V °g? CI J Coale, Ornithological Notes from the West. 217 



They all headed in one direction, feeding and constantly moving 

 forward. A shot at long range brought down six or seven 

 Otocoris alpestris arenicola, and only disturbed a few of those 

 nearest. The vast army of hundreds of Horned Larks paid little 

 attention to me as I picked up the dead ones. They moved on, 

 surrounding me on all sides, the nearest being not more than a 

 hundred feet off. They were twittering merrily, and now and 

 then some bright plumaged male would indulge in a song, or 

 engage in a set-to with some rival. Suddenly four strange birds, 

 attracted by the moving troops of Larks, dropped among them, 

 their black breasts easily distinguishing them from the others. 

 They proved to be Chestnut-collared Buntings ( Calcarius 

 ornatus), and as each fell a number of the Larks shared its fate. 

 No others were met with. 



Fort A farcy, JV. M., March 25. The post is surrounded by 

 the old Mexican town of Santa Fe. Near the fort is a deep 

 canon with plenty of trees, and a tiny brook trickling among 

 the rocks. A Horned Owl that I had not noticed sailed out of 

 a big tree as I passed and was soon out of sight over the hill. 

 Several Myadestes toiviisendi were perched on the tops of tall 

 bushes at the entrance to the canon. Three species of Junco 

 were secured : jf. hyemalis, caniccps and annectens. The only 

 other birds observed were the Mountain Bluebird and Long- 

 crested Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha). 



Whipple Barracks, Ariz., March 31. Elevation 6500 

 feet. One mile from Prescott. My host was Captain W. L. 

 Carpenter, an ardent student of nature. This was the only 

 point where inclement weather made collecting disagreeable. 

 The snow was an inch deep and still falling when we went 

 out among the rocky, pine-clad hills along the creek. Very 

 few birds were seen. In a small tree a tiny bird was hopping 

 among the branches, which proved to be Lucy's Warbler 

 (Helminthophila lucicc), an adult male. Junco hyemalis 

 tJnirberi sought shelter from the storm in a scrub evergreen. 



Fort Verde, Ariz., April 2. Elevation 4500 feet; forty- 

 five miles from Whipple Barracks. Winter there, summer 

 here. The clean sandy bottomland of the Verde River, with 

 its abundant growth of huge cottonwood trees in full leaf, 

 formed a paradise for birds, situated as it is among the moun- 

 2S 



