1890. 1 Mearns, Arizona Mountain Birds. A 1 ! 



washed by the Verde, and running north of that stream is a range 

 of hills that culminates in the Bill Williams Mountain, a promi- 

 nent peak west of the San Francisco cone. The next range to 

 the west of the Verde Mountains is the Bradshaw and the Sierra 

 Frieta. This is one of the most magnificent mountain chains in 

 Arizona. It may be said to begin at Granite Peak, ten miles north 

 of Prescott and extends in a southeasterly direction to the wide 

 plains which stretch along Salt River near its junction with the 

 Gila, being about fifty miles in length by about twenty in average 

 width, and clothed with fine pines, junipers and cedars. North of 

 the Sierra Prieta, and thence to the Colorado Canon, are numerous 

 ranges, culminating in high, heavily timbered ridges, forming a 

 considerable forest area to the south of the Colorado River. 



The above enumeration, including all of the high ranges of 

 mountains that lie between the Gila and Colorado Rivers in Ari- 

 zona, defines the geographical limits under consideration. In 

 ascending these mountain slopes, from the lower plateaus or mesas, 

 the vegetation is seen to change in character with the altitude, 

 giving rise to a remarkable succession of vegetable zones, follow- 

 ing each other with more or less precision. When the forest re- 

 gion is attained, the western cedars (Juniperus occidentalis var. 

 monosperma and f /. Calif or niect ) and pifion or nut pine (Pinus 

 monophylla) are the first trees encountered ; then a zone of ever- 

 green-oaks (Que reus oblo)igifolia,Q. e/irysolepis, J^. hypolcuca . 

 etc.), succeeded by belts of rough-barked juniper (J. paehyphlcea), 

 deciduous oaks (®hiercus Gambelli, etc.) , pine (P. ponderosa) , 

 aspen (Popuhis tre??i?iloides), firs (Pseudotsuga taxifolia and 

 Abies concolor) , and spruce ( Picea Engclmanni) , in the order 

 named. The belt of yellow or bull pine (P. ponderosa) , which 

 constitutes the bulk of the forested areas of Arizona, is usually 

 reached at an altitude of 5000 to 6000 feet above the level of the 

 sea. Its lower limit coincides with the scope of this paper, which 

 deals with the birds residing during the summer months within, 

 or above, the zone of pine timber.* 



As it is my object to emphasize the peculiar ornithological fea- 

 tures stamped upon these elevated localities, those species which 



*Pinus ponderosa is the species referred to, when speaking of the pine belt. Sev- 

 eral other species occur sparingly, among them Finns fiexilis and P. reflexa (v\hite 

 pines) at high altitudes, P. Ckihuahuana interdigitating with the yellow pine along its 

 lower margin, and P. Murrayana (black pine) forming considerable forests near the 

 Colorado River. . 



