184 BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES 



Some idyllic days were spent in sauntering about 

 Golden, which keeps guard at the entrance of Clear 

 Creek Cafion, and has tucked itself in a beautiful 

 valley among the foothills, which in turn stand sen- 

 tinel over it. In the village itself and along the bush- 

 fringed border of the creek below, as well as in the 

 little park at its border, there were many birds, nearly 

 all of which have been described in the previous chap- 

 ters. However, several exceptions are worthy of note. 

 A matted copse a mile and a half below the town 

 afforded a hiding-place for three young or female red- 

 starts, which were " playing butterfly,''"' as usual, and 

 chanting their vivacious little tunes. These and several 

 near Boulder were the only redstarts seen in my Colo- 

 rado wanderings, although Professor Cooke says they 

 breed sparingly on the plains, and a little more com- 

 monly in the mountains to an altitude of eight thousand 

 feet, while one observer saw a female in July at the 

 timber-line, which is three thousand feet above the nor- 

 mal range of the species. Why did not this birdlet 

 remain within the bounds set bv the scientific guild ? 

 Suit for contempt of court should be brought against 

 it. Redstarts must have been very scarce in the regions 

 over which I rambled, else I certainly should have 

 noticed birds that are so fearless and so lavish of song. 



One dav my companion and I clambered up the 

 steep side of a mesa some distance below Golden — 



