1g) Kossk, The Rufous Hummingbird. rane 
Before I speak of any particular species, I think it advisable 
to note the effect of climate and vegetation upon the birds in 
general found inhabiting the cape. Upon this point Dr. Coues 
speaks as follows: —‘“‘ The more varied the face of a country, the 
more varied its birds. A place all plain, all marsh, all woodland, 
yields its particular set of birds, perhaps in profusion; but the 
kinds will be limited in number. It is of first importance to 
remember this, when you are so fortunate as to have choice of 
collecting-ground; and it will guide your steps aright in a day’s 
walk anywhere, for it will make you leave covert for open, wet 
for dry, high for low and back again. Well-watered country is 
more fruitful of bird-life than desert or even prairie ; warm regions 
are more productive than cold ones. As a rule, variety and abun- 
dance of birds are in direct ratio to diversity and luxuriance of 
vegetation. Your most valuable as well as largest bags may be 
made in the region most favored botanically, up to the point 
where exuberance of plant-growth mechanically opposes your 
operations.” This last sentence, I think, expresses the exact 
position in which an ornithologist is placed when he hunts upon 
this verdant cape. 
The rainfall does not affect the number so much as it does the 
coloration of birds: it tends to produce darker coloration in all 
the species occurring in the region. This can be easily seen 
upon comparing certain species from this section with the same 
from the arid regions of the South. In the northern forms the 
colors and shades are not only darker, but also more distinctly 
and heavily marked. In some species occurring in different 
regions, these distinctions are so marked that they have led to 
the dividing of the species into subspecies. This fact is well 
illustrated by the two subspecies Falco columbarius suckleyi (Black 
Merlin) and Colaptes cafer saturatior (Northwestern Flicker). 
Both of these birds are simply dark forms of Falco columbarius 
and Colapies cafer, respectively. 
The following is a short list of some other birds in which the 
coloration is affected by the rainfall: Sooty Grouse, Sharp- 
shinned Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, Gairdner’s Woodpecker, Rusty 
Song Sparrow, and Townsend’s Sparrow. Of course all birds are 
affected in some degree, but I think these are more than the others. 
