Nov., 1901. 1 THE CONDOR 153 
Here bird life was abundant; chickadees and nuthatches were at work on the 
numerous .stubs; thrushes were making the deep woods ring with their choicest 
melodies; robins, sapsuckers, woodpeckers, white-crowned and thick-billed spar- 
rows, warblers and kinglets were all intensely busy, while the gaudy forms of 
tanagers appeared everywhere through the forest. 
Much has been told of the panorama which unfolds itself to the traveler on the 
summit, and the view is certainly an inspiring one. The east slope drops down 
abruptly and some miles to the east rises the second range of the Sierras, capped 
by numerous snow-covered peaks of 10,000 or more feet altitude. Between these 
two ranges lies Lake Valley, through which courses the Little Truckee River. To 
the north is seen Lake Tahoe, which is reached by a 12-mile drive from the sum- 
mit. The crest of the Sierras followed in either direction presents almost every 
phase of sublime and rugged mountain scenery. The east slope of the ridge has 
been bereft of most of its timber growth and presents a desolate appearance when 
compared with the heavily-timbered west slope. In Lake Valley the country 
cakes on a Nevadan phase, with its sage-brush and sandy soil, and some of the des- 
ert birds, such as Spizella b^'eweri here finds a congenial home. 
To the ornithologist who can afford time to desert the stage road for a few days, 
AT 9,000 FEET ALTITUDE ON PYRAMID PEAK. 
