7A.8 Merrill, Birds of Fort Sherman, Idaho. loct 



spring ; here a growth of tules, water grasses, and willows, with a 

 limited number of cottonwoods on the edges, form the only invit- 

 ing spots for a considerable number of land birds that never from 

 choice enter the surrounding pine forests, and a few marsh birds 

 and Ducks also frequent them. A belt of cottonwoods extends 

 along the Spokane River for some miles and affords a convenient 

 route for many migrants. Except close along shore the northern 

 part of the lake is very deep, and in the autumn most water birds 

 soon find their way to the southern end where the marshy valley 

 of the St. Joseph River offers congenial feeding and resting 

 places. About every third winter the surface of the lake is frozen ; 

 as long as it is open a few Grebes, Gulls and Ducks remain, 

 going to the always open Spokane River when forced to by the 

 ice. A marsh of the character described is about a mile south- 

 west of the fort and is sometimes referred to in this paper. 

 About six miles to the north, a pine forest intervening, is the 

 eastern end of the great Spokane prairie. Mica Peak, locally 

 so-called, one of the highest mountains in the vicinity, is about 

 eleven miles to the southwest, gradually rising from near the lake 

 shore to a height of about three thousand feet above it ; the 

 summit is about a mile east of the Washington State line. 

 Another and the true Mica Peak is about three miles further 

 southwest ; it is in Washington, and is a little higher Jhan the 

 Idaho peak of the same name. 



In some respects the local climatic conditions resemble those 

 of the Northern Cascade Range more nearly than those of any 

 other part of the Rocky Mountains or its neighboring ranges in 

 the United States. The winters usually are not severe and 

 Chinook winds are frequent. The rainfall, including its equiva- 

 lent in the heavy winter snowfall, is considerable and the large 

 number of cloudy days adds to the faunal effect of the actual rain 

 and snow. The avifauna is, as would be expected, essentially 

 that of the Northern Rocky Mountains, but there is an element 

 of Cascade Mountain forms, as shown by the presence of such 

 species as Xenopicus, Ti-oglodytes hietnalis pacificiis, Panes ri/fescens, 

 Hesperocichla., and others. 



The little collecting that has been done in Idaho was chiefly in 

 the southern and central parts of the State and has been well 



