The Birds of El Paso County, Colorado SIS 



bird would hardly have been likely to have killed the other when 

 put in its cage. 



It may be objected that the altitude, above 7,000 feet, is 

 loo great foV the Road Runner, but it must be remembered 

 that there is a record of the bird on Marshall Pass, at 10,000 

 feet, not very many miles to the southwest, and the Arkansas 

 Valley is here (Brown's Caiion), in spite of the altitude, a 

 cedar and pinon region, in other words either Upper Sonoran 

 or the very lowest portion of the Transition zone, and these 

 zones are within the natural habitat of the bird, which is re- 

 ported common fifty miles farther down the river. 



To Aiken belongs the credit of having first advanced this, 

 theory as to the identity of Pike's bird, but it seems the most 

 plausible to us both. Though somewhat beyond the limits of 

 our paper the preceding note hardly seems out of place hert, 

 in view of the interest which is taken in Pike's travels m 

 Colorado. 



Coccyzus americanus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 



Summer resident ; rare. Arrives the middle or last of 

 May. There is a specimen of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the 

 Aiken Collection, taken at Ramah, June 4, 1898, at which place 

 two were seen. The bird seems to be very rare in El Paso 

 County. 



Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. 



Summer resident, not uncommon. A few remain through 

 the winter. Considering that suitable localities for them are 

 rather scarce in El Paso County, Kingfishers are not so very 

 rare. They are noted frequently in the upper end of Monument 

 Valley Park, where the small ponds contain suckers and such 

 fish. One was noted there regularly in 1912 from July 28 to 

 October 14, and in 1913 from April 10 to October 8. It was 

 seen by Aiken during the winter of 1871-2. 



