May, 1912 SOME NORTH-CENTRAL COLORADO BIRD NOTES 87 water birds liere, but not ?nany species. It did not strike me as a particularly favorable place for nesting, as with the exception of a patch of rushes at the southerly end, there was but little cover. Along the west shore were a few wil- lows, while the other parts of the shore along which we walked were somewhat steep with but little along the water's edge, and the ground back from the water covered with greasewood. Aside from the species I will mention beyond, Cary {North American Fauna No. 33) speaks of finding the Canada Goose and Shoveller Duck breeding here, as well as the Wilson Phalarope. The latter we saw elsewhere, but not at Lake John. Leaving this point on the 8th, we started for a place the Brands tcl I us of, in the mountains of the Continental Divide. We managed to get on a wrong road, but landed on our feet, for we found as good a place for our work as there was about there, at the foot of Mt. Zirkd, on what is called the Ute Pass Trail. This was once a trail over which cattle were driven to the Routt County side for the summer range. Mt. Zirkel is the highest mountain in this part of the Con- tinental Divide, its altitude being 12,000 feet. Our camp was located as far up as we could get the wagon, at an altitude of 9275 feet; at that date there was snow in patches on the slope of Baldy Mountain ahnost on a level with 'the camp. while in the timber and high up on the mountain was much more, often in good sized fields. Here it was not much more than spring. as such flowers as marsh marigolds (Caltha rotundifolia) and dog-tooth violets {Erythron- iron parviflorum), which are the first to bloom in such regions. Fig. 33. VOUNG MOUNTAIN PLOVER, A DAV OR TWO OLD. RAVMER? COLORADO? JUNE 4, 1911 were in their prime beside the snow banks. The trees were Engelmann spruce and balsam fir (Abies lasiocarpa ), with aspens on the lower slopes. Near and above timberline alpine flowers of various species were blooming in profusion. We strung a line of traps from near camp ahnost to the summit of the mountain, and while the catch was not large some rather good records were made. Brown- capped Rosy Finches and Pipits were common, and a single Ptarmigan was seen. Here we stopped until the 17th, and then returned to Walden for sup- plies and mail. staying there until the morning of the 22nd, doing a little more collecting, and then leaving for Buffalo Pass and Steamboat Springs. We reached an old saw mill about five miles below the summit of the pass late that afternoon, and camped for a couple of days. This is frequently referred to beyond as "the Buffalo Pass saw mill." This was among the lodge-pole pines. The five miles of road to the summit was badly waslied and very rough, but taking our time, the horses made it up without much trouble, and we made another camp just on the Jackson County side of the pass, at an ele- vation of 10,400 feet. Here we were among the Engelmann spruces again, but the surrounding
