74 THE CONDOR I VoL. V not put every bird on the list; something over one hundred varieties are supposed to nest in this vicinity and it is not necessary to make it so long. "Birds of a feather can be flocked together." This is the result of work in the district from Denver to Cheyenne and west- ward to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, a piece of country of an elevation ranging from 4000 to 5200 feet, crossed by many streams, and much of which is under high cultivation. Our weather in the spring is very uncertain. There is snow and frost often in the month of May, and the trees native to the country are not in full leaf until May ?5. The settlement of the country has not changed the habits of the weather and therefore the birds have not changed their dates. From the foothills, westward, the altitude increases from 52oo feet to 9000 and more, in a traveling distance of thirty miles. One can therefore put in a good sea- son at the foothills until about June ?5, and then in a day's journey locate near timber line and obtain another fair season. There are numerous birds which nest both at the foothills and throughout the intervening country to the high altitudes, notably the bluebird, hummingbird, siskin, dipper, Lewis woodpecker. The dif- ference in date for the same species and at different locations is very noticeable. I have on hand much data for a high altitude list, but wish to strengthen it with more field work in those regions before publication. Since this is a list for oologists, will the critics please overlook my lack of the scientific in stating my bird. They will know which ones I mean, better perhaps than if I used the shifffng nomenclature of the A. O.U. I also wish to keep out of trouble on the subspecies business. The list pertains to the dates ofnestin? of certain species, and to be more exact in the hair-splitting is immaterial. If you will read the "A. O. U." check-list somewhat, you will find that this identical strip of country has been used for the dividing line between the "Eastern" and "Western," the "American" and the "desert" varieties on scores of birds, and therefore you had best keep out of the "committee room" yourself. There are dates for initial sets, resultant from spring migration and the regular order of na- ture. Second sets are accidental and irregular. M,?Rct-I: ?,a golden eagle; ?2, western horned owl. APRIL: ?5, Rocky Mountain screech owl; 22, short-eared owl? American magpie. M,?: ?, great blue heron, ferriginous roughleg, c sparrow hawk, long-eared owlt desert horned larke; 8, crow, killdeer, mallard duck; ?5, pine siskin, Say phoebe; 22, western robin, burrowing owl, meadowlark, mountain 'bluebirdJ white-rumped shrike; 29, Brewer blackbird, yellow-headed blackbird, red- winged blackbird, cowbird, song sparrow/mourning dove, red-shafted flicker, Forster tern? black-crowned night heron, American bittern, mountain plover. h JUNE: 5, western red-tail, coot, Swainson hawk, sage thrasher, mockingbird, red- headed woodpecker, Lewis woodpecker, barn swallow, cliff swallow, rough- winged swallow, kingfisher, dipper, bobwhite, house wren, lark bunting; i2, kingbird, Arkansas kingbird, Cassin kingbird, black-headed grosbeak, avocet, vesper sparrow, Audubon warbler, yellow warbler, long-tailed chat, Bullock oriole, catbird, spurred towhee, broad-tailed hummingbird; ?9, American eared grebe, cinnamon teal, ruddy duck, western night hawk. ?. Figures refer to days of the month.
I have but little data for this owl.
c. Bear this date in mind, fully one month before the other hawks of the plains. d. May 4 is about right for this; May 8 is too late. e. The most unsatisfactory date on the list, for owing to snow and snakes, they nest and re-nest from April 2o to August x. f. In bird boxes, etc., previously occupied they will nest two weeks earlier. ? By A. H. Felger, Denver. May ?9, should be Decoration Day.
