1921 BIRDS OF MONTANA 157 



teau, May 19, 1912; Great Falls, May 9, 1887 (Williams, 1888a, p. 16) ; Teton 

 Kiver, May 21, 1916 (DnBois, MS). 



Nesting evidently begins in ]\lay and continues till August. There are few 

 records of the taking of eggs, but frequent references to feeding of young, most 

 of them in July. The earliest nesting record is that of a nest being built at 

 Kalispell, May 13, 1916, and the latest, of young being fed, at Big Fork, August 

 14, 1916 (Sloanaker, JMS). A nest with two eggs was found at Flathead Lalce 

 July 2, 1902 (Silloway, 1903b, p. 296), and birds were nest building on tlie Teton 

 River, June 6, 1916 (DuBois, .AIS). 



306. Nannus hiemalis pacificus (Baird) 



Western Winter Wren 

 A summer resident of the northwestern part of the state, and perhaps more 

 rarely farther south. Probably permanent resident at low elevations. Common 

 northward. Breeds in dense spruce forests or forests of arbor-vitae on the west 

 side of the divide, evidently nesting about stumps and logs on the ground. In 

 migrations occurs rarely east of the mountains. Records : Summer resident of 

 arbor vitae forests at Flathead Lake (Silloway, 1901a, p. 71). Seen in fall, Fer- 

 gus County (Silloway, 1903a, p. 67). German Gulch, Silver Bow County, seen 

 May 23, and secured May 24, 1910, and seen on Gold Creek, Powell County, 

 August 15, 1910 (Saunders, 1912a, p. 31). A pair with young seen on Beaver 

 Creek, northern Lewis and Clark County, June 29, 1911; and one seen on Birch 

 Creek, Teton County, May 31, 1912 (Saunders, 1914a, p. 142). Seen at Belton, 

 July 6 and September 18, 1915 (DuBois, MS). In 1915 this species was unusu- 

 ally common at Flathead Lake, several pairs with broods of six or seven young 

 being observed about old logs in spruce woods at Yellow Bay, in July. Common 

 in Glacier Park, where I have noted it in arbor-vitae forests west of the divide, 

 and in spruce forests east of it. 



307. Telmatodytes palustris plesius (Oberholser) 



Western Marsh Wren 



A summer resident of the western part of the state, and perhaps also in the 

 prairies eastward, in suitable localities. Local in distribution, and rare in most 

 places. A common breeder in the Bitterroot Valley (Bailey, MS). Breeds at 

 Swan Lake, where an unfinished nest was found July 26, 1902 (Silloway, 1903b, 

 p. 303), and probably near Kalispell, where I observed a bird August 17, 1914. 

 Seen at Chief jMountain Lake in August, 1874 (Coues, 1874b, p. 555). Taken 

 in migration at Anaconda, April 18, 1911, two birds, and at Gold Creek, Sep- 

 tember 21, 1910 (Saunders, 1912a, p. 31). Breeds at Big Lake, Stillwater Coun- 

 ty (Thomas, MS), though it seems probable that these birds may belong to the 

 more eastern form iliacus. One of the Anaconda birds re fenced to above was 

 an intergrade with that subspecies. 



Winters rarely. A bird that probably wintered in the \ncinity of Helena 

 was seen there March 12, 1911 (Saunders, 1912d. p. 108). Observed in the Bit- 

 terroot Valley, December 26, 1912 (Bailey, 1913a, p. 94), and November 20, 1911 

 (Bailey, MS). 



