The Season 



225 



the same place, a Gambel's Sparrow, and a 

 White-crowned Sparrow were seen at close 

 range, witliin a few feet of each other. It is 

 seldom that one has a chance to see these two 

 almost identical Sparrows so close together 

 that one can instantly compare the head 

 markings of the two subspecies, each with 

 the other. 



The last White-crowned Sparrows were 

 seen here on Maj' 28. Mocking-birds ap- 

 peared in the outskirts on May 11, but none 

 have been seen by the writer in any of our 

 parks, though they often have been in them 

 in years past. 



An unusually large number of Western 

 Tanagers were in the city between May 14 

 and May 21, on which latter date six bril- 

 liantly colored males were watched for some 

 time within a couple of blocks of the writer's 

 home. This species must have been present 

 in the region in considerable abundance, for 

 many inquiries have come about it, the 

 bright plumage, especially the striking crown, 

 compelling attention of even the most inat- 

 tentive observer. 



Each spring one sees examples of species 

 clinging to districts almost in the heart of 

 the city; again a Flicker has nested close to 

 the Y. M. C. A. building downtown, and on 

 May 25, a Plumbeous Vireo advertised itself 

 by its very insistent and characteristic song 

 near the state capitol. This species has been 

 common since its arrival on May 21, while 

 the Warbling Vireo has been detected but 

 four times this spring, first on Ma> 25. 



Both Audubon's and the Olive-backed 

 Thrushes remained in the city longer than 

 usual. Many of both species have been in 

 the parks from May 14 to May 22. On the 

 latter date a singular thing was noted in an 

 Olive-backed Thrush. As it flew from the 

 ground into an evergreen, one could see that 

 it was crippled. Patient and careful stalking 

 brought it into close range, when it was dis- 

 covered that in some manner the right leg 

 and foot were entangled in the outer tail 

 feathers of the right side, making it necessary 

 for the bird to stand and hop on one foot; 

 this tail and foot entanglement kept the tail 

 spread fan-wise, in 'display', as it were. It is 

 a mystery as to how and why this condition 

 occurred and was continued. 



A small wave of Pinyon Jays passed 

 through the city on May 16 and 17, and 

 another on May 28; these dates are rather 

 late for this Jay's spring visits to Denver, 

 though it is true that it may appear here 

 almost any time. 



There is no summer resident whose advent 

 here is more welcome to the writer than that 

 of the Black-headed Grosbeak; it always 

 arrives in full song, and it is a singer of great 

 ability and sweetness. This Grosbeak 

 reached the city on May 13, and started its 

 house-hunting at once, so that now its house- 

 keeping duties are in fuU swing. The writer 

 never sees its frail nest without wonderment 

 that it successfully holds a lot of lusty young 

 ones. 



A solitary Lincoln's Sparrow came to notice 

 here on May 17. Perhaps it frequently es- 

 capes detection altogether because of its 

 mouse-like habits of dodging under bushes, 

 logs, and rocks. A goodly number of the 

 summer resident species arrived here about 

 on time and in their usual numbers, such as 

 Kingbird, Arkansas Kingbird, Bullock's 

 Oriole, Spurred and Green-tailed Towhees, 

 Rock and House Wrens, Nighthawk, Traill's 

 Flycatcher and Brewer's Blackbird. The 

 writer has seen no Bronzed Grackles this 

 season, though there can be no doubt of their 

 being here. The Wood Peewee is either less 

 common here this spring or more silent, 

 probably the former, as it tends to vary in 

 number from year to year. 



A great pleasure was afforded to one of the 

 writer's friends and her son, as well as to the 

 writer, by a sight of a single GrinneU's Water 

 Thrush. It was seen in Washington Park 

 where it lingered two or three days. Unless 

 he is much in error, this is the second record 

 for it for Denver. — ^W. H. Bergtold, Denver, 

 Colo. 



Portland (Oregon) Region. — The spring 

 season continued cold and backward in the 

 Oregon district until well into May, and the 

 bird movement seemed to be correspondingly 

 late. Greater Yellow-legs were first noted on 

 April 17, and a considerable wave of mi- 

 grants, which includes Lutescent Warblers, 

 Cliff Swallows, and Mourning Doves as new 

 arrivals, appeared on the 23d. Western 



