Yes Female Buff. (caught and banded) on 3 Buff. eggs in grass nest.
Teer 3 Buff. eggs and 1. Tree Swallow egg, warm, in grass nest; 11 Buff. eggs,
cold and dirty, under grass.
LOS: 2 adult Tree Swallows on nest; contents as on 12 June.
19, 1 Swallow on nest; contents unchanged.
2 ileeare 1 Swallow on nest (caught and banded); contents unchanged.
23h 1 Swallow on nest; contents unchanged.
30. Co, No Swallows seen; eggs cold; no further activity observed.
*Buff. = Bufflehead
were probably laid by a third individual,
although the measurements were com-
_ parable to those of the first eight eggs.
The most remarkable feature of the
nesting was the Tree Swallow, Irido-
procne bicolor, incubating the Buffle-
head eggs. Incubation lasted from not
earlier than June 9, until sometime after
June 23, a period similar to that normally
found for the swallow. When the three
Bufflehead eggs that had been covered
by the swallow were opened, one em-
bryo that was judged to be about one-
third term (feather tracts readily ap-
parent but feathers not yet erupted) was
found. The other two eggs were un-
developed. Evidently the swallow was
able to supply sufficient heat to permit
development of the egg, at a rate not
markedly different from that in normal
Bufflehead nestings. The normal incu-
bation period for Bufflehead is 30 days,
so one-third term would be about ten
days. Those eggs were under the swal-
low for at least 11 days (June 12-23),
but possibly longer.
A. J. ErskKINE
Dept. of Zoology
University of British Columbia
Vancouver 8, B.C.
27 February 1964
(Present address:
Canadian Wildlife Service
Sackville, New Brunswick)
Notes on Townsend’s Solitaire
in Western Chilcotin District,
British Columbia
THE FOLLOWING is derived from obser-
vations of the Townsend’s Solitaire,
Myadestes townsendi, extending over
fourteen years and involving seventy-five
nests (all of which were at elevations
between 2800 and 3000 feet above sea
level).
The nests seen by this observer have,
with one exception, been built in cut-
banks beside a road or trail. A favorite
position is a foot below the top of the
cutbank with a few branches of kin-
nikinick (Arctostaphylos Uva-urst)
hanging down over it. Some nests are
within ten feet of cars and trucks passing
at the rate of about four per hour. It
would seem that, like Robins and
Mountain Bluebirds, Solitaires sometimes
prefer to risk proximity to man for the
sake of reduced danger from predators.
However, one nest was found in a natu-
ral crevice in a riverside cliff.
Incubation does not exceed fourteen
days. About 40 per cent of nests are
destroyed by predators, by which some-
times eggs are removed without the
nests being damaged; at other times the
204 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
nest is crushed and eggs or young
destroyed. It is probable that human
predators are very scarce here. The
first eggs are usually laid between May
18 and 25. If a nest is destroyed a second
clutch will often be started, but eggs are
seldom laid after June 15.
Occupation of territories (perhaps a
hundred yards of cutbank) yearly for
three or four years points to the same
birds returning year after year; some-
times in fact the nest is rebuilt in the
same spot as last year. If a nest is
destroyed early in the season it is a safe
assumption that a second nest will be
started in the same territory.
About one out of four nests has five
eggs, most of the remainder four eggs;
occasionally a second nest has only three
eggs. On one memorable occasion a pair
raised one brood and immediately laid
a second clutch in the same nest.
The eggs have spots in one of two
patterns, namely scattered fairly uni-
formly over the entire surface, or alter-
natively forming a loose ring near the
larger end.
From the laying of the first eggs to
the vacating of nest by the nestlings
is usually about twenty-nine days. Some
young stay in the nest until well feath-
ered; in other cases they leave before
they can fly more than a few feet. On
one occasion when young had just left
a nest and were hidden in some bushes,
both parents hovered closely above my
dog and turned him aside.
No Solitaire nest, to my knowledge,
has ever contained a Cowbird egg, al-
though there are usually some of these
birds in the vicinity.
About five per cent of Solitaire eggs
fail to hatch, probably in most cases due
to being exposed to direct sunlight. On
one occasion the female (and male?)
continued to attempt to incubate a
clutch of eggs for such a long time that
after they had abandoned the nest it was
found that the eggs were dehydrated to
such an extent that the air space occupied
two-thirds of the egg; in fact if you
placed the egg on a smooth surface it
Wolnws
insisted on standing on end. The germ
was found to have died about the second
day of incubation. It was thought that
in this case cattle feeding or resting
close to the nest may have kept the hen
away from the nest for too long a time.
The beautiful song is usually heard
continuously for about seventeen sec-
onds, early in the morning, for a few
days only, starting at the end of April.
When a first nest is destroyed there may
be a renewal of singing prior to the
second clutch of eggs. Singing birds
usually perch on or near the top of a
pine tree, but on one occasion I observed
a bird singing several times while a
strong wind carried it upwards a hundred
or more feet above the top of a steep
hillside. It is thought that our western
Chilcotin Townsend’s Solitaires spend
the winter at or near sea level along the
coast and islands of British Columbia.
W. Anrian B. Pau
Kleena Kleene, British Columbia
2 March 1964
Notes on the Birds of Riding
Mountain National Park,
Manitoba
Durinc THE course of range management
studies in Riding Mountain National
Park, Manitoba, in 1962 and 1963, in-
cidental observations were made of the
local bird fauna. Only the more signi-
ficant observations, which supplement
bird lists prepared by ‘Taverner and
Sutton (1940, National Museum of Can-
ada, unpublished manuscript 20 pp.) and
Soper (1953, Canadian Wildlife Service,
Wildlife Management Bulletin, Series 2,
No. 6, 54 pp.) are recorded here. Consid-
erable time was spent in the park in the
summers of 1962 and 1963, and periodic
visits were made during the intervening
winter. All observations were confined
to the area of the park west of Highway
Number 10.
Aix sponsa, Woov Duck
On September 29, 1962, a male Wood
Duck was seen on a beaver pond among
heavy aspen forest about two miles south
ches
1964
of Gunn Lake in the west-central part
of the park. According to Taverner
(1949, Birds of Canada, Musson, Tor-
onto, 446 pp.) the Wood Duck is“...
rare or absent throughout the prairies,
occasional in southeastern Manitoba . .
Thus the present record, 130 miles north
of the International Boundary and only
40 miles east of the Manitoba-Saskatche-
wan boundary, is somewhat northeast of
the usual range of the species. The
nearest published Wood Duck records
appear to be those of Taverner (1919,
Ottawa Naturalist, 32(8):142) and Seton
(1908, Auk, 25:450-454) who reported
that local residents occasionally saw
Wood Ducks at Shoal Lake, about 35
miles northwest of Winnipeg.
Bucephala albeola, BurFLEHEAD
Soper did not see Buffleheads in sum-
mer and remarked that they are un-
common in the park at all times. On
July 6, 1962, I observed two females on
a beaver pond in Birdtail Creek. That
was my only summer observation of
this species.
Cathartes aura, TurRKEY VULTURE
Although not observed by Soper and
listed as an “occasional casual visitor”
by Taverner and Sutton, seven obser-
vations of Turkey Vultures were made
between June 15 and October 20, 1962,
and three between May 4 and September
17, 1963. Several of those observations
_ were of pairs. All were seen between
Lake Audy and the west park boundary.
Pandion haliaetus, Osprey
According to Soper (1953) the Osprey
is “a rare visitor where it has not been
recorded during spring and summer”.
His only park record was made on
October 7, 1946. On May 23, 1962, in the
company of park warden George Klapp,
I observed a pair of Ospreys fishing at
Bob Hill Lake near the west end of the
park. They were not seen on subsequent
visits to the area so presumably did not
stay and breed.
NotTEs
rh} Ns
205
Coccyzus erythropthalmus,
Biack-BiLtLep Cuckoo
This species is rare enough in the
Riding Mountain area to warrant the
recording of observations near Bob Hill
Lake, Baldy Lake, and Moose Lake on
July 9, July 12, and August 9, 1962,
respectively. Two of those observations
were of pairs (July 9 and 12), the other
was a single bird.
Surnia ulula, Hawk Ow.
On two occasions in November, 1962,
Hawk Owls were seen in parkland habi-
tat in the Birdtail Valley near the west
end of the park. Taverner and Sutton
(1940) listed this species as a “probable
winter visitor” but did not observe it.
Soper does not list it. Riding Mountain
falls within the general winter range of
this owl listed by Taverner (1949) as
“most of Southern Canada”.
Petrochelidon albifrons, Curr SwaLLow
The distinctive nests of this swallow
were seen during the summer of 1962 on
a shed and house at the Deep Lake
Warden Station, near the west park
boundary. Young Cliff Swallows were
fledged there that summer, but no mem-
bers of this species appeared there in
1963. Soper does not list this species and
Taverner and Sutton (1940) did not
observe it at Riding Mountain, but re-
marked that it should occur as a migrant
or nester.
Sturnus vulgaris, COMMON STARLING
Several starlings were seen in April and
May, 1962 and 1963, in the Birdtail
Valley, but they did not appear to re-
main there to breed as none were ob-
served during the summer. It is not
known how recently starlings moved
into the Riding Mountain area but they
may have been in the region for several
years, since they reached southern Man-
itoba from the east about 1934 (Myers
1958, Occasional Papers B.C. Provincial
Museum, No. 11, 60 pp.). However,
Soper did not include this species in his
1953 list. Donatp A. BLoop
Canadian Wildlife Service
Edmonton, Alberta
2 April 1964
Letter to the Editor
Dear Mr. Editor:
It takes a while for the slicks to get
up our way, but a copy of your maga-
zine arrived with the last load of strych-
nine capsules from Ottawa, and I got to
reading it, and I can’t say it makes me
too happy.
I don’t think Major Banfield has been
as kind to Captain Mowat as he might
have been. Not that I want to defend
any of your two-legged monstrosities,
but fair is fair. He hasn’t been too kind
to me either—or to the rest of the
family. You can get used to strychine
(I guess Capt. Mowat ain’t much of a
chemist —him and his cyanide) but’ it
takes time. One thing though, it seems
to stretch out a wolf’s life. And how
does Captain Banfield know how long a
wolf lives anyway? Has he been one?
Or has he just got himself fouled up in
a bunch of statistics from the Ottawa
Zoo. The animal zoo, I mean. Not the
big one.
Anyway, fair is fair, and since Major
Mowat won’t speak for himself — a shy
fellow, he is, I guess its up to me. That
caribou plan, for instance. Leut. Banfield
ought to remember that the whole idea
of the Caribou survey was originated
by Lt. Col. Mowat the year before Sgt.
Banfield ever heard of it. It was present-
ed to the Arctic Institute in the faint
hope that some money might be forth-
coming. None was. But the Federal
Government (wolf-haters, the lot of
them!) decided that it was too big a
project for individuals, and took it over.
So far as I known Brigadier Mowat
never let a peep out of him when Cpl.
Bandield took over the whole scheme,
including the complete plan of operation
as devised by General Mowat and a
fine, forgotten fellow named Andrew
Laurie who actually did most of the
work, and never did get any credit at
all. If I was Oberlieutnant Mowat I’d
have sued Private Banfield for plagiarism,
but Mowat, he’s all for live-and-let-love.
I don’t think that ought to apply to
biologists, do you?
Terrible memory that Cadet Banfield
has too. Can you imagine Marshal Mowat
ordering a folding canoe? What he
actually ordered was a twenty-five foot
cabin cruiser with a built in bar — but
try and get that one past the Tresurey
Board! Folding canoe indeed!
Now that’s a low one, that remark
about poor Admiral Mowat’s punctua-
tion, style, and grammar in his wolf
report. Call him a liar if you must —
he can stand it—but to impugn (is
that how you spell it?) his punctuation
. Did Generalissimo Mowat ever
suggest that Apprentice Banfield can’t
tell the difference between a gopher
skull and a pickled cormorant? Not on
your life, he didn’t.
We wolves (whats left of us) have
decuded to fight Banfield with fire.
We've got our own little plan under
way for human-control. Going to get
some help from dogs too. We plan on
planting mesquite buttons in the places
where those fellows in Ottawa usually
graze. Whats the idea of that? Well, you
see, we sort of figured that it might help
to free their imaginations a little bit; put
a little colour in their lives you might
say. Do you think they’d be happy if
we did that? Because thats what we
wolves want —is happy people. You see
how superior our philosophy is to yours?
Well thats enough. But you can tell MR.
Banfield that MR. Mowat is some sorry
about all those letters the Deputy Min-
ister’s been getting from all those people
who don’t mind wolves, and passing on
down the line to Mr. Banfield. It is kind
of a dirty trick, and I suppose I’d be
sore about it too, if I was him.
Uncie ALBERT.
Received and relayed through Daisy
Mae, the Voice of Mowat’s Instantan-
eous Wolf Translation Service, this fifth
day of April.
F. M.
Editors note: This letter, although addressed to
the editor, reached him by an indirect route. Be-
wildered readers should refer to a review of Never
Cry Wolf in the Canadian Field-Naturalist 78 (1):
52-54. In deference to the writer the original gram-
mar and spelling have been retained as nearly as
possible. Unfortunately Uncle Albert’s exact sig-
nature, a more-or-less careful paw mark, had to be
omitted from the printed version as-was a note in
Farley Mowat’s handwriting indicating some dif-
ficulty incurred in obtaining it.
206
a ene
AFFILIATED
Edmonton Bird Club
President, H. J. Montcomery; Vice-President,
Dr. V. E. Lewin; Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. W. G.
Evans, Department of Entomology, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.; Field Secretary, Dr.
R. W. Turner; Librarian, D. A. Boac; Audubon
Representative, B. Sparks.
Mellwraith Ornithological Club
President, W. R. Jarmatn; Past President, Dr.
F. S. Coox; Vice-President, Dr. G. CumMMIncs;
Recording Secretary, Mrs. G. A. MacDovea11;
Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. A. M. Coote, 644
Base Line Rd., London, Ontario; Treasurer, Mrs.
H. J. Wueaton; Migration Secretary, J. W. Leacu;
Migration Editor, W. G. Gir.inc.
Natural History Society of Manitoba
President, Miss J. M. Watxrtr; Honorary Pre-
sident, A. H. SHortr; Honorary Vice-President, E.
Gipert; Past President, G. S. Correr; Vice-Presi-
dents, Dr. L. B. Smiru, H. V. Hosrorp; Treasurer,
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lin Blyd., Charleswood 20, Manitoba; Executive
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Sytvia J. Furterton, 1051 Lucknow St., Halifax,
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SOCIETIES
Provancher Society of Natural History
of Canada
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CLERC, 628 Fraser St., Quebec, Que.
Province of Quebec Society for the
Protection of Birds
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S. Asgort, 164 Senneville Road, Senneville, P.Q.
Toronto Field Naturalists’? Club
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R. F. Norman; Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. H. Ros-
son, 49 Craighurst Ave., Toronto 12, Ont.; As-
sistant Secretary, Miss Ruta Marsuatz; Junior
TF .N.C., R. J. MacLetian, 416 St. Clements Ave.,
Toronto 12, Ont,
Vancouver Natural History Society
Honorary President, Dr. M. Y. Wuuams; Past
President, Dr. R. Stace-Smirx; President Dr. J. E.
Armstrong; Vice-President, N. F. Putten; Corres-
ponding Secretary, Mrs. D. J. Martin, 2038 Mac-
donald St., Vancouver, B.C.; Treasurer, Mrs. E. N.
Corrine; Programme Secretaries, Miss R. Ross,
Mrs. H. Pinper-Moss; Editor of Bulletin, C. B. W.
Rocers; Recording Secretary, Miss K. Muroy.
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ANNUAL MEETING
The eighty-sixth annual meeting of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’
Club was held on Tuesday, December 8, 1964, at 8:15 p.m. in the
auditorium of the National Museum of Canada.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
Members are reminded that the one hundred and thirty-first
annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science will be held in Montreal, December 26-31, 1964. The Ottawa
Field-Naturalists’ Club is affiliated with the AAAS.
5” Sku Nites i tet Ua
The CANADIAN:
FIELD-NATURALIST
Published by THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’ CLUB, Ottawa, Ontario
Articles
Albert Andrew Wood 1885-1963 H. B. WressELtt 207
“The Breeding Birds of Mandarte Island, British Columbia
R. Drent, G. F. van Tets, F. Tompa and K. VERMEER 208
The Rusty Colour Phase of the Canadian Toad, Bufo hemiopbrys
Francis R. Cook 263
Notes
Two Helpful Uses of “Terylene” for Biologists ace Anprew Rapvanyr 268
A Range Extension for the Wood Frog in Northeastern Saskatchewan
Rosert W. Nero and Francis R. Coox 268
Index to Velume 78 Compiled by Mrs. G. R. Hanes 270
Can. Field Nat.
Vol. 78 | No. 4 | p- 207-282 | Ottawa, October-December 1964
THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’ CLUB
FOUNDED IN 1879
— Patrons —
Tuer Excettencits THE GoveRNoR GENERAL AND MADAME VANIER
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in all branches of natural history.
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affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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BousFieLp, C. G. Cuamp, A. H. Crarxe, Jr., W. J. Copy, F. R. Coox, R. Frirs, J. M.
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THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
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LIBRARY
JAN 2 1 4885
HARVARD
The Canadian Field-Naturalistunversity
VOLUME 78 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1964 NuMBER 4
ALBERT ANDREW WOOD
1885-1963
H. B. WReEssELL
Entomology Laboratory, Research Branch, Department of Agriculture
Chatham, Ontario
Au Woop was a naturalist of the old school — the school of W. E. Saunders and
John Dearness. In these days of specialists, it was a privilege to know a man
who was interested in so many aspects of nature study; one who could discuss
them with such appreciation and intelligence.
A. A. Wood was born in London, Ontario, of pioneer stock, on May 2,
1885. Originally he had planned to be a doctor and in 1903 he took a pre-
medical year at Washington College, Washington, D.C. But he found that he
could not adapt himself to certain aspects of the course and entered the business
of tailoring, after taking a course in New York City. For some sixteen years
he pursued this work until 1922 when he was persuaded to join the staff of the
Dominion Entomological Laboratory at Strathroy, Ontario. While there, Al
began preparing entomological exhibits for local fairs. His natural aptitude
for this work increased, and eventually he prepared exhibits for entomology
laboratories across Canada and for the National Museum in Ottawa. He
achieved his first great success in this line at the World’s Grain Show, held in
Regina in 1933. Al, in his dry way, enjoyed telling the story of the farmer
who visited the exhibit several times on successive days. Finally the man asked
why the wheat plants did not wilt in the hot atmosphere of the cage. Al
always chuckled with pride when relating this; it was a tribute to the pain-
staking care he took when preparing the exhibit. In 1938 he was transferred
to the Chatham laboratory and here he remained until he retired in 1955. He
studied methods of preparation at many American and the larger Canadian
museums and developed techniques for preparing displays of insect and disease
injury in several media. Just before retirement he wrote a manual, “Preparing
Insect Displays”. This book shows the same careful work so characteristic of
A. A. Wood. Besides the manual, Al published papers on a variety of topics,
including ornithology, mammalogy, and entomology. He had a pleasant, lucid
style of writing which was also informative.
Al was an ardent collector from boyhood, and received encouragement
from men like J. A. Morden and W. E. Saunders, with whom he went on field
trips. His bird and mammal skins are found in scientific study collections in
many museums, both in Canada and the United States. The great Canadian
bird artist, Allan Brooks, claimed that Al’s study skins were among the best he
had seen. Al often told about rising before dawn to go on a trip before his
Mailing date of this number: 31 December, 1964
207
208 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
day’s work. He would describe the dawn chorus and the thrill of hearing a
new song for the first time. That was how he located Kentucky and Blue-
winged warblers — the first being the third Canadian record for the species at
that time. He also had a very fine insect collection which was one reason he
joined the Dominion service. Later he made a collection of flowering plants
native to his area. It was characteristic of him to turn to a new hobby after
retirement — the collection of lichens and mosses, where he found new Can-
adian species. ‘To top it off, in later years he became an ardent star watcher,
just as the space age began! Also, after retirement, he spent several summers
as naturalist at a camp for young people conducted by the Seventh Day
Adventists, to which group Al was a sincere and devoted member.
In 1925 Al married Gertrude Isobel Wilson of London, Ontario. Three
daughters were born to them and a more devoted family group it would be
hard to find.
THE BREEDING BIRDS OF MANDARTE ISLAND,
BRITISH COLUMBIA*
R. Drent, G. F. van Tets, F. Tompa and K. VERMEER
Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
INTRODUCTION
EVveRY YEAR SOME 5500 INDIVIDUALS of six sea-bird species gather on Mandarte
Island to breed, thus making it the largest and most varied colony on the inner
south coast of British Columbia. Certain plants and the sea-fowl formed an
important resource for the native people in bygone times, and Mandarte is still
an Indian Reserve. At present, however, infrequent egg-collecting is the only
right exercised by the owners.
In 1957 a permanent field camp was established on the island by the Depart-
ment of Zoology, University of British Columbia (Vancouver), and students
have lived there every season since (May 3-September 4, 1957; May 1-August
24, 1958; April 24-September 15, 1959; May 5-September 1, 1960; May 1-
August 30, 1961; May 2-August 31, 1962). Goal of the work was to present
theses on the following topics:
G. F. van Tets 1957-1959 Cormorant ethology
R. Drent 1959-1960 Pigeon Guillemot breeding biology
F. ‘Tompa 1960-1962 Song Sparrow population study
K. Vermeer 1961-1962 Glaucous-winged Gull breeding biology.
Each season as much time as possible was devoted to gathering nesting data,
the material being recorded on cards of the British Columbia Nest Records
*Contribution No. 4 from the B.C. Nest Records Scheme, Department of Zoology, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver 8, British Columbia.
eee
1964 DRENT, vAN Tets, ToMPA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 209
Scheme (see Myres et al., 1957) and now on file at the Department of Zoology
in Vancouver. In the scarcity of numerical material on the breeding of sea-
birds in the Pacific Northwest, the data we have accumulated in the past six
seasons warrant a general account of the island and its bird life. Following a
brief description of vegetation, topography, climate, and a word on the
mammals, the breeding birds will be treated. For each species distribution
and numbers on the island, laying season, incubation and fledging periods,
clutch size, and survival of eggs and young will be given. The questions we
seek to answer are, what is the breeding season of the various sea-birds, how
long does it take the pair to raise their young, what is their average production,
and. what are the principal causes of loss. With the Song Sparrow, resident on
Mandarte, the approach has been rather different, and the account here con-
cerns chiefly population census and territory size. Our intent is not to draw
theoretical conclusions, but rather to record facts in order to stimulate further
effort in gathering precise data on breeding biology.
Further activities on the island included banding. Banding totals for the
breeding species are listed below.
TaBLE 1. — Birds banded on Mandarte Island, 1957-62
Species Banded as adult Banded as nestling or local young
Double-crested Cormorant 0 909
Pelagic Cormorant 0 1325
Black Oystercatcher 0 4
Glaucous-winged Gull lad 7002
Pigeon Guillemot 65 178
Tufted Puffin 0 3
Northwestern Crow 0 60
Red-winged Blackbird 2 2
Song Sparrow TLS 438
In addition, nestlings of various sea-birds were supplied to Dr. J. Koskimies
(visiting from the University of Helsinki) for his 1959 thermoregulation work
(not yet published), and to Dr. W. N. Holmes (Vancouver) for his work on
the nasal gland (Holmes ez al., 1961). External parasites were collected where
possible, and turned over to Prof. G. J. Spencer (Vancouver), who has reported
one of the records (Spencer, 1960).
Published material concerning Mandarte is scant. W. B. Anderson lived
on the island as warden during the 1915 season, and his brief report (Anderson,
1916) furnishes the earliest census of the birds. There are no published reports
from wardens in later years. J. A. Munro of the Canadian Wildlife Service
documented the status of the sea-birds on a number of visits from 1921 to 1937
(Munro, 1925, 1928, 1929, 1937), and in particular was responsible for record-
ing the establishment of the Double-crested Cormorant as a breeding species.
In later years the Victoria Natural History Society have several times recorded
useful estimates of the birds in their bulletin. Sprot (1937) summarized results
of Glaucous-winged Gull banding for the period 1929-34.
210 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Work on this account has been shared by the authors as follows. G. F.
van Tets supplied all data for the 1957 and 1958 seasons and the cormorant and
gull data for 1959, whilst K. Vermeer supplied the gull data for 1961 and
1962. “These data, and the nest record cards for all years for all species, were |
placed at the disposal of Drent who compiled the species accounts, with the
exception of the Song Sparrow section, which was contributed by F. Tompa.
The final form of the paper has been arrived at by mutual criticism.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In the first place, we are grateful to the East Saanich Band of Indians for
allowing us to live and work on their island. We all owe a great deal to Dr.
M. D. F. Udvardy, who supervised the work on Mandarte, and to Dr. I. McT.
Cowan and Dr. J. Bendell, who offered advice and encouragement throughout.
Dr. K. Beamish, also of the University of British Columbia, and Dr. A.
Szczawinski, of the Provincial Museum in Victoria, were kind enough to
identify certain plants. The National Photo Library, Ottawa, provided an
excellent enlargement of an aerial photograph, from which the large scale map
of Mandarte was made. Mr. R. H. Turley, Agronomist at the Agricultural
Experimental Station, Saanichton, generously sent us weather records for
his station.
Our work has been financed by a number of bodies, to whom we give
grateful credit: Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, National
Research Council of Canada, Fisheries Research Board of Canada, and the
Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund.
Particular mention must be made of the help in the 1957 season of J. Takacs,
and in the 1958 season of D. Kennedy, and we close with thanks to the Mathews
of Randle’s Landing, who have meant much to all of us working on Mandarte.
DescrIPTION OF MANDARTE ISLAND
Location and topography
Mandarte, commonly called Bare or Ridge Island, lies among the Gulf
Islands in Haro Strait, off the south end of Vancouver Island. Precisely, the
location is 48° 38’ N, 123° 177 W (see Figure 1). A small skerry, termed
North Rock, lies 400 meters northwest of the island, and an islet, here called
South Islet, some 165 meters to the southeast.
Mandarte Island itself is some 100 meters broad and 700 long, and runs
SE-NW along the greater dimension. The island is formed by an escarpment
of calcareous sandstone protruding from the sea. A low broken cliff some 3-4
meters high forms the northeast facing shore (Figure 16), and from this low
side the land rises unevenly to the precipitous southwest facing shore, composed
of steep cliffs ranging from 10 to 29 meters in height. Midway a groove
scores the long axis of the island, and here the soil accumulation supports
shrubbery and a few gnarled trees, elsewhere bare rock and scattered grass
prevail. The low northeast shore is skirted by a broad wave-cut platform
(Figures 2A, 11, 16), but the steep southwest shore shows only a slight nick
at water level (Figure 3). The foreshore, then, is restricted to the northeast
1964 DRENT, VAN Tets, TompA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE Dal
Simrie Island
48° 40°
Saanich
Peninsula
123°20°W
Figure 1. Map of east portion of Haro Strait showing localities mentioned in the text.
Shallows are indicated by stippling.
side and is largely formed by an eroded rock shelf, with a few small pockets
of coarse shell fragments. Beach debris is virtually absent.
Vegetation
Exclusive of cliffside, shrubbery and trees make up some 30 per cent, bare
rock and grassy areas some 70 per cent, of the 5 hectare surface area of
Mandarte (see Figure 2). Near the north end a conspicuous clump of trees
breaks the skyline (Figure 21), the living members being five Douglas Fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii), three Grand Fir (Abies grandis), several Arbutus
(Arbutus menziesii), and a luxurient growth of Willow (Salix spp.). Ocean
Spray (Holodiscus discolor) forms a dense undergrowth. Age and height
pale Tue CANADIAN FIeELp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
were measured for some of these trees: the Douglas Fir ranged from 60 to an
estimated 200-300 years old, whilst the range in height was 18-21 meters. The
Grand Fir were 100-110 years old, and the largest reached 24 meters, whilst an
averaged-sized Arbutus was 90 years old and 19 meters high. These measure-
ments have implications for the vegetation history of the island.
Elsewhere on the island the tongues of deeper soil support a mixed
shrubbery mostly less than 2 meters high. The chief components are Wax-
berry (Symphoricarpus alba), Wild Rose (Rosa sp.), Ocean Spray (Holodiscus
discolor) Wild Blackberry (Rubus macropetalus) and Fireweed (Epilobium
angustifolium), in that order of abundance. A scattering of Saskatoon Berry
(Amelanchier florida) and to a lesser extent Bitter Cherry (Prunus emarginata)
protrude above the shrub, and at the south end a clump of Garry Oak
(Quercus garryana) exists. The oaks hardly exceed 5 meters in height from
the ground, though one large specimen was 125 years old. In addition, two
stunted Crab Apple (Malus fusca) and several Choke Cherry (Prunus vir-
giniana) survive along the island crest. “The rocky open areas remain to be
treated. The dominant plant is Broma Grass (Bromus carinatus), and Camas
(Camassia quamash) is abundant. The conspicuous members of the vegetation
have been listed, and a more detailed treatment will not be attempted here.
There is no reason to believe that the vegetation on the island has changed
much in recent years. The present pattern of shrub and open areas depends on
soil depth (one thinks especially of water-holding capacity), not on the
activities of the nesting birds or some catastrophe such as fire (cp. tree ages).
This relative stability is made clear by a comparison of two photographs of the
island taken in 1915 (Anderson, 1916), when the sea-bird colony was less than
one-sixth its present size, with photographs taken in 1960. Conditions prove to
be practically identical. One change can, however, be traced to the birds: the
larger Douglas Fir and the plants directly beneath them are gradually dying due
to the accumulation of guano from the Double-crested Cormorants and
Glaucous-winged Gulls that perch on these trees.
Climate
Kendrew and Kerr (1955) have characterized the climate of the British
Columbia littoral as having a small annual range of temperature and mild humid
winters, most of the precipitation falling in this season and decreasing after
March, and with warm though not hot summers, July and August forming the
dry season. Mandarte, leeward of the high mountains of Vancouver Island,
lies in a zone of low precipitation (less than 40 inches annually) compared to
other parts of the coast, a zone that has been distinguished as the Gulf Islands
Biotic Area by Munro and Cowan (1947), chiefly on the basis of botanical
features dependent on the aridity.
The closest station to Mandarte where weather records have been taken
over a long period is the Saanichton Experimental Farm, situated on the
Saanichton Peninsula at 48° 37’ N, 123° 25’ W, some 9.5 kilometers west of the
island. Table 2 gives the 48-year averages of this station for temperature and
precipitation over the months April-September, embracing the breeding seasons
of the various sea-birds on Mandarte.
1964 DrenT, VAN TETs, ToMpA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 213
TABLE 2. — Weather Records from Saanichton Experimental Farm
Temperature (°F.)
Month _____| Precipitation (inches)
Mean Mean extremes
April 47° 40-55° 1.6
_ May 54° 45-62° 1.1
June . 58° 50-67° Wa
July 62° 53-72° 0.7
August 62° 53-71° 0.8
September Sie 49-64° 1.4
It will be seen that the period is one of moderate temperature and little rain —
only about 22 per cent of the annual precipitation falls in these six months.
THe MaMMALs
Only three terrestrial mammals are known from Mandarte, and others
(bats, seals, whales) will not be listed here. 1. Oryctolagus cuniculus —
released on the island long ago (Carl and Guiguet 1958: 11, prior to 1915, see
Anderson 1916) the European Rabbit has recently died out on Mandarte (last
report 1955-56, none seen from 1957 on). 2. Peromyscus maniculatus — the
Deer Mouse is the only mammal at present resident on Mandarte, and is com-
monly seen about the island. 3. Mustela vison — although numerous on sur-
rounding islands, the Mink has been seen on Mandarte only once (December
1960) and has to our knowledge never been,present during the breeding season.
THE BreEDING Birps
Regular Breeders
1. Phalacrocorax auritus Double-crested Cormorant
2. Phalacrocorax pelagicus Pelagic Cormorant
3. Haematopus bachmani Black Oystercatcher
4. Larus glaucescens Glaucous-winged Gull
5. Cepphus columba Pigeon Guillemot
6. Lunda cirrhata Tufted Puffin
7. Hirundo rustica Barn Swallow
8. Corvus caurinus Northwestern Crow
9. Agelaius phoeniceus Red-winged Blackbird
10. Melospiza melodia Song Sparrow
Species of changing or uncertain status
Phalacrocorax penicillatus, Brandt’s Cormorant: expected future breeder
Ardea herodias, Great Blue Heron: past breeder
Selasphorus rufus, Rufous Hummingbird: possible breeder.
214 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
® PIGEON GUILLEMOT NESTS 1957—60 ~~"LOW WATER MARK
p BLACK OYSTERCATCHER
gon NEST (DH ao
rae (he
TUFTED PUFFIN
A NEST 1060
(iether
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL CENSUS AREA 1962
489 roral
NUMBER OF PAIRS PER MEADOW SHOWN, WITH BEACH PAIRS @NORTHWESTERN CROW NESTS 160
27
A
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT SUBCOLONIES 1960
SONG SPARROW TERRITORIES 1961
MATED
MALE
UNMATED
MALE
|
G PELAGIC CORMORANT CENSUS OF OCCUPIED NESTS 1959
SONG SPARROW TERRITORIES 1-7 MAY 1962
A
UNMATED
MALE
(iw MATED
MALE
BRUSH & TREES
at, ll :
— jo — ot —| TEEP CLIFF
PROFILE A-B et s
(TO SCALE) METERS
Ficure 2. Map of Mandarte Island showing distribution of nesting birds.
Notes on use of names
Double-crested Cormorant and Glaucous-winged Gull are unwieldy com-
mon names, so we have generally used “Double-crest” and “Glaucous-wing” in
the species accounts. Latin nomenclature follows the 1957 A.O.U. check-list,
though there are arguments for ranking the Pigeon Guillemot as Cepphus
grylle columba, and Johnston (1961) has recently urged again relegating the
Northwestern Crow to the subspecies level (Corvus brachyrhynchos caurinus).
a
1964 DrenT, VAN Tets, TompA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 215
Ficure 3. Cliff along southwest shore of Mandarte Island with nesting Double-crested
Cormorants at B, nesting Pelagic Cormorants elsewhere. At A Munro’s Ledge, site of
the original Doublecrest colony.
cy
1. Phalacrocorax auritus, DouBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT
Census and distribution
The Double-crested Cormorant began nesting on the inner coasts of
southern British Columbia and northern Washington about 40 years ago (Drent
and Guiguet, 1961). Of the British Columbia colonies, Mandarte was the first
to be discovered, thanks to the vigilance of W. Burton and the prompt verifica-
fon; by J. A. Munro (Munro, 1928). Later the colony on Ballingall was
found, Shit judged older in origin (Munro, 1937). Mandarte was thus the
second colony to be established in the Province, but it is today by far the
largest. Available counts for the Mandarte colony are given below; a more
detailed listing with references will be found in Drent and Guiguet (1961:
25-26).
1927 1-3 pair, the first report
1935 5 pair
1936 9-11 pair
1942 15-20 pair
1945 23 pair in original group, total not certain
1953 145 pair total, three subcolonies (25, 55, 65)
1957-60 135-150 pair, in three subcolonies (see text)
216 Tue CANADIAN FieLtp-NaATURALIST Vol. 78
It is of interest to trace the spread of the Double-crest colony over the
island. Munro’s (1937) photograph of a group of nests in 1936 shows a ledge
we have been able to locate precisely (Figures 2B and 3). The original 1927
nest was found in the near vicinity, and all the nests were located here until
1942. The area continued to be used until at least 1945, but sometime before
1957 (probably before 1953) the original ledge area was abandoned. At
present the Double-crests are distributed over the southwest cliffs in three sub-
colonies, the minimum number of occupied nests in 1960 being 14, 77, and 44
from north to south (Figure 2B). Further details are lacking.
It is evident that the first site occupied by Double-crests at Mandarte was
not the most favourable cliff formation available, but rather represented the
closest possible Double-crest terrain to the nesting Pelagic Cormorants, res-
tricted to the north cliffs at that time.
Nesting habitat
Birds of all ages perch in the clump of Douglas Fir on the island, and court
in them, but unlike the case at the nearby Channel Island and Ballingall colonies
(approximately 20 kilometers distant) the Double-crest has never nested in
trees at Mandarte. Rather it here builds its nest flat on the rock, choosing
rounded shoulders and broad ledges along the cliffside, in contrast to the
Pelagic Cormorant which prefers more precipitous terrain.
Methods for gathering nesting data
A limitation when working with the cormorants was the constant threat of
crow and gull predation. If put off the nest, the cormorants were liable to
lose eggs and small young in short order. Observation on the Double-crest
was therefore confined to checking the nests daily by telescope from a nearby
blind, the contents being ascertained at nest relief or when the sitting bird rose
to shift the eggs, etc. A further difficulty arose in following the fate of the
young. Banding at the nest was carried out when the chicks were three to
four weeks old, and displacement of some of the older chicks to strange nests
was fismnenanclatbile
Laying season
Progress of clutch commencement in 1959, the only season with complete
data, is shown in Figure 4. The Double-crest is the first of the sea-birds on
Mandarte to commence laying, the first eggs appearing in the latter part of
April. Early layings are lost almost without exception, however, to predating
gulls and crows. Most clutches are started in May, though replacements may
be found up to the middle of July. In favourable years a second period of
laying occurs in early August, and by observation of banded birds in 1959 it
was established that some of these birds had laid previously in the same season.
At least one pair laid a clutch of three after the first brood successfully fledged.
Young were raised from the August layings, so in British Columbia the Double-
crest is, potentially at least, double-brooded. The closely related European
Cormorant is likely also occasionally double-brooded. Kortlandt (1942) gives
six records of the raising of two broods in the same nest in the same season for
Phalacrocorax carbo in the Netherlands. He states that in one case the same
sia 2 ae i Al
1964 DrenT, VAN Tetrs, TompA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 217]
Q)
first
n=33 || broods
n=? Yj second
broods
number of clutches
PN
es)
oe 1959
APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT
Figure 4. Clutch commencement of the Double-crested Cormorant on Mandarte Island.
parents were most probably involved, in another they were different, and in
the remaining four identity was unknown.
Clutch size and egg replacement
Loss of eggs through predation is so common that representative fre-
quencies for clutch size were not obtained, but it can be said that clutches of
four predominate, those of three are common, and the maximum recorded in
the study period was five.
Loss of the entire nest contents (eggs or young) commonly results in a
replacement clutch (i.e. repeat laying). In 12 first replacements (1959 and
1960) 3 of five, + of four, 4 of three, and 1 of two eggs, the average interval
from last loss to commencement of the replacement clutch was 13 days (7-8,
8-9, 9, 11-12, 11-13, 11-13, 13-15, 14-15, 14-16, 15-16, 16-17, 19-21 days, with
the accuracy indicated). “There were two records where loss of the replace-
ment in turn led to further repeat clutches (loss of repeat clutch of four
followed in not less than 17 days by first of two eggs of third set; in the other
case loss of repeat clutch of two followed in 6-11 days by one egg, loss in turn
and followed by first of two eggs of the fourth set in 10-11 days). The max-
imum number of eggs laid in any one nest in any one of the three seasons 1958,
218 Tue CaNnapIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
1959 and 1960 was 11 eggs. Replacement clutches in Phalacrocorax aristotelis
are discussed by Snow (1960) who records an interval of 21 and one of 22 days
between loss of the original and commencement of the repeat clutch.
Incubation period
Incubation commences with the first egg, though the birds do not sit
closely at first. Laying-hatching intervals for 55 eggs are assembled in Table 3.
Laying and hatching were each known to the nearest day, assuming that the
egos hatched in the order laid.
TABLE 3. — Laying-hatching intervals in Double-crested Cormorant. Position in clutch
indicated.
A B Cc D E
25 days 1
26 days 3
27 days 5 2 ?
28 days 1 6 4 1
29 days 5 6 4
30 days 4 1 1 1
31 days 4 1 {
32 days 1
33 days 1
Total eggs 15 19 16 4 1
Mean (days) 29.9 - 28.4 27.9
The material for the first three eggs in the clutch is large enough to allow
a comparison, and leads to the conclusion that incubation becomes fully
effective with the second egg, or shortly thereafter. (Throughout this paper
position in the clutch is indicated by calling the eggs A, B, C, etc., in the order
laid.) B eggs in 3-clutches hatched in the same interval as those in 4-clutches
(5 and 10 records respectively), so our material does not indicate that the
onset of effective incubation is delayed in the larger clutch. The incubation
period for the Double-crest can therefore be considered as 28 days (mean of
40 eggs, from second to fifth in the clutch, with a range of 25-33 days).
Kendeigh (1952:182) quotes Mendall and Lewis that incubation in this species
lasts 24-25 days, but without definitions this figure cannot be compared with
ours.
Fledging period
Precise data are lacking, but the following outline can be offered: after the
third week short excursions beyond the nest rim are undertaken, and visits are
paid to other nests at the close of the fourth and beginning of the fifth weeks.
In the fifth-sixth weeks short flights about the colony are attempted. During
the sixth-seventh weeks, when the juvenal plumage is almost complete, the
chicks start to bathe and swim by their own choice, and gradually leave the
colony to take up an independent life.
1964 DrentT, VAN Tets, TompaA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 219
For the related Phalacrocorax carbo, studied at tree-nesting colonies,
Kortlandt (1942) states that the young fly out at seven weeks and become
independent at 12-13 weeks of age.
Survival of eggs and young
TABLE 4, — Survival of eggs and young in Double-crested Cormorant
chicks young fledged
nests CIC Sats | ie
Year total total
per nest} total | %eggs|per nest] total |% chicks) per nest
1958 34 126 Bill 85 67% PPA) 80 94% 2.4
1959 SVR 147 4.6 80 54% DS) 77 96% 2.4
Both 66 273 4.1 165 60% Zid 157 95% 2.4
TABLE 5. — Causes of egg failure, Double-crested Cormorant
Predated Addled
1958 11 eggs, 9% eggs laid 30 eggs, 24% eggs laid
1959 41 eggs, 28% eggs laid 26 eggs, 18% eggs laid
Hatching success was 60 per cent in 1958-59, the balance of the eggs laid
being either lost through predation, or failing to hatch. The latter are
grouped as “addled eggs”, and owe their failure to infertility or embryonic
death. Addled eggs made up 56 of the total 273 eggs laid in both seasons,
i.e., 21 per cent. This compares with 201 out of 921, ie., 22 per cent, in
Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Snow, 1960, calculated from her Table 8).
Loss from hatching to nest departure is low — in 1958 and 59 only 5 per
cent of the chicks were lost — so that on Mandarte Island the most important
single factor influencing fledging rate in the study period was egg predation.
Ege predation is principally accounted for by the Northwestern Crow, which
nests on the island and constantly patrols the cormorant colonies to scavenge
for fish scraps. [hese crows are always ready to seize eggs and small young
when this opportunity arises. As an example of their destructive capacity,
consider a 45-minute banding operation among about 120 nests of the Double-
crest (July 8, 1960), when crows were quick to take advantage of the tem-
porary absence of adults from the nest as the two banders moved along the
cliff. An observer kept close watch meanwhile and observed 25 eggs and
eight newly hatched young carried off by crows; loss by gulls was nil. The
principal opportunities offered the crows in natural circumstances are the
moments of nest relief (see Drent and Guiguet 1961: Figure 55) and colony
panics. Most ‘natural’ egg loss in the Double-crest probably occurs in the
panics caused by the Bald Eagle. The Bald Eagle is a common nesting bird in
220 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
the area, and its frequent flights over the island may reflect only the use of
updraughts from the cliffs to ease flight. We have never observed eagles to
take birds at Mandarte. In any case, a direct flight over the cliffs puts the
cormorants and gulls into the air at once, and crows (also gulls, but to a lesser
extent) raid the unguarded nests. Bald Eagles inflict the most damage in this
indirect way early in the season, when the cormorants are easily frightened.
As time goes by the cormorants become less susceptible to disturbance, and
moreover the frequency of eagle visitation declines. In the 1959 season the
number of days on which eagles caused panics was 13 for May, 6 for June, and
2 for July; in 1960 the figures were 12, 7 and 4. The decline in visitation
presumably reflects the shift of the eagles to the rivers when the salmon run
begins.
The Double-crest is adapted to withstand considerable egg predation, as
could be deduced from its increase on the B. C. coast in the face of constant
presence of the Northwestern Crow. Comparison of the 1958 and 1959
figures demonstrates that the trebled egg predation in the latter season (reach-
ing some 30 per cent of all eggs laid) was compensated for by replacement
laying, such that the number of young fledged per nest remained constant.
In 1960 (sample of 25 nests, followed by F. Tompa) egg predation again in-
creased, but this time exceeded the ability of the cormorants to make good
their loss by heightened laying. Predation eliminated some 60 per cent of
all eggs laid (72 of 119), yet the number laid per nest was scarcely higher than
in the previous season — 4.8 versus 4.6 respectively. These figures suggest that
replacement laying was already maximum in 1959, such that egg predation in
excess of 30 per cent surpasses the safety margin and will cause a decline in the
number of young hatched per nest, and thus a decline in fledging rate.
Visitors to the island are a threat to cormorants in the egg stage, as the
adults are invariably put off the nest, exposing the contents to the crows.
When present on the island we were able to prevent such episodes, and it is
significant that of the 48 eggs lost through predation in the 1960 sample, 29,
i.e., 60 per cent, disappeared whilst we were absent on our weekly supply
trips. We suspect that incautious visitors were responsible for the excessive
egg mortality in that season.
Comparable figures on egg and chick survival from the literature on cor-
morants are those of Kortlandt (1942) for Phalacrocorax carbo in the Nether-
lands and those of Snow (1960) on P. aristotelis at Lundy. Kortlandt supplies
figures for the number of young reaching flying age in high tree nests at
Lekkerkerk in five seasons. In total, 211 young were raised in 119 nests for
a mean of 1.8, but Kortlandt thinks that the Dutch average normally lies at
about 1.25. Egg laying and hatching success were not treated.
Snow’s data on the Shag extend over four seasons (294 nests in all).
Hatching success varied from 60 to 73 per cent, fledging success from 67 to
95 per cent, normally lying at about 90 per cent and the mean number of
fledged young per nest ranged from 1.3 to 2.3. Hatching and fledging success
are thus closely similar to the Double-crest on Mandarte in the 1958 and 1959
1964 DrenT, vAN TEts, TomMpA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE DT
seasons, but as the Double-crest has a larger clutch on the average, the pair
raises more young per season.
2. Phalacrocorax pelagicus, PELAGIC CoRMORANT
Census and distribution
There are only five accurate estimates, based on nest counts, available for
the Mandarte colony (see Drent and Guiguet 1961:40).
{005 = ¢ (25 pair
1936 164 occupied nests
1958 339 nests tallied
1959 357 nests tallied, total 370-380
Originally this species was restricted to the highest (and steepest) portion
of the cliffside at the north end of the island, but it now nests throughout the
length of the southwest side, as indicated in Figure 2C. The increase of the
Pelagic Cormorant at Mandarte is part of a general increase in southern British
Columbia (Drent and Guiguet 1961:120). When the study began in 1957 a
group of about 40 pairs nested on South Islet, but this site was heavily disturbed
and no cormorants have nested there since.
Nesting habitat
The Pelagic Cormorant nests on narrow ledges and brackets on the more
precipitous portions of the cliff. At several points the recesses and crannies
utilized suggest miniature caves, where the young are raised in partial obscurity.
The distinction in nesting requirements between Double-crest and Pelagic is
illustrated in Figure 3.
Methods for gathering nesting data
The remarks under Double-crest apply here also. In 1957 the South Islet
subcolony was visited by night almost daily, when the 37 nests could be
checked without risk of predation. The resulting disturbance was severe,
however, so in later seasons observations were limited to telescope work from
permanent blinds. The nesting habitat of this species at Mandarte limits such
work, though, so the data are less extensive than those for the Double-crest.
Laying season
Laying commences in the end of May (May 16, 1957; May 27, 1959) and
most first clutches are started before the middle of June, as shown in Figure 5
for the 1957, 58, and 59 seasons. Replacement clutches may occur through an
additional one and one-half months (fresh August 4, 1958). At Race Rocks,
B.C., (48° 18’ N, 123° 32’ W) in 1958 G. C. Odlum (BCNRS) noted the first
eggs on May 26, and recorded 14 of the total 27 clutches as being started in
the second week of June.
Clutch size and egg replacement
Modal clutch size for 56 clutches in the fourth week of June (1957 and
1958) was four, and the maximum six. If the entire clutch is lost a replacement
clutch may appear, as in the Double-crest and the Shag (Snow, 1960). Of 28
222 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
nests of the Pelagic Cormorant where the original clutch was lost, the follow-
ing number of eggs appeared:
0 eggs 10 nests
1 egg 13 nests
2 eggs 4 nests
3 eggs 1 nest
The maximum number of eggs laid in any one nest in the course of the
season was seven, i.e., there are no records of more than one replacement clutch
appearing.
Incubation period
Incubation periods of marked eggs were determined in 1957, and there are
21 records where the events of laying and hatching (i.e. young free of shell)
are each known to the nearest day.
TABLE 6. — Laying-hatching intervals in Pelagic Cormorant Position
in clutch indicated
A B C D
28 days 1
29 days 2
30 days 1 2 1
31 days 6 2
32 days 1 3 1 1
Mean for the 20 B, C, and D eggs is 30.7 days, and assuming that incubation
becomes effective with the laying of the second or third egg as in the Double-
crest, 31 days can serve as a provisional figure for the incubation period in the
Pelagic Cormorant. No critical figures are known to us from the literature.
For comparison, the following figures for Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Snow,
1960) may be cited. Seven eggs second or third in the clutch hatched in 30
or 31 days, and eight eggs first in the clutch in 32-35 days.
Fledging period
The chicks in some nests could be followed through to the close of the
season, aS Owing to the nesting habitat banding did not cause such a severe
shuffing of young as in the Double-crest. Age at nest departure was accur-
ately ascertained for seven young in six different nests (1957, 1958, 1959) -as
follows: 42, 44, 48, 48, 49-51, 50-52, 50-51 days of age. The data are few as
most of the chicks of known age had not left the nest at the close of observation.
The maximum recorded for a young still in the nest was 58 days. Thus the
only conclusion to be drawn from our figures is that nest departure begins at
40-50 days of age. Swartz and Cox (in press) report one fledgling Pelagic
Cormorant leaving the nest at 53-56 days, another at 56-60 days of age. At
what age the young finally become independent was not determined. For
comparison Snow (1960) found Phalacrocorax aristotelis young to leave the
nest at 48-58 days of age, with a mean of 53 days for 35 observations.
223
MANDARTE
Drent, VAN Tets, Tompa AND VERMEER:
1964
Se
Ane
SOLE
INVYOWHOD DIOVIFd “LNAIWFONAWWOD HOLNTI
S Oe Gz TOS. LING OL S Of "Ge AVW
ABW Ul SUO]{BAJaSqO ON
8961
G Ob G25 OC ee RANT OL aS OE GZ AWW
o
sayainjo jo seaqunu
Clutch commencement of the Pelagic Cormorant on Mandarte Island.
Ficure 5.
224 Tue CANnapIAN FIELp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Survival of eggs and young
TABLE 7. — Survival of eggs and young in the Pelagic Cormorant
chicks young fledged
Year rete el per nest =
total | % eggs | per nest] total |% chicks} per nest
1957 37 141 3.8 70 50% 1.9 — = =
1958 iY —_ — 43 — 2.5 34 19% eX)
1959 22 ~— —_ 58 —_ 2.6 43 74% 2.0
The 1957 data stem from the South Islet sub-colony visited by night, where
loss of young after hatching was unusually heavy and hence is not entered
here. For this season the causes of egg failure can be broken down as follows:
45 eggs predated, 32% eggs laid
26 eggs addled, 18% eggs laid
The 1958 and 1959 data derive from nests observed by telescope from the
north blind, and though the fate of the eggs could not be followed satisfactorily,
figures from hatching onwards were obtained.
The rather small material shows no striking difference from the Double-
crest, but it does seem that the Pelagic is unable to lay as many eggs under
similar predation pressure. The Pelagic Cormorant produces about the same
number of young fledged per nest as the Shag (Snow, 1960: figures cited under
Double-crest) though it starts with a larger clutch, the higher predation at
Mandarte eliminating the difference.
3. Haematopus bachmani, BLack OysTERCATCHER
Census and distribution ;
A photograph of a nest with eggs taken in May 1896 by Dawson (Dawson
and Bowles, 1909) furnishes the earliest breeding evidence for Mandarte.
Eggs in the Provincial Museum collections were taken June 24, 1908 and June
10 and 16, 1910. Thereafter records are scant, and the oystercatcher was
apparently absent from the island for a number of years. Anderson (1916),
warden on the island in 1915, wrote “the rare Black or Bachman’s Oyster-
catcher, in former years plentiful, has disappeared”. Munro makes no mention
of oystercatchers in the accounts of his visits in 1921, 1923, 1927, and 1936
(Munro, 1925, 1929, 1937). The first positive record after 1910 was furnished
by Mr. A. L. Meugens of New Westminster, who photographed a nest with
2 eggs May 25 and 27, 1945.
In our period on the island, two pair have nested every season, one on the
northeast shore north of camp (1957-1961) the other on South Islet 1957-1959,
and the south end of Mandarte 1960-1961. The adults were not banded, so it
is not known if the same individuals were involved each season. Other nesting
sites of the Black Oystercatcher in the area are Imrie Island (eggs 1958, 1959,
ie
1964 Drent, vAN Tets, Tompa AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 225
Figure 6. Double-crested Cormorant, the northern sub-colony, also shown on Fig. 3 at B.
Ficure 7. Incubating Double-crested Cormorant, note bulky stick nest.
Figure 8. Typical Glaucous-winged Gull nesting habitat at Mandarte Island: an open
grassy slope.
Figure 9. Nest of the Glaucous-winged Gull with full clutch of three.
nN
nN
6 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
-47 Race Rocks
We 1956—60
U4 Mandarte
n= 8) 1957-61
no. of clutches
CLUTCH COMMENCEMENT, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER
Ficure 10. Clutch commencement of the Black Oystercatcher on the south coast of
British Columbia.
1960, pair present 1961, chick 1962) and Halibut Island (eggs 1960 and 1961,
not observed on that island previously). Observations at all these sites are
included here. = si
Nestin g habitat
Eggs were laid in nest-bowls lined with flattened stone chips, shells, bar-
nacle fragments, etc., in three situations: (1) gravelly beach, (2) bracket in
rock of beach cliff, (3) earth depression at brow of cliff. None of the sites
were far from high water mark. The first type (Figure 14) was that used by
the birds on Halibut, Imrie, and the south end of Mandarte, where the eggs
were surprisingly difficult to locate against the pale substrate, predominantly
crushed barnacles. As for the second type, the camp pair on Mandarte used
the same two rock brackets (Figure 11), 2 meters above high water mark and
within 6 meters of each other, in the four seasons 1958-1961 when eggs were
found. If the first clutch was destroyed renesting occured in the alternate
site. Faithfulness to the nest-site is a documented feature of Haematopus
ostralegus (Jungfer, 1954), so that the conservatism of the Mandarte birds is
easily explicable by assuming that the same individuals were involved. The
third type, the earth depression site, was recorded once for a replacement clutch
on South Islet (1958). The three sites in our area correspond to Dawson’s
descriptions for the species (see Webster 1941) with the exception that we
have not seen the grass or dried moss type he mentions.
Methods of gathering nesting data
_ Our material is scant, as only the camp pair could be regularly watched
(daily checks 1958, 1959, 1960). Some data are available from South Islet,
Imrie, and Halibut, but this section could not have been attempted without the
painstaking observations of G. C. Odlum, Lightkeeper at Great Race Rock
(48° 18’ N, 123° 32’ W) who contributed data on four to six nests annually
1956-1960 for a total of 25 nests (BCNRS files). Incubation periods deter-
mined by W. Milne, Lightkeeper at Ivory Island, have also been included.
1964 DrRENT, VAN Tets, TompaA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE ui
Laying season
Figure 10 shows ae of commencement of 25 first clutches, eight on
Mandarte 1956-61, 17 on Race Rocks 1956-1960. It will be seen that laying
extends through May, with a peak in the third week. Dates for five known
replacement clutches were June 18, 1960 (Race Rocks); two on about June 10,
1958; one June 15, 1959; and one hoeweon July 4 and 5, 1959; the latter four on
Mandarte. For the Sitka region of Southeastern Alaska Webster (1941) re-
corded a full clutch (4 eggs) on May 9, and a hatching egg August 6 or 7, as
extremes in his 1940 study, indicating a spread of dates similar to our area.
Clutch size and egg replacement
The available figures for first clutches at Race Rocks, Mandarte, Halibut,
and Imrie, 1956-1961, are listed below.
TABLE 8. — Clutch size of the Black Oystercatcher, British Columbia
south coast.
Race Rocks Elsewhere Total
Three eggs 12 5 17
Two eggs 7 3 10
One egg 1 1
The 28 clutches give a mean of 2.6. Webster (1941) reported a mean of
2.7 for the Sitka area, based on 13 first clutches in 1940: 5 of two, 7 of three,
and 1 of four eggs.
The Black Oystercatcher reacts to total clutch destruction by laying a
replacement clutch; five cases, 2 of two eggs, 3 of one, are available in our
records. In one case the interval from loss to commencement of the replace-
ment clutch was 15-18 days, in another 9-17. Of special interest is the Man-
darte camp nest in 1959. The original clutch of three was gradually lost to
crow predation, the last egg disappearing between June 1 and 3. On June 15
the first egg, and on June 17 the second, of the replacement clutch appeared,
the interval thus being 12-14 days. ‘This set was lost in turn June 24-27, and
on July 4 or 5 the single egg of the third set was laid, (thus after a 7-11 day
interval), hatching successfully on July 30.
Webster (1941) reported clutch size of three second sets as 2 of two eggs
and 1 of one.
Incubation period
Table 9. — Laying-hatching intervals (days) in Black Oystercatcher
Egg Clutches of two Clutches of three
A 26, 28, 29, 29, 30, 32 27-28, 28, 30
B 25-26, 26, 26, 27, 27 25-26, 27, 28, 28
ce — 25-26, 26, 27, 27
228 Tue CaNapIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Viol 77s
Table 9 assembles the data on 22 eggs from the various British Columbia
sites mentioned. Incubation period of the Black Oystercatcher (i.e. the inter-
val from laying of last egg of the clutch until the chick from that egg is free
from the shell) can be stated as 26-27 days, with the possibility that it is some-
times as short as 25 days. More data are needed to bear out the suspicion that
effective incubation commences somewhat later in 3-clutches than in 2-clutches
(note the 28 day periods for B eggs in the former).
Webster (1941) gave four observations of incubation period as follows:
27, not over 26, 26-27, and 27-30 days. These were calculated from laying of
the last egg (Webster, in litt. July 12, 1961) and thus comparable to our figure
of 26-27 days.
Fledging and departure from nesting islet
Scattered observations were made on banded young of known age on
Mandarte. One individual could fly strongly by 47 days of age, but the true
fledging period is doubtless shorter than this. Webster (1942) indicates that
fledging takes place shortly after five weeks of age.
The young we observed remained with their parents on Mandarte to the
close of observation. Last dates of sighting follow: two families in 1957:
September 1, one young 78 days old, September 2, two young about 70 days
old; two families in 1960: August 22, one young about 70 days old, August 23,
one young 75 days old. The two colour-banded young on Imrie Island were
still on the islet with their parents on our last visit August 8, 1960, at about 50
days of age. For comparison, Webster (1941) observed two young two miles
from the nest at 57 days of age, but they were still accompanied by their
parents. These juveniles joined the local flock by the age of 67 days, but
were still being fed by their parents. These notes underline the need of pre-
cise observation to determine age at fledging, departure from nesting islet, and
independence.
Survival of eggs and young
The Race Rocks data (1956-60) yield hatching figures for 16 nests. Of
the 38 eggs laid, 27 hatched (71%), the remaining 11 being accounted for as
follows: six were lost in a storm, three disappeared, and two were addled.
Hatching success on Mandarte was unreasonably low because of constant crow
predation, increased by our frequent disturbance of the sitting birds when we
moved about the island (19 eggs laid yielding five chicks, or 26 per cent hatch-
ing success).
Fledging data are available from observation of banded chicks on Man-
darte (two pair for four seasons), Imrie and Halibut (one pair for one season
each). In ten pair-seasons seven young were raised to an age of 50 days or
older; thus each pair would produce 0.7 young per season on average. This
is doubtless under the natural production in the area, as we consider crow
predation on Mandarte abnormally high — in four pair-seasons here all eggs
were lost to crows, so that no young were raised. Nevertheless our figure is
considerably higher than that reported by Webster (1941) for the Siska
region in 1940, where 24 pairs raised 10 young to fledging.
1964 DreEnT, VAN Tets, Tompa AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 229
Ficure 11. Nesting habitat of Black Oystercatcher on ROTEHe ASG beach of Mandarte Island
(water’s edge at bottom of figure). Arrow points to nest site.
Figure 12. The stone chip nest of the Black Oystercatcher of Figure 11.
Figure 13. Crow-pecked eggs, with a whole egg for comparison, of (A) Pigeon Guillemot,
(B) Glaucous-winged Gull, (C) Cormorant spp.
Ficure 14. Nesting habitat of Black Oystercatcher on Halibut Island: the nest was located
at edge of beach debris in the centre.
230 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
Boyd (1962) has summarized production statistics for the European
Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) from three studies, carried out in
Wales, Germany, and Finland. In these three areas the number of eggs laid
per female per season (as estimated by clutch size) was about 2.67, 3.01, and
2.88 respectively, hatching success 66%, 79°% and 92°% and success from hatch-
ing to fledging 75%, 05%, and 78%. In these three areas, therefore, a pair
raised 1.3, 0.1, and 2.1 young to fledging on the average. Certainly part of this
discrepancy can be accounted for by paucity of the data on fledging, but it
does seem that success varies enormously between different areas.
4. Larus glaucescens, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL
Census and distribution
Available counts of the Mandarte colony (main island alone) run as
follows (see Drent and Guiguet 1961: 57-59):
1915 450 pair, incorrectly given as 225 in the above
1921 350 pair
1923 600 pair
1927 1000 pair, a questionable estimate
1936 534 nests, a total count
1955 1500 pair
1957-61 1800-2000 pair
1962 2100 see Figure 2B, census area is 28% of occupied
nesting grounds, assuming equal density total
for Mandarte 2000, with an additional 100 on
South Islet.
At present the Glaucous-wing nests in all open areas on Mandarte, and in
addition a couple of pair nest on North Rock and about 100 pair on South
Islet. The spectacular increase of this species on Mandarte is part of a general
increase on the inner south coast of the Province (Drent and Guiguet 1961:
120). Protection and the increasing supply of food made available by man
(especially refuse in nearby cities and harbours) are believed responsible.
Nesting habitat
All the less precipitous open areas of the island are utilized. “The majority
nest in the uneven grassy areas (Figure 8), and nests are regularly built in the
brush fringe wherever the birds can penetrate by a sort of run-way. In
addition, the Glaucous-wing nests at many points along the cliffy southwest
shore, where its minimal requirements are intermediate between those of the
Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorant. Young are successfully raised on
rather narrow ledges and other precarious places, so that this species, like the
Herring Gull (Goethe, 1960) can exploit a wide range of nesting sites.
Methods of gathering nesting data
In 1957 and 1958 nest recording on a large scale throughout the northeast
side of the island was carried out by van Tets and his assistants (J. Takacs,
D. M. Kennedy, and S. Shearman). About 1000 nests were recorded each
season, and each was visited about every 2-3 days. The 1957 material forms
1964 DreENT, VAN Tets, Tompa AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 231
the basis for the census but has not been further used; the 1958 cards were
analysed by D. Kennedy. In 1959 and 1960 effort was limited to the ‘gull plot’,
an isolated unit of the colony bordered by beach and a dense growth of
shrubbery, situated immediately south of camp and containing approximately
100 pair. In 1961 nest checks were made in several meadows on the northeast
side, including the plot. In 1962 all meadows on the northeast side north of
camp (489 pair in all) were checked.
In the first years all nests in the study area were marked by afhxing
numbered tin tags to nearby vegetation, a means not altogether satisfactory
and replaced by wooden stakes in 1961. The nests were then checked as fre-
quently as our other work permitted (GvT in 1959, 65 of 66 days in the laying-
hatching period; RD in 1960, 41 of the 56 days in the laying-hatching period
and 19 of 43 days thereafter; KV in 1961 and 1962, thrice daily in the laying-
hatching period, daily thereafter). Record cards were completed for all nests
in which eggs were found. The eggs were marked as they appeared with nest
number and A, B, C successively, in India ink. The patrols on the plot in
1959-1960 required 1-14 hours during laying, 1%-2% during hatching, and
1 hour or less thereafter. In 1961 and 1962 with more meadows being checked
the patrols lasted from 3 hours up to about 5 hours on busy days.
In 1959 the young were marked upon hatching by affixing poultry wing
clips to the patagium, but the method proved unacceptable as it was not always
possible to remove the marks without damage later on. In 1960 the young
were marked upon hatching with legbands of coloured binders’ tape, one
combination for each brood. The age of the chicks could thus later be deter-
mined within the range of hatching dates of the brood (in most cases to within
two days). When the chicks were sufficiently grown (15-30 days) these
provisional marks were replaced with the standard aluminum rings supplied by
the Canadian Wildlife Service. ‘The checks were continued to the close of the
season, and as many young as could be found in a careful search once over the
terrain, recorded. The main weakness of the method was the impossibility of
checking the young when they started to fly. In 1961 and 1962 the young
received individual combinations of binders’ tape, later replaced with individual
colour combinations of plastic legbands in addition to the standard aluminum
rings, allowing recognition from afar. By repeated checks with binoculars
from blinds or shrubbery the fate of the young could be accurately followed
to the close of the season.
Laying season
The first eggs appear on the island in the beginning of May, and in normal
years the majority of clutches laid in the last week of June or later are replace-
ments. Clutch commencement dates for the last four seasons have been plotted
in Figure 15. Earliest dates of the four seasons were May 15, 20, 15 and 4,
and laying was heaviest in the last week of May and the first two weeks of
June. Taking the four seasons together, the central 80 per cent of the 934 first
clutches were commenced in this three week period. The latest date for a
clutch which resulted in fledged young was June 14, 1960; June 13, 1961; and
June 30, 1962.
232
Clutch size and egg replacement
THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
The normal first clutch for the Glaucous-wing is three, but smaller
clutches do appear.
It is impossible to be certain that an apparent clutch of
two or one is not caused by predation etc., but we believe the following figures _
are representative for first clutches.
TABLE 10. — Clutch size of the Glaucous-winged Gull on Mandarte Island
1959 1960 1961 1962 all years
Clutch size, three 65 65 77 400 607
two 17 21 15 71 124
one 9 5 5 8 27
Total clutches 91 91 97 479 758
Mean clutch 2.61 2.66 2.74 2.82 Dit
There is critical evidence for Larus argentatus and L. fuscus (Paludan,
1951) and L. ridibundus (Weidmann, 1956) that loss of eggs as they are laid
causes protracted laying, i.e. the birds are indeterminate layers. Contrary
results with L. argentatus (Davis, 1942) and L. californicus (Behle and Goates,
1958) are not supported by critical evidence. Besides this mechanism, loss of
the entire clutch after brooding sufficient to suppress the fourth follicle has
gone on, results in a replacement clutch (in L. argentatus and L. fuscus in 11-12
days, in L. ridibundus in about the same period).
Our observations on the Glaucous-wing indicate a similar response to egg
loss. ‘There are three records of protracted laying under natural circumstances,
where loss of one of the original three eggs during the laying period led to the
laying of a fourth egg, bringing the set up to three again. “The most precise
records are: no. 535, C egg laid June 2, lost June 2 or 3, D egg laid June 4;
no. 571, A egg laid June 6, lost June 6 or 7, B, C, D followed on June 8, 10
and 14.
There are a number of records of replacement clutches, including four
that appeared after the chicks were lost. In the first years none of the adults
involved were marked, but in 1961 three indisputable records with colour-
ringed pairs were obtained. Records for the interval from loss of the original
clutch of three (when the nest was empty) to appearance of the first egg of
the replacement clutch are six cases of 11 days, five of 12 days, one of 13* days,
13-14 days, 15* days, 16* days, and 17 days. (* denotes marked birds). ‘These
16 cases give a mean of 12.5 days, which conforms to the interval found in other
gulls (see above). Clutch size for 22 replacement clutches runs as follows:
10 cases of three, 9 of two, and 3 of one egg.
Incubation period
In the Glaucous-wing, the A egg hatches 1.7 days before the C egg on the
average (49 observations), the B egg 0.9 days (45 observations), although they
have been in the nest respectively four and two days before the C egg has been
1964 DreENT, VAN Tets, TomMpA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 233
_5 10 MAY 20 25 30 5 10 NE 20 25 30 5 10 JULY
5 _ 10 MAY 20 | 25 30 5 10 JUNE 20 2 30 5 10 JULY
number of clutches
5 10 MAY 20 25 5.10 JUNE 20 25 30 5 10 UY
HHHAHH AF]
CLUTCH COMMENCEMENT, GLAUCOUS-—WINGED GULL
D first clutch m replacement
Figure 15. Clutch commencement of the Glaucous-winged Gull on Mandarte Island.
234 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
laid. Thus, as in other gulls (see Paludan, 1951; Barth, 1955, Ytreberg, 1958;
Beer, 1962) incubation only gradually becomes fully effective, the first two
eges undergoing little development before clutch completion. Incubation
period is best considered as the period between laying and hatching (i.e. young
free of the shell) of the C egg. Sixty-seven records are available from marked
C eggs in normal first clutches where both events were known to the nearest
day, as set out below for a mean of 27.1 days.
TABLE 11. — Laying-hatching interval of C egg,
Glaucous-winged Gull
26 days 17 eggs
27 days 31 eggs
28 days 17 eggs
29 days 2 eggs
Previous figures for incubation period in this species have been inadequately
defined, and all lie below our values (Anderson, 1916: 24-25 days; Schultz,
1951: 23 days or less; James-Veitch and Booth, 1954: 23 days average, range
19-30 !).
Fledging period and colony departure
The age at first strong flight, strictly the fledging period to follow Moreau
(1946), is distinct from the age at colony departure. The former was estimated —
as follows. When the observer enters the gull meadow the nearest adults take
flight and settle on the water, and the chicks, depending on their age, either
crouch in the cover or fly off to join the adults on the water. In 1960 the last
age at which 39 chicks believed to have left the island successfully were found
ashore averaged 40 days, with a range from 31 to 52. Doubtless some chicks
avoided detection ashore beyond the last observation, but on the other hand
some individuals though definitely capable of flight preferred to remain ashore
in their habitual hiding place. We feel our mean figure of 40 days to be a
useful approximation of the fledging period. Schultz (1952) reported that
young Glaucous-wings attempt to fly at five weeks of age if disturbed, and can
fly well by 45 days, conclusions with which our figures agree. James-Veitch
and Booth (1954) give the average age at independent flight for 10 young as
46.5 days. A mean figure of 43 days was derived for the Herring Gull by
Paynter (1949) from the same sort of data as ours.
The food available to the gulls along Mandarte’s beaches is rather limited,
and when the young begin to feed themselves they are forced to leave the
island. It is possible that some of them utilize nearby food sources (e.g. Sidney
Spit) foraging at low water and returning at first to roost at the colony. It is
our impression, however, that in most cases once the juveniles leave the island
they do not return, but gradually disperse to areas where food is readily avail-
able. One of these areas is Vancouver, 42 miles (68 km.) to the north, where
sewage and garbage attract large numbers of gulls. Fortunately for us Mr.
R. F. Oldaker has for some years been carrying out telescope observations in
1964 DreENT, VAN Tets, TompA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 239
Vancouver as part of the plumage and movements study organised by Mrs.
Z. M. Schultz. By reading the band numbers Oldaker identified five of the
juveniles from the study plot in 1960.
TABLE 12. — Mandarte Glaucous-winged Gulls sighted at the Vancouver city dump in 1960
Last seen Mandarte First seen Vancouver
Band no. Nest (2)
Date Age Date Age
577-20205 923 29 July 40 days 12 August 54 days
577-20216 923 27 July 38 days 12 August 54 days
577-20212 940 29 July 31-35 29 August 62-66 days
577-20237 986 3 August SW 8 September | 67-68 days
577—20210 920 6 August 45 days 26 September 96 days
The two young from nest 923 (the third chick died in pipping) supply the
most precise figures, being last handled ashore on the plot at 40 and 38 days old.
It is not known how much longer these birds stayed at Mandarte, as we could
expect them to take flight at the observer’s approach beyond this age. Two
weeks later, however, the birds were seen together (now 54 days old) foraging
on the city dump in Vancouver, where the first of the season’s juveniles was
sighted August 8 (Oldaker). The fact that they were still together points to
a strong bond between the siblings in this family, as occurs from time to time
in the Herring Gull (Drost, 1951; Goethe 1955).
Indirect evidence on the age at colony departure is given by the age at
which healthy young capable of flight were last seen on Mandarte. In 1960
four birds whose colour-marks were accidentally not replaced with aluminum
rings were still seen on the plot at 53, 53, 53, and 60 days of age. For 1961 a
considerable material is available based on colour-ringed young. There were
no cases of departure before August 16, but there are 38 last sightings over the
period August 20-28, ranging from 48-65 days old, with a mean of 56, the age
at presumed departure. Some individuals probably escaped notice on days
after their “last sighting”, and that this figure is somewhat too low is shown by
the ages of the 97 birds still present on the island the last two days of observa-
tion, August 29 and 30. The ages here ranged from 46-67 days, with a mean
of 56, i.e. identical to the group presumed seen on their last day on the island.
We conclude that young Glaucous-wings begin to leave the colony at
about 50 days of age, that most are gone by 60 days, and a few may remain
until 70 days or older. Schultz (1952) found extensive flights with adults to
occur at the end of the seventh week, and a gradual dispersal from the breeding
colonies after the eighth week; again our figures are in substantial agreement.
Herring Gull juveniles at typical colonies leave at about the same age (Goethe,
1955, 1956), as contrasted to the much longer periods at the Wilhelmshaven
colony studied by Drost (1951, 1952), where ample food is available nearby
the year round.
236 THe CaNnapiANn FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
TaBLE 13.— Last sightings of Glaucous-winged Gull young on Mandarte Island in 1961
(see text).
Age 20-28 August group 29-30 August group
45-49 days 3 9
50-54 days 13 32
55-59 days 16 37
60-64 days 5 15
65-69 days 1 4
total 38 97
mean age 55.7 days 55.5 days
range 48-65 days 46-67 days
Survival of eggs and young
TaBLeE 14. — Glaucous-winged Gull
Eggs laid Chicks hatched Young Fledged
Y Total
ear
nests
Total |Pernest| Total | Per nest} % eggs | Total | Per nest |% chicks
1958 860 2232 2.6 1280 eS) 57% 780 0.9 61%
1959 92 244 DO 156 1.7 64% — — —
1960 87 225 2.6 150 il 7 67% 47 0.5 SG,
1961 97 266 Deel, 188 1.9 71% 95 1.0 51%
Figures from hatching success were obtained in four seasons, and show
good agreement. Taking the four seasons together, 2967 eggs were laid in
1136 nests, from which 1774 chicks hatched, for an average hatching rate of
60 per cent. A break-down of egg loss is available for two seasons.
TABLE 15. — Analysis of failure to hatch, Glaucous-winged Gull
1959 1961
Addled 31 eggs 13% eggs laid 48 eggs 18% eggs laid
Disappeared 51 eggs 21% eggs laid 24 eggs 9% eggs laid
Died in pipping 6 eggs 2% eggs laid 6 eggs 2% eggs laid
The main cause for disappearance is crow predation, some eggs are taken by
gulls, rolled out of the nest, crushed, etc. The figures suggest that the varia-
tion in hatching success in the various seasons may reflect varying predation (to
some extent influenced by technique of the observer).
Fledging rate was determined in three seasons, but it must be emphasized
that the methods differed. The 1958 data are based on the number of young
1964 DreENT, VAN TeETs, TompA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 237
banded in the part of the island covered in the nest records. Every effort was
made to cover the area thoroughly, and we made the practise of removing
bands from any dead recovered on the island, and using these bands again.
Therefore, the banding total should approximate the number of juveniles that
reach flying age. The mortality between banding and flight is not extreme
in any case; in 1960, eight of 59 or 16 per cent of the chicks banded on the
study plot subsequently were found dead on the island. Applying this rate to
the 1958 figures, the minimal fledging rate would be 0.8 young per nest. The
rate of 0.9 given above is probably closer to the truth, however, because of our
checks for dead juveniles, and the fact that some chicks must have been missed
in the banding.
In 1960 a young was considered successfully fledged if seen in good health
30 days of age or older. This limit was chosen as some birds started to fly at
this age. In total, 97 nests where eggs appeared were located on the plot; 87
of these gave reliable hatching data and were followed through to fledging. A
check on these figures is provided by considering all the young fledged on the
plot (55) versus the total number of nests (97), or a mean of 0.6 young fledged
er nest.
? The 1961 data are certainly the most precise, the number of young fledged
being those still alive at 42 days of age. Mortality of the chicks is set out
below.
‘TABLE 16. — Mortality of Glaucous-winged Gull chicks, 97 nests in 1961. N.B. young begin
to leave colony after seventh week.
Age Total dead Missing Found dead
First week 53 26 27
Second week 17 3 14
Third week 9 D 7
Fourth week 7 2 5
Fifth week 3 2 1
Sixth week 1 0 1
*Seventh week 2 0 2
Eighth week 0
Ninth week 0
Tenth week 1 0) 1
Totals 93 35 58
The high number of chicks entered as ‘missing’ in the first week is explained by
their disappearance through predation, and to a minor extent by our failure to
find the small carcases in the high grass.
Mortality is concentrated in the first days, as Paynter (1949) and Paludan
(1951) found in Larus argentatus. In the Glaucous-wing practically 80 per
cent of the deaths up to 49 days of age (when the young begin to leave the
colony) occur in the first two weeks. No less than 28 per cent of all chicks
hatched died in their first week. The chief death cause is predation or
molestation by adult gulls (not the parents). Of the 58 carcases found, death
cause could be ascertained for 16, as follows: 14 pecked to death by gulls, of
238 : Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST i Vol. 78
which four had been partially eaten, one killed by fall over cliff, and one
crushed by the observer. The importance of the crow as chick predator is
unknown.
Hatching and fledging rates for other Larus gulls are set out in Table 17.
TaBLeE 17. — Hatching and fledging success in Larus gulls
. Hatching Fledging ste
Species. (Gh, ere eR) (Sprchicks) Authority
Larus fuscus 94% 55% Darling (in Paynter)
61% 5% Paludan 1951
L. argentatus 92% 41% Darling (in Paynter)
71% 51% Paynter 1949
56%, 90% 20% Paludan 1951
L. californicus 87% 70% Behle & Goates 1957
L. ridibundus 75%, 18% — Ytreberg 1956
A closer comparison with the figures for L. argentatus is rewarding, as these
were obtained from a reasonably large material, with methods similar to ours,
in habitat not strikingly different (Paynter, 1949; Paludan, 1951; Drost er al.,
1961). Paludan’s data for L. fuscus can be disregarded here, as he studied a
declining population whose low success was due to predation by the Herring
Gull nesting at the same colony.
TABLE 18. — Reproductive success in 4 gull studies.
Production per season per 100 nests
Species Colony Sue
P Eggs Hatched | Fledged Authority
argentatus | Graesholm 1943-44 300 270 54 Paludan 1951
Kent I. 1949 247 176 91 Paynter 1949
Wilhelmshaven 1948-59 267 = 66 Drost et al. 1961
glaucescens | Mandarte 1958-61 261 156 89 This paper
It appears that the Glaucous-wing has a lower hatching rate and a higher
fledging rate than the three colonies of the Herring Gull investigated. More
data are needed to show if these differences are real, however, for the argentatus
material is small (Paludan 90 pairs, Paynter 100 pairs) and the only fledging
data extending over several seasons (Drost) shows the same range of variation
as the Glaucous-wings at Mandarte. The Wilhelmshaven colony increased
from 107 to 139 pair in 1956-59, and in those four seasons the fledging rate per
pair varied from 0.4 to 0.9 young. In fact, when the difficulties are taken into
account, the data from the various studies are remarkably similar.
1964 DreENT, VAN Tets, ToMPA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 239
Figure 16. Boulder ‘yee and low cliff along Mandarte’s northeast shore, nesting habitat of
_.the Pigeon Guillemot (11 nests in the portion shown). :
240 Tue CaNabiAN Fietp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
5. Cepphus columba, Piczcon GUILLEMOT
Census and distribution
Though known to have nested on Mandarte since at least 1902 (Drent and
Guiguet 1961: 78) there are no adequate counts previous to 1957-1960. In this
period we attempted to locate all nests on the island, and as these are used year
after year practically all nests (certainly more than 90 per cent) were known
by the close of 1960. The total of 102 was distributed as follows: three on
North Rock, 80 on Mandarte itself, and 19 on South Islet. We obtained
definite evidence that at least 82 were occupied in the 1960 season, whilst seven
had become unusable and the balance were probably occupied. Bearing in
mind that all nests were not found, we estimate the breeding population at
Mandarte at 100-110 pairs. Distribution of known nests is shown on Figure
2A. It is our belief that the colony has reached maximum size, all available
nest-sites being in use.
Nesting habitat
The Pigeon Guillemot has a strong tendency to lay its eggs under cover.
Only once did we obtain a record of an open ledge site on Mandarte (1960).
Bowman (1961) reported a similar observation from South Farallon, California.
As the thin rocky soil on Mandarte precludes extensive burrowing the
guillemots utilize all manner of natural holes and crannies. These can be
grouped in four categories, the relative importance being indicated by the
number of nests of each type found on the northeast short of Mandarte (total
62 nests): (1) cavities or chambers in loose boulder jumbles along the beach
(24 nests), (2) natural cracks in rock masses (18 nests), (3) chambers in the
soil beneath a boulder cap, usually a natural hollow enlarged by the birds (14
nests), and (4) abandoned rabbit burrows (5 nests), originally excavated by
Oryctolagus cuniculus introduced to the island long ago but extinct there when
our study began. Further possibilities such as beach debris, although used in
the vicinity, do not occur on Mandarte.
On those parts of the island thoroughly worked by us we found nesting
guillemots wherever cavities occurred, at all elevations and in a variety of
situations including nesting groups of cormorants and gulls. The only limita-
tions appeared to be that dense brush was avoided and the birds were generally
prevented from using burrows within one meter of an occupied gull nest.
Laying season
Figure 17 shows the dates of clutch commencement for the seasons 1957-
1960 on Mandarte. Taking the four seasons together, the 124 clutches give a
mean date of June 11, standard deviation of eight days, and a range of 42 days
(May 18-June 29). Young have successfully fledged from eggs laid at each
extreme (May 18, 1960; June 28, 1959). These dates are doubtless near the
limits for this area. Bowles (1921) assembled the data of Washington odlogists
and found the earliest date for a fresh complete clutch was May 20, the latest
July 2. Thoresen and Booth (1958) report laying in 1957 to have commenced
about May 20 with a peak June 5-20, for the Fidalgo Island area in Washington,
1964 Drent, VAN Ters, Tompa AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 241
not far from Mandarte. In our experience single fresh eggs in July have been
replacements.
Methods of gathering nesting data.
We found the afternoon hours the best time to check the guillemot nests,
as the unoccupied birds are then absent from the colony and thus our disturb-
ance could be kept at a minimum. ‘The nests along the northeast side of the
island formed the study group, being checked every 1-3 days in 1957-1958
(GvT, Takacs, Kennedy) and daily throughout the 1959 and 1960 seasons
(RD). The number of nests covered in these four seasons where at least eggs
appeared was 33, 32, 45, and 45 respectively. The nests on South Islet
(similarly 9, 9, 15, and 18 nests respectively) were checked from six to fourteen
times during the season, and nests elsewhere were visited only for banding of
the young.
Clutch size and egg replacement
Quantitative data for clutch size are given by Winn (1950) for the closely
related Black Guillemot on Kent Island (New Brunswick) and Thoresen and
Booth (1958) for the Pigeon Guillemot in the Fidalgo Island area, Washington,
as set out in Table 19. The Mandarte data are given in Table 20. The usual
TABLE 19. — Clutch size, data of Winn and Thoresen & Booth
Black Guillemot Pigeon Guillemot
one egg 9 9
two eggs 39 33
three eggs 1
TABLE 20. — Clutch size of the Pigeon Guillemot at Mandarte Island
1957 1958 1959 1960 Totals Per cent
one egg 4 2 4 5 15 9.3%
two eggs 33 32 36 46 147 90.7%
mean clutch 1.87 1.94 1.90 1.90 1.91
clutch of the Pigeon Guillemot thus consists of two eggs. Replacement
clutches and nests established over the seasons as being prone to crow predation
were disregarded for the tabulation, so the proportion reported for clutches of
ene (about 10 per cent of the total 162) should be near the truth. These were
deposited during the normal egg-laying period, and of the 15 eggs nine hatched,
eight of the chicks subsequently fledging successfully. Thus one-clutches
appear normal in every respect.
Two records where more than two eggs appeared in the nest were
definitely the work of two females (banded individuals), birds whose nest had
242 Tue CANADIAN FIELp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
become unusable laying in the nearest available cavity along with the nest
owner. This is doubtless the explanation for the 3-clutches occasionally
reported for Black and Pigeon Guillemots, as these records are not supported
by critical evidence.
No replacements were noted if only one of a two-clutch was lost, and if
the entire clutch was lost a repeat clutch appeared in approximately 13 days
(eight observations, seven of one egg, one of two eggs) in about half of the
cases. Four of these repeat clutches were lost in turn, but in no case was a
third attempt made.
For the Black Guillemot Winn (1950) recorded two repeat clutches in 15
days or less, and Uspenski (1958) records one 18 day interval. For the Pigeon
Guillemot Thoresen and Booth (1958) estimate two cases at 18 days. All auks
studied replace lost eggs in a pattern comparable to repeat clutches in other
birds (Alca torda, Uria aalge and U. lomvia, Fratercula arctica: Paludan, 1947,
Uspenski, 1958, Ngrrevang, 1958; Tschanz, 1959, Kartaschew, 1960).
Incubation period
-Laying-hatching intervals were determined for 22 marked eggs of the
Pigeon Guillemot, where both events were known to the nearest day.
TABLE 21. — Laying-hatching intervals in Pigeon Guillemot
A B
28 days
29 days
30 days
31 days 5
32 days 2
3
1
DR WW bd
33 days
34 days
Total eggs 11 11
Mean (days) 32.0 29.8
As the eggs are laid with an interval of three days, the figures indicate that
little effective incubation occurs before the second egg is laid. “Temperature
recording demonstrated that steady incubation does not set in until some time
after clutch completion. The incubation period of the Pigeon Guillemot can
thus best be regarded as the period required to hatch the B egg, that is, 30 days
on the average, with a range of 28-32.
Comparable figures from the literature are scant. Winn (1950) gives 12
records for the Black Guillemot, but does not specify interval from laying to
hatching in seven, and does not distinguish A from B eggs in the other five
(29, 30, 32, 33, 33 days). Uspenski (1958) gives 27-30 days as the incubation
period for this species (B egg). Thoresen and Booth (1958) report four cases
of 31 days for the B egg in the Pigeon Guillemot, but do not state probable
error of their observations.
1964 Drent, vAN Tets, Tompa AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 243
3
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v remaining four died of unknown causes, the dessicated carcasses of three
of them being recovered during gull banding, and the last disappearing after the
age of 30 days from a family closely watched. In 1959 we observed adult gulls
to attack and kill a crow just out of the nest, after it had wandered into the gull
meadow, and the circumstances of recovery of four of the seven crow car-
252 Tue CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
casses in 1960 suggest a similar fate. We believe the chicks so attacked were
abnormal, similar to the uncoordinated birds we were able to capture in the
shrubbery after nest departure — as noted above, these all died later.
When observations were closed 15 crows from nine nests had reached an
age between 90 and 100 days, and three young from two nests an age between
60 and 70 days. In the group of nine nests, 20 young had left the nest success-
fully, so the 15 remaining two months later represent 75 per cent.
9. Agelaius phoeniceus, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
Although resident on the island at least in the early summer of every season
1957-1959, the first breeding evidence was secured in 1960. At least three males
and two females were present on the island when we arrived May 5, on May 8
an abandoned nest was found, and on the morning of May 16 nestbuilding was
observed. When located that afternoon, the fresh nest was virtually complete
but the pair was continuously disturbed by crows and eventually deserted.
No Red-wings were seen on the island thereafter until three males arrived on
June 21, remaining until June 28 (one of them had yellow epaulets and was thus
recognizeable). Finally, at the close of the season an old nest was found at
the north end. We feel that at least three pair made efforts to nest on the
island in 1960; two were certainly unsuccessful and the other probably so.
In 1961 at least one pair was present when we paid a brief visit March 17-20,
and a maximum of four males and three females was observed in the first two
weeks of May. By May 20, three males on territory remained, and two nests
were located in the course of the month. In one, building was observed on
May 5, and the nest held four eggs May 21, all hatching on May 28. When
visited again June 3 the nest was empty, probably due to plundering by crows.
The second nest contained four young, about two days old, on May 29; and on
June 3, two young remained when the nest was visited for banding. Thus
certainly two pair and probably three nested on Mandarte in the 1961 season.
In 1962 at least one pair raised a brood, but further data are lacking.
The five nests (three in 1960, two in 1961) were all located in the shrubbery,
and were built 1-1.5 meters off the ground in Waxberry bushes. In the Sidney
area the only other island on which we found Red-wings was Imrie Islet, where
a nest with a single well-grown young was found in low brush June 19, 1960,
and adults observed in other years. The vegetation on this islet, which also
harbours a sea-bird colony, is closely similar to that on Mandarte. Islands we
visited often enough to be certain of Red-wing absence are Halibut, Rum,
Gooch, Rubly, Domville, Forrest, and the smaller Reay, Greig, and Dock.
C. J. Guiguet informed us that the Red-wing is a common though not
abundant breeder in similar habitat in the Victoria area (several low dry islets
in Oak Bay region, Gordon Head, Albert Head, etc.). Orians (1961) notes
nesting on an arid island in San Francisco Bay, so the Mandarte situation is by
no means exceptional.
10. Melospiza melodia, SonG SPARROW
Casual observations in our first seasons on the island indicated the Song
Sparrow population on Mandarte to be unusually dense, and prompted a popula-
1964 Drent, vAN Tets, Tompa AND VERMEER: MAnparTE 253
tion study, begun in 1960 and still in progress. Findings from the first three
seasons will be briefly reported here.
Methods
Essential to the study was the marking of as many Song Sparrows (both
adult and juvenile) as possible. The birds were captured for the most part in
Japanese mist nets, set up along trails cut through the shrubbery. A few
juveniles were caught in a wire box-trap, and several by chance in our cabins.
The banding of nestlings was found to bring about an increase in mortality,
either by leading crows to the nest, or by causing premature nest departure,
and was therefore kept toa minimum. Where possible the history of individual
nests was followed and the young banded soon after fledging.
Mist-netting was found highly effective. By the close of the first season
more than half, and by the end of the second (when including the birds ringed
as juveniles in the previous year which had survived to breed) more than 90
per cent of the adult population had been ringed. In total 103 adults, 32
nestlings, and 406 fledglings (or juveniles) were ringed in the three seasons.
All birds received standard aluminum rings together with one or two
plastic colour bands. By using eight colours in different combinations each
bird could be recognized individually.
Census work was carried out continuously during the three summer seasons,
and at spaced intervals in the intervening winters (four visits in 1960-1961,
seven visits in 1961-1962).
Numbers
The composition of the adult Song Sparrow population on Mandarte is
shown in Table 26. The figures for 1960 are approximate within the limits
given, as but few birds had been marked at the onset of breeding. The situa-
tion was closely similar in 1960 and 1961, but 1962 was markedly different.
Although the breeding population showed a slight decline in 1962, 25 unmated
males were present, so that the total population showed a 12 per cent increase
over 1961. It should be mentioned, however, that the 1962 figures characterize
only a few days at the beginning of breeding. The high frequency of unmated
birds in the population led to territorial fights throughout the season, and
resulted in the death of some males and the desertion of others. By mid-
summer the number of adults on the island approximated the level of previous
years.
TaBLE 26. — Adult Song Sparrow population on Mandarte Island at the onset of three
successive breeding seasons. |
Status 1960 1961 1962
Breeding male 46-48 47 44
Breeding female 46-48 47 44
Unmated males a) territorial 4-6 5 17
b) floating 2 8
Total adult population 96-102 101 113
254 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
That territorial behaviour is believed to play a very important role in
regulating the size of the Mandarte Song Sparrow population has been discussed
in an earlier paper (Tompa, 1962).
Territory and habitat utilization
The habitat on Mandarte can be divided into three zones: (1) bare rock
and cliff surface along the shoreline, (2) grassland, and (3) shrubbery, including
small groups of trees. Although the first two of these zones are frequently
utilized by foraging Song Sparrows, most other activities are confined to the
shrubbery, which provides shelter, concealment, and also nesting and mating
grounds including singing and perching posts for the males. Territory defense
is extended only to the shrubbery area of a male (or breeding pair) and its
immediate surroundings, and this actively defended area has been considered
the territory proper, in distinction to the foraging areas outside the shrubbery
which often overlapped (for a fuller discussion see Tompa, im press). The
grouping of territories is dictated by the configuration of the shrubbery (see
Figure 2C and D). Nests are generally built along the shrub edges, either in a
tuft of grass just off the ground, or up to about 0.5 meters in shrubs.
The shrub areas on Mandarte have been accurately measured, and come to
a total of 14,100 square meters. The amount of shrubbery utilized by Song
Sparrows in each season is known, and by using the population census the mean
territory size for 1960 and 1962 has been calculated (Table 27). In 1961 all
territories were measured individually (Tompa, 1962) when territories of 47
breeding males were found to range from 110 to 400 square meters (mean 288),
of five unmated males from 65 to 105 square meters (mean 82). The overall
mean was 268 square meters.
Comparing the three seasons, the effect of the increased number of terri-
torial males in 1962 is evident: the average territory size was smaller, and isolated
patches of shrubbery not utilized in the previous years were occupied (compare
also the territory maps).
TABLE 27. — Mean territory size of Song Sparrows on Mandarte Island
Y Number of territories Area of shrub Mean territory
cals (Mated and unmated oo) utilized | size
1960 50-54 13,946 m? c. 268 m?
1961 52 13,946 m? 268 m2
1962 61 14,050 m2 230 m2
Figures for Song Sparrow territory size for a number of localities in
Eastern North America are available for comparison, as set out in Table 28.
(Figures originally given in acres have been converted to square meters).
It will be seen that on the average territories on Mandarte Island are no
more than one tenth the size of mainland territories in the East, and secondly
that the same tendency to reduction in size is shown by the island populations
there. The unusually high density of Mandarte Song Sparrows calls for
1964 DreENT, VAN Tets, Tompa AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 255)
TABLE 28. — Territory size of Song Sparrows in different localities
Territory size in m?
Location Number Authority
Min. Max. Mean
Mainland, continuous area, Ohio 2000 6000 2700 Nice 1943
Mainland, lakeshore, Minnesota 4 1254 2751 1902- Suthers 1960
Islands (freshwater), Minnesota 5 — _— 2104 Beer et al. 1956
Island (freshwater), Minnesota fl = — 810 Swedberg 1957
Mandarte Island, B.C. (1961) 22 65 400 268 Tompa 1962
explanation. Although a final answer cannot yet be given, the following
factors play an important role: (1) the quantity and availability of food on
Mandarte throughout the year; (2) partial spatial isolation of the population,
(3) complete absence of mammalian predators; (4) the scarcity of avian pre-
dators, especially during the breeding season when the island is inhabited by
numbers of sea-birds.
General phenology
Song Sparrows on Mandarte Island stay on their territories throughout the
year. ‘Territorial activity is minimal during the post-nuptial moult, and again
from late November to early January. ‘Territory establishment by young males
goes on throughout the winter, even though this is not always conspicuous: in
mid-winter song and serious fighting are absent. Final spacing normally takes
place in late February and March, but in years with a surplus of males (such
as 1962) the process can be considerably delayed. In that year the unbalanced
sex ratio was due to a late snow storm which resulted in the death of man
females. The delay in breeding, however, cannot be attributed to bad weather
conditions directly, as on other islands with low Song Sparrow densities breed-
ing started as usual.
Nest building normally occurs during the last week of March or first half
of April. During the first two seasons a substantial portion of the pairs raised
three broods, the successive broods being well synchronized in the population.
In 1962, mainly because of the continuous fighting, territory desertions, and
shifts in territories which resulted from the unbalanced sex ratio, breeding was
most irregular. Young from the first brood appeared throughout the season,
even as late as July. The number of second broods was low, and there was no
evidence of a successful third brood.
Clutch size
Johnston (1954) gave the average clutch size for the Song Sparrow in
Oregon and Washington as 3.81. Only the first and second clutches (3.65 and
4.00 respectively) were included in this figure.
The data most applicable to the Mandarte situation are those gathered in
the Vancouver-Victoria region of southwestern British Columbia, representing
256 Tue CAaNnapIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
the same subspecies in approximately the same climatic region. These figures
(from the B.C. Nest Records Scheme) show essential agreement with the
Mandarte data, as shown in Table 29.
TABLE 29. — Clutch size of Song Sparrows in southwestern British Columbia
April May June Total
Area 65 a Source
no. mean no. mean no. mean no. mean
Mandarte 6 3.5 14 3.82 5 3.8 25 3.68 | Tompa
Adjacent area 32 3.65 25 SP 12 3.58 69 3.66 | BCNRS
(see text)
Fledging success
Figures on hatching rate were not obtained in sufficient quantity, but an
attempt was made to estimate the fledging success. Since the conditions in
1960 and 1961 were very similar, and the number of juvenile birds at the end of
breeding much the same, it is thought that fledging success was also approxi-
mately the same in these years. The 1961 minimal fledging success was 60
per cent (from eggs to fledged young), calculated from the total number of
broods throughout the season, and the total number of birds fledged, the latter
determined by the ringing and census program. The actual fledging success
was most likely higher, since in a group of 13 nests observed in 1962 all young
hatched left the nest successfully, and only three eggs (of a clutch of four)
failed to hatch. It is clear that fledging success is higher on Mandarte than has
been reported elsewhere (c. 36% in Ohio: Nice, 1937; and 49.3% in San
Francisco Bay: Johnston, 1956).
The food supply for the nestlings has been sufficient in the past three
seasons. Only one instance was observed where death of a nestling resulted
from starvation. In this nest four eggs hatched one morning, and a fifth one
and a half days later. The fifth young, smaller than its siblings, could
apparently not compete for the food brought by the parents, and died.
Dispersion and Philopatry
Fledglings stay on the territories of the parents for two to three weeks
before gaining complete independence. During this period very few die.
Fledglings from the first broods are mainly cared for by the male, whilst the
female is occupied starting the next one. Fledglings from the last brood are
normally fed by both parents, unless one of them goes through an early moult.
Fledglings entering neighbouring territories were often observed being fed by
the owners of these territories.
The replacement on the territory of old birds which have perished begins
as early as September, when juvenile birds have gone through their first moult.
This spacing, however, is not final, and fighting continues throughout the
Badia ie
1964 DRreENT, VAN Tets, ToMPA AND VERMEER: MAnpDaARTE 257
winter. Most young stay in loose feeding groups during the winter, shifting
from one part of the island to another.
As has been discussed elsewhere (Tompa, 1962) the revival of territoriality
in the autumn, once the birds have completed their moult, coincides with a
pronounced emigration of a part of the juvenile surplus. Halibut Island, a
small wooded islet 1.3 kilometers south of Mandarte, and with a sparse Song
Sparrow population, has been reached by Mandarte emigrants each fall, and
from time to time some of them even establish territories there. One Mandarte
juvenile was discovered as far as six kilometers to the west, on James Island. By
contrast, there is no evidence of the immigration of Song Sparrows to Mandarte,
and it certainly cannot involve more than one to two per cent of the residing
population. Many birds that fledge on Mandarte and leave the island during
their first winter, return and attempt to establish themselves the following
spring.
Once they have bred on the island the site tenacity of Mandarte Song
Sparrows is very strong. The few exceptions to this rule follow. One male,
which had spent the summer of 1960 unmated, in 1961 moved to a neighbouring
territory whose owner had perished during the winter. In 1962 there were a
few cases of territory desertion by males. The only shifts of breeding females
were caused by the death of their male, the females moving to territories of
unmated males. In one case a female deserted her mate, because of the con-
tinuous interference by several unmated males which completely surrounded her
territory.
Summing up, Mandarte Island affords the optimum habitat for Song
Sparrows in the area, and its population has been extremely high during the
three seasons under consideration. Territoriality plays a vital role in adjusting
the population level to the environmental conditions, which may vary slightly
from year to year, and also in redressing any maladjustments in the population
composition (e.g. the unbalanced sex ratio in 1962). A full analysis of the
mechanisms of population regulation of the Song Sparrow is in preparation
(Tompa, Ph.D. thesis).
SPECIES OF CHANGING OR UNCERTAIN STATUS
Phalacrocorax penicillatus, BRANDY’s CoRMORANT
Though present in summer on the British Columbia coast at least as far
north as Queen Charlotte Sound (Munro and Cowan 1947: 52), there are no
known nesting sites of the Brandt’s Cormorant in the province (Drent and
Guiguet 1961: 116). At Mandarte the species is an abundant winter visitor
(adults and immatures) and scarce summer visitor (predominantly immatures),
an interesting situation in view of the nearby nesting sites in the San Juan
Islands of Washington.
North Rock and the cliffs of Mandarte are favoured roosts in the area, the
number present through May and early June being roughly 40-70, increasing
as the adults begin returning in July to a full occupancy of about 1000 birds,
which may be reached by the close of August. Figure 22 shows the return of
258 THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
100,
% adult of birds present
Opa oe St 2 SF £4 2a oe
MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST
Ficure 22. Composition of the Brandt’s Cormorant roost on Mandarte Island in the course
of the summer (weekly averages).
adult Brandt’s Cormorant to the Mandarte roost in 1958 (aged by plumage by
van Tets). The number using the roost during the winter is indicated by the
following counts: 500, January 17, 1959; 800, December 29, 1959. Peak
numbers are usually seen only at dusk, with less than 100 birds present by day.
Birds in immature plumage can be seen to court and build flimsy nests of
grasses and algae throughout June, but up to 1962 no eggs have been laid.
Kortlandt (1942) made an intensive study of Dutch colonies of Phalacrocorax
carbo, and found that almost all one and two year old birds live in the colonies
in May, displaying immature reproductive behaviour and building play nests.
He found the species to start breeding at three years, though many individuals
first bred at four and five years. Of interest here is that though birds usually
bred in the natal colony, they often spent the immature years in other colonies,
and Kortlandt gathered suggestive evidence that new colonies originate in three
phases. First the cormorants use the site as a sleeping place, next immatures
move in during the breeding season and go through play nesting, still returning
to the natal colony when mature however, and finally the colony becomes
established when birds with previous breeding experience elsewhere settle and
begin to nest. We feel that the Mandarte roost of Brandt’s Cormorant repre-
sents the second phase, namely use of the site as winter roost and occupation
by immatures in the breeding season, and consider it likely that a nesting group
will be established in the next few years.
ee
1964 DRENT, VAN Tets, TomMPA AND VERMEER: MANDARTE 259
Ardea herodias, GREAT BLUE HERON
Members of the Victoria Natural History Society are responsible for
establishing the nesting of the Great Blue Heron on Mandarte. The records made
by this group on their numerous excursions to Mandarte have been kindly
reviewed by Mr. A. R. Davidson who supplied the following summary (i Jitt.
8 November 1961). On May 27, 1945, seven heron nests were found, two in
an Arbutus, the remainder in Douglas Firs: four in one tree, one in another.
One nest examined contained only broken eggshells, evidently the work of the
Northwestern Crow. No herons were noted on the next two recorded trips
(June 10, 1950; June 16, 1951), but on June 21, 1952 and June 27, 1953 herons
flew from the trees upon arrival of the party. However, no nests were found.
On July 2, 1955, no herons were noted.
Since 1957 our records indicate that the Great Blue Heron, though common
in the area and nesting as close as Tsehum Harbour, has been only an occasional
visitor to the island in the summer. For example: in 1959 herons were seen
seven times on the island during our stay; in 1960, four times. In summary, at
least seven pairs of Great Blue Herons nested on Mandarte in 1945. No herons
were mentioned by Munro (last recorded visit 1936), and no nests were found
in 1950 or later.
Selasphorus rufus, Rurous HUMMINGBIRD
The Rufous Hummingbird is a summer resident on the island, where male
display flights are conspicuous in early summer and individuals have been noted
to the close of August. Hummingbirds have been seen to chase Northwestern
Crows, Red-winged Blackbirds and Savannah Sparrows (the latter does not
breed on Mandarte). We suspect the species to nest in small numbers on
Mandarte, but have not found nests or young to prove this.
Discussion
Mandarte supports flourishing breeding populations of Double-crested and
Pelagic Cormorant, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon Guillemot, Northwestern
Crow, and Song Sparrow. Strictly marginal are the other breeding species,
Black Oystercatcher, Tufted Puffin, (?Rufous Hummingbird), Barn Swallow,
and Red-winged Blackbird. Factors promoting the success of the first group
will be mentioned here, and some general comparisons made.
The sea-birds require freedom from excessive molestation by man, freedom
from land predators, and suitable nesting sites within reach of an adequate food
supply. These conditions are all met at Mandarte. Through protection human
disturbance has been kept below the critical level, and mammalian predators
are absent. As far as nesting sites are concerned, the steep irregular southwest
facing shore offers extensive ledges for the cormorants, the scarcity of vegeta-
tion makes much of the island suitable for gulls, and the broken nature of the
rocky shores provide abundant nesting holes for the guillemots.
The data presented on breeding seasons serve as a description, but are in-
adequate for analysis of either the environmental timers or of the possible
ecological advantage conferred upon the species at that particular time (e.g,
260 Tue CanaDIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 78
superabundance of the food required for the nestlings). It is hoped that this
report will stimulate continued observation to attack these problems.
TABLE 30. — Nesting success in Mandarte sea-birds
Number per pair | Double-crested Pelagic Glaucous- Pigeon
per season of: Cormorant Cormorant winged Gull Guillemot
eggs laid 4.1 3.8 2.6 1.9
chicks hatched 2.5 (60%) 2.5 (60%) 1.6 (60%) 1.2 (62%)
young fledged 2.4 (95%) 2.0 (80%) 0.9 (56%) 1.1 (90%)
Over-all success 57% 53% 34% 56%
Turning now to nesting success, Table 30 shows that hatching success is
similar for all of the “successful” sea-birds on Mandarte, at about 60 per cent.
It appears that “addling”, ie. failure of eggs to hatch due to infertility or
embryonic death, is roughly the same in these species (21%, 18%, 15%, 21%
of all eggs laid, in the order listed in the table), the remainder of the egg loss
being accounted for largely by crow predation. The data on egg predation
suggest that the presence of the adult at the nest is the only effective mode of
protection. The easily panicked cormorants suffer a far higher loss than the
more steadfast gulls, and of particular significance is the situation in the hole-
nesting guillemot, where egg loss was as heavy as in the gulls, and centred in
the first few days of incubation, before the parents attend the egg continuously.
The cormorants and the Pigeon Guillemot have comparable over-all success
of better than 50 per cent of all eggs laid resulting in fledged young, and it will
be noticed that practically all loss occurs in the egg stage. The Glaucous-
winged Gull is radically different, here losses in the chick stage equal or even
exceed losses of eggs. The primary reason for this difference lies in the
mobility of the gull chicks and the trait of the adults to attack strange chicks
that stray onto their territory. In the dense Mandarte colony this accounts
for most of the chick mortality (as was the case in the Herring Gull studies of
Paynter and Paludan). :
Considering now the successful passerines, the dense nesting population of
the Northwestern Crow is doubtless related to exploitation of the eggs and
young of the sea-birds. Calculations from the figures given earlier indicate
that in the period under review, for the whole Mandarte colony in one season,
crows took about 150 eggs of the Double-crested Cormorant, 450 eggs of
Pelagic Cormorant, 700 eggs of the Glaucous-winged Gull, and 30 of the
Pigeon Guillemot. This is a total exceeding 1000 eggs, and it may be assumed
that the resident 25 pair take the major share. Further, many small chicks
are taken, and an additional food source are the fish scraps found in abundance
in the cormorant colonies during the chick stage. The Northwestern Crow
on Mandarte has thus specialized in plundering the sea-birds as has been
reported at other colonies (e.g. Heath, 1915), even to the extent of openl
attacking incubating Pelagic Cormorants (compare Nordberg (1950) on Corvus
corone molesting incubating Eiders).
4
- Dawson, W. L. and J. W. Bow es.
1964
Drent, vAN Tets, Tompa AND VERMEER:
MANDARTE 261
The factors promoting the success of the Song Sparrow on Mandarte are
more complex, and discussion is deferred until completion of the population
study.
SUMMARY
Distribution and numbers of the ten species of birds presently breeding on
Mandarte are described on the basis of six summers’ residence on the island.
Statistics on breeding season, nesting success and related topics are presented
for Phalacrocorax auritus, P. pelagicus, Haematopus bachmam, Larus glau-
cescens, Cepphus columba, Corvus caurinus, and Melospiza melodia.
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THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
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WZ
THE RUSTY COLOUR PHASE OF THE CANADIAN
TOAD, Bufo hemiophrys
Francis R. Cook
National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
THE DORSAL GROUND CoLour of the Canadian Toad, Bufo hemiophrys, has been
described as “brown” (Dickerson, 1908: 98), “brownish or greenish” (Wright
and Wright, 1933: 66, 1949: 180; Conant, 1958: 268) or “greenish or brownish”
(Stebbins, 1951: 263, 1954: 108). During studies of the herpetofauna of the
Canadian prairie provinces 3,051 live adult and juvenile toads of this species
have been examined. In the majority the dorsal ground colour varied from
_ muddy brown to light grey with greenish shades in some individuals.
However, 50 specimens have been collected which differ markedly from
published accounts. In these the dorsal ground colour was reddish, varying
from a light rust-red to reddish brown, distinct from the usual brown variations
which occur in this species. In all aspects of pattern the contrast was the same
264 THe CanapiANn Fre_p-NATURALIST Vol. 78
TABLE 1.—Collections of Bufo hemiophrys in which the rusty phase occurred.
ig
ne Locality Date Total | Rusty Bids
SASKATCHEWAN
6276 White Fox, 2.8 mi. W. on Hwy. 55 8 July 1962 21 2 9.5
MANITOBA
6393 Flin Flon, 14.2 mi. SE. on Hwy. 10 23 July 1962 2 1 50.0
4862 Mafeking, 0.8 mi. N. on Hwy. 10 18 Aug. 1960 6 2 Sono
4859 Birch River, 4.9 mi. S. on Hwy. 10 18 Aug. 1960 41 8 19.5
4880 Benito, 3.8 mi. N. on Hwy. 83 21 Aug. 1960 Dp 1 | 50.0
4873 Camperville, 11.4 mi. W. on Hwy. 20 19 Aug. 1960 23 8 | 34.8
4838 Winnipegosis, 16.2 mi. NW. on Hwy. 20 14 Aug. 1960 10 2 20.0
ie Ethelbert, 13.0-16.1 mi. N. on Hwy. 10|12-13 Aug. 1960 | 121 19 15.7
4500 Steinbach, 26.3 mi. SE. on Hwy. 12 3 July 1960 | 109 7 6.4
335 50 11.9
*6 collections (4809 (35), 4812 (9), 4814 (3), 4819 (9), 4829 (10), 4832 (49) which contained
one or more rusty individuals, and 4 collections (4826 (3), 4820 (1), 4817 (2), 4811 (3)) which
did not contain rusty individuals, all taken from the same continuous area of road on the same
night, are lumped together here.
as in typical examples. There were usually dark patches in which the warts,
although lighter than the patch, were darker than the ground colour. The
vertebral stripe and lateral streaks were light and the underside was dirty white
or slightly yellowish white with a variable amount of dark flecking or spotting.
Structural characters such as the cranial crests or boss varied as in typical
individuals. As this colour seems to be distinct from the usual spectrum of
variation in Bufo hemiophrys it is designated as the rusty colour phase.
The 3,051 specimens seen alive from Canada are contained in 216 collec-
tions. Fourteen of these collections have specimens designated as “red” or
“reddish” in field notes taken before they were preserved and are assigned to
the rusty phase. After a period of preservation in formalin of 13 or more years,
most rusty specimens are indistinguishable from other colour variations as all
fade to more or less dull greyish. Figure 1 shows the localities where this
phase has been collected. Only nine localities are plotted for the 14 collec-
tions as six collections taken August 12, 1960, 13.0-16.1 miles north of Hwy. 10
of Ethelbert, Manitoba, are represented by the same circle. In addition, all
collections of 20 or more B. hemiophrys taken in 1959-63 which did not con-
tain this phase are also mapped. Over 150 smaller collections examined which
also lacked the rusty phase are not shown. The apparent gap between the
southeastern collection in which this phase was present and those northwest of
it is probably real. Large collections from two intermediate localities did not
contain rusty toads. One, taken 2.2 miles north and 0.5 miles east of St.
Frangois Xavier (= 13 miles west of Winnipeg) totals 266 individuals (NMC
4515, 4517, 4520, 5333, 5334) and the other, from Delta at the southern tip of
Lake Manitoba contains 721 (NMC 4525, 5388, 5390, 6052). Although the
eee
1964 Cook: CANADIAN TOAD 265
Figure 1. The occurrence of the rusty phase in collections of Bufo hemiophrys from
Canadian prairie provinces. Solid circles represent collections which contained rusty in-
dividuals. Hollow circles represent collections of 20 or more specimens which did not
contain rusty individuals. The solid triangle is Emma Lake where the rusty phase was
reported by D. J. Buckle. The solid line indicates the approximate known limit of Bufo
hemiopbrys modified from previously published maps on the basis of the author’s un-
published data.
rusty phase occurs near the eastern edge of the range of B. hemiophrys it may
not be present at the edge. It was not found among 34 specimens (NMC 5364)
taken 22.6 miles west on Hwy. 1 of the junction of Hwys. 1 and 11 (= 32
miles southeast of Winnipeg). ‘This locality is within a few miles of the
eastern limit for the species where it contacts the range of Bufo americanus.
In Table 1 the collections which contained rusty toads are listed with the
percentage of this phase in each. As in Figure 1, collections from near Ethel-
bert are lumped. This percentage of rusty specimens in collections of more
than two individuals varies from 34.8 to 15.7°%% within the Manitoba area east
of Lake Winnipegosis, with the outlying occurrences, White Fox and Stein-
bach, containing 9.5 and 6.4% respectively. All collections were random with
no conscious attempt to select the rusty phase. No correlation with soil colour
or other habitat factor was noted for rusty individuals that would favour selec-
tion for this phase in nature.
266 THe CANADIAN FiIeELp-NATURALIST Vol. 78
In snout-vent length rusty specimens measured 16 to 57 mm with a mean
of 34.8 mm. All large collections containing this phase showed a more or less
typical bell curve of distribution when size and numbers were plotted. Rusty
toads occurred only in those size groups which were most plentiful in a given
collection. The minimum and maximum snout-vent measurements of all toads
in collections which contained rusty individuals were 13 and 69 mm. The
maximum length for all Canadian Bufo hemiophrys examined is 85 mm for
males and 91 mm for females. (The latter betters by slightly more than % inch
the maximum given by Conant, 1958: 265.) It is likely that the apparent
failure of rusty individuals to approach the maximum size is due to the lack
of any large adults in collections from areas where they occur, rather than
a loss of the colour with age, or differential selection between adults and im-
matures. No collections have been made from breeding aggregations in these
areas and this accounts for the paucity of large individuals from them. There is
no correlation between sex and the rusty phase as the 50 specimens were
identified by dissection as 24 males and 26 females.
D. J. Buckle (PC: February 7, 1964) has reported the occurrence of “red”
specimens of B. hemiophrys which presumably were the rusty phase from
Emma Lake, 25 miles north of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. This report, the
westernmost for the rusty phase, is indicated on Figure 1 by a solid triangle.
Of a series of 99 specimens measuring 19-25 mm collected July 23 and 29,
1962, 26% were classified as the rusty phase by Buckle.
A presumably allopatric species, Bufo a. americanus, may exhibit brownish,
greenish, yellowish or reddish coloration in eastern Manitoba, based on
examination of 197 specimens. The reddish colour of B. americanus and the
rusty phase of B. hemiophrys are similar. It is possible that past or present
gene exchange between B. americanus and B. hemiophrys could account for the
presence of the rusty phase in the latter. If so, however, one might expect
other variations of B. americanus, such as the yellowish ground colour, to occur
also, which is not the case. In addition, as noted previously a collection of
B. hemiophrys a few miles from the western limit of B. americanus did not
contain rusty individuals. Neither does it appear likely that rusty is a primitive
coloration in B. hemiophrys, relict at the periphery of the species’ range.
Available information indicates that it occurs over a fairly large region, and
may be absent at the range periphery. However, more collections are needed
before this possibility can be discarded. The most plausible explanation of
the origin of this rusty phase is the survival of mutations originating at or near
the area where the phase now occurs. The present disjunct range of the
rusty phase could be due to historical reasons or because mutations have oc-
curred and survived independently in the geographically separated populations.
No factors are presently known which would promote or prevent rusty in-
dividuals competing equally as well as other variations.
The common name Canadian Toad is used here in preference to “Dakota
Toad” which was recommended in the list of common names for North Ameri-
can amphibians and reptiles proposed by the American Society of Ichthyolo-
gists and Herpetologists (Committee, 1956: 176). Dakota Toad seems to have
been originated by Schmidt (1953: 67) and presumably was chosen because the
1964 Cook: CaNnapiaAn Toap 267
type specimens of the species were collected in what is now North Dakota.
However, the name Canadian Toad has had extensive usage (Wright and
Wright, 1933, 1949; Stebbins, 1951, 1954) prior to Schmidt. In addition it
designates the country which contains the major portion of the species range.
It is less restrictive than Dakota Toad, or other names previously coined,
Manitoba Toad and Winnipeg Toad.
Acknowledgement is due to J. R. Otterdahl (1959), R. A. Henry (1960),
M. G. Foster (1961) and C. Bruce Powell (1962, 1963) who assisted in field
work in the years noted, to Joyce C. Cook who prepared the map, and to
D. J. Buckle who contributed a report of the rusty phase.
SUMMARY
Among 3,051 specimens in 216 collections of the Canadian Toad, Bufo
hemiophrys, examined alive, 50 specimens (contained in 14 of the collections)
were an unreported colour variation for this species. This has been designated
as the rusty phase and has a ground colour of light rust-red to reddish brown.
Most rusty specimens have been collected in the area between Lake Winni-
pegosis and the western Manitoba border. They have been collected in south-
eastern Manitoba, and reported in central Saskatchewan at Emma Lake. The
percentage of rusty individuals in populations in which they occur varied from
6.4 to 34.8% of collections containing more than two specimens. They
measured 16 to57 mm. ‘The 50 rusty specimens were determined by dissection
to be 24 males and 26 females. The origin of this phase was probably by the
survival of mutations in the area where they are now found.
REFERENCES
BrecKENRIDGE, W. J. 1944. Reptiles and
amphibians of Minnesota. University of
Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 202 pp.
COMMITTEE ON HERPETOLOGICAL COMMON
Names. 1956. Common names for North
American amphibians and reptiles. Copeia
1956 (3) :172-185.
Conant, Rocer. 1958. A field guide to
reptiles and amphibians of the United
States and Canada east of the 100th meri-
American Society of Ichthyologists and
Herpetologists, Chicago, Ill. 280 pp.
STEBBINS, Ropert C. 1951. Amphibians of
western North America. University of
California Press, Berkeley and Los An-
geles. 539 pp.
. 1954. Amphibians and reptiles of
western North America. McGraw-Hill
Book Company Inc., New York, Toronto,
London. 528 pp.
Wricut, ANNA ALLEN and ALBErt Hazen
dian. Houghton Mifflin Company, Bos-
ton. 366 pp.
Dickerson, Mary C. 1908. The frog book:
North American toads and frogs with a
study of the habits of those of the north-
eastern states. Doubleday, Page and Com-
pany, New York. 253 pp.
Scumipt, Kart P. 1953. A check list of
North American amphibians and reptiles.
Wricur. 1933. Handbook of frogs and
toads of the United States and Canada.
Comstock Publishing Co., Inc., Ithaca,
N.Y. 231 pp.
Wricut, ALBERT Hazen and ANNA ALLEN
Wricut. 1949. Handbook of frogs and
toads of the United States and Canada.
3rd edition. .Comstock Publishing Com-
pany, Inc., Ithaca, N.Y. 640 pp.
Received for publication 26 February 1964
NOTES
Two Helpful Uses of
“Terylene” for Biologists
Justice AND SCHALDACH (Journal of Mam-
malogy, 39(1):158) outlined the diffi-
culties encountered in obtaining fluffy
long-staple cotton for filling skins of
small mammals, and their experience and
satisfaction with “Dacron”, a synthetic
fiber manufactured by Du Pont.
A similar synthetic fiber manufactured
by Canadian Industries Limited under
the trade name “Terylene” fiberfill is
available in Canada. I have used this
material for filling study skins of birds
and small mammals, and found it super-
ior to cotton because of Terylene’s loug
fiber length and high resilience.
Terylene has also proven more satis-
factory than cotton for use as nesting
material in live traps for small mammals.
Some small mammals, particularly Mi-
crotus pennsylvanicus, urinate extensive-
ly when caught. As a result, cotton is
trampled down into a soggy mat when
used for nesting material in sheet metal
live traps. Similar results occur when
seepage from heavy rains dampens the
floor of the traps. Terylene, through its
high resilience and low water absorption,
helps keep small mammals dry and warm
by preventing contact with the wet floor
of the trap. I have used Terylene fiber-
fill in live traps near Hinton, Alberta.
With captures ranging between 104 and
158 small mammals daily during an
eight-day period in August 1961, losses
were only between 2.9 and 6.1 per cent,
and those were primarily among shrews.
I recommend Terylene for use as nest
material in live traps for small mammals
as well as for filling museum skins.
ANDREW RADVANYI
Canadian Wildlife Service
742 Federal Building
Edmonton, Alberta
27 April 1964
268
A Range Extension for the Wood
Frog in Northeastern
Saskatchewan
INCIDENTAL To ornithological studies in
northeastern Saskatchewan in the sum-
mer of 1963, the senior author obtained
nine specimens of the Wood Frog, Raza
sylvatica. These were collected July 14
to 16 at Hasbala Lake, 59° 58’ N, 102°
03’W. They have been deposited in the
National Museum of Canada and cata-
logued as NMC 7682.
Although distribution maps in Conant
(1958, A Field Guide to Reptiles and
Amphibians, p. 352) and Martof and
Humphries (1959, American Midland
Naturalist 61 (2): 350-389) include all
of northern Saskatchewan within the
range of the Wood Frog, the most
northerly locality for the eastern part
of the province previously authenticated
by specimens was Wallaston (= Wol-
laston) Lake. This was cited by Logies
and Toner (1961, A Check List of the
Amphibians and Reptiles of Canada and
Alaska, p. 43) on the authority of H.
Beck. Beck’s communication was based
on two collections at the University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, taken in Aug-
ust 1956 from Wollaston Lake: Wel-
come Bay (A-173, -174, -175) and Com-
pulsion Bay (A-177, -178, 179). Wel-
come Bay is not given in the Saskatche-
wan volume of the Gazetter of Canada
(1957) but Compulsion Bay is listed as
57°47’N, 103°16’W. This is at the south-
ern end of Wollaston Lake, approxi-
mately 145 miles south of Hasbala Lake.
Hasbala Lake is within the North-
western Section of the Boreal Forest, a
region which is described generally as
“open subarctic woodland” or “open
lichen-woodland” (Rowe, 1959, Forest
regions of Canada). The Transition Sec-
tion in Saskatchewan has been related to
1964
the Hudsonian Life Zone (e.g., see Nero,
1963, Birds of the Lake Athabasca re-
gion, Saskatchewan. Special Publication
No. 5, Saskatchewan Natural History
Society, Regina). A camp was establish-
ed on the southwest end of Hasbala
Lake, five miles southwest of the north-
east boundary corner and two and one-
half miles west of the Manitoba border.
Although this area consisted predomin-
antly of open black spruce forest, the
best available campsite was found on a
low esker ridge in an old burn. The
immediate environs were chiefly charred
boles of spruce and pine with scattered
green alder and birch clumps and a few
pine seedlings. In wet places lichens,
mosses, willows, and other bushy or
herbaceous plants grew abundantly, but
the burned area was otherwise rather
bleak. Certain bird species, e.g., Gray-
cheeked Thrush, White-crowned Spar-
row, and Harris’ Sparrow, seemed es-
pecially attracted to the burned area.
Black flies and especially horse or bull-
dog flies were unusually abundant at this
site.
A few frogs were found at the camp
in a wet sphagnum bog adjacent to a
narrow ice-formed ridge along the edge
of the lake. In a depression behind the
camp there was a dry, heavily-grassed
“meadow” and a well-established pond
which attracted an even larger number
of frogs. Large willow clumps were
scattered abundantly throughout the
meadow and around the pond. Numer-
ous holes in the ground, apparently
formed when this meadow was a wet
bog, were half-hidden by the tall grass
and made walking difficult. At least one
Wood Frog was seen in the muskeg as
gear was being unloaded on the shore on
July 9, the day of arrival. In the evening
of July 14 four frogs were collected
Notes 269
in the meadow; two others were taken
on July 15, and three on July 16, either
in the meadow or in front of the camp.
On wet days a few frogs were encoun-
tered out in the open on the scorched,
barren surface of the ridge. On one or
two occasions Wood Frogs were seen in
wet situations inland, but the largest
number was noted in the grassy meadow
behind the camp. On the whole, frogs
were uncommon in the area, and theze
were numerous suitable situations where
none was encountered. No other species
of herptiles were found.
Of the nine specimens, six were adults
and measured, after preservation, 46, 47
(2), 48 and 50(2) mm snout-vent, aver-
age 48 mm. Their tibia/body length
ratios varied from .417 to .457, average
433. The four largest specimens were
females with their ovaries distended with
eggs. The three immatures measured 35,
28 and 23 mm. Only two specimens had
a middorsal white stripe. In their detail-
ed maps of variation in Rana sylvatica,
Martof and Humphries (1959) included
populations in northeastern Saskatche-
wan within regions where the adults
averaged less than 40 mm in body length
(p. 358) and more than half the popula-
tion had a middorsal white stripe (p.
367). They noted, however, (pe 355)
that the maps “do not show local condi-
tions with the exactitude one would Jike
to have”. The Hasbala Lake specimens
do agree with the tibia/body length
ratio “less than .475” in which northern
Saskatchewan Wood Frogs are included
(p. 363).
Rospert W. Nero
Francis R. Coox
Natural Sciences Division
University of Saskatchewan Regina Campus
Regina, Saskatchewan, and
National Museum of Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario
1 June 1964
Ws
INDEX TO VOLUME 78
Compiled by
Mrs. G. R. HANeEs
Abies balsamifera, 81; grandis, 211
Abietinella abietina, 147
Acanthis hornemanni hornemanni, 4
Accipiter cooperii, 14; gentilis, 13, striatus, 14
Acer rubrumt, 81, 116; saccharinum, 117;
_ spicatum, 116
Achillea millefolium, 45, 114, 147
Aconitum delphinifolium, 96
Acorus calamus, 126
Acris crepitans blanchardi, 202
Actitis macularia, 14
Additional records and a correction of the
type locality for the boreal chorus frog
in northwestern Ontario, by F. R. Cook,
186
Additional specimens of the small-mouthed
salamander from Pelee Island, Ontario, by
F. R. Cook, 201
Agelaius phoeniceus, 179, 213, 252
Agrostis borealis, 71; tenuis, 110
Aix sponsa, 90, 204
Alberta, Black Duck breeding record for,
by W. G. Leitch, 199
Alberta, Bushy-tailed wood rat in the Peace
River district, by A. W. F. Banfield, 128
Alberta, A probable breeding record of the
Bobolink at Vermilion, by J. K. Lowther,
200
Alberta, The stonecat, Noturus flavus, newly
recorded in, by J. R. Nursall and V.
Lewin, 128 i
Alca torda, 242
Albula, 194
cocker Han):
Review of: Minnesota’s Rocks and Wat-
ers: A Geological Story, 122
Alligatorfish, arctic, 175
dinus, 45, 46, 81; crispa, 112, 145, 152;
oregona, 65
Alopex lagopus, 5
Amblystigiella sprucei, 148
Ambystoma jeffersonianum, 156; laterale,
156, 160, 202; mzaculatum, 156, 160;
texanum, 201, 202
Amelanchier alnifolia, 140, 146; Bartramiana,
113; florida, 212
Ammodytes hexapterus, 177
Ammophila, 81
Amphibians of Browns Flat area, N.B., Notes
on, by S. W. Gorham, 154
Anas acuta, 90; carolinensis, 13, 90; cyanop-
tera, 13; discors, 13; platyrhynchos, 90,
rubripes, 90, 199
Andromeda glaucophylla, 113
Androsace ochotensis, 94; septentrionalis, 146
Anemone multiceps, 94, multifida, 145,
parviflora, 140, 145
Angelica atropurpurea, 113, 117
Antennaria, 116; angustata, 76, canescens, 76,
Ekmaniana, 76, pulcherrima, 144, 157;
rosea, 147
Anthus spinoletta, 15
Aquilegia brevistyla, 145
Arabis alpina, 74; Holboellit, 125, 145, lyrata,
145
Aralia hispida, 113; nudicaulis, 117
Arbutus menziesii, 211
Arctostaphylos alpina, 75, 113; Uva-ursi,
113, 143, 203, 246
Ardea herodias, 59, 213, 259
Arenaria interpres interpres, 3
Arenaria lateriflora, 112, peploides, 73,
rubella, 73, sajanensis, 73, stricta, 145
Arethusa bulbosa, 112
Argus, George W.
Plant collections from Carswell Lake and
Beartooth Island, northwestern Saskat-
chewan, Canada, 139
270
1964
Aristida, 28, 30
Armeria maritima, 75
Arnica alpina, 76
Artemisia borealis, 76, campestris, 147
Asio otus, 14
Aspidium Filix-mas, 108, 117; fragrans, 117,
marginale, 108, 110, 117; spimulosum, 110
Aspidophoroides olrikii, 175
Asplenium filix-femina, 110, thelypteroides,
108, 116; trichomanes, 126
Aster, 45, 102; junciformis, 147, umbellatus,
114
Athyrium Filix-femina, 110
Auk, Great, 194
Autoserica castanea, 62
Aythya marila, 96; valisneria, 13
Banfield, A. W. F.
Bushy-tailed wood rat in the Peace River
district, Alberta, 128 |
Review of: The Monarch of Mularchy
Mountain, 57
Review of: Never Cry Wolf, 52
Barbarea orthoceras, 145
Bartsia alpina, 75
Bayly, Isabel L.
A plant collection from southwest New-
foundland — John Bell, 1867, 107
Betula, 81; glandulosa, 112, 145; lenta, 108,
116, 117; lutea, 81, 112, 117; Michauxii,
112; papyrifera, 140, 145; pumila, 112
Bird, Ralph D., and Lawrie B. Smith
The food habits of the Red-winged
Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, in
Manitoba, 179
Bird and mammal observations at Hazen
Camp, northern Ellesmere Island, in 1962,
by D. B. O. Savile and D. R. Oliver, 1
Bird records, New, from Cape Breton Island,
N5S., by A. J. Erskine, 89
Bird records, Three new, for Prince Edward
Island, by W. J. Mills, 62
Birds, The, reviewed by W. E. Godfrey, 56
Birds, The breeding, of Mandarte Island,
B.C., by R. Drent et al, 208
Birds of Kleena Kleene, Chilcotin district,
B.C., 1959-1962, by W. A® B. Paul, 13
Birds of the Labrador Peninsula and Adja-
cent Areas, reviewed by W. E. Godfrey,
119
Birds of the Lake Athabasca Region, Saskat-
chewan, reviewed by W. E. Godfrey,
120
Birds of Riding Mountain National Park,
Manitoba, Notes on, by D. A. Blood, 204
Black Duck breeding record for Alberta, by
W. G. Leitch, 199
INDEX TO VOLUME 77% 271
Blackbird, Brewer’s 42-46, 181, Red-winged,
179-186, 209, 252; Yellow-headed, 16,
180, 181
Blackbird, Brewer’s, An extension in the
breeding range of, by O. E. Devitt, 42
Blackbird, Red-winged, in Manitoba, The
food habits of, by R. D. Bird and L. B.
Smith, 179
Blarina brevicauda, 78, 103
Blood, Donald A.
Notes on the birds of Riding Mountain
National Park, Manitoba, 204
Bluebird, Mountain, 202
Bobolink, A breeding record for the, in
Prince Edward Island, by S. E. Vass, 60
Bobolink, A probable breeding record at
Vermilion, Alberta, by J. K. Lowther, 200
Bombycilla garrulus, 91
Bourguignon, A. E.
Piping Plover at Ottawa, Ontario, 199
Brachyrhinus ovatus, 184
Brachythecium salebrosum, 148
Brayshaw, T. C.
Some interesting plant records from the
Chalk River district, Ontario, 150
Breeding birds of Mandarte Island, B.C., by
R. Drent et al, 208
Breeding record for the Bobolink in Prince
Edward Island, by S. E. Vass, 60
Breeding record for the Bufflehead west of
the Coast Range in B.C., by D. A. Han-
cock, 64
British Columbia, Birds of Kleena Kleene,
Chilcotin district, 1959-1962, by W. A.
B. Paul, 13
British Columbia, Breeding birds of Man-
darte Island, by R. Drent et al, 208
British Columbia, Breeding record for the
Bufflehead west of the Coast Range in,
by D. A. Hancock, 64
British Columbia, Notes on “Townsend’s
Solitaire in western Chilcotin district, by
W. A. B. Paul, 203
British Columbia, Two interior B.C. records
for the Ancient Murrelet, by W. B. John-
stone, 199
Bromus carinatus, 212
Bryoerythrophyllum recurvirostrum, 148
Bryum lacustre, 148; pseudotriquetrum, 140,
143, 148
Bubo virginianus, 14, 59
Bucephala albeola, 64, 90, 202, 205; islandica,
90
Buckner, C. H.
Preliminary trials of a camera recording
device for the study of small mammals, 77
Bufflehead, 64, 201, 205
272 Tue CANADIAN FieLp-NATURALIS1
Bufflehead, Breeding record for, west of the
Coast Range in B.C., by D. A. Hancock,
64
Bufo americanus, 65, 157, 160, 188-190, 265,
266; a. americanus., 266, hemiophrys, 263-
267
Bunting, Snow, 4, 5, 6
Bushy-tailed wood rat in the Peace River
district, Alberta, by A. W. F. Banfield,
128
Buteo jamaicensis, 14, 23; lagopus, 23, swain-
soni, 14
Butomus umbellatus, 150, 153
Butorides virescens, 59, 90
Cacti and Other Succulents, reviewed by E.
W. Greenwood, 121
Cakile edentula, 112
Calamagrostis canadensis, 110, 143, purpuras-
cens, 143
Calcarius lapponicus, 30, 31, 92; 1. lapponicus,
4; pictus, 28-31
Calidris canutus canutus, 3
Caloplaca elegans, 148
Caltha palustris, 145
Camassia quamash, 212
Camnula pellucida, 184
Campanula rotundifolia, 75, 94, 147,
uniflora, 75
Campsis radicans, 114, 118
Campylium stellatum, 143, 148
Canachites canadensis, 127, 161; franklini, 127
Candelariella vitellina, 148
Canis lupus, 5
Canvasback, 13
Capelin, 172
Capella gallinago, 3, 14
Cardamine bellidifolia, 74; hirsuta, 112,
pennsylvanica, 112; pratensis, 74, purpurea
96
Carex, 111; anguillata, 72; arctata, 111; aurea,
111, 116; Bigelowii, 72; buxbaumia, 144,
capillaria, 72, 111, 144, cephalantha, 111,
crinita, 111; deflexa, 144; disperma, 144,
eburnea, 144, flava, 111; foena, 144, glaci-
alis, 72; glareosa, 72; holostoma, 72, in-
terior, 111, 144; imtumescens, 111, Lache-
nalii, 72; lacustris, 111; lasiocarpa, 111,
lenticularis, 111; leptalea, 140, 144; lepton-
ervia, 111; Mackenziei, 111, membranacea,
72; misandra, 72, nardina, 72; norvegica,
72; paleacea, 111, rariflora, 111, rossii, 144,
rostrata, 111; rupestris, 72, 94, salina, 111,
scirpoidea, 72, 111, 144; scoparia, 111;
stipata, 111, supina, 72, tonsa, 144; viri-
dula, 111
Caribou, 6
Carpodacus mexicanus, 16
Vol. 78
Carya ovata, 59
Casmerodias albus egretta, 59
Cassiope hypnoides, 75; mertensiana, 126;
tetragona, 75
Castanea, 118; dentata, 112
Castilleja septentrionalis, 114
Catbird, 91
Cathartes aura, 205
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, 62
Catostomus catostomus, 172
Ceanothus ovatus, 126
Celasirus scandens, 126
Cephalanthus occidentalis, 126, 150, 154
Cepphus columba, 213, 240; grylle columba,
214
Cerastium alpinum, 73, 94; cerastoides, 73
Chamaedaphne calyculata, 82, 113
Changing status of the Cowbird in Prince
Edward Island, by S. E. Vass, 125
Charadrius melodus, 109; vociferus, 14
Charr, arctic, 170; Brook, 170; lake, 170, 173
Chen hyperborea atlantica, 2
Chenopodium album, 112
Chlidonias niger, 14
Chondestes grammacus, 92
Chorophilus triseriatus, 191
Chrysemys picta belli, 128
Cicuta mackenzieana, 146
Cinclidium sty gium, 140, 143, 148
Circium muticum, 108, 117; pumilum, 108,
117
Cisco, 172, 173
Cistothorus platensis, 45
Cladonia amaurocrea, 148, coccifera, 148
Clangula hiemalis, 2
Claytonia caroliniana, 107, 112, 117
Clethrionomys andersonii, 87; gapperi, 78; g.
gapperi, 198, g. pallescens, 80-88, rufo-
canus, 87
Clough, Garrett C.
Local distribution of two voles: evidence
for interspecific interactions, 80
Clupea harengus, 194
Coccyzus erythrophthalmus, 205
Cochlearia officinalis, 74, tridactylites, 112
Cod, Atlantic, 70; Greenland, 172
Coenagrion interrogatum, 123
Columba livia, 17, 91
Colymbus grisagena, 67
Comandra livida, 112
Common Egrets nesting near Amherstburg,
Ontario, by Winnifred Smith, 59
Conioselinum chinense, 113
Contopus sordidulus, 15
Cook, Francis R.
Additional records and a correction of
the type locality for the boreal chorus
frog in northwestern Ontario, 186
ee
1964
Additional specimens of the small-mouth-
ed salamander from Pelee Island, Ontario,
201
A northern range extension for Bufo am-
ericanus and Rana sylvatica, 65
The rusty colour phase of the Canadian
toad, Bufo hemiophrys, 263
Review of: A Sharing of Joy, 58
Cook, Francis R., and D. R. M. Hatch
A spadefoot toad from Manitoba, 60
Corallorbiza trifida, 112
Corbet, Philip S.
Review of: Les Libellules du Québec, 123
Coregonus artedi, 172, 173; clupeaformis, 172
Cormorant, Brandt’s, 213, 257, 258, Double-
crested, 13, 209, 213-219; Pelagic, 209,
213, 221-224
Cornus alba, 140, 146; canadensis, 113, 136;
nuttallit, 135; stolonifera, 45; suecica, 113
Corvus brachyrhynchos, 250, 251; b. caurinus,
214; caurinus, 213, 249; corone, 260
Cottus bairdii, 175; cognatus, 175
Couesius plumbius, 172
Cowan, I. McT
The holotype of the Franklin Grouse
(Canachites franklinii), 127
Cowbird, Brown-headed, 16, 181; Eastern,
125
Cowbird in Prince Edward Island, Changing
status of, by S. E. Vass, 125
Crane, Sandhill, 2; Whooping, 194
Crataegus Brunetiana, 113, coccinea, 117
Crocethia alba, 3
Crow, Northwestern, 209, 214, 249
Cuckoo, Black-billed, 205
Curlew, Eskimo, 194
Cyclocephala borealis, 62
Cyclopterus lumpus, 175
Cyprepedium calceolus, 111
Cystoepteris fragilis, 71, 143
Dace, longnose, 172
Dendroica auduboni, 16; magnolia, 16;
petechia, 16; townsendi, 16
Dermatocarpon miniatum, 148
Desmognathus fuscus, 157, 160
Devitt, O. E.
An extension in the breeding range of
Brewer’s Blackbird in Ontario, 42
Diapensia lapponica, 75, 113
Dickcissel, 119
Dicranum rugosum, 148
Dicrostonx groenlandicus, 6
Digitaria ischaenium, 30
Distichium capillaceum, 148; flexicaule, 148
Distributional summary and some behavioral
notes for Smith’s Longspur,
INDEX TO VOLUME 77 273
Calcarius pictus, by E. Kemsies and W.
Randle, 28
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 60, 200
Dove, Mourning, 14; Rock, 91
Dow, Douglas D., and M. Anne Dow
Mass mortality of gulls at Rondeau Park,
Lake Erie, 62
Draba arabisans, 112, 118, 126; aurea, 94;
cinerea, 74, 140, 145;crassifolia, 74; glabel-
la, 74; birta, 126; lactea, 74; nivalis, 74,
stbirica, 92, 96
Dracocephalum parviflorum, 147
Drent, R., G. F. van Tets, F. Tompa and K.
Vermeer The breeding birds of Man-
darte Island, British Columbia, 208
Drosera intermedia, 112; rotundifolia, 145
Dryas drummondi, 140, 146; integrifolia, 75
Dryopteris Filix-mas, 110, 117; fragrans, 107,
110, 117, 126, 150, 152
Duck, Black, 90; Labrador, 194; Ruddy, 13,
90; Wood, 90, 204
Duck, Black, breeding record for Alberta, by
W. G. Leitch, 199
Dumatella carolinensis, 91
Dunlin, 91
Eagle, Bald, 59
Eastern spiny sofe-shelled turtle from Que-
bec Province, by J. Lovrity and N.
Denman, 63
Eelbenny, slender, 177
Egrets, Common, nesting near Amherstburg,
Ontario, by Winnifred Smith, 59
Eider, King, 2, 6
Eleocharis halophila, 110; palustris, 111; par-
vula, 110
Elymus innovatus, 143; mollis, 110; virgini-
cus, 110
Empetrum hermaphroditum, 140, 146; ni-
grum, 75, 82, 113
Empidonax dificilis, 15; hammondii, 15;
minimus, 14, traillii, 14, 45
Encalypta procera, 148, vulgaris, 148
Epilobium angustifolium, 32-41, 75, 212;
hirsutum, 38, latifoliwm, 25, 27, 75, 108
113, 114, 117; palustre, 113
Epipactis helleborine, 150, 153
Equisetum arvense, 71, 142; fluviatile, 142,
hyemale, 142; sylvaticum, 110; variega-
tum, 71
Eremophila alpestris, 15
Ereunetes mauri, 14
Erigeron, 76; alpiniformis, 76; borealis, 76;
compositus, 140, 147; eriocephalus, 75, 76,
glabellus, 147; humilis, 76; byssopifolius,
147; unalaschkensis, 76; uniflorus, 76
5
274 Tue CanapiAn FieLtp-NATURALIST
Eriophorum angustifolium, 72, 111; callitrix,
72; Chamissonis, 111; opacum, 111;
Scheuchzeri, 72; tenellum, 111; vaginatum,
72, 111; viridi-carinatum, 111, 114
Ermine, 5, 6
Erolia alpina, 91; bairdii, 3, 91; mnutilla, 14
Erskine, Anthony J.
Nest-site competition between Bufflehead,
Mountain Bluebird and Tree Swallow,
202
New bird records from Cape Breton
Island, Nova Scotia, 89
Erysimum, 96
Esox lucius, 172
Euphagus cyanocephalus, 42, 181
Euphrasia, 94; arctica, 75; Randii, 114
Eurycea bislineata, 157, 160
Eutamias minintus, 78; m. neglectus, 198
Extension in the breeding range of Brewer’s
Blackbird in Ontario, by O. E. Devitt, 42
Fagus grandifolia, 81
Falco columbarius, 14; peregrinus, 14
Falcon, Peregrine, 14
Festuca brachyphylla, 72; rubra, 110; saxi-
montana, 142, 143
Finch, House, 16
Fish collections from eastern Hudson Bay,
by D. E. McAllister, 167
Fish and Wildlife: A Memorial to W. J. K.
Harkness, reviewed by D. E. McAllister,
195
Fishes of the Western North Atlantic, re-
viewed by D. E. McAllister, 194
Flicker, 125
Florida caerulea, 62, 90
Flower variation of Epilobium angustifolium
L. growing over uranium depositis, by
H. T. Shacklette, 32
Flycatcher, Hammond’s, 15; Least, 14; Olive-
sided, 15; Traill’s, 14, 45; Western, 15
Food habits of the Red-winged Blackbird,
Agelaius phoeniceus, in Manitoba, by
R. D. Bird and L. B. Smith, 179
Ox anctic yn
Fragaria, 45, virginiana, 146
Fratercula arctica, 242
Frog, Blanchard’s cricket, 202; bullfrog, 159;
gray treefog, 159, green, 159; leopard,
158; mink, 159; pickerel, 158, wood, 158,
268
Frog, boreal chorus, in northwestern On-
tario, Additional records etc., by F. R.
Cook, 186 i
Vol. 78
Gadus morhua, 70; ogac, 172
Galium asprellum, 114, kamschaticum, 114;
labradoricum, 114; palustre, 114; septen-
trionale, 147
Gasterosteus aculeatus, 177
Gaultheria shallon, 65
Gavia stellata, 2, 90
Gentiana nesophila, 114
Geothly pis trichas, 16, 45
Geum macrophyllum, 113
Glaucidium gnoma, 14
Glyceria canadensis, 110
Godfrey, W. Earl
Review of: The Birds, 56
Review of: Birds of the Labrador Penin-
sula and Adjacent Areas, 119
Review of: Birds of the Lake Athabasca
Region, Saskatchewan, 120
Review of: Where is that Vanished
Bird?, 193
Godwit, Hudsonian, 91
Goose, Greater Snow, 6; Snow, 2
Gorham, Stanley W.
Notes on the amphibians of Browns Flat
area, New Brunswick, 154
Goshawk, 13
Grackle, Common, 125, 181
Grebes, Red-necked, Winter mortality
among, in Ontario, by A. de Vos and
A. E. Allin, 67
Greenwood, E. W.
Review of: Cacti and Other Succulents,
121
Grimmia apocarpa, 148
Grosbeak, Evening, 16
Grouse, Franklin, 127; Spruce, 161
Grouse, Franklin, The holotype of, by I.
McT. Cowan, 127
Grus canadensis canadensis, 2
Guillemot, Pigeon, 209, 214, 239-246
Gull, Bonaparte’s, 62; California, 14, Glau-
cous, 4; Glaucous-winged, 209, 230-238,
Herring, 62; Iceland, 91; Ring-billed, 62
Gymmnocanthus tricuspis, 174
Habenaria, 116, dilatata, 111; hyperborea,
111, 144; obtusata, 111; viridis, 111
Haematopus bachmani, 213, 224; ostralegus,
226, 230
Haliaeetus leucocephalus, 59
Hancock, David A.
Breeding record for the Bufflehead west
of the Coast Range in British Colum-
bia, 64
ee a
1964
Handbook of North American Birds, Vol.
1. Loons through Flamingos, reviewed
by D. A. Munro, 121
Hare, arctic, 5
Hawk, Cooper’s, 14, Pigeon, 14; Red-tailed,
14, 23; Rough-legged, 23; Sharp-shinned,
14; Swainson’s, 14
Hedysarum alpinum, 113
Heron, Black-crowned Night, 59; Great
Blue, 59, 213, 259; Green, 59, 90; Little
Blue, 62, 90
Hesperiphona vespertina, 16
Hieracium kalmimi, 114
Hierochloe alpina, 71; odorata, 110
Hippoglossoides platessoides, 167
Hippuris vulgaris, 146
Hirundo rustica, 15, 213, 248
Hogarth, Donald D.
Pseudofossils near Old Chelsea, Quebec,
8
Holodiscus discolor, 211, 212
Holotype of the Franklin Grouse (Canachites
franklinu), by 1. McT. Cowan, 127
Honkenya peploides, 112
Hummingbird, Calliope, 14, Rufous, 14, 213,
259
Hybopsis gracilis, 128
Hydroprogne caspia, 62, 91
Ayla crucifer, 158, 160, 187-190; versicolor,
159, 188, 190
Hylocichla fuscescens, 15; guttata, 15, ustu-
lata, 15
Hylodes maculatus, 191
Hypnum cupressiforme, 148, fastigiatum, 148
Hypochaeris radicata, 65
Investigations in the Natural History of the
Soviet Far East, reviewed by L. K. Were-
sub, 124
Iridoprocne bicolor, 15, 203
Tris pseudacorus, 153; versicolor, 111
Isoétes macrospora, 150, 151; muricata, 150;
riparia, 150
Jaeger, Long-tailed, 3, 6
Johnstone, Walter B.
Two interior British Columbia records
for the Ancient Murrelet, 199
Judd, William W.
A weevil in the ear of child at London,
Ontario, 61
Juncus balticus, 111, 144; biglumus, 72; bu-
fonius, 111; trifidus, 72, 111
Juniperus communis, 126, 140, 143; horizon-
INDEX TO VOLUME 77 275
talis, 110, 126, 140, 143; virginiana, 150,
152
Kalmia angustifolia, 82, 113; polifolia, 113
Keith, Lloyd B.
Territoriality among wintering Snowy
Owls, 17
Kemsies, Emerson, and Worth Randle
A distributional summary and some be-
havioral notes for Smith’s Longspur,
Calcarius pictus, 28
Killdeer, 14
Kingbird, Western, 91
Knot, 1, 3, 5, 6
Koeleria asiatica, 94
Krebs, Charles J.
Spring and summer phenology at Baker
Lake, Keewatin, N.W.T., during 1959-
O28 25)
Lagopus americanus, 162;
mutus rupestris, 2, 161
Lance, sand, 177
Lamius excubitor, 15
Larix decidua, 98; laricina, 81, 140, 143
Lark, Horned, 15
Larus argentatus, 62, 232, 237, 238; californi-
cus, 14, 232, 238; delawarensis, 62; fuscus,
232, 238; glaucescens, 213, 230, 245; glau-
coides, 91; hyperboreus, 4, philadelphia,
62; ridibundus, 232, 238
Last Horizon, The, reviewed by F. R. Cook,
193
Lathyrus maritimus, 113
Lecanora melanophthalma, 148, polytropa,
148
Lecidea rubiformis, 149
Ledum decumbens, 75; groenlandicum, 65,
142, 146
Leitch, William G.
Black Duck breeding record for Alberta,
199
Lemming, collared, 6
Leontodon autummnalis, 114
Lepidurus arcticus, 2
Lepus americanus, 78; arcticus, 5
Lewitsia rediviva, 137
Libellules du Québec, Les, reviewed by P. S.
Corbet, 123
Limosa haemastica, 91
Liquidambar, 118, Styraciflua, 112
List of vascular plants from around Ogac
Lake, south coast of Frobisher Bay,
N.W.T., by Ian A. McLaren, 70
Lobelia dortmanna, 147
lagopus, 161;
276 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Local distribution of two voles: evidence
for interspecific interaction, by G. C.
Clough, 80
Loiseleuria procumbens, 75, 113
Long, Charles A.
Occurrence of some small mammals in
southwestern Ontario, 197
Longspur, Lapland, 4, 92; Smith’s, 28
Longspur, Smith’s, Calcarius pictus, A dis-
tributional summary and some behavioral
notes for, by E. Kemsies and W. Randle,
28
Lonicera dioica, 147; oblongifolia, 108, 114,
116, 117; villosa, 114, 117
Loon, Red-throated, 2, 90
Lophodytes cucullatus, 90
Lota lota, 128
Lovrity, Joseph, and Norris Denman
An eastern spiny soft-shelled turtle from
Quebec Province, 63
Lowther, James K.
Harris’ Sparrow in Quebec, 200
A probable breeding record of the Bobo-
link at Vermilion, Alberta, 200
Loxostege sticticalis, 184
Lumpenus fabricii, 177
Lumpfish, 175
Lumsden, Harry G.
The Rock Ptarmigan, Lagopus mutus
rupestris in Ontario and Manitoba, 161
Lunda cirrhata, 213, 246
Luzula campestris, 111; confusa, 72; multi-
flora, 72; nivalis, 72; spicata, 72
Lycopodium alpinum, 110, annotinum, 71,
110, 142; complanatum, 110; lucidulum,
110, 117; obscurum, 45, 117, 142; Selago,
71; sitchense, 110; tristachyumz, 110, 142
Lygodium palmatum, 118
Lythrum salicaria, 113, 118
Macpherson, A. H.
Review of: Wildlife’s Ten-Year Cycle,
55
Macrosiphum pisi, 184
Maianthemum canadense, 45
Mallard, 90
Mallotus villosus, 172
Malus fusca, 212
Mammal, Bird and, observations at Hazen
Camp, northern Ellesmere Island, in 1962,
by D. B. O. Savile and D. R. Oliver, 1
Mammals, small, Preliminary trials of a
camera recording device for the study
of, by C. H. Buckner, 77
Mammals, some small, Occurrence of, in
Vol. 78
southwestern Ontario, by C. A. Long,
197
Manitoba, The food habits of the Red-wing-
ed Blackbird in, by R. D. Bird and L. B.
Smith, 179
Manitoba, Notes on the birds of Riding
Mountain National Park, by D. A. Blood,
204
Manitoba, The Rock Ptarmigan in Ontario
and, by H. G. Lumsden, 161
Manitoba, A spadefoot toad from, by F. R.
Cook and D. R. M. Hatch, 60
Mass mortality of gulls at Rondeau Park,
Lake Erie, by D. D. Dow and M. A.
Dow, 62
McAllister, D. E.
Fish collections from eastern Hudson
Bay, 167
Review of: Fish and Wildlife: A Me-
morial to W. J. K. Harkness, 195
Review of: Fishes of the Western North
Atlantic, 194
McCalla, William Copeland, — an apprecia-
tion, by A. E. Porsild, 131
McLaren, Ian A.
A list of vascular plants from around
Ogac Lake, south coast of Frobisher
Batya N/a OF
Melampyrumt lineare, 114, 147
Melandrium affine, 73; apetalum, 73
Melanitta deglandi, 13; perspicellata, 13
Melanoplus bivitattus, 184
Melospiza melodia, 213, 252
Menyanthes trifoliata, 114
Merganser, Hooded, 90
Mertensia maritima, 75, 114
Micropalama himantopus, 63
Microtus, 98-106; montebelli, 87; ochrogaster,
88; pennsylvanicus, 78, 268; p. acadicus,
80-88; p. pennsylvanicus, 98
Milium effusum, 110
Mills, Willett J.
Three new bird records for Prince Ed-
ward Island, 62
Minnesota’s Rocks and Waters: A Geologi-
cal Story, reviewed by F. J. Alcock, 122
Mitella nuda, 112, 146
Moldavica parviflora, 147
Molothrus ater, 16, 181; a. ater, 125
Monarch of Mularchy Mountain, The, re-
viewed by A. W. F. Banfield, 57
Moneses uniflora, 113
Montia fontana, 112, 117
Moore, Mary I.
Some interesting plants in the Barron
Canyon in Algonquin Park, 125
1964
Mouse, deer, 78, 80; house, 103; meadow
jumping, 78; white-footed, 103
Munro, David A.
Review of: Handbook of North Ameri-
can Birds, Vol. 1., 121
Murrelet, Ancient, Two interior B. C. re-
cords for, by W. B. Johnstone, 199
Mus, 88; musculus, 103
Musk-ox, 5, 6
Mustela erminea, 5, vison, 213
Myadestes townsendi, 203
Myoxocephalus quadricornis, 174, scorpioi-
des, 174; scorpius, 174
Myrica asplenifolia, 45; gale, 65, 145
Myriophyllum spicatum, 117
Najas flexilis, 152; gracillima, 150. 152
Neckera pennata, 148
Nemopanthus mucronatus, 113
Neotoma cinerea druntmondi, 128
Nero, Robert W., and F. R. Cook
A range extension for the wood frog in
northeastern Saskatchewan, 268
Nest-site competition between Bufflehead,
Mountain Bluebird and Tree Swallow,
by A. J. Erskine, 202
Never Cry Wolf, reviewed by A. W. F.
Banfield, 52
New bird records from Cape Breton Island,
Nova Scotia, by A. J. Erskine, 89
New Brunswick, Notes on the amphibians
of Browns Flat area, by S. W. Gorham,
154
Newfoundland, A plant collection from
southwest, — John Bell, 1867, by I. L.
Bayly, 107
Northern range extension for Bufo ameri-
canus with notes on B. americanus and
Rana sylvatica, by F. R. Cook, 65
Northwest Territories, A list of vascular
plants from around Ogac Lake, south
coast of Frobisher Bay, by I. A. Mc-
Laren, 70
Northwest Territories, Spring and summer
phenology at Baker Lake, Keewatin,
during 1959-62, by C. J. Krebs, 25
Notes on the amphibians of Browns Flat
area, New Brunswick, by S. W. Gorham,
154
Notes on the birds of Riding Mountain
National Park, Manitoba, by D. A. Blood,
204
Notes on Townsend’s Solitaire in western
Chilcotin district, B.C., by W. A. B. Paul,
203
INDEX TO VOLUME 77
27
Notophthalmus viridescens, 157, 160
Notropis, 172
Noturus flavus, 128
Nova Scotia, New bird records from Cape
Breton Island, by A. J. Erskine, 89
Nuphar advena, 112, 117
Nursall, J. R., and Victor Lewin
The stonecat, Noturus flavus, newly re-
corded in Alberta, 128
Nuttallornis borealis, 15
Nyctea scandiaca, 4, 17-24
_Nycticorax nycticorax, 59
Occurrence of some small mammals in
southwestern Ontario, by C. A. Long,
197
Oenothera, 116; biennis, 113
Oldsquaw, 2, 6
Ontario, Additional specimens of the small-
mouthed salamander from Pelee Island.
by F. R. Cook, 201
Ontario, Common Egrets nesting near Am-
herstburg, by Winnifred Smith, 59
Ontario, An extension in the breeding range
of Brewer’s Blackbird in, by O. E. Devitt,
42
Ontario and Manitoba, The Rock Ptarmi-
gan, Lagopus mutus rupestris in, by H. G.
Lumsden, 161
Ontario, northwestern, Additional records
etc., for the boreal chorus frog, by F. R.
Cook, 186
Ontario, Piping plover at Ottawa, by A. E.
Bourguignon, 199
Ontario, Some interesting plant records
from the Chalk River district, by T. C.
Brayshaw, 150
Ontario, southwestern, Occurrence of some
small mammals in, by C. A. Long, 197
Ontario, A weevil in the ear of child at
London, by W. W. Judd, 61
Oporornis tolmiei, 16
Orobanche uniflora, 114
Orthotrichum anomalum, 148
Oryctolagus cuniculus, 213
Osprey, 205
Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club
Report of Council, 85th Annual Meeting,
47
Financial Statement, 1963, 51
Ovibos moschatus, 6
Owl, Great Horned, 14, 59; Hawk, 205;
Long-eared, 14, Pygmy, 14, Snowy, 4,
17-24
Owls, Snowy, Territoriality among winter-
ing, by L. B. Keith, 17
278
Oxyria digyna, 73
Oxytropis kuyukukensis, 94
Oxyura jamaicensis, 13, 90
Oystercatcher, Black, 209, 224-230
Pandion haliaetus, 205
Panicum virgatum, 150, 153
Papaver, 94, radicatum, 74
Parakeet, Carolina, 194
Parmelia centrifuga,
lineola, 149
Parrya nudicaulis, 96
Passerculus sandwichensis, 16, 119
Passerella iliaca, 16
Paul, W. Adrian B.
Birds of Kleena Kleene, Chilcotin dis-
trict, B.C., 1959-1962, 13
Pedicularis flammea, 75; hirsuta, 75, lappo-
nica, 75; lanata, 25, 27, 96
Peeper, spring, 158
Pellaea glabella, 140, 143
Pemphigus betae, 184
Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis, 103,
maniculatus, 78, 213; m. maniculatus, 198
Petasites frigidus, 147; sagittatus, 147
Petrochelidon albifrons, 205, pyrrhonota, 15
Pewee, Western Wood, 15
Phalacrocorax aristotelis, 218-222; auritus,
13, 213, 215; carbo, 219, 220; pelagicus,
213, 221; penzicillatus, 213, 257
Phalarope, Wilson’s, 14
Philomachus pugnax, 120
Phoebe, Eastern, 91; Say’s, 14
Phragmites communis, 180
Phyllodoce coerulea, 75; glanduliflora, 96
Physcia muscigena, 149; sciastra, 149
Phytolacca americana, 112
Picea glauca, 81, 98, 140, 143; mariana, 81,
140, 141, 143; rubra, 81
Pigeon, Passenger, 193
Pike, northern, 172
Pinguicula vulgaris, 75, 114
Pintail, 90
Pinus, 113, banksiana, 98, 140, 142, 143; resi-
nosa, 98; Strobus, 81, 98; sylvestris, 98
Pipilo erythrophthalmus, 92
Piping Plover in Ottawa, Ontario, by A. E.
Bourguignon, 199
Pipit, Water, 15
Plant collection from southwest Newfound-
land — John Bell, 1867, by I. L. Bayly,
107
Plant collections from Carswell Lake and
Beartooth Island, northwestern Saskatche-
wan, Canada, by G. W. Argus, 139
149; conspersa, 149;
THe CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
Plantago maritima, 114
Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis, 4
Plethodon cinereus, 157, 160
Pleurozium schreberi, 148
Plover, Piping, in Ottawa, Ontario, by A. E.
Bourguignon, 199
Poa alpigena, 71; alpina, 72; arctica, 5, 72;
glauca, 72, 142, 143; hartzii, 5; imterior,
143; palustris, 110; pratensis, 102, 143
Poly gala paucifolia, 45
Polygonum convolvulus, 182, lapathifolium,
112; virginianum, 112; viviparum, 73, 112
Polystichum Braunii, 110
Populus balsamifera, 142, 144, tremuloides,
81, 140, 144
Porsild, A. E.
Potentilla stipularis L. and Draba sibirica
(Pall.) Thell. new to North America,
92
William Copeland McCalla — an appre-
ciation, 131
Porzana carolina, 14
Potamogeton epibydrus, 110; filiformis, 143,
Friesii, 110; gramineus, 143
Potentilla Crantzii, 74, fruticosa, 112, 146;
gracilis, 150, 153, Hippiana, 150, 153,
hyparctica, 74, nivea, 74, 94; norvegica,
146; palustris, 112, 146; pensylvanica, 146,
rivalis, 150, 153; stipularis, 94; tridentata,
112; Vahliana, 74
Potentilla stipularis L. and Draba_ stbirica
(Pall.) Thell. new to North America, by
A. E. Porsild, 92
Preliminary trials of a camera recording
device for the study of small mammals,
by C. H. Buckner, 77
Prenanthes racemosa, 114
Primula laurentiana, 113; mistassinica, 113
Prince Edward Island, A breeding record for
the Bobolink in, by S. E. Vass, 60
Prince Edward Island, Changing status of
the Cowbird in, by S. E. Vass, 125
Prince Edward Island, Three new bird re-
cords for, by W. J. Mills, 62
Principles in Mammalogy, reviewed by P. M.
Youngman, 57
Probable breeding record of the Bobolink
at Vermilion, Alberta, by J. K. Lowther,
200
Prosopium cylindraceum, 172
Prunus emarginata, 212, pensylvanica, 142,
146; virginiana, 140, 146, 212
Pseudacris nigrita, 191; n. septentrionalis,
190; n. triseriata, 191; triseriata, 191; t.
maculata, 186, 192; t. triseriata, 189, 190
Pseudofossils near Old Chelsea, Quebec, by
D. D. Hogarth, 8
1964
Pseudotsuga menziesii, 65, 211; taxifolia, 133
Ptarmigan, Rock, 2, 161; Willow, 161
Ptarmigan, Rock, Lagopus mutus rupestris
in Ontario and Manitoba, by H. G.
Lumsden, 161
Pteridium aquilinum, 45, 65
Puffin, Tufted, 209, 246-248
Pulsatilla Ludoviciana, 137
Pungitius pungitius, 177
Pyrola asarifolia, 113, 146; elliptica, 113;
grandiflora, 75; secunda, 113
Pyrus decora, 113; floribunda, 113
Quebec, Harris’ Sparrow in, by J. K.
Lowther, 200
Quebec, Pseudofossils near Old Chelsea, by
D. D. Hogarth, 8
Quebec Province, An eastern spiny soft-
shelled turtle from, by J. Lovrity and
N. Denman, 63
Quercus garryana, 212
Raja radiata, 170
Ramalina intermedia, 149
Rana catesbeiana, 159, 160; clamitans, 159,
160, 187, 189; palustris, 158, 160; pipiens,
158, 160, 188-190; septentrionalis, 66, 159,
189; sylvatica, 65, 66, 158, 160, 187, 188
Range extension for the wood frog in
northeastern Saskatchewan, by R. W.
Nero and F. R. Cook, 268
Rangifer tarandus, 6
Ranunculus acris, 117; Allenii, 73; aquatilis,
145; Cymbalaria, 112; nivalis, 73; pennsyl-
vanicus, 112; pygmaeus, 73; repens, 112
Ranvanyi, Andrew
Two helpful uses of “Terylene” for bio-
logists, 268
Rat, Bushy-tailed wood, in the Peace River
district, Alberta, by A. W. F. Banfield,
128
Redpoll, Hoary, 4, 6
Redstart, American, 16
Rhinichthys cataractae, 172
Rhinanthus, 116
Rhizocarpon disporum, 148, 149; geographi-
cum, 148, 149; obscuratum, 149
Rhododendron canadense, 82, 113; lapponi-
cum, 75
Rhopalosiphum maidis, 184
Rhus aromatica, 150, 154
Rhytidium rugosum, 148
Ribes glandulosum, 112, 142, 146; hirtellum,
112; lacustre, 112; triste, 112
INDEX TO VOLUME 77
279
Riparia riparia, 15
Robin, 125
Rock Ptarmigan, Lagopus mutus rupestris in
Ontario and Manitoba, by H. G. Lums-
den, 161
Rosa, 113, 212; acicularis, 146, nitida, 113;
virginiana, 113
Rowan Field Notes — A Review, reviewed
by W. Ray Salt, 195
Rubus Chamaemorus, 113; idaeus, 146; ma-
cropealus, 65, 212; pubescens, 113; stri-
gosus, 142
Ruff, 120
Rumex mexicanus, 145; occidentalis, 145
Rusty colour phase of the Canadian toad,
Bufo hemiophrys, by F. R. Cook, 263
Sagina intermedia, 73; nodosa, 112; procum-
bens, 117
Salamander, blue-spotted, 156, dusky, 157,
four-toed, 160; red-backed, 157; red-
spotted, 157; small-mouthed, 201; spot-
ted, 156; two-lined, 157
Salamander, small-mouthed, Additional
specimens, from Pelee Island, Ontario,
by F. R. Cook, 201
Salix, 45, 65, 211; arctica, 73, arctophila, 73,
athabascensis, 144, bebbiana, 112, 142, 144;
candida, 144; cordifolia, 73; glauca, 94,
glaucophylloides, 112; herbacea, 73; myr-
tillifolia, 144; pedicellaris, 144; pellita, 112,
117; petiolaris, 108, 116; planifolia, 142,
145; reticulata, 73; scouleriana, 145; seris-
sima, 145;Uva-ursi, 73, 112
Salt, W. Ray
Review of: Rowan Field Notes — A
Review, 195
Salvelinus alpinus, 170; fontinalis, 170; na-
maycush, 170, 173
Sanderling, 3, 5
Sandpiper, Baird’s, 3, 91; Least, 14, Spotted,
14; Stilt, 63; Western, 14
Sanguisorba canadensis, 113, 117
Saskatchewan, northeastern, A range exten-
sion for the wood frog in, by R. W. Nero
and F. R. Cook, 268
Saskatchewan, northwestern, Plant collec-
tions from Carswell Lake and Beartooth
Island, by G. W. Argus, 139
Savile, D. B. O., and D. R. Oliver
Bird and mammal observations at Hazen
Camp, northern Ellesmere Island, in 1962,
1
Saxifraga, 2; aizoides, 74, 112, 117; Aizoon,
74, 126, 150, 152, 153; caespitosa, 74; cer-
nua, 74; foliosa, 74; nivalis, 74, 94; opposi-
280
tifolia, 74, rivularis, 74; tenuis, 74; tricus-
pidata, 74, 140, 146
Sayornis phoebe, 91, saya, 14
Scaphiopus bombifrons, 60
Scaup, Greater, 90
Schizachne purpurascens, 143
Scirpus, 179; atrovirens, 111; caespitosus, 72,
111; cyperinus, 45; fluviatilis, 153; hud-
sonianus, 111; rufus, 111; validus, 111
Scoter, Surf, 13; White-winged, 13
Sculpin, arctic, 174, arctic staghorn, 174,
arctic staghorn, 174; fourhorn, 174; mot-
tled, 175; shorthorn, 174; slimy, 175
Scutellaria galericulata, 114, 147
Sedum Rosea, 112
Selaginella rupestris, 142; selaginoides, 140,
142
Selasphorus rufus, 14, 213, 259
Senecio, 94; streptanthifolius, 147
Setaria viridis, 182, 184
Setophaga ruticilla, 16
Shacklette, Hansford T.
Flower variation of Epilobium angusti-
folium L. growing over uranium deposits,
32
Shanny, arctic, 177
Sharing of Joy, A, reviewed by F. R. Cook,
58
Shepherdia, 114; canadensis, 146
Shoveler, 13, 90
Shrew, masked, 78; short-tailed, 80, 103
Shrike, Northern, 15
Sialia currucoides, 202
Sibbaldia procumbens, 75
Sieurus noveboracensis, 16
Silene acaulis, 73
Siskin, Pine, 16, 91
Sitona cylindricollis, 61, 184
Skate, thorny, 170
Smilacina stellata, 111, trifolia, 111
Smith, Winnifred
Common Egrets nesting near Amherst-
burg, Ontario, 59
Snipe, Common, 3, 14
Solidago, 45, 82, 102; hispida, 147;
macrophylla, 114
Solitaire, Townsend’s Notes on, in western
Chilcotin district, B.C., by W. A. B. Paul,
203
Somateria spectabilis, 2 ,90
Some interesting plant records from the
Chalk River district, Ontario, by T. C.
Brayshaw, 150
Some interesting plants in the Barron Cany-
on in Algonquin Park, by M. I. Moore,
125
Sora, 14
Sorbus scopulina, 142, 146
THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST
Vol. 78
Sorex cinereus, 78, palustris palustris, 197
Spadefoot toad from Manitoba, by F. R.
Cook and D. R. M. Hatch, 60
Sparganium eurycarpum, 153
Sparrow, fox, 16; Harris’, 200, 269; Lark, 92;
Lincoln’s, 200; Savannah, 16; Song, 200,
209, 252-257; White-crowned, 16, 269,
White-throated, 200
Sparrow, Harris’, in Quebec, by J. K. Low-
ther, 200
Spatula clypeata, 13, 90
Sphagnum, 81
Spinus pinus, 16, 91
Spiraea, 45, 82; douglasii 65
Spiranthes Romanzoffiana, 112
Sporobolus vaginiflorus, 30
Spring and summer phenology at Baker Lake,
Keewatin, N.W.T., during 1959-62, by
Ca) Kkrebsy25
Squirrel, red, 78
Starling, 15, 17, 125, 181, 202, 205
Steganopus tricolor, 14
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis, 15
Stellaria calycantha, 112, ciliatosepala, 145,
crassifolia, 112; edwardsii, 145; humifusa,
73; longipes, 73, 112, 145; subvestita, 145
Stellula calliope, 14
Stercorarius longicaudus, 3
Sterna hirundo, 62, paradisaea, 4
Stichaeus punctatus, 177
Stickleback, ninespine, 177; threespine, 177
Stinson, Robert H.
Vole populations in southwestern
Ontario, 98
Stonecat, Noturus flavus newly recorded in
Alberta, by J. R. Nursall and V. Lewin,
128
Sturnus vulgaris, 15, 17, 181, 202, 205
Sucker, longnose, 172
Surnia ulula, 205
Swallow, Bank, 15; Barn, 248; Cliff, 15, 205;
Rough-winged, 15; Tree, 15, 205; Violet-
green, 15
Symphoricarpos alba, 212; occidentalis, 180
Synaptomys cooperi cooperi, 199
Synthliboramphus antiquus, 199
Tachycineta thalassina, 15
Tamias striatus griseus, 198
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, 78, bh. hudsonicus,
198
Taraxacum lacerum, 76; lapponicum, 76
Teal, Blue-winged, 13; Cinnamon, 13, Green-
winged, 13, 80
Tern, Arctic, 4; Black, 14; Caspian, 62, 91;
Common, 62
1964
Territoriality among wintering Snowy Owls,
by Lloyd B. Keith, 17
Tetrao mutus, 162, rupestris, 162
Thalictrum alpinum, 112, 117; cornuti, 112,
dioicum, 108, 112, 116; venulosum, 150,
153
Thelypteris noveboracensis, 110, 117
Three new bird records for Prince Edward
Island, by W. J. Mills, 62
Thrush, Gray-cheeked, 200, 269; Hermit, 15,
Swainsen’s, 15, 200
Thuja occidentalis, 98; plicata, 65
Toad, American, 157; Canadian, 263
Tofieldia, 116, glutinosa, 111, 144; pusilla, 73
Tortella tortuosa, 148
Tortula ruralis, 148
Totanus melanoleucus, 90
Towhee, Rufous-sided, 92
Triadenum virginicum, 113
Trifolium agrarium, 113; procumbens, 118
Triglochin maritima, 110; palustris, 110
Trillium cernuum, 111; recurvatum, 111
Trionyx spinifer spinifer, 63
Trisetum spicatum, 71, 110
Troglodytes troglodytes, 15
Tsuga canadensis, 81; heterophylla, 65
Turnstone, Ruddy, 1, 3, 5, 6
Turtle, eastern spiny soft-shelled, 63
Two helpful uses of “Terylene” for biolo-
gists, by A. Ranvanyi, 268
Two interior B.C. records for the Ancient
Murrelet, by W. B. Johnstone, 199
Typha angustifolia, 45; latifolia, 143, 179
Tyrannus verticalis, 91
Ulmus americana, 59
Umbilicaria hyperborea, 148, 149
Uria aalge, 242; lomvia, 242
Urtica urens, 112
Vaccinium, 45, 82; angustif olium, 113; macro-
carpon, 82; myrtilloides, 143, 146, Oxyco-
ccos, 113; uliginosum, 33, 75, 113; Vitis-
idaea, 75, 82, 113
Vallisneria spiralis, 108, 117
Vass, Stanley E.
A breeding record for the Bobolink in
Prince Edward Island, 60
Changing status of the Cowbird in Prince
Edward Island, 125
Veery, 15
Vermivora celata, 15
Veronica alpina, 75
Viburnum, 81; acerifolium, 108, 114, 116,
117; cassinoides, 81, 108, 114, 117; edule,
114, 117; Lentago, 108, 117; opulus, 114;
pauciflorum, 114, 117
INDEX TO VOLUME 77
281
Vicia Cracca, 113
Viola primulifolia, 126
Vireo, Philadelphia, 15, 91; Red-eyed, 15,
Warbling, 15, 91
Vireo gilvus, 15, 91; olivaceus, 15; philadel-
phicus, 15, 91
Viscaria alpina, 73
Vole, meadow, 78, 80-88; red-backed, 78,
80-88
Vole populations in southwestern Ontario,
by R. H. Stinson, 98
Voles, two, Local distribution of, evidence
for interspecific interaction by G. C.
Clough, 80
Vos, Antoon de, and A. E. Allin
Winter mortality among Red-necked
Grebes (Colymbus grisegena) in On-
tario, 67 Z
Vulture, Turkey, 205
Wade, Douglas E.
Letter to the Editor, 130
Warbler, Audubon’s, 16; Macgillivray’s, 16,
Magnolia, 16; Orange-crowned, 15;
Townsend’s 16; Wilson’s, 16; Yellow, 16
Waterthrush, Northern, 16
Waxwing, Bohemian, 91
Weevil, sweet clover, 61
Weevil in the ear of child at London, On-
tario, by W. W. Judd, 61
Weresub, Luella K.
Review of: Investigations in the Natural
History of the Soviet Far East, 124
Where is that Vanished Bird?, reviewed by
W. E. Godfrey, 193
Whitefish, lake, 172; round, 172
Wildlife’s Ten-Year Cycle, reviewed by A.
H. Macpherson, 55
Willet, 62
Wilsonia pusilla, 16
Winter mortality among Red-necked Grebes
(Colymbus grisegena) in Ontario, by A.
de Vos and A. E. Allin, 67
Wolf, 5, 6
Wood, Albert Andrew, 1885-1963, by H. B.
Wressell, 207
W oodsia alpina, 110, cathcartiana, 126; gla-
bella, 71, 143; ilvensis, 71. 110, 126
Woodpecker, Ivory-billed, 194
Wren, Short-billed Marsh, 45; Winter, 15
Wressell, H. B.
Albert Andrew Wood, 1885-1963, 207
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, 16, 180
Xanthoria candelaria, 149
282 THe Canapian Frecp-NaATuRALIST Vol. 78
Yellowlegs, Greater, 63, 90; Lesser, 63 Zapus hudsonius, 78, bh. hudsonius, 199
Yellowthroat, 16, 45 Zenaidura macroura, 14
Youngman, Phillip M. Zonotrichia leucophrys, 16;-.querula, 200
Review of: Principles in Mammalogy, 57 Zostera marina, 108, 117
w
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ae ew ee ee ey ——e