130 BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES 



he ran off on the ground like a frightened doe, and was 

 soon ensconced in a sage bush. Note his chestnut crest 

 and greenish back. This is the green-tailed towhee. 

 He is one of the finest vocalists of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, his tones being strong and well modulated, his 

 execution almost perfect as to technique, and his entire 

 song characterized by a quality that might be defined 

 as human expressiveness. 



A pair of western chipping sparrows were feeding 

 their young in one of the sage bushes. I hoped to find 

 a nest, but my quest simply proved that the bantlings 

 had already left their nurseries. It was some satisfac- 

 tion, however, to establish the fact at first hand that 

 the western chipping sparrows breed at an elevation of 

 nine thousand five hundred and eighty feet above sea- 

 level. 



While strolling about a short distance above the 

 town, I discovered an underground passage leading to 

 some of the factories, or perhaps the smelting works, a 

 few miles farther up the valley. The overarching ground 

 and timbers forming the roof were broken through at 

 various places, making convenient openings for the un- 

 wary pedestrian to tumble through should he venture 

 to stroll about here by night. Suddenly a little broad- 

 shouldered bird appeared from some mysterious quarter, 

 and flitted silently about from bush to bush or from one 

 tussock of grass to another. To my surprise, he pres- 



