i if I 



No. 7. flOBTH AMEEIOAN FAUNA. . May, 1893. 



REPORT ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF THE DEATH VALLEY EXPEDITION 

 OF 1891, COMPRISING NOTES ON THE BIRDS OBSERVED IN SOUTHERN 

 CALIFORNIA, SOUTHERN NEVADA, AND PARTS OF ARIZONA AND UTAH. 



By A. K. Fisher, M. D. 



The present report includes an enumeration of all the birds 'observed 

 throughout the region traversed by the different members of the expe- 

 dition. It was considered advisable to unite all the observations in 

 one general report rather than attempt to treat of the avifauna of 

 special localities in a number of separate papers. At the same time a 

 few local lists may be found under particular areas in Part I. 



A number of side trips were made to special localities by small parties, 

 which not only materially increased the observations on the birds 

 already met with, but also added a number of species to the list. Among 

 these trips may be mentioned one made by Dr. Merriam and Mr. Bailey, 

 who extended their observations as far east as St. George, Utah. 

 They were thereby enabled to add valuable notes on several of the birds 

 of the Great Basin not seen elsewhere. After the main party had dis- 

 banded in the fall, a trip was made by Mr. Nelson along the coast from 

 San Simeon to Oarpenteria, and one to Monterey by Mr. Bailey, which 

 resulted in partially filling up a wide gap among the water birds. 



Owing to the unusual interest shown in matters relating to Death 

 Valley, and to the entire absence of reliable information concerning the 

 species inhabiting this area, it seemed best to append a special list of 

 the birds observed there, with brief annotations. This list is believed 

 to be reasonably complete, since the valley was visited by one or more 

 members of the expedition every month except May, from January to 

 June inclusive. A list of the species found in Owens Valley is added 

 for comparison. (See pp. 150-158.) 



The known ranges of a number of species were much extended by the 

 expedition, notably in the cases of Oreortyx pictus plumiferus, Dryobates 

 scalaris bairdi, Chordeiles texensis, Pyrocephalm ruMneus mexicanus, 

 Calypte costce, Icterus parisorum, Leucosticte tephrocotis, Junco liyemalis 

 thurberi, Spizella atrigularis, Peuccea cassini, Harporhynchus lecontei, 

 and a few others ; and the distribution of many better-known species 

 was more definitely determined. 



