126 BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES 



birds as I could see from the car-window. Few birds, 

 as has been said, can be seen in the dark gorges of 

 the mountains, the species that are most frequently de- 

 scried being the turtle doves, with now and then a small 

 flock of blackbirds. Tlie open, sunlit valleys of the 

 upper mountains, watered by the brawling streams, are 

 much more to the liking of many birds, especially the 

 mountain song-sparrows, the white-croAvned sparrows, 

 the green-tailed towhees, and Audubon's and Wilson's 

 warblers. Up, up, for many miles the double-headed 

 train crept, tooting and puffing hard, until at length it 

 reached the highest point on the route, which is Tennes- 

 see Pass, through the tunnel of which it swept with a 

 sullen roar, issuing into daylight on the eastern side, 

 where the waters of the streams flow eastward instead of 

 westward. Tlie elevation of this tunnel is ten thousand 

 four hundred and eighteen feet, which is still about a 

 thousand feet below the timber-line, A minute after 

 emerging from the tunnePs mouth I caught sight of a 

 red-shafted flicker which went bolting across the narrow 

 valley. The train swept down the valley for some 

 miles, stopped long enough to have another engine 

 coupled to the one that had brought us down from 

 the tunnel, then wheeled to the left and began the 

 ascent to the city of Leadville. This city is situated 

 on a sloping plain on the mountain side, in full view 

 of many bald mountain peaks whose gorges are filled 



