iSSS.] Merrill on Birds of Fort Klamath, Oycgou. 26 1 



by the much more mimerous and conspicuous white markings of the up- 

 per parts as well as bj the whiter, less spotted underparts ; from that of 

 arenicola, chrysola^ina, and riibeus by the much darker ground color above 

 and the almost total absence of bufty or cinnamon tints either above or 

 beneath; of the remaining five, four have the upper parts, especiallj' the 

 wings and tail, strongly tinged with dull cinnamon; three specimens 

 approach dark examples of young arenicola. The eighth Klamath bird 

 is plain dull seal brown above with but few and faint light markings. It 

 is in worn and probably faded plumage. In the large series of adults 

 collected by Dr. Merrill I find a good deal of variation with respect to the 

 sharpness of the dark streaking above as well as the depth and extent of 

 the vinaceous tints; only a few birds are as heavily streaked as Mr. Hcn- 

 shaw's description indicates, and but two have any yellow on the breast, 

 while none show any yellow on the underparts posterior to the breast. 

 A female taken Feb. 27, however, has the entire underparts (excepting, 

 of course, the black cravat) pale primrose yellow. There are two similar 

 examples in a series of some forty specimens collected at Klamath in Sep- 

 tember and October, as well as several with decided yellow breasts. — W.B.] 



Pica pica hudsonica. Common in winter in and about the Fort, being 

 attracted by the abundance of food. They visit the stables, yards, hen- 

 coops, and 'dump pile,' and are interested observers when a steer is 

 butchered. During the deep snow in February they passed much of their 

 time perched on the backs of the mules and horses. Late in March they 

 began to leave for their nesting places, a favorite one being along the 

 shore of Klamath Lake at Modoc Point. Here there is a dense growth of 

 willows and plum brush extending for several miles, but usually only a 

 few feet or yards in width. The stage road runs by the side of, and 

 sometimes through, this strip, and on either side the nests, new and old, 

 may be seen by dozens. A few pairs build along Wood River and other 

 streams in the valley near the Fort, and among willows growing in the 

 marsh. The nests are too well known to need description here; the eggs, 

 from five to seven or eight in number, rarely nine, are placed either upon 

 the bare mud bottom or upon a few fibrous rootlets that serve as an 

 apology for a lining over the mud. The first set of eggs was taken at 

 Modoc Point on April 8. 



Cyanocitta stelleri. Common resident, and especially numerous about 

 the Fort. Found to be rather scarce in the mountains in July and August, 

 and rarely seen above sixty-five hundred feet. 



[Two specimens, both adults, collected by Dr. Merrill, agree closely 

 with some of the Crested Jays taken at Fort Walla Walla by Capt. Ben- 

 dire,* having the general coloring of the head, neck, and back nearly, if 

 not quite, as blackish as in true stelleri, but showing fully as much blue 

 streaking on the forehead as in frontalis. They arc evidently interme- 

 diates nearest stelleri. — W. B.] 



Perisoreus obscurus. None were noticed about the Fort during the 

 winter, though they are known to occur there sometimes at that season. 



*Bull. N. O. C, Vol. VII, No. 4, p. 229. 



