18 BIRDS OF THE PAP AGO SAGUAEO NATIONAL MONUMENT. 



From the dam southward, through the construction camp and 

 among the houses on "Government Hill," English sparrows were 

 everywhere. The species is established at Roosevelt at the present 

 time to the number of 200, at least. How this point was reached is 

 a question, for the arrival here of the sparrow required a journey of 

 not less than 40 miles over desert country. One never sees these birds 

 anywhere save in the towns, or occasionally about ranch houses; 

 yet all the scattered colonies now established in the country have 

 undoubtedly been planted through birds following wagon roads or 

 railroads. Their travels must be carried on in much less ostentatious 

 manner than is their custom when once at home in a place. 



About the houses linnets were seen adopting civilization as usual 

 and making the most of such shrubbery as has been planted. A mile 

 or so east of the cluster of buildings occupied by Forest and Recla- 

 mation Service officials and employees lies the " new town " of 

 Roosevelt, so called. When the old town was buried beneath the 

 waters of the lake the new town was established here on the hills 

 above, but most of the inhabitants and the business of the place 

 have since moved to points nearer the dam. The sight of a male 

 vermilion flycatcher perched on a watering trough reminded me 

 that I had not before seen that species here; it proved to be of 

 decidedly rare occurrence. 



A little farther on a violent hissing by the roadside led to inves- 

 tigation of sundry nooks and crannies in the piled rock of the retain- 

 ing wall, in one of which cavities a nest full of young rock wrens 

 was finally revealed as the source of the disturbance. The surround- 

 ing hills now arose less precipitously from the lake and retreated 

 farther from its margin. At the point where the trail leads from 

 the stage road to the cliff dwellings the valley is broad and gently 

 sloping and well covered with desert vegetation. Mesquite and cat- 

 claw grow quite luxuriantly, interspersed with cholla cactus, ocotilla, 

 and giant cactus, to mention a few of the more conspicuous plants. 



From a thicket of mesquite several western tanagers emerged, 

 belated migrants, looking very much out of place in this hot desert. 

 If their destination was the forested summit of the Sierra Ancha, 

 however, their journey was nearly done and they might still linger 

 a little before beginning their summer duties. Palmer thrashers 

 were abundant here, vying with the equally numerous mockingbirds 

 in the beauty of their song. I had been hearing complaints of the 

 lack of birds and of bird music in this region, but surely no one 

 could wish for anything finer than the chorus produced by these two 

 species alone. Both thrashers and mockingbirds were singing from 

 the tops of saguaros, where refreshment of some sort seemed avail- 

 able in the blossoms whenever the singers' throats became dry. 



