22 
Vol. XIV 
SOME BIRDS OF SOUTHWESTERN MONTANA 
By ARETAS A. SAUNDERS 
WITH ONE MAP 
T he region covered by this list includes Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Jefferson, 
and the southern portion of Powell counties, Montana. It is mountainous in 
character, extending from about 4100 feet to over 11,000 feet in elevation. 
The continental divide crosses the region from southwest to northeast. There are 
two main valleys in the region, the Deer Lodge valley, west of the continental di- 
vide, and the Jefferson valley, east of it. These valleys extend from 4100 to 5500 
feet in elevation and lie in the Transition Zone. The mountains are principally 
above 5500 feet and lie in the upper Transition, Canadian aud Hudsonian zones. 
The valleys consist of open grass lands, the better parts of which are settled 
and under irrigation, crossed by streams^that are lined with thickets of willow and 
groves of cottonwood. The mountains form the richest mining district of Montana. 
They are very rough and rocky in character, and are covered with evergreen forests, 
consisting principally of lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, Engelniann spruce and alpine 
fir. A large part of this timber, particularly in the near vicinity of Butte and Ana- 
conda, has been cut over, so that a large amount of the present stand consists of 
second growth. 
The material for this list is obtained almost entirely from my own observations. 
These covered a period from August, 1909, to June, 1911, with one or two short ab- 
sences, principally during the winter months. During this period I was assigned 
to work on the Deerlodge National Forest, and in the course of the work covered 
the mountainous parts of the region quite thoroughly. Observations in the valleys 
