Dec. 1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



181 



A List of the Birds of Colorao. 



BY CHAS. F. MOKRISON. 



(Continued.) 



85. Numenins hudsonictis r.iith. Huclsoni.iri 

 Curlew. Tniiisieiit visitant; i:iio. 1 took one 

 specimen on the Arkansas river, eiglit miles 

 east of Fort Lyon early in May, 1888. Tliis is 

 the only recorii I know of. There were three 

 others whicli Hew over the prairie to the north- 

 west upon my sliootiug the specimen obtained. 



86. \iimi!nii(s hdrcalis (Korst). Eskimo 

 Curlew. Reported by Capt. Tiiorne from east- 

 ern Colorado. Transient visitant; common? 



87. Charadrius squatarola (Linn). Black- 

 bellied Plover. Transient visitant; rare. An- 

 thony writes " A single bird in my collection is 

 the only record I know.'' This was bought 

 at a market,* the seller saying it was brought 

 in a few minutes before. I can add one more 

 record, that of .Smith of Loveland, who observ- 

 ed it near there. 



88. Charadrius domiiiicus Miill. American 

 Golden Plover. Entered upon Mr. Ridgway's 

 authority. A transient visitant, only occurring 

 in autumn and winter, leaving for the north 

 very early in the spring. The bulk of these 

 birds retire to South America to winter, a very 

 small number stopping in the southern IT. S. 



89. ^(jialitis rncifi'ra (Linn). Killdeer. 

 This widely distributed species is as common 

 here as in otlier parts of N. A. Breeds abun- 

 dantly. Its habits are well-known and need no 

 comment here. 



90. yEtjialitis montana (Towns) Mountain 

 Plover. Summer visitant; common. This is 

 another bird which, strictly speaking, has no 

 right to its name, it not being a mountain species 

 at all, but of the plains. It is found up to 9,000 

 feet, but not in tlie mountains, except in the 

 parks and tablelands, which it reaches by 

 following the streaius, as manv of this family 

 do. 



91. Colinusvirfjinianus(^\Ann.) Boh-white. 

 Resident; tolerably common. .41 though some- 

 what out of the range given in the A. O. U. 

 code, this species is found as above. Anthony 

 records it. Capt. Thorne reports it from east- 

 ern Colorado, and Brenninger has it on his list 

 with the remark ''probably escaped from 

 captivity." It is very probable that it will yet 

 be found common by observers in the eastern 

 part of the state, where C. v. tcxanus (Laur) 

 may also be found. 



•See "Auk" Vol. JU.No. 2,i>. •284-280,1886. 



92. Callipepla r/ambdi (Nuttall). Gambel's 

 Partridge. Resident in southwestern part of 

 state; rare. Imported from California at vari- 

 ous places near Denver and Fort Collins, where 

 from all accounts it is thriving. 



93. Dendrrir/apus obscurns (Say). Dusky 

 Grouse. This, the finest of all our grouse, for 

 eating purposes, is resident in the mountains, 

 and common. In spring it is hard to find, but 

 the last of August when the young are of good 

 size, they are found in flocks of one or two 

 families, in the man}' pockets and gulches of 

 tlie mountains and foot-hills, feeding upon wild 

 cherries and various berries. Then it is shot in 

 large numbers and althovigh there is not much 

 sport in killing tliem at this time, still, when 

 stutl'cd and roasted there is no grouse equal to 

 it. 



About the last of Sept. or first of Oct. they 

 disappear from low altitudes and seek the 

 highest peaks where it feeds upon the myriads 

 of grasshoppers frequenting these places, soon 

 after tliis they separate and only individuals 

 are found during winter, when they keep near 

 timber line and then their principal diet is the 

 cones of tlie pines, and buds of various trees 

 found here. Nest on ground, generally at the 

 foot of tree or under bushes. Eggs " eight to 

 twelve?" I have never taken its eggs but have 

 seen several nests after the young had left. 



94. Bonasa umbellus umbMoides (Dougl.) 

 Gray Ruffed Grouse. Reported b}' Drew in his 

 list as occurring at 7,000 feet, Mr. Allen gives 

 it as occurring, but it must be recorded as rare. 

 I have not seen it myself in this state and but 

 one single bird in A\'yomiug, in tlie Big Horn 

 range. Further north however, in Montana, I 

 found it much more common, but do not believe 

 it is really common in the United States. 



95. Lagopus leucurus. Swains. White-tail- 

 ed Ptarmigan. Resident, common above, or 

 near timber line the year round. Breeds from 

 10,000 to 14,000 feet. 1 think this is nearly the 

 extent of its vertical range, altliougli it may 

 come lower in very severe winters. 



96. Tympanuchus americanus (\iQ\t::h) . Prai- 

 rie Hen. This is entered in Drew's list as 

 occurring from the plains up to 5000 feet. 

 Upon what evidence I do not know. Mr. Allen 

 found it as far west as middle Kansas as long 

 ago as 1872.* It may have pushed its way to 

 the eastern border of Colorado in sixteen years, 

 although there are no records that I know of, 

 but the wonderful western march of this 

 species, which has been written of in every 



*See Bull. Mu. Comp. Zoolv' Vol. Ill, No. (i, p. 181, 

 July 1872. 



