110 THE CONDOR VOL. XI not two dozen species of birds could have been recorded in the district. The fol- lowing year .water was brought into the district and with the water came birds. Today there is a string of lakes, .ponds and marshes, covered with tules, cat-tails, and other vegetation common to such locations, fourteen miles in length, and from one-half to one and one-half miles in width. This forms an ideal summer home for a large number and variety of water birds. Cottonwood groves have been planted and have grown to good-sized trees. Cottonwoods and willows have sprung up along the shores of the lakes, furnishing nesting sites for many species of perching birds. The surrounding country is under cultivation, furnishing abundant food for the seed-eaters. The lakes are teeming with fish and many other forms of aquatic life, and the swamps and marshes are rich in insect life. These varying environmental conditions, together with the well-wooded valley of the Platte on the west, Box Elder Creek on the east; and the vast, dry, rolling prairie stretching away on all sides, furnish a field for bird study almost ideal in every particular.* It has been our purpose to make this list as brief as possible, especially with reference to the common birds whose status is well establisht, but to include in it any facts which in our opinion would add to the present knowledge of our subject. We have endeavored to have the nomenclature conform to the latest publisht rulings of the Committee on Nomenclature of the A. O. U. Col:'ylnbus auritus. Horned Grebe. "Two birds were seen on a small lake northeast. of Bart, May 5, 1906. ' Ther? is no question regarding their identity." (Hersey) .? Colymbus nigricollis .californiCus. American Eared Grebe. Summer resident, common. Nests commonly during May and June, but not as plentifully as the succeeding species. Podilymbus' podJeeps. Pied-billed Grebe. Summer resident, very common. Nests abundantly thru0ut May, June and early July. Gayla iramet.. Common Loon. Not uncommon in'migration. Larus'.argentatus. Herring Gull. "Not uncommon during fall migra- tion." (Hersey) Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. This ?gull, altho resident at Barr having been recorded every month in the year, has not been found nesting. A flock of about 100 birds spend the entire summer on? Barr Lake, but a careful search has failed to reveal a nest, and the birds exhibit no signs of nesting. Larus franklinfl. Franklin Gull. "One bird seen October 17, 1907, in a flock of Ring-billed Gulls (L. delawarens/s)." (Hersey) Larus philadelphia. Bonaparte Gull. "One was killed on Barr Lake during the fall of 1907, but was not preserved." (Hersey) Xema sabinli. Sabine Gull. Four birds were taken at Barr by Hersey on the' following dates: One on September 3, two on October 3, and one on October 31, 1908. Sterna forsteri. Forster Tern. Summer resident, common. Occurs in greater numbers and breeds more abundantly than the Black Tern. A colony of about 100 breeding birds nest regularly on a small lake northeast of Barr. The breeding season lasts from May 15th to July 1st. Hydrochetidon nigra sttrinamensis. Black Tern. Summer resident; common. Nests regularly, tho not more than three nests have been found by us in close proximity.
- This list is to be followed by a table of dates of migration recorded for the Burr Lake district.
