Observations on the avifauna of portions of Arizona

(1)

1890.]

Mearns,

Arizona

Mountain

Birds. 2

5*

Measurements

of12

Specimens

of Melanerfesformicivorus bairdi

from

California.

SunFernandoValley, Cala...

)E.C.Thurber SanGabriel,California.. . . i "

California (F.Gruber)

Am.

Mus. Nat. Hist.

California_(J. Krider)

....

^"

CosumnesRiver |

"

Newcastle,California GeorgeB. Sennett Sebastopol, California

....

^"

Alhambra,California E.C.Thurber SanGabriel, California.. . .

|

"

California ]Am.Mus. Nat. Hist.

Newcastle,California GeorgeB. Sennett Sebastopol, California . . . . |

"

I,02S

(2)

2^2 MEARNS,

^Arizona

Mountain

^Birds. ^[July

taintimberis icyor the weather

uncommonly

fierce; then it is usually accompanied byflocks ofCassin'sPurple Finches,Red-backedJuncos,and

its

boon

companions, the Slender-billed Nuthatches.

About

the middleof June the

young

leavetheir nests,and soon after

make

a partial migration

downward

towardsthe lower border of the pine belt, in

common

with

many

otherbirds thatbreedathighlevels.

Dryobates pubescens orececus.

Batchelder's Woodpecker. —

^This

birdbreeds sparingly through the Pinusponderosa belt, ascending into thesprucezoneonthe

San

Franciscocone. Itistherarestof the

Wood-

peckers here enumerated.

A

male selected a sounding dry aspen, and

drummed

regularly above

my

camp, high up on

San

Francisco

Mountain

duringthe earlypartof June, 1SS7, at which season the nightswere still

intensely cold andthis specieswas probablynot yetbreeding.

Picoidesamericanusdorsalis.

Alpine Three-toed Woodpecker. —

Breeds

commonly

throughoutthepinebelt, seldom ascendingfar intothe spruce

woods

of the highest peaks.

On

^the northwestern slope of

San

Francisco

Mountain

Idiscovered a nest of this species on June 8, 1SS7.

The

female was seen alone, pecking at a large yellow pinewhich, al-

thoughdead,still retaineditsbarkand

was

quite solid. While feeding, she uttereda peculiar, harsh, nasalcry. I shot her,and then noticed a small, neatlybored holein thesouth sideof the pine trunk,about thirty feetfrom the

ground

and

away

from branches.

With

the aid ofa rope, and takinga start fromthe saddle,I

was

scarcelyable to climb to the nest,whichthemaledid notquit until Iwaswell up; then he

came

out and uttered asudden,sharp-whip-iv/iip --whip in a

menacing

tone,remaining hard by whileI

worked

with

saw

and chisel. ^It took

me

nearlyhalf an hour to

make

an opening sufficiently large to admit the hand, asthe

burrow

was situated so extraordinarily deep.

Two

young, mule and female,withfeathers just sprouting, were found on a bed of small chipsatthe bottom ofa burrow, not

more

than eight inches lowerthan theentrance, but in the very heart of ihe tree, the cavity being oblique and pear-shaped, and having the strong odor characteristic of

Wood-

peckers' nests in general. Both parents and their progeny were pre- served, andare

now

ⁱⁿthe

American Museum

collection.

The

irides of the adults were darkcherry-red; their feet, clawsandbasal halfof

man-

dible plumbeous, the restof thebill being

plumbeous

black.

Sphyrapicus thyroideus.

Williamson's Sapsucker. —Breeds very

commonly

atthe highestaltitudes,frequenting thespruce and firwoods.

It seldom descends farintothe pinebeltduring the breeding season, al-

though itisfound in the pinesin winter,occasionallydescending evento the cedars insevereweather; and afterthe nesting season it frequently roves

down

to the pine

woods

with its young.

When

shot, it usually fastened itsclawsinto thebalsam bark and remained hanging there after life wasextinct.

The

specimensofthisbirdprocured duringthebreedingseason exhibit certain peculiarities ofplumage, as

compared

with Pacific coast

exam-

plesand wintermigrantstoArizona, which, if constant, would warrant

(3)

1S90.]

Mearns,

Arizona

Mountain

Birds. 2£3

the separationoftheresident Arizona bird as a subspecies. Itissome- whatsmallerthan northwestern specimens, and

much

blacker, thewhite being

more

restricted throughout. In

some

males nowhite spots are visible on the outside of the primaries or secondaries, even

when

the

wing

isspread; the white barsontheaxillars,liningofwings,and sides are

much more

restricted; the undertail-covertsare black, verynarrowly edged withwhite; the whitehead stripes are narrower; and there is no concealed white inthe interscapular region.

One

male (No. _5574, Ba- ker'sButte, Arizona, July23, 1SS7) has thebellysap-green, instead ofthe usual citron-yellow.

The

adultfemale is likewise darker,the dark areas being broader, and the white proportionately reduced. In Californian specimensthelightbandsontheback,wings, andsides arebrownish,sim- ilarto the head, while theyare nearlywhite inbreedingfemalesfromAri- zona.

The

pectoral patch isalso

more

solidlyblackinthe Arizonabird.

A young

female (No. 5559) ⁱⁿ^first

plumage

takenin the

Mogollon Moun-

tains,Arizona, July 18, 1S87, has strong indications of the yellowbelly.

Its

plumage

isdullerthan inthe adultof the

same

sex, lacks the black chest patch, andhasthewhite bars replacedby

brown

similar in colorto the head.

A much

younger specimen (No. 5552), sex undetermined, has a narrow band of brownish white, slightly tinged with green- ishyellow,

down

themiddleof thebelly, inother respects agreeing with thepreceding.

Some

winterspecimens from Arizona are indistinguish- ablefrom othersfrom Fort Crook, California.

These might

be regarded asnorthernmigrants;butone male fromthelast-named locality lacksthe white spotsonthe

wing

quills,as inArizona specimens; and one Arizona residenthasas

much

white spotting as the average from California. In

making

the comparisonof thesebirds,Ihave

examined

all the material intheNational

Museum

atWashington,inthe

American Museum

ofNat- ural History of

New

York,andin severalprivate collections. I

am

also underobligationstoDr. C. Hart

Merriam

fortheopportunityofexamin- ing theseriesofspecimensofthisSapsuckercollected by

him

inArizona, and belongingtothebiological collections of the U. S.

Department

of Agriculture.

As

the result, it

may

be stated that the differences de- scribedappeartobelargely individual, to

some

extent geographical, and possiblydependent

somewhat on

season; but the material available for studyisinsufficient toenable

me

to decide

how much

is dueto each of these influences.

The

series of Arizona

summer

specimens averages darker,withthe paletintswhiter.

The

difference cannotbe wholly due to season, unless several of the specimens examined from other lo- calitieshave erroneous labels.

Melanerpes formicivorus aculeatus.

— Averycommonresidentthrough the pinebelt,breedingplentifully. Ihave founditashigh as the spruce forests,butneverin them. It is essentially a bird of the pines, only occasionally descending to the cottonwoods of the low valleys. The oaks which are scattered through the lower pine zone supply a large share ofitsfood. Its habit of industriouslyhoardingfood in the bark of pines,and in all sorts of chinks and hollows, is well known. These

(4)

2CzL

Mearns,

ArizonaMou?itain Birds. [July

storesarethe source of

unending

^quarrelsbetweenthis

Woodpecker

and

its

numerous

pilferingenemies; andI havelaid itssupplies undercontri- bution myself,

when

^short ^of provisions and lost from the

command

with whichIhad been travelling, by filling

my

saddlebags with half- driedacorns from underthe loosebarkofadeadpine.

Melanerpes torquatus. Lewis's

Woodpecker. —It may be said that the pineforests arethe favorite homeofthis beautiful species, although

itshabits are soerraticthat one

must

take counsel before

making

any positiveassertion concerningit. Ihave never had proofof^its breeding

anywhere

inArizona,althoughIhave found itatall seasons and places.

Itisa wandering bird, travelling about, usually in large flocks, and visitingall likelyplaces forfoodand frolic. In midwinteritisoftenvery abundantin thehighest pine forests of the Mogollons and about Fort

Whipple;

but I have spent a whole

summer

in these mountains with- out seeinganyofthem; again, itwasnoted

among

thecottonwoods ofthe Santa

Cruz

and Rillilto in thevicinityof

Tucson

and Fort Lowell during theblazingweatherofApril.

Sometimes

it

would come

in great

nom-

bersin

March

and April tothe oak

woods

bordering the streams near Fort Verde; orapair or two wouldtake up theirabode in a grove of cottonwoods, and spend April and

May,

in the hot valley of the Rio Verde. Its

movements,

like those of theEasternRed-headed

Woodpeck-

er, areprobably largely'governed bythe food supply; and it doubtless breedswhereveritchances to be at the season, provided that food be plenty.

Colaptes cafer.

Red-shafted

Flicker.

—

Breeds

commonly

throughout the pinebelt, ascendingstill higher.

Phalsenoptilus nuttalli. Poor-will.

—

^This interesting bird breeds abundantly throughoutthe pine belt.

A

^set ^of perfectly fresh eggs

was

takenon

theMogollon

Mountains,on_July_3,18S6.

Another

set,taken near Flagstaff", contained large

embryoes

on

May

27, iSSS; and a couple of

young

were found the

same

day.

Chordeiles virginianus henryi.

Western Nighthawk. —Ihave never

known

this speciestoinfringe on the territory of the

Texan Nighthawk

duringthebreeding season^; each keeps to its

own

ground, the latter beingconfinedto the regionbelowthe pines, and the former residing in thepinesand spruces,breedingingreat

numbers

in these limited areas.

A

^single migrantwas takenatFortVerde, on

May

9, 1SS5.

Two

fresh eggs weretaken at Flagstaff

on

June 18, 1SS7, in a level place, bestrewn with volcanicscoria,beneaththepines. Inour

summer

camp, near the

summit

of the

Mogollon

Mountains, a small beetle was annoyingly abundant,flying intoourtents in great

numbers

during the day, and at night

swarming

around ourlogfires.

As

the twilight gathered,hundreds of these

Nighthawks

appeared

upon

the scene, preying

upon

the trouble-

some

insects. Careless of our presence at the fires and of the noisy hilarityofcamp, theyflitted throughthe

smoke

with astonishingfreedom from diffidence,capturingmyriadsof the hated beetles, as they passed andrepassed above,between, and aroundus, until their flickering forms

(5)

1S90.J

Mearns,

Arizona MountainBirds.

-55

wereas familiar as the stirring of the pine

boughs

overhead, and the fanningoftheirwings almostas littleheeded.

A

couple ofyoung,recently hatched,were found nearthe camp,on_July27, 18S7,

showing

that two broodsare reared the

same

year or that its season of reproduction is quiteprotracted.

The

voice ofthisspeciesis quite unlike that of Chor- deiles tcxensis.

Micropus melanoleucus.

White-throated

Swift.

—

^In ^Arizona

this largeand

handsome

Swiftisveryabundantinthe vicinity of canons andcliffs, in which itbreedsfrom thealtitudeof FortVerde (about 3400 feet) uptothe highest peaksin the Territory. I

saw them

wheeling aroundthe highest points of theSan Francisco Mountains, and darting inand out of thejaggedrocks, inJune.

Trochilus alexandri.

Black-chinned Hummingbird. — A summer

residentinthe zoneofPinus

ponder

osa; not seen higher.

Trochilus platycercus.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird. —

This beautiful

Hummingbird

isan inhabitant of the highest land of Arizona, being rarelyencountered until one is well within the spruce belt,

when

it

suddenly

becomes

extremely plentiful.

About

springsand willow-edged water-courses

swarms

of thesegay birds congregate. Its boldness ^is withouta parallel; it

knows no

fear.

A member

of our party on

San

Francisco

Mountain

woreascarletcap,buthefoundtheseaudaciousbirds sotroublesome fromtheirconstant attacks

upon

it thathe was glad to pocketitin ordertobe^ridof theirate little furies.

A

shrub grows

on

the mountainbearing purplish red flowersofwhichthisspeciesisextrava- gantly fond; and

numbers

of

them may

be closely watched by seating oneself

amongst

these plants. Its flight is accompanied bya metallic, screechingsoundunlikethat

made

by any other

Hummer

with which I

am

familiar, and I heard

them

continually,

when

riding through the forest, thoughtheywere invisible. Itranges tothe very

summit

of

San

FranciscoMountain, being abundantinthe highest timber.

Tyrannus

vociferans. Cassin'sKingbird.

—

Breeds

commonly

throughout the pineforests. I found itin the uppermost timber on

San

Fran- cisco

Mountain

inJune, the altitudebeing nearly 12,000 feet. This conspicuous species likewise breeds in the low valleysof Arizona together with theArkansas Kingbird(T. verticalis), nestsofboth species having been found atthe

same

time inone cottonwood treein the Verde Valley.

On

^the

Mogollon

MountainsI

saw them

attack

Crows

and Western Red-

tailed

Hawks

and drive

them

from the neighborhood of their nests after the spiritedfashion of theEastern Kingbird.

Contopus

borealis. Olive-sided

Flycatcher. —Breeds throughout

theareaunder consideration, but is especially

common

in the higher beltofevergreenforest, inwhich itranges almostto the timber line. It builds"fts nestnear the tops of thetallestfirs andbalsams. Its character- isticcry ofxvhip-me-to,givenwith such vigorandclearness ofenunciation as tobe almoststartling,

was

continuallyheard

when we

were

encamped

at Smith's Big Spring, in the canon or crater enfolded by the

San

Francisco peaks, openingto the east; and it was equally abundant in

(6)

256 Mearns,

^Arizona

Mountain

^Birds. ^L^July

the

White

Mountains andthehigher spurs of the

Mogollon

range. Like

many

othermountain speciesit ranges

down

^hill with its

young

after the breeding season.

On Oak

Creek, in the cypress belt below the pines, itappearsin families duringthefirsthalfofAugust.

Contopus pertinax. Coues's

Flycatcher. —This bird was seenfeed- ing itsyoung on Baker's Butte, oneof thehigher spurs of the northern part of the Mogollonrange, during the monthsof July and August. Its habits resemblethose of the smaller species of this genus, rather than of the Olive-sided Flycatcher.

Contopus

richardsonii.

Western Wood Pewee. —Breedscommonly throughoutthesemountains.

Empidonax

difncilis.

Western Flycatcher. —Breeds commonly in

the upper pines and through the spruce forest, almost reaching the timberlineonSan Francisco Mountain. It hasasong and a very sweel call, besidesa sharpchirp uttered

when

angry or frightened.

Empidonax

pusillus.

Little Flycatcher. —This interestingbird,so abundantin theCottonwood and willow thicketsalong the lower streams ofArizona,wasalsooccasionally seen, during the summer months, in thedwarf willows (Saiix rostraia) that border the tiny streams and swampyhollowssometimes metwithintraversing these mountains. It

wasnoted at the altitudeof9000feetatthefootof the

San

Franciscopeaks.

Otocoris alpestris adusta.

Scorched Horned Lark. — The Horned

Larks which were found breeding in the park-like openings in these mountainforestsup to an altitudeof 10,000 feet, have recently been re- ferred to thisraceby Mr. Jonathan Dwight,Jr., in his

monograph

of this species,published in'The Auk' for April, 1S90.

The

form breeding in theneighboringvalleysand lowdesert regions is also adusta, but not typical, tending considerablytoward the

more

northern race arenicola;

therewould have been

good

grounds for the presumption that the bird breeding in these high

mountain

^districts would prove to be typical arenicola; butsuch isnot thefact.

Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha.

Long-crested

_Jay.

—

^Resident^to^the

altitudeof10,000feet,ascending still further.

On

^the

San

Franciscos, I

found itsnestwithfresh eggsattheupperlimitof the pines inthesecond

week

of June, 1SS7,while thenestsfound inthe lower Mogollons during the lastthird of

May

of the

same

yearallcontainedyoung.

Perisoreus canadensis capitalis.

Rocky Mountain

Jay.

— A quite

common

residentinthe

White

Mountainsof eastern Arizona; not seen in the northernMogollonsor the

San

Franciscos.

Corvus corax sinuatus.

American Raven. — Most

of the

Ravens

of Arizonaare theWhite-necked species,but the northern

Raven

is com-

mon

inthe mountain districts, nesting as lowas 3000 feet, usually, if

not invariably,

upon

ledgesofcliffs.

Corvus americanus.

American Crow. —Breeds commonly in the pinesand sprucesthroughoutthis area. It ascends to the timber line,

breedinginthe higherfirsaswell as in thepines.

Picicorvus columbianus.

Clarke's Nutcracker. —Breeds abundant-

(7)

1890.]

Mearns,

Arizona

Mountain

Birds.

Z^J

lv inthefirand sprucebelton theSan Francisco cone; but on the crest of the

more

southern Mogollons, near Fort Apache, I have found it

onlyinOctober. It breeds quite early,

when

the mountains are still

covered with snow. Istarted fortheSan Franciscosonthe 20thof

May,

1SS7. butfound

them

so deeply covered with

snow

that I was obliged to waitafortnight forthe

snow

to melt.

When

I reached the

mountain

the

young

birdswere travelling with their parents.

They

often descend- edwell into thepines, orascendedtothe timber line, according us their fancy suggested.

They

were tame,noisy,and frolicsome, reminding me, asthey played boisterously ⁱⁿ thetopof

some

deadtree, ofa flock ofRed- headed Woodpeckers.

Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus.

Pinon

Jay.

—

Resident in the pine beltin

summer,

breedingas high as theupper limit of Pintts poudcrosa^

butdescendingtothecedarsand pinonsof the low country in autumn.

They

are wandering, erratic birds,occurring in

immense numbers

one season, and as conspicuous bytheirabsence the next.

They

are highly gregarious; andflocks travelling over a

more

or less open country have the appearanceof rollingalong, the hindermost continually passing to the front, the whole flock screaming with cat-like voices. It was

common

around thebase ofSan Francisco Mountain in June, 1SS7, the flocks havingdispersed in pairs for the purpose of breeding. In July and Augustthey again appeared in flocks

composed

of from several to

many

families, frequenting^thejuniper groves, having performeda

down-

ward migration in

common

with Coccothraustes vespertina montana, Spinaspinus, Setophaga pic/a,and

many

other mountain birds.

With

the approachofautumn,

when

the

young

are strongon the wing, they begintheirgregarious wanderings overcountry high and low,sometimes assembling inflocks of thousands.

Molothrus ater obscurus.

Dwarf Cowbird.— A common summer

resident. Frequentlyseen

accompanying

the rangecattle that graze on themountains. Possibly

some

of the mountain Cowbirds are true

M.

atcr, but ofthisI

am

uncertain,havingshotbutfew specimens.

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus.

Yellow-headed Blackbird.—

This

handsome

bird isa

summer

^resident in such spots, in this high region, as aresuited to its needs. Itbreeds in vast

numbers

at

Mormon

Lake, in the

Mogollon

Mountains;

many

of the nests

examined

by us there containedfresheggsat the time of our visit

—

during the last

week

of

May.

Sturnella

magna

neglecta.

Western Meadowlark. —Breeds inopen,

grassy places at any elevation. I have seen it as high as 10,000 feet.

These mountain birds are the typical neglecta of the north; but, as might have been predicted,the resident

Meadowlark

of the low parts of Arizonaexhibitsthe effectsofitsenvironment in certain peculiarities of plumage, having the pallid, scorched appearance

common

to

most

birdsof desert regions.

Scolecophagus cyanocephalus.

Brewer's

Blackbird.

—

^Breeds^abun-

dantlyindwarf willows (Salix rostrata) through the pine belt,where-

(8)

2

₅

8 MeARNS

Arizona Mountain Biids. [Juty ever thereiswater. Itwas sometimes foundnestingⁱⁿaspens, pines,or spruces alongstreams, but^its preferenceis forwet openings where there arewillows.

At Woods'

stock ranch,on theroad from the Verde Valley to Flagstaff, nearthelower edge of the pine ^forest, most of the

young

were on

wing

bythe 20th of June, 1SS6,

many

of

them

having tufts of

down

stilladheringtothefeathers,which gave

them

acomicalaspect.

A

singlenestcontained eggs, four in number,nearly fresh; it

was

placed sixfeetabove thegroundina

young

aspen (Populttstremuloides),and was coarsely fashioned of small twigsand stems of plants, with a lining of rootlets.

At Mormon

Luke, a

more

elevated locality than the above,all of

many

nests

examined

containedfresh eggs the last of

May,

1SS7.

At

the base of

San

Francisco

Mountain

several pairs were found that were justbuilding nests inthe early part ofJune.

On

the mountains, as else-

where,this bird likes the

company

ofcattle.

Coccothraustesvespertinamontana.

Western Evening Grosbeak. —

Thisbeautiful

Grosbeak

ispartial tocanons,shadyravinesand the vicin- ityofwater duringthebreedingseason, afterwardsdescendingtotheoak-

wooded

foot-hills with ^itsyoung.

At

Fort Verde itsometimes appeared, in spring or ^fall,in the cottonwoods bordering the Verde River, feeding at times

upon

theberriesofa species of mistletoe (PhoradendronJiaves- ceus),

when

it

became

exceedingly fat; but it

was much more common

in the neighboringfoot-hills. Inwinterit feedsextensivelyon hackber- ries,seeds ot the box-elder

(Ncgundo

accroides),and^the berries ofsev- eral species of juniper.

Carpodacus cassini. Cassin's

Purple

Finch.

— A resident of the

pines; sometimes driven into the low valleys ingreat numbers, inwin-

ter,bysevere weather.

A young

fledging supposed to be Leucosticte australis, proves to be anotherspecies, and the

name

should be

expunged

from page _{49 of} this paper.

Loxiacurvirostrastricklandi.

Mexican

Crossbill.

— Oneof the com- monestbirdsin the pineforest, ascendinginto the spruces. Ifoundit in

Juneatthe extremeloweredgeofthe pinebelt. Itisnotablyfondof drink- ingandbathing, and cangenerally be found about watering^places ^at all times ofthe day. Inoted the presence ofthisbirdin allpartsofthe pine beltthat I visited, whatever the season. Great

numbers

were occasionally found congregated around springs, in regions where water is very scarce.

Spinus psaltria.

Arkansas Goldfinch. — A summer

residentin the pine belt.

Mountain

specimens are typical psaltria;but those of the surrounding lowregions manifesta tendency toward the subspeciesari- zonce,varying in degree with the locality. Several birds taken in the VerdeValleyare referable to arizonce, though the majority are nearerto psaltria.

Spinuspinus.

Pine

Siskin.

— Aresidentspecies, frequentlydescend- ingtothe warm valleys inautumn,winterand spring. Although breed- inginhighplaces, manyflocksmaybe found to have wandered down to the lower edgeofthe pinesbythe firstweekofJuly.

(9)

1S90.]

Mearns,

Arizona

Mountain Buds. -59

Poocaetesgramineusconfinis.

Western Vesper Sparrow. — A com- mon summer

resident intheupperpines.

On

San Francisco

Mountain

it was foundbreeding, in June,up to the altitude of about 10,000feet,

occupyinggrassyopeningswheretherewerea

good many

rocks.

Chondestes

grammacus

strigatus.

Western Lark Sparrow. — A

very

common summer

resident through the pines. Itranged uptothe truebase of the San Francisco cone, thecountryabove that point being obviously unsuited to it. It nests indifferently in bushesor

upon

the ground, andsingssweetlyuntil

midsummer.

Zonotrichia leucophrys.

White-crowned Sparrow. —I found itat the base ofSan Francisco Mountain, apparently breeding, inJune. Ialso shota birdwhich I supposedto beZ. intermedia, but could notfind the specimen. The Intermediate Sparrowisbelieved to breed wholly north of theUnited States; but from thiscircumstanceand its lateoccurrence at Fort Verde (May11, 18S7) it seems not improbable that some breed withinourborders,in the higherportions of the RockyMountains.

Spizella socialis arizonae.

Western Chipping Sparrow. —

Breeds abundantly from the lower pinesto near the tops of the highest peaks.

In June itwas found at the elevation of 10,000 feet on San Francisco Mountain; and ^it^likewise^resides during

summer

on the highest crests of theMogollon range.

Juncocinereus dorsalis.

Red-backed

Junco.-

—

Typical dorsalis breeds veryplentifullythroughthenorthern

Mogollon

andSanFrancisco

Moun-

tains, but does notappear untilone has ascendedaconsiderable distance intothe pinebelt. Itisthe mostcharacteristic birdofthishigherregion.

Sets offresh eggs were found from

May

22 toJuly 22, 1SS7, the nesting season varyingconsiderably with the altitude, but the clutch seen on the lastdate probablybelonged toasecond brood.

A

^typical ^nestwas found on

Mav

30, 1SS7, in pine

woods

near thebottom of a ravine on

Mormon

Mountain.

At

ashort distance was adeep snow-bank.

The

male parent flewfrom thenest,beneath

my

horse'sfeet, whereI found itconcealed in a thick

bunch

of wire-grass. Itwas

composed

of fine roots, stems of plants, grasses, and an occasional feather, loosely put together in the

manner

of

most

ground nests. It contained four eggs, of an elongated oval shape, measuring (in millimetres) 15

X

21, 15

X

20.5, 14.7

X

^21.5,

15.4

X

21. Threeof

them

are

marked

with lilacand reddish

brown

ona greenish whiteground,the spotsforminga circle around the great end;

the remaining one^differsfrom the others in having the wreath of spots aboutthe small end.

Ifoundits nestclose to the upper edge of timber on San Francisco

Mountain

aboutthe middleof June, and another nest on the very top of Baker's Butte, containingeggs, onthe22d ofJuly.

Pipilo chlorurus.

Green-tailed Towhee. —Itwas not found breeding,butwas commonthrough the mountains in May andJune. In the lattermonth IsawitonMount Humphreys, of theSanFrancisco group, above11,000feet, timberlinebeing at11,46sfeet,andthe highest landin Arizona (thesummitofHumphreysPeak) 12,56sfeet.

(10)

200 MearnS,

^Arizona

Mountain

^Birds. T.Tuly

Habia

melanocephala.

Black-headed Grosbeak. —Breeds through

thepine belt,ranging both higher and lower. It evinces an attachment tooak grovesand

wooded

canons, butisgenerally dispersed.

Piranga ludoviciana.

Louisiana Tanager. —Breeds throughout the pine zone, ascending higheron the peaks,whereitwasseen inthe highest aspens butashort distancefromthe linewheretimber ceasestogrow.

Owing

toitsgorgeous

plumage

and sweet songitfiguresconspicuouslyin the alpine avifauna.

Piranga hepatica.

Hepatic Tanager. —This sweet singer is a com- monresidentof the pinebelt,neverhaving been notedbymehigher than

this. Itisbestsuited, as to residence, withsuch rockyravines, hills,and ridgesin the pinedistrict as are

wooded

withoaks, forwhich trees it has a

marked

predilection.

Progne

subis.

Purple Martin. — An

abundant

summer

resident throughout thishigh region, especiallynearwater. It usually builds its

nestin holes in thelargest dead pines, several pairs living in the

same

tree.

The

Martin ofthis region, whilediffering

somewhat

fromthe East- ern bird, ^is not the subspecies //cspcria recently described by Mr.

Brewster,to

whom

I

am

indebted ^for the

means

of

making

the compari- son.

Tachycineta thalassina.

Violet-green Swallow. —

This exquisite bird ishighlycharacteristicof the

wooded mountain

regions of Arizona,

where

itbreeds, notonly inthe hollows of^trees, but very frequently in cavities in cliffs.

While

for the

most

^part retiring to the higher land during the breeding season, a

good many

pass the

summer

and breed.

in the

wooded

canons in which there are streams, in the lower coun-

try.

None

were found breeding in the immediate valleyof the Verde, in thevicinityof FortVerde, but theywere suretobefound afterascend- ing, for a short distance, any of the tributary streams that flowthrough canons from the high plateau. There they usually nest inthe limestone cliffs, which form the walls of thecanons. I havesinceseen

them

^breed- inginsimilar siruationsin the mineral formation about the hot springs and geysers of the Yellowstone National Park and in the bluff*banksof theBig

Horn

River, in Montana.

Vireo gilvus swainsoni.

Western Warbling

^Vireo.

— A summer

resident, breedingin the highestaspen timber on

San

Francisco

Moun-

tain, where it sang incessantly and sweetly. Immediately after the breedingseason

many

of

them

descend to the lower valleys with their young. In

autumn

¹, it

commonly

resorts to the rank growth ofannuals usuallyfoundbesidestreamsinthe valleys at thatseason,andisespecially abundant in the beds of yellow Clcome, in the

company

of terrestrial Warblersof the genera Helminthophila, Geotfilyfiis, and Sylva7iia.

Vireosolitariusplumbeus.

Plumbeous

Vireo.

— Byits loudsongthis speciesisknowntobe a common denizen of the pine forests ofthis re-

gion; but it keeps so near the pine-tops as to be seldom seen,save

by

tracingto theirsourcethe sweet notesone almost constantly hears

when

ridingthrough thesegrandforests, it being one of the most persisten

(11)

1S90.

1

Mearns,

Arizofia

Mountain

Birds.

26

I

singersthatIhave

met

with. It often visits the spruce woods of the higherzone,a fewperhapsbreedingthere.

Dendroica olivacea.

Olive Warbler. —Idid notsee this Warblerin the San Francisco Mountains, save one thatwasdoubtfullyidentifiedon Mt. Kendrick, thoughit isacommon summer resident in the adjacent portion of the Mogollon range, becoming still more abundant to the southward. Itrisestothe level of thefirs, but is most numerous in the upperpines. AtBaker's Butteit sangsweetlyin July.

Dendroica auduboni.

Audubon's Warbler. — A common summer

residentthroughoutthisregion,ranging

upward

tothe highest timber. It is never found, in

summer,

belowthe level of thepines. It is an excel- lentsinger.

Dendroica graciae. Grace's

Warbler. —This beautiful Warbler is

preeminentlya birdofthe pines. Itisfoundas soon as the pine belt is

entered,and continuesalmosttoitsupperlimit; butIdid not meet with any in theaspens,firs,orsprucesabove the pines. InClark'sValley,between Flagstaffand

Mormon

Lake, itwas seen engaged in nest building onthe lastof

May

; itgathered materialsforthe purpose on the ground,

in whichsituation its nest,

when

discovered, will perhaps be found. Its

songisa sweet warble, frequently uttered from the lower pine boughs.

Itisvery gentleand unsuspicious.

Setophagapicta.

Painted Redstart. —

^This^brilliant^Warblerinhab-

itsthe pine-forestedportion of the Mogollon Mountains,descending,after the breedingseason,to the streams of lower regions. In

Tonto

Basin, during August, itwas found in considerable

numbers

in the dark cafion of

Weber

Creek,

among

the giganticalders (A/nusoblongifolia} bordering thatstream. Itseemedfond ofwatching and conversingwith its

own

brightreflection in the inky pools.

Cardellina rubrifrons.

Red-faced Warbler. — A summer

resident from near thelowerborder ofthepinebelt tothe

summit

of theMogollon Mountains. It was not seen on the San Francisco Mountains, but was found breeding aboutthirtymiles south ofthem.

In 'BirdsoftheColorado Valley,'Dr.

Coues

thus concludes hisremarks on thisspecies:

"The

birdsthus introducedby Mr.

Henshaw

with

some

particularity to

American

ornithologistsasoneof thenewestacquisitions, isleft,asfound,to

my

readers,

— some

oneof

whom,

perhaps,

may

here- afterhavehis

own

storyto tell of itsnest, its eggs, andits nuptial song."

Though

thisstory has sincebeen told (see this journal,Vol. V, p.385), ^I will narrate

my

experienceinfinding the firstnestof the Red-faced

War-

bler thateverfellinto thehandsofanynaturalist.

On

the 19th of June, 1886, Iwas

encamped

on a southern slope of the Mogollon Mountains, aboutfive miles within the pine belt, in

what

has been designated the Great San Francisco Forest. Following a small stream-into a little canon between

whose

rocky wallsstood groupsof towering spruces and of aspens, the ground beneath thickly sprinkled with violets,strawberries,honeysuckles,and columbines,Ientered a side ravineand hadstooped to gather

some

flowering honeysuckles

when

a

(12)

262 Mearns,

^Arizona

Mountain

^Birds. ^[July

little birdwas flushed fromitsnest

upon

the sideof thebank, close tothe trunk of a largespruce. Alighting in a

young

spruce tree, it uttered a sharp, hard chip. It was the first Red-faced Warbler ^I had ever seen;

andits red face,black cap,grayback, and white

rump

suggested to

my mind

a miniature of the

European

Bulfinch.

The

bird

was

so fearless, andthe placesoconfined, thatI had

some

difficulty insecuring thespeci-

men

in good^condition.

The

male

was

not seen. After a close search an old nestwasdiscoveredon the ground; andI

was

about to conclude that it belonged to

my

bird and

was

as yet unfinished,

when

^I

descried a small opening close beside it

among

the stones and pine needles; on parting

some blooming

honeysuckles ₍Lonicera ciliosa) and moss,I discovered the nest,

— most artfully concealed. In it were four eggs,containing smallembryos which were easily extracted, the shellsbeingthickand hard. Thenestrestedonamassof dry leavesand spruce needles,and wasentirelycovered up andconcealed by the honeysuckles. It is well built, beingcomposedofa neatlyfeltedmassof plant- stemsand stripsoffinebark,lined with soft vegetable fibres and cow- hairs. Itsoutsidediameteris 130 mm.; depth outside, 55 mm.; inside diameter,45 mm.; depth inside,30mm. Theeggsare spotted with red- dishbrown upona white ground,the spotsbeing aggregated and heavier about the larger extremity, and those markings underlying the shell having a purplish color. They measure, 16 X 13, 15.5 X 13, 16 X 13, 16 X 135 mm.

Salpinctes obsoletus.

Rock Wren. — A permanent

resident from the lowerpine regiondownwards. In

summer

itrangestothe highest peaks.

It was oneof the birds noted on the

summit

of

Mount Humphreys

ⁱⁿ June, 1SS7. at which time the hollows thereaboutswere filled with enor-

mous

masses of ice and snow, and fierce stormsand high winds were prevalent.

Troglodytes

aedon

aztecus.

Western House Wren. — A summer

residentthroughout theforested areas, ranging almosttotimber line. It

appearedtobe fond of

woods

ofmingled spruces, firs,and aspens on the

mountain

slopes. Inthe pine-forested tablelandsalmosteveiypileof rocks or fallen tree was inhabitedbya pair of theseWrens. In thelumbering region about Flagstaff the finest pineshad been felled and left on the ground, in preparation ^for the saw-mill.

Among

their branches these

little

Wrens

were skipping merrily about; they were abundant and full ofsong.

Certhia familiaris montana.

Rocky Mountain Creeper. — An

^abun-

dant

summer

resident ofthe spruce, fir and aspen

woods

of highaltitude, ranging to the timber line;

much

less

common

in the pines,towhich it

descends, however,in winter,

when

it isalso occasionally seen in the cedars and pifions of the foot-hills, or in the deciduous timber along the streams in the valleys. In

summer

I haveseen itnolowerthan 6500

feet,atwhich altitudeitwas only observed afterthebreedingseason.

Sitta carolinensis aculeata.

Slender-billed Nuthatch. — A common

summer

residentinthe pine andspruce belts throughoutthisregion. It

(13)

1S90.J

Mearns,

Arizona MountainBirds.

26

X

very rarely appeared in thedeciduous treesalong the VerdeRiver,and only in hard winters.

To

the cedars,junipers and pinons of the foot- hillsitisa

more

frequent wintervisitant.

Sittacanadensis.

Red-breasted Nuthatch. — A summer

resident in the pineand sprucezonesofthe highestpeaks of the Mogollon and San Francisco Mountains. It wasnot seen as lowas the pinebelt,though it

doubtlessdescendsfrom itshigh abode during the winter.

Sitta pygmaea.

Pygmy Nuthatch. — A summer

resident through the pinebelt. It isabundant,gregarious, noisy, and curious. It issure to be an early spectator ofany exciting scenesoccurring in the feathered

community.

Parus gambeli.

Mountain Chickadee. — A common summer

resident ofthe pines, ranging well up towards thehighestforest growth on the peaks.

The

only nest examined was found in acavity in a small aspen,aboutten feetfrom the"round,nearaspring, atthe height offrom 10,000to11,000feeton San FranciscoMountain. Itcontained half-grown

young

on the 15th of June.

The

nest resembled that of the Eastern Black-capped Chickadee, being apparently felted in purse shapeof

cow

and squirrel hair; but I was unable toexamine it as thoroughly as I

wishedwithout dangerof injury to the littleones,for

whose

welfare the mother

showed

the greatest solicitude. She was so fearless that I twice caught her in

my hand when

enlarging the hole tosee intothecavity in whichthe nest was built. Thisspecies rarely visitedthe VerdeValley in winter,thoughit was

more

frequently seen inthebordering foot-hills.

Regulus calendula.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — A

very abundant

summer

resident throughout thisarea,except in the lowest pineswhere

it israreif occurringatall in

summer.

Isawitclose to thetimber line in June.

A

nestand clutch of fresh eggs were taken in a spruce-tree beneath which

my

tent had been pitched, at Mehrens'stock ranch in

Quaking Asp

Settlement,in a notch at the

summit

of the Mogollon Mountains, on

May

26, 18S7. It was attached totheendof a horizontal branchupwards ofahundred feet above the ground,whereattentionwas attracted to itby theactions of the parents.

Our

chiefpacker,a strong and intrepid climber, secured the nestand eggs, with the parent, having toclimb thetreetwiceand

saw

offthe limb,before thehazardousfeatwas accomplished.

The

parentswere extremelyfearless.

Turdus

aonalaschkaeauduboni.

Audubon's Hermit Thrush. —

^This,

the sweetest mountainsongster, is an abundant

summer

resident in Al-

and spruce forests, breedinglate in

May

andinJune. At

Quaking Asp

Settlement, near the end of

May,

a pair was engaged in building a nest in

my

camp.

The

nest wassaddled on tothe middleof thelowest limbofa largespruce, andthebirdsgathered material foritsconstruction closeabout

my

tentwith perfect freedom from shyness,accepting prof- fered^bitsof cotton for itscompletion. Like the

Wood

Thrush,itssong

is most frequent in the early

morning

hours,and after showers.

The

form winteringin theVerdeValleyisthe

Dwarf Hermit Thrush

(Turdus aonalaschkce).

(14)

264

^Scott,

Two Swallows

Nezvto

North

America.

U

^u^'y

Merula migratoria propinqua.

Western

Robin.

— Anabundant summer resident from the beginning of the pine belt upwards,but never occurringbelowthe pines insummer. It ranges highattimes, butisnot

common

above the pine zone. Nests,at the upper edgeofpine timber, contained

young

on the firstof June, 1887. Its fine songcontinues until July.

Sialia mexicana.

Western

Bluebird.

— A

very abundant

summer

residentfrom the lower pines

upward

intothesprucebelt,but not ascend- ingashighon thepeaksasthefollowingspecies.

Sialia arctica.

Mountain

Bluebird.

—

This lovelybird,though less abundant than the preceding,is a

common summer

resident throughout the areaunder discussion, breeding even below the

summer

range of the Western Bluebird.

May

21, 1S87, I took a set of five eggs, with the female parent,fromacavity in a rough-barkedjuniper {Juviperiispachy-

p

hIcea),just below the pines,on the

Mogollon

Mountains,near Stone- man's Lake. Itwas

commonly

seenon San Francisco

Mountain

during June,ranging upto thehighest erect timber; the uppermosthas apros- trate habit, duetothe pressure of massesof

snow

and ice

upon

^itduring the greaterpartof theyear.

TWO SPECIES OF SWALLOW NEW TO NORTH

AMERICA.

BY W.

E. D.

SCOTT.

During

a short visitto the

Dry Tortugas,

Florida, in the latter part of

March and

early

April

of the present year, 1S00, it

was

the writer's

good

fortune tosecure

two

species of

Swallow, which up

to the present

time have

not

heen recorded

as occurring in

North America.

The

records areas follows:

Petrochelidon fulva

{Vie/7/.).

Cuban Cliff Swallow.*

Coll. of

W.

E.

D.

S.,

No.

8401,

$

^ad.,

Garden Key, Dry Tortu-

gas, Florida,

March

22, 1S90.

No.

_8492,

$

^ad.,

same

locality,

March

25, 1890.

*Fordescriptionofspecies see Cory,Auk, Vol. Ill, _{p. 57.}