Vol. XXn Snodgrass, Land Birds of Central Washington. 2 27 



1904 J ' -' ° I 



eastward moisture and fertility rapidly increase. Groves of trees 

 fringe both the Walla Walla River and the Touchet Creek and 

 all the hills are covered with flourishing wheat fields. In all of 

 the arid region wheat grows from a few inches to a foot in height. 

 The Walla Walla wheat-growing country is said to have been orig- 

 inally clothed with bunch-grass. From Bolles to Dayton the nar- 

 row caiion of the Touchet supports a thick growth of trees and 

 underbrush. Outside of the canon the country is treeless and 

 covered with wheat-fields. 



From Dayton on through Columbia and Garfield Counties the 

 surface is cut by extremely deep carions through which the Tucan- 

 non, Pataha and Deadmans streams flow northwest into the Snake 

 River. This country is also treeless, except in the caiions, and 

 the higher parts are covered with bunch-grass, much of it still 

 unbroken. In the caiions, however, one descends again upon the 

 Upper Sonoran desert forms. The caiion of the Snake River is 

 an enormous gorge about 2000 feet deep. Its climate is much 

 warmer and more arid than that of the surrounding country, so 

 that within two or three miles one can descend from one biological 

 zone into another very distinctly different one. 



On crossing the Snake River from the south and coming into 

 the elevated region of the Palouse River one is again within the 

 country of the Catbird. The abrupt contrast between the pro- 

 ductivity of this country and of that to the west and south is most 

 striking, and shows the great superiority of the Palouse region as 

 a wheat-growing country. The fauna and flora are also richer 

 and more varied, and a list of the birds would show a greater 

 number of species here than occur anywhere in the arid parts. 



The following list does not include the Palouse region species. 



1. PedicEcetes phasianellus columbianus. Columbian Sharp-tailed 

 Grouse. — Not seen in any of the sage-brush region of Franklin or Yakima 

 Counties; abundant along the Touchet Creek in Walla Walla County ; a 

 few seen in Garfield County. 



2. Centrocercus urophasianus. Sage Hen. — This species occurs 

 throughout the entire sage-brush area of central Washington. It was 

 found especially abundant on the sandy desert region along the White 

 Bluffs of the Columbia River in the southern end of Douglas .County. 



3. Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. — Common almost every- 

 where ; observed throughout Whitman, Franklin, Yakima, and Walla 

 Walla counties. x 



