168 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 14 



kinds of conifi'i'oiis forests in tlie mountains, and in fact anywlu're that tlicre 

 are trees, bushes or buildings to furnish nesting sites. 



In migrations this species arrives the latter part of IMareh. being one of the 

 first to come in spring, though generally preceded by the Desert Horned Lark 

 and Mountain Bluebird. Five years' observations at Columbia Palls give the 

 average date of arrival as March 21, with the earliest March 15. 1896 (Cooki% 

 1907, p. 77). Other dates are: Bozeman, March 19, 1909; Norton Gulch, Silver 

 Bow County, March 16, 1910; Helena, March 18, 1911 ; Lubec, Teton County. 

 ;\[arch 28, 1912; Poison, March 11, 1913; Highwood, March 21, 1914 (DuBois, 

 MS ) . Fall migration takes place in October or November. Three years' observa- 

 tions at Columbia Falls give the average date of departure as November 14, with 

 the latest November 20, 1892 (Cooke, 1907. p. 78). Other dates are: Tom Minor 

 Basin, Park County, October 20, 1908 ; Pipestone Creek, Jeffei"son County, Octo- 

 ber 23. 1909; Warm Springs Creek. Deer Lodge County. October 13. 1910; Chn- 

 teau, October 29, 1911. 



Nesting begins in May and continues till Jul.y, there being usually two 

 I.TOods. The earliest nest recorded was one at Corvallis, partly completed Mny 

 2. 1913. In this same locality another nest was found complete on May 4, 1913. 

 and the first egg was seen May 12. 1913 (Bailey, MS). The earliest nest I have 

 found was one at Choteau, partly complete on May 10, 1912. The earliest thai: 1 

 lia,ve seen any eggs was a nest with four fresh eggs at Bozeman, May 23, 1909. 

 On Pipestone Creek, Jefferson County, I found a nest of this species containing 

 fiVe eggs, June 22, 1910. The latest nest I have record of was on Little Pi;)e- 

 stone Creek, Jefferson County, and contained its first egg July 9, 1910, the ser 

 of four being complete July 13. 



This species winters regularly in small numbers in the western lialf of tb.e 

 slate, though there appear to be no winter records east of the mountains. Such 

 records are most abundant west of the continental divide. Some of these are: 

 Three Forks, February 12, 1910 (Saunders, 1911a, j). 49) ; Bozeman, December 

 25, 1911 (Saunders, 19121], p. 41) : Bozeman, December 24, 1912 (Lundwall, 

 1913. p. 43) ; Corvallis. Bitterroot Valley. February 20. 1912. and January 22, 

 1913; Hamilton, January 2:'5, 1913 (Bailey, MS) ; Kalisin-ll, Decmber 26, lOlC 

 (Sloanaker, MS). 



327. Ixoreus naevius meruloides ( Swainson ) 



XoKTiiERN Varied Thrush 



A i-;ire summer resident of northwestern Montana, west of the continental 

 divide Evidentl.v breeds in the Transition or Canadian zones, in dense darl- 

 forests of arbor-vitae and spruce. Thei'e is one record for the species in migra- 

 tion in eastern Montana, when it was seen in large numbers along the Big and 

 Little Horn rivers in August (McChesney. 1879. p. 2384), 



The migrations evidentl.v come early in spring, for the average arrival :ii 

 Columbia Falls is April 1, and the earliest ;\Iarch 2, 189:i (Cooke, 19(17. p. 166). 

 There are no data on fall migration in the state. 



Al Flathead Lake and vicinity tliis speciis has been met vith a numliei' of 



