348 ORNITHOLOGY. 



these scatterc'd groves llio two trees above named are niiugleil, tlieir relative 

 abundance varying with the locahty, one or the other of them sometimes 

 alone constituting the entire growth, the greater sterihty of tlie soil being 

 indicated b}' the prevalence of the Juniperus. These trees are usually 

 diminutive, rarely exceeding fifteen feet in height, while tluir average is 

 hardlv more than ten or twelve feet; their trunks are usually large in j)ro- 

 portion, however, and twisted and gnarled into an unsightly shape. In 

 such woods, near Carson City, we found only the Blue Nutcracker (Gi/t)nio- 

 kilfa ajmioccphala), S'lalia arctka, Pica hmJ.sonica, Lojihophaiies iuornatus, and 

 Oicottijx pktus, with an occasional 5/)L-f//« hrcwcri, Collurio cxcuhitoruidcs, 

 and CoJaptcs mexicamis, with now and then a straggling flock of Psaltri- 

 panis plumhcus, the latter, however, most usually seen in the ravines. The 

 l^inpklonax ohscurns was an additional summer resident, arriving about 

 April 20. 



c. The mcadoics and sagebrush plains. 



The plain upon which Carson City is situated consists of the usual 

 sage-brush waste, changing, however, to meadows along the foot of 

 the Sierra Nevada, where the soil is watered by brooks and ri\ulets 

 from the mountains. The winter residents of this section were: Anthus 

 ludovidanus, Collurio cxcitbitoroicles, Plcdrophanes Jappouicus, JSremophUa 

 ulpvstyis, Ampthispiza ncvadensi^, Stunielhi nc(jlecta, Spcotijto liypogaa in the 

 sage-brush and meadows of the plain, and Tardus migratorius, Sialia 

 niexicana, Begulus calendula, Troglodytes parhnanni, Collurio horcalis, Zono- 

 trichia intermedia, Jtmco oregonus, Spizclla monticola, and Pipjilo orcgouus 

 among the more bushy fields at the base of the Sierra. Besides the 

 foregoing, Corvus carnivorus and Pica hudsonica were abundant about 

 the slaughter-houses, while Xcmthoccphalus icteroccphulus and Scolccophagus 

 cganocephului) frequented the vicinity of corrals. In the spring, the follow- 

 ing species were added to this fauna: — 



Sayornis sayus [about bitUditnjK) March 12. 



Sali)iuctL'S obsoletus {mcli/ places) JIai ch 20. 



Orooscoptes nioiitauus {safjcbnish) l^Iarch 24. 



Taciiyciru'ta Ijicolor [about huihlimjit) Marc-li 2.j. 



Passcrculus alaiuliiiuH [incuduics) March 2S. 



Pooecetes coufiuis [sage brush and mcadoics) April 1. 



