about the same as last year. We saw thirteen alive and 

 one dead. 



Resuming the motor, between the Messner and 

 Lyons Ranch we saw a buck and two does. Near the 

 Lyons Ranch we turned to the left southerly follow- 

 ing up a wagon trail 1)adly washed past a cow corral 



and Mrs. cabin, on past the small Hot Springs 



beside the road (formerly much resorted to by sage 

 grouse), to the DeBlois Ranch, 1t1:.6 miles from Mess- 

 ner 's. After crossing the next ridge and before cross- 

 ing the small creek in the next valley we turned sharply 

 to the left down the draw four miles, folloAving the 

 water course to Desert Springs and Desert Lake, and 

 there struck the "Oregon Central Military Road," a 

 relic of one of the most redolent land deals in the early 

 days of that region when the "settlers were lieing opened 

 up to the country." Turning to the right and skirting 

 the northwest shore of the lake, four miles further on, 

 we reached the site of old Fort Warner, conspicuous 

 from the few remaining large yellow pines. This beau- 

 tiful spot is now owned hy one of the large cattle com- 

 panies. Sage grouse are abundant throughout this 

 region. As we came to the springs at the edge of the 

 timber a launch of about twenty-five sage grouse were 

 feeding on the green vegetation on the margin of the 

 water. The crops and gizzards of the live which became 

 available for examination were completely filled with 

 green vegetable matter, of which about eighty per cent, 

 consisted of the leaves of a plant {CJirijsosple)iium 

 gleochomaefoUum) which suggests water cress in gen- 

 eral appearance and hal^its, and a])out twenty per cent, 

 of the small tender leaves of the yarrow. Over this 

 region antelope were more generally distril)uted. In 

 addition to the seventeen above mentioned we saw 

 thirty-seven individuals, the largest Imnches two bucks 

 and four does; another l)unch of six, too far away to 

 distinguish the sex ; one of five, one buck and four does ; 

 and one of four, two bucks and two does. The follow- 

 ing table gives an adecpiate idea of the distribution: 



84 



