310 Warren, Birds of the Elk Mountain Region, Colo. VinXy 



on my return in April, 1901, I saw the birds about the town. I do not 

 think they have ever been especially abundant. 



Pooecetes gramineus confinis. Western Vesper Sparrow. — A 

 common summer resident and breeder. Ai-rives late in April or early in 

 May; I have a note that I thought I saw one April 21, 1901. Remains 

 until at least the middle of September, and I have a note that one was seen 

 November 3, 1902, though this is extraordinarily late. Nests abundantly, 

 laying from 3 to 5 eggs. The following notes give an idea of the nesting 

 dates : 



May 27, 1900, nest with 3 eggs at Hillside Ranch; hatched between 

 June 3 and 8. Another nest with 4 young larger than those in the first 

 was found on the 8th. 



4 eggs, June 5, 1900, at Genright's ranch. 



4 eggs, June 13, 1900, Hillside Ranch, still unhatched on 17th, and 

 deserted on 24th, with one dead young bird in it, and 3 eggs. 



June 15, 1902, 4 eggs. Hillside Ranch, low down in sage brush; 3 well 

 grown young in this June 22. 



4 eggs, June 19, 1902, near Crested Butte. 



3 eggs, July 10, 1903, at Hillside Ranch; 2 young in this July 26, about 

 5 days old. 



June 26, 1915, a nest with 4 well incubated eggs. 



Nearly all these nests were on the ground, often under an Artemisia bush, 

 but not infrequently under a tuft of grass or a cinquefoil bush. The above 

 notes show that the nesting season may extend over a period of several 

 weeks; very possibly late sets are second layings due to the destruction of 

 the first set. The species was also common on Muddy Creek. 



Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys. White-crow^ned Sparrow. — 

 Common summer resident. Arrives about the first week in Maj^, and leaves 

 the middle of October. I do not think it nests below 9,500 feet. The early 

 part of June, 1915, White-crowns were common about Hillside Ranch, 

 9,200 feet, and I was also noting it elsewhere; the twelfth was the last 

 date on which I saw it at the ranch, though I observed it often at somewhat 

 higher elevations, and on the 17th collected a nest with four nearly fresh 

 eggs 2 miles west of Crested Butte, ^t about 9,500 feet; this was built in a 

 tuft of grass on the ground, in a damp spot near a little brook, with willow 

 thickets all about. That same day many were seen on the hillside below 

 the Keystone Mine, and I saw several old nests which I thought belonged 

 to this species in the willows there. As there were exactly similar localities 

 and conditions at the Hillside Ranch I came to the conclusion that they did 

 not breed there because of the low elevation. June 23, 1915, I saw some in 

 Galena Park, 10,300 feet, when the snow had Iseen gone from there but a 

 few days. I have also seen the species up to nearly 12,000 feet. 



Spizella rrjfonticola ochracea. Western Tree Sparrow.— Has been 

 seen in autumn, when it is quite common about Crested Butte in late 

 September and in October; also noted at Marble in October. No spring 

 records. 



