Vol. XXIX 

 1912 



J Bruner and Feild, Birds of Western North Carolina. 369 



that of New England, suffice it to say that Mount Mitchell, highest 

 summit east of the Rocky Mountains, stands 426 ft. higher than 

 Mount Washington in New Hampshire, while twenty-three other 

 peaks also surpass the latter in height. Besides these, seventy- 

 nine others tower above 5000 ft. The mountain slopes are covered 

 with unbroken forests of hardwoods, firs, hemlocks, and white 

 pines, except for the "Balds" or natural meadows of the higher 

 summits. 



It had for some time been our desire to go to this Switzerland 

 of America to study the Ijirds occurring there, and to get a taste 

 of the simple and strenuous life. We had previously spent a 

 consideralile time in the mountains of this region, but had never 

 made any systematic study of bird distribution. The trip was 

 made entirely on foot. We carried no pack-mule nor cook. We 

 had a light camping outfit and carried a 12 gauge single-barrel 

 shotgun and a 303 Savage rifle. We did our own cooking, except 

 for an occasional meal at a native's house. We usually carried with 

 us provisions for several days. Our packs and all belongings 

 weighed thirty-five pounds per man. 



Our trip started on June 17 at Edgemont in Caldwell County, 

 which lies upon the flanks of the Blue Ridge. Edgemont is sixteen 

 hundred feet above sea-level and is therefore in the Upper Austral 

 Zone. The immediate vicinity is rather rugged, and is broken by 

 mountain chains whose elevation is about twenty-two hundred 

 feet. Within a few miles of Edgemont on the banks of Wilson's 

 Creek, we made our first camp. Here we remained two days, 

 during which time final preparations were made. In the neighbor- 

 ing region birds were rather abundant. Forty-one species were 

 recorded, of which number the Scarlet Tanager, Mountain Vireo, 

 Song Sparrow, Towhee, and Phoebe were more or less characteristic 

 of the mountains. 



From Edgemont we went to Grandfather Mountain, a distance 

 by road of eighteen miles. Our camp was situated on the south- 

 western side of the mountain in Avery County at an elevation of 

 4200 ft. Here we stayed one week. This mountain is perhaps 

 the most picturesque in the state. Though not so high as many 

 others — having an elevation of 5964 ft., — it stands far above all 

 the summits immediately around it. Its surface is extremely 



