146 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-I^o. 10 



the plains we must look mostly for additions to 

 this list. I wish to express here, the thanks of 

 the association to those gentlemen who have so 

 kindly helped us in many ways. To Prof. J. 

 A. Allen for copies of notes taken by him in the 

 state, also to Mr. William Brewster for the 

 same, and to both these gentlemen for their 

 kind offers of help. To Dr. C. Hart Merriam 

 for schedules for recording migration notes. 

 To Capt. Piatt M. Thome, U. .S. A. for list of 

 birds observed by him at Fort Lyon, and to 

 Mr. Charles Wicklifie Beckham for copy of 

 notes on birds observed by him near Pueblo, 

 and last, but not least, to our jovial friend Mr. 

 Frank B. Webster, who has helped us in more 

 ways than I can mention. The names of these 

 gentlemen will not be forgotten in the annals of 

 the Colorado Ornithological Association. 



And now I wish to express ray tlianks to 

 those members of the association who have 

 worked so earnestly to make this list what it is. 

 Although many of them were strangers to me 

 personally, they have shown a zeal and energy 

 which does them credit, and it has been with 

 sincere regret tliat I was, for the present, 

 obliged to leave the perfect climate of Colorado 

 and genial friends, for the hot summers and 

 arctic winters of Montana. But the thought 

 that I shall again be with them will help me 

 bear the disappointment, while the years I 

 spent in Colorado will always be considered as 

 among the happiest of my life. 



A few hints before closing this somewhat 

 lengthy introduction. I wish to call the atten- 

 tion of the members to a very interesting part 

 of the study of ornithology, viz : T'he food of 

 our birds. This is a neglected part of ornitho- 

 logy, and why? Probably because it is not a 

 pleasant duty to examine a birds stomach, or is 

 It from carelessness? If it is unpleasant I can 

 say that I have often been asked for the 

 stomachs of birds skinned by me by IwUrs, 

 some of whom were interested in this part of 

 the study, but the most of them were after 

 entomoloijical specimens, many small and rare 

 ones often being found in the stomach of 

 insectivorous birds, which, as one lady told me, 

 would escape the eye of man, but not of the 

 birds. The study of the food of our birds is of 

 more importance just now on account of the 

 " hue and cry'" about the birds that are benefi- 

 cial to man. Examine every one of your birds 

 and make careful notes of its food, this is just 

 as important as a description of its plumage. 



Another matter, never delay in sending in the 

 name of a new species to be recorded, but do so 

 at once with full particulars, even if this in- 



volves the labor of writing .several pages of 

 foolscap. By so doing you may render more 

 service to science than you are aware of. 



In this list I use the nomenclature of the 

 American Ornithologists' Union. 



A LIST OF THE BIRDS OF COLOHAllO. 



1. Aechmophorus occidentalis (I.awr). West- 

 ern Grebe, lleported by Brenninger as a sum- 

 mer visitant at Fort Collins. I did not observe 

 it in La Plata County, but it is a little strange, 

 that other members have not seen it, it being 

 the largest of our Grebes, and not easily over- 

 looked. An examination of the many ponds, 

 and sloughs, in the San Luis valley, will no 

 doubt show it to be of common occurrence, and 

 its nest and eggs be found there. As usual 

 with this family it builds a nest of aquatic 

 vegetation, brought up from tlie bottom, and of 

 very large dimensions, often being begun on, 

 or near, the mud, and rising above the water. 

 Upon this a slight nest is made, on which rests 

 its eggs, which range from five to nine, although 

 ten are sometimes deposited. The nest may 

 also be afloat, as one I found at Lake Desmet, 

 Wyoming, it being attached to the flags in such 

 a way as to move up and down, as the water 

 rose and fell. This may be the case where tlie 

 pond and sloughs are liable to sudden rise and 

 fall. Although ungainly in many respects it 

 is second to none for its grace in swinuning and 

 diving. 



2. Colymhus holbmllU (Reinh). HolbfeU's 

 Grebe. Migratory; rare, may winter in south- 

 ern portion. Drew reports it as occurring at 

 10,000 feet in autumn. 



3. Coli/mhus nigricollis califoniicus (Heerm)- 

 American Eared Grebe. Summer visitant; 

 common, breeds. Mr. Henshaw,* found its nest 

 and eggs as early as lS7-t, " about thirty miles 

 north-west of Fort Garland" in the San Luis 

 valley, but no late record has reached me of its 

 breeding. Messrs. J. A. Allen and William 

 Brewstert "saw a specimen in the flesh at Mr. 

 Aiken's, killed May Isf (vicinity of Colorado 

 Springs), and Anthony of Denver, and Smith 

 of Loveland, both report it to me fi'om their 

 localities. I took Mr. Ilenshaw's description of 

 nest and eggs from the American Naturalist, as 

 it is the best I have seen. He says, " A colony 

 of perhaps a dozen pair had established them- 

 selves in a small pond four or five acres in 

 extent. In the middle of this, in a bed of reeds, 

 were found upwards of a dozen nests. These 

 in each case merely consisted of a slightly hol- 



*AM. NAT. Vol. VIII, 874, (breeding). 

 tAlleii and Brewster on Colorailo Birds, B. N. O. C. 

 Vol. Via, July and Oct. 1883. 



