May, 1912 
SOME XORTH-CENTRAL COLORADO BIRD NOTIiS 
87 
water birds here, but not many species. It did not strike me as a particularly 
favorable place for nesting, as with the exception of a patch of rushes at the 
southerly end, there was but little cover. Along the west shore were a few wil- 
lows, while the other parts of the shore along which we walked were somewhat 
steep with but little along the water’s edge, and the ground back from the water 
covered with greasewood. Aside from the species I will mention beyond, Cary 
(North American Fauna No. 33) speaks of finding the Canada Goose and 
Shoveller Duck breeding here, as well as the Wilson Phalarope. The latter we 
saw elsewhere, but not at Lake John. 
Leaving this point on the 8th, we started for a place the Brands tol 1 us of, 
in the mountains of the Continental Divide. We managed to get on a wrong 
road, but landed on our feet, for we found as good a place for our work as there 
was about there, at the foot of Mt. Zirkel, on what is called the LTe Pass Trail. 
This was once a trail over which cattle were driven to the Routt County side for 
the summer range. Mt. Zirkel is the highe.st mountain in this part of the Con- 
tinental Divide, its altitude being 
12,000 feet. 
Our camp was located as far 
up as we could get the wagon, at 
an altitude of 9275 feet: at that 
date there was snow in patches 
on the slope of Baldy Mountain 
almost on a level with the camp, 
while in the timber and high up 
on the mountain was much more, 
often in good sized fields. Here 
it was not much more than 
spring, as such flowers as marsh 
marigolds (Caltha rotiindifolia) 
and dog-tooth violets {Erythron- 
iiim par-i’iflorutn ) , which are the "^oung mountain plover, a day or 
£ , , ,1 • 1 ■ Two OLD. RAYMER, COLORADO, TUNE 4, 191 1 
first to bloom m such regions, 
were in their prime beside the snow banks. The trees were Engelmann spruce 
and balsam fir {Abies lasiocarpa) , with aspens on the lower slopes. Near and 
above timberline alpine flowers of various species were blooming in profusion. 
We strung a line of traps from near camp almost to the summit of the mountain, 
and while the catch was not large some rather good records were made. Brown- 
capped Rosy Finches and Pipits were common, and a single Ptarmigan was seen. 
Here we stopped until the 17th, and then returned to AA^alden for sup- 
plies and mail, staying there until the morning of the 22nd, doing a little more 
collecting, and then leaving for Buffalo Pass and Steamboat Springs. We 
reached an old saw mill about five miles below the summit of the pass late 
that afternoon, and camped for a coujde of days. This is frequently referred 
to beyond as “the Bufifalo Pass saw mill." This was among the lodge-pole 
pines. The five miles of road to the summit was badly washed and very 
rough, but taking our time, the horses made it up without much trouble, and 
we made another camp just on the Jackson County side of the pass, at an ele- 
vation of 10,400 feet. 
Here we were among the Engelmann spruces again, but the surrounding 
