1924) Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the Skeena River Region 347

ground, and wedged between several limbs forming an upright crotch.
This nest outwardly is composed mostly of finely shredded strips of
bark; the lining is of cattle hair, with a few feathers of grouse and
other birds. In each set the eggs are white, unmarked.

Empidonax wrighti Baird. Wright Flycatcher

In the lowlands, in just such surroundings as are frequented by
Empidonax hammondi. The two species are so nearly alike in life as
to be indistinguishable to the eye, but different call notes serve for
identification. On this basis it may be said that H. wrightt was rare,
compared to the abundant hammondi. Three specimens, all adult,
were collected (nos. 42203-42205) ; male, June 27; female, August 17;
female, August 25. The two August birds are still mostly in worn
breeding plumage.

One nest was found in.Kispiox Valley. It was in a small, isolated
clump of willows, in an upright crotch formed by several dead limbs,
and about ten feet from the ground. On July 4 it contained two eggs,
just hatching.

Otocoris alpestris arcticola Oberholser. Paltlid Horned Lark

Tn small numbers on the Alpine-Arctic summit of Nine-mile Moun-
iain. The last week in July young birds were seen flying about. Three
adults collected (nos. 42206-42298), a male and a female on July 31,
a male on August 1. The males are well advanced in the annual molt,
the female has hardly begun.

On September 22 four horned larks were seen flying overhead
near Hazelton. This, evidently the beginning of the fall migration,
was the only lowland occurrence observed.

Cyanocitta stelleri annectens (Baird). Black-headed Jay

A few seen the last week in May and early in June, toward the base
of Rocher Déboulé, southeast of Hazelton. They did not act like nest-
ing birds, and three specimens collected were evidently not breeding.
In Kispiox Valley one appeared August 27, and thereafter, during
September, they drifted through from time to time, usually single
birds. On September 11 and 12 many were seen along the trail follow-
ing the telegraph line some forty miles north of Hazelton. The last

week in September they were fairly numerous near Hazelton, where
we had seen them before in May. No black-headed jays were found
on Nine-mile Mountain, where they might have been expected to breed.

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