July 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



107 



leaves the nest through spaces between tlie 

 sticks just above the nest proper, and in doing 

 so makes as much trouble as a hen tryinjij to 

 pass under a gate (into the garden next door) 

 that was about four inches from the gi-ound. 

 She simply squeezes throngli and I have now 

 come to the conclusion that the hole left for 

 the convenience of the bird's tail onl}^ exists in 

 the dreams of some fanciful collector. The 

 nests are usuallj' i)laced in a l)unch of saplings 

 some twelve or fifteen feet from the grouml, 

 often against the trunk of trees where the main 

 lind.»s begin in the bunch of heavy twigs so of- 

 ten found in this country in certain trees. Eggs 

 similar to Crow's, much smaller. Measurements 

 of a set taken April 22nd, 1.30 x .92 ; 1.20 x .m ; 

 1.. Six. 95; 1.27X.9-1; 1.31 x. 93. 



Zonotrichia internipdia (Intermediate Spar- 

 row). A flock seen April 22nd; answered all 

 the descriptions but black stripes enclosing 

 white crown interrupted by chestnut on side of 

 forhead. As my copy of the " Key " has been 

 exposed to the snows of the La Plata moun- 

 tains all winter and its locality uncertain, 

 having lost it last fall while on a trip, I am un- 

 able to find out if this is a peculiar plumage or 

 not. Neither am I certain if it is Ridgeway's 

 or the typical White-crowned Sparrow, or a 

 combination of the two, or perhaps a new 

 varietjr ; at all events I find no mention of the 

 chestnut in any of the books in my possession. 

 The birds are abundant. Probably are mi- 

 grating. 



Gallinafjo rcilsoni, (AVilsou's Snipe). A soli- 

 tary bird seen on April 10th during a heavy 

 snow storm ; the only one I have seen. It 

 would fiy but a short distance but was very 

 noisy. I finally secured it by a wing shot, 

 more luck than good shooting, as the snow was 

 blinding. 



Otus vulgaris ivilsonianus, (Long-eared Owl). 

 A nest of three eggs and female secured April 

 22nd. Nest an old Magpie's, in thick under- 

 brush. Eggs l..o9xl.30; 1.08x1.30; 1.54 x 

 1.53. 



I have noticed when taking the eggs of this 

 owl that the male never shows up, while the 

 female flys to an ajacent bush and keeps up a 

 constant snapping of the bill accompanied with 

 a cat-like mew, finallj^ g"c»iug off and will not 

 return while you are in the vicinity. (iJuite the 

 contrary with Bubo virginiauus, in their cases 

 the male and female will fly almost into your 

 face, their great eyes staring at you, making 

 one think he had better watch them. I once 

 lost a small piece of my scalp with hair attached 

 from one of this species. 



The Tricolored Blackbird in Colorado. 



BY CIIAKLES F. MOKKISON, FOUT LEWIS, COL. 



Although I have found this bird (Age.laius 

 tricolor) in the state it was under such circum- 

 stances that perhaps it will not hold good, as I 

 failed to obtain specimens ; a fact which I de- 

 plore as much, if not more, than anyone, still I 

 would not be at all sui-prised to find it breeding 

 yet. On Feb. 3rd, the weather havir)g been 

 warm and spring-like for some three weeks I 

 took a trip down flu; La I'lata towards the New 

 Mexico line, some eighteen miles south of Fort 

 Lewis, expecting to find a few migrants brought 

 north by the warm wave; many species that 

 winter in New Mexico often do this only to be 

 driven back by a cold snap. While on my re- 

 turn trip and within a mile of home I heard 

 some new bird notes which came nearer. I 

 threw myself under a bush and soon a black- 

 bird alighted just above my head, to be inniie- 

 diatelj" followed bj^ a flock of as many as thirty, 

 all males. I became interested at once as I 

 recognized A. tricolor. Many of the birds were 

 not three feet from me and I had ample oppor- 

 tunitj' to observe them, while at the same time 

 I could not shoot without blowing the specimen 

 to pieces, and I was also afraid to move as it 

 would at once send the whole troop oft". The 

 wind was blowing up a storm and the birds 

 seemed to feel the cold as they huddled togeth- 

 er closely and uttering their hoarse but very 

 feeble croakings, (if the reader can find any 

 other name for it they will greatly help me 

 out). I noticed them for some time but was 

 getting stifl" from the cold myself, and having 

 now thoroughl}' examined them I was itching 

 for a shot and a skin, but such was not to be 

 the case as the first movement I made sent 

 them off into the thick underbrush and I saw 

 them no more. I looked for them until it was 

 dark and was back before daylight but it was 

 now snowing hard and if they had not left for 

 the south they were safe in some dense thicket, 

 at all events they were gone as far as I was 

 concerned. 



The fact that not a single specimen of Agel- 

 aius was observed by me in this countj' (La 

 Plata) the year before and up to date, April 

 30th, none have appeared this season, makes 

 the occurrence of tricolor more interesting, but 

 my attention has been called to the fact that 

 the appearance of A. tricolor in Colorado is re- 

 markable. I do not think so; this species is 

 supposed to be entirely a Califoi-nian bird, but 

 I see no reason why during the long winters 



