NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF PORTIONS OF MONTANA AND DAKOTA; BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF A REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR ON THE COLLECTIONS MADE BY THE NORTH PACIFIC RAILKOAD EXPEDITION OF 1873, GEN. D. S. STANLEY, COMMANDER. By JA. ALLEN, ve * NATURALIST OF THE EXPEDITION. BOSTON. 1874. NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF PORTIONS OF’ MONTANA AND DAKOTA: BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF A REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR: ON THE COLLECTIONS MADE BY THE NORTH PACIFIC RAILROAD EXPEDITION OF 1878, GEN. D. 8. STANLEY, COMMANDER. By J. A. ALLEN, NATURALIST OF THE EXPEDITION. BOSTON. 1874. [From the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, Vol. xvil, June, 1874.] Notes oN THE Naturat History or Portions oF DAKOTA AND Montana TERRITORIES, BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF A REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR ON THE COLLECTIONS MADE BY THE NortH Paciric RaI~tRoAD EXPEDITION OF 1873, Gen. D. S. STANLEY, ComMANDER. By J. A. ALLEN, NATURALIST OF THE EXPEDITION. I. IntTRopDuUcTORY. The route taken by the Expedition may be briefly indicated as fol- lows: — Starting from Fort Rice, on the Missouri River (a point a little to the north of the geographical centre of Dakota), our course was thence nearly due west to the Yellowstone River, in Montana Territory, which we struck a few miles above the mouth of Glendive Creek. Crossing the Yellowstone at this point, (where a temporary post was established, called Camp Thorne), we followed up its left bank to Pompey’s Pillar, a distance of one hundred and ninety miles. We kept mainly to the bottom lands, but the high bluffs being cut by the river at frequent intervals, we were forced occasionally to the adjoining highlands. Leaving the Yellowstone at Pompey’s Pillar, we crossed over to the Musselshell, which we struck near the 109th meridian. From this point the Expedition descended the valley of the Musselshell, as far as the “ Bis Bend,” — a distance of about sey- enty miles — where we left it, and by a southeasterly course reached the Yellowstone again at the mouth of Little Porcupine Creek. Thence down the Yellowstone, and eastward to Fort Abraham Lin- coln, on the Missouri, our course was essentially the same as that pursued on our way out. The route of the Expedition hence lay ~~ 4 wholly between the 46th and 47th parallels, sweeping somewhat sinuously from one to the other, and extended from near the 100th meridian to the 109th. The whole extent of country traversed is thus, in respect to its fauna, wholly beyond the western boundary of the so-called “ Eastern province ” of North America, and is comprised within the excessively arid belt of the western plains. But throughout this wide area, the country, either in respect to its general features or its productions, is by no means everywhere alike. The eastern border receives much more rain than the western, and the vegetation is proportionally more abundant and varied, with, of course, corresponding differences in the fauna. Geologically the region is wholly embraced within what has been termed the Lignite Tertiary Formation, but includes limited outcroppings of the Upper Cretaceous. It hence embraces consider- able areas deeply scored by erosion, forming the well-known “ Bad Lands” of the Upper Missouri district. A broad belt of these Bad Lands extends along the Little Missouri, and they occur at intervals all along the Yellowstone and its principal tributaries. They form the favorite haunts of several species of animals and plants not found generally dispersed over the plains. From the Missouri River westward, nearly to the Little Missouri» the country gives evidence of considerable fertility, being covered with a good growth of grass, which the. present year remained quite green till our return in September. Along the streams occur scat- tered clumps of timber, composed chiefly of box-elder, elm and cottonwood, with here and there groves of oak, the latter being confined chiefly to the coulées, or dry ravines, that extend back from the larger streams. Passing this semi-fertile district we arrive at the Little Missouri belt of Bad Lands, twenty to thirty miles in breadth. Beyond these we again meet with comparatively fertile grassy prairies, which extend to the divide west of Inman’s Fork of the Little Missouri, or for a distance of some thirty miles. On reach- ing this divide (that of the Little Missouri and Yellowstone) we find indications of a more arid climate, the vegetation becoming more scanty, the grass shorter and thinner, and cacti and sage brush begin to be for the first time common, and even at times the pre- dominating plants. Thence to the Yellowstone the country becomes still more and more barren, and is deeply cut by erosion, belts of «“ Bad Lands” bordering the Yellowstone and its tributaries, and ren- dering an approach to them with wagons a very difficult undertaking. 5 The valley of the Yellowstone indicates a great degree of aridity of climate and soil, but the overflowed portions generally afford an abundance of good grass, interspersed, however, with large areas occupied almost exclusively with luxuriant growths of either Opuntia missouriensis, grease wood (Obione vulgaris), or sage brush (Artemi- sia canescens). The several terraces of the river are even more barren than the bottom-lands, though occasionally affording fine grass, while the plateaus on either side, but especially to the west- -ward, are often nearly destitute of grass, the vegetation consisting mainly of cacti and low depauperate forms of Artemisia, and their few characteristic associates. ‘The divide between the Yellowstone and Musselshell, at the point where we crossed it, is also quite simi-_ lar, a more barren country than that bordering the Musselshell from the 109th meridian to the Big Bend, or than that between the two Porcupine Creeks, being hard to find anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains. From Camp Thorne, or the “Yellowstone Crossing,” nearly to Tongue River, there is very little timber in the valley of the Yellow- stone, frequently not a single tree occurring for miles. Quite large forests begin to appear a little below the mouth of Tongue River, extending up that tributary as far as can be seen from the bluff opposite its mouth, and almost uninterruptedly along the Yellowstone thence to Pompey’s Pillar, forming an almost continuous belt of varying width. ‘The trees are almost exclusively cottonwood, and are many of them of large size. -They sometimes form thick forests, half a mile to a mile in breadth, but more frequently grow in more or less detached belts and clumps, being confined to the old beds of the river or its affluents. In the valley of the Musselshell the cotton- wood belt is almost uninterrupted, and is much wider in proportion to the size of the river than that along the Yellowstone, frequently attaining a width of one-half to three-fourths of a mile. ‘The bluffs on the east side of the Musselshell, as far as the Great Bend, as well as the bluffs on both sides of the Yellowstone above the Porcu- pine Creeks, and much of the region between the Mussellshell and Yellowstone, from the Big Porcupine to Pompey’s Pillar, is sparsely covered with pines, which attain the height of thirty to eighty feet, and give the country, when seen at a distance, the appearance of being quite thickly wooded. ‘The distribution of the. pines serves to mark the extent of the tertiary sandstones, the pines abruptly disap- pearing with the appearance of the cretaceous clays and marls. > 6 With these preliminary remarks descriptive of the general charac- ter of the country, we proceed to give in detail such observations as our rapid journey of nearly one thousand miles in less than one hun- dred days, including detentions, enabled us to make respecting the vertebrate fauna of the district through which we passed. Although we moved quite too rapidly to allow of a very satisfactory examina- tion of the country traversed, or to admit of the formation of very large collections, it is believed that but few species escaped notice, while of the greater part specimens were either preserved or ex- amined. In this connection it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge my indebtedness to my valuable assistant, Mr. C. W. Bennett, for important aid in my work, and for many facts recorded in the follow- ing pages. Mr. S. H. Scudder has kindly prepared the report on the butterflies, and Dr. Geo. Vasey, botanist of the Department of Agri- culture, has prepared the report on the plants, with which I have incorporated a few remarks on the relative abundance and range of some of the more prominent species... The report on the fishes is unavoidably delayed. Il. Report on THE MAMMALS. ¢ Although the region now under consideration is so barren, and has hitherto been so little frequented by white men, considerable changes in the relative abundance of the larger mammals have already been effected by human agency. The buffalo that once swarmed over these plains has wholly disappeared east of the Yellowstone, as far up at least as the Tongue River, and with his decline have nearly disappeared the coyote and the wolf. The elk and the black-tailed deer were formerly abundant along all the principal streams, but neither now occurs in any numbers except on the Musselshell, and on the Yellowstone above the mouth of Powder River. The moun-. tain sheep, or Bighorn, still occurs sparingly in the Bad Lands bor- dering the Little Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. The Pronghorn is the only one of the herbivores that is still generally distributed, being now the most numerous of the larger mammals. A very fatal disease, however, visited them the past summer (1873), sweeping away thousands inhabiting the region between the Little Missouri and Yellowstone divide and the Missouri River, in fact nearly depopulat- 7 ing the district; so that many years must elapse before they wil] again be as abundant here as formerly. With perhaps one or two exceptions, none of the smaller mammals ean be considered as abundant. The prairie dog is much less numer- ous than further south, and the striped gopher is far from abundant, though these are among the most numerously represented species. Along the Yellowstone, however, the Dipodomys Ordii may be fairly regarded as abundant. FELIDZ. 1. Lynx rufus Raf! Bay Lynx. Wild Cat. Indications of their occurrence were noticed along the Yellowstone and Musselshell Rivers, and a young one was shot near our camp on the Big Porcupine. CANIDZ. 2. Canis lupus var. occidentalis All. Gray Wolf. Rare east of the Little Missouri, but frequent indications of their presence were noticed as we approached the Yellowstone, and from the mouth of the Big Horn up the Yellowstone and over to the Mus- selshell and back, they were heard in considerable numbers about camp nearly every night. ‘They are rare now, however, throughout this whole region, in comparison with their former abundance. Dr. Hayden, writing in 1863, says, “ Countless numbers are seen in the valley of the Yellowstone, and along the Missouri above Fort Union, and woe to any poor buffalo, elk or deer, which may have been so unfortunate as to have been wounded by the hunter, or to be in the decline of life.’? They, however, no longer occur in such large numbers on the Lower Yellowstone.’ 1 The authorities adopted here are those of the first author who used both the generic and specific names in their present connection. In the case of varietal names, the same practice is followed. The authority is hence regarded, as the writer has always regarded it, as a part of the name, and not as a property label. 2 Trans. Am. Phil. Soc., Vol. x11, p. 141. 8 In writing of the varieties of color presented by our wolves in 1869 (See Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. 1, p. 156), I overlooked the following important remarks on this subject by Dr F. V. Hayden:— He says, ‘‘ This animal varies so much in color that the traders on the Upper Missouri suppose there are four or five species. Ihave seen them differing in color from an almost snowy whiteness to a dark brown or black, and was at first inclined to attribute this difference to age and sex, but Mr. Zephyr, an intelligent trader, informed me that he had noticed the same variations of color in all ages.”’ Trans. Am. Phil. Soc., Vol. XII, p. 141. 8 3. Canis latrans Say. Coyote. Prairie Wolf. Not common east of the Yellowstone. In the valley of the Yel- lowstone and westward, they were heard in considerable numbers every night, and were occasionally seen while we were on the march, particularly in the Musselshell district. None were heard on our way out till we reached the Yellowstone, but from the Yellowstone “Crossing” westward they were at times quite numerous. The wolves, including the Coyote and the Gray Wolf, have been nearly extermin- ated over the region most frequented by hunters, by the use of strychnine. ‘The hunters have pursued them till too few of them are left to make “ wolfing” profitable. They now say, “ There are now no wolves here,” they have become so much scarcer than they form- erly were. 4. Vulpes vulgaris var. macroura All. Western Fox. Quite common along the Yellowstone, and thence westward to the Musselshell. 5. Vulpes velox Aud. and Bach. Kit Fox. Swift. Quite frequent. MUSTELID. 6. Mephitis mephitica Bd. Common Skunk. But: two or three individuals were met with on the whole trip. Apparently not very numerous. 7. Taxidea americana Waterh. American Badger. Apparently more or less common, though but very few were seen. URSIDZ. 8. Ursus arctos var. horibilis All. Grizzly Bear. Very scarce. Less than half a dozen were reported or seen by the whole Expedition collectively, during the whole trip, and only one old one and two cubs were killed. Even very few signs of them were noticed. PROCYONIDZ. 9. Procyon lotor Storr. Raccoon. Saw tracks in the mud along the Yellowstone that were unmistak- ably those of the raccoon, but none of the animals were either taken or observed. 9 BOVIDZ. 10. Bos americanus Gray. American Bison. “ Buffalo.” Recent signs of the buffalo were first met with in the valley of the Yellowstone, near the mouth of the Rosebud — tracks of single old bulls that had passed down to the river for water within a period of a few weeks. Above this point considerable numbers seemed to have frequented the river valley during the early part of the season (1873), and tracks but a few days old were frequent for the last ten miles before reaching Pompey’s Pillar. The first buffalo seen was observed about twelve miles west of Pompey’s Pillar. Eight miles further west, on the divide between the Yellowstone and the Mussel- shell, we found large herds had grazed but a day or two before our arrival, and fresh tracks of cows and calves, as well as of bulls, were abundant. From this point to the Yellowstone we were frequently in sight of quite large bands, and quite a number of individuals were killed. They moved off rapidly, however, as we approached, and at no time were more than a few hundreds in sight at once. We found later that the valley of the Musselshell and its adjoining prairies had been the recent feeding ground of large herds, immense numbers having evidently spent the early part of the season there. They seemed not, however, to have visited the valley in large numbers before for many years, as all the trails and other signs had most evidently been made within the few weeks immediately preceding our arrival. Traces of ancient trails remained, but they were few and insignificant as compared with those of the present year. The herds seemed to have occupied the whole valley as far as we followed it (from the 109th meridian to the Big Bend), as well as the plains on either side. Considerable bands had also ranged over the divide between the Musselshell and Yellowstone, particularly along the two Porcupine Creeks. Gen. Custer met with small herds still further to the eastward, and the main expedition came in sight of a few near the mouth of Custer’s Creek, where several were killed by the scouts. On our return we found that during our absence small bands had visited the valley of the Yellowstone itself as far down as Powder River, while quite large herds had recently passed up Custer’s Creek. Occasional skeletons and buffalo chips in a good state of preserva- tion occur eastward nearly to the Missouri, but the only very recent signs observed this year east of the Yellowstone were the tracks of a few old straggling bulls a few miles east of the river. The last buf- falo killed near Fort Rice was taken in 1869, when three were killed 10 from a herd of ten old bulls that had strayed far to the eastward of the main herds. It is but two or three years. however, since they ranged one hundred to two hundred miles east of the Yellowstone in the latitude of Fort Rice. 11. Ovis montana Cuv. Bighorn. Rocky Mountain Sheep. Not common. First met with in the Bad Lands, near the head of Glendive Creek, and seen occasionally in the Bad Lands that border the Yellowstone. Not more than six or eight were secured by the hunters and scouts altogether, though their fresh tracks were quite abundant at a few localities. ANTILOCAPRIDZ. 12. Antilocapra americana Ord. Pronghorn. “ Antelope.” Generally distributed, and more or less common. Most frequent, however, between the Missouri and Little Missouri Rivers. During the summer of 1873 a fatal epidemic raged among the prong-horns over nearly the whole area between the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, destroying apparently three-fourths to nine-tenths of them. The greatest fatality seems to have oceurred in July, judging from the size of the fawns found dead, and hence not long after we crossed this portion of the country. From the head of Heart River to the Missouri we found their carcasses, on our return, thickly scat- tered along our line of march, including those of both sexes and all ages, fawns being often found lying within a few yards of their dams. On our way out antelopes were almost constantly in sight, but on our return they were only rarely met with, ten dead ones being seen to each living one. The epidemic seems not to have extended beyond the Yellowstone, where they seemed more numerous on our return than on our way out, and where no dead ones were observed. The previous year they are reported to have ranged over this sec- tion of the country, in autumn, in very large numbers, bands of two or three hundred being sometimes met with by the Yellowstone Expedition of 1872, on its return eastward. Four were captured by the men as the frightened animals attempted to run through the train. Epidemics similar to that affecting the prong-horns, are well known to oceasionally affect deer, rabbits and field mice. A few years since (about 1869) the Jackass Rabbits of Salt Lake Valley, Utah, were nearly exterminated by a fatal disease, their dead bedies being found scattered over the plains in great numbers. From being so common 11 that some of the farmers were accustomed to shoot them to feed to their hogs, they became so scarce that but two or three could be obtained in a whole day’s hunt, and sometimes none would be met with. From frontiersmen and hunters I have learned of deer being similarly swept away and almost exterminated over quite large areas. The field mice, especially the Arvicole, it is well known are period- ically excessively abundant, and again very scarce, and this variation in their numbers is probably due to a similar cause. CERVIDZ. 13. Cervus canadensis Erxl. Elk. Wapiti. Quite numerous along the Musselshell, and also on the Yellow- stone above Powder River, and occasional near all the larger wooded streams.1 14. Cervus macrotis Say. Mule Deer. “ Black-tailed Deer.” More or less frequent along all the wooded streams, and quite common on the Yellowstone and Musselshell Rivers. VESPERTILIONIDZ. 15. Lasiurus noveboracensis Gray. Red Bat. Apparently not very unfrequent along the more heavily timbered portions of the Yellowstone and Musselshell Rivers. Often seen fly- ing about camp after nightfall. 16. Scotophilus fuscus H. All. Brown Bat. Qne specimen was taken on the Yellowstone, near the mouth of the Little Porcupine. Probably more or less frequent. 1 A yearling buck was killed on the Musselshell, which had a very singular mal- formation of the left antler. It is essentially a double antler, and is attached to the skull by a base three inches long by an inch in diameter. The antler divides into two main parts or beams about three inches from the head, each beam sending out a branch from near its base. There is no trace of a bur or enlurgement at the usual point, the bony portion passing higher than usual, and blending insensibly with the horn proper. The anterior beam is fifteen inches long, and inclines a little backward; it sends out a branch seven inches long from near the base of its ante- rior face, which in turn is also bifurcate at the end. The posterior beam is seven- teen inches long, being_a little larger than the anterior, and parallel with it. Near the base a branch four inches long arises from its posterior face, which grows ina horizontal direction, curving inwards, and nearly clasping the base of the right antler. The right antier is.of the usual size and form of that of a buck of this age. 12 17. Scotophilus noetivagans H. All. Silvery-haired Bat. One specimen was taken at our camp of August 29, on the Big Porcupine. 18. Vespertilio subulatus Say. Little Brown Bat. A specimen was taken at the mouth of the Little Porcupine, Sept. 1. A small bat of probably this species was more or less frequent at most of our camps along the Yellowstone and Musselshell Rivers. MURIDZ. 19. Mus musculus Linn. House Mouse. A specimen was taken in our camp at Fort A. Lincoln, where the species was already becoming common, although the post had been established but one year. 20. Hesperomys leucopus var. sonoriensis Coues, Ms. White-footed Mouse. A specimen was taken at the Big Bend of the Musselshell, and another on Heart River, and it undoubtedly occurs with greater or less frequency along all the principal streams. 21. Neotoma cinerea Bd. Mountain Rat. More or less frequent along the timbered portions of the streams. 22. Arvicola riparius Ord. Meadow Mouse. A specimen was collected near the head of Heart River by Dr. W. J. Hoffman, and by him kindly presented to the collection. Signs of their presence were observed at various localities, but no other speci- mens were obtained. SACCOMYIDZ. 23. Dipodomys Ordii Woodh. Jumping Rat. The most abundant mammal met with in the valley of the Yellow- stone; much less common on the Great Porcupine Creek and in the valley of the Musselshell. It seems to prefer the dryest situations, burrowing beneath the cacti and in bunches of sage brush every- where. Rarely seen abroad, but occasionally surprised and killed by the teamsters and soldiers, the collection being indebted to the kind- ness of Dr. Hoffman for several specimens thus obtained. These animals form little paths or “run ways” leading in various directions from their burrows, not unlike those made by muskrats. 24. Perognathus flavus Baird. Pouched Mouse. Apparently common. First met with at the Big Muddy, and after- wards along the Yellowstone and Musselshell. 13 GEOMYIDZ. 25. Thomomys rufescens Maxim. Fort Union Gopher. The little mounds of earth thrown up by some species of Thomo- mys were frequent in the moister parts of the prairies east of the Yellowstone, but were more rare along the Yellowstone, and still less jrequent along the Musselshell. The only specimen obtained was taken on the Yellowstone, near Camp Thorne. CASTORIDZ. 26. Castor fiber Linn. Beaver. Sparsely distributed along all the principal streams. Along the Yellowstone indications of their presence were seen at only a few points. SCIURIDZ. 27. Sciurus hudsonius Pall. Red Squirrel. One or two were seen on the Musselshell, among the pines that cover the sandstone ridges. 28. Tamias quadrivittatus var. pallidus All. Missouri Striped Squirrel. Rather frequent from the Little Missouri westward, especially in the bad lands along the Yellowstone and the sandstone bluffs of the Musselshell. Nowhere, however, very abundant. 29. Spermophilus tridecem-lineatus var. pallidus All. Striped Gopher. Generally distributed, but much more numerous on the prairies east of the Yellowstone than in the Yellowstone valley, or west of it. 30. Cynomys ludovicianus Bd. Prairie Dog. More or less generally distributed throughout the region traversed, but nowhere very numerous, and sometimes not seen for days to- gether. HYSTRICID. 31. Erethizon dorsatus var. epizanthus All. Porcupine. Rather rare. Two specimens were killed near the Heart River, and indications of their presence were seen elsewhere. 14 Il. Report on THe Birps. Notwithstanding the almost entire absence of timber, and the gen- erally arid nature of the country, the birds are comparatively numer- ous, but belong mainly to a few species. The greater part are of course prairie species, but more woodland birds oceur than would naturally be looked for in a region so destitute of trees. Every tree and every clump of shrubbery, however isolated, forms the home of one or more pairs of tree-nesting species, while the continuous though narrow belts of trees, and their accompanying undergrowths, are far more populous with bird-life than similar patches of timber are in the better wooded parts of the country. The prairies, particularly those east of the Yellowstone, abound in birds, a few species, almost universally distributed, being exceedingly numerous in individuals. These are, more especially, two species of Plectrophanes (P. ornatus and P. Maccowni), the lark bunting (Cala- mospiza bicolor), and the meadow lark (Sturnella ludoviciana var. neglecta). ‘The horned lark (EHremophila alpestris), the grass finch (Poecetes gramineus), Baird’s bunting (Centronyx Bairdii), the Mis- souri skylark (Neocorys Spraguei), the yellow-winged and clay- colored sparrows (Coturniculus passerinus and Spizella pallida), the cow bird (Molothrus pecoris), the night hawk (Chordeiles popetue var. Henryi), the Carolina dove (Zenedura carolinensis) and the upland plover (Actiturus Bartrainius), make up the chief part of the rest. Of the woodland birds, the three by far most abundant species are the Arkansas flycatcher (Tyrannus verticalis), the king bird (Tyran- nus, carolinensis) and the red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes ery- throcephalus). The eat bird (Mimus carolinensis), the brown thrush (Harporhynchus rufus), the yellow warbler (Dendraca estiva), the Aretic towhee (Pipilo maculatus var. arcticus), and the common wren (Troglodytes cedon) are next in abundance, and are pretty sure to be met with wherever there are a few trees and thickets of under- brush. The Arkansas flycatcher probably nearly outnumbers all the other woodland species together, excepting the king bird, which is almost equally abundant. Isolated trees, though miles away from the nearest clump of timber, are sure to be inhabited by one or more pairs of these birds. Thickets of low willows and rose bushes, how- ever isolated, are almost equally certain to form the home of one or more pairs of cat birds, or brown thrushes, or black-headed gros- beaks (Goniaphea melanocephala), and sometimes of each of these. 15 A clearer idea of the association and relative abundance of the species at particular localities may be obtained from the following abstracts from my note-book, than can be gained from the general list. At Forts Rice and Lincoln, on the Missouri River, where about two weeks were spent in June, a greater variety of species occur than at any point that we visited further west, owing, of course, to the much greater extent of forest occurring here. At Fort Rice, in the wooded: bottom-lands. of the Missouri, birds were extremely numerous, twenty or twenty-five species being common, and some of them abundant, as indicated in the subjoined list. During the early part of the day, and also toward evening, they filied the air with song, so many singing at once that the song of any particular indi- vidual could scarcely be distinguished. At this time but few of the species had commenced nesting. The forest growth of these bottom- lands consists of large, rather scattered trees of oak, ash, willow and cottonwood, with a dense undergrowth of rose, willow and Symphori- carpus, at times so dense as to be almost impenetrable. The follow- ing birds were observed at this locality during the third week of June: — Turdus miyratorius. Not common. Turdus fuscéscens. Abundant. Harporhynchus rufus. Frequent. Mimus carolinensis. Very abundant. Icteria virens. Very abundant. Dendreca estiva. Very abundant. Mmiotilta varia. Not common. Geothlypis trichas. Abundant. Troglodytes edon. Common. Seiurus aurocapillus. Abundant. Setophaga ruticilla. Common. Hirundo lunifrons. Abundant. Vireo olivaceus. Common. Vireo gilvus. Common. Chrysomitris tristis. Common. Spizella socialis. Common. Spizella pallida. Common. Chondestes grammaca. Common. Cyanospiza amena. Common. Goniaphea melanocephala. Not common. 16 Pipilo maculatus vai. arcticus. Abundant. Quiscalus purpureus. Abundant. Molothrus pecoris. Abundant. Icterus Bullocki. Not numerous. Corvus americanus. Abundant. Tyrannus carolinensis. Abundant. Tyrannus verticalis. Abundant. Empidonax minimus. Common. Chordeiles popetue var. Henryi. Abundant. Chetura pelasgia. Common. Colaptes auratus. Not common. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Abundant. Picus pubescens var. Gairdneri. Not common. Falco sparverius. Common. Zenedura carolinensis. Abundant. Other woodland species were occasionally observed, but the above named were characteristically common. The following species were generally numerous on the adjoining prairies: — Evremophila alpestris. Rather common. Plectrophanes ornatus. Abundant. Plectrophanes Maccowni. Common. Poccetes gramineus. Frequent. Coturniculus passerinus. Common. Sturnella ludoviciana var. neglecta. Common. Pedicecetes phasianellus var. columbianus. Frequent. Aigialitis vociferus. Frequent. Actiturus Bartramius. Abundant. Numenius longirostris. Occasional. After leaving the Missouri, we of course found no large areas of forest. Along Heart River, which in places is well bordered with trees, we found nearly the same kinds of birds as at Fort Rice, and equally numerous in proportion to the more limited amount of timber. At the Big Muddy we were detained several days by high water, which afforded me an opportunity of becoming quite familiar with the birds found in the vicinity of our camp. The trees were lim- ited to here and there a few low scraggy box elders and elms scat- tered along the ereek, a few hundred yards to half a mile or more apart. The banks of the stream were clothed with a thick growth of rose bushes, mixed with a few willows and a species each of Sympho- 17 ricarpus and Viburnum, which, with the scattered trees already men- tioned, formed the only resort available for the tree- and bush-nesting birds. Yet in the three or four days spent here (June 28th to July 1st) about forty species were noticed within the limited area of our rambles, twelve or fifteen of which may be regarded as tree- or bush- nesting species. But generally only a few pairs of each species were met with, the prairie species being the only ones really numerous. As indicating the general character of the bird fauna of this almost _treeless region, I subjoin a list of the species met with, and remarks on their relative numbers, giving first the arboreal species and then the truly prairie forms, or those not materially influenced in their dis- tribution by the presence or absence of trees. Mimus carolinensis. Two or three pairs seen. Harporhynchus rufus. A single pair observed. Dendreca estiva.