THE MUSEUM. 



I if> 



often heard early in the morning, 

 when the birds mount some prominent 

 rock or stump. Their general habits 

 are not peculiar. April 5, 1875, a fe- 

 male was taken, with the nest and 

 eggs. The nest was built on the 

 ground beneath a rock, which sheltered 

 it from the prevailing winds; it was 

 lined with goat's hair, and contained 

 two fresh eggs; a third, nearly ready 

 to be laid, was found on opening the 

 bird. Another nest, containing three 

 eggs, was found in a crevice of a large 

 rock, some 5 feet high. The fissure 

 was about 18 inches deep; and being 

 more capacious than was necessary for 

 accommodation of the nest, was div- 

 ided by a partition, which the birds 

 had built across it, leaving an interior 

 space for the nest, and an aperture 

 just large enough for the birds to pass 

 with ease. This partition, which ef- 

 fectually blocked up the passage to 

 the nest was composed of pebbles. A 

 third nest was discovered so far under 

 a large solid rock, and with so small 

 an entrance, that it could not be se- 

 cured. The passage to this nest was 

 also blocked with small stones. 



Gu.\DALUPE Wren, Thryouiaiies brcv- 

 i Cauda, nobis. 



Sp. ch. — -Adult : — Above grayish 

 hair-brown, brownest on the rump, 

 grayest on the tail ; remiges just per- 

 ceptibly, and tail-feathers very dis- 

 tinctly, transversely barred with dusky; 

 three lateral tail-feathers light dull 

 gray terminally, with one or two broad 

 dusky bars across the anterior portion 

 of they gray. A very conspicuous 

 white superciliary stripe from the nos- 

 tril to the occiput; below this grayish- 

 brown stripe, covering the lore and 

 widening on the upper posterior por- 

 tion of the auriculars. Lower parts 

 white anteriorly, passing gradually into 

 dull ash-gray on the sides and abdom- 

 en; crissm broadly barred with black. 



Wing, 1. 85-1. 90; tail, 1.80; bill, 

 9.45-0. 50; tarsus, o. 7C-0 75; middle 

 toe, o. 50. 



Remarks. — This Wren appears to 



bear about the same relation to T. bc- 

 iL'ic-ki Icucogastir that J unco insularis 

 does to /. anncctens ; and it is a curi- 

 ous fact that the analogue of each 

 should be the form from the interior 

 of the continent instead of that from 

 the neighboring coast. This insular 

 form is much grayer than the T. be- 

 wicki spilurus of California and West- 

 ern Mexico, and presents other decid- 

 ed differences from all the continental 

 forms. 



Iris brown. Stomach contained re- 

 mnants of some small black insects 

 which feed upon the blossoms of the 

 White Sage. The bird is resident up- 

 on the island, but not numerous. 

 Their motions are very quick; their 

 general habits restless, impatient, and 

 shy. Their almost incessant activity, 

 together with their shyness, renders 

 them difficult to secure. They live in 

 the brush, being rarely seen on trees. 



Montana Sapphires. 



The only locality in Montana which 

 has been at all prolific of sapphires in 

 'he si.x or seven miles of placer ground 

 between Ruby and Eldorado bars on 

 the Missouri River, sixteen miles east 

 of Helena. Here sapphires are found 

 in glacial auriferous gravel while sluic- 

 ing for gold, and, until now, have 

 been considered only a by-product. 

 Up to the present time they have 

 never been systematically mined. 

 Several years ago a company took the 

 option on 4,000 acres of the river 

 banks, and several smaller companies 

 have since been formed with a view of 

 mining for these gems alone or in con- 

 nection with gold. The colors of the 

 gems obtained, although beautiful and 

 interesting are not the standard blue 

 and red shades generally demanded by 

 the public. The stones embrace a 

 greater variety of the lighter shades of 

 red, yellow, blue and green. The lat- 

 ter color is found quite pronounced, 

 being rather a blue green than an 

 emerald green. Nearly all the stones 

 when finely cut, have an apparent 

 metallic luster. 



