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Show 151 groves of cottonwood had been stripped of their undergrowth, so necessary to the existence of the feathered tribe, by the various herds of stock that daily resorted to them for shelter from the burning rays of the noonday sun. The foliage of the trees was shriveled by the intense heat and laden with dust, presenting any tniug but a tempting resort for the timber- loving species. Two weeks of careful scrutiny in this locality revealed the presence of about fifty species of birds, all of which had doubtless bred in the vicinity, as in most cases, the old birds were found in attendance upon their young. Owing to the lateness of the season, no eggs whatever were obtained, and in only three or four instances were birds found so young as to be unable to fly. Several species were evidently preparing for their southern migration. Six or seven species were very abundant, of which were the red- winged and Brewer's blackbirds; also the doves and grass- finches. These frequent the more open ground. In every clump of the larger trees, dozens of the noisy, but handsome, red- headed woodpecker made themselves conspicuous; and in the more sheltered groves, the short-legged pewee outnumbered all other birds. The kingbirds and Arkansas flycatchers also were quite common among the scattered timber, the latter uttering its discordant notes from the tops of the tallest trees. Among the more interesting birds noticed here were the black- headed and blue grosbeaks, long- tailed mocker ( Mimus poluglottis, var. caudatus), Arkansas- finch { Chrysomitris palustris), and the savanna- sparrow, the last species, which is identical with the eastern pcwserculus, being here found breeding for the first time in Colorado. A nest of Swam sou's buzzard was found containing newly- hatched young as late as the 1st of August, being an instance of the irregularity of breeding in this bird, which frequently lays its eggs as early as the 15th of April. Of reptiles seven or eight representatives were found, and nine or ten of fishes, but the insect class was represented in a superlative degree. An examination of the rank growth of coarse vegetation which is so abundant in the river bottom revealed hymen-optora, iepidoptera, diptera, coleoptera, hemiptera, and orthoptera, in varieties and numbers that were not equaled at any point subsequently visited. Leaving Pueblo on the 5th of August, our route lay to the southward, along the plains at the base of the Greenhorn range to Badito, thence over the Saogre de Cristo Mountains to Fort Garland, which was reached on the 14th. Among the more note- worthy birds noticed on the plains, were the mountain mocking- bird, ( Oreosooptes viontanus,) long- billed curlew, and the burrowing owls, ( Speotyto cunicularia, var. hypugcea,) the latter being found only in the vicinity of prairie- dog towns. They are found standing on the mounds of dirt before prairie- dog holes, and are remarkably sharp- sighted and wary for birds of their family, it being often difficult to get within long gun- shot of them. On being disturbed, they rise with a chattering cry, and fly a short distauce, then resuming their watch from another mound. When wounded, they take refuge in the nearest hole, from which it is useless to try to secure them. The stofy so widely circulated, which gives this bird the credit of living peaceably in the same bole with rattlesnakes and prairie- dogs, must be taken with a liberal grain of allowance. It is true that owls, snakes, and rabbits live in holes dug by the prairie- dogs, but only in deserted ones; and after three seasons of observation of these animals, I have yet to see a single indication that any two of them live together in the same burrow. The den of the burrowing owl may be recognized among a thousand prairie- dog holes by the pile of bird- dung at its entrance. As we entered the pinon- clad hills at Badito, a number of birds were seen, which had not been previously met with ; among others, the noisy and restless pinon- jay, ( Gymnokitta cyanocephala,) which was seen scattering along, from one hill to another, in flocks of fifteen or twenty birds. In proportion as we advanced higher into the mountains, wild- bird life diminished, and at the altitude of 10,000 feet we missed nearly all of the low- land species, and found in their stead such birds as the long- crested jay, green- tailed and Lincoln's finches, and the merry little mountain titmice. The 13th of August, spent in ornithological observations'in the vicinity of the Sangre de Cristo Pass only brought to light about a dozen species of birds; most of these were apparently migrating, and the entire absence of others from their favorite summer- haunts showed that they had already left for the south. Descending to the altitude of about 7,000 feet, at Fort Garland, the scarcity of many birds that had been common at the same altitude along the eastern foot- hills was remarked, among them the black- headed grosbeak, long- tailed chat, lazuli finch, and arctic towhee, which were either rare or entirely wanting. At this place, numbers of the rufous- backed hummers were observed along the creek- bottoms, where they had doubtless halted in their migration southward. The capture of this species at this place is an interesting circumstance, for, although it has been reported as occurring here, I think there is no authentic instance of its capture in the Territory ou record. The creeks of the vicinity, as is the case with nearly all branches of the Rio Grande, are abundantly stocked with trout, ( Salmo pleuriticus,) and evidences of beaver are seen everywhere in the stumps of the trees cut down by them. At oue point on Ute Creek, within . a mile of the fort, I noticed a number of trees, from 8 to 12 inches in diameter, which |
