By LEANDER S. KEYSER AUTHOR OF "IN BIRD LAND," ETC. With Eight Full-page Plates (four in color) by Louis Agassiz Fuertes ; Many Illustrations in the Text by Bruce Horsfall , and Eight Views of Localities from Photographs WITH A COMPLETE CHECK-LIST OF COLORADO BIRDS CHICAGO · A. C. McCLURG AND CO. NINETEEN HUNDRED AND TWO Copyright A. C. McClurg & Co. 1902 Published September 27, 1902 TO KATHERINE AND THE BOYS IN MEMORY OF MANY HAPPY DAYS BOTH INDOORS AND OUT Copyright A. C. McClurg &

With sincere pleasure the author would acknowledge the uniform courtesy of editors and publishers in permitting him to reprint many of the articles comprised in this volume, from the various periodicals in which they first appeared. He also desires to express his special indebtedness to Mr. Charles E. Aiken, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose contributions to the ornithology of the West have been of great scientific value, and to whose large and varied collection of bird-skins the author had f

BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES UP AND DOWN THE HEIGHTS To study the birds from the level plains to the crests of the peaks swimming in cloudland; to note the species that are peculiar to the various altitudes, as well as those that range from the lower areas to the alpine heights; to observe the behavior of all the birds encountered in the West, and compare their habits, songs, and general deportment with those of correlated species and genera in the East; to learn as much as possible about the migratory

INTRODUCTION TO SOME SPECIES It was night when I found lodgings in the picturesque village of Manitou, nestling at the foot of the lower mountains that form the portico to Pike's Peak. Early the next morning I was out for a stroll along the bush-fringed mountain brook which had babbled me a serenade all night. To my delight, the place was rife with birds, the first to greet me being robins, catbirds, summer warblers, and warbling vireos, all of which, being well known in the East, need no descri

Plate II Green-tailed Towhee — Pipilo chlorurus (Male) Spurred Towhee — Pipilo megalonyx (Male) BALD PEAKS AND GREEN VALES One of my chief objects in visiting the Rockies was to ascend Pike's Peak from Manitou, and make observations on the birds from the base to the summit. A walk one afternoon up to the Halfway House and back—the Halfway House is only about one-third of the way to the top—convinced me that to climb the entire distance on foot would be a useless expenditure of time and effort. A

Plate III Lazuli Bunting — Cyanospiza amœna (Upper figure, male; lower, female) BIRDS OF THE ARID PLAIN Having explored the summit of Pike's Peak and part of its southern slope down to the timber-line, and spent several delightful days in the upper valleys of the mountains, as well as in exploring several cañons, the rambler was desirous of knowing what species of birds reside on the plain stretching eastward from the bases of the towering ranges. One afternoon in the latter part of June, I foun

A PRETTY HUMMER Where do you suppose I got my first glimpse of the mite in feathers called the broad-tailed humming-bird? It was in a green bower in the Rocky Mountains in plain sight of the towering summit of Pike's Peak, which seemed almost to be standing guard over the place. Two brawling mountain brooks met here, and, joining their forces, went with increased speed and gurgle down the glades and gorges. As they sped through this ravine, they slightly overflowed their banks, making a boggy ar

OVER THE DIVIDE AND BACK One June day a Denver & Rio Grande train bore the bird-lover from Colorado Springs to Pueblo, thence westward to the mountains, up the Grand Cañon of the Arkansas River, through the Royal Gorge, past the smiling, sunshiny upper mountain valleys, over the Divide at Tennessee Pass, and then down the western slopes to the next stopping-place, which was Red Cliff, a village nestling in a deep mountain ravine at the junction of Eagle River and Turkey Creek. The follow

Plate IV Lark Bunting — Calamospiza melanocorys (Upper figure, male; lower, female) A ROCKY MOUNTAIN LAKE "You will find a small lake just about a mile from town. Follow the road leading out this way"—indicating the direction—"until you come to a red gate. The lake is private property, but you can go right in, as you don't shoot. No one will drive you out. I think you will find it an interesting place for bird study." Brewer's Blackbirds " An interesting place for bird study " The foregoing is w

A BIRD MISCELLANY It shall be my purpose in this chapter to describe with more or less fulness a number of Rocky Mountain birds which have either not been mentioned in previous chapters or have received only casual attention. On reaching Colorado one is surprised to find none of our common blue jays which are so abundant in the Eastern and Middle States. In my numerous Rocky Mountain jaunts not one was seen. Yet this region does not need to go begging for jays, only they belong to different grou

Plate V Louisiana Tanager — Pyranga ludoviciana (Upper figure, male; lower, female) PLAINS AND FOOTHILLS The foregoing chapters contain a recital of observations made in the neighborhood of Colorado Springs and in trips on the plains and among the mountains in that latitude. Two years later—that is, in 1901—the rambler's good angel again smiled upon him and made possible another tour among the Colorado mountains. This time he made Denver, instead of Colorado Springs, the centre of operations; no

RAMBLES ABOUT GEORGETOWN At nine o'clock on the morning of June 22, the two ramblers boarded a Colorado and Southern train, and bowled up Clear Creek Cañon to Georgetown. Having been studying winged creatures on the plains and among the foothills, mesas, and lower mountains, we now proposed to go up among the mountains that were mountains in good earnest, and see what we could find. The village of Georgetown nestles in a deep pocket of the mountains. The valley is quite narrow, and on three side

Plate VI Townsend's Solitaire — Myiadestes townsendii HO! FOR GRAY'S PEAK! By the uninitiated it may be regarded simply as fun and pastime to climb a mountain whose summit soars into cloudland; in reality it is serious business, not necessarily accompanied with great danger, but always accomplished by laborious effort. However, it is better for the clamberer to look upon his undertaking as play rather than work. Should he come to feel that it is actual toil, he might soon weary of a task engaged

Plate VII Ruddy Duck — Erismatura rubida (Lower figure, male; upper, female) PLEASANT OUTINGS One of our pleasantest trips was taken up South Platte Cañon, across South Park, and over the range to Breckenridge. The town lies in the valley of the Blue River, the famous Ten Mile Range, with its numerous peaks and bold and rugged contour, standing sentinel on the west. Here we found many birds, but as few of them were new, I need not stop to enter into special detail. At the border of the town I fo

A NOTABLE QUARTETTE [12] On the plains of Colorado there dwells a feathered choralist that deserves a place in American bird literature, and the day will perhaps come when his merits will have due recognition, and then he shall have not only a monograph, but also an ode all to himself. [12] The author is under special obligation to Mr. John P. Haines, editor of "Our Animal Friends," and president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for publishing the contents of thi

CHECK-LIST OF COLORADO BIRDS The following list includes all the species and varieties, so far as known to naturalists, occurring in the State of Colorado. Of course, these birds as families are not restricted to that State, and therefore the catalogue comprehends many of the species to be found in adjacent and even more remote parts of the country. Aside from the author's own observations, he is indebted for a large part of the matter comprised in this list to Professor Wells W. Cooke's pamphle