A GOLDEX EAGLE'S NEST 239 



accepted Groener 's invitation to use bis stove and firewood. 



Bates' Hole is a basin in tbe plains, some sixty miles long 

 and about one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet below 

 tbe general level of tbe surrounding country. The bottom 

 is mainly covered with sage-brush, which is largely 

 "sheeped out", or grazed to the wood, the Hole being a 

 favored resort of sheep, particularly during the winter and 

 in May, when lambing. There were several ' ' lambing out- 

 fits", with their gypsy -like camp wagons, in the Hole at the 

 time of our visit. 



The walls or sides of the Hole are of Miocene clay deep- 

 ly seamed by gulches with out-jutting headlands curiously 

 weathered into castellated buttes. 



In one of these buttes was the site of the nest we had 

 come to find. AVe had no map and without the service of the 

 guide on whose assistance we had counted, the search 

 seemed rather hopeless. But the excellent series of 

 photographs and the instructions sent by my original 

 correspondent, soon enabled us to locate our position and 

 the day after our arrival the nest was found within three 

 hours of our camp. It was not occupied, but this was not 

 essential to the accomplishment of our purpose. The site 

 was photographed, specimens of the soft, clay-rock collected, 

 and Mr. Hittell the artist, made studies on which to base his 

 painting of the background. Later, a new Eagle's nest was 

 secured in the Freeze Out Hills and introduced into the 

 group on the reproduced Bates' Hole site. 



June 2, we left Bates' Hole and on the 5th took the train 

 at Medicine Bow for California. 



This trip offered no opportunity for detailed bird study, 

 but I add some notes on certain of the birds observed. 



It was interesting to find that the little patches of Doug- 

 lass Spruce which appeared on the sides of Bates' Hole 

 wherever there was the proper amount of moisture, were 

 were large enough to hold a few forest-haunting birds; 

 Audubon's Warblers, Long-tailed Chickadees, Flycatchers 



