66 



ORI^ITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-No. 5 



the chief characteristic which enables oue to 

 know it from its eastern relative. Why lias so 

 raarlied a change in sonj? been acconiplislisd by 

 so little change in plumage? 



A few Long-billed Curlews wei-e seen in 

 Western Kansas near the Arkansas River, and 

 the Eastern Bluebird was traced into Colorado, 

 but not until we reached Arizona did we cer- 

 tainl}' identify the Western species {Siidd mex- 

 icana). 



The Kingbird was common east but finally 

 disappeared, the last one being seen near Trin- 

 idad, Colorado. 



Tlie Bed-headed Woodpecker {JMchinerpcs 

 eryithrocpphaliis). abundant in eastern Kansas, 

 grew less and less common until it disappeared 

 altogether at J.aniar, near the west line of Kan- 

 sas. 



In Western Kansas we began to see Western 

 Larks (Sturnella neglecta), Burrowing Owls 

 {Speotyto cunicularia hypogce) , Larks Buntings 

 (C'alamospiza melanocori/s), and Say's Pewee 

 (Sayornis saya). Most of these were most 

 abundant near La Junta, Colorado. The Bunt- 

 ings were seen as far west as the Ifaton Pass. 

 Burrowing Owls flrst appeared near Garden 

 City, Kansas, and continued to make sedate 

 bows from the mounds in the [jrairie-dog towns 

 until we were far down in Arizona. >fowherc 

 did we see more than eight or ten at any one 

 town, and none at all were seen after entering 

 Sonora. 



W^liile our train was delayed some little time 

 near a small prairie-dog village in southwest 

 Colorado, attem|)ts were made by us to shoot 

 an owl that was close at hand, but it was found 

 quite difficult to approach witliin shooting dis- 

 tance. When almost near enough to risk a 

 shot, the little rascal would bow politely to us 

 and then fly to another mound a hundred yards 

 farther away, where the same polite but, under 

 the circumstances, rather exasperating bow 

 would be reijeatetl. 



It is quite as diflicult to shoot the Burrowing 

 Owl as the Prairie Dog. 



Crow Blackbirds (Qiiiscaliis quisrrda icneiis), 

 continued to be seen until near the north line of 

 New Mexico, and the Yellow-headed Blackird 

 {Xanthocephalus, xanthocephalus), first made 

 its appearance in Western Kansas, was seen oc- 

 casionally in Colorado and New Mexico, and 

 last seen in a small marsh near Crittenden, 

 Arizona. 



Only in the neighborhood of Trinidad, Col- 

 orado, were any Magpies {Pica lunlaonirn)^ seen. 

 This is one of the curious birds of tlie Rockies 

 which always amuse the traveller from the east. 



White-rumped Shrikes were occasionally seen 

 from Missouri to Arizona. 



At Albuquerque, we saw House Finches for 

 the flrst time, and at San Marcial, New Mex- 

 ico, we were much interested in watching a 

 Blue Grosbeak which was taking his morning 

 bath in the fountain in the hotel yard. Our 

 train had stopped for breakfast, and we 

 watched the pretty bird some time. It was 

 quite tame and appeared not to mind the train 

 nor the many passengers passing near it. 



Fi-oin a little pond or slough near Aniarillo, 

 forty miles north of Sail Marcial, a Wood Duck 

 flew up as .ve passed, a Mud Hen scurried away 

 over the water, and a Rail, whose species we 

 could not make out, skulked from sight among 

 the reeds. 



Just south of San Marcial, wc saw the only 

 Sealed Partridge it had ever been our fortune 

 to see, and a Roadrunner was seen hurrying 

 from us through the chaparral. 



The only Cooper's Tanager {Piranpa rubra 

 cooperi), which we saw this side of Sonora, 

 was seen among some cottonwoods near San 

 Marcial. Several Red-shafted Flickers were 

 seen in Arizona. The eastern form was traced 

 only into Colorado. Through New Mexico, we 

 were not sure that we saw any of either 

 species. 



Numerous sparrows were seen at difl'erent 

 places, but we were unable to identify them 

 with certainty. Several hawks were also seen, 

 but must go upon record with the sparrows as 

 being '■ past fiuiUng out" from a car window. 



We arrived at Xogales, on the line between 

 Arizona and Sonora, on the evening of the 

 '"Glorious Fourth," which was being celebrated 

 in fine style by the population of this thorough- 

 ly frontier town, consisting of a curious mix- 

 ture of Indians, Mexicans and Americans, both 

 good and bad, with quite a sprinkling of blue 

 coats. 



The two halves of the town are under dift'er- 

 ent governments, the " line" running through 

 one of the principal streets, which taken with 

 the facts that it is an important customs point, 

 and is wild enough a region to be iuthe Aiiaehe 

 country, and beside combines both .\rizoua and 

 Border Mexican peculiarities, makes it a place 

 where many strange and thrilling incidents oc- 

 cur. 



We remained here twenty-four hours. Much 

 of the evening was spent in looking after our 

 baggage and " getting it over the line." 



But letters in our possession from Secretary 

 Bayard and the Mexican Minister, Mr. Romero, 

 made that an easy matter, and notwithstanding 



