88 
THE CONDOR 
You. XII 
and disclosed five fresh eggs lying in a grass lined hollow; while a little farther on 
in an alfalfa field which was being almost flooded by irrigation I found a nest of 
the Mountain Song Sparrow ( Melospiza melodia montana ) with the large com- 
plement of six eggs. The nest, of grasses and weed stems with a lining of horse- 
hair, was placed on slightly higher ground, and was well concealed by the thick 
alfalfa. The eggs were in a state of advanced incubation. 
A short journey from Franktown, on the train, brought us to Carson City, the 
State Capital, a very pretty little town with countless shade trees lining every road 
and lane and tempering the torrid heat of the Nevada summer sun. The altitude 
of Carson is 4,675 feet being about 350 feet lower than Washoe Lake, and the 
bird-life noted was about what we expected to find. The following were the most 
common species: Western Wood Pewee ( Myiochanes riciiardsoni) , Western Meadow- 
lark ( Sim nclla ncglecta) , Bullock Oriole {Icterus buttocki ), House Finch ( Carpod- 
acus mexicauus frontalis) , English Sparrow {Passer dome'sticus ), Western Yellow 
Warbler {Pend ro ica aestiva bmwsteri) , Western Robin {Planesticus migratorius 
propinquus ) . 
The following morning we made the trip by rail to Virginia City. After 
traveling thru the mountains of California, this region, like that between Frank- 
town and Carson, must impress everyone by its lack of timber. Rocky, brush- 
covered ridges rolled by in unvarying succession. In some places there were small, 
scattered trees but the highest of these did not appear to be over fifteen feet. The 
only exceptions were the thickets of willow, cottonwood and other trees along the 
muddy Carson River, which the train followed for a considerable distance. Here 
we noted from the car- windows three birds as being especially common, the 
Mourning Dove {Zenaidura mac/ aura caro/incnsis) , the Arkansas Kingbird 
{Tyrannus vertical is) and the American Magpie {Pica hudsonia) . 
After a long, slow, up-grade grind the train pulled into historic Virginia, once 
a great city but now in ruins. Located at an elevation of about 6,000 feet on the 
side of a steep mountain and not far from its summit, it is hardly the place where 
one would expect to compile an extensive check-list. We found bird-life not 
entirely wanting however. Two characteristic birds were the Slate-colored 
Sparrow {Passerella iliaca schistacea ?) and the Rock Wren {Salpinctes obsoletus) . 
The rich song of the former came wandering down from the brushy brookless 
gullies, while in the town itself we heard the wren’s wild sweet melody. In one of 
the many deserted buildings, where uneven stones cemented in ’49 style formed the 
wall, we found the pebbled pathway which led to an unseen nest. Among the few 
scattered trees in the town the Bullock Oriole and the House Finch were noted, 
and, in an empty frame building, a pair of Mountain Bluebirds {Sialia currucoides) . 
On our return to Carson, altho it was late in the afternoon, we still had time to 
tramp quite a way on the Tahoe Road, and nightfall found us well up in the foot- 
hills, encampt in the hay-barn of a friendly farmer. The ingenious architect of the 
structure we occupied had saved considerable lumber in its construction by leaving 
a generous space between each of the side-boards, thru which the night winds 
entered with remarkable freedom. This, coupled with the fact that we were able to 
find but little hay to soften the board floor on which we unrolled our sleeping bags, 
caused us to arise at a very early hour. We arranged our pack beneath the paling 
stars, and, at the first faint streak of dawn were on the road. 
King’s Canyon Road, the route by which we were traveling, wdiile not 
possessing the scenic attractions of the Marlette Lake Road still leads thru much 
pleasant scenery of the lower altitudes. Spooner, at the end of the road is at its 
