SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO NORTHEASTERN COLORADO 1 55 



plumage such as Brewer's sparrow, the mountain plover, meadowlark, 

 lark bunting, burrowing owl, and the mocking bird. 



The vicinity of Davis' ranch, eight miles west of Pawnee Buttes, 

 was a favorite breeding-place for several species. Many recently 

 deserted nests of Brewer's blackbird were found. Nests of the brown 

 thrasher, mourning dove, white-rumped shrike and Say phoebe were 

 not uncommon among the rocks and evergreens of the gullies. The 

 most common nests were those of the Arkansas kingbird. Practically 

 every cluster of pines had at least a pair of these noisy birds. Nests of 

 Swainson's hawk were found both in trees and among the rocks, one 

 with eggs, one with newly hatched young and others with young well 

 advanced in growth. 



On the homeward journey by far the most interesting thing in the 

 way of bird life was a heronry on Crow Creek, where a colony of great 

 blue herons had established themselves in a long narrow grove of cotton- 

 woods which followed closely the winding of the stream bed. High up 

 among the smaller limbs of the tallest trees were perched the large dirty 

 nests, sometimes half a dozen of them in a single tree.* 



Since the collection of birds was not the primary object of the expe- 

 dition, the list of those collected or identified is by no means complete. 

 Many of the birds were in the midst of their breeding season, and on this 

 account it was thought best not to do much collecting. Only such 

 specimens were taken as would be new to the University collections. 

 The following list contains the names of the birds collected together 

 with those identified in the field. In most instances they are recorded 

 from the nearest camping-place. With the more common species no 

 attempt is made to give all the localities. 



Great Blue Heron. Ardea herodias. 



Windsor; Crow Creek. 

 Black-crowned Night Heron. Nycticorax nydicorax naeviiis. 



Windsor. 

 SoRA. Porzana Carolina. 

 American Coot. Fiilica americana. 



Common on the lakes. 



' See Fig. 2, Plate II. 



