278 BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES 



nocturnal flight over the passes and peaks. There is 

 one thing certain about the whole question, perplexing 

 as it may be the feathered pilgrims reach their sum- 

 mer quarters in some way, and seem to be very happy 

 while they remain. 



We stopped at a number of places in our run down 

 South Platte Canon, adding no new birds to our list, 

 but making some interesting observations. At Cassel's 

 a house-wren had built a nest on the veranda of the 

 hotel where people were sitting or passing most of the 

 time, and was feeding her tiny brood.. In the copse 

 of the hollow below the resort, the mountain song- 

 sparrows were trilling sweetly the only ones we had 

 encountered in our wanderings since leaving Arvada on 

 the plains. These musicians seem to be rather finical 

 in their choice of summer resorts. Chaseville is about 

 a mile below Cassel's, and was made memorable to us 

 by the discovery of our second green -tailed towhee's 

 nest, a description of which I have decided to reserve 

 for the last chapter of this volume. Lincoln's sparrows 

 descanted in rich tones at various places in the bushy 

 vales, but were always as wild as deer, scuttling into 

 the thickets before a fair view of them could be 

 obtained. 



The veranda of a boarding-house at Shawnee was the 

 site of another house-wren's nest. While I stood quite 

 close watching the little mother, she fed her bantlings 



