138 Bowles, Birds of Tacoma, Wash. |"£"K 



LApril 



A LIST OF THE BIRDS OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON, 

 AND VICINITY. 



BY J. H. BOWLES. 



The city of Tacoma is situated upon Puget Sound at the south- 

 ern extremity of Admiralty Inlet. The land bordering upon the 

 city is somewhat varied in its physical construction, which must ac- 

 count for the local restriction of several species. It may perhaps 

 be best described as an extensive prairie, in many parts densely 

 wooded, and split open at intervals by deep, heavily wooded gulches. 

 At the bottom of these gulches run small fresh water brooks, bor- 

 dered by a dense growth of nettles and viciously spined devils-club. 

 The maximum altitude is only 410 feet, and there is no appreciable 

 rise in elevation for fifty or more miles on any side until the foothills 

 of the Cascade Mountains are reached. 



The section to be treated is bounded on the east by Admiralty 

 Inlet and the Puyallup River, a glacial stream running through a 

 rich valley, on the north and west by Puget Sound, and on the south 

 by numerous small lakes, streams and marshes of fresh water. Ex- 

 tensive tide-flats, with their surrounding marshes, form attractive 

 feeding grounds for the Limicolse. 



The timber consists largely of the Douglas fir, which grows to a 

 height of 250 feet and more, and is found everywhere. Cedar and 

 spruce are also well represented. In the vicinity of water are to be 

 found the cottonwood, maple, alder, and other deciduous trees and 

 shrubs, while numerous parts of the dryest prairie are plentifully 

 dotted with oak. 



The temperature is moderate throughout the year, seldom reach- 

 ing much below the freezing point in winter, and averaging about 

 65° during the summer. This will probably account for many of 

 the winter residents, as well as for some of the mountain-loving 

 summer residents. 



The following list is the result of personal observations of the 

 author during a period of nine years. Several most interesting 

 species, such as the California Clapper Rail (Rallus obsoletus), 

 have been shot and accurately described by friends, but have been 



