^°]9"08^^] Smith, Notes on Colorado Birds. 187 



The males were seen daily, and heard in full song, in every grove; the fe- 

 males were less often noticed, possibly on account of their less conspicuous 

 plumage, or because incubating. 



A female was seen carrying nesting material, but as she flew quite a 

 distance the location of the nest was not discovered. Several males and 

 one female were taken. June 5-15, 1906, again found the writer in the 

 county, part of the time being spent with Mr. Boyes. The experiences of 

 the preceding year were repeated with additional information on nesting, 

 several nests being discovered among the topmost branches of the trees, 

 where they were quite inaccessible. Further specimens were also taken. 

 Although Curator Ferril and the writer have spent considerable time in the 

 vicinity of Wray, during the migrations, the species was only met with in 

 the locality mentioned. 



Icterus galbula. B.\ltimore Oriole. — In the same locality and under 

 similar conditions, this species was also found by the writer, two males 

 having been taken near Boyes's ranch, June 4 and 5 respectively, 1905. 

 Females were also seen but not secured. In 1906 several pairs were 

 seen, and a few hours watching was rewarded by the discovery of a nest, 

 containing five recently hatched young and one egg, which, together with 

 the female parent were taken June 14, 1906, and are now in the State col- 

 lection. The male was seen at the nest but escaped capture. Our ex- 

 perience would indicate that the species was a not uncommon resident on 

 Dry Willow Creek, Yuma Co., during the years 1905 and 1906, and in all 

 probability may be found there every summer. 



I may add that Bullock's Oriole is common there also, wliich fact made 

 it quite difficult to estimate the relative abundance of the two species, the 

 more so as they usually kept in the higher branches of the taller cotton- 

 wood trees, which were kept in motion by a stiff breeze that prevailed 

 most of the time during my stay there. This I believe is the first authentic 

 breeding record for Colorado. 



Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus. Western Evening Grosbeak. 

 — As the breeding range of this species in Colorado is not yet well defined, 

 it may be well to mention a brood of four or five, just out of the nest, that 

 were -seen by Howard S. Reed, July 22, 1898, in "California Park, Elk 

 Head Mountains, Routt Co., Colo." One of the family was taken, and is 

 now in Mr. Reed's collection. 



Zonotrichia querula. Harris's Sparrow. — A female, shot by W. C. 

 Ferril, October 9, 1907, about two miles east of Kit Carson, Cheyenne Co., 

 along the line of the Union Pacific Railway track. It was in company 

 with a small party of Western Tree Sparrows, Western Vesper Sparrows, 

 etc., and the only one seen. They were near a culvert and probably at- 

 tracted by a patch of rank weed vegetation, which had grown up at that 

 point. 



Junco hyemalis oregonus. Oregon Junco. — A specimen of this 

 variety was taken by the writer on the Platte River near Denver, Oct. 

 16, 1885, and subsequently sent to Prof. Robt. Ridgway, who verified the 



