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OFFICIAL  BULLETIN 
of  the 

NATURAL  HISTORY 

scciEiy 

In  Co>operation  with 
The  Seshatchewan  Provincial  h/«u$eum 


4 


THE  BLUE  JAY 


Official  publication  of  the 

saskatche':an  natural  history  society 

Editor:  Lloyd  T,  Carnichael 

"0“ 


Hon.  Pres.:  Dean  Thompson,  Universit^r  of  Saskatche^;'an. 

President;  Dr.  G„F,  Ledingham,  Regina  College,  Bidogy  Professor. 
lst„  Vice  Pres,:  Cliff  Ghav,  Yorkton, 

2nd,  Vice  Pres,:  I'iaurice  G.  Street.  Nipaivin, 

Secy.  Treas, :  E.  F.  "Ccitehead,  2624  Angus  Blvd,,  Regina, 


-  DIRECTORS  ■* 


Fred  Bard,  Director  of  Provincial  Ruseum,  Regina;  Stuart  Houston, 
Yorkton,-  H,, C.,  Andre^rs,  Principal  Normal  School,  Moose  Jaw: 

R.  (Dick)  Bird,  Regina;  A.  C.  Budd,  E:rp,  Station,  Swift  Current; 

E,  P‘,,  Van  Blaricom,  K„C^,  Tisdale:  Judge  L.  T,  IIcKimr  Jlelfort; 

R.  J,.  Priestly,  Regina;  F.  Robinson,  Regina;  Lloyd  Peterson, 
Indian  Head;  E.  W.  Brooman,  Prince  Albert;  A.  E,  Broynlee,  Regina, 


Volume  VII  Jan,,  Feb,,  March,  1949. 


No,  1 


The  aim  of  this  societ^r  is  to  continue  and  extend  the  ’^ork  and 
ideas  of  the  Founder  of  the  ’’Blue  Jay",  the  late  Lts.  Isabel  M, 
Priestly,  in  forming  a  medium  for  the  exchange  of  nature  observa¬ 
tions  of  mutual  interest,  and  in  working  together  for  the  protection 
and  conservation  of  the  wild  life  of  Saskatchev'an, 


HOE  TO  SUBSCRIBE 

The  BLUE  JAY  is  published  quarterly  at  a  yearly  subscription  rate 
of  '1,00.  ,  Anyone  interested  in  any  phase  of  nature  will  be  a  wel¬ 
come  member  of  this  organization.  All  subscriptions  will  start  and 
terminate  on  the  first  day  of  January.  Those  ■'.ho  have  paid  their 
subscriptions  at  the  old  rate  will  be  credited  Y:ith  this  amount  as 
part  payment  on  this  year's  subscription. 

Will  members  please  make  special  note  that  all  material  for  the 
BLUE  JAY  should  be  sent  to  the  Editor,  at  1077  Garnet  Street,  Regina, 
and  all  subscriptions  and  business  letters  to  Mr,  William  Vifhitehead, 
2624  Angus  Blvd.,  Regina. 


MATERIAL  FOR  THE  NEXT  ISSUE  SHOULD  BE  SUBIMTTED  NOT  LAT'CR  THAN  MAY1.5, 


EDITOR'S  DESK 


In  the  first  number  of  this  Bulletin  published  ip  the  fall  of 
1942,  lirs,  I. IE  Priestly  v.Tote:  ”  ’e  present  the  first  issue  of  the 
Blue  Jay  fully  conscious  of  its  many  and  probably  glaring  shortcomings, 
fe  knoiT  there  is  a  quotation  that  "Fools  rush  in - ",  Maybe  it  ap¬ 

plies  in  our  case,  but  anway  i/e  should  like  to  receive  frank  comraents, 
criticishi  and  suggestions,  so  we  can  make  further  issues  of  our  bulletin 
of  greater  value  to  nature  lovers  of  the  province," 

Those  of  us  who  have  been  constant  readers  of  the  BLUE  JAY  for 
the  past  six  years  kno-:'  how  •<:'-ell  that  work  has  been  done  and  how  accur¬ 
ately  it  has  portrayed  the  keen  interest  of  men  and  women  throughout 
Saskatche^.'an  in  T;ild  life  and  the  pressing  problems  in  relation  to  its 
conservation, 

Fith  this  issue,  the  Saskatchewan  Natural  History  Society  makes  its 
debut,  and  in  carrying  on  the  work  wishes  to  reiterate  the  statement  and 
'he  plea  made  by  its  first  editor,  Fe,  too,  invite  suggestions  and 
constructive  cri1  icism  and  most  earnestly  solicit  contributions  from 
our  members  and  others  in  every  section  of  the  province,  7e  have  been 
greatly  heartened  already  by  the  support  given  for  this  issue  and  by  the 
host  of  kind  letters  idshing  us  success  and  offering  future  help. 

Believing  that  the  best  conservation  laws  are  not  found  in  the 
pages  of  our  statute  books  but  in  the  hearts  of  rature  lovers  and  true 
sportsmen,  the  policy  of  the  BLUE  JAY  in  respect  to  the  protection  of 
wild  life  will  remain  the  same.  The  status  of  various  predatory  birds 
and  other  animals  has  often  been  discussed  by  members  of  this  Society, 
Scientific  investigations  bring  to  light  the  fact  that  coyotes,  timber 
wolves,  weasels,  hawks,  crows,  magpies  and  a  host  of  other  "pests"  form 
important  links  in  the  chains  which  preserve  the  balance  of  nature.  The 
majority  of  us  like  to  see  all  of  these  animals  in  their  natural  setting 
and  pray  that  no  species  will  be  exterminated  because  of  selfish  reasons 
on  the  part  of  a  minority. 

V.Tien  robins  raid  and  destroy  our  strawberry  patch,  we  try  to  pro¬ 
tect  that  patch  but  do  not  attempt  to  pass  a  death  sentence  on  either 
the  entire  species  or  the  friendly  robin  on  our  neighbor's  lav/n,  V/hen 
coyotes  raid  the  sheep  ranch  and  poultry  yard,  ’re  believe  it  the  owners 
duty  to  protect  that  ranch  and  chicken  house  —  and  not  advocate  vfhole- 
sale  slaughter  in  areas  where  they  might  be  doing  more  good  than  harm. 

17e  believe  that  offenders  only  should  pay  the  penalty,  Fe  deal  rrith 
humans,  the  greatest  predators  of  all,  that  way  and  can  T;ell  afford  to 
pass  on  the  same  treatment  to  the  rest  of  the  animal  kingdom, 

John  Ruskin  has  written:  "God  has  given  us  1  he  earth  for  our  life. 
It  is  a  great  entail.  It  belongs  as  much  to  those  who  come  after  us  as 
to  us;  and  we  have  no  right,  by  anything  that  we  do,  or  neglect  to  do, 
to  involve  them  in  unnecessary  penalties,  or  to  deprive  them  of  benefits 
which  are  theirs  by  right, " 


LloA'-d  T,  Carmichael. 


-  3  ~ 


Expressions  of  Appreciation 

I  cannot  express  the  depth  of  ray  gratitude  to  those  of  jrou  who  are 

carrying  on  with  this  publication.  Having  been  so  close  to  the  "Blue 

Jay"  from  the  moment  of  its  "birth  pains",  shall  we  say,  I  feel  safe  in 

stating  that  I  alone  kno*;  what  it  meant  to  Mrs,  Priestly  and  the  amount 

of  work  and  thought  she  put  into  it.  If  for  no  other  reason  than  that, 
and  there  are  numerous  reasons  for  its  continuation,  I  can  only  look  on 
it  as  a  "monument"  to  her  and  her  love  for  Nature’s  finest,  as  well  as 
the  increased  love  of  such  things  that  broadened  through  the  "Blue  Jay" 
for  all  those  who  read  it. 

As  all  readers  knovj,  the  "Blue  Jay"  was  first  published  as  a  bulletin 
for  Ihe  benefit  of  the  members  of  the  Yorkton  Natural  History  Society/-, 

The  interest  taken  in  it  and  its  circulation  gron’-th  vras  a  source  of  plea¬ 
sant  surprise  to  Mrs,  Priestlj^  Naturally  I  felt  a  great  deal  of  re¬ 
flected  pride  in  this  myself. 

From  the  time  that  its  grov/th  seemed  a  positive  fact  it  was  Mrg. 
Priestly’s  belief  that  it  should  become  the  official  organ  of  a  society 
of  \7ider  scope.  There  *735  no  provincial  organization  and  the  formation 
of  one  seemed  unlikely,  hence  her  approach  to  the  Provincial  ifuseum  for 
joint  sponsorship  in  September,  1945,  That  her  one-time  dream  is  about 
to  become  realized  is  a  great  source  of  satisfaction  to  our  children 
and  myself, 

Robt.J,  (Bob)  Priestly, 

Regina, 


!7ith  the  inauguration  of  the  Saskatche^'^an  Natural  History  Society 
and  its  assumption  of  the  publication  of  the  BLUE  JAY,  the  members  of 
the  Yorkton  Natural  History  Society  extend  best  wishes  to  the  new  Society 
and  pledge  their  support,  Yorkton  deservedly  enjoys  a  measure  of  pride 
in  the  efforts  of  publishing  the  BLUE  JAY  in  the  past,  but  passes  on  the 
editorship  with  confidence  to  Mr,  L,  T.  Carmichael  with  the  desire  that 
he  should  perpetuate  the  vital  spirit  and  interest  in  nature  possessed 
by  lir.  Cliff  Shaw  and  the  late  Mrs,  I,  M,  Priestly, 

Clive  Tallant, 
Vice-President, 

Yorkton  Natural  History  Societjm 


In  conservation  alone,  I  feel  as  if  little  voices  are  calling  to 
you,  who  seem  to  understand  their  plight,  I'lan^^  are  seriously  threatened 
with  extermination  and  may  be  lost  forever.  Let  us  not  be  known  as  a 
generation  of  ruthless  destructiveness  but  instead  do  everything  in  our 
pov/er  to  save  our  beautiful  native  life.  Through  the  medium  of  the  BLUE 
JAY  a  great  opportunity  is  given  to  you  to  present  the  true  facts  and 
appeal  for  justice,  I  am  vitally  concerned  over  the  fate  of  the  flora 
and  fauna  of  our  Prairies,  Hov/ever,  I  have  great  faith  in  humanity,  and 
when  the  true  facts  are  knov/n  by  all,  the  public  ■'.mil  cease  destroying 
and  start  conserving. 


John  U.  Kozier, 
ilanitoba  Sanatorium, 
Ninette,  Manitoba, 


% 


-  4  - 


BL^  SECTION 

PRAIRIE  CKICKEII  DAFCIMG  GlIOUIIDS 


It  was  most  gratifj'-ing  to  receive  so  many  interesting  replies  to  our 
request  for  information  in  the  last  issue  about  these  areas.  It  was  felt 
that  these  sites  are  not  only  unusual  but  are  interesting  enough  to  conserve 
for  observation  and  study  purposes.  The  apparent  prevalence  of  these 
"happy  hunting  grounds"  will  come  as  a  surprise  to  many  of  our  readers, 

Mrs,  Marion  Nixon  of  t'auchope,  tells  us  of  a  Sharp tail  dancing  ground 
on  the  south-west  quarter  of  15-S-33,  west  of  the  1st,  It  lies  on  an  exposed 
long  knoll  across  the  top  of  a  "T"  of  open  ground,  flanked  by  bluffs.  South 
of  it,  on  the  open  prairie  is  an  isolated  "rubbing"  tree,  used  by  grazing 
stock  in  the  spring  time,  and  serving  as  a  landmark  to  find  the  location. 

From  Grenfell  comes  the  report  of  tT70  dancing  grounds,  'Irs,  F,  Bilsbury 
writes;  "One  is  located  about  a  mile  south  of  our  farm.  It  is  on  the  side 
of  a  grass  prairie  trail.  Thirty  or  more  birds  were  observed  by  Hr*.  Douglas 
Parsons  here  on  New  Year’s  day.  The  other  one  is  on  the  north  end  of  a 
field  on  the  S,S,  quarter  of  Section  13#  T/hen  the  field  is  in  summerfallow 
the  ground  is  packed  hard  around  the  dancing  ground,  and  like?dse  in  winter 
the  snow  is  hard  enough  to  hold  up  a  man.  Flocks  of  birds  have  been  noted 
by  myself  many  times  there, 

"Although  I  have  lived  in  Saskatchewan  for  nearly  forty  years",  rrites 
Mr,  H,  A,  Anslow,  of  Stony  Beach,  "I  have  onl^r  once  seen  this  strange  and 
interesting  spectacle  until  about  eight  years  ago.  At  that  time  a  group  of 
chickens,  usually  tvrelve  to  fourteen,  selected  a  sli  ht  elevation  in  the 
middle  of  my  cultivated  land,  Everj’-  summer  for  at  least  four  years  thej;^ 
used  this  same  spot,  I  have  stopped  the  tractor  within  a  fe’'  yards  of  them 
to  T/atch  their  antics,  I  had  thought  that  the37-  danced  only  in  the  mating 
season,  but  this  does  not  seem  to  be  the  case.  Every  day  about  four  o’clock 
they  would  begin  to  arrive  —  the  early  comers  waiting  until  the  others  ■'  ere 
there  before  the  dance  began.  The  location  of  the  land  is  about  I'^enty  miles 
north-west  of  Regina,  of  Sec.  5,  Tn,  19,  R»21, 

(Mr,  Anslow  left  this  farm  in  1944  and  would  be  interested  in  finding 
out  if  these  dancing  grounds  are  still  in  use.) 

Mrs,  John  Hubbard,  Jr,,  also  of  Grenfell,  reports  three  dancing  grounds. 
Apparently  these  are  different  areas  from  those  reported  by  Mrs,  Bilsbury, 

One  is  on  the  N, ‘7,  of  25”8-18,  17,2nd  One  on  the  S,E,  •5-  of  25“8-18  and 
the  other  on  the  N."',  of  5-7-18,  About  thirty  birds  use  these  grounds. 

And  from  Fort  San,  Mr,  Richard  A,  Nevard  describes  the  locations  of 
two  of  these  interesting  dancing  grounds.  One  is  on  his  father's  farm  at 
Lipton,  located  on  the  S,  R  of  13-24”14.  The  other  is  on  the  S,"’,  ■5-  of 
30-24-14#  Mr,  Nevard  wites  that  he  will  make  a  count  in  the  early  spring 
and  give  us  more  details  later, 

A  large  dancing  ground  has  been  reported  near  Clashmoor,  by  Mr,  E,  W, 
Arnold,  of  Valparaiso,  He  has  seen  as  many  as  fort^r  or  fifty  on  the  field  at 
one  time.  He  v/ill  give  us  the  land  location  later  and  try  to  get  some  pic¬ 
tures  of  it  in  the  spring. 

Miss  B,  Anita  Coneybears,  of  Strasbourg,  informs  us  that  there  are  tv^o 
prairie  chicken  dancing  grounds  on  quarters  rented  by  her  family  from  a 
neighbor.  She  has  shown  these  grounds  to  several  people  interested  in 
natural  history. 


V  ■  j 


~  5  - 

This  has  been  a  long  cold  winter,  but  fortunately  the  sno’'fall  has 
been  light  in  comparison  i/ith  the  unusual  precipitation  of  the  past  tv:o 
years.  Reports  from  various  sections  of  the  province  tell  of  an  abundance 
of  haws,  rose  hips,  saskatoons,  chokecherries,  ’■'■olf  willow  berries,  maple 
seeds  and  spruce  and  pine  cones,  Apparently  the  birds  have  been  blessed 
with  full  stomachs  and  have  wintered  v/ell, 

Valparaiso  -  E,  17,  Arnold:  ’’Hungarian  partridge  really  seem  to  be  on 
the  increase  around  here.  Last  idnter  I  noticed  only  five,  but  on  January 
3rd  of  this  j^ear  I  sav;  five  flocks  with  from  five  to  fourteen  birds  in  each. 
The  sharp  tailed  grouse  are  also  on  the  increase.  It  is  great  to  see  these 
fine  birds  coming  back.  They  have  been  very  scarce  here  for  several  years,” 

Areola  -  It  is  good  ne’.^s  to  hear  the  report  from  lir.  Allen  Sturges 
who  r/rites  that  there  his  been,  this  winter,  a  strong  population  of  prairie 
chickens  in  the  narrov/  park  belt  ’here  he  lives,  some  five  miles  south  of 
his  home  tovm, 

Okla  -  14rs,  "I,  Roach  iTites:  ’’Grouse  and  partridge  (xluffed  Grouse)  have 
increased  considerably  in  this  locality.  In  fact  there  were  far  too  many  on 
our  grain  stocks  during  the  fall,” 

Woodrovj  -  Fred  C,  Parchman:  ”A  neighbor  reports  about  fifty  pheasants 
feeding  on  his  stacks.  I  have  seen  much  of  pheasant  life  lately  too. 

There  are  about  a  dozen  which  appear  on  these  premises  daily  and  the  birds 
seem  to  be  vdntering  in  splendid  shape.  On  one  trip  of  eight  miles  to  7hod- 
row  I  counted  seventeen  pheasants  feeding  in  a  wheat  field  near  a  farmer's 
grove,  I  also  sav;  seven  feeding  tv;o  miles  south  of  town  at  Pinto  Creek,” 

Svdft  Current  -  George  Hooey  -  Here  is  a  record  of  interest  and  v/e 
would  like  other  reports  of  these  birds  from  our  members  in  the  south  v/est, 
’’Three  Sage  Hens”,  v/rites  Mr,  Hooey, put  in  an  appearance  in  our  district  last 
fall  —  the  first  ones  ever  noted  in  this  district,  I  understand  their 
farthest  northern  range  is  at  Beaver  Valley,  sixty  miles  south  of  here.  The 
old-timers  of  that  district  inform  me  that  the  Sage  Hens  migrate  south  to 
the  Milk  River  Basin  in  the  fall.  The  birds  were  first  noted  by  a  neighbor, 
Jeff  Payne,” 

Torch  River  -  C,  S,  Francis,  ’’Sharp  Tailed  Grouse,  Hungarian  Partridge 
and  Ruffed  Grouse  can  be  seen  on  my  farm  any  day”,  reports  Hr,  Francis, 

’’The  Sharptails  and  the  little  Huns  seem  to  very  much  appreciate  the  feed 
v;e  keep  out  for  them  around  the  barn’-^mrd  and  strawstacks,  Of  course  the 
Ruffies  disdain  to  eat  v/eedseeds  or  grain,  seeming  to  prefer  black  poplar 
and  vdllov;  buds. 


OUR  FEATHERED  FHIBIDS,  HSRil  AID  THERE 
SALTCOATS  —  Mrs,  J.  J,  Hells, 

^irs,  Hells,  although  now  unable  to  v/alk  far,  ’.Tites  that  she  is  keenly 
in+erested  in  vdld  life  of  all  kinds,  ”  I  feed  the  chickadees  in  winter, 
the  Hairy  Hoodpecker,  the  juncos  and  the  sparroi/s.  Those  are  the  only 
birds  ’-’hich  are  around  the  house  now.  He  used  to  have  blue  jays  and  ruffed 
grouse,  but  I  have  not  seen  a  blue  jay  for  twenty  years  nov;.  I  saw  one 
ruffed  grouse  recently,  the  first  in  10  years,” 

SKULL  CREEK  -  Steve  A,  Mann, 

According  to  lir,  Mann  there  are  very  fev;  prairie  chickens  in  the 
vicinity  of  Skull  Creek.  He  reports,  hov;ever,  an  unusually''  large  number 
of  ducks  on  his  tv’o  ivatering  dams,  Tv/enty  families  in  June  and  July 


BIRDS: 


-  6  - 


increased  to  about  t";o  hundred  and  fifty  individuals  by  the  middle  of 
September.  After  that  more  and  more  congregated,  especially  mallards, 
until  at  time  of  freeze-up  there  -'ere  more  than  three  thousand  on  them. 
"One  morning",  he  writes,  "the^r  v'ere  so  thick  on  the  shore  that  I  don't 
think  a  person  could  have  throim  a  stone  without  hitting  one."  No  one 
is  allow  ed  to  hunt  on  these  dams,  •'■rhich  cover  about  five  acres. 

/ 

ROKEBY  Francis  A,  Swdtzer, 

IVe  are  pleased  to  get  this  report  from  Francis,  w'ho  at  the  age  of 
eleven,  has  VTritten  that  he  T'ill  do  his  best  to  submit  nature  observa¬ 
tions  for  each  issue, 

"About  the  middle  of  October  at  Saltcoats  Lake,  as  near  as  I  could 
judge,  a  Double-Crested  Cormorant  stood  on  the  end  of  a  cement  pier, 
preening  its  feathers,  I  v;as  in  a  car  at  the  time,  about  t’./enty-five 
feet  a'.'ay  from  the  bird.  It  seemed  to  take  little  notice  of  the  car. 

As  far  as  I  could  learn,  Cormorants  are  very  rarely  seen  in  this  part". 
(Under  favorable  conditions,  Francis,  Cormorants  have  been  quite  common 
in  Saskatche’.Tan,  Hundreds  have  been  banded  in  the  Quill  Lake  area  and 
they  are  prevalent  in  the  Moose  Mountain  Park,  Dry  j^'ears  have  been  res¬ 
ponsible  for  their  scarcity  in  the  Yorkton  area.  They  may  be  distin¬ 
guished  by  their  bill,  the  upper  beak  of  -’hich  terminates  in  a  sharp 
downward  turned  hook  a/hich  must  greatly  aid  the  bird  in  holding  its  prey. 
The  legs  are  short  and  stout  and  the  feet  are  large  and  webbed.  The  tail 
feathers  are  very  strong  and  at  times  help  to  support  the  bird  'iien 
resting  in  an  erect  position,  ED,) 

GPtEIIFELL  -  Mr,  and  Mrs.  John  Hubbard,  Jr, 

Readers  will  recall  how  year  after  jrear  the  Hairy  Moodpeckers  have 
been  a  constant  nuisance  around  the  Hubbard's  grain  bins,  "They  are  quite 
prevalent  again  this  year  and  are  up  to  their  tricks  around  the  granaries 
the  same  as  ever,"  writes  Mrs,  Hubbard.  The  Downy  'loodpeckers  are  scarce, 
due,  perhaps  to  the  cleaning  of  the  bush.  One  Blue  Jay  was  seen  at  the 
farm  last  fall.  They  are  very  scarce  in  ""he  district,  although  several 
have  been  seen  in  the  Qu'Appelle  Valley, 

FORT  SAN  -  Miss  Pearl  Guest. 

Speaking  of  Blue  Jays  —  Miss  Guest  reports  that  there  '.;ere  lots  of 
them  at  Green  Lake  last  fall  and  early  winter,  "On  my  v;alk  the  day  be¬ 
fore  I  left"  she  v/rites,  "I  sutt  them  knocking  seed  out  of  the  cones;  the 
striking  of  the  cones  on  the  frozen  branches  echoing  sharply  through  the 
woods."  are  sorry  to  report  that  due  to  a  nervous  breakdovn,  Miss 

Guest  v:as  admitted  to  hospital  at  Fort  San  early  in  January  and  v.Mll  be 
unable  to  work  for  some  months.  The  BLUE  JAY  vdshes  her  a  speedy 
recovery,) 


I/OODROW  -  Fred  C.  Parchraan, 

"Saw  what  I  thought  \:as  a  Great  Grey  Ov/l.  I"  v/as  fl^/ing  low  across 
the  flats,  I  understand  such  a  bird  was  seen  t’ao  years  ago.  I  don't 
remember  having  seen  its  like,"  (The  Great  Grey  Ov/l  is  not  commonly  seen 
on  the  prairie  although  several  observations  have  been  made.  It  v'as  re¬ 
ported  to  1  ho  Provincial  Museum  from  Indian  Head  several  times  -  in  1B90, 
1916  and  1917  by  George  Lp.ng*  J.  K.  V/ilson  also  located  one  there  in 


-  7  - 


BIRDS; 

1936,  This  specimen  is  in  the  Iluseura,  One  pair  of  feet  ’/ere  received 
in  the  Ov;l  campa^.gn  of  the  Fish  and  Game  Leauge  during  the  vdnter  of 

1941.  ed.) 

TORCH  RIVER  —  G,  Stuart  Francis. 

17e  v;elcome  again  some  very  interesting  observations  from  Spruce 
Dale  Farm,  "Te  have  had  a  Bronze  Grackle  Blackbird  sta^dng  uith  us  all 
v.dnter  and  despite  very  frigid  temperatures  —  as  lov  as  44  degrees 
below  zero  —  he  seems  to  be  wintering  in  good  condition.  Probably  at 
this  time  he  should  be  away  down  in  daryland  or  thereabouts,  V/e  have 
a  large  number  of  spruce  trees  around  the  buildings  and  last  summer  there 
T7as  an  unusually  heavy  crop  of  cones  on  the  trees,  Nov/  the  Pine  Gros¬ 
beaks  and  ^Niite  V’inged  Crossbills  have  most  of  the  cones  pulled  off. 

Around  some  of  the  trees  there  is  a  brovrn  ring  of  cones,  completely 
surrounding  the  tree  and  covering  the  snow  entirely," 

REGINA  —  Doug  Gilroy, 

Many  of  our  members  and  dozens  more  whom  v/e  hope  will  join  with  us 
in  this  Society  are  most  considerate  of  the  birds  v/hich  come  around  the 
yard  during  the  cold  winter  days,  Mr,  Gilroy  has  been  feeding  t-'o 
Chickadees  and  a  male  Downy  Noodpecker  all  winter  and  has  been  doing  his 
best  to  keep  a  fatherly  eye  on  a  Robin  who  has  been  around  the  house 
since  December  26,  He  appeared  again  on  January  18  and  once  more  on 
February?.  "He  v/as  full  of  life  and  perk3)^  and  chirpy  as  could  be,  not 
seeming  to  bother  about  the  below  zero  w’eather," 

Dipping  down  into  his  record  book  I^,  Gilroy  has  brought  to  light 
several  other  interesting  observations.  On  September  28  he  came  across  a 
little  Burrowing  Owl  sitting  in  a  gopher  hole.  Although  frightened  av/ay 
it  returned  and  remained  there  for  t"o  days.  He  is  of  the  opinion  that 
it  vas  only  resting  there  on  its  way , south  but  still  wonders  v;hy  he  in¬ 
sisted  on  remaining  there  and  always  returned  even  vlien  disturbed. 

Magpies  seemed  more  plentiful  than  ever  before.  At  the  end  of  September 
he  noticed  a  large  number  of  flocks  wi> h  some  fifty  to  a  hundred  in  each. 
Cooper  Ha’.vks  \7ere  seen  October  18,  On  October  26  a  groat  flock  of  Robins 
v/ent  through.  The  v/oods  v/ere  full  of  them.  Next  day  all  w'ere  gone, 

A  Tragedy; 

On  November  6,  Mr,  Gilroy  writes;  "'/hile  driving  to  Regina  beautiful 
flocks  of  Snovi  Buntings  i/ould  fly  from  the  gravel  in  front  of  the  car. 

Then  I  began  to  see  dead  buntings  lying  on  the  road  —  birds  that  vuited 
too  late  to  fly  from  the  front  of  speeding  cars.  In  a  distance  of  a  mile 
and  a  half  I  counted  tv;elve  dead  ones  and  doubtless  there  wore  others 
that  fluttered  into  the  ditch  v/ith  broken  wings.  This  is  indeed  a  shame 
and  no  doubt  the  same  thing  is  happening  on  other  highways.  If  ’/e  could 
only  think  to  slow  do^'n  our  vehicle  awhile  passing  through  flocks  of  feeding 
birds  such  tragedies  v/ould  not  occur," 

ARCOLA  --  Allen  Sturgess, 

To  Mr,  Sturgess  and  his  poultry-raising  neighbors  the  Great  Horned 
Owl  is  destructive  indeed.  He  v/rites  that  over  a  period  of  ^’■ears  he  has 


—  8  - 


BIRDS: 


lost  several  hundreds  of  dollars  uorth  of  poultry  to  this  night  hunter. 

He  now  uses  a  steel  trap  set  on  a  high  post  near  the  coops  and  thus  takes 
advantage  of  the  ov/l's  weakness  of  looking  over  the  situatioh  before  the 
attack,  "They  would”,  he  said,  ”  have  put  me  out  of  business  had  I  not 
been  able  to  take  them  in  this  way, ” 

BURNHM'I  —  Arthur  V/ard. 

”A  blizzard  struck  this  district  on  February  11,  yet  in  spite  of  it, 
four  Redpolls  were  observed  in  the  protection  of  our  trees  the  follov/ing 
morning.  Although  temperatures  have  been  around  twenty  belo’r  zero,  With 
only  an  occasional  rise  above  zero,  all  birds  have  v/intered  very  v/ell, 
for  there  appears  to  be  no  lack  of  feed, 

Ov/ing  to  our  visit  to  England,  only  108  birds  were  banded  last 
summer  and  fall.  One  of  these,  a  no’ucomer  to  our  district,  was  the 
Eastern  Tov/hee,  Strangely,  the  last  bird  caught  (Oct,  25)  v:ns  an  Oven 
Bird,  This  bird  has  not  been  seen  later  than  the  last  \’;eek  in  August, 
in  former  years  at  our  station, 

STRASBOURG  -  B,  Anita  Coneybeare, 

Adequate  protection  of  property  against  predators  seems  a  much  better 
practice  than  advocating  their  complete  destruction.  The  writer  sta.tes 
that  14agpies  are  around  their  place  every  day,  but  she  knov/s  that  they 
v.dll  be  disappointed  if  they  cast  envious  eyes  in  the  direction  of  their 
baby  chickens,  "If  they  do”,  she  says,  "they  will  have  to  be  content  to 
look  at  them  through  glass.  As  far  as  we  know.  Magpies  have  never  taken 
any  of  our  chicks,  We  alv/ays  raise  them  early  and  then  keep  them  under 
glass  and  vrire.  The  neighbors  all  complain  but  they  let  theirs  run. ” 

Mrs.  Coneybeare  reports  having  seen  a  Horned  Lark  during  the  second 
week  in  February  and  wonders  if  it  has  been  v/intering  here,  or  just  came 
in  time  to  see  what  a  real  blizzard  looks  like, 

SASKATOON  -  A.  NbPherson, 

Mr,  McPherson  informs  us  he  has  consented  to  supply  quarterly  reports 
for  Audubon  Field  Notes  from  the  Saskatoon  district.  Information  of  int¬ 
erest  vrill  be  passed  on  to  the  BLUE  JAY, 

The  following  birds  have  recently  been  recorded:  Dov.-ny  Uoodpecker 
(one  in  December),  Bohemian ’'tax^Ting  (several  records  for  January  and 
February  but  not  so  common  as  other  years).  Blue  Jay  (one  pair  in  Januarjr), 
Black  Capped  Chickadee  (scarce  this  year  -  one  pair  in  February.) 

SHEHO  -  17,  Niven, 

"Snowbirds  are  much  more  plentiful  than  last  vmnter,  A  few  co,mraon 
Redpolls  are  seen  quite  frequently.  Pine  Crosbeaks  are  much  scarcer  than 
last  winter,  v;hen  as  many  as  thirty  were  seen  feeding  around.  The  Sharp¬ 
tailed  Grouse  are  on  the  increase  in  this  district.  As  many  as  fifty 
have  been  counted  around  the  straxv  stacks.  Ruffed  Grouse  are  about  the 
same  as  usual  and  Hungarian  Partridge  are  very  scarce.  On  December  1st 
three  blackbirds  came  around  the  farmyard  but  they  did  not  stay  long. 

One  had  white  tail  feathers  —  couldn't  make  out  \7hether  they  v^ere  Rusty 
or  Brewers  species.  They  seemed  to  be  males,  but  had  no  rusty  coloration. 


4 


\ 


-  9  - 


BIRDS ; 


YORK  TON  -  Pauline  Sumer  s. 

Miss  Summers  has  sent  us  a  very  interesting  list  of  bird  observations 
nu^de  by  the  members  of  the  Junior  i'ature  Club  at  Simpson  School,  The 
boys,  ^'hose  ages  range  from  ten  to  thirteen,  are  to  be  highly  compli¬ 
mented  on  their  worth-while  project  and  Hiss  Sumners  congratulated  on 
the  keen  interest  she  has  taken  in  organizing  this  Club,  encouraging 
its  members  and  assisting  them  with  their  identifications.  Two  hundred 
birds  of  sixteen  species  have  been  observed  between  October  7th  and 
February  5th,  Due  to  lack  of  space  at  this  time  rm  are  very  sorr3^  that 
we  viill  not  be  able  to  publish  a  list  of  the  observers  and  the  birds. 

Here  are  Hiss  Summers’  own  observations:  Januarj;^  4,  Downji^  Moodpecker; 
Jan,  16,  Magpie;  February  6,  four  T.Oiite  Hinged  Crossbills  (Hiss  Sumners 
believes  that  the  only  record  for  a  Tliite  Hinged  Crossbill  for  the 
Yorkton  district,  was  a  female  found  dead  tvro  ^rears  ago  by  Ronald  Coghill) , 
February  6  and  12,  Chickadees, 

NIPAHIN  -  Maurice  G.  Street,  writes; 

”0n  April  18,  1948,  I  was  kneeling  beside  a  two-funnel  sparrow  trap 
removing  Common  Redpoles  and  banding  them  one  b^’'  one,  v/hen  I  was  suddenly 
interrupted  by  a  whirr  of  wings.  Looking  up  quickly,  I  expected  to  see 
a  hawk  either  making  off  or  perched  in  some  nearby  trees.  Seeing  nothing 
I  glanced  down  at  the  trap,  v/hich  still  contained  half  a  dozen  Redpoles, 
and  there  was  the  hawk  trying  to  get  through  the  top^,  Surprised  and 
excited  as  I  was,  I  simply  closed  my  hand  over  it,  banded  and  released  it. 
It  ?;as  a  female  Sparrovr  Hawk  in  perfect  condition,  yet  probably  very 
hungrj’-,  for  eighteen  inches  of  snow  still  remained  on  the  ground  at  this 
date,” 


A  Coopers’  Hawk  Nest, 

On  Julj*^  26,  1948,  in  a  thickly-treed  poplar  bluff,  a  few  miles  north¬ 
west  of  Sheho,  Saskatchewan,  M.  G,  Street  found  a  Coopers'  Hav/k  nest  con¬ 
taining  four  3'‘oung,  The  nestlings,  fullj'’  feathered,  flew  readily  when  the 
nest  tree  vras  approached.  Three  were  captured  after  much  difficultjr  and 
were  banded  vjith  U,S,  Fish  and  "'ildlife  service  bands,  then  released. 

The  adults  were  quite  shj'-,  keeping  out  of  sight  amid  the  dense  foliage, 
but  frequently  calling  --  a  call  very  similar  to  that  of  a  Pileated  IVood- 
pecker  or  Yellow-shafted  Flicker, 

Some  fifty  yards  from  the  hawk's  nest  a  colon}’’  of  Purple  Martins,  con¬ 
sisting  of  8  or  10  pair  were  nesting  in  old  tree  stumps.  Most  of  the 
martins  were  feeding  3’'oung  and  they  made  a  great  out-cry  v/henever  the  adult 
Coopers'  Ha?ks  put  in  an  appearance  while  bringing  food  for  the  3'’oung 
hawks  or  departing.  No  attempt  to  molest  the  martins  was  seen,  however. 
Three  hundred  yards  from  the  Coopers  '  H.^wk  nest  a  pair  of  Red-tailed 
Hawks  had  raised  their  young  and  were  still  in  the  vicixiity^.  They 
screamed  incessently  while  the  banding  operations  v/ere  being  carried  out, 

A  quarter  mile  distant  from  the  first,  a  second  Coopers'  Hawk  nest  was 
found.  One  juvenile  and  both  adults  were  seen.  From  the  amount  of  white 
down  still  clinging  to  the  sticks  and  twigs  about  the  nest,  it  was  evi¬ 
dent  that  three  or  four  young  had  only  left  shortly  before. 


» 


9  ^  «  I  4  > 


Ik- 


-  10 


BIRDS 

MARKET  HUNTERS 

17e  are  indebted  to  Mr,  A,  E,  Swanston,  of  the  Provincial  Ituseum  for 
this  condensation  of  an  article  in  ’’Outdoor  Life",  written  by  Michael 
Norman. 

In  the  years  between  1870  and  1890  some  people  were  of  the  opinion 
that  the  supply  of  animals  and  birds  was  inexhaustible,  Frank  Mayer, 
the  Buffalo  Hunter,  was  one  of  the  last  of  the  professionals  who  killed 
game  to  supply  areas  not  yet  reached  by  the  railroads,  Ma^/er  contracted 
to  furnish  a  wholesaler  every  week  with  at  least  three  tons  of  big  game, 
rough  dressed.  He  was  paid  ten  cents  a  pound  for  deer,  elk  and  antelope; 

12j-  for  mountain  sheep  and  15  for  bear^^  His  first  tv;o  days  of  hunting 
netted  him  5600  pounds  of  meat. 

Most  atrocious  of  the  many  crimes  against  our  game  was  the  extinction 
of  the  passenger  pigeon.  These  birds  were  so  thick  that  they  darkened 
the  skies  as  they  passed  on  their  migratory  flights.  As  late  as  1878  a 
nesting  area  in  Michigan  covered  150,000  acres  and  was  populated  by  an 
estimated  billion  and  a  half  pigeons. 

The  details  of  the  slaughter  are  revolting.  Netting  was  the  favorite 
method  of  capturing  them,  A  likely  looking  opening  in  the  woods  was 
selected  and  the  ground  was  bated  with  salt  and  a  few  "stool  pigeons"  — 
birds  blinded  by  sewing  their  eyes  shut  —  were  planted,  and  a  large  net 
was  rigged  high  over  head.  The  birds  came  to  the  bait  eagerly  and  when 
they  blanketed  the  ground  two  or  three  feet  deep  the  net  was  dropped, 

A  single  cast  netted  500  to  1000  birds  and  a  dozen  casts  a  day  vrere  not 
unusual.  The  pigeons  were  either  killed  for  the  market  or  crated  alive 
for  sale  to  trapshooting  clubs.  In  one  month  in  1878  almost  fifteen 
million  pigeons  were  shipped  to  market.  It  is  estimated  that  in  that 
year  more  than  a  billion  wild  pigeons  were  sold  in  the  United  States,  The 
last  pigeon  died  in  a  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  zoo  in  3914. 

King  of  the  I’larket  Hunters  was  H,  Clay  Merritt,  In  1858,  on  the 
coming  of  a  railroad  to  Henry  County,  he  started  hunting.  He  estimated 
that  each  year  for  thirty  years  25 j 000  jacksnipe  were  killed  for  market 
in  Illinois.  In  the  ’70 's,  in  Iowa  alone,  a  million  prairie  chickens  Mere 
killed  each  season  for  several  years.  For  the  New  York  State  market  hunters 
shot  1000  grouse  in  a  season.  Hotels  hired  their  O’rn  market  hunters.  In 
Texas,  a  party  of  hunters  bagged  10,157  robins.  Residents  of  one^torm  in 
Louisiana  killed  120,000  robins  and  sold  them  for  five  cents  a  dozen, 

Eskimo  curlews  were  so  abundant  that  as  many  as  2500  were  killed  in  one 
day.  In  the  early  70 ’s,  market  hunters  frequently  dumped  carloads  by  the 
roadside  ’when  the  price  fell, 

A  list  of  birds  once  available  at  New  York  City  markets  included 
bobolinks,  grouse,  swans,  loons,  raid  turkeys,  pheasants,  snipe,  partridges, 
plover,  sandpipers,  curlews,  sea-side  finches,  skylarks,  meadow  larks,  wood 
tatlers,  orioles,  snov;buntings,  blackbirds,  kingfishes,  blue  jays,  brown 
thrashers,  thrushes,  juncos,  cedar  wax'vings  and  bullfinches, 

For  killing  ducks  some  hunters  used  what  is  called  a  Big  Bertha,  It 
weighed  78  pounds  and  was  10^-  feet  long.  Each  charge  was  1-^  pounds  of 
black  powder  and  a  similar  amount  of  BB  shot.  It  sometimes  killed  a  hun¬ 
dred  ducks  at  a  single  discharge. 


« 


11  - 


BIRDS 

PTARMIGAN 


Mr,  E.  '7.  Brooman,  of  Prince  Albert,  has  sent  us  a  very  inter¬ 
esting  account  of  efforts  to  transplant  the  'Jillov/  Ptarmigan  from 
Northern  Saskatchewan  to  Iron  River,  Michigan,  The  experiment  is 
being  carried  out  by  the  state  of  Michigan,  in  the  hopes  that  these 
birds  will  become  established  there.  The  work  in  Saskatchev/an  has 
been  conducted  by  Harold  J,  Richards,  Conservation  Commissioner  and 
Dr,  G,  A,  Ammon,  Up  to  the  present  time  about  130  birds  have  been 
shipped. 

Indian  s,  who  capture  the  birds  v/ith  fish  nets,  are  being  paid 
two  dollars  for  each  live  one.  Most  of  the  ptarmigan  have  been  taken 
from  Stony  Rapids  at  the  east  end  of  Lake  Athabaska,  They  are 
shipped  to  Prince  Albert  by  plane.  If  direct  connections  can  be 
made  they  are  immediately  flovm  out  again  by  C,P,A,  ..lien  connec¬ 
tions  cannot  be  made  directly,  Mr.  G.  E,  Lund,  of  Prince  Albert, 
cares  for  them  until  time  for  the  next  plane. 

Unfortunately  the  mortality  has  been  fairly  high  but  with  exper¬ 
ience  these  difficulties  are  being  overcome.  Reports  from  Michigan 
indicate  that  some  of  the  birds  have  already  been  recorded  as  far  as 
five  miles  from  the  point  of  release.  The  experiment  is  attracting 
much  attention  there. 


E,  Hamilton,  of  Mossy  Vale,  sent  a  female  I/hite-winged  Cross¬ 
bill  recently  to  the  museum.  He  explained  that  these  birds  stopped 
by  the  thousands  this  winter  and  that  he  had  caught  many  of  them  in 
squirrel  traps,  "Apparently”,  he  \7r0te,  "they  had  entered  squirrel 
dens  for  protection  from  the  extreme  cold," 


--  V’  A  N  T  ;[]  D  — - 

An  attempt  on  the  part  of  every  member 

to 

get  a  nei?  member  In  Llarch, 


-  12  - 


19 4B  Christmas  Bird  Counts. 


Burnham,  Sask,  (No  date  given)  -  Birds  seen  within  a  ten-mile  radius 
of  the  'Vard  Farm,  Temperature  5  beloi/  zero  to  20  above  zero.  About 
8  inches  of  snow,  Suramerfallow  fields  blov/n  free  of  snow.  Hawk, 
(unidentified)  1;  Hungarian  Partridge,  20;  European  Starling,  1; 
English  Sparrov/,  100;  Total,  4  species,  122  individuals,  A.'Jard, 

Fort  San.  Sask,  Dec.  26,  -  A  walk  of  one  hour  through  scattered 
trees  and  shrubs  in  a  valley.  Distance  covered  approximate I3?'  2^- 
miles.  Temp.  15  above  zero.  Calm,  bright  sunshine.  12  inches  of 
snov/,  Dov/ny  Woodpecker,  1;  American  Magpie,  2;  Black-capped 
Chickadee,  2;  English  Sparrow,  50  (est,);  Common  Redpoll,  4; 

Total,  5  species,  59  individuals  (est,),  4  02'  5  Pine  Grosbeaks  seen 

Dec,  29»  Dried  ’did  fruit  and  freed  seeds  plentiful, 

Richard  A.  Nevard, 

Gerald,  Sask.  Dec,  30,  -  Birds  noted  about  the  farm  and  during  a  drive 
of  three  miles  to  the  Town  of  Gerald  by  team  and  sleigh.  Weather, 
clearc  Temp,  24  above  zero,  20  inches  of  snow.  Ruffed  Grouse,  9; 
Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  6;  Hungarian  Partridge,  5;  Blue  Jay,  1; 
Black-'capped  Chickadee,  4>  Pine  Grosbeak,  12,  Total,  6  species, 

37  individuals.  Box  Elder  seed  and  snowberrj'’  fruit  abundant, 

Lad,Martinovsk3’‘, 

Ha warden,  Sask,  Dec,  25.  -  Open  prairie  except  for  groves  about 
farms.  Birds  observed  while  going  about  the  chores,  9  a,m,  to  3  p,m. 
Weather  stormy,  strong  east  wind  with  drifting  snow.  Snoi;  12  in,  in 
depth.  Hungarian  Partridge,  11;  English  Sparrow,  150  (est.);  Snow 
Bunting,  2;  Total,  3  species,  163  individuals  (est,).  Other  species 
observed  during  December  include,  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  11;  Snowy 
Oil,  2;  and  Sawhet  Owl,  1,  Harold  Kvinge, 

Lang,  Sask,  Dec.  31.  -  Birds  seen  about  the  farm  and  on  a  walk  of  two 
miles  along  a  wooded  creek.  Time  afield,  4  hours,  9  a,ra,  to  1.  p,m. 
Strong  south-east  wind  with  drifting  snow.  Twelve  inches  of  snow, 
drifted  to  several  feet  in  places.  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  27;  Cock 
Ring-necked  Pheasant,  1;  American  Magpie,  15;  English  Sparrow,  90 
(est,);  Snow  Bunting,  15,  Total,  5  species,  149  individuals  (est,). 
Hungarian  Partridge,  20,  noted  Jan,  4.  Leonard  Dreger, 

Naicam,  Sask.  Jan, 2,  -  Sky  overcast,  light  winds  with  an  occasional 
snow  flurry.  A  v/alk  of  4  miles  through  brush  and  fields,  Sharp¬ 
tailed  Grouse,  6;  Ha  iry  Moodpecker,  1;  Ar,ierican  Magpie,  1;  Pine 
Grosbeak,  8;  Snow  Bunting,  10.  Total,  5  species^  26  individuals, 

VM  Yanchinski, 

Nipa}’^in,  Sask,  to  Fishing  Lakes.  Dec,  31.  "•  8:00  a,riw  to  4^00  p.m. 
Bright-  sunshine,  wind,  calm,  6  inches  of  snow^  Temperature  16  above 
zero,.  Total  miles  covered,  one  '^ay  only  in  each  case;  One  observer 
alone,  7  miles  (5  by  car  and  2  on  foot).  Two  observers  together  76 
miles  (all  by  car) „  Goshawk,  1;  Pigeon  Hawk,  1;  Spruce  Grouse,  28; 
Ruffed  Grouse,  1;  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  34;  IVillow  Ptarmigan,  2; 


-  13  “ 


Hungarian  Partridge,  10;  Hairy  Woodpecker,  1;  American  Three-Toed 
Woodpecker,  2;  Canada  Jay,  6;  Blue  Jay,  13;  American  ilagpie,  12; 
Raven,  11;  Black-capped  Chickadee,  5;  Hudsonian  Chickadee,  3; 

Bohemian  7axi7ing,  12;  Northern  Shrike,  2;  English  Sparrov;,  700  (est,); 
Evening  Grosbeak,  27;  Pine  Grosbeak,  5;  Common  Redpoll,  59;  Red 
Crossbill,  235  (est,);  ".’hite-'-r'inged  Crossbill,  23;  Slate-colored 
Junco,  3;  Snov^  Bunting,  l6l;  Total,  25  species,  1357  individuals 
(est,).  Five  Horned  Larks  seen,  Dec,  13*  Coniferous  trees  heavily 
fruited  and  dried  \7ild  fruit  plentiful.  The  Pigeon  Ha^'k  has  been 
raiding  the  flocks  of  English  Sparrows  at  the  Grain  elevators  daily. 

The  Slate-colored  Juncos  and  Willov/  Ptarmigan  were  seen  at  Fishing 
Lake,  The  largest  invasion  of  Crossbills  ever  recorded  at  Nipawin, 

Walter  i-iat thews,  Billy  Matthews,  M,G,  Street. 

Ridgedale,  Sask,  Dec,  28,  -  9^00  a,m,  to  12:00  noon.  Four  miles  on 
foot.  Overcast,  with  S,W,  wind  at  10  m,p,h.  Temperature  10  degrees. 
Sharp-tailed  grouse,  12;  Hungarian  Partridge,  3;  Downy  Woodpecker, 

2;  Magpie,  1;  Black-capped  Chickadee,  20;  English  Sparrow,  80, 

(est,);  Common  Redpole,  8;  Total,  7  species,  126  individuals.  Snowy 
Ov/1  noted  on  Dec,  27,  J.  H,  More. 

Regina.  Sask,,  Dec,  27,  -  3s 30  p,m,  to  4^30  p,m.  Birds  seen  while 
driving  from  Regina  to  Moose  Jaw,  English  Sparroi^s,  several. 

Hungarian  Partridge,  9  in  two  flocks;  Ring-neck  Pheasant,  1  male; 
Magpie,  2, 

5a ska toon.  Sask,  Jan,  1,  -  Weather  clear;  temperature  7  degrees; 
winds  north  15  m,p,h.  Distance  7  to  9  miles  on  foot  along  the  river 
bahk.  Mallards,  28;  American  Golden  Eyes,  3.  A,  McPherson, 

Sheho.  Sask.,  Jan,  1,  -  Birds  noted  while  doing  chores  about  the  Niven 
Farm,  Weather  clear,  ’Wind,  calm.  Average  temperature,  10  above  zero. 
Snow,  6  inches  on  level,  drifted  to  4  feet  around  bluffs.  Ruffed 
Grouse,  5;  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  20;  Great  Horned  Owl,  1;  Hairy 
Woodpecker,  1;  Dor/ny  'Woodpecker;  3j  American  Magpie,  1;  Black-capped 
Chickadee,  5;  Pine  Grosbeak,  4;  Snov7  BuntinS,  30  (est.).  Total,  9 
species,  70  individuals  (est,).  Three  unidentified  Blackbirds  and  2 
crows  seen  Dec,  1,  Dried  ^.dld  fruit  and  weed  seeds  plentiful, 

Wm,  Niven, 

Torch  River.  Sask,  Birds  noted  about  the  Francis  Farm  and  surrounding 
country-side  between  Dec,  25  and  Jan,  1.  The  greatest  number  of  each 
species  seen  at  one  time  only  are  recorded.  Six  inches  of  snow.  Wea¬ 
ther  mild.  Sky  clear,  Goshav/k,  1;  Ruffed  Grouse,  4j  Sharp-tailed 
Grouse,  6;  Hungarian  Partridge,  13  (est.)  Great  Horned  Owl,  2; 

Hairy  "’oodpecker,  1;  Canada  Jay,  5;  Blue  Jay,  4;  American  Magpie, 

4;  Raven,  4j  Black-capped  Chickadee,  3;  7hite -breasted  Nuthatch,  1; 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch,  1;  Northern  Shrike,  1;  English  Sparrpw,  27 
(est,) ;  Bronze  Grackle,  1;  Evening  Grosbeak,  6;  Pine  Grosbeak,  15; 
’■Jhite-v/inged  Crossbill,  10;  Snov;  Bunting,  15;  Total,  20  species,  124 
individuals  (est,).  Other  species  recorded  during  December  include: 
Golden  Eagle,  Pileated  'Woodpecker,  Dov/ny  '.'/oodpecker,  Hudsonian  Chickadee 
and  Pine  Siskin,  Coniferous  trees  exceptionally  heav>^-fruited, 

C,  Stuart  Francis, 


-  14  - 


1948  Christmas  Bird  Counts. 

Ifellwort,  Sask*,  Jan,  1,  -  Birds  seen  about  the  Turnquist  Farm  and  a 
walk  through  Tamarac,  spruce  and  poplar  woods  and  across  open  fields, 
Weather  mild,  bright  sunshine,  wind  calm,  10  inches  of  snovj.  Ruffed 
Grouse,  2;  Hairj'-  Woodpecker,  2;  Downy  Woodpecker,  2;  Canada  Jay, 

3;  Blue  Jay,  3;  Black-capped  Chickadee,  1;  Common  Redpoll,  15, 

Total,  7  species,  28  individuals,  J,  Turnquist, 

Yorkton,  Sask,  (Area  15  miles  in  diameter  with  Yorkton  as  center),  - 
Dec,  26,  -  9^00  a,ra,  to  5:00  p,m.  Overcast  in  morning,  clear  in 
afternoon;  SW  wind  at  10  m,p,h, ;  snow  averaging  six  inches  in  depth. 
Temperature  10  degrees  at  start,  22  degrees  at  noon,  10  observers 
in  4  groups.  Total  party  hours  afield,  9^  (4  by  car  and  foot) ; 

total  party  miles,  42  (3-5  by  car  and  7  on  foot).  Sharp-tailed  Grouse, 
27;  Great  Horned  O';/!,  1;  Hairy  Woodpecker,  1;  Doxmy  Woodpecker,  2; 
Blue  Jay,  8;  Magpie,  4>  Black-capped  Chickadee,  9;  American  Robin, 

1;  Cedar  '''axi/ing,  5  (The  Robin  and  Cedar  '.'axivings  ?fere  in  i  he  vici¬ 
nity  of  an  open  spring,  beside  the  ’’iiuskeg”,  just  west  of  Yorkton, 

Both  species  were  observed  for  fifteen  minutes  through  10  x  50  bino¬ 
culars  at  distances  as  close  as  twelve  feet.  This  appears  to  be  the 
first  record  of  Cedar  V/ax^.vings  in  Saskatchewan  during  the  Christmas 
season  -  C.S.H.);  European  Starling,  4;  English  Sparrox/,  179; 

Common  Redpoll,  15;  Sno?/  Bunting,  342  (est).  Total,  13  species, 
approximately  598  individuals.  Four  Cedar  Waxwings  were  noted  on 
Dec,  28,  and  9  on  Jan,  1,  in  down-town  Yorkton,  No  Bohemian  Waxwings 
have  been  noted  thus  far  this  winter,  Wayne  Bj organ,  Ken  Bovres, 

Jerry  Bulitz,  D’Arcy  Wershler,  Merle  ITershler,  (Members  Simpson  School 
Nature  Club);  Jim  Allen,  Neil  Black,  Brother  Clarence,  Dr,  C.  J, 
Houston,  C,  Stuart  Houston,  (Members  Yorkton  Natural  History  Society), 

1948  Bird  Census  Summary. 

The  1948  Christmas  census,  consisting  of  13  counts  from  widely- 
scattered  Saskatchewan  points,  taken  under  more  favorable  v/eather 
conditions  than  in  past  counts,  produced  a  sum  total  of  36  species 
and  approximately  3023  individuals.  This  compares  fairly  v/ell  with 
former  counts  as  to  number  of  species  recorded, 

Tvro  more  species,  hitherto  unrecorded  in  previous  counts  bring  the 
total  species  recorded  in  Saskatchev^an  in  mid-\7intor  to  60,  The  Cedar 
Waxwings  reported  by  the  Yorkton  group  stresses  clearly  the  importance 
of  never  taking  things  for  granted  in  the  art  of  bird  observing.  How 
easily  it  would  have  been  to  have  misidentif ied  these  birds  as  just 
another  flock  of  Bohemians,  Yes,  its  that  second  look  that  usually 
brings  to  light  the  rare  or  unexpected  species. 

The  Pigeon  Hawk  at  Nipawin,  is  also  a  new  record. 

The  ever-abundant  English  Sparrow,  the  American  Magpie  and  the 
Black-capped  Chickadee  seem  to  be  the  most  often  recorded.  The  game 
birds,  for  the  most  part,  have  made  a  great  recovery  from  extreme 
scarcity  of  the  past  fev/  years  and  with  a  favorab'e  breeding  season 
this  year  should  almost  reach  their  peak  abundance-  In  the  coniferous 
woods  the  Spruce  Grouse  are  very  abundant,  and  in  the  northern  areas, 
at  least,  the  Ruffed  Grouse  are  quite  plentiful^; 


-  15  - 


Predators,  the  Goshawk  and  Great  Horned  OtitI,  are  still  scarce,  (as 
are  their  chief  prey  -  the  rabbit,) 

Pine  and  Evening  Grosbeaks  appear  to  be  about  as  usual.  The 
Bohemian  V/axvving  v/as  not  recorded  at  any  point  south  of  Nipa’an,  but 
have  been  quite  abundant  there  since  early  fall.  The  heavy  crop  of 
spruce  and  pine  cones  are  providing  the  Crossbills  with  fine  fare  and 
they  are  in  unusual  numbers  in  the  northern  forests, 

Maurice  G,  Street, 


IMFOBIiATION  WANTED 

We  have  obtained  seVsral  liarch  migration  records  but  our  information 
is  not  as  complete  as  it  might  be.  In  March,  1945,  32  species  of 
migratory  birds  were  noted  in  Manitoba*  Can  we  equal  this  record? 
Plan  to  make  a  "First  seen"  note  of  all  our  early  bird  arrivals  and 
let  us  have  a  full  report  for  the  next  issue.  Early  nesting  records 
such  as  those  of  the  Horned  Ov/1  and  Canada  Jay  v/ill  also  be  greatly 
appreciated. 


MAMI-IAL  SECTION 

THE  COYOTE 


The  unique  feature  of  the  BLUE  JAY  which  has  raade  it  a  treasure 
storehouse,  not  only  to  its  subscribers,  but  to  nature  scientists  in 
many  parts  of  Canada,  has  been  the  inclusion  of  so  many  homely  stories 
of  interest  about  our  animals  and  their  antics®  A  keen  observation 
and  a  sense  of  humor  on  the  part  of  Mr,  Gilroy,  \'iho  lives  in  the 
Regina  district,  has  added  another  to  the  list.  He  writes; 

"I  see  coyotes  practically  every  day,  sometimes  as  many  as  four 
together.  At  night,  especially  when  the  train  whistles  they  do  some 
3'^odeling,  Our  dog.  Smoky,  has  a  great  time  vdth  them.  This  morning 
two  coyotes  passed  to  I’ithin  200  yards  of  the  house.  Smoky  -went  out 
to  do  his  regular  barking.  One  stopped  and  stayed  within  a  tantalizing 
distance  from  himj  the  other  ^'ent  on  to  a  knoll  about  500  yards  to  one 
side  and  hung  around  there  in  an  unassuming  ?ianner.  Meanwhile  the 
other  kept  drawing  the  dog  out  a  little  further  until  finally  Smoky 
could  stand  it  no  longer  and  took  after  him.  Away  they  v/ent  as  hard, 
at  least,  as  the  dog  could  go.  The  coyote  on  the  knoll  stayed  there 
until  they  had  passed,  then  he  took  up  the  chase,  closing  in  from  the 
rear,  V,Tien  they  got  almost  half  n  mile  av/ay  from  the  buildings  the 
front  co^^ote  stopped  suddenly.  It  was  then  Smoky  found  himself,  not 
with  just  one  cowrote,  but  ’  ith  another  at  his  rear.  He  didn't  rait  to 
ask  questions  but  headed  back  home  as  fast  as  his  legs  would  carry 
him,  v;hile  the  coyotes  helped  him  along  v;ith  little  nips  on  the  tail, 

I  sure  did  laugh  and  Smoky  must  have  enjoyed  it  too,  for  he  arrived 
back  looking  as  happy  as  a  lark. 


-  16  - 


Paid  Hunters 


Use  of  paid  hunters  for  coyote  control  ?;as  recommended  by  Noble 
E,  Buell  of  the  United  States  7ild  Life  Service  in  an  address  to  a 
conference  of  Saskatchewan  natural  resources  field  officers  in  Regina 
recently.  He  said  his  department  was  not  concerned  with  extermina¬ 
tion  of  the  coyote,  curse  to'  cattlemen  and  poultry  farmers,  but  was 
concentrating  on  controlling  the  animals  destruction,  "The  coyote 
was  likely  to  remain  in  the  west  for  some  time  to  come,  since  it  was 
very  adaptable  to  new  stamping  grounds  if  chased  from  old  ones",  he 
added,  "and  naturalists  need  have  little  fear  of  its  extermination," 

Saskatchewan  News, 

Many  naturalists  ^  have  fear  for  its  extermination  as  well  as  the 
extermination  of  other  predators,  for  there  is  no  telling  inhere  a  halt 
will  be  called  should  this  sort  of  thing  get  under  vay.  The  offenders 
should  pay  the  penaltjr.  But  this,  we  believe,  is  no  excuse  for  an 
attempted  wholesale  slaughter  of  the  species  in  areas  where  they  pro¬ 
bably  do  more  good  than  harm, 

;7e  invite  comments  and  frank  opinions  about  the  advisability  of 
employing  paid  hunters  for  coyote  control,  -  Editor, 


Timber  wolves  have  been  reported  from  Torch  River  by  Mr,  S, 
Francis.  On  February  5,  a  neighbor  of  his,  xvhile  hauling  sawlogs, 
came  across  a  freshly  killed  deer,  x^hich  had  been  brought  doxm  by 
them.  The  deer  was  still  unfrozen  and  wolf  tracks  T/ere  all  around  it. 


DEER  and  COYOTES 

Mr,  Z,  M,  Hamilton,  writing  in  the  Regina  Leader  Post,  reports 
that  from  a  portion  of  the  Qu*Appelle  Valley,  lying  betv/een  Craven 
and  Piapot’s  Reserve,  coyotes  are  causing  havoc  among  the  deer.  The 
snow,  he  explains,  is  not  strong  enough  to  support  the  deer  and  so 
they  plunge  belly  deep  in  the  drifts,  become  exhausted  and  fall  easy 
victims  to  their  pursuers  who  are  light  enough  on  their  feet  not  to 
break  through  the  crust. 

He  tells  the  story  of  a  rancher  in  the  Craven  district  x-ho  saw 
some  coyotes  pursuing  a  band  of  deer.  He  hurried  to  his  house  for  a 
rifle  and  xvhen  he  returned  found  that  the  "brutes"  had  pulled  down  a 
deer  and  xvere  actually  engaged  in  their  "horrid"  feast,  although  there 
was  still  some  life  left  in  their  victim, 

(This  very  area  is  my  most  cherished  "hunting  ground",  ./ithin  it 
lies  the  xvild  life  sanctuary  of  the  Regina  Natural  History  Society, 


-  17 


Almost  any  siiinmer  evening  during  the  past  three  years  deer  could 
be  seen  in  the  coulees  and  meadows,  A  j’-ear  ago  last  fall,  early  on 
the  first  morning  of  the  hunting  season  and  for  days  that  followed  a 
constant  bombardment  of  rifles  echoed  from  hill  to  hill.  Happy  hunters 
loaded  theiy  cars  and  returned  home,  v/hile  many  unhappy  victims  limped 
among  tangled  fallen  trees  on  the  ravine  embankments  and  lay  down  to 
die.  There  were  not  as  many  last  fall  and  we  missed  them.  Perhaps 
their  numbers  have  even  dwindled  since  then,  but  the  coyotes  vjere  hungry 
the  hunters  were  not.  Editor.) 


»3UCK  FOR  BUCKS” 

From  Winnipeg  comes  the  story  that  thousands  of  snowbound  deer  in 
southern  Manitoba,  facing  death  by  starvation  or  slaughter  by  preda¬ 
tors  are  to  receive  an  immediate  aid  feeding  program.  The  provincial 
government  will  supply  emergency  food  supplies  \7here  the  need  is 
greatest.  It  v/ill  undertake,  the  last  tv.^o  weeks  in  February,  the  first 
census  of  the  deer  population  bjr  air. 

Many  deer  have  left  their  natural  feeding  places  to  raid  stocks  for 
domestic  animals.  Farmers  are  laj^-ing  out  feed  and  putting  up  deer  in 
their  corrals  and  barns.  It  is  feared  that  the  ^^orst  month  is  still 
ahead  for  the  deer.  More  snorr  will  fall  and  it  also  will  crust  over. 

It  is  then  the  deer  mortality  rate  jumps  sky  high,  A  ’’buck  for  bucks” 
campaign  to  buy  food  for  the  starving  animals  has  been  organized  b^r  the 
greater  r/innipeg  Game  and  Fish  Association. 


GERALD  —  Mr.  Martinosky  sent  us  an  interesting  photograph,  showing  a  cat 
peering  contentedly  frora  a  badger  hole.  The  cat  raised  her  kittens  there 
in  the  bank  of  a  big  cut  on  No,  22  highway  in  the  Cut  Arm  Valley,  It  was 
Mr.  I'iartinosky ’  s  cat. 

He  also  reported  that  a  Bob  Cat  was  treed  by  dogs  last  summer  in 
the  same  valley  and  believes  that  this  is  the  first  one  reported  from 
his  district  in  many  years. 

OKLA  —  Mrs,  Roach, 

”In  July  the  men  were  pulling  trees  with  the  help  of  a  team  when 
they  noted  that  three  little  squirrels  came  out  of  a  hole  in  a  poplar 
tree  which  previously  had  been  used  by  ’.’oodpeckers ,  The  animals  did  not 
appear  to  be  the  red  squirrel,  which  is  common  in  this  district." 

(These  might  be  flying  squirrels.  A  number  have  been  reported  from 
Moose  Mountains  and  other  places.  They  are  apparently  more  comraon  than 
is  usually  supposed,  Mr.  Francis  and  his  sons  at  Torch  River  do  consid¬ 
erable  trapping  in  the  winter  time,  Frora  among  over  100  squirrels  taken 
this  winter  five  percent  were  flying  squirrels,  — ‘ED.) 


u ' 


-  18  - 


mmkis 


GREMFELL  -  John  Hubbard  Jr,  Viirites: 

Coyotes  which  were  very  numerous  during  the  winter  of  1947-48  were 
hunted  extensively  and  appear  to  be  on  the  decrease. 

Muskrats  were  more  plentiful  last  fall  than  since  1928,  Unfortunate¬ 
ly,  there  was  a  very  dry  fall,  sloughs  are  low,  and  it  is  believed  that 
many  will  die  out  this  winter, 

^^/hite -tailed  deer  are  quite  numerous  and  there  were  more  hunters  this 
year  than  ever,  7e  believe  that  more  deer  were  shot  before  the  season 
than  during  the  season,  and  suspect  that  the  largest  percentage  of  these 
Y/ere  shot  at  night. 

Jack  Rabbits  seem  to  have  disappeared  completely  from  this  district 
and  bush  rabbits  are  not  numerous. 


HUDSON  BAY  - 

From  this  toi,mi  comes  the  news  that  wolves  are  showing  up  in  in¬ 
creasing  numbers  in  settled  areas  where,  until  last  year,  they  had  not 
been  seen  for  years. 

Reason  for  the  appearance  of  timber  wolves  in  this  comparatively 
southern  area  is  believed  to  be  the  shortage  of  rabbits,  which  are  just 
emerging  from  the  bottom  of  their  10-year  cj'^cle  and  are  extremely  scarce 
in  this  area. 

The  government,  this  year,  reduced  the  bounty  payment  on  wolves  from 
C'25  to  RIO,  This  has  resulted  in  less  effort  on  the  part  of  trappers  to 
capture  the  wily  animals. 

Moose  appear  more  plentiful  this  year  than  for  many  years  and  the 
animal  that  was  once  nearing  extinction  seems  to  be  making  a  come-back 
in  north-eastern  Saskatchewan, 


I^JFORMATION  —  PLEASE 


Report  "first  seen"  records  of  bats.  Are  all  bats  of  '.'estern  Canada 
migratory?  Have  any  traces  been  found  of  these  hibernating? 

-  0  - 


How  have  the  deer  come  through  the  winter?  Are  there  any  indications 
of  disaster,  such  as  that  feared  in  parts  of  ianitoba? 

-  0  - 

How  is  the  porcupine  situation?  ..Tiere  have  thej^  been  observed  recently? 

-  0  - 

A  report  on  the  prevalence  of  rats  and  indications  of  damage  done  by 
them  will  be  greatly  appreciated, 

-  0  - 


V  ,.  ' 


r. 


»v 


-  19  - 


MAIZiALS 


PRINCE  ALBERT  -  E.  IR  Brooraan. 

A  very  young  black  bear  cub  uas  recently  acquired  by  the  ’Tild  Life 
Exhibit  by  G,  E,  Lund,  The  bear  iTeighed  only  12-g  oz.  Some  idea  of  the 
small  size  may  be  realized  from  the  fact  that  the  cub  Fas  only  about  6 
inches  long  and  that  its  cubic  bulk  was  about  the  si^e  of  a  large  tumbler. 

The  bear  was  discovered  at  Cumberland  House  on  January  11  by  a  party 

who  were  bulldozing  a  trail.  The  mother  bear  was  killed  and  an  examination 

of  the  den  revealed  one  live  cub.  The  cub  was  taken  and  unsuccessful  at¬ 
tempts  were  made  to  feed  it  from  a  bottle.  In  estimating  its  age  it  was 
noted  that  the  nails  were  sharp,  and  the  navel  completely  healed.  The  fur 
was  well  developed,  'Uhile  it  is  difficult  to  accurately  estimate  the  age, 
it  was  placed  at  about  one  month. 

According  to  Anthony,  black  bear  cubs  are  born  almost  naked,  toothless 
and  their  eyes  do  not  open  for  some  time.  Single  cubs  are  said  to  vary  in 
'■•eight  from  eight  to  eighteen  ounces.  Further,  Anthony  stated  that  cubs 
are  born  between  January  and  March,  It  is  highly  probable  that  this  cub 

I'^as  born  in  December,  It  is  likely  that,  for  this  latitude  and  location, 

December  is  a  verqr  early  date.  It  is  not  usual  for  a  female  bear  to  leave 
her  den  until  her  cubs  are  six  or  eight  weeks  old.  It  is  doubtful  if  a 
female  bear,  in  this  latitude,  could  leave  her  den  much  before  the  end  of 
March,  In  this  particular  case,  the  cubs  would  be  at  least  12  weeks  old. 

Since  small  cubs  are  an  adaptation  of  the  Ussidae  to  prevent  excessive 
feeding  during  hibernation,  it  is  again  reasonable  to  suppose  that  our 
record  may  be  an  early  one.  It  is  fairly  common  to  see  a  female  with  two 
or  even  three  cubs.  If  our  date  of  December  were  common,  it  x'^ould  mean 
that  the  mother  bear  v.^ould  have  to  feed  ti-^o  and  even  three  cubs  for  three 
months.  It  is  hardly  likeljr  that  this  would  be  common,  since  it  is  not  for 
the  best  interest  of  the  species.  Since  bears  in  Northern  latitudes  must 
leave  their  dens  later  than  those  more  southerly,  it  is  probable  that  the 
time  of  having  cubs  would  be  later  than  the  more  Southern  species, 

(Mr,  Brooman  has  sent  us  several  observational  articles  of  interest. 
Unfortunately,  they  arrived  after  the  material  for  this  issue  was  all  pre¬ 
pared,  Ve  hope  to  make  use  of  them  later,  ED.) 


f Nature  is  a  better  tonic  than  anything  your  doctor  can  prescribe.  It  is  the 
urge  that  takes  you  strolling  in  the  fresh  air  v;ith  every  sense  alive  for  a 
sign  of  beauty.  It  is  the  companionship  of  other  living  things  whose  ex¬ 
citing  lives  twine  v/ith  ours  and  upon  ¥/hose  prosperity  we  often  unknov/ingly 
depend. 

Nature  is  the  wonder  of  moonlight,  the  unexplained  glory  of  the  skies,  star- 
studded,  imponderable.  It  is  the  love  of  color  and  sound.  It  is  an  interest 
in  the  wonder  of  creation,  the  satisfaction  of  growing  out  and  onv/ard  beyond 
our  OT'^^n  human  troubles,  ITien  you  make  a  hobby  of  nature  you  find  an  exci¬ 
ting  world  all  around  you,  and  your  interest  in  it  will  pay  greater  dividends 
than  you  dreamed  possible," 

Rachel  Biggs, 

Saskatoon  Star-Phoenix, 


Perhaps  with  the  exceptions  of  the  first  appearance  and  songs  of  the 
Meadow  Lark  and  Robin,  nothing  gives  a  greater  thrill  to  naturalists  in 
early  spring  than  the  sight  of  the  first  crocus  or  violet  as  they  lift 
their  delicate  heads  to  herald  in  a  ne-'  season. 

For  our  records  ’^e  would  like  an  accurate  report  from  various  parts  of 
the  province,  of  all  our  April  flov^ers  as  they  first  appear  in  bloom.  The 
last  two  springs  have  been  rather  late,  but  in  the  Regina  area  we  have 
recorded  the  following: 

April  18,  Frenchweed;  April  19,  Moss  Phlox;  April  20,  Crocus  An'emone; 
April  22,  Leafy  Musineon;  April  25,  "'ild  Parsley  (Cogswellia) ;  April  25, 
Red-seeded  Dandelion;  April  27,  Common  Dandelion;  April  28,  Tufted  Milk- 
vetch;  April  29,  Early  Cinquefoil;  April  30,  Plains  Cyraopteris, 

Following  within  five  days  of  these  'e  noted  Sand  Bladderpod,  Ray 
Pimpernel,  Prairie  Buttercup,  Early  Blue  Violet,  Sand  Voilet,  Rydberg's 
Violet  (Canada  Violet) ,  There  seems  no  doubt  but  that  these  also  bloom  in 
April  in  some  Saskatchewan  areas.  How  many  more  can  you  find  in  April  ? 

If  you  vMll  press  and  dry  any  specimens  that  you  are  unable  to  identify 
and  send  them  to  the  Editor  of  the  BLUE  JAY,  he  will  make  the  determinations, 
and  will  publish  them  in  our  next  issue.  Send  these  on  or  before  May  15, 


THALICTRUM  BREITUNGII 


}^ny  of  our  members  will  be  interested  in  the  honor  recently  conferred 
on  Mr,  August  J,  Breitung,  formerly  of  McKague,  Sask,  A  nev^  species  of 
Meadow  Rue  has  been  named  after  him.  In  this  connection  the  November- 
December,  194^,  Canadian  Field  I^aturalist  reports:  "This  ne’’  species  is 
named  after  August  Breitung,  a  young  amateur  botanist  of  outstanding  ability 
who  accompanied  A,  E,  Porsild  to  the  Yukon  in  1944  and  is  now  on  the  staff 
of  the  Division  of  Botany  and  Plant  Patholog^r,  Ottawa,” 

By  the  v/ay,  Mr,  Breitung  was  married,  October  7  last,  to  Miss  Mathilde 
K.  Presch,  of  Ottawa,  Congratulations  on  both  counts,  August. 


FORESTRY 

From  Torch  River,  C,  S+uart  Francis  writes: 

"I?hile  cutting  white  spruce  trees  for  sawlogs  on  my  own  land  last 
winter,  I  have  been  taking  special  notice  regarding  the  rate  of  grov/th  of 
spruce  trees  under  various  circumstances.  On  much  of  the  forest  where  I 
have  been  cutting,  the  best  and  largest  trees  were  cut  do- n  about  twelve 
years  ago,  with  only  the  undersized  trees  left.  Some  of  the  undersized  trees 
had  taken  anyiiThere  from  20  to  30  years  to  reach  a  diameter  of  about  six 
inches;  whereas,  now  that  the  big  trees  are  removed,  these  small  trees  have 


#  «  4 


-  21 


grown  from  12  to  14  inches  in  diameter  at  one  foot  from  the  ground  in 
about  12  years.  This  shows  the  benefits  of  good  forest  management  and 
also  shoT/s  that  it  is  good  sound  judgment  for  any  farmer  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  prairies,  who  has  evergreen  forests  on  his  land,  to  protect 
the  young  forest  as  much  as  he  can. 


Indian _ Pipes 

Mr,  i/m,  rfecNeill,  Forester  at  Meadow  Lake,  reports  having  seen  a  clump 
of  Indian  Pipes  last  summer  in  an  area  south-east  of  Green  Lake,  In  mid¬ 
winter  (Feb,  7)  he  found  a  cluster  of  the  same  plants  sticking  through  the 
snow  on  the  north-east  36,  to'.mship  63,  range  24,  Lbst  of  the  3rd,  This 
area  is  north  of  Big  Island  Lake,  known  on  the  maps  as  Lac  des  Isles, 

Cliff  Shaw  reported  the  presence  of  Indian  Pipes  in  the  Yorkton 
district  last  summer,  Me  .would  like  more  reports  on  this  interesting 
plant,  ED.) 


Dwarf  Mistletoe 

Mr,  R,  F,  Arnold,  of  the  Department  of  Natural  Resources,  is  very  con¬ 
cerned  over  the  increasing  damage  being  done  to  our  Jack  Pine  forests  by 
this  parasitic  plant.  He  ^writes: 

"The  appearance  of  a  mistletoe-infested  forest  is  a  deplorable  sight 
and  reminds  one  of  the  frightful  human  disease  of  elephantiasis  in  v/hich 
human  flesh  is  marred  by  huge  growths," 

"Mistletoe  in  Saskatchewan  has  only  recentl^f  attracted  pathologists’ 
attention,  although  knovm  for  a  long  time  by  forestry  men.  Practically 
no  research  is  available  on  the  subject  and  scientists  do  not  agree  on  the 
species  or  habit  of  the  Saskatchewan  form  or  on  v/hat  host  its  life  is  pro¬ 
longed  in  spreading  from  stand  to  stand.  It  has  been  reported  on  the 
forests  of  Lodgepole  Pine  in  Southern  Saskatchewan  and  is  known  to  infect 
both  Jack  Pine  and  Black  Spruce  in  Northern  Saskatchewan," 

All  members  are  urged  to  send  in  authentic  reports  on  its  occurrence 
and  also  species  determination  if  possible. 


Plants  of  Interest 


Arch.  C,  Budd,  of  the  Experimental  Station  at  Swift  Current  identified 
some  plants  last  summer  which  are  not  commonly  found  in  this  province  and 
has  been  kind  enough  to  send  us  some  data  on  them, 

Lupinus  argenteus  (Lupine)  was  found  on  a  hillside  about  two  miles  S,M, 
of  Ro^f^ien,  "This  is,  I  think,  the  furthest  eastern  record  so  far,  and 
was  a  surprise  to  me  when  I  found  it," 

Ambrosis  trifida  (Great  Ragr/eed)  in  large  quantity  alongside  a  large 
slougiTfrom  two  "to  three  miles  south  of  La  Fleche,  This  is  quite  far  west 


:  j.  t 


r\ 


■t 


for  this  spocies  rfowadays.  (This  is  the  Ragv/eed  which  is  held  res¬ 
ponsible  for  rnuch  of  the  ha3?’-fever  in  Eastern  Cai^a,  It  is  abundant  in 
the  Red  River  Valley  in  Manitoba  and  is  extending  v^estuard  mostly  along 
the  railways.  I  have  yet  to  find  one  of  these  plants  growing  in  Sask,  ED^) 

Cuscuta  curta  (Dodder),  I  found  a  very  interesting  area  on  the  Antler  Creek 
near  Carnduff  and  found  this  species  of  Dodder,  In  the  same  place  I  located 
some  Western  False  Cromwell  (Onosmodium  occidentale)  ■'  hich  is  a  new  Sask¬ 
atchewan  record,  I  think.  There  also  I  found  w'hat  I  think  is  Nepeda  cataria 
(Catnip) . 

At  Skull  Creek  near  Sidev/ood  I  found  a  clump  of  Sisymbrium  Loesellii, 
(Loesse].’s  Mustard)  and  incidentally  found  it  very  common  at  Kamloops, 

B,C,  and  in  eastern  Manitoba.  (This  plant  is  quite  common  in  the  Edenwold 
district,  north  east  of  Regina,  ED.) 

Some  Saskatchewan  Pentstemons  or  Beard -tongues. 

The  Beard-tongues  or  Pentstemons  are  an  interesting  and  attractive 
genus,  but  have  suffered  somewhat  at  the  hands  of  the  plant  taxonomists. 

Some  omit  the  first  "t"  and  call  them  Penstemons,  some  use  Pentastemons,  but 
the  generally  accepted  name  is  Pentstemon,  They  are  distinguished  by  their 
opposite  leaves,  funnel-form  or  campanulate  flox^ers  and  by  their  fifth, 
sterile  stamen  Yrhich  bears  no  anther  and  is  generally  bearded  along  one  side. 
We,  in  southern  Saskatchev/an,  have  four  common  and  one  rare  species,  the 
hliite  Beard-tongue  or  P.  albidus;  the  Lilac -flowered  Beard-tongue,  P, gracilis ; 
the  Smooth  Blue  Beard-tongue,  P,  nitidus;  the  Slender  Beard-tongue,  P. procerus; 
and  the  rare  Yellovir  Beard-tongue,  P,  confertus. 

Our  common  species  generally  come  into  flower  in  the  same  regular  ofder, 
first  P.  nitidus,  from  May  9  to  May  26  (average  date  May  19);  then  P,  albidus, 
from  M*ay  17  to  June  22  (average  June  5);  next  Pc  procerus,  from  I'fey  27  to 
June  15  (average  June  6);  and  later  P,  gracilis^  from  June  17  to  June  25 
(average  June  20);  the  flowering  dates  of  the  earlier  species  being  dependent 
on  the  earliness  or  lateness  of  the  spring. 

I'/hite  Beard-tongue  is  a  white -flowered  species  growing  from  6  to  10 
inches  in  height  with  a  downy  haired  stem  and  oblanceolate,  finely  hairy 
leaves.  The  inflorescence  is  hairy  and  sticky  and  the  plants  grow  in  dry, 
exposed  situation^, sidehills,  etc. 

Smooth  Blue  Beard-tongue  is  the  earliest  flowering  species  and  has 
smooth,  bluish-green,  glaucous  leaves,  the  uppermost  ones  short  and  broadly 
ovate.  The  flowers  are  generally  deep  blue  but  range  through  many  shades, 

I  have  a  mount  of  this  species  with  plants  ranging  from  dark  blue,  through 
all  shades  of  purple,  red,  pink  to  white,  all  gathered  in  an  area  about  ten 
yards  across  on  a  side-hill  near  Eastend,  It  grov/s  on  steep  sidehills,  es¬ 
pecially  on  dry,  eroded  slopes. 

Slender  Beard-tongue  is  a  slender-stemmed  species  ’-hich  generally  grows 
in  large  colonies  in  the  raoister  spots  of  the  prairie,  around  non-saline 
sloughs  in  the  shelter  of  clumps  of  snow-berry,  the  sheltered  side  of 
coulees^  etc  The  deep  blue  flowers  are  borne  in  an  interrupted  spike  and 
are  quite  small,  but  very  striking  '-'hen  the  plants  are  massed. 


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“  23  - 


The  Lilac “flovrered  Beard~tongue  is  a  taller,  slender  plant,  found  as  a 
rule  as  single  plants  and  not  in  clu^ips,  on  moist  prairie,  and  slough  mar¬ 
gins,  The  flo''.;ers  are  narrow*  and  almost  cylindrical,  of  a  pale  purple  or 
lilac  colour. 


The  Yellow  Beard-tongue  is  somexThat  like  the  Slender  Beard-tongue,  but 
is  a  larger  plant  and  has  yellow  flowers.  It  is  a  plant  of  the  Foothills  but 
has  been  found  at  Swift  Current, 

A  simple  key  to  identify  our  Pentstemon  is;- 

1,  Corolla  tube  distinctly  funnel-form,  the  tube  widening  decidedly 

towards  the  throat,  2, 

Corolla  tube  almost  cylindrical  and  only  slightly  ?/idening  to¬ 
wards  the  throat,  3, 

2,  Plants  without  hairiness  on  stems  or  leaves,  P,  nitidus 

Plants  with  some  hairiness  on  stems  and  leaves;  inflorescence 
glandular,  P,  nitidus 

3,  Flowers  from  5/8  to  3/4  inch  long;  inflorescence  open;  calyx 

and  inflorescence  glandular.  P,  gracilis. 

Flowers  about  3/8  inch  long;  inflorescence  interrupted  but 
generally  in  dense  clusters;  calyx  not  glandular,  4. 

4*  Flowers  yelloT/, 

Flowers  purple  or  blue. 

Arch,  C,  Budd, 


”To  the  children  of  Saskatchewan  in  the  hope  that  every  child  may  know  the 
joy  of  seeing  the  spirit  of  midsum  ler  embodied  in  a  multitude  of  flaming 
lilies," 

This  is  the  foreward  to  a  timely  and  splendidly  x'Tritten  book  of  forty 
pages  by  Dorothy  Morrison,  pleading  for  the  conservation  of  Saskatche^^an’ s 
Floral  Emblem,  We  have  been  waiting  for  just  such  a  book.  The  presentation 
of  the  subject  will  appeal  to  all  nature  lovers.  It  is  ivell  illustrated  and 
a  special  appeal  in  poetry  and  story  will  hold  the  inherit  of  every  child. 

The  BLUE  JAY  offers  its  congratulations  to  Mrs.  Morrison  and  hopes  that 
The  Prairie  Lily  v/ill  soon  find  a  place  in  every  school  library.  It  is 
publish^"by  the  School  Aids  and  Text  Book  Publishing  Co.,  Regina. 


P,  confertus, 
P,  procerus. 


"Conservation  is  the  intelligent  management  of  all  the  benefits  bestowed 
upon  us  by  Nature,  and  the  protection  and  preservation  of  those  benefits,  so 
that  while  yielding  a  maximum  pleasure  and  profit  today,  they  will  remain 
inviolate  as  a  heritage  for  the  future." 


The  Carling  Conservation  Digest. 


-  24  - 

AMERICAI'J  ASPEN  by  R.  C.  MACKENZIE 


Afriend  in  England,  who  is  an  enthusiastic  gardener,  writes  that  he  has 
an  American  Aspen  in  his  garden,  of  ■'■hich  he  is  very  proud.  He  mentions  the 
rich  green  of  its  leaves  in  sumi'er,  the  glowing  gold  of  its  autumn  color, 
American  Aspen,  more  commonly  knov/n  as  Tliite  Poplar,  is  the  commonest 
tree  in  this  Province,  Is  it  then  'uthout  honor  in  its  ov/n  land?  Yielding 
a  soft  wood,  for  which  there  is  at  present  little  demand  —  rarely  planted  in 
windbreak  or  garden  —  it  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  a  tree  v/eed. 

Soon  the  Poplar  floods  will  awake  in  a  misty  greenery  of  new  growth.  First 
the  long  drooping  catkins,  silver-grey  tassels  for  the  nevr  green  curtain  of 
spring,  then  as  a  thousand  leaf-buds  slowly  open,  the  green  mist  creeps 
slo\7ly  steadily  northward,  from  prairie  bluffs  to  parklands  and  throughout 
the  northern  forests. 

This  Aspen,  or  "liite  Poplar,  as  we  seem  to  prefer  to  call  it,  is  a  very 
attractive  tree.  Usually  from  tf'^enty  to  forty  feet  high,  its  bro’-nish 
green  bark  is  covered  v;ith  a  v/hite  powdery  substance,  giving  it  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  being  iThite  barked.  The  leaves  are  smooth,  fine  teethed,  ovate  to 
almost  heart-shaped,  darker  —  almost  olive  green  above  and  lighter  green 
below  --  always  wind-stirred,  always  musically  moving. 

Few  trees  are  as  well  knom  or  are  distributed  over  so  wide  an  area.  It 
has  many  names.  In  the  East  it  has  been  called  Popple,  Quaking  Asp,  Smooth- 
barked  Poplar,  and  Aspen,  In  the  mountains  of  the  ”/est  it  is  called  IVhite 
Poplar,  Fhite  Asp  and  Mountain  Aspen,  It  is  defined  by  botanists  as 
Populus  Tremuloides,  the  trembling  poplar,  because  of  the  way  its  leaf  stems 
are  fastened  sidei^ays,  making  them  very  unstaple  and  causing  them  to  tremble 
with  every  movement  of  air. 

It  is  a  prolific  seeder.  The  minute"  light  seed,  attached  to  a  downy  tuft, 
is  carried  miles  by  the  wind.  In  sheltered  coulees  on  the  north  slopes  of 
dry  hills,  or  in  lonesome  stunted  windsvrept  bluffs,  it  is  found  far  out  upon 
the  open  plains.  Aspen  climbs  to  high  altitudes  in  the  mohntains,  often 
forming  part  of  the  timber  line.  It  extends  along  the  valleys  and  in  fall 
forms  spots  of  gold  among  pine  ahd  spruce  forests  on  high  rocky  slopes.  It 
reaches  far  north^urd,  sometimes  to  the  limit  of  trees. 

The  wood  has  many  uses.  It  is  the  principal  source  of  firewood  in  the 
north  and  Y/est  and  throughout  the  prairie  region.  Farmers  and  ranchers  use 
it  for  poles,  for  corrals  and  fences  and,  in  some  districts,  for  building- 
logs,  It  is  one  of  the  best  woods  for  making  boxes  and  barrels  for  food¬ 
stuffs,  since  it  has  no  odor  and  holds  nails  well.  Excelsior  is  made  from 
it,  A  plywood  made  from  it  has  proved  useful  in  certain  kinds  of  interior 
finishing. 

Aspen  is  the  principal  food  of  beavers  and  the  •laterial  from  which  most 
of  their  dams  are  constructed.  The  natural  irrigation  and  i-ater  conserva¬ 
tion  carried  on  by  these  builders  of  dams, -would  not  be  possible  without  an 
abundance  of  poplar  logs  and  branches  near  by. 

Subject  to  fungus  attacks,  its  life-span  in  some  regions  is  less  than 
thirty  years,  but  in  the  forests  of  north  central  Saskatchev/an,  where  it 
lives  under  very  favorable  conditions,  it  sometimes  reaches  an  age  of  eighty 
years,  a  diameter  of  t\/o  feet,  and  a  height  of  over  seventy  feet, 

In^tlie  lightest  breeze  the  leaves  of  Aspen  are  al^raA^s  musically  moving. 

This  is  the  tree's  best  known  characteristic.  The  chattering  Aspen  is  the 
singing  tree  of  the  poets  and  musicians  —  the  tree  with  talking  leaves  — 
June's  pattering  whisper  of  trembling  sounds  which  have  been  interpreted  into 

both  music  and  poetry,  v  4-^  t  i 

Blue  skies  and  green  Aspen  woods.  Tall  slim  poplars  beside  the  lake. 

Such  are  the  memories  left  vith  us  of  this  very  common  tree. 


-  25  - 


PCHAEOLOGY  SECTION, 


Dear  Editor: 

Your  report  that  many  Natural  History  people  who  returned  the  ques¬ 
tionnaire,  which  was  sent  out  in  the  last  issue  of  the  BLUE  JAY,  stated 
that  they  were  interested  in  Archaeology,  came  as  no  surprise,  I  have 
found  that  everyone  interested  in  the  Stone  Age  is  also  a  keen  student  of 
Natural  History  and  it  seems  to  hold  that  Nature  Study  has  a  connecting 
interest  in  Archaelogy, 

Some  problems  in  this  science  are  actually  problems  in  Natural  His¬ 
tory,  For  example,  prehistoric  Indians’  favorite  method  of  killing  buffalo 
was  by  trapping  them  in  pounds,  tliere  are  those  old  Buffalo  Pounds? 

Early  explorers  and  fur  traders  have  v/ritten  about  the  Plains  Indians 
killing  buffalo  by  means  of  pounds.  They  tell  of  how  these  pounds  were 
built,  their  size  and  the  methods  used  in  getting  parts  of  buffalo  herds 
into  them,  the  method  of  slaughter  and  the  Indians '  use  of  the  animals 
following  the  kill.  It  is  claimed  that  the  tribe  would  live  at  the  site 
until  all  the  meat  was  used.  Paul  Cain,  in  his  book,  states  that  the 
pounds  were  used  year  after  3^ear,  and  in  one  instance  he  tells  of  a  site 
used  so  long  and  often  that  after  the  stockade  rotted  down,  the  dried 
bones  were  piled  up  to  sufficient  height  to  take  its  place. 

However,  the  early  explorers  v/ere  unable  to  tell  us  the  definite 
locations  of  these  pounds.  They  existed  long  before  surveys  were  made  of 
the  plains.  Only  three  or  four  have  been  rediscovered  in  SaskatcLev/an, 

Many  more  must  exist  and  they  wall  all  be  rich  archaeological  finds,  for, 
buried  in  the  long  decayed  bone  piles  are  large  quantities  of  every  tjq^e 
of  flint  and  stone  tools  and  all  w/eapons  that  the  Indian  ever  used. 

If  the  tribes  lived  at  the  pound  site  for  a  time  after  each  kill, 
this  means  the  old  hearths  and  camp  fire-places  (if  on  uncultivated  land) 
are  still  in  place,  although  sodded  over  now;.  Around  these  hearths  stone 
age  history  lays  buried.  Very  little  archaeological  research  has  been 
done  below  ground  level  in  Saskatchewan,  but  if  such  sites  are  investi¬ 
gated,  the  awrard  w'ould  be  amgzing, 

I  suggest,  Mr,  Editor,  that  v'e  ask  our  Natural  Historj^  observers  this 
question  —  "hllERE  APtE  TI-IE  BUFFALO  P0UI®S?  ” 


Sincerely  yours. 


Fred  liobinson. 


t 


-  26  - 


AliCKAELQGY 

by 

Albert  E,  N,  Sv/anston 


How  many  readers  are  interested  in  archaelogy,  that  fascinating 
natural  history  science  which  deduces  a  knov:ledge  of  past  times  from 
a  study  of  their  existing  remains?  If  so,  let  us  travel  to  a  ravine 
or  coulee,  where  there  is  a  nice  spring  of  '>/ater  not  too  far  away  — 
and  dig. 

I  did  this  in  1940  in  just  such  a  ravine  about  eight  miles  west 
of  Bulyea,  Sask,  I  was  walking  along  the  bottom  of  this  ravine  and 
came  to  some  mole  hills.  Being  observant,  I  noticed  these  mole 
hills  contained  small  pieces  of  bone.  This  seemed  unusual  so  I  took 
ray  shovel  and  tried  to  dig.  To  my  surprise  I  found  the  bones  to  be 
so  thick  that  I  couldn’t  dig  with  a  shovel  and  had  to  get  a  pick. 
Armed  v/ith  these  two  instruments  and  a  screen  I  ^^ent  to  V7ork, 

I  soon  found  some  small  flint  arrow  heads  and  some  buffalo  rib 
bones,  cut  in  about  four  inch  lengths.  These  were  hollor/ed  out  at 
one  end  to  make  handles  for  holding  small  scrapers  and  knives.  Some 
of  these  handles  were  plain;  some  were  decorated  v/ith  notches;  some 
with  drawings  of  fish  and  one  had  a  wolf  or  coyote  carved  on  it. 

This  find  turned  out  to  be  a  ’’Midden",  or  Buffalo  Pound,  This 
is  a  place  where  the  Indians  made  a  corral  and  drove  t’'.'o  or  three 
hundred  buffalo  into  it  for  slaughter.  The  Indians  then  camped  there 
and  tanned  the  hides  and  dried  the  meat  for  future  use.  That  is  the 
reason  for  finding  so  nan3?’  artifacts  on  these  sites.  At  this  site, 
digging  during  ray  spare  time  for  three  years  I  found  tv/enty-three 
hundred  specimens,  These  are  now  in  the  National  Museum,  at  Ottawa, 

There  are  still  lots  of  sites  to  be  investigated,  Itv’ould  be 
appreciated  if  all  new  finds  were  reported  to  our  Provincial  Museum, 


-  27  - 


HIST0x7IC  SITES 


’’The  most  historic  site  around  here;”  vrites  Marion  Nixon  of 
t^auchope,  ”is  the  old  Canningtoh  Manor  settlement,  west  of  Parkman, 
north  of  Manor  and  east  of  Moose  Mountains.  There  is  a  lot  of  almost 
legend  about  it  now  in  local  annals. 

The  town  was  dissipated  when  the  railway  failed  to  come  through 
the  site.  (Legend  has  it,  it  was  dissipated,  period,).  Some  of  the 
old  Manor  houses  are  still  standing,  but  many  have  suffered  fires  or 
other  despoilation.  The  mill  was  used  as  lumber,  and  only  a  mass  of 
iron  junk  remains  to  mark  it.  The  church,  though,  is  v/ell  kept  and 
still  used.  If  only  one  had  time  for  a  canvass  of  the  remaining  old- 
timers,  before  they  are  all  gone,  there  would  be  tales  to  be  recorded 
and  pictures  to  save  for  posterity,  Mrs,  Hewlett  has  done  consider¬ 
able  along  this  line-.  Some  of  her  data  is  on  file  at  the  University 
of  Saskatchewan, 


The  follov/ing  letter  was  received  from  Dr,  R,  C,  Russell,  of  the 
University  of  Saskatchewan. 

”I  would  like  to  draw  your  attention  to  i/hat  I  consider  a  mistake 
on  page  8  of  the  April  to  September  issue  of  the  BLUE  JAY,  It  is  the 
third  item  under  Wild  Life,  Punnichy:  JIrs.  Madeline  B.  Runyan,” 

(The  paragraph  referred  to  is  as  follows:  "A  cairn  is  suggested  to  mark 
the  site  of  the  first  Hudson  Bay  post  in  the  Touchwood  Hills,  Until  a 
few  years  ago  the  stone  chimney  stood.  This  spot  is  five  miles  from 
the  Runyan  Farm,”  ED.) 

’’The  stone  chimney  stood  on  the  site  of  the  third  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  post,  along  highway  No,  15  between  Lestock  and  Punnichy,  until 
a  few  years  ago,  It  was  built  about  1874  and  remained  in  use  until 
about  1909. 

The  first  post,  (1852  -  1861),  vras  built  about  six  miles  north  and 
tvro  miles  west  of  Punnichy,  according  to  Mr.  Fred  Iforris,  formerly 
Indian  Interpreter  at  the  Indian  agency,  just  north  of  Punnichy,  He 
has  shovm  me  this  site  along  the  old  Carlton  Trail, 

The  second  site  (1861  -  1874)  was  about  seven  miles  south  of 
Punnichy  near  the  Gordon  Mission,  The  three  posts  are  described  in 
the  Canadiah  Geographic  Society  Journal,  published  about  1933. 

I  believe  nothing  has  remained  to  mark  the  sites  of  the  first  two 
Touchwood  Hills  Hudson  Bay  posts,  but  the  cellars,  for  many  years.” 


-  28  - 


^tJSEUM  NOTES 


V7ith  volume  7  the  BLUE  JAY  begins  a  new  period  of  its  history.  The 
editor,  I'ir,  Carmichael,  located  in  the  Regina  Normal  School  Building,  which 
also  houses  the  Provincial  Natural  History  Museum,  is  well  situated  for 
keeping  in  touch  with  changes  and  developments  in  all  phases  of  natural  his¬ 
tory  in  Saskatchewan, 

The  museum  which  has  suffered  raany  reverses  seems  now  well  on  the  road  to 
outstanding  success  as  a  part  of  the  Departraent  of  Natural  Resources,  It  has 
a  staff  of  enthusiastic  young  men  whose  sole  concern  is  to  improve  the  museum 
and  the  cause  of  natural  history  generally,  Fred  Bard  who  has  been  in  the 

museum  since  1925  is  doing  an  excellent  job  of  rejuvenating  and  reactivating 
the  museum  now  that  he  is  director.  New  habitat  groups,  paintings,  Indian 
work  and  a  herbarium  have  been  added  but  most  important  perhaps  is  just  the 
rearranging  and  face-lifting  which  make  all  exhibits  more  pleasing  and  educa¬ 
tional.  The  assistants  Mr,  Swarston  and  Mr,  Lahrman  are  well  qualified  and 
will  accomplish  much  in  our  museum. 

If  you  have  not  been  in  the  museum  for  more  than  a  year  be  sure  to  visit 
it  at  your  earliest  opportunity.  You  will  be  astonished  at  the  changes  which 
have  taken  place.  The  museum  is  the  natural  meeting  place  of  all  people 
interested  in  wild  life.  You  will  always  be  welcomed  in  the  museum  by  others 
of  interests  similar  to  your  ov/n,  17e  need  a  fire-proof  building  in  which  the 
fine  exhibits  of  our  musuem  will  be  safe  and  where  they  may  be  seen  at  tines 
convenient  to  the  general  public, 

G,  F,  Ledingham, 


Mr,  Bard  informs  us  that  the  museum  is  anxious  to  obtain  lists  of  nesting 
birds  from  good  observers,  in  order  to  present  the  over-all  picture  of  their 
distribution.  For  this  purpose,  sight  records,  in  themselves,  are  of  no  value. 
•'My  experience",  said  Mr,  Bard,  "proves  that  our  breeding-bird  lists  are  dim¬ 
inishing  in  length  and  for  this  reason  we  require  as  much  information  as  possi¬ 
ble," 


Colonial  nss'ting  birds  information  would  be  very  v.^elcome  at  the  present 
time,  Will  members  please  give  information  as  to  the  size  of  the  colonies, 
the  land  location  and  the  names  of  the  land  owners.  In  this  way  some  valuable 
information  may  be  collected  and  organized  about  the  habits  of  pelicans,  cor¬ 
morants,  gulls,  terns,  herons,  grebes,  etc. 


Recently  two  fairly  large  bull  snakes  xiere  sent  to  the  provincial  museum 
by  the  North  Dakota  Game  and  Fish  League,  Bismarck,  They  were  found  hiber¬ 
nating  in  a  haystack  and  Mere  shipped  in  an  apple  box  lined  with  hay.  Awakened 
by  the  v;armth  of  the  museum  storeroom  both  of  the  snakes  escaped  through  a  hole 
in  the  box.  One  \ias  found  immediately  twined  around  a  stur.ip  in  a  group  display. 
The  other  was  not  found  until  next  day.  It  had  crawled  througn  three  rooms 
and  was  found  in  a  box  of  twigs  on  a  shelf  some  eight  feet  from  the  fiber. 

About  500  visitors  to  the  museum  viewed  these  snakes  in  an  appropriately 
arranged  display  case,  Saturday  and  Sunday,  February  19  and  20, 


-  WiBERS 


(Please  pass  this  along  to  your  friends.) 


I  am  interested  in  the  activities  of  the  Saskatchewan  natural  History 
Society  and  ?70uld  like  to  become  a  Member  and  subscribe  to  the  BLUE  JAY, 


Mail  to:  Name:  _ 

IVm,  i'Thitehead, 

Sec’y;-  S.N.H^S. 

2624  Angus  Blvd, ,  Address: 

Regina,  Sask, 


-  MEFiBERS  - 

(Please  pass  this  along  to  your  friends) 


I  am  interested  in  the  activities  of  the  Saskatchev'an  Natural  History 
Society  and  would  like  to  become  a  member  and  subscribe  to  the  BLUE  JAY, 
Mail  to: 

Wm,  I'Jhitehead,  Name: _ _ _ _ _ 

Sec’y,  S.N.H.S,, 

2624  Angus  Blvd. , 

Regina,  Sask,  ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ 


-  MEl'iBERS  - 


(Please  pass  this  along  to  your  friends) 


I  am  interested  in  the  activities  of  the  Saskatchewan  Natural  History 
Society  and  would  like  to  become  a  member  and  subscribe  to  the  BLUE  JAY, 
Mail  to: 

rim,  Vi/hitehead,  Name: _ 

Sec'y,  S.N.H.S,, 

2624  Angus  Blvd,, 

Regina,  Sask.  Address:  _