'I I " 



CIIAKADRTin.K — TIFK PLnVKRH — PODAHOCVS. 



173 



ii 



and bt'low, the Mmk iiiarkiiiKM <>i' thi' IicimI wuntiii^. Ymimj,Jirit ylumiufr ; All tliv frutlicrM ut' 

 till! ii|i|K'r iiaiin iliHtiiirtly hoiili-riMl with li^lil lniH'; whole xiilc nriifinl iuiiUii'>'k, iiixl ciitiic jii^ii- 

 liiiii, ili'r|i li;^lit I rniiiiy liiiir Ihiifiiij Y'liiiiij : Aliiivr lii'<iwiii>li liiiir, iiiiiIiIimI with liliii'k, tliih Inriii- 

 iii^' Ik ili-tiiii t itiiiililiii},' mi llii> ri'iiwii tiiiil iH'('i|iiil, wlici'c ilic ^^iduiiil-colui' i-> lii^litui ami clrun'r 



llllir. LoUfI' iNUix |>ll|l' llllll', illlllllK llllllC. 



Tiiliil li'li;{lli, iiIm.iU H iiuhcH ; wili^ II.IHI ; liiil, •>.!:> ; i ulliicll, .Mt>-1KI; IuIsIIh, LfiO-l.tKl ; 



lllillillc llM', .70. 



'I'lii'ic '\* I'liii-iili'iaiili* iiiiliviiliiiil viiiialimi in tiu* cxli'iil iiinl <li<liiii'liii'iK ul Maik on liif lioiul 

 ill I'lilK iiilult liinU, kdiik- ^|H'riiiii'iiM having' liic wiinlt' nciwii lilaik, wiiili- in ittliriH tlii^ ciilur U 

 liiiiilnl til II crtwi-titii' mark JiiMt lH-liiiii| llu! wliiii' ul' tin- tniTlu-itil ; in minif ('xaiii|>li-M tlu' Mack 

 jiii'iil Nti'i|H.> i** Ikiii'Iv iiiilii'iiti'il. 



Till' l{«irk,v Mniiiitiiiii IMiiviT. us Mr. AihIiiImhi, not vci-y iiaiipily. lias ili'sinnatcd 

 tliis s|M'('ii's. has an rxtcinlfd (lisiriliiitinii, limii Aii/nii;i ami SuntliwcsliTii Texas on 

 till' siiiilli, t<i Dili- I'ai'tlirst ImiiiihI nil's mi tiic iiurtli. and |iri>lialilv Im'ShuiI, and triiiu 

 I'lastiTii Kansas and Nrliiaska tn tin- ^nassy plains that liunlrr tlir rai-ilir itst-lf. 

 It is of accidrntal Drrnrrt'iict' in Flmida. Wliih- in ii'>,'ard tn its |icciiliar HiM-citic 



lialiits, i>s|M'riall\ dnriii;,' thr lir Iin^'-srasnii, ihik'Ii ri'iiiains to hi' h>arnril, tin- last 



ii'W yt-ars iiavc addni f;iratly to onr knowh'dKr ol its history. It is not iMitith'd to 

 III' rc^'ardrd as a iiionntain hird, as it ronliiii-H itsidt' to IiIkIi and dry h-vtd |ilains. and 

 is nt'ViM- to Ih- nii-t with nravi-r to iiioiintains than tlirir hasr. 



This hird was first di'sirihrd Ity Town.srnd in lcS;;7. and tlii' dfsi'ri|)tioii ol' its 

 liahits, hrii Hy narratt-d hy Nnttall, was nuott'd hy .\iididMin in iHIl', Tin- lornn'r 

 author ri'j,'arili'd thi' spccii's as closidy allii'd to Wilson's I'lovrr. Ili' nirt widi it. 

 only during onr or two days, on the rrntral talih'lands ul' the Uorky .Mountains, in 

 till' plains nrar tin- last ot tin- Inaiiihi's id' thr I'Litli': and as it was in tin- nionth 

 id duly, he had no doidit that thr hird was lir<>i-diii^' in thr Snlialpinr ri'^dons. Thi> 

 only individual ohtainrd was sn-n skulkin;^ and running' tliroiadi thr artriiiisia Inishi's 

 that so ^'i-ni-rally rlothr thosi- arid and diy wastes. .Xtter rnnnini,' soini' tinii'. it 

 would ri'iiiain porl'i'ifly still, as if ronsiious of thr dillii'ulty id distiuKnishinj,' it Ifoiii 

 till' gray soil on whii-li it Htoud, and with i\w cidor of whiidi its own was so nearly 

 iilentieal. .Ml that were seen were similar to the si<eiinien ohtained. hut none eould 

 he indiiied. on \\v'\n<i tlushed. to take win;,', lie heard froni it no note or ery of 

 eoHiplaint of any kind, and it apparently sonj,dit l»y silence to epiieoul its younj,' or 

 its e^'K's. 



We are indehted to l>r. .1. (i. Cooper (•• .\ni. Nat." 1 1 1, p. iS.'i) for our lirst lull and 

 aci-urute aeeuunt of the hahits and distiiiiution of this speeies. IM'. Cooper mentions 

 meeting with it on his route from Los Angeles. Cal.. to l-'ort Mohave. The hirds 

 were running in seattered tloeks over the driest trai'ts. or wheeling in swift eolumiis 

 uniund the sportsman, their white under parts shining like snowtlakos as thoy 

 turned while on the wing, in tlic inniin«>r of their more ai|uati(' eutiHiiiR of the seu- 

 sliiiie. The same writer afterward speaks f- Am. Nat." III. ji. 1".W) of lindiiig this 

 I'loveron the plains of the I'pper Missouri, in the driest s|iots and among the villages 

 of the prairie-dog. In Montana I >r. Cooper found it rare along the eastern base of 

 tile IJoeky .Mountains. There also they were ii.sually met with about the j»rairie-dog 

 villages; hut they iipjiareiitly did not eru.sH the luuuntiiius in us large iiuinlH.'i'S ji» they 

 do farther south. 



J)r. Cooper also states that tluH speeies helongs jihiiost exclusively to the va.st 

 deserts and jilains of the central jiarts of North America, only visiting the vicinity 

 of the sea-ooast in the wet season. They are found in the extensive jilains near Los 

 .Vugcles after the middle of October, hut are not kiujwn to he there in the summer. 



