BIRD NOTES AFIELD 



this difference is constant, the two birds are considered distinct 

 species. Many of our swallows are identical on both sides of 

 the Rocky Mountains, although one species, and this the most 

 beautiful of them all, is confined to the Pacific Coast. There 

 is but one humming-bird found in the eastern states, a species 

 which is absent here but replaced by six other representatives 

 of the group. Our meadow-lark, although commonly held to 

 be but a variety of the eastern bird, is a shade lighter in color 

 and has a markedly sweeter song. The far-famed scarlet 

 tcinager of the eastern woods does not cross the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, but the western tanager has a dash of scarlet on his yel- 

 low head and breast. Some species of birds, which are dis- 

 tributed over the entire northern portion of our country, have 

 remained so constant in coloration throughout their range that 

 the most exacting scrutiny of experts has failed to show any 

 tangible variation. Of these may be mentioned the mocking- 

 bird, the ruby-crowned kinglet and the belted kingfisher. By 

 far the largest proportion of our Pacific Coast birds, however, 

 differ, at least to a slight degree, from their eastern relatives, 

 this divergence ranging from a mere shade of marking or of 

 size to an entirely different coloration, as in some of the ex- 

 amples cited above. There are also a number of birds here 

 which are unrelated to any living species, and occupy genera 

 of their own. Such are the white-headed woodpecker, the 

 wren-tit, and the phainopepla. \ 



There is a superstition, unfortunately all too prevalent, that 

 our birds do not sing. The truth of the matter is that our ears 

 do not hear, or, rather, that our attention is directed to other 

 things. We talk of importing singing birds from far-off lands 

 at the same time that we calmly permit many of our own beau- 



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