74 
Capt. Blakiston on the Birds of the 
again, we followed the crest of the ridge for a short distance, 
and were just going to descend, when I espied a bird on some 
open ground where the snow had been nearly all drifted away 
by the wind. All I had to do was to pull my gun out of its 
cover, and discharge the barrel which contained shot (for I 
seldom kept more than one of the two loaded with ball), and I 
secured a specimen of this Bunting. Of course I did not know 
what species it was at the time, and, considering the situation 
and circumstances, did not stop to inquire, but tied the bird up 
as nicely as I could, and commenced the descent. This was 
even more steep than the western slope, and for some distance 
we followed a zigzag path. It was not, however, very bad; and 
we soon arrived at a mountain torrent flowing eastward, thus 
regaining the waters which find their way to the Atlantic. The 
trail led on through thick forests down a valley due east, on 
either side of which the rocky tops of the mountains were often 
of very curious shapes, and the strata in places much contorted. 
There were also some magnificent cliffs—sheer walls of rock, 
rising hundreds of feet vertically, while the cascades of snow¬ 
water tumbling down the narrow gullies added motion to this 
wild and stern scenery. The snow became less and less as we de¬ 
scended, and on reaching the end of the valley we came to a snug 
little patch of prairie, where we found the Kootonay Indians 
encamped; and I was glad enough to unsaddle and let my horse 
go free, for we had travelled this day from six to six, with a halt 
of only one hour and a half. The horses had the first half of 
the next day to rest, and I took the opportunity, among other 
things, to skin and preserve some specimens. 
62. Plectrophanes ornatus. 
The specimen (‘ Ibis/ vol. iv. p. 6) obtained by me, about eighty 
miles S.W. of Fort Carlton, is the only one I know of from the 
interior. The Chestnut-collared Bunting has, however, been 
found by the Americans on the plains of the Upper Missouri. 
63. Passerculus savanna. 
There were three specimens of the Savannah Sparrow in my 
collection from Fort Carlton, although only one appeared in the 
original list Ibis/ vol. iv. p. 6). I find, moreover, that there 
is one from Red River Settlement in the Smithsonian Insti- 
