74 Capt. Blakiston on the Birds of the 



again, we followed the crest of the ridge for a short distance, 

 and were just going to descend, when I espied a bird on some 

 open gi'ound where the snow had been nearly all drifted away 

 by the wind. All I had to do Avas to pull my gun out of its 

 cover, and discharge the barrel which contained shot (for I 

 seldom kept more than one of the two loaded with ball), and I 

 secured a specimen of this Bunting. Of course I did not know 

 what species it was at the time, and, considering the situation 

 and circumstances, did not stop to inquire, but tied the bird up 

 as nicely as I could, and commenced the descent. This was 

 even more steep than the western slope, and for some distance 

 we followed a zigzag path. It was not, however, very bad; and 

 we soon arrived at a mountain torrent flowing eastward, thus 

 regaining the waters which find their way to the Atlantic. The 

 trail led on through thick forests down a valley due east, on 

 either side of which the rocky tops of the mountains were often 

 of very curious shapes, and the strata in places much contorted. 

 There were also some magnificent clifi's — sheer walls of rock, 

 rising hundreds of feet vertically, while the cascades of snow- 

 water tumbling down the narrow gullies added motion to this 

 wild and stern scenery. The snow became less and less as we de- 

 scended, and on reaching the end of the valley we came to a snug 

 little patch of prairie, where we found the Kootonay Indians 

 encamped ; and I was glad enough to unsaddle and let my horse 

 go free, for we had travelled this day from six to six, with a halt 

 of only one hour and a half. The horses had the first half of 

 the next day to rest, and I took the opportunity, among other 

 things, to skin and preserve some specimens. 



62. Plectrophanes ornatus. 



The specimen (' Ibis,^ vol. iv. p. 6) obtained by me, about eighty 

 miles S.W. of Fort Carlton, is the only one I know of from the 

 interior. The Chestnut-collared Bunting has, however, been 

 found by the Americans on the plains of the Upper Missouri. 



63. Passerculus savanna. 



There were three specimens of the Savannah Sparrow in my 

 collection from Fort Carlton, although only one appeared in the 

 original list (' Ibis,' vol. iv. p. 6). I find, moreover, that there 

 is one from Red River Settlement in the Smithsonian Insti- 



