92 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XVII 
Alpine. Only the upper portion of the first mentioned is represented. A very 
characteristic tree is the foxtail pine. Finns aristata, which seems to be much 
more common at timber-line than the Engelmann spruce, though the latter 
grows on the mountain slopes. The pine is also common on the hills in the 
adjacent portion of the Sonth Park away from the mountains proper. Lodge- 
pole pines, Finns murrayana, were also common, largely, I think, as second 
growth after the destruction of the first forest. Along the streams was the 
Colorado or blue spruce, Picea pungens, but not showing the blue color of the 
foliage as strongly as at lower altitudes. I doubt if it grew above 10,400 feet. 
1 had a distinguished predecessor in field work in this region in the per- 
son of Dr. J. A. Allen, v r ho spent the week from July 19 to 26, 1871, at Mont- 
gomery, several miles above Alma, at the northeast base of Mt. Lincoln, prac- 
tically at the source of the South Platte, with a party from the Museum of 
Comparative Zoology, Harvard College. Montgomery is now practically de- 
serted, a very few people living there. Dr. Allen gives a list of 36 species found 
by him while there. Curiously enough the present list also includes 36 species, 
but no less than 16 of these were not noted by Allen at Montgomery, one, the 
House Sparrow, because it had not yet traveled that far west, in fact was 
hardly known in the East at that date. Another, the Pink-sided Junco, because 
it was not the right season, and others in my list are noted by him in his list 
of the birds observed in South Park, a few, indeed, at Fairplav. Some no doubt 
would he found at Montgomery, others probably do not reach there. 
The folloAving list shows what birds were present just about the time the 
last of the summer residents would be leaving. I think it hardly likely that 
any of the birds noted were migrants from any great distance, with the excep- 
tion. of course, of Junco hyemalis mearnsi. I expected to find Pine Grosbeaks, 
Nuthatches, and Brown Creepers, but it so happened that none were seen. A 
few notes are included of birds observed from the train when passing through 
the South Park to and from Alma. 
Oxyechus vociferus. Kill deer. A single individual flew past me Septem- 
ber 27 as T was examining some beaver work in the South Platte above Alma. 
Lagopus leucurus leucurus. White-tailed Ptarmigan. This species was 
reported common above timber-line in summer. 1 saw it but once, when 1 
found a flock of six September 26 in a high basin on the north slope of Buck- 
skin Ridge. They had begun the change from summer to winter plumage, one 
of them being a mottled brown and white, and the other five brown above and 
white below. I found them in rather an odd manner. T had killed a wood- 
chuck several hundred yards up the hill, and skinned it on the spot. Tt was 
noon, and wishing to wash my hands before eating lunch I went down to a 
little stream which flowed there. I unloaded myself of camera, field glasses, 
etc., pulled off my coat, had a good wash, and was taking my lunch from my 
coat pocket when I happened to glance across the stream and saw two Ptarmi- 
gan about twenty-five feet away. When I tried to approach them with the 
camera 1 flushed four more between me and the first two. From the way the 
birds flew about when I followed them up after lunch I thought they were 
making the basin their home, for they merely flew back and forth from one 
side to the other. The elevation was about 12,000 feet. 
Zenaidura macroura marginella. Western Mourning Dove. Seen on two 
occasions: September 23 I flushed one from a side-hill in Mosquito Gulch at 
