66 BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES 



an elevation of from nine thousand feet to the tiniber- 

 hne, building a nest far up in a pine tree ; whereas his 

 eastern kindred hie to the northern part of the United 

 States and beyond, to find summer homes and suitable 

 breeding grounds. Within their chosen boundaries the 

 rubies are very plentiful in the Rockies, their quaint 

 rondeaus tumbling down from every pine-clad acclivity. 

 In October they descend to the plains, and in the latter 

 part of the month hurry off to a more southerly clime. 



The birds were most abundant in the upper part of 

 the valley, keeping close to the precipitous heights of 

 the Peak. It was a long walk down to the mountaineer's 

 cabin, and I had reason to be glad for not having under- 

 taken to find it the evening before, as I should cer- 

 tainly have lost my way in the darkness. No one was 

 at home now, but through the screen door I could see a 

 canary in a cage. Not a very inviting place to spend 

 the night, I reflected, and I crossed the valley, climbed 

 a steep ridge, following a slightly used wagon road, and 

 trudged down the other side into what I afterwards 

 found was the valley of Moraine Lake, one of the crystal 

 sheets of water that are seen from the summit of Pike"'s 

 Peak sparkling in the sunshine. While climbing the 

 ridge, I saw my first mountain chickadee, capering about 

 in the trees. He called like the familiar black-cap, and 

 his behavior was much like that bird's. As will be seen 

 in another chapter, I afterwards heard the mountain 



