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THE OOLOGIST 



Towhees (Pipilo megalonyx montanus) 

 Shufeldts Junco (Junco hyemalis con- 

 necteus) and Sooty Song Sparrow 

 (Melospeza melodis rufena). 



In the sage-brush flats beside the 

 Similkameen we watched that trim, 

 handsome Sparrow (chondestes gram- 

 macus straigata) walking lark-like 

 along the dusty road or on the fence- 

 wire beside the female, ruffling his 

 feathers, spreading his tail and dis- 

 playing all his charms. Chipping 

 Sparrows were plentiful but we looked 

 in vain for that other little Spizella 

 (brewieri) which we expected to find 

 in the sage-brush. 



Everywhere the sandy soil was 

 covered with the leafless, waxy blos- 

 som of (Lewisia redivava), pink, 

 mauve, cerise and violet, vivid dots of 

 color on the bare ground. The Si- 

 wash name for this plant is Spetluni; 

 they eat the semi-bitter root either 

 fresh or dried. 



We ran the car up an old logging 

 road, half a mile into the Nickle 

 Plate Canyon, and camped beside 

 Twenty Mile Creek. On the north 

 side the mountain towered up sheer, 

 for two thousand feet — a bare wall of 

 reddish rock; on the south side the 

 Nickle Plate Mountain was less precip- 

 itous but higher and fir clad to the 

 top. The creek was full to the brim, 

 a coffee-colored torrent roaring over 

 the boulders. 



Rain started about five o'clock; 

 looking up I was delighted to see a 

 dozen or more Vaux Swift (Chaetura 

 vauxi), circling, wheeling and dash- 

 ing through the air with incredible 

 speed. A number of the slower flying 

 violet-green Swallows (Tachyclneta 

 thalassina lepida) were with them. I 

 managed to shoot four Swifts with 

 my twenty-two. Two were females 

 and the condition of the ovaries and 

 the worn breeding patch indicated 

 that they were breeding. Sometimes 



they chased each other, making a 

 sharp chattering cry. They disappear- 

 ed as quickly as they had come, flying 

 so fast one could not follow them 

 with binoculars. Perhaps they breed 

 high up on the rock cliff in some 

 chimney-like crevice. 



There are few other birds on this 

 deep narrow canyon, a solitary Robin 

 whistled in the distance and on the 

 evening the Olive-backed Thrush 

 (Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni) sang 

 through the rain; clear, pearl-like 

 drops of melody. 



June 8. All day a strong west wind 

 roared up the canyon and there was 

 rain at intervals. No birds could be 

 seen under these conditions, so we 

 prepared skins in front of the tent. 

 In the afternoon, walked far up the 

 canyon but saw no birds excepc two 

 Townsend's Solitaire (Myadestes 

 townsendi) and one Western Warb- 

 ling Vireo (Vireosylva gilva swain- 

 soni). 



June 9. Strong west wind and 

 heavy showers. Motored to Princeton 

 and camped in grove of yellow pine, 

 close to a small stream. This is open 

 park-like country similar to the Okan- 

 agan. There is a flne tuft of pine- 

 grass under the trees. 



After lunch visited a little tule- 

 fringed slough, a mile from the camp. 

 Brewer's Blackbird (Buphagus cyan- 

 ocephalus) were nesting in the pines, 

 a scant dozen of which were growing 

 on the little hills, surrounding the 

 small pond; several pairs of North- 

 western Red-wings (Agelaius phoeni- 

 ceus caurinus) had nests on the tule. 

 This district is higher and with later 

 spring than the Okanagan, evidence of 

 which we found in the late blooming 

 of the spring flowers that have now 

 gone to seed in the Okanagan. 



June 10. Last night was quite cold 

 and it is only slightly warmer now. 

 Made skins all day, hugging the fire. 



