Nov., 1907 SUMMER NOTES FROM AN ARIZONA CAMP 197 



1906, when Mr. F. K. Trask, City Marshall of Benson, secured five birds near 

 lyone Mountain, between the altitudes above indicated. C. m. mearnsi is quite in 

 evidence — at times. The first young I met with was on August 6. They must be 

 very irregular breeders, for even now, in the latter half of August the adult birds 

 are still to be seen in pairs. Acorns or mast and ladybeetles, is the prevailing fare 

 hereabouts. The Scaled Partridge sticks to the Mexican Poppy {,Argenione mex- 

 icana) almost entirely at this season. While the Gambel Partridge haunts the 

 canyons where certain crossworts (Crucifers) grow. 



I was surprised to find the Blf Owl {Mid'opallas whitneyi) so abundant, and 

 up to 5000 feet, too. They furnish a good share of the night sounds here. On a 

 moonlight evening you may observe them, little flocks of five or ten, often in a 

 single tree. Moths (which during June were very numerous) form a substantial 

 food supply. They catch the moths much in the manner of a flycatcher, returning 

 to their original perch. One bird I shot had an immense sphinx, almost the wing 

 dimension of the bird, in his bill. They also secure quantities of lyongicornes 

 (beetles), but I have found no evidence of their preying on birds. 



About camp we have twenty White- winged T)ov&s{Melopelia leiicofterd)X.o one 

 Mourning Dove. The former species is another bird very fond of Argemone seed 

 and its distribution is no doubt affected by it. 



The Coues Flycatcher ( Contopus i)ertinax -pallidiventris) is very rare in these 

 mountains, at least this year. I secured a bird of this species in the Rio San Pedro 

 valley on April 18, last. 



Benson^ Arizona. 



