HANDBOOK OF Bil) s.0 CWB tes le UNITED STATES Florence Merriam Bailey CORNELL LAB of ORNITHOLOGY i A\DELSON LIBRARY at Sapsucker Woods > Illustration of Bank Swallow by Louis Agassiz Fuertes Books bp Florence JHlerriam, (Mrs. Florence MErrIaM Balt.ey.) BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. In Riverside Library for Young People. Illus- trated. 16mo, 75 cents. MY SUMMER IN A MORMON VILLAGE. With an Illustration. 16mo, $1.00. A-BIRDING ON A BRONCO. Illustrated. 16mo, $1.25. BIRDS OF VILLAGE AND FIELD. A Bird Book for Beginners. Fully illustrated. 12mo, $2.00. HANDBOOK OF BIRDS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. With many illustrations, 12m0, $3.50, ef. Postpaid, $3.69. HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. Boston AND New York. RING-BILLED GULL (Page 23) HANDBOOK OF BIRDS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES INCLUDING THE GREAT PLAINS, GREAT BASIN, PACIFIC SLOPE, AND LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY BY FLORENCE MERRIAM BAILEY WITH THIRTY-THREE FULL-PAGE PLATES BY LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES, AND OVER SIX HUNDRED CUTS IN THE TEXT SECOND EDITION, REVISED BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY Che Rivergive Pres#, Cambridge 1904 COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY FLORENCE A. BAILEY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published November, 1908 PREFATORY NOTE. THE preparation of this book has been facilitated by the good offices of many ornithologists. To Mr. Robert Ridgway and Dr. C. Hart Merriam I am indebted for use of the National Museum and Biological Survey collections, and to Mr. Ridgway for generous help in the study of the museum skins. I am also indebted to Mr. Ridgway for use of the proof of his forthcoming Part II. of Birds of North and Middle America, and to Dr. Merriam for use of the Biological Survey records. Dr. A. K. Fisher has given me kindly advice at all points and important help by a critical reading of the entire manuscript, with especial examination of distributions. From my husband, Mr. Vernon Bailey, I have had untiring advice and assistance, in addition to the preparation of the water bird descrip- tions and keys, and a large number of biographies of both water and land birds. Mr. E. W. Nelson has generously corrected and extended the ranges of the birds in Mexico, and Mr. H. C. Ober- holser has rendered much valuable critical aid, while Dr. T. 8. Palmer has contributed an important chapter on bird protection. Local lists of much value to students have kindly been furnished by ‘Mr. A. W. Anthony, Mr. Joseph Grinnell, Mr. Walter K. Fisher, Mr. William H. Kobbé, and Mr. Frank Bond, to whom, as to all those who have helped in the preparation of the book, I would ex- press my sincere gratitude and appreciation. FLORENCE MERRIAM BAILEY. Wasuineton, D.C. October, 1902. NOTE TO SECOND EDITION Srnce the publication of this book the Nomenclature Committee of the American Ornithologists’ Union has made a number of rulings in regard to western birds, recognizing some of the new subspecies, rejecting others, and raising some subgenera to the rank of genera. A list of these alterations will be found in the Appendix, pp. 486- 488. The revision of the Horned Larks (Otocoris) has been incorpo- tated in the book itself, as the genus was in a state of great confu- sion. So far as discovered, the errors and omissions of the first edition of the book have been corrected. F, M. B. August, 1908. CONTENTS List oF InnustRations . 5 . * = . a ‘ INTRODUCTION. C S . ip . . % Acknowledgments Collecting and preparing Birds, “teats carl a Begs. By Vernon Bailey . , - a ‘i Collecting Birds. ‘ - : 7 : . Measuring 5 é é Making Bird Shins ‘ : . : Skinning o> > > Hh te ie Stuffing . ‘ : ° . 5 E Labeling 3 i : Sexing Collecting ni preserving Five ‘ad Nesta Note-Taking, Note-Books, and Journals . : Life Zones. ‘ : i . a Migration . 3 - 3 . 7 Z q Economic Ornithology a - é Bird Protection. By Theodore 's. Falmer ‘ : é Local Bird Lists 2 7 = 7 Portland, Oregon. By A. w. ‘Anstheiny : ‘ San Francisco Bay. By William H. Kobbé . . P Santa Clara Valley and Santa Cruz Mountains. By Walter K. Fisher . ‘ , : . a 2 2 5 Pasadena, California. By Joseph Grinnell . Fort Sherman, Idaho. By J. C. Merrill Cheyenne, Wyoming. By Frank Bond * Pinal, Pima, and Gila oe Arizona. By W. E. D. Seott Books of Reference . ‘ 5 , Use of Handbook Keys lxiv lxix Ixxiv lexxiii lxxxviii BIRDS OF THE UNITED STATES WEST OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH MERIDIAN. Key To ORDERS ‘ e : 3 ‘i Key Tro Famizies or WATER "Bas - S ‘ é 3 vi CONTENTS OrvER Pycoropges: Divine Brrps 5 ‘ a Family Podicipide: Grebes z . 3 . Family Gaviide: Loons . Family Alcide: Auks, Murres, andl Puffins OrpER LoneipenNEsS: LonG-wiInGED SWIMMERS . Family Stercorariide: Jaegers, ete. Family Laride: Gulls and Terns OrpER TuBINARES: TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS Family Diomedeide: Albatrosses Family Procellariide: Fulmars and Shear TT OrpER STEGANOPODES: TOTIPALMATE SWIMMERS . Family Anhingide: Darters Family Phalacrocoracidae: Cormorants Family Pelecanide: Pelicans Family Fregatide: Man-o’-War Birds Orper ANSERES: LAMELLIROSTRAL SWIMMERS Family Anatide: Ducks, Geese, and Swans OrvEeR Heropiones: Herons, Srorks, IsBises, ETC. Family Ibidide : Ibises : Family Ciconiide : Storks and Wood Tyiies Family Ardeide: Herons, Egrets, Bitterns OrprER PALuDICOL2: CRANES, RaILs, ETC. Family Gruide: Cranes Family Rallide: Rails, Gallinules, cal ants Orper Limicota: SHore Birps Family Phalaropodide: Phalaropes Family Recurvirostride: Avocets and Stilts Family Scolopacide: Snipe, Sandpipers. ete. Family Charadriide: Plovers Family Aphrizide: Surf Birds and Turnstones . Family Hematopodide: Oyster-catchers Family Jacanide: Jacanas . Key to Famiuizs or Lanp Birps. OrpER GALLINe®: GaLuinaceous Birps . Family Tetraonide: Grouse, Partridges, Quail, aie Family Phasianide : Pheasants and Turkeys Family Cracide: Currassows and Guans ORDER CoLUMBz: PIGEONS . , . . js Family Columbide: Pigeons. : . s OrpER Raprores: Brrps or PREY . . 5 Family Cathartide: Vultures. 5 Family Falconide: Faleons, Hawks, Bales, ete. Family Strigide: Barn Owls : Family Bubonide: Horned Owls, ete. OrveER Psirraci: Parrots, Macaws. Panos, ETO. Family Psittacide: Parrots and Paroguets. CONTENTS OrpER CoccycEs: Cuckoos, ETC. . ‘ a Family Cuculide: Anis, Road-rumners, and ‘Hudkaows ‘ Family Trogonide: Trogons ; 6 ‘ Family Alcedinide: Kingfishers . = é OrpEeR Pict: WooprEcKERs, ETC. Family Picides: Woodpeckers Z OrvEeR Macrocumes: GoaTsucKERs, Serene, AND Hicmanrenins Family Caprimulgide : Goatsuckers Family Micropodide : Swifts Family Trochilide: Hummingbirds : OrpDER PasseREs: PERcHine Birps : 5 ‘ . Family Cotingide : Cotingas Family Tyrannide : Tyrant Biiycatohiens ‘ ‘ 3 Family Alaudide: Larks . : é 7 : ; Family Corvide: Crows, Jays, Magnias, ati, Family Sturnide : Starlings : ‘ ‘ 2 3 Family Icteride: Blackbirds, Orioles, ete. . < : é . Family Fringillide: Finches, Sparrows, ete. Family Tanagride: Tanagers F : ‘ Family Hirundinide : Swallows . i és Family Ampelide: Waxwings and Phainopeplas Family Laniide: Shrikes Family Vireonide: Vireos . é Family Mniotiltide : Wood Warhlees . ‘i Family Motacillide: Wagtails 7 . Family Cinclide: Dippers . ‘ : Family Troglodytide : Wrens, Thrasher, stay Family Certhiide: Creepers é : Family Paride: Nuthatches and Tits . : ‘ Family Sylviide : Kinglets, Gnatcatchers, etc. Family Turdide: Thrushes, Solitaires, Bluebirds, aia. APPENDIX. Color Key to Genera of some of the Common Passerine Birds 193 193 197 198 200 200 222 222 265 269 285 285 308 879 3882 387 391 394 401 431 432 433 452 463 467 479 487 XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. . Lark Bunytine XXX. XXXI. XXXII. . Lone-BILLED Mars Warw LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FULL-PAGE PLATES. . Rine-sritep Guni . ‘ 5 . ZONE Mar . : . : . . TOPOGRAPHY OF Bmp ‘ . . . EARED GREBE . A ‘ ‘ e . Forster TERN . é 2 é = . Petacic CoRMORANT c 3 . . SHOVELLER . . Buack-cROWNED raw Hana $ . Witson PHALAROPE ‘ ‘. ‘ . BLACK-NECKED STILT Z * ¥ . LonG-BILLED CURLEW . » * . SNowy PLover. < - é > . SCALED PARTRIDGE . ‘ z . . MEARNS QUAIL. ‘ ‘ A . WHITE-TAILED Privingagy 3 . Marsa Hawk . ci a ri 5 . AUDUBON CARAOCARA - 2 . . Poor-wiILL f . . SCISSOR-TAILED PuivpanGanin . ARKANSAS AND Cassin KINGBIRDS. . ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER . Maer. A : ‘ : ‘< . Lonc-cRESTED JAY . : . . WoopHousE JAy.. $ 3 é NortTHERN RAVEN : 3 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD . * Western Lark SPARROW Texas PyRRHULOXIA PILEOLATED WARBLER Rock WREN - : Canyon WREN ‘ 4 . Frontispiece. FACING PAGE xxxi Oawe < ps x XXXIV. Premy NurHatca XXXV. Mountain CHICKADEE LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XXXVI. Variep THRUsH Measurement of Bill . Measurement of Tarsus DIAGRAMS. . . FIGURES IN THE TEXT. FIGURE . Western Grebe, foot . Loon, foot . . Tufted Puffin, foot . Herring Gull, foot . Parasitic Jaeger, bill . Short-billed Gull, bill . . Black-footed Albatross, bill . Giant Fulmar, bill . Cormorant, foot . 2 . Man-o’-War Bird, bill . . White-crested Cormorant, bill . White Pelican, bill . Merganser, foot . . White-faced Glossy Ibis, pill . Green Heron, head . Sandhill Crane, foot . Florida Gallinule, foot . White-rumped si a foot . Killdeer, foot . Western Grebe, head . . Horned Grebe, head . Least Grebe 5 : . Pied-billed Grebe . Loon, bill . . ci . Pacific Loon, head . Tufted Puffin, bill 5 . California Murre, bill . . Rhinoceros Auklet, bill . Pigeon Guillemot, bill . . Paroquet Auklet, bill . . Least Auklet, bill . Tufted Puffin, head . . Rhinoceros Auklet, bill . Paroquet Auklet, bill . 5. Least Auklet, bill , . g Q a OO MaeTOR SP PH BP BP OO CO CO Co CO CO OO DD DD DO WD bb » li » » il » 12 - 12 . 12 12 » 12 13 . 14 - i LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . Marbled Murrelet ae B -. . Pigeon Guillemot,head . . . .) . . California Murre 3 : . . . . Long-tailed Jaeger, head . . ‘ . . Herring Gull, bill . Forster Tern, bill . Heermann Gull . . Franklin Gull, head . Franklin Gull, wing tip. : . $ . Bonaparte Gull, wing tip . ; j . . Sabine Gull, bill . . Sabine Gull . . . Caspian Tern, head . Least Tern . . Black Tern . . . Sooty Albatross, bill . Black-footed Albatross, pill . Sooty Albatross, bill . Forked-tailed Petrel, bill . Slender-billed Fulmar, bill . . Giant Fulmar, bill. i - . . Slender-billed Fulmar, bill . 7 . . Kaeding Petrel . ‘ . White Pelican, bill . Man-o’-War Bird, bill . . Merganser, bill . Mallard, bill . é c . Red-breasted Merganser, heal s . Hooded Merganser, head . Mallard, head. z ‘ - . . 5 . Baldpate, head . : 5 3 F . . . Green-winged Teal, head . . ‘ . . . Blue-winged Teal, head 7 . Cinnamon Teal, head . . Pintail, head . Wood Duck, head 3 5 3 . Redhead, head . = - « . . . . Canvas-back, head. ‘ ‘ 7 . ° . Seaup Duck, head : . . . . . . Golden-eye, head . ; ‘ . ‘ . . . Buffle-head, head. : ; s 2 . Old-squaw, head . . ‘i . ow I Harlequin Duck, head - ° < . . White-winged Scoter, head . . . . . . Ruddy Duck, head. . . ° . . LIST OF 1LLUSTRATIONS xii 81. White-fronted Goose, head . 82. Canada Goose, head. : 83. White-faced Glossy Ibis, head 84. Bittern, head . e 3 85. Bittern, foot 3 ‘ . 86. Green Heron, head. 5 87. Sandhill Crane, foot . és 88. California Clapper Rail . 89. Virginia Rail, head 90. Virginia Rail, foot . - 91. Carolina Rail, head. “ 92. Yellow Rail ‘i “8 93. Black Rail . a 7 . 94. Florida Gallinule z ‘ 95. Florida Gallinule, foot 96. Coot . ‘5 , ° . 97. Coot, foot . : ‘ ‘ 98. Red Phalarope, foot . . 99. Red Phalarope . zs ‘ 100. Northern Phalarope 101. Avocet, head : 102. Wilson Snipe, head. ‘ 103. Long-billed Dowitcher 104. Stilt Sandpiper . 5 g 105. Knot a 5 106. Pectoral Seitidipien “ 107. White-rumped Sandpiper . Baird Sandpiper . . Least Sandpiper . 7 3 . Red-backed Sandpiper . 110 111. Semipalmated Sandpiper 112. Western Sandpiper... 113. Sanderling . a , . 114. Sanderling, foot . 7 s 115. Marbled Godwit . . . 116. Greater Yellow-legs . . 117. Lesser Yellow-legs . . 118. 119. . Killdeer,head . 5‘ 121. 122. . Surf Bird . : . Black Turnstone, summer iiiaaek . Black Turnstone, head, winter plumage Solitary Sandpiper. . Black-bellied Plover, head . Semipalmated Plover, head Mountain Plover . : . 86 126. 127. 128. 129. 1380. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137, 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. . Woodpecker (Picoides), foot 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. j : ‘ ‘ . Horned Lark, foot . 7 . Flycatcher, bill . 3 . Swallow, wing 5 . : . Sprague Pipit, foot. ‘ ‘ . Pipit, foot . i P . Warbler (Dendroica), pill s 157. . Song Sparrow, bill . Goldfinch, bill . Crossbill, bill . Longspur, bill . Evening Grosbeak, bill . Scarlet Tanager, bill . . Summer Tanager, bill. : a‘ . . Oriole, bill . . Cowbird, bill . Crow Blackbird, bill . ‘ . : . Shrike, wing feathers . ij i : . Loggerhead Shrike, head . é % 170. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Black Oyster-catcher . ‘ . Black Oyster-catcher, foot . Bob-white, bill Dove, bill ‘ ‘ Turkey Vulture, bill . Turkey Vulture, foot . Sparrow Hawk, bill Fish Hawk, foot . , i : Owl, bill. i * ‘ - : Saw-whet Owl, head . ‘ 4 Western Horned Owl, head. 7 6 Kingfisher, head . “ = 5 : Kingfisher, foot . . . ‘ Cuckoo, foot . * ‘ Cuckoo, bill . ‘ : e . Woodpecker (Sphyrapicus), bill . Woodpecker (Sphyrapicus), tail . Woodpecker (Dryobates), foot Hummingbird, bill Swift, bill Nighthawk, foot . Swift, foot . 3 5 * Song Sparrow, foot . a Skylark, bill Black and White Warbler, foot . Wren, bill . F 7 si . . 107 107 108 108 109 109 109 109 109 109 109 109 109 109 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 112 112 112 112 112 112 xiv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 171. Jay, bill. . : é . 4 - . 112 172. Wren-Tit, bill . ‘ s ‘ 5 : i js . - 112 173. Robin, wing feathers . : a : s , 3 ‘ . 112 174. Kinglet, foot $ ; . ‘ ‘ : 112 175. Warbling Vireo, foot 3 x , . 2 ‘ ‘ . 118 176. Warbling Vireo, bill . , ‘ ‘ : a ‘ . 118 177. Vireo, tail . z j - : . zi 7 2 . 118 178. Gnatcatcher, tail. ‘ 2 F ‘ j ‘ ‘ ‘ . 118 179. Sage Thrasher, foot . ‘ ‘ 5 2 . 3 z . 118 180. Brown Creeper, bill . . ‘ ‘ A P a . . 118 181. Brown Creeper, tail 3 . : < é 7 » JB 182. Chickadee, bill . Ro st ‘ 7 ‘ ‘ : . 118 183. Nuthatch, bill ‘ x . * a 3 = : . 118 184. Sage Grouse, tail : fe a , A ° 3 3 . 118 185. Sharp-tailed Grouse, tail . 5 “ a 7 ‘ 3 . 114 186. Ptarmigan, foot : : - . . - - 114 187. Dusky Grouse, foot ‘ - 5 a 3 g 7 . 114 188. Ruffed Grouse, foot . ‘ ‘ é s * : : - 114 189. Mearns Quail, foot . P % é ‘ é “ » 114 190. Bob-white, foot . . Z ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ » 14 191. Bob-white : 2 : . a 3 , és ‘ . 115 192. Texan Bob-white . : ; 5 : ¥ r . 116 193. Masked Bob-white ‘ 5 3 5 : . é . 116 194. Plumed Partridge a : * 3 3 . i é . LT 195. Valley Partridge, female . 7 é 3 3 7 » 120 196. Valley Partridge, male : ‘ é ‘ * ‘ c +» 121 107. Gambel Partridge, male. é 3 , é 3 z . 121 198. Gambel Partridge, female . . e 3 : 2 . 121 199. Dusky Grouse. : : . : 5 ‘ . E . 124 200. Richardson Grouse’. - g é a . ; . 126 201. Franklin Grouse ‘ 2 3 A , ‘ ‘ s . 126 202. Gray Ruffed Grouse . ‘ , . z : “ . 128 203. Southern White-tailed Ptarmigan : P . . 4 . 129 204. Prairie Hen. . ‘ s s . é . 1380 205. Prairie Sharp-tailed Grease. F ‘ - , 7 - - 182 206. Sage Grouse i $ z s . 3 . Z E - 188 207. Band-tailed Pigeon . 4 j é ‘ F ‘ Fi » 138 208. Mourning Dove . 2 7 . . 7 . . ‘ - 140 209. White-winged Dove . 4 é $ . . - 5 - 142 210. Mexican Ground Dove 3 . 0 2 é 7 . . 148 211. Inca Dove . : . ee - 3 . . 143 212. Turkey Vulture, head: é ‘ . < é ‘ i - 145 213. Fish Hawk, foot . F 4 . s é x . . 146 214. Prairie Falcon, feather ‘ ‘ . ‘ ‘i a ‘s - 147 216. Sparrow Hawk, bill . . . eet, ee. 4 . 147 216. 217. 218. 219. 220. 221. 222. 223. 224, 225. 226. 227. 228. 229. 230. 231. 232. 233. 284. 235. 236. 237. 238. 239. 240. 241. 242. 243. . Short-eared Owl . 245, 246. 247. . Dwarf Screech Owl 249, 250. 251. 202. 253. 254. 255. 256. 257. 258. 259. 260. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Swallow-tailed Kite, tail White-tailed Kite, foot , . . Audubon Caracara, bill - ‘ Mexican Goshawk, feather . ‘ ° - . Swallow-tailed Kite. : ‘ = Mississippi Kite . . 7 s . is . Sharp-shinned Hawk . . 3 . . . Cooper Hawk Goshawk Sennett White-tailed Hawk, primaries Red-bellied Hawk, primary Se 4 Zone-tailed Hawk, tail : ‘i x . = Red-tailed Hawk = . . . Zone-tailed Hawk, tail Swainson Hawk . : Rough-legged Hawk . "i . Ferruginous Rough-leg .. é z Golden Eagle : Bald Eagle . z . : 7 . a ‘ Duck Hawk s x 5 é s 5 sz . Pigeon Hawk Sparrow Hawk ‘ ‘ 2 is 7 ‘ Fish Hawk . s s : 3 5 . * Barn Owl, foot Barn Owl Saw-whet Owl . Western Horned Owl, head. Long-eared Owl . Barred Owl. Saw-whet Owl, head . é Sereech Owl 3 : A Western Horned Owl, heal Snowy Owl . Hawk Owl . Burrowing Owl Pygmy Owl. é : 7 5 s Elf Owl. ‘ . 5 i F * Groove-billed Ani Road-runner 3 ‘ < . . . ‘: Yellow-billed hihi. . . . Z 5 Black-billed Cuckoo, tail . < zi 5 . . Coppery-tailed Trogon - © «© © © Belted Kingfisher 5 , 5 . . fs . 147 Xvi 261. 262. 263. 264. 265. 266. 267. 268. 269. 270. 271. 272. 278. 274. 275. 276. 277. 278. 279. 280. 281. 282. 283. 284, 285. 286. . Northern Flicker . 288. 289. 290. 291. 292. 293. 294. 295. 296. 297. 298. 299. 3800. 301. 802. 3038. 304. 305. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Texas Kingfisher Woodpecker (Dryobates), oak Woodpecker (Sphyrapicus), bill . Woodpecker (Dryobates), bill Woodpecker (Picoides), foot Northern Pileated Woodpecker . Flicker Northern Hairy Wood iwediea Harris Woodpecker Gairdner Woodpecker . Texan Woodpecker Nuttall Woodpecker . White-headed Woodpecker Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker . Alpine Three-toed Woodpecker . Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-naped Sapsucker . Red-breasted Sapsucker Williamson Sapsucker 3 Northern Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Ant-eating Woodpecker, head Lewis Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker, head Golden-fronted Rens head Gila Woodpecker 3 Whip-poor-will, head . California Poor-will Nighthawk, foot . Nighthawk, head Nighthawk, wing : j Texas Nighthawk, wing. - . § Swift, tail feather ‘ Black Swift Chimney Swift Vaux Swift . : White-throated Swift . Lucifer Hummingbird, bill , é Calliope Hummingbird, tail : ‘ 3 Anna Hummingbird, female, tail Black-chinned Hummingbird, tail Rivoli Hummingbird . ; , ‘ Blue-throated Hummingbird . : 7 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, wing 199 200 200 200 200 200 200 201 202 208 204 205 207 208 209 210 211 211 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 219 220 223 224 226 226 226 228 229 229 230 2381 232 232 233 233 283 233 234 234 306. 307. 308. 309. 310. 311. 312. 313. 314, 315. 316. 317. 318. 319. 320. 821. 322. 828. 324, 825. 326. 327. 328. 341. 345. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Black-chinned Hummingbird, female, tail. Anna Hummingbird, female, tail Anna Hummingbird, male, tail . Costa Hummingbird . Anna Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird, — primaries Broad-tailed Hummingbird, male, tail Broad-tailed Hummingbird, female, tail . - Rufous Hummingbird, male, tail ; ‘ a Rufous Hummingbird. : . . Allen Hummingbird, male, tail . ‘ é Z Allen Hummingbird, female, tail . 2 . Calliope Hummingbird, tail . : - . Calliope Hummingbird ‘ c e . . Lucifer Hummingbird 2 * . Broad-billed Hummingbird A . fs - Xantus Becard . : : . - , s Kingbird . Arkansas Kingbird, wing tip Cassin Kingbird, wing tip . Crested Flycatcher Wood Pewee Flycatchers { Phebe Z : Kingbird Least Flycatcher Flycatcher (Myiarchus), foot 7 - ‘ . Pheebe. ‘ . s = . Western Black Phebe, haa ‘ ‘ s : . Flycatcher (Contopus), foot “ . é . . Olive-sided Flycatcher : 7 . ‘ . Coues Flycatcher : 7 . . . . Western Wood Pewee . < s . ‘ . Flycatcher (Empidonax), foot . ‘ s te . Western Flycatcher, bill - . . . . Hammond Flycatcher, bill . ‘ : ‘i ° . Wright Flycatcher, bill . : . oS . Western Flycatcher, bill . : ‘ s . . Hammond Flycatcher . 3 3 . ‘ 5 Hammond Flycatcher, bill . 2 2 . . . Wright Flycatcher, bill . . < : . . Horned Lark, head. , 3 : 3 . . Pallid Horned Lark . . a eg ‘ Blue Jay. ss - % ° . Rocky Mountain Ta boul, . ‘ a 88 251 251 254 256 256 257 257 258 259 259 259 259 260 262 262 262 266 267 272 277 xviii 347. 848. 349, 350. 851. 352. 353. 354. 355. 356. 3857. 358. 359. 860. 361. 362. 363. 364. 365. 366. 367. 368. 369. 370. 871. 372, 373. 374. 375. 376. 377. 378. 379. 880. 881. 382. 883. 384, 885. 386. 387. 888. 3889. 390. 891. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Oregon Jay, head Crow, bill 5 ‘ i i Clarke Nutcracker . : 5 Bobolink, tail . e - “ Bobolink, head . . : . Cowbird, bill s 4 3 7. Meadowlark, head . . . Bronzed Grackle, bill . é 7 Oriole, bill . * Yellow-headed Blackbird, foi ‘ Red-wing, head . Bobolink . ‘ z * Cowbird . a Red-winged Blackbird . Meadowlark * Scott Oriole . 5 ‘ : Arizona Hooded Oriole ‘ Baltimore Oriole . : ‘ : Bullock Oriole, head 7 . Brewer Blackbird ‘ 4 Bronzed Grackle . ¥ ‘ ‘ Redpoll, wing Crossbill, bill Western Evening Grostianls ‘pill. Redpoll, head ‘ ‘ 5 Snowflake, head . ‘ ‘ McCown Longspur, tail ‘ . Pine Finch, head . e ‘i Black-headed Grosbeak, head Western Lark Sparrow ; Longspur, foot . ‘ : : Vesper Sparrow, tail . a ‘ Dickcissel, head . ‘ ‘3 . English Sparrow, male ‘ ‘ Pine Grosbeak, head . a a Pyrrhuloxia . 5 : e : Cardinal, head. 3 - ‘ Arctic Towhee . . 3 Slate-colored Junco, head ‘ : Sparrow (Aimophila), wing White-crowned Sparrow . . Green-tailed Towhee, head . Fox Sparrow, bead. i ‘ California Towhee - . @ Bunting (Cyanospiza), bill. =. 892. é ‘ ‘i : . Western Evening Geodbenk 2 5 ’ . Pine Grosbeak . California Purple Finch, tail . Purple Finch . Cassin Purple Finch, head. . House Finch, male. = 7 : . : . House Finch, female . é . é . ‘ . Crossbill, bill . . White-winged Crossbill . Gray-crowned Leucosticte, head . . Hoary Redpoll . Redpoll, head . Goldfinch. : . Arkansas Goldfinch . Mexican Goldfinch . Lawrence Goldfinch . Pine Finch . . English Sparrow, male . English Sparrow, female . Snowflake . Lapland Longspur, summer ile . Lapland Longspur, winter male . . Smith Longspur, summer male . . Chestnut-collared Longspur, sumer male. . Chestnut-collared Longspur, winter male . McCown Longsspur . Western Vesper Sparrow, tail . Sandwich Sparrow i g . . Large-billed Sparrow . . Baird Sparrow . Western Grasshopper Sparcow . Sharp-tailed Sparrow, tail . . Harris Sparrow . . White-crowned Goattow . Gambel Sparrow, head . Golden-crowned Sparrow . White-throated Sparrow, head . Western Tree Sparrow . Western Chipping Sparrow, heal . Brewer Sparrow, head . . Worthen Sparrow, head . . = 2 . Black-chinned Sparrow . . ee . Slate-colored Junco - +. «© © « . Thurber Junco . +6 © © «© - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Song Sparrow, head 306 307 308 310 311 312 312 312 313 315 315 318 319 321 322 323 323 323 824 825 826 326 327 328 328 328 329 331 383 333 334 337 338 339 340 340 341 342 344 345 346 xX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 437. Red-backed Junco.. ‘ : ‘ . 349 438. Black-throated Sparrow, head. : ‘ 350 439. Sage Sparrow, head. , : P : A . 852 440. Cassin Sparrow . ‘ . , « A ; . 3853 441. Rufous-winged Sparrow, head : s - - 5 « . 854 442. Rufous-crowned Sparrow,head. . . «© « . .« dd4 443, Song Sparrow, head . : r 5 ‘ is é 3 - 856 444, Desert Song Sparrow . “ Ps s #8 - ° . 857 445, Mountain Song Sparrow . . .« «© «© «= « . 3857 446. Samuels Song Sparrow ‘ 5 7 . . 7 - . 3858 447. Rusty Song Sparrow . a ete oe OS OR Om eB 448, Lincoln Sparrow x < 3 . . . - 859 449. Fox Sparrow : : , : , 7 . . . - 861 450. Townsend Sparrow. 7 2G ty +e Bo Sf . 361 451. Thick-billed Sparrow, pill . ‘ 7 ‘ - 7 3 - 862 452. Slate-colored Sparrow, bill . ‘ , . s . c - 363 453. Stephens Sparrow, bill _ : . . . s A . 863 454. California Towhee 3 z . . 7 "i : . . 863 455. Towhee, head. 3 4 5 5 ‘ ‘ a 3 . 3863 456. Towhee, head. ® : ‘ % % . z . » 3864 457. Arctic Towhee . - 5 - ‘ i , . 5 - 3864 458. Spurred Towhee . 6 5 $ qi a ‘ 3 . 865 459. Oregon Towhee . A 5 . ‘ é is ‘ . . 865 460. California Towhee, head . 3 ° . 5 . - . 867 461. Green-tailed Towhee, head . s 3 ‘ % A i . 868 462. Cardinal, head . 5 5 . . e < s - 369 463. Rose-breasted Gadieds F a oe 5 - ‘ . . 872 464, Black-headed Grosbeak, head . : * : é . 3872 465. Bunting (Cyanospiza), bill . “ - e z 7 3 . 3874 466. Dickcissel, head . 3 ; ‘ - 7 Z : ‘ - 817 467. Scarlet Tanager, head . ® 4 8 > ty - . 879 468. Summer Tanager, bill . : : : a . . . - 879 469. Scarlet Tanager, bill 3 ‘ : s . ‘ é . 880 470. Summer Tanager, bill. . . i 5 F ‘ 3 - 3882 471. Barn Swallow, tail , z ¥ “ ‘ ” * » 882 472. Rough-winged Swallow, feather . . . 7 3 . 882 473. Cliff Swallow, head. f ‘ e % s : . 884 474. Barn Swallow, foot . ‘ é ‘ o % . » 885 475. Barn Swallow . i 3 é ‘ ‘ . a - 885 476. White-bellied Swallow . ‘ 3 A é ‘ g . 886 417. Bank Swallow. ‘ 3 - é . 386 478. Rough-winged Swallow, Feather, . . * 7 479. Rough-winged Swallow, head. . * , ‘ . 887 480. Cedar Waxwing . 2 . . a ‘ 5 ‘i : . 889 481. Phainopepla SS Se ww Om Oe : i . 390 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . Shrike, bill . 5 . Northern Shrike . . White-rumped Shrike . . Black-capped Vireo, head . Cassin Vireo, head . Red-eyed Vireo, head . . Warbling Vireo, head . . Red-eyed Vireo, head . Warbling Vireo, head . : . Cassin Vireo, head. ‘ J 5 Sof . Black-capped Vireo, head . . Redstart, bill . ‘ . Red-faced Warbler, bill . i . Black and White Warbler, head . . Black and White Warbler, foot . . Warbler (Helminthophila), foot . . Chat, head . ‘ ‘i . Northern Parula Warbler, head 5 . Warbler (Dendroica), bill . ° . Black and White Warbler, head . Calaveras Warbler, head . Calaveras Warbler, head . . Northern Parula Warbler, head « . . Warbler (Dendroica), foot . . ‘ ° . Blackburnian Warbler, head . Yellow Warbler, head . Magnolia Warbler, head . Olive Warbler . . Black-throated Blue Wartlen head . Black-throated Gray Warbler, head . - Hermit Warbler, head : . Black-throated Green Warbler, jianal . Golden-cheeked Warbler, head . . Townsend Warbler, head . Black-poll Warbler, head . Yellow-rumped Warbler, head . Chestnut-sided Warbler, head . Olive Warbler. - . Yellow Warbler, head ‘ . . Black-throated Blue Warbler, hand 3 . Yellow-rumped Warbler, head 523. : . Magnolia Warbler, head . Chestnut-sided Warbler, head 526. Audubon Warbler Black-poll Warbler, head . 415 416 417 xxii 527. 528. 529. 580. 531. 582. 533. 534. 535. 536. 537. 538. 539. 540. 541. 542. 543. 544. 545. 546. 547. 548. 549. 550. 551. 552. 553. 554. 555. 556. 557. 558. 559. 560. 561. 562. 563. 564, 565. 566. 567. 568. 569. 570. 571. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Blackburnian Warbler, head Black-throated Gray Warbler, head . Golden-cheeked Warbler, head . Black-throated Green Warbler, head . Townsend Warbler, head Hermit Warbler, head Oven-bird. head . Grinnell Water-Thrush Macgillivray Warbler, head , : : : Western Yellow-throat, head. . ‘i , Long-tailed Chat f 3 é Wilson Warbler, head . j . : Canadian Warbler, head . Redstart, head : é . - F Pipit . i ‘ ‘ é 5 ‘ 3 . Pipit, foot % é : . 2 Sprague Pipit, foot d 2 A ¥ . Water Ouzel Sage Thrasher Brown Thrasher, haa California Thrasher, bili ; ‘ : 2 Mockingbird, head. ‘ ‘i - . Catbird, head ‘ : ; ‘ se Cactus Wren Canyon Wren Rock Wrer . Western Winter Wien House Wren, head . Long-billed Marsh Wren, head . Carolina Wren, head Sage Thrasher Eastern Mocker Catbird ‘ ; : : Brown shenetiee: ‘ 3 r ; Sennett Thrasher “ % . 4 ‘ Curve-billed Thrasher . c ! F ‘ Palmer Thrasher . ‘ ‘ ‘ F * Bendire Thrasher Californian Thrasher . Leconte Thrasher Crissal Thrasher . ‘ ‘ 4 ‘ Cactus Wren é . F Z - 7 ‘ Rock Wren . A 1 . 3 ‘ , 3 Canyon Wren. : : . e. > Carolina Wren, head . ‘ 5 5 : ls LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xxiii 572. Vigors Wren ‘ ‘ i 3 o> Mr oR 4 -s 447 573. Parkman Wren . ‘ ‘ z 3 4 ‘ ‘ 448 574, Western Winter Wren . . : é ‘ 5 ‘ 449 515. Brown Creeper, bill. 5 3 7 < , . 4 . 451 576. Brown Creeper, tail . ; . a. te . ‘ 451 577. Californian Creeper . Se is 1 ce . 452 578. Slender. billed Nuthatch, fathee . : - - F . 453 579. White-breasted Nuthatch, feather . ‘ ‘ : , . 453 580. White-breasted Nuthatch, head . F . 3 ‘ : . 453 581. Red-breasted Nuthatch, head. , , 3 ‘ - » 454 582. Plain Titmouse . - : ‘ . . . - 456 583. Bridled Titmouse, heat E 7 el, es ne » « 457 584. Chickadee, head . 3 X - F Se o& oe. i, ABT 585. Wren-Tit . é 6 ‘ 3 3 = ‘ . - 460 586. Bush-Tit . 3 ‘ o 8 oe, da og et . 461 587. Lloyd Bush-Tit . a is : 3 3 + é 462 588. Kinglet, bill . * ‘ : ‘ ee . - 463 589. Golden-crowned Kinglet, haa ‘ 3 ‘ j = ‘ - 463 590. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, head. 3 . : : 3 . 464 591. Gnateatcher, tail . : A . é 2 é - 465 592. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, ‘isa ‘ ‘ . A - + « 465 593. Plumbeous Gnatcatcher, feather . . ‘ 5 2 3 . 465 594. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, feather . ‘ 5 ; ‘ . 465 595. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher a 5) 596. Plumbeous Gnatcatcher . 7 . . . . . - 466 597. Townsend Solitaire. : ‘ 3 z w s 2 « 467 598. Wood Thrush . : é ‘ = ‘ 2 . 4 . 469 599. Robin, bill . ‘ - 5 . ‘ i é i 3 . 472 600. Robin . é : ‘ * A 3 . . ‘ ‘ - 492 601. Bluebird . é 2 . 3 x F < - ‘ - 45 INTRODUCTION. Tue classification, nomenclature, and numeration used in this book are those of the A. 0. U. Check-List of North American Birds, except that modern scientific usage has been followed in dropping the possessive form in the vernacular names of species, as Clarke nutcracker and Steller jay, instead of Clarke’s nutcracker and Stel- ler’s jay. The rulings of the nomenclature committee of the Amer- ican Ornithologists’ Union have been followed, but new species upon which the committee has not yet ruled have been included in foot- notes under their proper places. In the matter of authorities, Ridgway’s Manual of North Amert- can Birds, his Hummingbird paper, and Birds of North and Middle America (Parts I. and II.) have been used at all points as standard authorities, and the substance of keys and descriptions frequently quoted. In the general treatment of species various authorities have been followed. General Characters. — These summaries of technical characters have been abridged from the generic descriptions in Parts I. and II. of Ridgway’s Birds of North and Middle America, his monograph on the Hummingbirds, and Coues’s Key to North American Birds. Measurements. — The measurements have been taken from the second edition of Ridgway’s Manual of North American Birds, from Parts I. and II. of North and Middle America, with the millimeters converted into inches, and, in the case of species not included in these books, from the original descriptions. Nest and Eggs. — Descriptions of nests and eggs are taken mainly from Bendire’s Life Histories of North American Birds, Ridgway’s Manual, second edition, The Auk, The Condor, The Osprey, The Nidologist, The Ornithologist and Odlogist, Goss’s Birds of Kansas, The Biological Survey Records, and from specimens in the Bendire and Ralph collections of the United States National Museum. xxvi INTRODUCTION Food. —Food notes have been made up mainly from Bendire’s Life Histories, Fisher’s Hawks and Owls of the United States, Goss’s Birds of Kansas, and the records of the Biological Survey. Distribution. —The distributions have been compiled from the manuscript maps and reports of the Biological Survey, and the Worth American Fauna, (8) San Francisco Mountain, Arizona; (7) Death Valley, and (16) Mount Shasta, California; (22) Hudson Bay; (5) Idaho; (21) The Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia; and (14) The Tres Marias Islands, Mexico; The A. O. U. Check-List of North American Birds; Belding’s Land Birds of California, Bendire’s Life Histories of North American Birds; Bruner’s Birds of Nebraska, Bryant’s Birds and Hggs of the Faration Islands; Cooke’s Bird Mi- gration in the Mississippi Valley, and Birds of Colorado; Fannin’s Check-List of British Columbia Birds; Goss’s Birds of Kansas; Grin- nell’s Birds of the Pacific Slope of Los Angeles County; Loomis’s Calz- fornia Water Birds; Macoun’s Catalogue of Canadian Birds; Mc- Gregor’s Pacific Coast Avifauna,; and Silloway’s Summer Birds of Flathead Lake, Montana; together with local lists in The Auk, The Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club, The Condor, and The Osprey. Lilustrations. —The new heads and full figures of birds are by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the outlines by Miss Franceska Weiser, the old material from drawings of Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Ernest Thomp- son Seton, Robert Ridgway, John L. Ridgway, and Frank Bond, published previously by the Smithsonian Institution, the Biological Survey, The Auk, The Osprey, and Houghton, Mifflin & Company in Birds of Village and Field and A-Birding on a Bronco. COLLECTING AND PREPARING BIRDS, NESTS, AND EGGS. By VErnon BaAiey. Collecting Birds. —Our present knowledge of birds and their classification has come from a study of specimens, of the dead bird in the flesh, of crops and stomachs, stuffed skins, and skeletons; and without this foundation the study of birds would not have its deep interest and meaning nor its practical bearing on the economy of our lives. Even our enjoyment of the birds in life, their beauty, song, and friendship, would be far less than it is without the un- derlying knowledge of their life history, the place they fill, and their importance to us. INTRODUCTION xxvii Naturalist collectors are far from being the ruthless destroyers of life they are often supposed to be. It is, indeed, those who collect the birds, study them most deeply, and know them best, who are doing the most for their protection. Most ornithologists have begun their study of birds by making private collections, and have turned the knowledge thus gained to the best good of the birds, while their collections have finally gone to museums, where they could benefit the greatest number of students. In most museums, it is true, there are large collections of bird skins, often hundreds of specimens of a single species, showing every shade of variation due to age, sex, season, moult, and wear of plumage, and endless geographic variation over a wide range of country ; but to many of those who have the best chance to study the birds in life these collections are inaccessible. There are still unknown, rare, and little known species of birds that must be obtained before our knowledge of our own species can be approximately complete and our system of classification firmly established. But the more immediate and pressing question before the young ornithologist is how to identify the obscure species and the females and young of better known birds. In many cases the bird must be shot to be identified, and not infrequently it must be sent to some large museum collection for comparison for satisfactory determination. Collecting, therefore, has not only a legitimate but fundamental place in ornithology as a scientific study. Measurements. —It should be borne in mind that measurements are not infallible, and even where the maximum and minimum of a series are given, still larger or smaller specimens may be found. In many cases measurements are useless in determining characters, but in others they are the all important differences between species and subspecies. The total length is the most variable measurement, and when taken from a skin instead of a bird in the flesh is only intended to give a general idea of the size of the bird. In quoting Mr. Ridgway’s measurements throughout this. book the word ‘about’ has been omitted from his lengths, as it applies to all length measurements. Lengths are taken from the birds in the flesh, if not specifically stated to be from skins. All measurements in the book are in inches. Wing, tail, bill, and tarsus measurements are the important ones in most species, especially so because they can be taken from the dry skin as well as from the fresh specimens. Mea- surements should be taken in the following manner: — Length. — From tip of bill to tip of tail. To get this lay the xxviii INTRODUCTION bird on its back on a rule or tape-measure, with neck and body straight. 3 Wing. —From the front of the bend of the wrist joint of the wing to the tip of the longest feather. This can be taken with either tape or dividers. Tail. — From the extreme base of the tail to its tip. To get this exactly place one point of the dividers at the base of the tail be- tween the two middle tail feathers, and the other point of the dividers at the tip of the tail. Bill. —From edge of feathers on top of bill to tip of bill. When it would be necessary to part the feathers to reach the base of the bill the expression ‘exposed culmen’ is used for the mea- surement. Tarsus. — From heel joint to angle of toe with tarsus. If this is difficult to determine, put the dividers on the outside and bend the toes. Middle toe. —From angle of tarsus and toes to base of claw, the length of the claw not being taken unless specitied. Such measurements as length of toes, depth of bill at base, at nostril, etc., and relative lengths of certain feathers and spots and markings can usually be taken most accurately and conveniently with dividers. Making bird skins. —For making bird skins a few simple tools and materials are needed, — two sizes of scalpels or slender-bladed knives for skinning, a pair of stout, sharp scissors, and a pair of forceps, some powdered arsenic and corn-meal, cotton (for large species tow), a round-pointed needle, thread, and labels. The English sparrow is a good bird to begin with and practice on until skins can be made that are worth keeping, an end not attained without patient and painstaking effort. Having shot a bird, cxamine it for bloody or soiled spots, and sprinkle any that are found with corn-meal or fine sand, and plug the throat with cotton to keep any blood or liquids from coming out and soiling the feathers. If an eye is broken remove it with the forceps, and fill the orifice with cotton and corn-meal, to prevent the fluids from soiling the feathers of the head. To keep the bird from injury until you can skin it, make a paper cornucopia, and after smoothing the feathers drop the bird in bill first ; then fold together the gaping edges of the cornucopia, and your bird will carry safely in your game-bag or hunting-coat pocket. INTRODUCTION xxix Skinning. — Place the bird on its back with its bill to your left, and part the feathers along the breast and belly. In most species a strip of naked skin will appear. Holding the feathers back with the thumb and finger of the left hand, cut with a down stroke of the scalpel just through the skin from about the middle of the sternum back to the vent. Catch the edge of the skin at one side, and with the end of the scalpel handle or your fingers work it back from the body until the knee-joint of the leg appears, sprinkling in plenty of corn-meal as you go to absorb blood and juices and keep your fingers dry and the feathers from sticking. Cut the bone at the knee-joint with scissors or knife, and draw it up out of the flesh, which can be cut off nearer the heel and left fast to the carcass. Loosen the skin farther back, then treat the other side in the same manner, fre- quently using corn-meal. Then turn the bird’s bill from you, and cut across below the tail to the bone, and either unjoint or snip the bone with the scissors just in front of the base of the quills, keeping the forefinger of the left hand at a point opposite on the outside as a guide to prevent cut- ting the skin, and work the skin up over the rump. At this point asmall hook, suspended in front and hooked into the bird’s rump, will help the beginner, but he will soon learn to hold up the body between the tips of the first two fingers of the left hand, using the thumb and third or little finger of the same hand to draw down the skin as he cuts with the scalpel in the right. Work the skin from the edges, being careful not to stretch it. As the wings are reached draw them back out of the skin to near the second joint, break the first bone in the middle and remove the flesh. Keep the body well sprinkled with meal, and work the skin carefully down over the neck to the head until the ears appear, picking them out rather than cutting them off ; then working the skin along mainly with the finger nails over the eyes (cutting the transparent membrane without injury to the lids), and carrying it down to the base of the bill. Next remove the eyes and cut off the base and lower part of the skull, which can be done so as to leave brains, tongue, and fleshy part of mouth attached to the neck, and the skull and bill clean and free attached to the skin. If any bits of flesh or fat have been left on the skin, remove them, and then dust dry arsenic over the inside of the skin, fill the eye sockets with pellets of cotton, and reverse the skin by pushing the bill carefully back through the neck. With the beginner the skin will become dry before it is ready to be turned back, and will need moistening, but after some practice the XXX INTRODUCTION whole process of skinning should take only from two to four min- utes. As soon as the skinis turned back, the feathers should be smoothed and arranged, the eyelids adjusted, and the edges of the opening of the skin laid together before it is put down. Stuffing. — For the sparrow, take a short thick piece of cotton — tow for large birds —that will make a form the size of the body that has been removed from the skin, and press it firmly together with the fibers all one way. To fill the skull and make a firm neck, pinch one end of the cotton flat and double it over twice, holding it firmly after each time between the thumb and finger of the left hand. Then catch the hard compact point of cotton between the forceps in a position to hold it securely and push it into the bird skin, forcing the point up through the neck and base of the skull, catching it again with the left thumb and finger in the mouth of the bird. Loosen and draw out the forceps, but hold the cotton in the mouth until the skin is drawn back and adjusted over the stuffing, and superfluous bits of cotton removed or tucked in. Then draw together the edges of the skin and catch with a couple of stitches. When the wings have been put in place under the feathers at the sides, and the feathers properly arranged and smoothed, the skin is ready to be labeled and wrapped in a thin film of cotton. Then the bill can be tied shut with a thread and the bird laid away to dry. A beginner’s skins are often greatly distorted, and only practice can teach the correct amount of cotton to use and its proper form and proportions. The best way is to keep in mind the size and form of the bird’s body, and try to reproduce them. Be careful not to make bulging or weak necks. Leave each skin straight and symmetrical when put away to dry, and each feather back in its original place. Labeling. —Skins should be fully labeled with locality, date, sex, number, and collector's name, while such additional data as color of eyes, bill, feet, or any parts that fade, notes on breeding or locality where taken, stomach contents, etc., can be placed on the back of the label or kept in a catalogue under the number of each specimen. Sa Collection of Vernon Bailey. Mi Setethaga nubicilla Pad. So} Washington, D.C. Moy ae ene ‘B. Sexing. — To determine the sex, cut through the side of the ab- dominal wall, push away the intestines, and close against the small INTRODUCTION XXxi of the back, if the bird is a male, you will see the two oval, usually light colored testes, — in the breeding season large and conspicuous, at other seasons small, and, in immature specimens, often difficult to find. Ifthe bird is a female, in place of the two oval bodies there will be the ovary, a mass of spherical ovules, large or small ac- cording to the season, and often obscure in immature specimens. The male sign is Mars’ arrow ($), the female, Venus’ mirror (9). Collecting and preserving eggs. —Egg collecting is justifiable only when the collector’s earnestness of purpose warrants the sacrifice of happy bird homes, and no amount of pains and care should be spared to make each set a permanent and valuable illustration of the life history of the species. So far as possible only complete sets of fresh eggs should be taken. An incomplete set is of sec- ondary importance, and eggs in which incubation is advanced are not worth troubling with unless very rare. The first step is to identify the nest positively, which, in cases of rare species, can often be done only by collecting one or both of the birds. Eggs are worse than worthless if there is any question of their identity. The next step should be to photograph the nest from at least two points, one to show general setting and one at closer range to give detail of form and structure. Then notes should be made on the position, structure, and materials of the nest, the actions of the old birds, and the manner of identification, etc. When possible the nest should also be collected. Each egg should be wrapped in cotton and each set packed snugly in a wooden box with plenty of cotton for carrying home. The tools necessary for blowing eggs are a slender blowpipe and two drills, large'and small, which can be bought of any dealer in naturalist’s supplies. For drilling, hold the egg lightly between the thumb and two fingers of the left hand, and placing the sharp point of the drill against the side twirl it evenly with a slight pressure until it sinks into the shell, grinding out a smooth round hole which points down- ward, from the size of a pin-head in a fresh sparrow’s egg to an eighth of an inch in diameter in a larger or partly incubated egg. In much incubated eggs it is often necessary to make a much larger opening. A fine stream of air should be forced into the egg without touching the blowpipe to the opening, and the contents gently forced out. When the shell is empty, with mouth full of water blow a stream into it and rinse out thoroughly, afterwards blowing all the water out and laying carefully away to dry. xxxii INTRODUCTION Incubated eggs, though almost at the point of hatching, are made by experts into nearly perfect specimens. Following their methods, drill the hole and then coat the shell with flexible collodion. After removing a small part of the fluid, if the egg is small, insert a solution of pepsin or of chlorinated soda, — Labarraque’s solution, —and let the egg stand for a few hours, after which blow out the softened portion of the contents. Add more of the solution, and let the eggs stand again, keeping on until you have emptied the shell. Large eggs may be treated with a solution of caustic potash, care being necessary not to allow the alkali to touch the shell. To prevent accident it is well to have a basin of water near in which to immerse the egg if necessary. The collodion is removed after the completion of the work by the use of ether. Each set of eggs and each nest should be kept in a box, with a label something like the following, from the Bendire and Ralph collection in the National Museum : — A.0.U.No.______— Scientifie name, Private No... +~Common name, Collector. SS i ae aS eo Date, No. of Eggs in Set, Identification, = ~~~ Incubation, Nest: Diameter, _..____—s_ Depth, Composed of. Location, Of whom and when received Nests should be kept in boxes to fit their size. Great care should be taken to protect them from moths and other destructive INTRODUCTION xxxili insects, as not only wool but hair and all other animal substances will be eaten and the nests ruined if they are not well looked after. The best protection fora nest is a spray of a solution of corrosive sub- limate, which can be used in a common atomizer, — with a warning red label, bearing the word ‘ Porson.’ NOTE-TAKING, NOTE-BOOKS, AND JOURNALS. The value of collections is increased many fold by the field-notes which accompany the specimens, and the bird lover who does not collect may add most valuable material to our meagre knowledge of the life histories of our birds. A compact, statistical journal may be made, as Mr. Chapman? and Mr. Felger? suggest by means of a ‘ roll or time book,’ or any sheets ruled in squares in pad form and punched along the sides to fasten into a cardboard cover. The squares should be used for daily records, the top or top and margin being used for headings, such as locality, zone, zonal plants and trees, slope exposure, temperature, condition of weather, direction and force of wind, amount of rainfall or snowfall, advance of vegetation, new insects abroad, indications of mating and of nest-building, number of nests found with eggs and with nestlings, number of young on the wing, condition of plumage, stage of moult, food, food habits, stomach contents of specimens taken, time spent in field, number of birds seen in flocks, number seen in migration flights. For more detailed life history notes, card catalogues, with family, generic, and specific divisions, are popular with many ornithologists. A convenient form of field journal is a pad punched at the sides to fit into a stiff cover, each sheet to be devoted to a species so that the sheets can be slipped out and arranged by species, alphabeti- cally. On the return from the field these can be dropped into box manuscript trays and arranged by the check-list. LIFE ZONES. The physical geographies have long taught the division of the earth into life zones, from the arctic to the tropical regions, with the corresponding vertical divisions from the tropical base of equa- torial mountains to their snow-clad arctic summits, and naturalists have long since worked out the distribution of animals and plants 1 Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America, pp. 20-22. 2 “ Plan for Recording Field Notes,” The Auk, xix. 189-193. Xxxiv INTRODUCTION along these lines in Europe and eastern North America. But it is only within recent years that the Biological Survey carried on by the government has studied the old familiar generalizations in the western states in detail and mapped the life zones of the United States as a whole. The generally accepted theory that the distribution of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and plants depends on temperature has been demonstrated by Dr. Merriam as a physical law that ‘‘ the northward distribution of terrestrial animals and plants is governed by the sum of the positive temperatures for the entire season of growth and reproduction, and that the southward distribution is governed by the mean temperature of a brief period during the hottest part of the year.” With this as the working basis he has divided the United States into three parts, having the northern (Boreal), south. ern (Austral), and intermediate (Transition) climates and flora and fauna. By subdivision seven zones are made, known as Alpine, Hudsgonian, Canadian, Transition, Upper Sonoran, Lower Sonoran, and Tropical. East of the hundredth meridian, which, broadly speaking, is the dividing line between the eastern or humid and western or arid sections, the Austral zone is known as Austral rather than Sonoran; and divided into Alleghanian, Carolinian, and Austroriparian Faunas. The Alpine Zone lies above the limit of trees, and is characterized by dwarf shrubs and plants, the polar bear, arctic fox, reindeer, the snow bunting, snowy owl, ptarmigan, pipit, and leucosticte. The Hudsonian Zone is marked by dwarfed timber along ‘‘ the northern or higher parts of the great transcontinental coniferous forest, . . . stretching from Labrador to Alaska. It is inhabited by the wolverine, woodland caribou, moose, great northern shrike, pine bullfinch, and white-winged crossbill.”2 On Mt. Shasta its only trees are the black alpine hemlock and white-barked pine, its character- istic mammal is the cony (Ochotona), and its characteristic bird the Clarke crow. It is also frequented by the sooty grouse, western goshawk, Williamson sapsucker, rufous hummingbird, Oregon jay, pine siskin, junco, Audubon and hermit warblers, creeper, red- breasted nuthatch, kinglets, and solitaire.® 1 Merriam’s ‘‘ Laws of Temperature Control of the Geographic Distribution of Ter- restrial Animals and Plants,’ National Geographic Magazine, vi. 229-238. 2 Merriam, C. Hart, ‘‘ Life Zones and Crop Zones of the United States,’ Bull. No. 10, Biological Survey ; *‘ Geographic Distribution of Animals and Plants in North America,’ Yearbook of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1894. 3 Merriam, C. Hart, North American Fauna, No. 16, ‘‘ Result of a Biological Survey sy 25 |IN Lower Sonoran Tropical The dotted parts of the Sonoran Zones east of the Great Plains indicate the western limit of the humid divisions of these Zones. L L 115 10 LIFE ZONES BY C. HART MERRIAM INTRODUCTION XXXV The Canadian Zone comprises ‘the southern or lower part of the great transcontinental coniferous forest.” It is the zone of firs, spruces, and white pines, which on Mt. Shasta are represented by the Shasta fir and the silver pine. One of its characteristic animals is the mountain beaver, and it has also the porcupine, pine squirrel, bear, wild cat, wolf, and other mammals. It is the home of the crossbill, Lincoln sparrow, and Arctic three-toed woodpecker, and frequented by birds found in the Hudsonian zone, such as the sooty grouse, rufous hummingbird, siskin, juncos, warblers, kinglets, and solitaire, together with a number found also in the next lower zone (the Transition), such as the white-headed, hairy, and _pileated woodpeckers, nighthawk, olive-sided, Hammond, Wright, and west- ern flycatchers, Steller jay, Louisiana tanager, Macgillivray war- bler, and robin. The Transition Zone, in which northern and southern elements of flora and fauna often overlap, is characterized in the west by the yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa), several species of oaks and manza- nita, together with buck brush and sage brush. Some of the char- acteristic mammals are the big gray pine squirrel, the gray fox, and various species of chipmunks, spermophiles, and pocket go- phers. Among birds there are the western wood pewee, Gairdner woodpecker, Lewis woodpecker, California pygmy owl, green-tailed towhee, pygmy nuthatch, red-breasted sapsucker, and Brewer spar- row, mixed with many species from the Upper Sonoran, the zone below, such as the California jay, valley quail, California wood: pecker, and spurred towhee. The Upper Sonoran Zone of the west is characterized by junipers, pifion, and various oaks, jack rabbits, cottontails, five-toed kangaroo rats, and several species of wood rats, the canyon wren, western lark sparrow, California chewink, and California bush-tit, while many Transition zone species also occur. The Lower Sonoran Zone, coming next above the Tropical zone, is the zone of the hot valleys, where live-oaks, mesquites, and creo- sote bushes abound, and the characteristic mammals and birds are the four-toed kangaroo rat, cotton rat, and spotted skunk, the mockingbird, nonpareil, verdin, pyrrhuloxia, road-runner, caracara, white-necked raven, phainopepla, and scaled quail. of Mt. Shasta ;’? North American Fauna, No. 3, ‘t Results of a Biological Survey of San Francisco Mountain Region and Desert of the Little Colorado;’ ‘‘ The Geographic Dis- tribution of Life in North America, with Special Reference to the Mammalia,” Proc: Biol. Soc. Wash. vii. April, 1892, 1-64, XXXVI INTRODUCTION Birds are naturally less restricted to zones than mammals and plants, and in the field the question of correlating them to zones is rendered difficult by the modifying conditions which complicate the zones themselves. Local conditions are constantly being met which produce a change of temperature within a zone, resulting in the intrusion of a tongue of a higher or lower zone. Forest fires make an artificial change in zones, a Canadian fir forest sometimes being replaced by Transition zone chaparral. Natural modifying conditions are many, and not always so patent. Slope exposure is the most important. Ifa ridge runs north and south, its southwest- ern slope, which receives the hot afternoon sun, will have, we may say, a Transition zone flora and fauna, while its cold northeast slope will have a Canadian zone flora and fauna. A cold mountain stream, on the other hand, will bring down the flora and fauna of one or two higher zones; and Canadian and even Hudsonian plants and trees bordering such a stream may thrive on its banks in the Transition zone. So many other modifying conditions are found that the determi- nation of zones is a complex matter, and must be based largely on the study of trees and shrubs, as they are the most stable part of the life of a region. In relating the flora to the fauna the greatest care should be taken with the bird life, as a bird can at will change his zone by a few hours’ travel. Zonal notes should always beaccom- panied by dates, as breeding zones alone are of much significance, birds wandering widely after the breeding season. The Lewis woodpecker is a striking example of this, for, while breeding in Transition zone, after the breeding season it wanders up into Cana- dian and down even into Lower Sonoran zone in its search for mast. Most mountain birds that do not migrate to the south change their zones in this way, Canadian zone birds being found in Upper and Lower Sonoran zones in fall and winter. MIGRATION. Many birds wander widely east and west after the breeding sea- son, and some even go north for a short distance. With many mountain birds the wandering movements after the breeding season amount to a vertical migration. Birds, like the grouse and quail and certain species of juncos, that make only a vertical migration merely come down from the snow-covered mountains into the warm valleys. A number of hummingbirds perform vertical migrations INTRODUCTION XXxvii between their first and second broods, following the seasons of flowers from the valleys where they raise their first broods, to the mountain parks, where they rear a second family, retreating rapidly down the mountain as soon as the frosts kill the flowers. Among land birds a north and south migration is not as vital in the west as the east, especially for the seed-eaters, for the lowland winters are so mild that the food supply is not as extensively de- stroyed as in the east, and. accordingly a much larger number of birds winter in the valleys of the western states than in the eastern. But while the western north and south migratory movement is less striking, the absence of winter birds less felt than in the east, the vertical migrations, from the superior height of the mountains and the preponderance of the mountain ranges, assume great impor- tance; and accordingly, while the total winter population may be large, the species in a locality will be markedly different in summer and winter. Careful notes should be taken on all these phases of the migratory movements to ascertain the exact migratory habits of each species of bird, and the character of the bird population in every season. As the mildness of climate which lessens the impulse to south- ward migration in the western land birds does not affect the water birds breeding in the arctic regions, the southward migration is found in full force along the coast. At suitable points, like Mon- terey, vast multitudes of birds may be seen passing on their way from the arctic regions to the southern seas, and migration waves and other phenomena studied to the best advantage. Mr. Loomis’s observations at Monterey have thrown a great deal of light on this most interesting subject, and demonstrated the richness of the field for future investigations. ECONOMIC ORNITHOLOGY. The question of the food of birds assumes peculiar importance in the west from the extent of the fruit industry, and the consequent magnitude of the depredations of insect and rodent pests. Birds if left to themselves keep down the insect life, and the question is in each case if the harm a bird does in eating fruit in June equals the good he does the rest of the year in eating scale insects and other pests that take off the profits of fruit growing. As it is a matter of statistics, observers should make careful field notes on what birds are actually seen eating, and especially careful records of the stom- xxxviii INTRODUCTION ach contents of birds shot. When these cannot be determined with- out microscopes and collections of insects and seeds for comparison, the stomachs should be sent for examination to Professor F. E. L. Beal, of the Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture, Wash- ington, D. C.1 In general it may be said that the thousands of stomachs which have already been examined have shown that birds are divided into three classes, — 1. Those that are injurious at all times, as the three accipitrine hawks; which live mainly on small birds, game, and poultry. 2. Those that are injurious part of the year and beneficial the rest of the time, such as blackbirds that come in hordes in the fall and destroy the crops, but which when scattered out over the coun- try at other times of the year do an immense amount of good by de- stroying injurious insects. 8. Those that are beneficial at all times, as many hawks and owls and a large number of insectivorous and weed-seed-eating birds. As Professor Beal says: ‘‘ If crows or blackbirds are seen in num- bers about cornfields, or if woodpeckers are noticed at work in an orchard, it is perhaps not surprising that they are accused of doing harm. Careful investigation, however, often shows that they are actually destroying noxious insects; and also that even those which do harm at one season may compensate for it by eating noxious species at another. Insects are eaten at all times by the majority of land birds, and during the breeding season most kinds subsist largely and rear their young exclusively on this food. When insects are unusually plentiful, they are eaten by many birds which do not ordinarily touch them. Even birds of prey resort to this diet, and when insects are more easily obtained than other fare, the smaller hawks and owls live on them almost entirely. This was well illus- trated during the recent plague of Rocky Mountain locusts in the western states, when it was found that locusts were eaten by nearly every bird in the region, and that they formed almost the entire food of a large majority of the species.” 2 1 The Survey will furnish, on application, blank schedules for recording data, tags for numbering the stomachs, and franked envelopes for mailing. When collected, the stomachs (crops and gizzards) should be placed in alcohol or formalin for at least a week. Before forwarding to the department, they should be taken from the fluid, spread out on a newspaper, and dried for several hours, then placed in a baking powder can or cigar box, wrapped with afranked envelope on the outside, and mailed. The collector will be reimbursed for the outlay for alcohol, and will receive five cents apiece for a limited number of stomachs of certain species. ? Beal, F. E. L., ‘Some Common Birds in their Relation to Agriculture,” Farmer's Bulletin, No. 54, U. S. Department of Agriculture. INTRODUCTION Xxxix As birds are the check nature has put upon insect life, the pro- blem is a grave onc. How shall we profit by the good offices of the birds, and prevent the injury they in turn are capable of doing to our crops? In the east Professor Beal has found that birds as a rule prefer wild fruit to cultivated, and are drawn away from the orchard and garden by the cultivation of wild fruit-bearing bushes. In parts of the west the mulberry and elder and pepper are favorite bird foods, and might be useful for such purposes. The question isa large one, however, and can only be settled by patient study and investiga- tion on the part of earnest bird students. BIRD PROTECTION. By T. 8. Pater. Laws for the protection of birds are necessary even in sparsely settled regions. No place, however remote, is beyond the reach of the market hunter, provided a demand for game or feathers for millinery purposes exists, and prices are sufficient to warrant capture of the birds. Game birds have been shipped by thousands from the states beyond the Missouri River; pelicans, terns, and gulls have been decimated along the gulf coast of Texas; and grebes have been slaughtered on their breeding grounds on distant lakes in the interior of Oregon, —all to supply eastern markets. To meet such conditions every western state and territory now has its game law; but few of these laws protect all the birds within the state, and several of them are capable of being improved and made much more effective. From the legislative standpoint birds may be divided into three categories: (1) Game birds, such as quail and ducks, which are hunted at stated seasons for food or sport. (2) Non-game birds, such as thrushes and gulls, which are valuable as insect destroyers or scavengers, and hence are protected throughout the year. (8) Inju- rious species, such as the English sparrow and the great horned owl, which are given no protection. Under the definition framed by the Committee on Protection of Birds of the American Orni- thologists’ Union, game birds are restricted to four or five well marked groups: the Anatide, comprising ducks, geese, and swans; the Rallidee, including rails, coots, and gallinules ; the Limicole, or shore birds in general; the Galline, including quails, pheasants, grouse, and wild turkeys ; and (in some states) the Columbe, in- cluding wild pigeons and doves. All other birds are classed as xl INTRODUCTION non-game birds, and the few injurious species are mentioned by name. Such a division provides for all the birds, leaves no ambigu- ity as to which may be killed as game, and defines each group in the simplest and most satisfactory manner. A game law framed on this basis has been adopted with excellent results in some states, but in the west is still an ideal toward which to work rather than an accomplished fact. California, Colorado, and Nebraska have excellent laws for game birds, but they do not provide equally well for insectivorous species. Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming have comprehensive statutes for non-game birds, but do not afford complete protection to all their game birds. Game Birds. —Experience has shown that a modern game law must do much more than merely prohibit the killing of certain spe- cies at stated times. It must regulate methods of hunting, restrict shipment and sale, and also prescribe means for carrying its pro- visions into execution. It should contain the declaration that all wild birds and animals are the property of the state. This fact, based on the decisions of the highest courts, is now generally ac- cepted, but it is well to have it incorporated in the law, as is the case in the game laws of Colorado, Texas, and other states. Nextin importance is a comprehensive definition of game birds like that givenabove. Another important point not fully appreciated is that a law which prohibits killing certain species is much less effective and permanent than one which simply permits, by declaring that it shall be unlawful to kill or have in possession ‘any birds except as hereinafter provided.’ This simple statement renders the law toa certain extent automatic, since all birds will be protected until pro- vided with an open season. Changes in season, the bane of game legislation, cannot be made so readily without attracting attention, and if, as often happens, a proposed change in season fails of enact- ment, the species is left with complete protection instead of being without protection as under the old method. Little need be said as to seasons except that they should conform as nearly as possible to those of adjoining states. With improved guns, smokeless powder, and other modern appliances for hunting, no state can afford to maintain an open season from the time the birds are mature until they begin to breed the following year, for no species can withstand such an ordeal and not be locally exterminated in a few years. Open seasons are constantly growing shorter, and as they undergo change should be shifted to correspond more and more closely with those of other states. Above all, spring shooting should be abolished, and INTRODUCTION xli the close season begin as near the first of January as possible. Big guns are very properly made illegal, and an unsuccessful attempt was recently made in California to prevent the use of magazine or “pump guns,’ on the ground that they were too destructive. The same might be said of the air gun or parlor rifle, which in the hands of the reckless small boy is not only an effective but a dan- gerous weapon of destruction. Night hunting in all its forms, bait- ing, pursuing game with launches or even sailboats, are condemned by true sportsmen, and should all be prohibited. Trapping and netting should likewise be made illegal, but with some provision for taking a reasonable number of birds for propagation under the super- vision of competent state officers. Restrictions on the trade are becoming more general and more necessary every year. Prohibition of shipment out of the state is effective if it can be enforced, and it can be made easier to enforce if transportation of all game for market purposes is prohibited, as is done in Iowa and Texas, but with some provision for carrying a limited amount of game for private pur- poses. Sale is the keynote to the situation, and if it can be pro- hibited the question of protection will be greatly simplified. It is now prohibited in a number of states, and probably the day is not far distant when most if not all game birds will be withdrawn from sale. Non-game Birds. —Even more important than Jaws for the pro- tection of game birds (because applying to a much larger number of species) are the statutes for the preservation of birds which are not game, and which apply to ‘song,’ ‘insectivorous,’ and ‘ plume’ birds. In order to accomplish their purpose they must be compre- hensive, and as already stated they should cover all birds except game birds and a few injurious species mentioned by name. If made applicable to certain species, or even to song, insectivorous, or plume birds, some species are sure to be omitted, and often these will be the very ones most in need of protection. Not only killing, but also nest robbing, trapping, possession, shipment, and sale should be prohibited. The traffic in cage birds, unless checked by strict regulations, may sometimes decimate certain species, particu- larly those distinguished for their vocal powers or bright colors. A provision prohibiting possession of plumage or ‘any part of a bird’ is necessary to prevent sale of birds for millinery purposes, and overcome the objection which is sometimes raised that prohibitions against the killing and possession of a bird do not apply to its plumage or to one of its wings when used as a hat decoration. xlii INTRODUCTION On the other hand, provision must be made for collecting birds for scientific purposes, both for educational institutions and for private collections, and also for keeping birds in captivity for study or as pets. These requirements can readily be met by having per- mits issued under the supervision of some state officer to properly accredited collectors and students. In case it is desirable to allow certain birds to be kept in captivity, sale and shipment out of the state should be prohibited in order to avoid abuse of the privilege and prevent wholesale bird-trapping for market. Injurious Species. —In every state there are a few injurious spe- cies from which protection should be withdrawn. In general these species comprise the English sparrow, great horned owl, goshawk, duck hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper hawk, crow, linnet or house finch, and occasionally some of the blackbirds. Sweeping provisions excluding hawks and owls from protection should be carefully avoided, as most of the species are beneficial, and a clause covering birds of prey in general without naming the injurious species will result chiefly in the destruction of those which are bene- ficial. It is useless to attempt anything more by legislation than simple removal of protection. No means have yet been devised by which an injurious species can be legislated out of existence, and the various methods which have been advocated have almost uniformly resulted in failure. Bounties for birds and eggs have little effect except to drain the state or county treasury. The Colorado hawk bounty, which was in force from 1877 to 1885, seems to have re- sulted chiefly in the diminution of the sparrow hawk, one of the most useful birds in destroying grasshoppers. The Utah bourty on English sparrows, in force since 148°, has not exterminated the ao row in the state, and the provision of 1 offering five cents pr dozen for eggs, must have resulted disastrong .7 to the native birc s, for a year or two after it went tuto effect yo > iortts showed that in Weber County alone payments had been mo, chs °F on 990 dozen (nearly 12,000) eggs, while during the same Perio ot only 640 sparrows had been presented fo: bounty. The sparavesw bounties in Illinois and Michigan and the hav 224 2¥' honweoty in Pennsylvania all failed to accomplish their objects, althoug;h each cost the state from $50,000 to $100,000. The expense attending bounty legislation can be readily illustrated by the records of payments for coyotes and 1 The bill prepared by the Committee on Protection of Birds of the American Orni- thologists’ Union covers all of these points. See ‘' Legislation for the Protection of Birds other than Game Birds,” Bulletin No. 12, Biological Survey, U. S. Dept. Agricul- ture, pp. 56-60, 1902. INTRODUCTION xiii wolves in Wyoming, Montana, and California. The coyote bounty law in California remained in force only four years, but actually cost the state $187,485, while the claims filed aggregated about $400,000.2 In the west bounties on birds are now paid only in Utah and Oregon, and in the latter state are restricted to cormorants and sheldrakes. Enforcement. — The enforcement of game laws depends largely on public sentiment. Although most of the western states have game. wardens, the laws are not enforced as they should be. Better results are attained where local wardens are under the authority of a state officer or state board. Unfortunately the liberal appropriations neces- sary to meet the expenses incident to warden service are not often available, but game protection might be made almost self-support- ing if the money derived from licenses, fines, sale of contraband game, and similar sources, were all turned into a state game pro- tection fund instead of going into several different funds, no one of which is available for work of this kind. A potent influence in bird protection is the federal law popularly ‘known as the Lacey Act, which went into effect on May 25, 1900. Under this act interstate commerce in birds killed in violation of local laws is prohibited, and through codperation between federal and state authorities statutes which were formerly dead letters are now being enforced. The chief value of the law, however, lies in the interest in protection which it has aroused throughout the coun- try even among persons who formerly gave the subject no thought. Largely through its influence game protection is now being estab- lished on broader lines, rapid progress is being made in legislation, and the laws are better observed than ever before. LOCAL LISTS. LIST OF BIRDS IN THE VICINITY OF PORTLAND, OREGON. By A. W. AnrHowy. The country embraced in this list is about ten square miles in extent. The region between the city of Portland and the Columbia River perhaps furnishes most of the species, and is farming land diversified by forest land, brush patches, and low wet meadows, which in winter are ponds upon which are found all of our species 1 See Palmer, ‘‘ Extermination of Noxious Animals by Bounties,’? Yearbook Dept. Agr. for 1896, pp. 55-68. xliv INTRODUCTION of waterfowl. The high hills west of the city are less prolific. The heavy forest is cleared in places, offering homes for such species as white-crowned sparrows, juncos, and wrens, while the woodpeckers and forest-loving species dwell in the undisturbed parts of the region. which is as wild as a hundred years ago. Here also is found the russet-backed thrush nesting in the thickets and deep ravines. Colymbus nigricollis californicus: Eared Grebe. — Rather common on the ponds along the Columbia. Podilymbus podiceps : Pied-billed Grebe. — Commion with the eared grebe. Gavia imber : Loon. — Seen only as a migrant. Larus glaucescens: Glaucous-winged Gull. — Five species of gull are seen along the river during the winter, but the glaucous-winged is the com- monest. Larus argentatus : Herring Gull. Larus californicus : California Gull. Larus delawarensis: Ring-billed Gull. Larus brachyrhynchus: Short-billed Gull (?). Phalacrocorax dilophus cincinatus: White-crested Cormorant.—In the winter a species is found on the river about Portland, which is probably the white-crested, but as no specimens have been taken I am in doubt about it. Merganser serrator: Red-breasted Merganser. — A common winter visitor. Lophodytes cucullatus : Hooded Merganser. — A winter visitant, less com- mon than the red-breasted. Anas boschas : Mallard. — Very common. Chaulelasmus streperus: Gadwall.— The gadwall and the baldpate are about equally common, but less so than most of the ducks found. Mareca americana: Baldpate. Spatula clypeata : Shoveller. — Common during fall and winter. Dafila acuta: Pintail.— Common during fall and winter. Aix sponsa: Wood Duck.— Common summer resident. A few winter about Portland. Aythya americana: Redhead. — Common in fall and winter. Aythya vallisneria : Canvas-back. — Common in fall and winter. Chen hyperborea: Lesser Snow Goose. — One or more species of snow geese are common. During mild winters all the ducks and geese are apt to winter about Portland, but a hard season drives them south. Anser albifrons gambeli: White-fronted Goose. — Common migrant. Branta canadensis minima: Cackling Goose. —Two or more races of canadensis are common, but the only species I have taken is the cack- ling goose. Olor columbianus: Whistling Swan. — Not uncommon migrant and winter resident. Ardea herodias : Great Blue Heron. — Common in summer; a few winter. Ardea virescens: Green Heron. — A few herons seen, probably of this species. Grus canadensis: Little Brown Crane. — Common fall migrant, but very rare in spring. Rallus virginianus : Virginia Rail. — Like the sora, more or less common, nesting in wet bottoms. Porzana carolina : Sora. Fulica americana: Coot. — Not very abundant; nests. INTRODUCTION xlv Tringa minutilla: Least Sandpiper. — Abundant for a few days during migration. Tringa alpina pacifica: Red-backed Sandpiper. — Migrant; less common than the least or western sandpipers. Ereunetes occidentalis : Western Sandpiper. — Abundant during migration for a few days. Totanus melanoleucus : Greater Yellow-legs. — Migrant; not uncommon. Symphemia semipalmata inornata: Western Willet, — Rather rare mi- grant. Afyialitis vocifera : Killdeer. — Common summer resident. Oreortyx pictus: Mountain Partridge. — Common resident, Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus : Sooty Grouse. — Common resident, Columba fasciata : Band-tailed Pigeon. — Not uncommon in suitable local- ities, but rare near Portland. . Zenaidura macroura: Mourning Dove. — Common summer resident. Cathartes aura: Turkey Vulture. — Common summer resident. Circus hudsonius: Marsh Hawk. — Rare. Accipiter velox: Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Common, especially during mi- grations. Accipiter cooperii : Cooper Hawk. — Not common. Buteo borealis calurus: Western Red-tail. — Common. Halicetus leucocephalus: Bald Eagle. — Seen at times along the river. Falco peregrinus anatum ; Duck Hawk. —Seen only once or twice. Falco columbarius:; Pigeon Hawk. Falco columbarius suckleyi: Black Merlin. — The pigeon hawk and the black merlin are, perhaps, equally common; more common during fall and winter. Meguscops asio kennicottit: Kennicott Screech Owl. — Quite common among the oaks along the river. Bubo virginianus saturatus: Dusky Horned Owl.— Not uncommon in heavy timber. Nyctea nyctea: Snowy Owl.— A few have been taken near Portland in winter. Glaucidium gnoma californicum: California Pygmy Owl. — Rather com- mon; often seen in the daytime. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis : California Cuckoo. — Rare; a few seen in low marshy places along the Columbia. Ceryle alcyon: Belted Kingfisher.— Quite common along all water- courses. Dryobates villosus harrisii : Harris Woodpecker. — Common in all tim- ber. Dryobates pubescens gairdnerii: Gairdner Woodpecker. — Common in all timber. Sphyrapicus ruber notkensis: Northern Red-breasted Sapsucker. — Com- mon; more often seen in alder or dogwood than in fir growth. Ceophlcus pileatus abieticola : Northern Pileated Woodpecker. — Less com- mon than formerly, but still found in heavy fir growth. Melanerpes torquatus: Lewis Woodpecker. — Common summer resident, Colaptes cafer saturatior: Northwestern Flicker. — Abundant resident. The flickers of this region are not constant to any race. Phalenoptilus nuttallii californicus: Dusky Poor-will. — A poor-will has been described to me. Chordeiles virginianus: Nighthawk. — Common summer resident. Chetura vauxit: Vaux Swift.— Rather common summer resident. Selasphorus rufus: Rufous Hummingbird. — Very common summer resi- dent. xlvi INTRODUCTION Tyrannus verticalis: Arkansas Kingbird. — A kingbird is found at Port- land, but is rare, and the species not determined. Contopus borealis : Olive-sided Flycatcher. — Common in tall firs. Contopus richardsonii: Western Wood Pewee.— Very common every- where ; often seen in shade trees about the city. Empidonax difficilis: Western Flycatcher.— Probably taken in migra- tion. Empidonax traillii: Traill Flycatcher. — Very common in alder and vine maple thickets. Alauda arvensis: Skylark. — Introduced. Common in open fields on the east side of the river; not seen elsewhere. Otocoris alpestris strigata: Streaked Horned Lark. — Not uncommon in suitable localities. Pica pica hudsonica : American Magpie. — Not common; a few are found along the Columbia. Cyanocitta stelleri: Steller Jay.— Common everywhere in the region of Portland. Aphelocoma californica: California Jay. — Rare; more common during migrations. Perisoreus obscurus : Oregon Jay. — Rare. Corvus caurinus : Northwest Crow (?). — Crows are abundant, but species not determined. Sturnus vulgaris: Starling. — Introduced ; still rare. Agelaius pheniceus caurinus: Northwestern Redwing. — More or less com- mon. Sturnella magna neglecta : Western Meadowlark. — Abundant resident. Icterus bullocki : Bullock Oriole. — Rather common in cottonwoods and oaks along the river. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus: Brewer Blackbird. — Abundant resident; more common in open fields. Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus : Western Evening Grosbeak. — Abun- dant winter resident, flocking about the maples in the streets; remark- ably tame. Carpodacus purpureus californicus : California Purple Finch. —Common in fields about the city. Loxia curvirostra minor: Crossbill. — Rare. Astragalinus tristis salicamans: Willow Goldfinch. — Abundant. Astragalinus psaltria: Arkansas Goldfinch. — Not uncommon. Spinus pinus: Pine Siskin. — Not uncommon; nests about the city in large firs (?). Passer domesticus: English sparrow. — Abundant in the city. aa gramineus affinis: Oregon Vesper Sparrow. — Common in open fields. Ammodramus sandwichensis : Sandwich Sparrow. —Specimens taken dur- ing migrations were nearer this form than any other, but not typical. Ammodramus sandwichensis alaudinus : Western Savanna Sparrow. — Com- mon in cultivated fields. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelti: Gambel Sparrow. — Common during mi- grations. Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli: Nuttall Sparrow. — Abundant summer resident; nests in thickets and low brush. Zonotrichia coronata: Golden-crowned Sparrow. — Common during migra- tion for a few days. Spizella socialis arizone : Western Chipping Sparrow. — Abundant sum- mer resident. Junco hyemalis oreganus: Oregon Junco. — Abundant resident. INTRODUCTION xlvii Melospiza melodia morphna: Rusty Song Sparrow. — Abundant resident. Melospiza lincolnii striata: Forbush Sparrow.— A sparrow probably of this species seen a few times during migrations. Passereila iliaca annectens : Yakutat Fox Sparrow. — Common winter resi- dent; usually seen with zusty sparrows. Pipilo maculatus oregonus : Oregon Towhee. — Common resident ; found in thickets all about the city. Cardinalis cardinalis: Cardinal. — Several birds were released by a dealer a few years ago and are still seen in the residence part of the city. Zamelodia melanocephala: Black-headed Grosbeak. — Not uncommon. Cyanospiza amena: Lazuli Bunting. — Common along the bottom lands of the Columbia. Piranga ludoviciana : Louisiana Tanager. — Common in the firs and alders, nesting in the firs. Progne subis hesperia: Western Martin. — Not common. Petrochelidon lunifrons: Cliff Swallow. — Common. Hirundo erythrogastra: Barn Swallow. — Not common. Tachycineta bicolor: Tree Swallow. — Not common. Tachycineta thalassina lepida: Northern Violet-green Swallow. — Very abundant ; nesting in barns and outhouses, entering through knot- holes. Riparia riparia: Bank Swallow (?). Stelgidopteryx serripennis: Rough-winged Swallow. — Of the bank and rough-wing one or both have been seen, but neither is common. Ampelis cedrorum: Cedar Waxwing. — Common summer resident. Lanius borealis: Northern Shrike. — Rare winter visitant. Vireo gilvus: Warbling Vireo. — Common; nests in the alder and dog- wood thickets. Vireo solitarius cassinii ; Cassin Vireo. — Common with the warbling. Vireo huttoni obscurus: Anthony Vireo. — Rare; seen only about oaks. Dendroica estiva: Yellow Warbler.— Very common everywhere about the city. Dendroica coronata : Myrtle Warbler. — Rare migrant. Dendroica auduboni: Audubon Warbler. — Common: nests in the small firs. Dendroica nigrescens: Black-throated Gray Warbler. — Common summer resident. Dendroica townsendi: Townsend Warbler. — Not rare. Dendroica occidentalis : Hermit Warbler. — Not rare. Geothlypis trichas arizela: Pacific Coast Yellow-throat. — Common in open fields about the water. Icteria virens longicauda: Long-tailed Chat.— Rare; seen only a few times. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata: Pileolated Warbler. —- Common summer resi- dent. Anthus pensilvanicus : Pipit. — Common winter resident. Salpinctes obsoletus : Rock Wren. — Rare. Thryomanes bewickii calophonus : Vigors Wren. — Common resident. . Troglodytes aédon parkmanii: Parkman Wren. — Common summer resi- dent. Olbiorchilus hiemalis pacificus: Western Winter Wren. — Resident; com- mon in deep shaded thickets. Cistothorus palustris paludicola: Tule Wren. — Not uncommon in the marshes along the Columbia. Certhia familiaris occidentalis: Californian Creeper. — Resident in the fir forests; not rare. xl viii INTRODUCTION Sitta carolinensis aculeata : Slender-billed Nuthatch. — Common. Sitta canadensis: Red-breasted Nuthatch. -— Common fall migrant ; does not seem to be so abundant in spring. Parus atricapillus occidentalis : Oregon Chickadee. —“Very common resi- dent. Parus rufescens : Chestnut-backed Chickadee. — Common resident. Psaltriparus minimus: Bush-Tit. —- Abundant resident. Regulus satrapa olivaceus : Western Golden-crowned Kinglet. — Abundant winter resident. Regulus calendula : Ruby-crowned Kinglet. | Common migrant. Myadestes townsendii: Townsend Solitaire. —Seen once or twice in the residence part of the city. Hylocichla ustulata: Russet-backed Thrush. Common in the city and wooded thickets along the river. Hylocichla guttata: Alaska Hermit Thrush. — A few seen during migra- tions. i Merula migratoria propinqua: Western Robin. — Abundant; a few win- ter. Ixoreus nevius: Varied Thrush. — Abundant winter resident. Sialia mexicana occidentalis : Western Bluebird. — Common. LIST OF WATER BIRDS OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY. By Wiiuram H. Kosst. ichmophorus occidentalis: Western Grebe. — Abundant throughout the winter and spring. Colymbus holbeilii : Holbell Grebe. — Rare ; two winter visitants taken. Colymbus auritus: Horned Grebe. — Common winter visitant. Colymbus nigricollis californicus: American Eared Grebe. — Winter vis- itant, most commonly at Oakland and Alameda. Podilymbus podiceps : Pied-billed Grebe. — Common in the fall; probably resident in favorable situations. Gavia imber : Loon. — Spring migrant. Gavia pacifica : Pacifie Loon. — Common winter visitant. Gavia lumme: Red-throated Loon. — Winter visitant; abundant about Oakland. Cyclorrhynchus psittaculus : Paroquet Auklet. — Winter visitant. Synthliboramphus antiquus: Ancient Murrelet.— Winter visitant. Brachyramphus marmoratus : Marbled Murrelet. — Taken off Goat Island by Bryant. Uria troile californica: California Murre. — Visitant ; mainly fall, winter, and spring ; probably occurs in summer. Stercorarius parasiticus : Parasitic Jaeger. — Fall migrant. Rissa tridactyla poilicaris : Pacific Kittiwake. — Winter visitant. Larus delawarensis: Ring-billed Gull. — Common about Oakland from the last of autumn until summer. Larus glaucus: Glaucous Gull.— One noted by Cooper (Proc. Cal. Acad- emy of Sciences, iv. 9-10) and one seen by Kobbé. Larus glaucescens: Glaucous-winged Gull. — Abundant winter visitant. Larus occidentalis : Western Gull. — Abundant resident. Larus argentatus: Herring Gull.— Abundant winter visitant. Larus vege: Vega Gull. — Abundant winter visitant. Larus californicus : California Gull. — Abundant resident. Larus brachyrhynchus : Short-billed Gull. -— Abundant from November to February. INTRODUCTION xlix Larus canus : Mew Gull. — Very abundant from November into February. Larus heermanni : Heermann Gull. — Abundant on bay in summer, rare in winter. Larus philadelphia: Bonaparte Gull. — Common winter visitant. Xema sabinii: Sabine Gull. —- One taken by Lorquin, October (10 ?). Sterna caspia : Caspian Tern. — One taken by Bryant, December 2. nee maxima: Royal Tern. —One taken at Oakland by Bryant, August Sterna elegans: Elegant Tern. — One taken by Lansing, September 17. Sterna forsteri ; Forster Tern. — Winter visitant. Diomedea albatrus: Short-tailed Albatross. — One taken near Goat Island by Bryant, March 10. Fulmarus glacialis glupischa: Pacific Fulmar. — Winter visitant. Phalacrocorax dilophus cincinatus : White-crested Cormorant. — Occurs in winter. Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus: Farrallone Cormorant. — Common resident. Phalacrocorax peniciliatus: Brandt Cormorant. — Common resident. Phalacrocorax pelagicus : Pelagic Cormorant. — Common resident. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos: American White Pelican. — Rather rare win- ter visitant. Pelecanus californicus: California Brown Pelican. — Common winter visitant. Merganser americanus: American Merganser. — Winter visitant. Merganser serrator : Red-breasted Merganser. — Spring and fall migrant. Anas boschas : Mallard. — Winter visitant in all marshes bordering bay. Mareca americana: Baldpate. — Winter visitant at Vallejo and Oakland. Nettion carolinensis : Green-winged Teal. — Common in winter throughout the bay region. Querquedula discors : Blue-winged Teal. — Taken at Vallejo by Golcher. Querquedula cyanoptera : Cinnamon Teal. — Winter visitant at Vallejo. Spatula clypeata: Shoveller. — Winter visitant. Dafila acuta: Pintail. — Fall and winter visitant at Miller, Marin County, and Vallejo. Aiz sponsa: Wood Duck. — Taken by Slevin at Cordelia, November 8. Aythya vallisneria: Canvas-back. — Abundant winter visitant at Vallejo. Aythya marila : Seaup Duck. — Winter visitant to all parts of bay. Aythya affinis : Lesser Seaup Duck. — Winter visitant at Vallejo and Oak- land. Aythya collaris : Ring-necked Duck. — Two taken by Hornung, February 5. Clangula clangula americana: American Golden-eye. — Fall and winter visitant. Clangula islandica: Barrow Golden-eye. — Two taken by Bryant, Novem- ber 16 and December 3. Charitonetta albeola : Buffle-head. — Winter visitant. Oidemia perspicillata : Surf Scoter. — Common winter visitant. Oidemia deglandi : White-winged Scoter. — Common winter visitant. Erismatura jamaicensis: Ruddy Duck. — Found in lagoons from October until the middle of February. ° . : All California ‘geese occur in greater or less abundance in the inner portions of the bay. ; Olor columbianus : Whistling Swan.— One taken by Kellogg at Cordelia, December 18. Botaurus lentiginosus : American Bittern. — One taken by Bryant and one by Hornung. I have found it fairly common in the marshes. Ardea herodias: Great Blue Heron. — Breeds at Alameda; resident. 1 INTRODUCTION Nycticorax nycticorax nevius: Black-crowned Night Heron. — Abundant at Alameda in winter; also a colony at Tiberone; resident. Rallus obsoletus : California Clapper Rail. — Abundant in marshes border- ing the bay in fall and early winter. Rallus virginianus: Virginia Rail. — Fall migrant. Porzana noveboracensis: Yellow Rail. — Two taken by Bryant in Decem- ber. Porzana jamaicensis: Black Rail. — Locally common in winter; probably breeds. Fulica americana: American Coot. — Common everywhere ; resident. Crymophilus fulicarius : Red Phalarope. — Found commonly, especially in calmer waters on bay, from October to January. Phalaropus lobatus : Northern Phalorope. — Fall migrant. Recurvirostra americana: American Avocet. — Reported from Redwood City (Slevin). Himantopus mexicanus : Black-necked Stilt.— Fall and winter migrant at Miller, Marin Co. Gallinago delicata : Wilson Snipe. — Fall, winter, and spring visitant. Macrorhamphus scolopaceus : Long-billed Dowitcher. — Fall and early win- ter visitant. Tringa maculata: Pectoral Sandpiper. — One taken by Bryant, October 8. Tringa minutilla : Least Sandpiper. — Abundant in fall and winter. Tringa alpina pacifica: Red-backed Sandpiper. — Abundant from the middle of October till the middle of May. Ereunetes occidentalis: Western Sandpiper. — Abundant migrant. Calidris arenaria : Sanderling. — Common migrant at Oakland. Limosa fedoa: Marbled Godwit. — Fall and winter visitant. Totanus melanoleucus : Greater Yellow-legs. — Winter visitant. Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus: Western Solitary Sandpiper. — Two taken by Bryant, April and September. Symphemia semipalmata inornata: Western Willet.— Common in sum- mer (Bryant). Heteractitis incanus: Wandering Tatler.— Two taken by Kobbé in Sep- tember. Actitis macularia : Spotted Sandpiper.— Taken at Tiberone and Angel Island in May and November. Numenius longirostris: Long-billed Curlew. — Common at Oakland in August (Bryant). Numenius hudsonicus : Hudsonian Curlew. — Taken at Oakland in August and September (Bryant). Squatarola squatarola : Black-bellied Plover. — Fall and winter visitant. Charadrius dominicus: American Golden Plover. — Taken at Vallejo and Menlo Park (Hornung). Aigialitis vocifera: Killdeer.— Common everywhere in fall, winter, and spring. Aigialitis nivosa : Snowy Plover. — Taken on Presidio beach (Slevin). ae melanocephala: Black Turnstone.— Two records from Angel sland. INTRODUCTION li LIST OF BIRDS OF SANTA CLARA VALLEY AND SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, EXCLUSIVE OF WATER ‘BIRDS. By Watrer K. Fisuzr. Resident = Permanent resident. Winter visitunt = Winter resident. Summer visitant = Breeding bird not occurring in winter. The country covered by this list includes practically all of the Santa Clara Valley and the northern half of the Santa Cruz Moun- tains. The Santa Cruz Mountains send a long spur northward to form the backbone of the San Francisco peninsula. This ridge has numerous lateral spurs, particularly toward the sea. On the east the mountains slope down into low foothills rather abruptly, and these foothills gradually merge into the floor of the valley, which, north of San José. is largely occupied by the bay of San Francisco and its environing marsh. To the east of the bay is the Mount Hamilton range. To the Transition zone belong most of the Santa Cruz Moun- tains, and the country between them and the seacoast. In the mountains are magnificent stretches of redwood forest, mixed with Douglas spruce, tan-bark oak, and madrone, and underbrush of evergreen huckleberry, myrtle, azalea, rhododendron, wild lilac (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), and several species of manzanita. The Upper Sonoran zone includes all the main foothill region and many of the outlying spurs of the Santa Cruz Mountains, much of the Mount Hamilton range, and the greater part of the floor of the valley. The valley contains an infusion of Lower Sonoran ele- ments, but the proximity of the sea, with its tempering breezes, many high fogs during summer, and a rather heavy rainfall (for a valley), so reduces the total quantity of heat for the year that the region is really a peculiar humid Upper Sonoran, or perhaps a mix- ture of the two Sonoran zones. Characteristic valley types are the white oak (Quercus lobata), blue oak (Q. douglast?), valley live-oak (Q. agrifolia), bay tree, buckeye, Christmas berry (Heteromeles arbu- tifolia), and sycamore. In the Mount Hamilton range is found the digger pine, and on many of the foothills of this range and of the Santa Cruz, chamiso (Adenostoma fasciculatum), sage (Artemisia californica), highland oak (Quercus wislizent), scrub oak (Q. dumosa), ceanothus, and various manzanitas form large areas of dense chap- arral. li INTRODUCTION The broad Salicornia marshes surrounding the bay support a rather numerous fauna that does not occur inland. Lophortyx californicus: California Partridge. — Abundant resident in hills and valleys. Columba fasciata: Band-tailed Pigeon. — Autumn and winter visitant. Zenaidura macroura: Mourning Dove. — Summer visitant ; oceasionally seen in winter; open valleys. oa ; Gymnogyps californianus: California Vulture. — Occasional visitant in Santa Cruz Mountains. Cathartes aura: Turkey Buzzard. — Summer visitants of valley and moun- tain. Elanus leucurus :. White-tailed Kite. — Resident among oak groves of the valley. Accipiter velox: Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Common winter visitant. Accipiter cooperii : Cooper Hawk. — Occasional transient visitant. Circus hudsonius: Marsh Hawk. — A resident of the marshes about San Francisco bay. Buteo borealis calurus: Western Red-tail. — Common resident of the val- ley and mountains. Buteo lineatus elegans: Red-bellied Hawk. — Rare resident of the valley. Buteo swainsoni: Swainson Hawk. — Rare transient visitant. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis: American Rough-legged Hawk. — Rare transient visitant. Archibuteo ferrugineus: Ferruginous Rough-leg. — Irregular winter vis- itant near San José (R. H. Beck). Aquila chrysaétos: Golden Eagle. —Common resident of valley and foot- hills. Halicetus leucocephalus : Bald Eagle. — Occasional visitant. Falco sparverius deserticola: Desert Sparrow Hawk. — Common resident. Falco mexicanus: Prairie Falcon. — Occasional winter visitant in valley ; resident near Santa Cruz. Falco pereyrinus anatum: Duck Hawk. — Marshes. Falco columbarius : Pigeon Hawk. — Fairly common winter visitant. Strix pratincola: Barn Owl. — Common resident in valley. Asio wilsonianus: Long-eared Owl.— Recorded from Santa Cruz Moun- tains. Asio accipitrinus: Short-eared Owl.— Common resident on the broad marshes about San Francisco bay. Megascops asio bendirei : California Screech Owl. — Common resident. Bubo virginianus pacificus : Pacific Horned Owl. — Permanent resident of the valleys. Speotyto cunicularia hypogea : Burrowing Owl. — Common resident of the low valleys. Glaucidium gnoma californicum: California Pygmy Owl. — A fairly com- mon but inconspicuous resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Geococcyx californianus: Road-runner. — Uncommon resident in hot val- leys. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis : California Cuckoo. — Summer visitant in heavy thickets. - : Ceryle alcyon: Belted Kingfisher. — Resident along the larger streams. Dryobates villosus harrisii : Harris Woodpecker. — Resident in Santa Cruz Mountains. Dryobates pubescens gairdnerii : Gairdner Woodpecker. — Common resident in Santa Cruz Mountains, and breeds sparingly in valley. INTRODUCTION liii Payette nuttallit: Nuttall Woodpecker. — Recorded from Mount Ham- ilton. Sphyrapicus ruber: Red-breasted Sapsucker. — Fairly common winter visitant, principally to Santa Cruz Mountains. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi : California Woodpecker. — Abundant resi- dent among the oaks of the valleys. Melanerpes torquatus : Lewis Woodpecker. — Winter visitant. Colaptes cafer collaris : Red-shafted Flicker. — Abundant resident. anes nuttallii californicus: Dusky Poor-will. — Uncommon resi- ent. Chetura vauxii: Vaux Swift. — Summer visitant among redwoods ; occa- sionally seen in valley. Aéronautes melanoleucus : White-throated Swift.— Occasionally seen in migration ; breeds near Santa Cruz. Calypte anna: Anna Hummingbird. — Abundant resident in valleys. Selasphorus rufus: Rufous Hummingbird.— Occurs plentifully in the spring as a migrant. Selasphorus alleni: Allen Hummingbird. — Abundant summer visitant in valley and hills. Tyrannus verticalis: Arkansas Kingbird. — Rather common summer vis- itant. Myiarchus cinerascens : Ash-throated Flycatcher. — Summer visitant. Sayornis saya: Say Phebe. — Rather common winter visitant. Sayornis nigricans semiatra : Western Black Phebe. — Common resident. Contopus borealis: Olive-sided Flycatcher. —Summer visitant in Santa Cruz Mountains ; not common. Contopus richardsonii: Western Wood Pewee.— Common summer vis- itant. Empidonax difficilis : Western Flycatcher. — Common summer visitant. Empidonax traillii: Traill Flycatcher.— Summer visitant in willow patches along creeks. Otocoris alpestris chrysolema: Mexican Horned Lark.— Common in the open valley. Pica nuttalli: Yellow-billed Magpie. — Resident in colonies south of San José. Cyanocitta stelleri carbonacea :1 Coast Jay. — Abundant permanent resi- dent in Santa Cruz Mountains. Aphelocoma californica : California Jay. — Abundant resident. ‘orvus americanus: American Crow. — Resident in southern part of Santa Clara valley. : Agelaius gubernator californicus: Bicolored Blackbird. — Breeds abun- dantly in meadows bordering marshes. Agelaius tricolor : Tricolored Blackbird. — Occurs locally ; rare. ’ Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus : Yellow-headed Blackbird. — Breeds in the marshes south of San José. : Sturnella magna neglecta: Western Meadowlark. Abundant permanent resident. Icterus bullocki : Bullock Oriole. — Resident for nesting season; common. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus: Brewer Blackbird. — Abundant permanent. resident. Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus: Western Evening Grosbeak. — Occa- sional winter visitants in flocks. Carpodacus purpureus californicus: California Purple Finch. — Common resident in valley and mountains. 1 A form commonly called fronéalis, but really closer to typical stelleri than to the Sierran form. liv INTRODUCTION Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis : House Finch. — Abundant resident. Astragalinus tristis salicamans : Willow Goldfinch. — Resident in willows _ and mustard patches. Astragalinus psaltria; Arkansas Goldfinch. — Abundant resident. Astragalinus lawrencei: Lawrence Goldfinch. — A rare summer visitant, and erratic in its visits. . Spinus pinus: Pine Siskin. — Resident in the Santa Cruz Mountains ; mi- grant in valley. -lmmodramus sandwichensis alaudinus: Western Savanna Sparrow. — Abundant fall and winter visitant in valley fields. Ammodramus sandwichensis bryanti: Bryant Marsh Sparrow. — Abundant resident in marshes about San Francisco bay. Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus : Western Grasshopper Sparrow. — Recorded from near San José (R. H. Beck). Ammodramus nelsoni: Nelson Sparrow. — Two records from Milpitas marshes. Powcetes gramineus confinis: Western Vesper Sparrow. — Recorded from near San José (McGregor). Chondestes grammacus strigatus: Western Lark Sparrow. — Commoner on the east than on the west side of the bay. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii: Gambel Sparrow. — Abundant winter vis- itant, leaving in April. Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli: Nuttall Sparrow. — Resident in damp coast belt; winter visitant in Santa Clara valley. Zonotrichia coronata: Golden-crowned Sparrow. — An abundant winter visitant. Spizella socialis arizone : Western Chipping Sparrow. — Not a very com- mon resident. Junco hyemalis thurberi : Sierra Junco. — Winter visitant ; not common. Junco hyemalis pinosus: Point Pinos Junco.— Resident in Santa Cruz Mountains, and south in humid coast belt; commonest junco in valleys in winter. Amphispiza belli: Bell Sparrow. — Said to breed near Los Gatos (J. Van Denburgh). Aimophila ruficeps : Rufous-crowned Sparrow. — Resident, locally, on east side of valley in sage-brush districts. Melospiza melodia heermanni: Heermann Song Sparrow. — Resident in southernmost portions of Santa Clara valley uplands. Melospiza melodia santecrucis:1 Santa Cruz Song Sparrow. — Common permanent resident along streams flowing into San Francisco bay and into Pacific Ocean from Santa Cruz Mountains. Melospiza melodia pusillula.' — Resident in Salicornia marshes about San Francisco bay. Melospiza melodia morphna: Rusty Song Sparrow. — Winter visitant in Santa Cruz Mountains. pais PEO : Lincoln Sparrow. — Winter visitant. elospiza lincolnit striata: Forbush Sparrow. — i isi : ee p Casual winter visitant ; Passerella iliaca unalaschcensis: Townsend Sparrow.— Common winter visitant in valley and Santa Cruz Mountains. Pipilo maculatus megalonyx: Spurred Towhee. — Abundant resident in valley and in Santa Cruz Mountains. Pipilo fuscus crissalis : California Towhee. — Abundant resident in valley and mountains. 1 A local race not yet acted upon by A. O. U. committee. INTRODUCTION lv Zamelodia melanocephala: Black-headed Grosbeak.— Abundant spring and summer visitant ; departs after nesting. Cyanospiza amena: Lazuli Bunting. — A common summer visitant during nesting season. Piranga ludoviciana: Louisiana Tanager. — Occurs in Santa Cruz Moun- tains during migrations. Progne subis hesperia : Western Martin. — Reported from Mount Hamilton range. Petrochelidon lunifrons : Cliff Swallow. — Common summer visitant. Hirundo erythrogastra : Barn Swallow. — Summer resident. Tachycineta bicolor : Tree Swallow. — Abundant in spring and summer; rare in winter. Tachycineta thalassina lepida : Northern Violet-green Swallow. — Common summer visitant. Stelgidopteryx serripennis : Rough-winged Swallow. — Reported as breed- ing at San José (J. Van Denburgh) ; migrant at Palo Alto. Ampelis cedrorum: Cedar Waxwing. — Irregular winter visitant. Phainopeplu nitens: Phainopepla. — Recorded from near San José. Lanius ludovicianus gambeli: California Shrike. — Abundant resident in valley. Vireo gilvus : Warbling Vireo. —Common summer visitant. Vireo huttoni: Hutton Vireo.— Abundant resident in Santa Cruz Moun- tains ; common summer visitant in valley. Vireo solitarius cassinii: Cassin Vireo. — Summer visitant in Santa Cruz Mountains. . Helminthophila celata lutescens : Lutescent Warbler. — Summer visitant on chaparral slopes of Santa Cruz Mountains. Dendroica estiva: Yellow Warbler. — Abundant summer resident. Dendroica auduboni: Audubon Warbler. — Abundant winter visitant. Dendroica coronata: Myrtle Warbler. — Rather common winter visitant. Dendroica nigrescens: Black-throated Gray Warbler.— Reported from Mount Hamilton Range. Dendroica townsendi: Townsend Warbler.— Common winter visitant in Santa Cruz Mountains and about Monterey Bay. Dendroica occidentalis: Hermit Warbler. — Occurs rarely during migra- tions. Geothlypis tolmiei : Tolmie Warbler. — Recorded from Los Gatos ; rare. Geothlypis trichas sinuosa : } Western Yellow-throat. — Breeds about edges of marshes of San Francisco Bay. Icteria virens longicauda: Long-tailed Chat. — Summer visitant along water- courses. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata : Pileolated Warbler.— Common in copses and willow thickets. Anthus pensilvanicus : American Pipit.— Abundant during winter months. Cinclus mexicanus: Water Ouzel.— Permanent resident on streams in Santa Cruz Mountains. Mimus polyglottos leucopterus: Western Mockingbird. — Occasional visitant at Stantord University. 5 Toxostoma redivivum : Californian Thrasher.— Common resident in thickets. Salpinctes obsoletus: Rock Wren. — Permanent resident in eastern and southern valley foothills, in dry, rocky places. Catherpes mexicanus punctulatus : Dotted Canyon Wren. — Breeds in foot- hills east of San José. 1 Occidentalis of authors. This form has not been acted upon by the A. O. U. com- mittee. It is nearer arizela than occidentalis. Wi INTRODUCTION Thryomanes bewickii spilurus: Vigors Wren. — Common resident. Troglodytes aédon parkmanii: Parkman Wren. — Summer visitant among live-oaks. Olbiorchilus hiemalis pacificus : Western Winter Wren. — Resident in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Cistothorus palustris paludicola: Tule Wren. — Resident on Salicornia marshes ; breeds in scirpus patches altogether. Certhia familiaris occidentalis: Californian Creeper. — Resident in Santa Cruz Mountains. Sitta carolinensis aculeata: Slender-billed Nuthatch. — Resident in Santa Cruz Mountains; oaks. Parus inornatus: Plain Titmouse. — Permanent resident among live, white, and blue oaks. ‘ Parus rufescens barlowi: 1 Barlow Chickadee. — Resident in Santa Cruz Mountains, migrating to the valleys in winter. Chama fasciata intermedia : ? Wren-Tit. — Common permanent resident of Santa Cruz Mountains and of valley. Found usually on chaparral hills. Psaltriparus minimus californicus : California Bush-Tit. — Common perma- nent resident. Regulus satrapa olivaceus: Western Golden-crowned Kinglet.— Winter visitant in Santa Cruz Mountains. Regulus calendula: Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — Abundant winter visitant in valley and Santa Cruz Mountains. Regulus calendula grinnelli : Sitkan Kinglet. — Winter visitant to Santa Cruz Mountains and to Monterey. Polioptila cerulea obscura: Western Gnatcatcher. — Recorded from near Mount Hamilton. Myadestes townsendii : Townsend Solitaire. — Fairly common winter visitant to Santa Cruz Mountains. Hylocichla ustulata : Russet-backed Thrush. — Abundant summer visitant, arriving in April. Hylocichla guttata: Alaska Hermit Thrush. — Abundant winter visitant in valley and Santa Cruz Mountains. Hylocichla guttata slevini :? Monterey Hermit Thrush.— Summer visitant in Santa Cruz Mountains, south in humid belt, along coast. Merula migratoria propingua: Western Robin. — A very abundant winter visitant. Ixoreus nevius: Varied Thrush. — Abundant winter visitant: November till last of March. Sialia mexicana occidentalis: Western Bluebird. — Common resident. Sialia arctica: Mountain Bluebird. — Rare or casual winter visitant. LIST OF BIRDS TO BE LOOKED FOR IN THE VICINITY OF PASADENA. By JosrrH GRINNELL. This list includes only such species as are believed to be of more or less regular occurrence within a radius of ten miles of Pasadena. 1 A form occupying the Santa Cruz Mountain district and distinguished from neglectus by absence of brown on flanks. . 2 Not yet acted on by A. O. U. committee. (F. M. B.) 8 This remarkable little thrush has been recently described by Joseph Grinnell, and can be at once distinguished by its very small size and pale coloring. (The Auk, July, 1901, xviii. 268.) INTRODUCTION lvii This area consists of ‘mountains’ (Sierra Madre), and ‘valley’ (San Gabriel). The mountains are divided into spruce-wooded ‘higher mountains,’ such as Wilson’s Peak and Mt. Lowe, and brush-cov- ered ‘foothills.’ The valley is separated into a ‘mesa,’ the dry elevated plain sloping down from the foothills; and the ‘lowlands,’ which include the ‘willow bottoms,’ such as the San Gabriel river bed in the neighborhood of El Monte. The ‘oak regions’ occupy an intermediate area, in places running up on to the foothills. In general, as far as I know, it may be said that the ‘lowlands,’ the ‘mesas,’ and tongues extending up into the foothills are Lower Sonoran; that the ‘oak regions,’ and ‘foothills,’ and even the hot slopes of the highest peaks, are Upper Sonoran ; while the north slopes and deep canyons of the ‘ mountains’ to their summits, within the ten mile radius of the list, are mainly Transition, but with a trace of Canadian, and with such characteristic birds as the mountain chickadee, blue-fronted jay, plumed partridge, junco, and slender- billed nuthatch. Pasadena itself is Lower Sonoran, having such birds as the phainopepla, mockingbird, road-runner, Texas night- hawk, and Costa hummingbird. Zichmophorus occidentalis: Western Grebe. — Occasional winter visitant on the larger ponds. Podilymbus podiceps: Pied-billed Grebe.— Fairly common resident on tule-margined ponds. Gavia imber : Loon. — Frequent in winter on large ponds and reservoirs. Larus californicus: California Gull. — Occasional in winter about ponds and streams. Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus: Farallone Cormorant. — Frequent in winter on the larger ponds. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos: American White Pelican. — Occurs in migra- tion; also more rarely about ponds in winter. Merganser serrator: Red-breasted Merganer — Occasional midwint2r visitant on the lowlands. Anas boschas: Mallard.— Fairly common resident in the vicinity of streams and ponds. Mareca americana: Baldpate. — Common winter visitant. Nettion carolinensis: Green-winged Teal. — Common winter visitant. Querquedula cyanoptera: Cinnamon Teal. — Common spring and summer visitant on ponds and marshes. Spatula clypeata : Shoveller. — Common winter visitant. Erismatura jamaicensis: Ruddy Duck.— Common resident on the larger ponds. Botaurus lentiginosus: American Bittern. — Common winter visitant on marsh lands. Ardea herodias: Great Blue Heron. — Common resident in the lower country. Ardea virescens anthonyi : Anthony Green Heron. — Common migrant about streams and ponds. lviii INTRODUCTION Nycticorax nycticorar nevius: Black-crowned Night Heron. — Common migrant about streams and ponds. . Grus mexicana: Sandhill Crane. — Common in migration and occasional during winter. Rallus virginianus: Virginia Rail.—Fairly common migrant on marsh lands and along streams. Porzana carolina : Sora. — Fairly common resident of marsh lands. Gallinula galeata: Florida Gallinule. — Fairly common resident on the larger tule-bordered ponds. Fulica americana: American Coot.— Common resident on any body of water. Himantopus mexicanus : Black-necked Stilt. — Fairly common migrant in the lower country. Gallinago delicata: Wilson Snipe.— Fairly common winter visitant to lower grass lands. Tringa minutilla : Least Sandpiper. — Fairly common migrant and winter visitant about streams and ponds. Tringa alpina pacifica: Red-backed Sandpiper. — Occasional migrant, occurring at ponds. Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus : Western Solitary Sandpiper. — Fairly common migrant along streams. Actitis macularia: Spotted Sandpiper.— Common migrant, occurring about any ponds or streams. Eigialitis vocifera: Killdeer. — Abundant resident on any marsh lands. Oreortyx pictus plumiferus: Plumed Partridge. — Common resident of the mountains ; occasional along their bases. Lophortyx californicus vallicola: Valley Partridge. — Abundant resident of brush lands. Columba fasciata : Band-tailed Pigeon.— Common winter visitant to the oak regions. Zenaidura macroura: Mourning Dove. — Abundant resident everywhere. Gymnogyps californianus: California Vulture.— Fairly common resident of the mountains. Cathartes aura: Turkey Vulture. — Abundant resident everywhere. Circus hudsonius: Marsh Hawk. — Common resident in the lower coun- try. eae velox: Sharp-shinned Hawk.— Common winter visitant every- where. Accipiter cooperii: Cooper Hawk. — Fairly common resident along the foothills. TS borealis calurus: Western Red-tail.— Common resident every- where. Buteo lineatus elegans: Red-bellied Hawk.— Fairly common resident in the lower country. Buteo swainsoni: Swainson Hawk.— Common spring and summer vis- itant. Aquila chrysaétos : Golden Eagle. — Fairly common resident of the moun- tains. Falco mexicanus : Prairie Faleon.— Rare yisitant to the foothill regions. Falco columbarius : Pigeon Hawk. — Fairly common winter visitant. Falco sparverius deserticola: Desert. Sparrow Hawk. — Abundant resident everywhere. Strix pratincola: American Barn Owl. — Common resident of the oak regions. Asio wilsonianus: American Long-eared Owl. — Fairly common resident of the lowlands. INTRODUCTION lix ae seine : Short-eared Owl. — Rare winter visitant to the low- ands. Syrnium occidentale : Spotted Owl. — Resident of the mountains ; perhaps fairly common, though not often met with. Megascops asio bendirei: California Screech Owl. — Common resident everywhere. a Bubo virginianus pacificus : Pacific Horned Owl. — Fairly common resident in the oak region. Speotyto cunicularia hypogea: Burrowing Owl.— Common resident of the mesas and lowlands. Glaucidium gnoma: Pygmy Owl. — Resident of the mountains; perhaps fairly common, though by nature of its habits not often seen. Geococcyx californianus: Road-runner. — Fairly common resident of the mesas and foothills; rapidly becoming scarce. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis : California Cuckoo. — Rare summer vis- itant to the willow bottoms. Ceryle alcyon: Belted Kingfisher.— Common migrant, appearing at re- servoirs and along streams. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus: Cabanis Woodpecker. — Fairly common in the mountains ; resident. Dryobates pubescens turati : Willow Woodpecker.! — Fairly common in the willow regions; resident. Dryobates nuttallit : Nuttall Woodpecker. — Common resident in the oak and foothill regions ; visits the willow bottoms in fall and winter. Xenopicus albolarvatus : White-headed Woodpecker. — Fairly common re- sident in the higher mountains. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis: Red-naped Sapsucker. — Rare midwinter vis- itant along the foothills. Sphyrapicus varius daggetti : ? Sierra Sapsucker. — Common winter visitant, often about orchards and on pepper-trees along the city streets. Sphyrapicus thyroideus ; Williamson Sapsucker. — Rare winter visitant on the mountains. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi: Californian Woodpecker. — Common resi- dent of the oak regions. Melanerpes torquatus: Lewis Woodpecker. — Fairly common winter vis- itant to the oak regions. Colaptes cafer collaris : Red-shafted Flicker.— Common resident of both the mountains and lowlands. Phalenoptilus nuttallii californicus : Dusky Poor-will.— Common resident of the foothills. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis : Texas Nighthawk. — Common summer vis- itant, chiefly on the dry mesas. Chetura vauxii: Vaux Swift.— Common migrant along the foothills. Aéronautes melanoleucus : White-throated Swift. — Fairly common, except in midwinter, along the foothills and in the mountains. Trochilus alexandri: Black-chinned Hummingbird. —Common summer visitant along the foothills and in the mountain canyons. Calypte coste : Costa Hummingbird. —Common summer visitant to the dry mesas. Calypte anna: Anna Hummingbird. — Common resident anywhere. Selasphorus rufus: Rufous Hummingbird.— Common migrant every- where. Selasphorus alleni ; Allen Hummingbird. — Fairly common spring migrant along the foothills. 1 Not yet acted on by A. O. U. committee. (F. M. B.) 2 §. ruber of the Check-List. Ix INTRODUCTION Stellula calliope: Calliope Hummingbird. — Fairly common summer vis- itant on the mountains. oe Tyrannus verticalis: Arkansas Kingbird. — Common summer visitant to the valley. see Tyrannus vociferans : Cassin Kingbird. — Fairly common winter visitant to the valley. Myiarchus cinerascens: Ash-throated Flycatcher. — Fairly common sum- mer visitant in the oak and foothill regions. Sayornis saya: Say Phebe. — Common winter visitant to the valley. Sayornis nigricans semiatra: Western Black Phebe. — Common resident of the valley. Contopus borealis: Olive-sided Flycatcher. — Fairly common summer vis- itant on the mountains ; migrant through the valley. ; Contopus richardsonit : Western Wood Pewee. — Common summer visitant to the canyons and mountains. Empidonax diffcilis : Western Flycatcher. — Common summer visitant to the mountain canyons. Empidonac traillit: Traill Flycatcher. — Common summer visitant to the willow bottoms. Empidonax hammondi: Hammond Flycatcher. — Fairly common migrant along the foothills. : Empidonax griseus: Gray Flycatcher. — Rare winter visitant to the val- ley. Otocoris alpestris actia: California Horned Lark.1— Common resident of the lowland plains. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis : Blue-fronted Jay. — Common resident of the mountains. Aphelocoma. californica : California Jay. — Common resident of the foothill regions. Corvus corax sinuatus: American Raven. — Frequent but irregular tran- sient visitant to the valley. Corvus americanus hesperis: 1 California Crow. — Common resident of the lowlands. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus : Pition Jay. —Irregular fall visitant to the mesas and mountains. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus: Yellow-headed Blackbird.— Rare and irregular winter visitant. Agelaius pheniceus neutralis: San Diego Redwing. —Common resident of the lowlands. Sturnella_magna neglecta: Western Meadowlark. — Common resident of the valley. Icterus cucullatus nelsoni: Arizona Hooded Oriole. — Common summer vis- itant to the mesas and canyons. ‘i Ieterus bullocki : Bullock Oriole. —- Common summer visitant to the valley. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus: Brewer Blackbird. — Abundant resident of the lowlands and cultivated mesas. Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus: Western Evening Grosbeak. — Rare and irregular winter visitant along the mountains. Carpodacus purpureus californicus : California Purple F inch. — Fairly common winter visitant to the valley. Carpodacus cassini : Cassin Purple Finch. — Fairly common resident on the higher mountains. Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis : House Finch. — Abundant resident of the valley everywhere. 1 Not yet acted on by A. O. U. committee. (F. M. B.) INTRODUCTION lxi Loxia curvirostra bendirei : 1 Sierra Crossbill. — Rare and irregular winter visitant. Astragalinus tristis salicamans: Willow Goldfinch. — Common resident of the lowlands. ek psaltria: Arkansas Goldfinch. — Abundant resident of the valley. Astragaiinus lawrence: : Lawrence Goldfinch. — Fairly common spring and summer visitant to the mountains and mesas. Spinus pinus : Pine Siskin. — Irregular winter visitant anywhere. Poccetes yramineus confinis: Western Vesper Sparrow. — Fairly common winter visitant on the mesas. Poecetes gramineus affinis: Oregon Vesper Sparrow. — Fairly common winter visitant to the valley. Ammodramus sandwichensis alaudinus: Western Savanna Sparrow. — Abundant winter visitant to the :owland plains. Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus : Western Grasshopper Sparrow. — Rare winter visitant to the valley. Chondestes grammacus strigatus: Western Lark Sparrow. — Common resi- dent of the valley. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii : Intermediate Sparrow. — Abundant winter visitant to the valley. Zonotrichia coronata : Golden-crowned Sparrow. — Common winter visitant to the foothill regions. Spizella socialis arizone: Western Chipping Sparrow. — Common summer visitant everywhere ; less common during’ the winter on the mesas only. Spizella brewert: Brewer Sparrow. — Rare migrant along the foothills. Spizella atrogularis: Black-chinned Sparrow. — Rare summer visitant on the mountain slopes. Junco hyemalis : Slate-colored Junco. — Rare winter visitant to the valley. Junco hyemalis thurberi: Sierra Junco.— Common midwinter visitant to the valley; resident in the mountains. Amphispiza belli: Bell Sparrow. — Fairly common resident on the mesas. Aimophila ruficeps: Rufous-crowned Sparrow.— Rare resident of the foothills. Melospiza cinerea cooperi: 1 San Diego Song Sparrow. — Common resident of the lowlands. Melospiza lincolnii : Lincoln Sparrow. — Fairly common migrant and winter visitant in the valley. Passerella iliaca insularis : Kadiak Fox Sparrow.1 — Common winter vis- itant on the mountains. Passerella iliaca megarhyncha: Thick-billed Fox Sparrow. — Fairly com- mon winter visitant on the mountains. Pipilo maculatus megalonyx: Spurred Towhee.— Common resident of brushlands everywhere. Pipilo fuscus senicula: Anthony Towhee. — Abundant resident of the val- ley. Onenibe chlorura: Green-tailed Towhee. — Rare migrant along the foot- hills. Zamelodia melanocephala: Black-headed Grosbeak. — Common summer visitant to the valley. Guiraca cerulea lazula: Western Blue Grosbeak. — Rare summer visitant on the mesas. Cyanospiza amena: Lazuli Bunting. —Common summer visitant to the foothills and mesas. 1 Not yet acted on by A. O. U. committee. (F. M. B.) Lxii INTRODUCTION Piranga ludoviciana: Western Tanager.— Common summer visitant on the mountains ; common migrant on the mesas. Progne subis hesperia: Western Martin. — Fairly common summer visitant to the mountains. Petrochelidon lunifrons: Cliff Swallow. — Abundant migrant and summer visitant to the valley. Hirundo erythrogastra : Barn Swallow — Fairly common migrant through the valley. Tachycineta bicolor: Tree Swallow. — Common resident of the lowlands, a few wintering. Tachycineta thalassina lepida: Northern Violet-green Swallow. — Common summer visitant to the mountains; abundant migrant through the valley. Stelgidopteryx serripennis: Rough-winged Swallow. — Fairly common sum- mer visitant to the mesas. Ampelis cedrorum: Cedar Waxwing.—Common winter visitant to the valley. Phainopepla nitens: Phainopepla.— Common summer visitant to the mesas. Lanius ludovicianus gambeli: California Shrike. — Common resident of the valley. Vireo gilvus swainsoni:! Western Warbling Vireo.— Abundant migrant through the valley ; fairly common summer visitant locally. Vireo solitarius cassinii: Cassin Vireo. — Common summer visitant in the mountain canyons. Vireo huttoni: Hutton Vireo. — Fairly common resident of the oak regions. : Vireo pusillus : Least Vireo. — Common summer visitant to the valley. Helminthophila rubricapilla gutturalis : Calaveras Warbler.— Fairly com- mon migrant through the valley. Helminthophila celata lutescens : Lutescent Warbler. — Common migrant through the valley ; rare summer visitant to the foothills and canyons. Helminthophila celata sordida: Dusky Warbler. — Common fall visitant to the valley and foothills. Dendroica estiva morcomi:? Western Yellow Warbler.— Common sum- mer visitant to the willow bottoms and mountain canyons. Dendroica coronata: Myrtle Warbler. — Rare midwinter visitant to the valley. ‘Dendroica auduboni: Audubon Warbler.— Abundant winter visitant everywhere. Dendroica nigrescens : Black-throated Gray Warbler. — Common summer visitant to the mountains; migrant through the valley. Dendroica townsendi : Townsend Warbler. — Fairly common migrant over the mesas and foothills. Dendroica occidentalis : Hermit Warbler. — Fairly common migrant along the foothills and mesas. Geothlypis tolmiei : Tolmie Warbler. — Fairly common migrant along the foothills. Geothlypis trichas arizela: Pacific Yellow-throat.— Common resident of the lowlands and migrant along the foothills. Geothlypis trichas scirpicola :* Tule Yellow-throat. — Common resident of the lowlands. Icteria virens longicauda: Long-tailed Chat. Fairly common summer visitant to the willow bottoms. 1 Vireo gilvus of Check-List. (F. M. B.) 2 D. xstiva of Check-List. (F. M. B. 8 Not yet acted on by A. O. U. committee. (I. M. B.) INTRODUCTION Ixiii Wilsonia pusilla pileolata: Pileolated Warbler.— Abundant migrant through the valley; common summer visitant to the willow bottoms. Anthus pensilvanicus: American Pipit.— Common winter visitant to the lowlands. Cinclus mexicanus: American Dipper. — Rare resident of the mountain canyons. Mimus polyglottos leucopterus : Western Mockingbird. — Abundant resident of the valley, especially on the mesas. Toxostoma redivivum pasadenense: Pasadena Thrasher. — Common resi- dent of brush lands anywhere. Heleodytes brunneicapillus: Cactus Wren. — Rare resident locally on the mesas. Salpinctes obsoletus : Rock Wren. — Fairly common winter visitant to the valley. Catherpes mexicanus punctulatus: Dotted Canyon Wren. — Fairly common resident of the mountain canyons. Thryomanes bewickii charienturus : San Diegan Wren. — Common resident of the mountains ; common winter visitant to the brush lands in the valley. Troglodytes aédon parkmanii: Parkman Wren. — Fairly common summer visitant everywhere. Olbiorchilus hiemalis pacificus: Western Winter Wren. — Rare midwinter visitant to the mountains. Cistothorus palustris paludicola: Tule Wren.—Common resident of the lowland marshes. Certhia familiaris zelotes: Sierra Creeper. — Fairly common resident on the mountains. Sitta carolinensis aculeata: Slender-billed Nuthatch. Fairly common resi- dent on the mountains. Sitta canadensis : Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Irregular winter visitant to the mountains. Sitta pygmea: Pygmy Nuthatch. — Fairly common resident of the higher mountains. Parus inornatus : Plain Titmouse. — Common resident of the oak regions. Parus gambeli: Mountain Chickadee. — Common resident on the moun- tains. Chamea fasciata : Wren-Tit.— Common resident of brush lands every- where. Psaltriparus minimus californicus: California Bush-Tit. — Abundant resi- dent of the oak regions of the valley and foothills. Regulus satrapa olivaceus: Western Golden-crowned Kinglet.— Rare mid- winter visitant to the mountains and mesas. Regulus calendula: Ruby-crowned Kinglet.— Abundant winter visitant everywhere. Polioptila cerulea obscura: Western Gnatcatcher. — Common resident everywhere. Polioptila californica: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. — Rare resident locally on brushy mesas. Myadestes townsendii : Townsend Solitaire. — Fairly common winter visit- ant to the mountains. Hylocichla ustulata : Russet-backed Thrush. — Common summer visitant to the willow bottoms ; migrant along the foothills. Hylocichla guttata: Alaska Hermit Thrush.— Abundant winter visitant everywhere. aX Hylocichia guttata slevini:1 Monterey Hermit Thrush. — Rare spring migrant over the mesas. 1 Not yet acted on by A. O. U. committee. (F. M. B.) Ixiv INTRODUCTION Merula migratoria propinqua: Western Robin. — Common winter visitant to the valley. Ixoreus nevius meruloides: Northern Varied Thrush.— Common mid- winter visitant to the mountains and mesas. Stalia mexicana occidentalis: Western Bluebird. — Common summer visit- ant on the mountains ; common winter visitant to the valley. Sialia arctica: Mountain Bluebird. — Fairly common midwinter visitant to the valley. LIST OF THE BIRDS OF FORT SHERMAN, IDAHO. From Dr. J. C. Merrill’s Notes in The Auk, vol. xiv. 347-357, 1897, and vol. xv. 14-22, 1898. Fort Sherman is in northern Idaho, on Ceeur d’Aléne Lake, which is encircled by hills clad with conifers, and near the Coeur d’Aléne Mountains. The mouths of streams flowing into the lake afford flats with tules, water grasses, willows, and a few cottonwoods, which are frequented by land birds and a few marsh birds and ducks. At the southern end of the lake the marshy valley of the St. Joseph River affords good nesting and autumnal feeding ground for water birds. When the lake is open a few birds remain on it, going from it to the Spokane River when driven out by ice. The local cli- matic conditions somewhat resemble those of the Northern Cascade Range, and while the avifauna is essentially that of the Rocky Mountains it has Cascade Mountain elements. ichmophorus occidentalis : Western Grebe. — A single specimen taken. \ Colymbus holbellii: Holbell Grebe. — Resident, but most common during’, migrations. SOE podiceps : Pied-billed Grebe. — Common on the lake in spring and fall. Gavia imber : Loon. — Resident and quite common except in winter. Larus argentatus: Herring Gull. — Several taken on the lake during fall and winter. Larus delawarensis: Ring-billed Gull. — Fall and winter visitant. Larus philadelphia: Bonaparte Gull. — One taken and several seen in No- vember. Sterna. — A small white tern breeds about the lake, but no specimens were taken. Phalacrocorax dilophus cincinatus: White-crested Cormorant. — Several cormorants, probably of this form, were seen in September. Merganser americanus : Merganser. — Common during fall and winter. Merganser serrator : Red-breasted Merganser. — A single specimen taken. Lophodytes cucullatus : Hooded Merganser. —'The most abundant of the mergansers, frequenting especially the rivers, and in the fall collecting in flocks of forty or fifty individuals. Anas boschas: Mallard. —'The commonest duck of the vicinity, a few re- maining throughout the winter. Mareca americana: Baldpate.— Common fall visitant on marshes at southern end of lake. INTRODUCTION lxv Nettion carolinensis : Green-winged Teal. — Quite common, especially dur- ing migrations. Querquedula cyanoptera: Cinnamon Teal. — Rare; a female with several young two or three days old seen, June 11. Spatula clypeata : Shoveller.— Common; breeds in St. Joseph marshes. Dafila acuta: Pintail. — Common migrant. Aix sponsa: Wood Duck. — Common summer visitor, especially abun- dant in early fall. Aythya collaris: Ring-necked Duck. — Seems to be more common than the other ‘ blue-bills,’ one or both of which occur but were not certainly identified. Clangula islandica : Barrow Golden-eye. — Abundant throughout the win- ter; all the golden-eyes seen were of this species, although the other doubtless occurs. Charitonetta albeola: Buffle-head. — Common during winter. Histrionicus histrionicus : Harlequin Duck. — Rare, but occasionally taken on the St. Joseph and Ceur d’Aléne rivers. pane Jamaicensis : Ruddy Duck.— Not uncommon in spring and all. Chen sp. ?: Ross Snow Goose. — Reported by hunters, but decidedly rare. Anser albifrons gambeli : White-fronted Goose. — Reported by hunters, but rare. Branta canadensis: Canada Goose.— Common in spring, rare in fall. Most abundant goose, especially on prairie at southern end of lake; a few nest near the lake; on the fall flight they and many of the ducks pass south over the open prairie fifty miles west of the lake. Olor sp.? —In spring swans are sometimes quite common on lake and marshes. No specimens taken. Botaurus lentiginosus: Bittern.— Rather common in suitable localities about the lake. Grus mexicana: Sandhill Crane. — Not uncommon migrant; a few prob- ably breed. Porzana carolina : Sora.— Not rare in marshes; breeds. Fulica americana : Coot. — Common, especially in autumn. Phalaropus lobatus : Northern Phalarope. — Common fall migrant. Recurvirostra americana: Avocet.— A pair seen and one taken in Sep- tember. Gallinago delicata: Wilson Snipe. — Usually rather uncommon migrant. Macrorhamphus griseus: Dowitcher. — Five taken in September on St. Jo- seph marshes. Tringa maculata: Pectoral Sandpiper. —Common in 1896 from last of August till early October. Tringa minutilla ; Least Sandpiper. — Three taken in August. Ereunetes occidentalis: Western Sandpiper. — One taken with the least sandpipers. Totanus melanoleucus: Greater Yellow-legs. — Rather common fall mi- grant; one heard in June. Helodromas solitarius : Solitary Sandpiper. — A young bird taken in August. Bartramia longicauda: Bartramian Sandpiper. — Breeds not uncommonly on prairie north of fort. Aetitis macularia : Spotted Sandpiper. — Common summer visitor. Numenius longirostris: Long-billed Curlew. — Not uncommon on prairie. Squatarola squatarola: Black-bellied Plover. — Four taken in September on St. Joseph marshes. lxvi INTRODUCTION Charadrius dominicus: Golden Plover. — Usually rare. ee : Aigialitis vocifera: Killdeer. — A few pairs breed on the prairie near the Spokane River. : Dendragapus obscurus richardsonii: Richardson Grouse. — Occasionally found about the fort; breeds from lake level to top of mountains. Canachites franklinii : Franklin Grouse. — Common in surrounding woods. Bonasa umbellus togata: Canadian Ruffed Grouse. — Exceedingly abun- dant. Pedicecetes phasianellus columbianus: Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse. — Quite common, particularly about ranches on prairie north of fort ; win- ters in pine woods. is Zenaidura macroura: Mourning Dove. — Not common, but generally dis- tributed. : Cathartes aura: Turkey Vulture. — A few seen at intervals during the summer. Circus hudsonius: Marsh Hawk. — Not uncommon in autumn. Accipiter velox: Sharp-shinned Hawk.— One taken in May. | Accipiter atricapillus: Goshawk.— Rather common in migrations and winter, and probably breeds. Buteo swainsoni: Swainson Hawk. — A young’ bird taken in September. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis: Rough-legged Hawk. — Occasionally seen in spring and fall. Aquila chrysaétos: Golden Eagle. — Occurs sparingly throughout the year. Halicetus leucocephalus: Bald Eagle. — A few pairs breed about the lake ; an adult seen in February. Falco mexicanus: Prairie Faleon.— Rare; taken in September. Falco richardsonii : Richardson Merlin. — Taken in August and October. Falco sparverius deserticola: Desert Sparrow Hawk. — Summer resi- dent. Pandion haliaétus carolinensis: Fish Hawk. — Frequently seen in summer. Asio wilsonianus: Long-eared Owl. — A single specimen examined. Asio accipitrinus: Short-eared Owl.— Often flushed on prairie and marshes. Nyctala tengmalmi richardsoni: Richardson Owl. — Three specimens seen. Nyctala acadica: Saw-whet Owl. — A specimen taken in January. Notes frequently heard in spring. Megascops asio subsp. ? — Screech owls occasionally heard, doubtless mac- farlanet. Apparently quite rare. : Bubo virginianus pallescens : Western Horned Owl. Bubo virginianus saturatus: Dusky Horned Owl.— Both forms of the great horned owl occur commonly. Nyctea nyctea: Snowy Owl. — Irregular winter visitor. Glaucidium gnoma: Pygmy Owl. — A not uncommon resident. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis : California Cuckoo. — One seen in July. Ceryle aleyon: Belted Kingfisher. — Common in summer ; a few winter. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus: Cabanis Woodpecker. — Abundant in win- ter; breeds sparingly. d Dryobates pubescens homorus: Batchelder Woodpecker. — Rather uncom- mon resident. Xenopicus albolarvatus : White-headed Woodpecker. — Rare resident. sg arcticus: Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. — Fairly common resi- ent. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis: Red-naped Sapsucker. — A few pairs breed among the cottonwoods. INTRODUCTION lxvii splat thyroideus: Williamson Sapsucker. — Seen near Cour éne. Ceophleus pileatus abieticola: Pileated Woodpecker. — Rather common resident. Melanerpes torquatus : Lewis Woodpecker. — Summer resident, breeding in cottonwoods and pines. seen cafer collaris: Red-shafted Flicker.— Common summer resi- ent. Chordeiles virginianus : Nighthawk. — Common summer resident. ee vauxii: Vaux Swift.—Seen in May and July; some probably reed. Trochilus alexandri: Black-chinned Hummingbird. — Fairly common in spring; a few remain to breed. Selasphorus rufus: Rufous Hummingbird.— Common spring migrant; probably breeds. Stellula calliope : Calliope Hummingbird. — Common summer resident. Tyrannus tyrannus : Kingbird. — Fairly common summer resident. Tyrannus verticalis: Arkansas Kingbird. — Rare; a pair or two breed near the fort. Sayornis saya: Say Flycatcher. — Common at Coeur d’Aléne. et borealis: Olive-sided Flycatcher. — Breeds sparingly on hill- sides. Contopus richardsonii : Western Wood Pewee. — Very common in pines and cottonwoods. Empidonax hammondi: Hammond Flycatcher. — Common summer resi- dent among cottonwoods and willows along the river and near swamps. ee wrightii: Wright Flycatcher.— A single specimen taken in ay. Otocoris alpestris arcticola: Pallid Horned Lark. —One specimen taken in September. Otocoris alpestris merrilli: Dusky Horned Lark.— Common in spring and summer. e Pica pica hudsonica: Magpie. — Not uncommon in winter. Cyanocttta stelleri annectens : Black-headed Jay. — Fairly common in spring and fall, a few wintering. Perisoreus canadensis capitalis : Rocky Mountain Jay. — Rather common resident. Corvus corax sinuatus: Raven. — Probably resident. Corvus americanus: Crow.— Common during migrations, a few pairs breeding. Nucifraga columbiana: Clarke Nutcracker. — Irregular visitant; abun- dant in good pine cone winters. : Dolichonyx oryzivorus: Bobolink. — Breeds on St. Joseph River. Molothrus ater: Cowbird. — Rare. Agelaius pheniceus caurinus : Northwestern Red-wing. — Breeds sparingly about the lake. Sturnella magna neglecta: Western Meadowlark. — Common in summer. Icterus bullocki: Bullock Oriole. — Breeds sparingly in cottonwoods along the river. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus: Brewer Blackbird. — A few breed along the river. Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus : Western Evening Grosbeak. — Proba- bly common, but irregular summer visitor. Carpodacus cassini : Cassin Finch. — Abundant summer resident. Loxia curvirostra minor: Crossbill. — Irregular visitor, breeding in hills. Ixviii INTRODUCTION Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis: Hepburn Leucosticte.— Apparently an irregular fall and winter visitant. Acanthis linaria: Redpoll. — Winter visitant. Astragalinus tristis : Goldfinch. — A fairly common summer resident. Spinus pinus: Pine Siskin. — Resident. Passerina nivalis : Snowflake. — An irregular winter visitor. Calcarius lapponicus: Lapland Longspur.— A single specimen taken in November. Poccetes gramineus confinis: Western Vesper Sparrow.— Breeds spar- ingly. Sennen sandwichensis alaudinus : Western Savanna Sparrow. — Com- mon migrant, a few breeding. Ammodramus leconteti: Leconte Sparrow. — A single specimen taken. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii: Gambel Sparrow. — Fairly common mi- grant. Spizella monticola ochracea: Western Tree Sparrow. — Rare in winter. Spizella socialis arizone: Western Chipping Sparrow. — One of the com- monest summer residents. Junco hyemalis connectens : Intermediate Junco. — Migrant. Melospiza fasciata merrilli: Merrill Song Sparrow. — Common summer visitor. Passerella iliaca schistacea : Slate-colored Sparrow. — Rare migrant. Pipilo maculatus megalonyx: Spurred Towhee. — Generally but sparingly distributed in summer. Zamelodia melanocephala: Black-headed Grosbeak. — Not uncommon. Cyanospiza amena: Lazuli Bunting. — Not common. - Piranga ludoviciana : Louisiana Tanager. — Common in migrations ; a few breed. Petrochelidon lunifrons : Cliff Swallow. — Common summer visitor. Hirundo erythrogastra: Barn Swallow. — Occasionally seen near prairie in summer. Tachycineta bicolor : White-bellied Swallow. — Breeds abundantly in cot- tonwoods. Riparia riparia: Bank Swallow. — Breeds on Ceur d’Aléne River. Ampelis garrulus : Bohemian Waxwing. — Irregular winter visitant. Ampelis cedrorum: Cedar Waxwing. — Common summer resident. Lanius borealis : Northern Shrike. — Common in fall; a,few winter. Vireo olivaceus: Red-eyed Vireo. — Abundant summer visitor. Vireo gilvus: Warbling Vireo. — Breeds somewhat sparingly. Vireo solitarius cassinii : Cassin Vireo. — Breeds in moderate numbers. Helminthophila rubricapilla gutturalis : Calaveras Warbler. — Breeds. i celata lutescens: Lutescent Warbler. — Several taken in ay. Dendroica estiva: Yellow Warbler. — Abundant summer resident. Dendroica auduboni: Audubon Warbler. — Summer resident. Dendroica townsendi: Townsend Warbler. — Breeds. Geothlypis tolmiei : Macgillivray Warbler. — Breeds rather commonly. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis : Western Yellow-throat. — Breeds sparingly. Acteria virens longicauda: Long-tailed Chat. — Common at Coeur d’Aléne. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata: Pileolated Warbler. — Occasional migrant. Setophaga ruticilla : Redstart. — Abundant summer visitor. Anthus pensilvanicus: Pipit. — Rare in spring, abundant in fall. Cinclus mexicanus : Dipper. — Fairly common. Galeoscoptes carolinensis: Catbird. — Common summer visitor. Salpinctes obsoletus : Rock Wren. — A pair found, eyidently nesting. INTRODUCTION lxix Troglodytes aédon parkmanii: Parkman Wren. — Breeds rather commonly. Olbiorchilus hiemalis pacificus: Western Winter Wren. — Rather common resident. Cistothorus palustris paludicola: Tule Wren. — Rare in fall. Certhia familiaris montana: Rocky Mountain Creeper.— Abundant in winter. Sitta carolinensis aculeata: Slender-billed Nuthatch. — Breeds rather sparingly. ‘ Sitta canadensis: Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Common winter resident, breeding less plentifully near the fort. Sitta pygmea: Pygmy Nuthatch. — Most abundant resident. Parus atricapillus : Chickadee. — A common resident. Parus gambeli: Mountain Chickadee. — Abundant resident. Parus rufescens : Chestnut-backed Chickadee. — Resident. Regulus satrapa olivaceus: Western Golden-crowned Kinglet. — Resident. Regulus calendula: Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — Summer resident. Myadestes townsendii : Solitaire. — Not uncommon migrant, one pair found breeding. Hylocichla fuscescens salicicola: Willow Thrush. — Rather common sum- mer resident among’ cottonwoods. Hylocichla ustulata alme : Alma Thrush. — Breeds rather commonly about the lake and on mountain. Merula migratoria propinqua : Western Robin. — Abundant summer resident. Ixoreus nevius: Varied Thrush. — Migrant. Sialia mexicana bairdi: Chestnut-backed Bluebird. — Abundant summer resident. Sialia arctica : Mountain Bluebird. —Summer resident. LIST OF BIRDS OF CHEYENNE AND VICINITY. By Frank Bonn. Cheyenne is located in the midst of the Great Plains region, a little over 6000 feet above the ocean, with an annual rainfall of thirteen inches. The plains around Cheyenne are drained by streams fringed by cottonwoods and willows which attract the migrants. One of these streams flows through the city, which by persistent arboriculture has been made an immense grove of trees, an oasis in the desert. Five small lakes, from within the city limits to a mile and a half beyond, offer resting places to waterfowl of all descrip- tions. The mountain range twenty miles west of the city, acting as a barrier to flight, completes the conditions which give Cheyenne a peculiar and diversified avifauna. The list covers a radius of about three miles from the city limits. A&chmophorus occidentalis : Western Grebe. — Rare visitant. Colymbus holbellii : Holbeell Grebe. — Rare visitant. Colymbus nigricollis californicus : Eared Grebe. — Common during migra- tions. Gavia imber : Loon. — Not common but tolerably regular visitor during migrations. Ixx INTRODUCTION Larus argentatus: Herring Gull. — Rare visitor. ! Larus delawarensis : Ring-billed Gull. — Common during migrations. Larus philadelphia: Bonaparte Gull.— Regular but not very common visitor. ; Sterna forsteri: Forster Tern. — Rare visitor. Sterna hirundo : Common Tern. — Occasional visitor. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis : Black Tern. — Regular visitor. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos : White Pelican. — Occasional visitor. Pelecanus occidentalis : Brown Pelican. — One specimen taken in 1900. Merganser americanus: Merganser. — Not common; sometimes winters at springs in Laramie County. Lophodytes cucullatus : Hooded Merganser. — Rare. Anas boschas: Mallard. — Common migrant. Chaulelasmus streperus: Gadwall. — Common. Mareca americana: Baldpate. — Common. Nettion carolinensis : Green-winged Teal. — Common. Querquedula discors: Blue-winged Teal. — Common. Querquedula cyanoptera: Cinnamon Teal. — Occasional on city reservoirs. Spatula clypeata: Shoveller.— Common. The blue and green winged teal and the shoveller breed commonly in suitable localities a few miles from town. Dafila acuta: Pintail. — Common. Aix sponsa: Wood Duck. — Very rare visitor. Aythya americana: Redhead. —Common migrant. lythya vallisneria : Canvas-back. — Common migrant, but not so common as the redhead. Aythya marila: Scaup Duck. — Not common. Aythya affinis : Lesser Scaup Duck. — Rare. Aythya collaris: Ring-necked Duck. — Not common. Clangula clangula americana: American Golden-eye. — Rare. Clangula islandica: Barrow Golden-eye. — Rare. Charitonetta albeola: Buffle-head. — Tolerably common. Oidemia americana : Scoter.— Rare. Erismatura jamaicensis : Ruddy Duck. — Very common migrant. Chen hyperborea : Lesser Snow Goose. — Rare visitor. Anser aibefrons gambeli : White-fronted Goose. — Rare visitor. Branta canadensis : Canada Goose. — Not common. Branta canadensis hutchinsii: Hutchins Goose. — Common for the species. Olor columbianus : Whistling Swan. — Rare. Ardea herodias : Great: Blue Heron. — Common, for the species. Nycticorax nycticorax nevius: Black-crowned Night Heron. — Not com- mon, Porzana carolina: Sora. — Tolerably common. Fulica americana : Coot. — Very common. Phalaropus lobatus : Northern Phalarope. — Rare. Steganopus tricolor: Wilson Phalarope. — Tolerably common; breeds abundantly on Laramie plains fifty miles west of Cheyenne. Recurvirostra americana: Avocet. —Tolerably common for the species during migrations. Gallinago delicata : Wilson Snipe. — Not very common. Macrorhamphus scolopaceus : Long-billed Dowitcher. — Rare. Micropalama himantopus : Stilt Sandpiper. — Very rare. Tringa bairdii: Baird Sandpiper. — Very common. Tringa minutilla : Least Sandpiper. — Very common. Limosa fedoa: Marbled Godwit.— Tolerably common. INTRODUCTION lxxi Totanus melanoleucus : Greater Yellow-legs. — Rare. Totanus flavipes : Yellow-legs. — Tolerably common. Symphemia semipalmata inornata : Western Willet. — Common migrant. Bartramia longicauda: Bartramian Sandpiper. — Not common. Actitis macularia : Spotted Sandpiper. — Common; breeds. Numenius longirostris : Long-billed Curlew. — Common migrant. Squatarola squatarola: Black-bellied Plover. — Rare. Charadrius dominicus: Golden Plover. — Rare. Aigialitis vocifera: Killdeer.— Common; breeds. Aigialitis semipalmata: Semipalmated Plover. — Rare. Aigialitis meloda circumcincta: Belted Piping Plover. — Rare. Aigialitis nivosa: Snowy Plover. — Rare. Aigialitis montana : Mountain Plover. — Common. Zenaidura macroura: Mourning Dove.— Common; breeds. Cathartes aura: Turkey Vulture. — Rare. Accipiter velox; Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Tolerably common. Accipiter cooperii : Cooper Hawk. — Not common. Buteo borealis calurus : Western Red-tail. — Not common. Buteo swainsoni : Swainson Hawk. — Tolerably common. Archibuteo ferrugineus : Ferruginous Rough-leg. — Common. Halicetus leucocephalus : Bald Eagle. — Rare. Falco mexicanus : Prairie Faleon. — Common. Falco peregrinus anatum: Duck Hawk. — Rare. Falco sparverius : Sparrow Hawk. — Common; breeds. Pandion haliaétus carolinensis : Osprey.— Not common. Asio wilsonianus : Long-eared Owl. — Common. Asio accipitrinus : Short-eared Owl. — Rare. Nyctala acadica: Saw-whet Owl. — Not common. Nyctea nyctea: Snowy Owl. — Rare. Speotyto cunicularia hypogea: Burrowing Owl. Common; breeds. eryle alcyon: Belted Kingfisher. — Tolerably common. Sphyrapicus thyroideus : Williamson Sapsucker. — Rare. Melanerpes erythrocephalus: Red-headed Woodpecker. — Tolerably com- mon. Melanerpes torquatus : Lewis Woodpecker. — Occasional visitor. Colaptes cafer collaris: Red-shafted Flicker.— The most common wood- pecker. Phalenoptilus nuttallii : Poor-will. — Not common. Chordeiles virgintanus henryi : Western Nighthawk. — Common. Selasphorus platycercus: Broad-tailed Hummingbird. — Not very common. Selasphorus rufus: Rufous Hummingbird. — Not very common. Tyrannus tyrannus : Kingbird. — Common ; breeds. Tyrannus verticalis: Arkansas Kingbird.— Most common kingbird ; breeds. Tyrannus vociferans : Cassin Kingbird. — Not common. Myiarchus cinerascens : Ash-throated Flycatcher. — Rare. Contopus borealis : Olive-sided Flycatcher. — Not common. Contopus richardsonii : Western Wood Pewee. — Tolerably common. Empidonax traillii: Traill Flycatcher. — Rare. | Empidonax minimus: Least Flycatcher. — Tolerably common. Pica pica hudsonica : Magpie. — Rare in the city. Cyanocitta stelleri diademata : Long-crested Jay. — Rare in the city. Nucifraga columbiana : Clarke Nutcracker. — Autumnal flocks of young tolerably common. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus: Pifion Jay. — Regular autumn visitor, some- times wintering. lxxii INTRODUCTION Dolichonyzx oryzivorus : Bobolink. — Occasional summer resident. Molothrus ater: Cowbird. — Common summer resident. Xanthocephalus sxanthocephalus: Yellow-headed Blackbird.— Not com- mon. ; Agelaius pheniceus : Red-winged Blackbird. — Common summer resident. Sturnella magna neglecta : Western Meadowlark. — Common summer resi- ent. Icterus bullocki : Bullock Oriole: Tolerably common summer resident. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus : Brewer Blackbird. — Common. Quiscalus quiscula ceneus : Bronzed Grackle. — Rare. ss Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus: Western Evening Grosbeak. — Visit- ant; does not breed. : Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis: House Finch. — Abundant summer resi- dent; sometimes also winter resident. . Leucosticte tephrocotis: Gray-crowned Leucosticte. — Frequent winter visitor. Acanthis linaria: Redpoll. — Occasional winter visitor. Astragalinus tristis: Goldfinch. — Common summer resident. Astragalinus psaliria : Arkansas Goldfinch. — One taken in Cheyenne. Spinus pinus: Pine Siskin. — Regular autumn visitor. Passerina. nivalis: Snowflake. — Regular winter visitor, often in very large flocks. Calcarius ornatus: Chestnut-collared Longspur.— Summer resident; not common. Rhynchophanes mccownti: McCown Longspur.— Abundant summer resi- dent. Poecetes gramineus confinis: Western Vesper Sparrow. — Common mi- grant; probably breeds near. Ammodramus sandwichensis alaudinus : Western Savanna Sparrow. — Com- mon migrant. Chondestes grammacus strigatus : Western Lark Sparrow. — Common mi- grant. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii : Gambel Sparrow. — Common migrant. Spizella monticola ochracea : Western Tree Sparrow. —Common migrant. Spizella socialis arizone : Western Chipping Sparrow. — Tolerably com- mon migrant. Spizella pallida; Clay-colored Sparrow. — Common ; probably breeds. Spizella breweri: Brewer Sparrow. — Tolerably common. Junco hyemalis : Slate-colored Junco. — Tolerably common. Junco hyemalis connectens : Intermediate Junco. — Tolerably common. Junco mearnsi: Pink-sided Junco.— Common migrant. Amphispiza belli nevadensis : Sage Sparrow. — Rare visitor. Melospiza melodia montana: Mountain Song Sparrow. — Tolerably com- mon migrant. Melospiza lincolnii : Lincoln Sparrow. — Common migrant. Oreospiza chlorura : Green-tailed Towhee. — Common migrant. Zamelodia melanocephala : Black-headed Grosbeak. — Occasional city vis- itor only. Cyanospiza amena: Lazuli Bunting. — Summer resident; not many nest. Calamospiza melanocorys : Lark Bunting. — Abundant; breeds. Piranga ludoviciana: Louisiana Tanager.-— Common migrant. Piranga erythromelas : Scarlet Tanager. — Rare visitor. Progne subis: Purple Martin. — Rare visitor. Petrochelidon lunifrons : Cliff Swallow. — Common; breeds. Hirundo erythrogastra: Barn Swallow. — Common; breeds. INTRODUCTION Ixxiii Tachycineta bicolor : White-bellied Swallow. — Not very common. Riparia riparia: Bank Swallow. — Tolerably common. Stelgidopteryx serripennis : Rough-winged Swallow. — Tolerably common. Ainpelis garrulus : Bohemian Waxwing. — Rare. Ampelis cedrorum: Cedar Waxwing. — Rare. Lanius borealis: Northern Shrike. — Regular winter visitor. Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides: White-rumped Shrike. — Common sum- mer resident. Vireo olivaceus: Red-eyed Vireo. — Not common. Vireo gilvus swainsoni : | Western Warbling Vireo. — Common. Helminthophila celata : Orange-crowned Warbler. — Common migrant. Helminthophila peregrina: Tennessee Warbler. — Rare. Compsothlypis americana usnee : Northern Parula Warbler. — Rare. Dendroica estiva: Yellow Warbler. — Common summer resident. Dendroica coronata : Yellow-rumped Warbler. — Common migrant. Dendroica auduboni: Audubon Warbler. — Common migrant. Dendroica striata: Black-poll Warbler. — Tolerably common migrant. Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis : Grinnell Water-Thrush. — Rare visitor. Geothlypis tolmiei : Macgillivray Warbler. — Common migrant. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis. — Western Yellow-throat.— Common mi- rant. Seophage ruticilla: Redstart. — Tolerably common migrant. Anthus spragueii : Sprague Pipit. — Common migrant. Cinclus mexicanus': Dipper. — Rare visitor. Oroscoptes montanus : Sage Thrasher. — Common migrant. Mimus polyglottos leucopterus: Western Mockingbird. — Regular summer resident ; a few pairs breed. Galeoscoptes carolinensis : Catbird. — Tolerably common migrant. Toxostoma rufum : Brown Thrasher. — Common; breeds. Salpinctes obsoletus : Rock Wren. — Common migrant. Troglodytes aédon aztecus: Western House Wren. — Tolerably common migrant. Certhia familiaris montana: Rocky Mountain Creeper. — Casual visitor. Sitta carolinensis aculeata : Slender-billed Nuthatch. — Rare visitor. Sitta canadensis: Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Occasional visitor. Sitta pyymea: Pygmy Nuthatch. — Rare visitor. Parus gambeli: Mountain Chickadee.— A flock occasionally visits the city. eons calendula: Ruby-crowned Kinglet.— Tolerably regular spring migrant, Myadestes townsendii: Townsend Solitaire. — Regular migrant; tolerably common. Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni: Olive-backed Thrush. — Common migrant. Merula migratoria: Robin. — Tolerably common summer resident. Merula migratoria propingua : Western Robin. — Frequently winters. Sialia sialis: Bluebird. — Occasionally seen both in winter and in midsum- mer; may breed. Sialia arctica: Mountain Bluebird. — Abundant breeder for species. 1 V. gilvus of Check-List. (F. M. B.) lxxiv INTRODUCTION BIRDS OF PINAL, PIMA, AND GILA COUNTIES, ARIZONA. From W. E. D. Scott, in The Auk, vol. iii. 383, 421, 1886; vol. iv. 16, 196, 1887; vol. v. 29, 159, 1888. The region covered by Mr. Scott’s paper extends eighty miles north and forty miles south of Tucson. The Santa Catalina Moun- tains form its backbone, and the Gila, Santa Cruz, and San Pedro rivers flow through it. The region about Tucson is a plain of about 2300 feet altitude, arid and cactus-grown except where it is watered by springs and sporadic streams which support cottonwoods and other trees. The Florence region in the valley of the Gila is similar to that about Tucson. At Riverside the valley is much narrower. Mineral Creek rises at about 5000 feet altitude in the Pinal Moun- tains, The birds of the entire region may be divided into birds of the plains and valleys, birds of the oak belt, and birds of the pine re- gions, though of course the species shift back and forth, the vertical migration being here as important as the north and south migra- tions. Podilymbus podiceps: Pied-billed Grebe. — Two taken by Mr. Herbert Brown near Tucson in February. Gavia lumme : Red-throated Loon. — One taken in December near Tucson. Merganser americanus: Merganser.— Seen at San Pedro River in Jan- uary. Lophodytes cucullatus: Hooded Merganser.— One taken by Mr. Brown near Tucson in December. Anas boschas: Mallard. — One of the commonest ducks about Tucson in fall and winter. Chaulelasmus streperus: Gadwall.— One taken by Mr. Brown near Tuc- son. Mareca americana: Baldpate. — Found on San Pedro River in small flocks in January. Nettion carolinensis: Green-winged Teal. — Abundant about Tucson at times during the winter (Brown). Querquedula discors: Blue-winged Teal.— A few seen on San Pedro River; uncommon about Tueson (Brown). Querquedula cyanoptera : Cinnamon Teal. — Common winter visitant about Tueson (Brown). Spatula clypeata : Shoveller.— Common about Tucson in winter (Brown). Dafila acuta ; Pintail. — Not uncommon on San Pedro River in March. Aythya americana : Redhead. — Common about Tucson in winter (Brown), and found in small flocks on San Pedro River in January. Aythya vallisneria : Canvas-back. — A small flock seen on San Pedro in January. Aythya marila: Scaup Duck. — Rather common on San Pedro River in winter. Aythya affinis: Lesser Seaup Duck.— A few seen on the San Pedro in January. INTRODUCTION lxxv Charitonetta albeola: Buffle-head.— One taken in December near Tucson, and one on San Pedro in January. Erismatura jamaicensis : Ruddy Duck. — Not uncommon about Tucson at times. Branta canadensis (subsp.? ): Canada Goose. — Three seen on pond near the San Pedro in January. Plegadis autumnalis: Glossy Ibis. — Not infrequent about bottom lands near Tucson (Brown). Pega guarauna: White-faced Glossy Ibis.— Common in May near ‘ucson. Tantalus loculator : Wood Ibis. — Rather common on Gila and San Pedro rivers most of the, year. Botaurus lentiginosus : Bittern. — Rare about Tucson (Brown). Ardea herodias : Great Blue Heron. — Rather common resident. Ardea egretta : Egret. — Rather common about Tucson in May. Ardea candidissima : Snowy Heron. — Five seen near Tucson in May. Ardea virescens anthonyi : Anthony Green Heron. — Rather rare about Tucson (Brown). Nycticorax nycticorax nevius: Black-crowned Night Heron. — Rather rare about Tucson (Brown) ; found on the Santa Cruz in May. Rallus virginianus: Virginia Rail. — One seen on the San Pedro in Jan- uary. Porzana carolina: Sora. — One taken at Tucson in April (Brown). Gallinula galeata: Florida Gallinule.— Not uncommon about Tucson (Brown) ; rare on San Pedro in late January. Fulica americana : Coot. — Common except in summer. Steganopus tricolor : Wilson Phalarope. — Common during migration about Tucson. Recurvirostra americana: Avocet. — Common at times in fall migration near Tucson (Brown). Gallinago delicata: Wilson Snipe. — Common in migrations about Tucson, a few wintering there and in San Pedro River region. Tringa minutilla: Least Sandpiper.— Common about Tucson in migra- tions (Brown). Tringa alpina pacifica: Red-backed Sandpiper.— Flocks seen in April near Tucson. Ereunetes occidentalis: Western Sandpiper. — Common migrant about Tucson. Limosa fedoa: Marbled Godwit (?). — A godwit probably of this species seen in Jannary on San Pedro River. Totanus melanoleucus: Greater Yellow-legs.— Two taken by Mr. Brown near Tucson in October. Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus: Western Solitary Sandpiper. — Not uncommon about Tucson in migrations. Actitis macularia : Spotted Sandpiper. — Occasional about Tucson in spring. Ni es longirostris: Long-billed Curlew. — Not common in migrations about Tucson (Brown). Afigialitis vocifera: Killdeer.— Common about Tueson in spring and fall, breeding in small numbers in the San Pedro region. Aigialitis semipalmata : Semipalmated Plover. — Doubtless common about Tucson in migrations. Colinus ridgwayi: Masked Bob-white. — Found by Mr. Brown in the Barboquivari Mountains. Callipepla squamata : Scaled Partridge. — Most abundant on the dry mesas of the San Pedro slope of the Santa Catalina Mountains. lxxvi INTRODUCTION Lophortyx gambelit : Gambel Partridge. — Common below 5000 feet. Cyrtonyx montezume mearnsi: Mearns Massena Partridge. — Common in oak regions of the mountains. Meleagris gallapavo merriami: Merriam Turkey. — Found on the San Pedro River and in oak and pine regions of the Catalina Mountains. Columba fasciata; Band-tailed Pigeon. — Common in Catalina Moun- tains. Zenaidura macroura: Mourning Dove. — Resident except in pine region. Melopelia leucoptera: White-winged Dove. — Generally distributed up to 39500 feet. Columbigallina passerina pallescens : Mexican Ground Dove. — Not uncom- mon about Tucson, Riverside, and Florence. ; Scardafella inca: Inca Dove.— Found at Tucson and Florence. Cathartes aura: Turkey Vulture. — Common at low altitudes throughout the year. Circus hudsonius : Marsh Hawk. — Recorded from Tucson in fall, winter, and spring. : Accipiter velox: Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Common in fall migration in o region of Santa Catalina range. Accipiter cooperii: Cooper Hawk. — Common resident. Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi: Harris Hawk.— One taken by Mr. Brown near Tucson. Buteo borealis calurus: Western Red Tail. — Abundant resident through- out the entire region. Buteo abbreviatus : Zone-tailed Hawk. — Breeds throughout the region. Buteo swainsoni: Swainson Hawk.— Common near Tueson in warmer part of year. Asturina plagiata : Mexican Goshawk.— Not uncommon in spring and summer about Tucson. Aquila chrysaétos : Golden Eagle. — Common resident above 4000 feet. Falco mexicanus: Prairie Faleon. — Rather common resident of the plains. Falco columbarius : Pigeon Hawk (?).— A small falcon seen at a distance in the Catalina pine region. Falco sparverius deserticola : Desert Sparrow Hawk. — Common resident up to 5000 feet. Breeds in woodpecker holes in giant cactus. Polyborus cheriway: Audubon Caracara. — Rather common about Tucson in warmer part of year; a few apparently resident. Pandion haliaétus carolinensis: Osprey.— Not uncommon along large watercourses. Strix pratincola : Barn Owl. — Three specimens taken near Tucson. Megascops trichopsis: Spotted Sereech Owl.— Common resident about Tucson ; also taken at Riverside and in Catalinas. Bubo virginianus pallescens : Western Horned Owl. — Common resident. Speotyto cunicularia hypogea: Burrowing Owl. — A colony reported from near Benson and another near Florence, but wnusual in region. Glaucidium phalenoides: Ferruginous Pygmy Owl.—Not uncommon about Tucson. Micropallas whitneyi : Elf Owl. — Commonest resident owl up to 5000 feet. Geococcyx californianus: Road-runner. — Common resident up to 4000 feet. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis : California Cuckoo. — Rare in June and July on San Pedro slope of Catalinas. Trogon (sp. ?).— A species of trogon undoubtedly occurs in Catalina Moun- tains. Reported. IN'TRODUCTION Ixxvii Ceryle alcyon: Belted Kingfisher. — Resident. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus: Cabanis Woodpecker. — Resident in pine forest ; winter visitor to lower altitudes. . Dryobates pubescens homorus : Batchelder Woodpecker. — One seen on Gila River. Dryobates scalaris bairdi: Texan Woodpecker. — Common below 4000 feet. Dryobates arizone : Arizona Woodpecker. — Not uncommon in Santa Ritas and Catalinas. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis : Red-naped Sapsucker. — Migrant. Sphyrapicus thyroideus: Williamson Sapsucker. — Found in pines of Cata- lina Mountains. Melanerpes formicivorus : Ant-eating Woodpecker. — Common resident of mountains down to 4000 feet. Melanerpes torquatus: Lewis Woodpecker. — Abundant though irregular migrant in Catalina Mountains at low altitudes. Melanerpes uropygialis : Gila Woodpecker. — Common resident, especially in giant cactus region, and occurs in numbers up to 4500 feet. Colaptes cafer collaris : Red-shafted Flicker. — Common throughout the region, but breeding above 6000 feet Colaptes chrysoides : Gilded Flicker.— Rather common resident in giant cactus belt. Antrostomus vociferus macromystax : Stephens Whip-poor-will.— A whip- poor-will, undoubtedly of this species, heard in the Catalinas. Phalenoptilus nuttallii: Poor-will.— An abundant migrant; breeds in mountain regions. Chordeiles virginianus henryi: Western Nighthawk. — Seen in Catalinas in early spring above 4000 feet. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis: Texan Nighthawk. — Abundant migrant below 4500 feet. Chetura vaurii : Vaux Swift. — Seen between 3000 and 4000 feet in the Catalinas in October. Aéronautes melanoleucus : White-throated Swift. — An abundant migrant; a few probably winter. Trochilus alexandri: Black-chinned Hummingbird. — Common summer resident in Catalina Mountains. Calypte coste : Costa Hummingbird. — Common in Catalinas. Calypte anna: Anna Hummingbird. — One seen in Catalina Mountains at 5000 feet in October. Selasphorus platycercus : Broad-tailed Hummingbird.— Common migrant, doubtless breeding in Catalinas. Selasphorus rufus: Rufous Hummingbird. — Probably breeds at higher altitudes in Catalinas; abundant in August and September from 4000 to 6000 feet. Selasphorus alleni : Allen Hummingbird. — One taken in Catalina Moun- tains. Stellula calliope: Calliope Hummingbird.— Two taken in Catalinas at 5000 feet. Tache latirostris : Broad-billed Hummingbird. —Summer resident in Cat- alina Mountains. Tyrannus verticalis: Arkansas Kingbird. — One of the commonest sum- mer resident birds of the plains, and common in April up to 9000 feet. Tyrannus vociferans: Cassin Kingbird. — Found in foothills about River- side and in Catalina Mountains. Myiarchus mexicanus magister: Arizona Crested Flycatcher. — Common in spring and summer about Tucson, Florence, Riverside, and the Catalinas up to 4500 feet. Ixxviii INTRODUCTION Myiarchus cinerascens : Ash-throated Flycatcher. — Abundant migrant and summer resident. Myiarchus lawrencet .olivascens : Olivaceous Flycatcher. — One taken at 5000 feet in Catalina Mountains; common in Santa Rita Mountains (Stephens). ; : Sayornis saya : Say Phebe. — Common winter resident, breeding sparingly in Catalina Mountains. Sayornis nigricans: Black Phebe. — Regular resident in valleys about watercourses, and summer resident of mountains. Contopus borealis : Olive-sided Flycatcher. — Rather common migrant in mountains. / Contopus pertinax pallidiventris : Coues Flycatcher. — Two recorded from the Catalinas. Contopus richardsonit : Western Wood Pewee. — Common summer resident in Catalina Mountains. Eimpidonax dificilis: Western Flycatcher.— Found in Catalinas from June till last of October. ° Empidonaz traillii : Traill Flycatcher. — Two taken in the Catalina Moun- tains. Empidonax hammondi: Hammond Flycatcher. — Migrant in Catalina Mountains. Empidonax wrightit : Wright Flycatcher. — Four taken in Catalina Moun- tains, 3500 to 4500 feet. Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus: Vermilion Flycatcher.— Resident at Tucson and Florence ; a few breeding up to 4500 feet in the Catalinas. Otocoris alpestris (subsp. ?): Horned Lark. — Found about Tucson in fall and winter. Cyanocitta stelleri diademata: Long-crested Jay. — Resident in pines in Catalina Mountains, descending to oak region in winter. Aphelocoma woodhouseii: Woodhouse Jay.— Common resident at head- waters of Mineral Creek and in foothills of the Catalinas. Aphelocoma sieberit arizone: Arizona Jay.— Abundant resident in oak region of Catalinas. Corvus corax sinuatus: Raven. — Common about Tucson throughout the year. Corvus cryptoleucus: White-necked Raven. — Common at times about Tucson and other points. Corvus americanus : Crow. — Large flocks seen in spring and fall on foot- hills of Catalinas. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus : Pition Jay. —Seen in oak belt of Catalinas. Molothrus ater obscurus : Dwarf Cowbird. — Common at Riverside and not uncommon about Tucson and Florence. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus: Yellow-headed Blackbird. — Abundant about Tucson, Florence, and valley of the San Pedro in winter. Agelaius pheniceus sonoriensis : Sonoran Red-wing. — Common resident. Sturnella magna hoopesi: Rio Grande Meadowlark. — Resident. Icterus parisorum : Scott Oriole. — Breeds near water, and on arid plains and mesas from 3000 to 8000 feet. Icterus cucullatus nelsoni: Arizona Hooded Oriole. — Common throughout the region, being absent only about four months, ranging in summer up to nearly 6000 feet. Icterus bullocki : Bullock Oriole. — Not uncommon about Tucson and Flor- ence; rare in the Catalinas, Scolecophagus cyanocephalus : Brewer Blackbird. — Abundant winter resi- dent below 3000 feet. INTRODUCTION lxxix Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus : Western Evening Grosbeak. — Seen in pine woods of Catalinas. Carpodacus purpureus californicus : California Purple Finch. — Large flocks seen in Catalina Mountains in fall and winter of 1885. Carpodacus cassini : Cassin Purple Finch. — Seen in Catalinas in winter. Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis: House Finch. — Abundant summer resi- dent ; less common winter resident. Loxia curvirostra stricklandi : Mexican Crossbill. — Irregularly abundant in Catalinas. Astragalinus tristis pallidus: Western Goldfinch.—Seen in Catalinas in winter. Astragalinus psaliria: Arkansas Goldfinch. — Nomadic and not very com- mon in the Catalinas. Astragalinus psaltria arizone: Arizona Goldfinch. — Less common than the Arkansas. Astragalinus lawrencei: Lawrence Goldfinch. — One taken by Mr. Brown in February. Spinus pinus: Pine Siskin. —Common and at times an abundant winter visitor in the Catalinas. Calcarius ornatus : Chestnut-collared Longspur. — A large flock seen in November on mesa of Catalina foothills. Poeecetes gramineus confinis: Western Vesper Sparrow. — Migrant in Cat- alina region. Ammodramus sandwichensis alaudinus : Western Savanna Sparrow. — Oc- curs rather sparingly about Tucson in fall, winter, and spring (Brown). Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus : Western Grasshopper Sparrow. — Apparently rather an uncommon resident of the mesas of the Catalina foothills. Chondestes grammacus strigatus : Western Lark Sparrow. — Resident about Tucson and common in the Catalina region up to 5000 feet in the warmer months. Zonotrichia leucophrys : White-crowned Sparrow. — Apparently rare. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelit : Intermediate Sparrow. — Winter resident. Spizella socialis arizone : Western Chipping sparrow. — In Catalinas ; rare in summer, abundant in fall, winter, and spring. Spizella pallida: Clay-colored Sparrow. — Seen at Mineral Creek in Octo- ber, November, and March. Spizella atrogularis : Black-chinned Sparrow. — Apparently rare. Junco hyemalis: Slate-colored Junco. — Rare, but of regular occurrence in the Catalina region. Junco hyemalis connectens : Intermediate Junco.— Common winter resident. Junco mearnsi: Pink-sided Junco. — Apparently not very common in the Catalinas. Junco caniceps : Gray-headed Junco. — Common in winter in foothill region of the Catalinas. Junco pheonotus palliatus : Arizona Junco. — Found in Catalinas and Pinal mountains in pine woods in fall and winter. Junco pheonotus dorsaiis : Red-backed Junco. — Three specimens taken in the Catalinas. Amphispiza bilineata deserticola: Desert Sparrow. — Common resident of the foothill region of the Catalinas, and abundant about Tucson. Amphispiza belli nevadensis : Sage Sparrow. — One seen in Catalina Moun- tains; not common at Tucson. A number seen on low mesa near the San Pedro in November. Aimophila carpalis : Rufous-winged Sparrow. — Common in Catalina foot- hills in migrations, 3000 to 4500 feet. Ixxx INTRODUCTION Aimophila ruficeps scottii: Scott Sparrow.— Resident in the Catalinas down to 3000 feet in winter. Melospiza melodia fallax: Desert Song Sparrow. — Apparently resident about Tueson. Melospiza melodia montana : Mountain Song Sparrow. — Not uncommon on San Pedro River in January; irregular winter visitor about Tucson. Melospiza lincolnii : Lincoln Sparrow. — Regular migrant in the Catalina Mountains ; a few probably winter. Pipilo maculatus megalonyx : Spurred Towhee.— Common resident of the Catalinas, breeding above 5U00 feet. Prpilo fuscus mesoleucus : Canyon Towhee. — Common resident throughout the entire region, ranging up to pine forests in warmer months. Pipilo aberti : Abert Towhee. — Resident about Tucson and Florence. Oreospiza chlorura: Green-tailed Towhee. — Common migrant in the Catalinas, a few wintering. Cardinalis cardinalis superbus : Arizona Cardinal. — Generally distributed, ranging up to about 5000 feet. Pyrrhuloxia sinuata: Arizona Pyrrhuloxia. — Rare or casual in foothills of the Catalinas. Rather common about Tucson. Zamelodia melanocephala : Black-headed Grosbeak. — Found breeding at 5000 feet at Mineral Creek ; found also in Catalina Mountains. Guiraca cerulea lazula: Western Blue Grosbeak. — Rather rare about Tucson in spring (Brown). Cyanospiza amena: Lazuli Bunting. — Found at Mineral Creek and in Catalinas; breeds, but not commonly, about Tucson. Spiza americana: Dickcissel. — One taken near Tucson in September by Mr. Brown. ; Calamospiza melanocorys: Lark Bunting. —Seen nearly throughout the year, sometimes in enormous flocks. Piranga ludoviciana: Louisiana '‘Tanager.— Summer resident in pine forests of the mountains. Piranga hepatica : Hepatic Tanager. — Summer resident in the oak regions. Piranga rubra cooperi : Cooper Tanager. — Common sunmer resident about ‘Tucson, Riverside, Florence, Mineral Creek, and the San Pedro Valley. A few breed in the Catalinas. Progne subis hesperia: Western Martin. — Rather uncommon about Tucson. Petrochelidon lunifrons : Eave Swallow. — Seen in numbers about Riverside in April. Hirundo erythrogastra : Barn Swallow. —Common migrant. Breeds spar- ingly in the Catalinas at 5000 feet. Tachycineta bicolor : Tree Swallow. — Rare about Tucson (Brown). Tachycineta thalassina lepida: Violet-green Swallow. —Commonest swal- low of the Catalinas. Riparia riparia: Bank Swallow. — Breeds about Fort Lowell (Brown). Stelgidopteryx serripennis: Rough-winged Swallow. — Rather rare about Tyeson (Brown). Has cedrorum: Cedar Waxwing. — Taken near Tucson in May and une. Phainopepla nitens: Phainopepla. — Summer resident to about 5000 feet. Winters in small numbers from Tneson southward. Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides: White-rumped Shrike. — Resident to about 5500 feet. Vireo gilvus: Warbling Vireo. — Common migrant. A few breed in the Catalinas as low as 3500 feet. Vireo solitarius cassinii: Cassin Vireo. — Rather uncommon migrant in the Catalinas. INTRODUCTION lxxxi Vireo solitarius plumbeus: Plumbeous Vireo. — Undoubtedly breeds in the mountains above 7UOU feet. Vireo huttont stephensi : Stephens Vireo.— Four specimens taken in the mountains. Vireo pusillus : Least Vireo. —Common summer resident up to 4000 feet. Vireo vicinior : Gray Vireo. — Fairly abundant on Catalina foothills from 2800 to 400U feet. Helminthophila lucie: Luey Warbler. — A common migrant and summer resident in suitable places up to 4000 feet. Helminthophila virginie: Virginia Warbler. — Doubtless breeds in the Catalinas above 40UU feet. Helminthophila rubricapilla gutturalis: Calaveras Warbler. — Migrant in the Catalinas at 4000 feet. Helminthophila celata’ lutescens: Lutescent Warbler.— Rather common spring and fall migrant in the Catalinas at 4000 feet and probably breeds in the pine forests of the higher altitudes. Dendroica olivacea: Olive Warbler.—Seen in the Catalinas at about 10,000 feet in November. in company with bluebirds. Dendroica estiva sonorana : Sonora Yellow Warbler. — Rather common, breeding in the Catalinas up to 4500 feet. Dendroica coronata: Yellow-runmped Warbler. — Not nearly so common as D. auduboni, but of regular occurrence as a migrant. Dendroica auduboni: Audubon Warbler.— A common migrant; a few probably breed ‘in the pine forests. They winter in small numbers in the river valleys. Dendroica gracie : Grace Warbler. — Seen in pine forests of Catalinas in spring. Dendroica nigrescens: Black-throated Gray Warbler.— Quite common migrant in the Catalinas, breeding rarely above 4500 feet. Dendroica townsendi: Townsend Warbler. — Found migrating in the Pinal and Catalina ranges. Dendroica occidentalis: Hermit Warbler.— Found once in Catalinas at 3500 feet. Seturus noveboracensis notabilis: Grinnell Water Thrush. — Two birds probably of this subspecies taken at 3500 feet in the Catalinas, in Sep- tember. Geothlypis tolmiet : Macgillivray Warbler.— Rather a common migrant, a few probably breeding in the Catalinas. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis: Western Yellow-throat.— A rather com- mon migrant; breeds about Tucson. Icteria virens longicauda: Long-tailed Chat. — Common migrant and sum- mer resident in suitable localities up to 4000 feet. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata: Pileolated Warbler. — Rather common mi- grant. Setophaga ruticilla: Redstart.— One taken near Tucson by Mr. Brown. and one in Catalina Mountains. Setophaga picta: Painted Redstart. — Summer resident in the Catalinas, breeding as low as 5000 feet in the oak belt. Cardellina rubrifrons : Red-faced Warbler. — Common in the pine forests of the Catalinas in April. Anthus pensilvanicus : Pipit. — Not uncommon as a migrant throughout the region. Births montanus : Sage Thrasher. — Common fall migrant in Pinal Mountains ; common migrant and winter resident of Catalina foothills up to 3500 feet. Ixxxii INTRODUCTION Mimus polyglottos leucopterus: Western Mockingbird. —Common resident throughout the region up tu 5000 feet. Toxostoma bendirei: Bendire Thrasher. — Resident on the plains from Tucson southward, and quite common about Florence in the warmer months. Breeds in Catalinas below 4000 feet. Toxostoma curvirostre palmeri: Palmer Thrasher. —Common resident in cholla cactus region. Tuxostoma crissalis : Crissal Thrasher. — Apparently resident throughout the region. Heleodytes brunneicapillus : Cactus Wren. — Common resident throughout the region below 4000 feet. Salpinctes obsoletus: Rock Wren. — More or less abundant in the counties considered. Catherpes mexicanus conspersus: Canyon Wren. — Resident in mountain canyons up to 5000 feet. Thryomanes bewickii leucogaster : Baird Wren. — Resident in the Catalinas and Pinal Mountains up to about 6000 feet. Troglodytes aédon aztecus: Western House Wren. — Breeds in pine re- gions. Cistothorus palustris plesius: Western Marsh Wren.— One taken by Mr. Brown near Tucson. Certhia familiaris albescens : Mexican Creeper. — One taken in pine forests of Catalinas in April. Sitta carolinensis aculeata: Slender-billed Nuthatch. — Common resident in pine woods and higher altitudes. Sitta canadensis : Red-breasted Nuthatch. — One taken at 4500 feet in the Catalinas. Sitta pygmea: Pygmy Nuthatch. — Found in pine forests of Pinal and Catalina Mountains. Parus wollweberi : Bridled Titmouse. — Rather common resident of the oak region in the Pinal and Catalina Mountains. Psaltriparus plumbeus: Lead-colored Bush-Tit. — Resident in the Cata- linas up to about 7500 feet. Auriparus flaviceps : Verdin. — Resident throughout the entire region up to 4000 feet. “ Regulus calendula: Ruby-crowned Kinglet.— Common migrant and winter resident in the oak belt. Polioptila cerulea obscura: Western Gnatcatcher.— Breeds commonly in the Catalinas, but winters on the plains and mesas. Polioptila plumbea: Plumbeous Gnateatcher.— Common resident about Tueson and in valley of San Pedro. Myadestes townsendii: Townsend Solitaire. — Found in the mountains. Hylocichla fuscescens salicicola : Willow Thrush. — One taken by Mr. Brown at Tucson. Hylocichla guttata: Alaska Hermit Thrush. — Winter visitant. Hylocichla guttata auduboni: Audubon Hermit Thrush. — Three speci- mens taken. Merula migratoria propinqua : Western Robin. — Common winter resident, 3500 to 6000 feet. Sialia mexicana occidentalis: Western Bluebird. — Winter resident of the foothills ; also breeds in small numbers in the Catalinas. Sialia arctica: Mountain Bluebird. — Irregular fall and winter visitant of the foothills. INTRODUCTION lxxxiii BOOKS OF REFERENCE. GENERAL WORKS. American OrnitHotogists’ Union. Check-List of North American Birds. Second Edition (1895). Avupuson, Joun James. Birds of America. — Ornithological Biography. Bairp, SPENCER F. Review of American Birds. Smithsonian Mis. Col. 1864-1866 ; U.S. and Mexican Boundary Survey, vol. ii. part ii. 1859. Bairp, S. F., Cassrn, J., and Lawrence, G.N. Pacific R. R. Reports, vol. ix., Birds, 1858. Bairp, 8. F., Brewer, T. M., and Rmeway, R. History of North American Birds. Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 3 vols., Land Birds, 1874; 2vols., Water Birds, 1884. Bepparp, F. E. Study and Classification of Birds. Longmans, Green & Co., New York, 1898. : Benpirz, CHaRuEs E. Life Histories of North American Birds. Smith- sonian Institution, 2 vols. 1892, 1895. (Land birds through Icteride.) ee J. MLlustrations of the Birds of Texas, California, etc., 1853, 1855, 1856. ae J. G., and Suckiey, G. Pacific R. R. Report, vol. xii. No. ii. 1860. Couzs, Exvuiorr. Bibliography of Ornithology, Part i., Faunal Papers, Appendix to-Birds of Colorado Valley, 566-784, 1878; Parts ii. and iii, Systematic Papers, Bull. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr., Hayden, vol. v. Nos. 2 and 4, 1879; Part iv., Faunal Papers on British Birds, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. vol. ii. for 1879. — Birds of the Colorado Valley, U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr. 1878. — Birds of the Northwest, U. 8. Geol. Surv. Terr. 1874. — Key to North American Birds, 2d ed. 1884. Evans, A. H. Cambridge Nat. Hist., vol. ix., Birds. Macmillan Co., New York, 1899. Fisoer, A. K. Rept. Orn. Death Valley Exped., N. A. Fauna No. 7, 1893. U.S. Dept. Agr. Hrerman, A. L. Pacific R. R. Rept., vol. x. part iv. Nos. i. and ii., Birds, 1859. Hensuaw, H. W. Rept. Orn. Spec., Wheeler’s Surv. for the Years 1871, 1872, and 1878. — Exp. West Hundredth Meridian, vol. v. chap. iii. Zo- ology, 1875. KENNERLY, C. B. R. Pacific R. R. Rept., vol. x. No. 3, Birds, 19, 1859. Merriam, C. H. Mammals and Birds. 6th Ann. Rept. U.S. Geol. Surv. . Terr. 1872. Netson, E. W. Rept. Nat. Hist. Coll. Alaska Arct. Ser., No. iii. part i., Birds, 1877. Newton, ALFRED. Dictionary of Birds. Macmillan Co., New York, 4 vols., 1893-1896. Riweway, Roper. Birds of North and Middle America. Bull. No. 50, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1901, 1902. — Hummingbirds, Ann. Rept. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1890, sec. iii. 253.— Nomenclature of Colors, Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1896.— Manual of North American Birds, J. B. Lippin- cott Co., Philadelphia, 2d ed. 1896.— Ornithology of Survey of 40th Parallel, U.S. Geol. Expl., part iii. 1877. SrrsnEGER, L., and Others. Riverside Natural History, vol. iv., Birds. (1885.) Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. Ixxxiv INTRODUCTION Townsenp, C. H. Notes on Birds of Kowak River, and other portions of Alaska, Cruise of the Corwin, 1885. Turner, L. M. Contr. to Nat. Hist. Alaska, Arctic Ser. No. ii. 1886. Woopuovssz, 8S. W. Rept. Sitgreaves Exped. Zufii and Colorado Rivers, 1853. PERIODICALS. American Frexp. American Field Publishing Company, 801 Masonic Temple, Chicago. Aux, THe. Cambridge, Mass. : Birp-Lorz. The Maemillan Company, Harrisburg, Pa. BULLETIN OF THE CooPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. (See Condor.) BuLwetin oF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLuB. Cambridge, Mass., 1876-1883. Conpor, Tur. Santa Clara, California (vol. i. published as Bull. Cooper Orn. Club). Forest anp STREAM. 346 Broadway, New York. Nivotogist, Tae. Alameda, California, 1893-1896. ORNITHOLOGIsST AND OdLoGist. Hyde Park, Mass., 1881-1892. Osprey, Tue. The Osprey Company, Washington, D. C. ProcEEDINGs CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF ScreNcES. Cal. Acad. Sci., San Francisco, California. Recreation. 23 West 24th Street, New York. Zox. San Diego, California, Ist ser. 1890-1894. STATE LISTS. Arizona. — Cours, Exuiotr. Birds of Fort Whipple, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. xviii. 1865, 1866; Birds of Colorado Valley, U.S. Geol. Surv. Terr. 1878. — Hewsaaw, H. W. Amnotated List of Birds of Arizona, Expl. and Surv. West 100th Meridian, 1875. — Mearns, E. A. Avi- fauna of Portions of Arizona, Auk, vii. 45, 251, 1890.— Mrrrtam, C. H., San Francisco Mountain Region and Desert of Little Colorado, N. Am. Fauna, No. 3, Biol. Surv. U. 8. Dept. Agr. —Scorr, W. E. D. Notes from Mountains of Southern Arizona, Auk, ii. 848, 1885. Avi- fauna of Pinal County, with Remarks on Birds of Pima and Gila Coun- ties, Auk, iii. 249, 383, 421; iv. 16, 196; v. 29, 19. British Columbia. — CHapman, F. M. Collection of Birds of British Columbia, by C. P. Streator, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. vol. 3, No. i. 1890. — Fannin, Joun. Check-List of British Columbia Birds, Provincial Mu- seum, 1898.—Oscoop, W. H. Natural History of Queen Charlotte Islands, N. Am. Fauna, No. 21, Biol. Sury. U.S. Dept. Agr. Canada.—Macown, Joun. Catalogue of Canadian Birds, Geol. Surv. Canada, 1900. California. — General. Beuptnc, Lyman. Land Birds of the Pacific District, Cal. Acad. Sci., San Francisco, 1890. — Cooprr, J. G. Orni- thology of California, Geol. Surv. Calif. 1870.— Grinnein, Josmpu. Check-List of California Birds, Pacifie Coast Avifauna, No. iii. 1902. — Loomis, L. M. California Water Birds, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. Ser. 2 and 8, 1895, 1896, 1900. — Local. Bartow, C., and Price, W. W. List of Birds, Placerville to Lake Tahoe, Condor, iii. 150, 1901. — Braxs, E. W. Summer Birds of Santa Cruz Island, Auk, iv. 328, 1887. — Bryan, Watter. Birds and Eegs from the Farallon Islands, Proc. Cal. Acad. 2d Ser. i. 1888. — Coorsr, J.G. Additions to Birds of Ventura County, Auk, iv. 85, 1887; Californian Garden Birds, Am. Nat. x. No. 2, 90, INTRODUCTION Ixxxv 1876. — Evermann, B. W. Birds of Ventura County, Auk, iii. 86, 179, 1886. — GRINNELL, JosEpH. Birds of Pacific Slope of Los Angeles County, Pasadena Acad. Sci. No. ii. 1898. —KeELER, Cuas. A. Bird Notes Afield, Elder & Shepard, San Francisco, 1889. —McGrecor, R. C. Land Birds of Santa Cruz County, Pac. Coast Avifauna, No. 2, 1901. — Mernuiam, C. H. Biological Survey of Mount Shasta, N. Am. Fauna, No. 16, Biol. Surv. U. 8. Dept. Agr. — OnERHOLsER, H. C. Birds from Santa Barbara Islands, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. vol. xxii. No. 1195, 205, 1900.—Taytor, H. R., and Bartow. C. Story of the Farallones, Alameda, Cal., 1897.— Townsrnp, C. H. Field Notes on Mammals, Birds, and Reptiles of Northern California, Birds, Proc. U. $. Nat. Mus. x. 190, 1887.— Vaw Densurcu, Jonny. Birds Observed in Cen- tral California in 1893, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1898; Birds of Santa Clara County, Proce. Am. Philos. Soe. vol. xxxviii. 157, 1899. Colorado. — Cooxn, W. W. Birds of Colorado, State Agr. Coll. Bull. 387, 1897; 44,1898; 56, 1900.— Drew, F.M. Vertical Range of Birds in Colorado, Auk, ii. 11, 1885. Hudson Bay.—Presise, Epwarp A. Biological Investigations of Hudson Bay Region, N. Am. Fauna, No. 22, U.S. Dept. Agr. 1902. Idaho. — Merriam, C. H. Biological Reconnoissance of South Central Idaho, N. Am. Fauna, No. 5, U. 8S. Dept. Agr. — Murritt, J. C. Notes on Birds of Fort Sherman, Auk, xiv. 347, 1897; xv. 14, 1898. Kansas. — Goss, N.S. Birds of Kansas, Crane & Co., Topeka, Kan.. 1891. Lower California.— Brtpinc, Lyman. Catalogue Coll. Birds from Western Coast and Cape Regions of Lower California, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. vol. v. 527, 1882. — Brewster, Winiiam. Birds of Cape Region, Lower California, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zodl. xli. 1, Sept. 1902. — Bryant, Watter. Catalogue of Birds of Lower California, Mexico, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 1889. Manitoba. — Tuomrson, E. E. Birds of Manitoba, Proc. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. vol. xiii. 458, 1890. Montana. — Coorrer, J. G. Fauna of Montana, Am. Nat. ii. and iii. 1869.— Ricamonp, CHartes W., and Know tron, F. H. Birds of South Central Montana, Auk, xi. 28. 1894. — Smntoway, P. M. Sum- mer Birds of Flathead Lake, University Montana, Bull. No. 3, Biol. Ser. i. 1901. — THorns, P. M. Birds of Fort Keogh, Auk, xii. 211, 1898. Nebraska. — Bruner, Lawrence. Notes on Nebraska Birds, Neb. State Horticult. Soc. 1896. — Waxcortt, R. H. Corrections to Bruner, Proc. Neb. Orn. Union. Nevada. — Fisuer, A. K. Omithology of Death Valley Exp., from N. Am. Fauna, No. 7, 1808, U. 5. Dept. Agr. — Horrman, W. J. Birds of Nevada, Bull. Geol. and Geog. Surv. vol. vi. No. 2, Hayden Surv. 1881. New Mexico.— Anruony, A. W. Birds of Southwestern New Mex- ico, Auk, ix. 357, 1892.— Henry, T. C. Catalogue of Birds of New Mexico. Proc, Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. xi. 104, 1859; Notes on Birds of New Mexico, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. vii. 306, 1855. — Hensuaw, H. W. Birds of Upper Pecos River. Auk, ii. 326, 1885; iii. 73, 1886. MircHett, W. L. Birds of San Miguel County. Auk, xv. 306, 1898. Oregon. — Antuony, A. W., Birds of Washington County, Auk, iii. 161, 1886. — Brexupine, Lyman. Birds of Pacific Coast. California Acad. Sci., San Francisco, 180. — BenpirE, CHARLES E. Notes on Birds of Southeastern Oregon, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. xix. 1877, 109. — MERRILL, J. C. Birds of Fort Klamath, Auk, v. 139, 251, 357, sss. — TownsEnD, J. K. Catalogue Birds of Oregon, Narrative Journ. across lxxxvi INTRODUCTION Rocky Mts., Appendix, Perkins & Marvin, Boston, 1839. — Woopcock, A. R. Amnotated List of Birds of Oregon, Ore. Agr. Exper. Station, Bull. No. 68, 1902, Corvallis, Ore. South Dakota. — Grinvewt, G. B. Ludlow’s Rept. Reconn. Black Hills, Zodl. Rept. chap. ii., Birds, 1875. — McCuesnry, C. E. Birds of Coteau des Prairies of Eastern Dakota, Forest and Stream, vol. viii. 176, 192, 224, 214, 261. Texas. — ArrwatTsr, H. P. Birds of San Antonio, Auk, ix. 337, 1892. — Brown, N. C. Second Season in Texas, Auk, i. 120, 1884. — Coapman, F. M. Birds of Corpus Christi, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. iii. No. 2, art. xxii. 315. — Luoyp, W. Birds of Tom Green and Concho Counties, Auk, iv. 181, 289, 1887. — Merriux, J. C. Notes on Texan Birds, Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, i. No. iv. 88, 1876. —Srznnerr, G. B. Notes on Orni- thology of Lower Rio Grande, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr. iv. No. i. 1, 1878; v. No. 3, 871, 1879. Utah. — Hensuaw, H. W. Annotated List of Birds of Utah, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. xi. 1874, 1; Notes on the Bird Fauna of the Salt Lake Valley, Bull. Essex Inst. v. No. ii. xi. 168, 1878. Washington. — Coorrr, J. C., and Suckzey, G. Birds of 47th and 49th Parallels, Pacific R. R. Rept. vol. xii. book ii. part iii. No. 3, 1860. — Dawson, W. L. Birds of Okonogan County, Auk, xiv. 168, 1897; Birds of Yakima County, Wilson, Bull. New Ser. vol. ix. No. 2, No. 39, 1902. —Kogxs, W. H. Birds of Cape Disappointment, Auk, xvii. 349, 1900.— Lawrence, R.H. Birds of Gray’s Harbor, Auk, ix. 39, 352, 1892. — Rarnugon, 8. F. Birds of Seattle, Auk, xix. 131, 1902. — Rauoaps, 8. N. Notes on Washington and British Columbia Birds, Auk, x. 16, 1898. Wyoming. — Cary, Mrerrirr. Birds of Black Hills, Auk, xviii. 231, 1901.— Knicur, Witzur C. Birds of Wyoming, University of Wyo- ming, Laramie. In press. SPECIAL SUBJECTS AND POPULAR WORKS. SPECIAL SUBJECTS. Bird Protection. A. O. U. Commitrrz on Birp Prorecrion. Annual Repts., Auk, xiv. 21, 1897; xv. 81, 1898; xvi. 55, 1899; xvii. 51, 1900; xviii. 68, 1901; xix. 31, 1902.— Game Laws in Brief, Forest and Stream Publishing Co. (Quarterly), New York. — Paumsr, T.8., and Oupys, H. W. Digest of Game Laws, 1901, Bull. 16, Biol. Surv. U. S. Dept. Agr. Game Laws for 1902, Farmer’s Bull. No. 160, U.S. Dept. Agr. — Paumgr, T. S. Legislation for the Protection of Birds other than Game Birds, Bull. No. 12, Biol. Surv., revised ed. 1902. — Lane, D. Our Native Birds, How to Protect them and Attract them to our Homes, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1899. — Massrietp, J. R. B. Wild Bird Pro- tection and Nesting Boxes, Taylor Bros., Leeds, England, 1897. — Bird- Lore, Audubon Department, The Macmillan Company, Harrisburg, Penn. — Baxzcocx, C. A. Bird Day; How to Prepare for It, Silver, Burdett & Co., New York and Boston, 1901. Food of Birds. Publications of Biological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture. — Brat, F.E.L. Food of Woodpeckers, Bull. No. 7, 1895.— Food of Bobo- link, Blackbirds, and Grackles, Bull. No. 13, 1900; Some Common INTRODUCTION lxxxvii Birds in their Relation to Agriculture, Farmer’s Bulletin, No. 54, 1897; Crow Blackbirds and their Food, Yearbook for 1894; The Meadowlark and Baltimore Oriole, Yearbook for 1895 ; Birds that Injure Grain, Year- book for 1897; How Birds Affect the Orchard, Yearbook for 1900; The Food of Cuckoos, Bull. No. 9, 1898; The Food of Nestling Birds, Year- book for 1900. — Fisaer, A. K. Hawks and Owls from the Standpoint of the Farmer, Yearbook for 1894; Two Vanishing Game Birds, Wood- cock and Wood Duck, Yearbook for 1901.—Jupp,§8.D. Four Common Birds of the Farm and Garden, Yearbook for 1895; The Blue Jay and its Food, Yearbook for 1896; The Food of Shrikes, Bull. No. 9, 1898; The Relation of Sparrows to Agriculture, Bull. No. 15, 1901. — Mzr- R14M, C. H., and Barrows, W. B. The English Sparrow in America, Bull. No. 1, 1889. — Paumer, T.S. A Review of Economic Ornithology in the United States, Yearbook for 1899. Migration. Barro, S. F. Distribution and Migration N. Am. Birds, Am. Journ. Sci. Arts, vol. xli., Jan. 1866. — BeLpina, Lyman. Land Birds of Pacific Coast District, Cal. Acad. Sci., San Francisco, 1890. — BrewstER, W1L- LIAM. Bird Migration Memoirs Nutt. Orn. Club, Cambridge, Mass., 1886. — Cuapman, F. M. Remarks on Origin of Migration, Auk, xi. 12, 1894. — Cooxr, W.W. Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley, Div. Econ. Orn. Bull. No. 2, U.S. Dept. Agr.— GArxsz, H. Heligoland, David Doug- las, Edinburgh, 1895.— Loomis, L. M. Water Birds of California, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci, San Francisco. — Strong, Wirmer. Bird Waves and their Graphic Representation, Auk, viii. 194, 1891; Graphic Representa- tion of Bird Migration, Auk, vi. 139, 1889. See, also, sections on Migra- tion in Chapman’s Bird-Life and Newton’s Dictionary of Birds. Moult and Protective Coloration. Cuapsourng, A. P. Individual Dichromatism in Megascops asio, Auk, xiii. 321, 1896; xiv. 33, 1897. — CuarxE, H. L. Pterylograph*+ of the Ca- primulgide, Auk, xviii. 167, 1901. — Dwieut, JonatHan, JR. Moult of Quails and Grouse, Auk, xvii. 143, 1900; Plumage Cycles and Relation between Plumages and Moults, Auk, xix. 248, 1902; Sequence of Moults and Plumages of Laride, Auk, xviii. 49, 1901; Seqfiences of Plumages and Moults of Passerine Birds, Annals New York Acad. Sci. vol. xiii. 77, 1896. — Strong, WirmER. Moulting of Birds, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1896, 108; Moult and Alleged Color Change in Birds, Ibis, Apr. 1901, 177; Summer Moulting of Plumage of Certain Ducks, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1899, 467. See, also, Newton’s Dictionary, Moult, and Chapman’s Bird-Life, chap. iii., Colors of Birds. Nests and Eggs. Benovire, Coartes E. Life Histories of North American Birds, 2 vols. Smith. Inst. 1892, 1895.— Davin, Ottver. Nests and Eggs of North American Birds, 5th ed. Landon Press, Columbus, Ohio, 1898. See, also, the Condor, Osprey, and Nidologist. Songs. Bicknet, E.P. A Study of the Singing of our Birds, Auk, i. 60, 126, 209, 322, 1884; ii. 144, 249, 1885. — Camnzy, S. P. Wood Notes Wild, Lee & Shepard, Boston, 1892.— Oupys, H. W. Parallel Growth of Bird lxxxvili INTRODUCTION and Human Musie, Harper’s Monthly, August, 1902, vol. ev. No. dexxvii. 474.— Wircretyt, Caarues A. Evolution of Bird-Song, Adam & Charles Black, London, 1896. POPULAR BIRD BOOKS. Baskett, J. N. The Story of the Birds, D. Appleton & Co., New York, 1897. — Burroveus, Joun. Wake-Robin; Fresh Fields; Birds and Poets; Locusts and Wild Honey; Pepacton; Winter Sunshine ; Signs and Seasons; Riverby, Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. — CuHApMAN, Frank M. Bird Life (popular colored ed.), 1902; Bird Studies with a Camera, 1900; Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America, 102, D. Appleton & Co, New York.— Eckstorm, FANNIE Harpy. The Bird Book, D. C. Heath & Co., Boston, 1901; The Woodpeckers, Houghton, Miffin & Co., Boston, 1901.— Exuiot, D. G. Shore Birds, 1895; Game Birds, 1897; Wild Fowl, 1898, Francis P. Harper, New York. — Herricx, Francis H. Home Life of Wild Birds, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1901. — Jos, Herperr K. Among the Water-Fowl, Doubleday, Page & Co., New York, 1902. — KEpierR, CHaRztes A. Bird Notes Afield, Elder & Shepard, San Francisco, 188?.— Kryser, LranprerR 8. Birds of the Rockies, A. C, McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1902. — Lorn, W. R. Birds of Oregon and Washington, J. IX. Gill Company, Portland, Oregon, revised edition, 1902;— Merriam, F. A. A-Birding on a Bronco, Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, 1896. — Miter, Otive THorne. Bird-Ways; In Nesting Time; Little Brothers of the Air; A Bird-Lover in the West; Upon the Tree-Tops; First Book of Birds; Second Book of Birds, Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. — Torrey, Braprorp. Birds in the Bush; A Rambler’s Lease; The Foot-Path Way; Everyday Birds, Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. — Sanpys and Van Dyxe. Upland Game Birds, Maemillan Co., New York, 1892. — Van Dykes, T. 8. Game Birds at Home, Fords, Howard & Hulbert, New York. 1895. — Wricut, Maset Oscoop. Birderaft, 2d ed., Macmillan Co., New York, 1899. — Wricat, Mazeu Oscoop, and Dr. Exuiorr Cours. Citizen Bird, 2d ed., Macmillan Co., New York, 1900. USE OF THE KEYS. If you are a beginner with a bird to identify, and do not know the orders into which birds are divided, go first to the Key to Orders, pp. 1, 2. If your bird is a plover, you may not be sure whether it is classed with the water or land birds; so begin with the Key to Water Birds. This key, as all others in the book, is dichotomous, that is to say, at every step the birds are divided into two classes, which have or have not a given character— birds are black or they are not black, they have crests or they have not crests, their feet are webbed or their feet are not webbed. At cach step of the key a number and its prime are used to set apart the two classes. In the case of the Key to Orders of Water Birds the first two classes are birds which have 1. Feet fully webbed. INTRODUCTION Ixxxix 1’. Feet incompletely or not at all webbed. If the bird you want to name has fully webbed feet, read down the key from 1; if not, go to 1’, and read down. The numbers fol- low consecutively from each heading. In this case the birds with fully webbed feet are divided again into several classes, and those without fully webbed feet also have subdivisions. 1. Feet fully webbed (except Grebes in Pygopodes, which have the toes lobed or margined). 2. Foot with three webs, all four toes connected. Steganopodes: Totipalmate Swimmers, p. 3. 2’. Foot with two webs, three front toes connected. 3. Nostrils tubular . Tubinares : Tube-nosed Swimmers, p. 3. 3’. Nostrils not tubular. +4. Edges of mandibles toothed or serrate. Anseres: Lamellirostral Swimmers, p. 3. 4’. Edges of mandibles not toothed or serrate. 5. Legs placed far back, wings short. Pygopodes: Diving Birds, p. 2. 5’. Legs placed near middle of body ; wings long and pointed. Longipennes: Long-winged Swimmers, p. 2. 1’. Feet incompletely or not at all webbed. 2. Lores and ring around eye naked. Herodiones: Herons, Storks, and Ibises, p. 4. 2'. Lores and ring around eye feathered. 3. Hind toe long and approximately on a level with front toes (except in Cranes which are over three feet long). Paludicole: Cranes, Rails, Coots, Gallinules, etc., p. 4. 3’. Hind toe short and elevated or absent; bird never over twenty-six incheslong . . . . . . Limicole: Shore Birds, p. 4. Read down the key, passing the orders to which it does not belong till you come to the order to which it does belong. For in- stance, if your bird is a duck it has feet fully webbed (1), with two webs, three front toes connected (2’), nostrils not tubular (3’), and edges of mandibles toothed or serrate (4). It belongs to the Order Anseres: Lamellirostral Swimmers. If, on the other hand, the bird you want to name is a great blue heron, as it has not fully webbed feet, you throw out 1 and all its subdivisions, passing on to 1’, — feet incompletely or not at all webbed. The first subdivision here is 2. Lores and ring around eye naked. Herodiones : Herons, Storks, and Ibises. You know if there is a naked ring around the eye, and to find what lores means you turn to the diagram of a bird, p. 1. When you find that your bird belongs to Order Herodiones, turn to the page given (4), where you will find a key to the families in the order. xe INTRODUCTION Read down this as before, when, by throwing out the families to which it does not belong, you come to Ardeide — 2'. Bill straight and sharp, neck and most of head feathered, to which it does belong. Go now to the page specified (72), and run down the Key to Genera, contained in Family Ardeide, and you find that it belongs to the genus Ardea, to which you are referred (p. 74). Here you find the general characters of the genus and a key to its species. As you know the bird is bluish gray and its size large you find it to be Ardea herodias, of which a detailed description is given (p. 75). If you have been identifying a bird that you have shot, you will have your own fresh measurements to compare with those in the description (see page xxvii.). In some of the more obscure birds you will find on getting to the description of the species that you have made a mistake in running down the keys, but by patience and care in following them you will be able to identify all but the most difficult birds. After a little study you will grasp the general classification of birds so that it will not be necessary to go through the whole series of keys for each bird. You may not know what it is, but you know many things that it is not, and if you make a practice of eliminating you will narrow down the possibilities so that it will be much easier to find your bird. You may not know whether it is a crow or a raven, but you do know that it is not a water bird, a hawk, owl, or sparrow, and so you can go on throwing out what you know it is not until you have to look up only those about which you feel uncertain. The question as to which subspecies a bird belongs to, unless de- terminable by geographic range, can often be decided only by expert ornithologists with large series of skins for comparison, and, in such cases, found often among some of the flycatchers, the song spar- rows, and wrens, the only way to be sure of your birdis to send it to a museum for identification. The National Museum in Washing- ton and the American Museum of Natural History in New York will both identify material sent them. Length of Tarsus Measurement of Bilt Measurement of Tarsus Coin, \Ore en > * fs se Eur Ne ores covers 7, 2