Introduction. 



The notes presented in this bulletin, when added to the bulletin 

 "Summer Birds of Flathead Lake," University of Montana Biological 

 Series No. 1, include the work on ornithology during the summers of 1900, 

 1901, 1902 and 1903. Three seasons having been spent in the Mission 

 Mountains, on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and along the shores of 

 Flathead lake, it was thought best to extend the observations in the 

 summer of 1903. Frin. Silloway was therefore recommended to spend a 

 portion of the time in the vicinity of Swan lake. 



This lake is a beautiful sheet of water, cradled between two ranges 

 of mountains, with wooded slopes to the water's edge. It is primitively 

 wild, with miles of woodland, interspersed occasionally with open glades. 



Only a few hardy pioneers have entered the region. The birds have 

 thus not been molested by man, and a visit to the region gave opportunity 

 for study not heretofore made. 



The illustrations here given are as faithful a portrayal of the region 

 about Swan lake as can be made with the camera. Plate LIII shows the 

 region to the southeast, with the Mission range in the background. The 

 mountain slopes to the low summits are covered with a dense forest. 

 Bordering the lake may be seen a fringe of willows, back of which are 

 the cottonwoods and alders, and lastly the conifers. A large area border- 

 ing the water is swampy, shown in Plates LIV and LV. It is exceedingly 

 difficult to get around in this region. Plate LVI shows the location of 

 the lake with regard to the mountains, while Plate LVII shows a large por- 

 tion of the wooded valley south of and above the lake. With the excep- 

 tion of a section of country including the lower portion of the lake as 

 shown in Plate LV all of the country shown in the photographs is in the 

 Lewis and Clarke forest reserve. 



The notes here presented by Prin. Silloway contain several important 

 features worthy of special mention. One point is the calamity that often 

 befalls the old birds or the young. Another is the fact that birds occupy 

 unfinished nests, which contain eggs. This latter may be due to the 

 laziness or shiftlessness on the part of the mother, or to her inexperience, 

 which prevents rapid working, or to the destruction of a first nest. The 

 finding of a nest of the Willow thrush, which ordinarily builds close to the 

 ground, six and one-half feet up in a tree, will be of interest to students of 

 animal intelligence, as illustrating the change of habit due to environ- 

 ment. The region overfiows annually. Irregular habits of nidification 

 were also found in the cedar waxwing. Indeed, the notes so carefully 

 prepared show quite plainly great individuality in the construction of the 

 nests. 



Since Bulletin Biological Series No. 1, Summer Birds of Flathead 

 Lake, is out of print it is considered advisable to print a list of the summer 

 birds thus far discovered, which is appended. This list therefore in- 

 cludes all the summer birds which have been observed about Flathead 

 lake, numbering 137. 



MORTON J. ELROD. 

 Missoula, Mont., Sept. 19, 1903. 



