I A Merrill, Birds of Fort Sherman, Idaho. [jaii. 



NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF FORT SHERMAN, IDAHO. 



BY J. C. MERRILL, 



Major and Surgeon, U. S. Ar7ny. 

 {Concluded from Vol. XIV, f. 3^57.) 



Dolichonyx oryzivorus. — The well-known song of the Bobolink was 

 heard in Julj at a i-anch on the St. Joseph River, and an old settler told 

 me that the birds were quite common there each year. 



Molothrus ater.— As in most parts of the Northwest, the Cowbird is 

 rare at Fort Sherman. A single specimen only, a female, was taken May 

 25, 1896. Among the many nests of small birds examined none contained 

 either egg or young of this parasite. 



Agelaius phceniceus. — One of the first migrants to appear, as I have 

 seen it on February' 22. After remaining two or three weeks these early 

 birds seem to pass on to the north and none are seen until about the first 

 of May when others, apparently the birds nesting here, arrive. Breeds 

 sparingly about the lake, more commonly on the Coeur dAlene and St. 

 Joseph Rivers. 



Sturnella magna neglecta. — Arriving early in March, the Meadowlark 

 is very common during the suminer. I found it nesting at the summit of 

 Mica Peak. 



Icterus bullocki. — Breeds sparingly' in cottonwoods along the river, 

 especially after it enters Spokane prairie. 



Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. — A few pairs breed in bushes along the 

 river bank near the fort. Occasionally a small fiock may be seen about 

 the stables throughout the winter. 



Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus. — I am soinewhat uncertain as 

 to the true status of this species at Fort Sherman. Mr. Shallis, a local 

 collector, informs me that it usually occurs from May to July and that it 

 is absent during the rest of the year. In 1895 I did not observe any but 

 Mr. Shallis, who knows the bird well, told me that he saw three small 

 flocks about the middle of August. This Grosbeak was first seen by me 

 on May 28, 1896, though their loud whistling notes had been heard a few 

 days earlier. June i many were seen in pines and firs across the river, in 

 twos and threes and in irregular flocks; they were restless, whistling con- 

 stantly, and kept high up in the trees. Common during the next few 

 days, they were scarce but not absent from about June 10 till early in July 

 when they were again common in small flocks, which at first consisted 

 exclusively of males, joined soon after by females and young. They were 

 now quite tame, coming about the houses and feeding much on the 

 ground, permitting a close approach. I was absent from July 29 until 



