25 



THE OSPREY. 



mountain peaks, suggestive of volcanic cones, were 

 seen in tiie distance, and about noon the plain ended 

 in a precii)itoa-i canyon. The drainage from this 

 point is toward the Gulf, tiirough ravines, arroyos, 

 and canyons innumerable. 



We found water and camped on the Soth m what 

 is locally known as Tulr Arroyo, some fifteen miles 

 fram the Gulf coast. Two little sprmgs bubble up 

 here in the dry bed of the stream, furnishing, when 

 first gathered, a pleasant sparkling fluid so highly 

 cliarged with carbonic acid as to resemble soda 

 water. On standing, however, it soon lost its efl'er- 

 veseence and became so stale as to impart a disa- 

 greeable taste even to ihe eofl'ee. Our first meal 

 consisted of stewed potatoes and dark heavy Mexi- 

 can bread, as tough and iiiiligestible as dried putty. 

 Fortunately for us our Mexican guiile went down the 

 arroyo and returned before night with the carcasses 

 of two mountain sheep, which kept us supplied for 

 the rest of the trip, the air being so dry that there 

 was no dilficult)- in preserving the meat. The heat 

 of the arroyo during the day was intense. The high 

 walls on either hand afl'orded shade during early 

 morning and late afternoon, bul in the middle of the 

 day life was only tt>lerable to those who stayed in 



camp, lying in the sand under an immense mass of 

 rock that had fallen from the clitts above. 



Aside from the tuk- and clusters of rnshes, in the 

 bottom of the arroyo, there were on the slopes 

 above numerous cacti, one or more species of Span- 

 ish bayonet, the Finujukra xjilendens, and numerous 

 agaves. The most striking floral form, one which 

 was seen only here, was Vcatchia dixcolor, the ele- 

 phant tree, which Ls really a monstrosity. These 

 were found well over toward the east coast, growing 

 in the scantiest soils, and of extraordinary shapes. 

 Karely more than ten feet in height, the main trunks 

 were often over a foot in diameter at the ground, 

 widely branching and tapering rapidly upward, as 

 .shown in plate \'. Some of the smaller ones, a foot 

 or so in height, enlarged abruptly into bulb-like 

 forms some three or four inches in diameter on the 

 immediate surface of the ground, looking like flat 

 turniijs. The leaves ami blo.ssoms are so .small and 

 inconspicuous as not to show in the pliotograph. 

 The tijwers are borne in immense com |)ound pan- 

 icles, and in full bloom completely cover the then 

 leafless tree. The bark is very thick and rich in 

 tannin. 



BIRDS OF THP: YUKON TRAIL. 



By Geokge G. Cvntwell, 



THE time from May 15 to June 25 was spent 

 at l>ake Bennett, B. C., in observation of bird 

 life. Robins, Oregon Juncos, L'arn and White- 

 bellied Swallows, Jack Snipes, Ducks and '_Teese, 

 seemed to be the principal birds aliout the lake, in 

 in com|iany with Gambel's and Sooty Song Sparrows. 

 On June I'.O, high up the range, 1 found many Tit- 

 larks and Leu^ostictes, evidently breeding, and also 

 young Juncos, fully grown at this early date. 



The trip acro^s Lake Bennett revealed no new 

 bird-hfe, except a breeding island of liintr-bille<l 

 CtuIIs, that had been raided before we reached it. 

 On July li, we were in camp on Cariboo Crossing, at 

 the upper end of Tagisli Lake, and found birds more 

 abundant. Besides llmse mentioned we saw Eaves 

 and Violet green Swallows, Alaska Jay, Audubon's 

 Warbler, Common Redpoll, Sooty Grouse, Furster's 

 Tern, White winged and Velvet Scoters, and Short- 

 billed Gulls; also many Rufous Hammers in flower 

 patches on mountain sides. July 8, at the head of 

 the Sixty-raile river, we found Night-hawks breeding, 

 and nundjers of Yellow-shafted Flickers; no Red- 

 shafted birds have been noticed in this country. 

 Lake Marsh had a great variety of water fowl — 

 Loons, Red and Black-throated Divers, Pied-billed 

 and Red-necked Grebes, Gulls,Terns and Ducks — but 

 no breeding spot that could be observed. July 10 

 found us in the swift Fifty-mile river emptying out of 

 Marsh Lake. Here the aspect of the country 

 changed greatly; the mountains do not continue along 

 the river, their place being taken by sand blurts and 

 wide meadows. Here we found thousands of King- 

 fishers and Swallows at home in the banks — the 

 Violet-green Sw.illows nesting in holes in the banks 

 like the others. Here were also noticed Arctics Blue- 

 birds with full grown young. Varied Rjbins, Rasset- 

 backed Thrushes, and Solitaires. 



Spotteil S.indpipers were by far the most con- 

 spii-ious birds, being constantly ir. sight along the 

 shore, and many nests were found whenever we 

 camped. Juncos were present, but did not appear 

 to be the same as those at Lake Bennett, having a 

 grayer head and a <lecided brownish wash on the 

 sides. No Song Sparrows were observed lower than 



Hootalinqua, N. W. T. 



Tagish. Cliff Swallows were nesting on the walls of 

 Miles Canyon and a pair of Bohemian Waxwings 

 were observed at the White Horse rapids July II. 

 Below the rapids, in several places, we came upon 

 broods of young Ihulequin Ducks. Two Bald Engles 

 were seen at the head of Lake La Bai'ge. Hawks 

 were not common, and we neither saw nor heard 

 any Owls. 



On July 14, while storm-bound for three days 

 at Lake La B>arge, I had the good fortune to find a 

 nest of the Bohemian Waxwing. It was placed in 

 a small spruce, about twenty feet from the ground, 

 composeel of bark strips, feathers and m jss, much 

 like a Cedar-bird's, but larger. It contained no 

 eggs, but the bird wa-i sitting the day I was obliged 

 to leave. 1 was unable to photograph the inst, 

 my camera being with the outfit on the oppo.site shore 

 of the lake. On July lit, a companion and I set out 

 from our permanent camp on the II >otalinqua to 

 search the country between that and the Lewis 

 River for game. VV'e had a long, hard tramp that 

 day, wiih our heavy packs, but made a good camp 

 early in the aftern ■on on the banks of a beautiful 

 lake — a spot so wild and still that I doubt if white 

 men have often set foot on its shores — and by the 

 way, we had both moose and bear for su|)per that 

 night. It was a great resort for young ducks— we 

 found many broods of Mallards, Green-winged Teals, 

 Widgeons, Pintails, Golden-eyes, Butterballs and 

 American Mergansers; also young of Solitary and 

 l^east Sandpipers, and many adult Noithern I'hala- 

 ropes. We also saw Hudsonian Chickailees and 

 Ri -hardson's Merlin. 



At this date, September \, Duck sand Geese are full 

 grown and beginning to flock. Va'dous Sandpipers 

 are gathered in big bunches, and the tree-tops are 

 full of small birds going south. 



Alaska Jays are very numerous, and the most 

 daring l<ind of thieves, coujing right into cani|i and 

 stealing eatables when ever one's back is tmneil. 

 Another Grouse appears here— the Black Spruce 

 Grouse, locally known as "fool hen." They are 

 reporteil very plentiful from the Teslin Lake elistrict. 



