Craigmile — Ox Sparks, Nevada, Birds. 13 



dian and Lombardy poplars are seen around some of the farm 

 houses. Orchards are few. The moimtains surrounding the 

 town are so barren that sage brush thrives in few places. 



Little rain fell during the three months covered by these ob- 

 servations. The temperature varied from freezing at night 

 to 135 on the warmest da}s. With the exception of one half- 

 day tramp across irrigated fields to Governor Sparks' gold 

 mines, and one all-day drive through the foothills, the list was 

 compiled from my hammock under the cottonwoods. An ir- 

 rigation ditch, an orchard, and a row of tall cottonwoods at- 

 tracted the birds to my locality. 



Linnets (House Finch) were abundant and were as much of 

 a nuisance as Passer domesticus. They reminded me of the 

 uncouth country cousin of the refined Purple Finch. The Ash- 

 throated and Hammond Flycatchers were omnipresent. The 

 note of the latter resembles that of the Nighthawk, only it is 

 more refined. The Ash-throated Flycatcher is a handsome bird. 

 At first I pronounced him a quiet fellow as he gleaned insect 

 food from his perch on the telephone wires, but later I discov- 

 ered that he was the night musician who roused me about 2 

 o'clock with his chatter-box gabble, "tick, tick, tick, tick-ik, ik, 

 tick-ik, ik, tick-ik, ik," frequently repeated for several min- 

 utes. This serenade seemJed to accompany some peculiar flight. 

 When the young were learning to -fly the whole family ar- 

 ranged themselves on the wires and such "ticking" as followed 

 could hardly be surpassed by a whole roost of Night Herons. 



Insect life was abundant, and so were Nighthawks. Al- 

 though the light ^\■as very brilliant they frequently fed until 

 nearly noon. They slept on exposed branches of the cotton- 

 woods and on fence posts along the road where there were no 

 trees. Their "beady" note might be heard any hour of the 

 day. Their rest seemed never quiet. The list follows : 



Bullock Oriole, House Finch, Western Robin, Mountain Song 

 Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Yellow Warbler, Mountain Blue- 

 bird, Kilkleer, Mourning Dove, Western Chipping Sparrow, Barn 

 Swallow, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Brewer Blackbird, Cliff Swallow, 

 Pacific Yellow-throat. Spotted Sandpiper, Brewer Sparrow, Red- 

 shafted Flicker, Hammond Flycatcher, Black-billed Magpie, Bi- 

 colored Blackbird, Warbling Vireo, Arkansas Goldfinch, Western 

 Meadowlark, Rock Wren, Western Lark Sparrow, Dusky Horned 



