ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM THE WEST. 269 
pursuit of her, and oblige her to seek concealment again,—a treat- 
ment similar to that indulged in by the bobolink toward his 
“better half.” The thinner portions of the wooded area were 
_the favorite haunts of Bells vireo, which immediately upon its 
arrival became one of the most numerously represented species. 
They very soon commenced pairing, the males almost incessantly 
uttering their rather pleasing though peculiar and feeble song. 
Among the other later arriving birds was the golden-crowned 
wagtail (Seiurus aurocapillus) and the swallow-tailed kite ( Nau- 
clerus furcatus). The former appeared on the 15th of the month 
(May), and immediately the woods were ringing with its familiar 
song. The arrival of this bird so late in the season was quite 
unexpected, the trees being not only in full leaf, but vegetation 
generally was quite far advanced, strawberries being already 
ripening in abundance in the fields, whilst for days the temper- 
ature had been that of July in southern New England. This 
interesting little. woodland songster is pretty sure to make his 
appearance in Massachusetts with the earliest unfolding of the 
leaves, arriving there rather earlier than we this year observed it 
ito appear in Kansas. 
At this place we saw the only robins—a single pair—and the 
only cedar birds (one or two small flocks) met during our sojourn 
of over two months in the state of Kansas. The blue-gray gnat- 
catcher (Polioptila cærulea) was here also met with once, and the 
only time in the State. 
» Leaving Topeka May 24th, we arrived the following day at 
ort Hays, situated some three hundred miles west of the Mis- 
souri river, and fairly out on the “Great Plains.” The only 
timber found here consists ofga somewhat interrupted fringe of 
elms, box elder and cottonwoods along the streams, and this 
entirely disappears a few miles further to the westward. We 
“nce have here all the characteristic birds of the plains, in addi- 
tion to many eastern species that follow the timber up the streams 
as far as timber regularly extends, even after the timber belts 
become extremely restricted and irregular. Remaining five weeks 
B the vicinity of Fort Hays enabled us to betome thoroughly 
as liar with the ornithology of “this peculiar region, our excur- 
os fe mending in different directions from fifteen to thirty miles 
oom the Post, which, through the hospitality of the officers in 
‘ommand, formed our headquarters and base of operations. 
