1889. ] BENDIRE on the Habits of the Sooty Grouse. 37 
timber and in the lower parts of mountain valleys. I found such 
a nest on April 26, 1878, amongst some tall rye-grass bushes, in 
a comparatively open place and within a yard of Cow Creek, a 
small mountain stream about four miles east of Camp Harney. 
There was no timber of any size, only small willow bushes, within 
two miles of this nest. The nest was placed partly under one of 
these rye-grass bushes, and the bird sat so close that I actually 
stepped partly on her and broke two of the eggs in doing so. 
This nest contained eight slightly incubated eggs. It was com- 
posed of dead grass and a few feathers. 
The most exposed nest, without any attempt at concealment 
whatever, that came under my observation, I found on June 8, 
1876, on the northern slope and near the summit of the Cafon 
City Mountain, in Grant Co., Oregon, at an altitude of about 
6800 feet. I was returning from escort duty to Canon City and 
sent the party with me around by the stage road which wound in 
zigzag turns up the steep mountain, myself and one of my men 
taking a much shorter but far steeper Indian trail which inter- 
sected the wagon road again on the summit. 
Near this intersecting point the trail passed through a beautiful 
oval-shaped mountain meadow of about an acre in extent, and 
near the summit of which stood a solitary young fir tree. No 
other trees were growing nearer than thirty yards from this one. 
The meadow itself was covered with a luxurious growth of short, 
crisp mountain grass and alpine flowers, altogether as lovely a spot 
to take a rest in as could well be found. Arriving at this point, and 
knowing that the party would not be along for more than half an 
hour at least, I dismounted and unsaddled my horse to let him 
have a roll and a good chance at the sweet mountain grass, of 
both of which opportunities he was not slow in taking advantage. 
Throwing the saddle in the shade made by the little fir, I lay down 
to take a rest myself. I had a fine setter dog with me, who had 
been ranging along both sides of the trail and who came up 
wagging his tail just as I had settled myself comfortably. ‘Rock,’ 
my setter, had approached perhaps within two feet of me at a 
pretty brisk lope, when all of a sudden he came to an abrupt 
halt, fairly freezing and stiffening in his tracks, and made a dead 
point alongside of me. I could not understand at first what this 
all meant, even my horse thought it worth the while to stop eat- 
ing, and with its ears pointed forward was looking in the same 
