EEPORT ON BIRD CENSUSES, 1916-1920. 13 



MONTANA. 



From Montana may be cited two reports that show an interesting 

 diversity of bird population within the borders of a single State. 

 Counts were made on 40 acres of park land belonging to the city of 

 Missoula in the years 1915, 1917, and 1920. In describing this tract 

 in 1915, Joseph Kittredge, jr., says: 



The park is an isolated and specialized aesociation for the upper bench, and the hills 

 around for several miles are open and treeless Transition Zone prairie country. Still 

 farther back is the coniferous forest; hence in this area there is a concentration of species 

 which are typical of the creek bottoms throughout the Transition Zone of the region. 



On this area in 1915 there were found nesting 59 pairs representing 

 20 species; in 1917, 58 pairs of 19 species; and m 1920, 100 pairs. of 25 

 species. 



In contrast to this, in 1916, near Fergus, Mont., a count on 80 

 acres of sagebrush prairie found only 8 pairs of birds representing 5 

 species, 1 pair to 10 acres, almost exactly agreeing with the count on 40 

 acres of native prairie near Missoula in 1915.^ A mile and a half away, 

 in the trees and bushes along the creek, birds nested abundantly, but 

 no count was made in that section. 



NEW MEXICO. 



Two counts made by J. K. Jensen in 1920, in the vicinity of Santa 

 Fe, N. Mex., are of interest, because they indicate somewhat the differ- 

 ence in bird life between the cultivated land and heavy forest of the 

 region; but being at different altitudes they are not entirely compar- 

 able. The first was made on 106 acres of the land of the United States 

 Indian School, near Santa Fe, at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Of this 

 land, 12 acres, or about 11 per cent, was uncultivated, covered with 

 sagebrush and cactus, with a few junipers. The remaining area is 

 divided as follows: Buildings and campus, 27 acres; orchard, 4 acres; 

 garden, 4 acres; wheat, 16 acres; corn, 25 acres; and alfalfa, 18 acres. 

 This indicates that a large part of the area surveyed was under irri- 

 gation, and water always helps to attract birds. On this 106 acres 

 were found breeding 121 pairs of native birds, representing 22 species, 

 besides 100 pairs of English sparrows, a total of 221 pairs of birds. 

 This is an average of 114 pairs of native birds and a total of 208 pairs 

 of birds per 100 acres. The following list shows the species and the 

 number of pairs of each: 



Killdeer, 1; scaled partridge, 1; desert sparrow hawk, 1; flammulated owl, 1; Cas- 

 sin kingbird, 2; Sayphoebe, 3; western wood pewee, 4; desert horned lark, 4; western 

 meadowlark, 4; Bullock oriole, 1; house finch, 50; Arkansas goldfinch, 13; pine 

 siskin, 1; western vesper sparrow, 4; western chipping sparrow, 8; Brewer sparrow, 8; 

 black-headed grosbeak, 1; western blue grosbeak, 1; barn swallow, 1; Sonora yellow 

 warbler, 2; western robin, 6; mountain bluebird, 4; English sparrow, 100. 



The other report deals with 90 acres of the Santa Fe National 

 Forest, situated at an altitude of 8,000 feet. This land extends 

 for about two-fifths of a mile along the Santa Fe River, and 1,000 

 feet from either side of the stream. The canyon bottom is covered 

 with brush and aspens; and the slopes of the mountains, which rise 

 quite abruptly for about 3,000 feet, are heavily forested. In this 

 area were found 48 pairs of 20 species, all native birds. This is at a 



• U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui 396, p. 9. 



