166 



OKNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-Xo. 11 



erioan White-frouted Goose. Transient visit- 

 ant, Brenniiiger reports this species. Breeds in 

 higli latitudes, retires to Mexico in winter. 



44. Branta mnadmisis (Linn). Canada 

 Goose. Transient visitant, tolerably common 

 through the State. Drew gives its breeding 

 range at 10,000 feet, but whether he found it 

 breeding in the state or not I do not know, 

 however, it would not be surprising to find that 

 it does so, rarely. A few spend the winter in 

 the southern part of the state. Nests on the 

 ground, and in large communities in trees, a 

 fact I somewhat doubted until 1877, when I 

 found them in northern W'yom. and southern 

 Montana, but they have since deserted both 

 these breeding places, owing to the country 

 being so rapidly settled, and I do not know of 

 one of their nesting places at present. 



45. Branta canadensis hutchinsii (Sw. & 

 Rich). Hutchin"s Goose. Transient visitant; 

 tolerably common. (Anthony). A few are 

 seen in early winter until a severe cold snap 

 sends them farther south. Arrives early in 

 March and does not linger with us. 



46. Bniiita bernicla (Linn). Brant. A rare 

 accidental visitant. Observed by Capt. Thorne 

 in south-eastern Colorado. 



47. Olor buccinator (Rich). Trumpeter 

 Swan. Anthony writes "Aswan was shot on 

 the river some few years ago that I think was 

 this species." Brenninger enters it in his list as 

 a transient visitant. 



48. Ajiija ajaja (Linn). Roseate Spoonbill. 

 In a letter from Mr. T. Marten Tiippe, of How- 

 ardsville, t^olorado, dated June 17th, 1888, he 

 writes. '• .V Rosy Spoonbill was captured at 

 Silverton (Colorado) the other day, it was 

 caught alive but died in a day or two. It was a 

 female, in line spring plumage," Silverton is in 

 San Juan county. It is a fact worthy of note 

 to find this species so far out of its usual habitat. 

 I enter it as a rare, accidental visitant. 



49. Pleyodis rjuarauiia (Linn). White-faced 

 Glossy Ibis. Reported by Drew at 7,000 feet. 

 No other record. Breeds? 



50. Tantalus lornhitcr Linn. Wood Ibis. 

 Anthony says, " I think I saw a bird of this 

 species on the river during the summer of "82.'' 

 This would hardly be evidence enough to add 

 it to this list, but Brenninger under date of 

 April loth, "86 writes that he took " one Wood 

 Ibis" on that date. Drew also records it upon 

 Mr. Ridgway's authority, I enter it therefore 

 as a summer visitant; rare. 



51. Botaurus lentii/inosns (Montag). Am- 

 erican Bittern. Summer visitant; tolerably com- 

 mon. Observed by all the members. Begins 



laying by middle of May. Nest upon the 

 ground in marshes and peat bogs. All I have 

 found were of nothing but grass and a few 

 dried weeds, mostly in open places. A nest 

 found in Massachusetts was in a peat meadow, 

 near bushes and in high coarse grass. I 

 stepped in the nest without discovering it, 

 breaking one egg and badly cracking a second, 

 the third was whole when my companion Mr. 

 E. H. Thompson* who was following me, 

 happened to look down and saw the egg, for 

 nest there was none to speak of. As we were 

 youngsters then, he had first choice as the 

 finder. This of course gave me the cracked 

 specimen as my share. I have it yet in my 

 collection but never look upon it without feel- 

 ing a little of the old soreness come back to me, 

 which I felt for a long time, as a bitterns nest 

 was to us a rarity in those days. To think I 

 was so near that nest, and had the chance of 

 first seeing it, thereby, .according to our rules, 

 giving me two of the three eggs, was a thing I 

 have not yet entirely recovered from, although 

 I have a large series of these eggs now, still, I 

 would part with them all, sooner than that one 

 poor, cracked, end-blown specimen. 



52. Ardea herodias h'mn. Great Blue Heron. 

 Summer visitant; connnon. The bulk of this 

 species goes farther north to breed, but it can 

 still be called a common breeder. Nest in trees, 

 upon the ground, or in bushes as the occasion 

 requires. Eggs pale greenish-blue. Reaches 

 5,000 feet. 



53. ^irden candidissima Gme\. Snowy Heron. 

 .V "summer visitant; tolerably common." 

 Little is known of the occurrence of this species 

 in the state. Anthony is the only member who 

 has observed it. 



54. Nycticorax nycticorax na'vius (Bodd). 

 Black-crowned Night Heron, Summer visitant ; 

 rare. Tolerably common during migration. 

 Breeds throughout its range. 



55. Nycticorax violaceus (Linn). Yellow- 

 crowned Night Heron. Quoted by Drew upon 

 Mr. Ridgway's authority. Rare. 



50. Grus americana (Linn). Whooiiing 

 Crane. Reported by Smith of Loveland, and 

 by Mr. Ridgway. Also by Mr. Aikenf as 

 migratory; occasional. 



57. Grus canadensis (Linn). Little Brown 

 Crane. Given by Drew as breeding from 5,000 

 up to 7,.")00 feet, and in autumn reaching 14,000 

 feet. Also observed by Capt. Thorne in east- 

 ern Colorado. Probably winters in the state. 



*At present making explorations in Vucatan. 

 fPr. Best. Soc. XV. 1872, 209. 



