64 THE NIDOLOGIST 
Colorado. 
(Department Edited by Frederick M.Dille, 406 McPhee 
Building, Denver, Colo.) 
The Fortunate Possessor of a Set of Grouse Eggs.—Will Bur- 
nett. 
Where the Killdeer Article Left Us. 
Our Exchange and Want Department. 
More of Smith’s List. F. M. Dit e, responsible, 
ORTUNATE indeed is the person who 
stumbles on toa nest of the Dusky Grouse. 
Such a find is more the result of accident 
than of any methodical search. 
During the summer months young Grouse and 
older-birds are readily found throughout the 
mountains at our higher altitudes, but when it 
comes to finding the various nests from which 
all these broods came, that is another matter. 
From my own experience in looking for these 
nests I have concluded that most of the broods 
are hatched back from the valleys, on the tops 
of the ridges and higher levels, the old hen 
taking her brood to the low valley and vicinity 
of the creek as soon as they are able to travel. 
This gathering of the birds along the valleys 
gives one an impression that they are very plen- 
tiful, but one must allow for each brood thus 
seen a part of the large number of square miles 
of terrritory adjacent to the valley, with its 
many timbered ridges, shaded spring holes, and 
smaller water courses (as well as a vertical 
range of from one thousand to two thousand 
feet to overcome); and would you not rather 
take the chance of stumbling on the nest ac- 
cidently than to undertake this contract? 
Durinc the past summer Mr. Will Burnett, 
of Fort Collins, had the good luck to find a nest 
with nine eggs of the Dusky Grouse, the cir- 
cumstances of which he has sent me for the 
Niporocisr. He writes as follows: “I was 
taking a rest from business and ‘ doing time’ on 
a ranch near Manhattan, Larimer County, the 
latter part of May, and had resolved that if there 
was a Grouse’s nest in that vicinity I would 
have it. I was making particular search along 
the north slope of a heavily timbered mountain, 
where my ranch friend had seen several of the 
birds at different times during the spring. After 
a few days I thought there was no place of 
concealment on that mountain which I had not 
peered into, and I changed my base of opera- 
tions to another mountain farther away. 
“Commencing May 29, and continuing for 
over a week, we had a severe spell of cold 
weather and a considerable fall of snow, which 
was not entirely gone from the north slopes 
until the middle of June. Shortly after this I 
was passing along the side of my first mountain, 
where I had been several times before, and ina 
dark nook under two logs my eye caught the 
outlines of several light-colored eggs; had the 
bird been on the nest I could imagine it possible 
not to see her, for the contrast between her 
plumage and the dull bark on the logs would 
not have been so great as that then apparent 
between the deserted eggs and their surround- 
ings. 
“ The nest was buta hollow in the end of dry 
pine needles that covered the ground, lined 
with a few dry aspen leaves, and well secreted 
under two logs lying crosswise, all under the 
branches of asmall pine. The locality was well 
grown up to dwarf pines and aspen trees. The 
eggs were all addled except two, which were 
slightly incubated. In color I should call them 
a creamy buff, some of the eggs being lighter 
than others, and all finely dotted from end to 
end with a rich brown. The spots are larger 
on some than on others, but the distribution is. 
quite even. ‘The eggs have an ovate form, and 
one is a decided short ovate, like the eggs of 
the Quail. The measurements of the nine eggs 
in inches are as follows: 1.88x1.35, 1.82x1.34, 
T.06X1.32, 1-89K1-33) Te68x0. 315) Toh Ke ale 
1.89X1.34, 1.87x1.32, and 1.85x1.38. 
“Witt L. BURNETT.” 
ONE of the most impressive articles that has 
been in the recent issues of this journal was 
that of H. R. T.’s, in the September number, on 
the Killdeer. It was as true to life as the illus- 
tration which appeared with it. And yet in one 
way the article must be condemned. We all 
follow the writer as he leads us through “ every 
stage of the game.” His experiences are just 
like ours! The most exasperating birds “that 
ever lived! ” and now, is he really going to tell 
us how at last he did outwit the bird and find 
the eggs? But no! our sympathies have been 
trifled with, and we are left on the verge of 
some secret revelation, with nothing but the 
bitter memory of some hot, dusty afternoon in 
our past, a fruitless search over a dazzling 
stretch of sand, and that rasping “kill-dee,” 
“kill-dee”’ still piercing our brain. 
We have secreted ourselves behind a barb- 
wire fence and oggled the lenses out of our 
opera glasses. We have gone on about our 
business and accidentally returned to the spot 
later. But will some one, please, who has had 
the pleasure of inducing Mrs. Vocifera to re- 
veal her collection of eggs, let us know how it 
was done, so we can “score one” more on our 
list of triumphs ? 1a, WML, 1D), 
x oe eo * 
I WOULD like to book a few orders for some skins 
of the Ute Indian (472 soape) in fall plumage. Thesé 
Rocky Mountain Vultures are fast becoming extinct, 
and you should fill your cabinet while the opportunity 
is open. Address Tom A. Hawk, 
Lodge Pole, Bates’s Hole. 
