390 Cameron, Birds of Custer & Dawson Counties, Mont. [^ 



in the year, as I have found both eggs and full-feathered young at the end 

 of July. The male assists in the duties of incubation. Young full-feathered 

 Nighthawks, before they can fly, have chestnut and black upper parts, 

 black primaries with narrow buff margins, and are pale buff beneath. The 

 mother gives a call of cheep cheep when she thinks her nestlings are 

 menaced and performs extraordinary antics. 



94. Aeronautes melanoleucus. White-throated Swift.— Rare. 

 Transient. Mr. Dan Bowman has observed this bird on the Powder 

 River, Custer County. I have not seen it. 



95. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — Rare. 

 Mr. Dan Bowman has described Hummingbirds to me observed by him 

 at different times in Custer County, which undoubtedly belonged to this 

 species. He thinks that in the summer of 1888, a pair nested on his ranch 

 by the Powder River, as they were seen about the garden for six weeks 

 attracted by the petunias, four o'clocks, and marigolds which grew there. 

 Miss Mildred Myers recollects that about seven years ago a pair of Ruby- 

 throated Hummingbirds nested in a clump of rose bushes at Miles City, 

 where the residence of Senator McLean is now situated. She frequently 

 saw the nest, which contained two pearly white eggs about the size of peas. 



96. Stellula calliope. Calliope Hummingbird. — Rare. Mr. Dan 

 Bowman informs me that a male of this species was several times seen by 

 him and his wife, to hover over a bed of flowering sweet peas at Knowlton, 

 Custer County, in September, 1899. 



Mr. F. Z. Gray states that some years ago a pair of Calliope Humming- 

 birds nested at the Mason ranch, situated between the heads of Sheep and 

 Trail Creeks, being attracted by the numerous flowers in Mrs. Mason's 

 garden. 



97. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — Common in both counties on 

 the river valleys. Scarce in the pine lulls excepting on the spring migra- 

 tion when small flocks may be seen. Kingbirds arrive about the middle 

 of May, but, as with Say's Phoebe, the time of arrival is irregular. They 

 were more common on my ranch near Terry, Custer County, than I have 

 noticed them elsewhere, and are late breeders, the newly fledged young 

 first appearing at the end of July. Kingbirds nest in the wild fruit trees, 

 box elders and young cottonwoods, generally at a low altitude. In 1900. 

 a pair of Kingbirds built their nest in a box elder tree close to that of the 

 Marsh Hawk on the ground, and by their persecution distracted her atten- 

 tion from any intruder. In this they did me good service, by preventing 

 her from stooping at my head, but they harried the poor hawk to such an 

 unmerciful degree that it was a complete mystery how she could endure 

 such attacks patiently. However, the Kingbirds were none the worse. 

 The passiveness with which large hawks will submit to aggressive King- 

 birds has always astonished me, and it must be assumed that their feelings 

 alone are hurt by the persecution. The Kingbird alights on the back of 

 Swainson's Hawk, remains there pecking at it for a couple of seconds, and, 

 no matter how high the hawk may soar, the small aggressor will keep above 



