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Pacific Coast Avifauna

NO. 4

BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS,

ARIZONA

...BY...

HARRY S. SWARTH

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUE
April 15, 1904

J'S' Uo-S'3 Jsi^ /I

. NOTE

The publications of the Cooper Ornithological Club
consist of two series — TiiE Condor, which is the bi-
monthly official organ, and the Pacific Coast Avifauna.
The latter serves for the accommodation of papers merit-
ing special consideration, or whose length prohibits their
appearance in the official organ. Both sets of publica-
tions are sent free to honorar\' members and to active
mem])ers in good standing.

The issue of Pacific Coast Avifat^\a No. 4 has been
made possible through prompt and liberal donations from
ihe following Southern Division members : W. Lee
Chambers, W. B. Judson. J. Eugene Law, H. J. Lelande,
E. D. Treadwell, Howard Robertson, J. Grinnell, O. W.
Howard, A. M. Ingersoll. F. Stephens, C. E. Groesbeck,
J. B. Fucdge and M. L. Wicks, Jr.

BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS,

ARIZONA.

By Harry S. Swarth.

INTRODUCTION.

The Huachuca Mountains are a range which have been pretty
thoroughly explored by investigators in various branches of natural
history, but of which there has been but little published, at least of
ornithological interest. A few scattered notes recording the occurrence
of various rarities in that region, and some more or less carefully de-
tailed accounts of the breeding habits of the most interesting and con-
spicuous species of birds inhabiting the mountains are about all that
have appeared, but nothing of a general character; and as in the course
of several seasons careful work in the mountains many interesting and
surprising facts in distribution, migrations, etc., of various species were
being continually encountered, which, while they may be familiar to the
naturalists who have visited the range, are probably unknown to
ornithologists in general. I have been induced to embody the results of
my labors in the following pages. The list of residents and summer
visitants I believe to be fairly complete, but as stray individuals of many
surprising and more or less unexoected species have turned up in the
region on various occasions it is but fair to suppose that additional
species of this class will have to be added to this list in the future, and
it is possible that there are some that I failed to meet with occurring
regularly during the fall migration, of which I saw but very little.
Though considerable work was done along the valley of the San Pedro
River, but a few miles distant, and a number of birds found there not
occurring in the Huachucas, I have preferred to limit my list to such
species as occur in the mountains, or, ranging over the plains below,
occasionally venture up into the mouths of the canyons ; for a great
variety of migrating water fowl undoubtedly occurs along the San Pedro
River, both in the spring and fall, and these I had hardly any opportunity
of observing, so prefer to restrict myself as indicated.

The following list is, with the exception of a few records quoted
from various publications, entirely from observations made and speci-
mens collected during three visits to the region under consideration. In
1896 four of us, W. B. Judson, H. G. Rising, O. W. Howard and myself
made the Huachuca mountains the objective point of a leisurely wagon
trip from Los Angeles across the Colorado desert and southern Arizona,
and spent three months, from April 25th to July 20th, camped in Ramsey
Canyon. In 1902 O. W. Howard and myself were camped together near
the mouth of Miller Canyon from March 29th to July 25th, when Mr.
Howard returned to Los Angeles, leaving me in the mountains, where
I remained until September 5th. In 1903 I was in the mountains, also in
Miller Canyon, from February 17th to May 30th. Almost all the col-
lecting was done on the east side of the mountains, in the seven canyons

2 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

from Tanner to Ash Canyon, by far the best part of the range, ornitho-
logically considered. Occasional trips were made to the west slope of
the mountains, and along the San Pedro River. In 1896 but compara-.
tively few skins were put up, but a large collection of nests and eggs was
gathered which is unfortunately inaccessible at the present writing. On
the two subsequent trips more attention was paid to the collecting of the
birds themselves ; personally 1 put up some 2500 skins, which, with the
notes made at the same time, form the basis of the present paper.

The Huachuca Mountains lie in the southeastern corner of Arizona,
extending northwest and southeast, and with their southern extremity
lying just over the Mexican boundary line. The range is a small one,
about forty miles long, composed of a single ridge or back bone, which
reaches its greatest height at about the middle of the range ; where two
peaks rise, one to an altitude of about 10,000 feet, and the other a few
hundred feet lower. On the eastern slope a number of broad, well
watered canyons extend from the plains quite to the divide of the range,
while smaller and shorter ones lie between. The western slope is steeper
and more rugged, and the canyons are consequently shorter and not so
well watered. The base of the mountains at Miller Canyon, about the
center of the range lies at an altitude of about 4500 feet, and in this same
canyon, where I did most of my collecting, the distance from the mouth
of the canyon to the divide (9000 feet) is about six miles.

The San Pedro River rises west of the Huachucas, circles about the
southern extremity of the range, and flows in a northerly direction
almost parallel with the mountains and at an average distance of about
fifteen miles. Just north of the mountains the Barbocomari River flows,
about at right angles with the line of the range, emptying into the San
Pedro River at Fairbanks. From the San Pedro to the mountains is an
unbroken plain, covered with mesquite and other brush from the river
up to within about five miles of the mountains, but for the rest simply a
grass covered prairie. Where the various canyons leave the mountains
they extend in the shape of washes across the plains to the river, the
trees gradually diminishing in size and numbers; and the water sinking,
in the summer far above the mouths of the canyons, and in the early
spring sometimes two or three miles below, to rise again just before the
river is reached. Where the water comes to the surface again rows of
large willows, and other vegetation is found.

The Huachucas are a well wooded range, covered in the higher
parts, with various conifers ; along the canyons with maples, alders, ash,
madrones, walnuts and sycamores ; with extensive groves of live-oaks
over the foothills and along the base of the mountains ; and in places
thickly covered with low brush. There are very few willows in the
mountains, and these but small bushes ; and of cottonwoods there are
but a very few trees scattered along the base of the range. Though
some beautiful little species of cactus occur, the various species of
pri«„kl^ pear and cholla, so conspicuous about Tucson and many other
parts of the territory, are almost entirely absent, both in the mountains
and in the plains ; but there are many mescals all over the range, "and, in
the foothills a few yuccas.

The winters are cold in the mountains ; in February, 1903, there was
snow lying over the range down to the foothills, and in places along the

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 3

divide it was nearly eight feet deep ; while on the first of May there were
sheltered spots near the summit of the range where the snow was still
lying. Many times in February and March the thermometer fell as low
as 20 degrees Fahr. in the night, occasionally as low as 15 degrees. I
did not find the sumniers unpleasantly hot in the mountains, but on the
plains below it became far too warm for comfort.

I would like here to express my gratitude, first to Mr. G. Frean
Morcom, in whose interests these trips were made, and who has assisted
me in many ways in compiling and publishing this list ; to Mr. Joseph
Grinnell, whose opinions I have consulted, and of whose advice I have
frequently availed myself ; and also to Mr. Ridgway who has kindly
indentified for me many of the more obscure and puzzling species.

HARRY S. SWARTH.

Los Angeles, California, December i, 1903.

4 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA.

Oxyechus vociferus (Linnaeus). Killdeer.

Throughout the spring of 1903, when water was abundant in the
mountains, and there were rinming streams in most of the washes be-
low, several pair of Killdeer were seen along the streams near the base
of the range. They could always be fovmd in about the same locality,
and presumably bred there. Along the San Pedro River they are quite
common, but this is the only year in which I have seen them near the
mountains.

Callipepla squamata (Vigors). Scaled Partridge.

Owing to the lack of cover near the base of the Huachucas, the
Scaled Quail is but seldom seen there; though it is a common resident
along the San Pedro River and up to within five or six miles of the
mountains ; as far, in fact, as the brush extends. I have seen a few birds
near the mouths of various canyons, usually in enclosed pastures, where
the grass and other vegetation attained a higher growth than elsewhere;
and very probably a few pair breed in such localities.

Cyrtonyx montezumae mearnsi Nelson. M earns Partridge.

This species seems to be scattered irregularly over the entire range,
though much more abundant on the western than on the eastern slope ;
and apparently varies greatly in numbers in different years. In the
summer of 1896, with four of us scouring the mountains daily, but two
pairs of birds were seen, though two years later, in 1898, Mr. O. W.
Howard found them to be most abundant in the same region. In 1902.
in spite of all our efforts, Mr. Howard and I were unable to find a single
bird, and in the following year, 1903, though informed of their occurrence
in various places by inhabitants of the mountains, I saw just three my-
self. Owing to the peculiar habits and secretiveness of the species,
together with the rough, broken nature of the ground in which
it is found, it is quite possible for it to be fairly abvmdant, and still be
entirely overlooked. ' If there are any of the quail around, indications of
their presence can usually be found, in the shape of small, shallow de-
pressions in the grass or dead leaves, where they have been scratching
or dusting, of which they seem to do a great deal. As far as I could
make out they seemed to occur indiscriminately from the base of the
mountains to the top of the highest peaks.

Meleagris gallopavo merriami Nelson. Merriam Turkey.

I was told that the wild turkeys were formerly qviite abundant in
the Huachucas, but at present they are rare, though apparently distri-
buted throughout the range. Mr. O. W. Howard has given an account
of the capture of a set of eggs of this species in this region (Condor II,
1900, page 55) and besides the bird he mentions, I have heard of possibly
half a dozen more, seen in the last three or four years, but never met
with any myself.

Columba fasciata Say. Band-tailed Pigeon.

As soon as the acorns begin to ripen the Band-tailed Pigeons put
in their appearance in numbers corresponding with the size of the crop ;
and throughout the summer they are abundant in all parts of the moun-
tains. The earliest date of arrival noted was March 31, 1902, when three
birds were seen, but this is exceptionally early, and they do not arrive
in any numbers before May i, as a rule. They breed rather late and I

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 5

have seen several nests containing young but a few days old the first
week in September. Large flocks may be seen all through the summer,
feeding in the oak trees in the lower parts of the mountains, but as al
rule, they seem to breed at rather high altitudes, for most of the nests I
have seen have been above 8000 feet. I know of no instance in which
more than one egg or one young bird has been found in a nest in this
region. During the breeding season the male bird is fond of sitting in
some elevated position, usually the top of a tall dead pine, giving utter-
ance, at frequent intervals, to a loud "coo," more like the note of an owl
than a pigeon, which can be heard at a considerable distance ; while
occasionally he launches himself into the air, and with wings and tail
stiffly outspread, describes a large circle back to his starting point,
uttering meanwhile a peculiar, wheezing noise impossible of description.
I had supposed that this noise was made by the outspread wings, but a
male bird which Mr. Howard had in his possession for some time, gave
utterance to the same sound whenever angered or excited, evidently by
means of his vocal organs, as we had ample opportunity of observing.

Zenaidura macroura (Linnaeus). Mourning Dove.

A common summer resident, at times appearing in incredibly large
numbers, as in April, 1902, when they were particularly abundant. They
fed out on the plains below the mountains, and as it was a very dry year,
w^ere obliged to fly a mile or two up the canyons for water. Morning and
evening they passed over our camp on their way up the canyon, the
flight lasting from half to three-quarters of an hour during which time
there was an almost continuous stream of birds passing overhead.
During this time they formed no inconsiderable part of our daily bill of
fare, being almost the only thing in the way of small game that the
mountains afiforded. Although usually found low down in the canyons,
I have occasionally seen Mourning Doves as high as 9000 feet.

Melopelia leucoptera (Linnaeus). White-winged Dove.

In the spring the White-winged Doves make their appearance in the
lower parts of the mountains in small numbers, and usually in company
with the Mourning Doves. In 1902, the first one seen was on April 30
and the last May 15th. In the fall of the same year one was taken on
August 6; and from then on until I left, September 5, they were much
more abundant than I have ever seen them in the spring. Most of the
fall birds were young of the year ; as a rule they were two together,
sometimes pairs and sometimes two of the same sex, though occasionally
as many as six or eight were seen together. The White-winged Dove
breeds rather commonly in places along the San Pedro River some
twenty miles distant, but I know of no instance of its breeding in the
Huachucas. The highest altitude at which I have seen it in the moun-
tains is 5000 feet, and at that height but rarely.

Columbigallina passerina pallescens (Baird). Mexican Ground Dove.

A rare migrant. I secured a male bird on May 8, 1903, the only one
I have seen in the mountains. They breed along the San Pedro River,
and though by no means common, a pair or two can usually be found in
any suitable locality, showing a marked preference for the cultivated
fields and damp pastures.

Cathartes aura (Linnaeus). Turkey Vulture.

Fairly common through the summer months. Mr. F. C. Willard
secured a set of eggs in Ramsey Canyon, but they don't seem to breed

6 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

in the mountains in any numbers. I think that I have seen more in
August than at any other time, but they are never very abundant unless
there is some carrion around on which they have been feeding.

Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus). Marsh Hawk.

Quite common in the early spring on the grass covered plains below
the mountains, occasionally venturing up into the foot hills. None were
seen later than April i.

Accipiter velox rufilatus Ridgway. Western Sharp-shinned Hawk.

A fairly common migrant, and as I have seen one or two at various
times through the summer months T presume that a few remain to breed.
They range over all parts of the mountains, from the foothills to the
summit of the highest peaks.

Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte). Cooper Hawk.

Probably a resident, and fairly common though extremely wary ; for
continual warfare is waged between them and every poultry owner in
the mountains. There are one or two pair breeding in almost every
canyon, and as, when other game runs short, they make no scruples of
picking up a half grown chicken from under its owner's nose, it is only
by eternal vigilance that they are enabled to continue their career. I
think that this is the only species of hawk occurring in the mountains
that makes any depradations whatever upon the chicken yard.

Accipiter atricapillus (Wilson). American Goshawk.

On two occasions in April, 1903, I saw what I took to be a Goshawk
circling overhead at the top of the mountains. I have also seen in the
possession of one of the inhabitants of the mountains, a pair of wings
undoubtedly belonging to an individual of this species, which he had
shot.

Buteo borealis calurus (Cassin). Western Red-tailed Hawk.

Though not at all abundant a few pair breed in the higher parts of
the mountains, and the same birds can be seen day after day in about the
same locality. In 1902 a pair raised a brood near the head of the Miller
Canyon, and through the month of August I frequently saw the young
birds in the same locality. They were very tame and unsuspicious, and
on several occasions one lit on a tree under which I was resting, evi-
dently out of sheer curiosity.

Buteo abbreviatus Cabanis. Zone-tailed Hawk.

Not at all common. A pair were seen throughout the spring and
summer of 1902, but I doubt very much if they bred, as the two were
continually seen together up to September, when I left. A single bird
was several times seen in the same canyon during the spring of 1903,
'and I have seen possibly half a dozen more in different parts of the
mountains.

Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte. Swainson Hawk.

A very abundant summer resident on the plains between the Hua-
chucas and the San Pedro River. Occasionally a bird ventures up into
the canyons, but I have never found any breeding in the mountains
proper. In the washes, half a mile or so below the mouths of the
canyons, where the trees begin to thin out and the country to become
more open, they nest commonly in the walnuts, sycamores and mes-
quites, the nests being seldom over thirty feet from the ground and

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 7

usually much below that. The Swainson Hawks arrive early in April,
the first observed in 1903 being on April 3, and they soon become quite
abundant. They are very uniform in coloration, being practically all in
the light phase of plumage. The only exceptions to this that I have seen,
at least of breeding birds, were a female from which I secured a set of
eggs on June 4, 1902, which had a great deal of dark chestnut markings
on the lower parts, abdomen and thighs: and a female from which I
secured a set, below' the Santa Rita Mountains, some forty miles north-
west of the Huachucas ; which last appeared to be nearly black, being
fully as dark as any Southern California szvainsoni that I have seen. On
September 5, 1902, while driving from the mountains to the train, enor-
mous flocks of Swainson Hawks were seen between Fort Huachuca and
the railroad, hundreds being in sight at once. Many were circling over-
head at an average height of about fifty yards, and as many more were
lit on the prairie on all sides, feeding on the grasshoppers, which abound
there. The grass was so high as to hide many of them, but in several
places along the road I counted a dozen or more in a space ten feet
square. The great majority of them were in the light phase of plumage,
but I saw two or three which appeared nearly black, and about every
possible phase of plumage between the two extremes. The flocks were
slowly moving in a southerly direction, and, as far as I could make out,
contained no species of hawk but szvainsoiii. Of the few specimens of
the Swainson Hawk which I prepared, the stomachs contained nothing
but grasshoppers, which are so extremely abundant on the grassy plains
of this region that I doubt if these hawks eat much of anything else
while staying here.

Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus). Golden Eagle.

Resident throughout the year but not in any great numbers. Along
the divide of the mountains, where they undoubtedly breed, a pair or two
can be seen at almost any time, and occasionally a bird is seen on the
plains below, hunting jack-rabbits or prairie dogs. During August, 1902,
I several times saw what appeared to be young of the year.

Falco mexicanus Schlegel. Prairie Falcon.

In my experience the Prairie Falcon is of quite rare occurrence in
this region. Mr. O. W. Howard secured a set of eggs of this species in '
the Huachuca Mountains (see Condor Vol. IV, 1902, page 57) and prob-
ably a few other pairs breed in scattered localities throughout the range,
but taking it altogether, I doubt if I have seen over half a dozen of the
birds. On April 6, 1902, Mr. Howard and I watched a pair flying about
a rocky clifif in Ramsey Canyon. They were apparently in search of a
nesting site for they flew into quite a number of caves and crevices in
the rock, screaming shrilly the while, but on a later visit to the place we
failed to find them.

Falco pergrinus anatum (P)Onaparte). Duck Hawk.

A rare migrant. On April 20, 1902, a fine old female was secured
at the base of the mountains, the onlv one T have seen in this localitv ;
though several others were observed at various times along the San
Pedro River, where the migrating water fowl probable aflford a more
congenial field of operations. The one secured had been preying on the
Mourning Doves which abounded in the vicinity at the time.

Falco columbarius Linneaus. Pigeon Hawk.

Of very rare occurrence. A single bird which oassed over me on
February 23, 1903, is the only one I have ever seen in the Huachucas.

8" PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

Falco fusco-coerulescens Yieillot. Aplomado Falcon.

In Bendire's "Life Histories" there appears a detailed account of
the nesting of this species on the plains below Fort Huachuca. Although
evidently of quite common occurrence in this region at the time the data
for the article mentioned was gathered, in 1887, since then they seem
to have left the country altogether. Time and again I have driven over
these plains M^ithout ever seeing a single bird which I could ascribe to
this species, nor do I know of any being seen or taken in this region with-
in the last few years. What could have caused them to shift their loca-
tion so absolutely it is hard to surmise.

Falco sparverius phaloena (Lesson). Desert Sparrow Hawk.

During the migrations the Sparrow Hawks are most abundant on
the plains, where the swarms of grasshoppers afford them an abundance
of food. They breed in the oak regions of the foothills, and also in the
pines on the summit, but in the canyons they are seldom seen ; seeming
to prefer the more open prairies and the uninterrupted view from the
mountain tops, to the narrower, more restricted canyons. With a mild
winter I suppose they might remain the year through, but in 1903 the
weather was cold and there was lots of snow on the ground ; and I saw
no Sparrow Hawks until the middle of March. From this time until the
middle of April they were very abundant, by which time the migrating
birds had passed on. In 1902 the southerly movement was begun about
the first of August, when the young birds began to make their appear-
ance in large numbers. From this time until I left, September 5, they
were exceedingly abundant everywhere on the plains and foothills.

Syrnium occidentale Xantus. Spotted Owl.

The Spotted Owl is resident in the Huachucas, above 6500 feet,
particularly favoring the extensive, dark thickets of quaking asp found
in the higher parts of the mountains, but occurring also in suitable local-
ities along the canyons, usually not far from water. There are probably
at least a pair or two in every canyon, and their varied and uncanny
hooting is often heard in the most unexpected of places, occasionally in
broad daylight.

Megascops asio cineraceus Ridgway. Mexican Screech Owl.

The common Screech Owl of this region. Probably resident, for I
have heard them hooting in February, they are most abundant in the
oak region of the lower parts of the mountains ; and I do not recall ever
seeing one above 6500 feet, though they may occur at a higher elevation.
Compared with specimens of cineraceus taken at Tucson, the Huachuca
Mountains birds are appreciably darker, both above and beneath ; the
ground color being dark slaty gray, quite different from the pale ashy
of the bird of the lowlands.

Megascops trichopsis (Wagler). Spotted Screech Owl.

Though it is hard to estimate the relative abundance of secretive,
nocturnal birds like the Screech Owl, this species does not appear to be
nearly as common in the Huachucas as cineraceus is, and from my ex-
perience it would seem to be of quite rare occurrence. I have seen just
two specimens taken in the Huachucas ; one a male, taken by W. B.
Judson, May 28, 1896, at about 6000 feet, altitude; and the second, also
a male, taken by H. Kimball, September 29, 1895, and now in my
collection.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 9

Megascops flammeolus (Kaup). Flammulated Screech Owl.

Althoug-h the Flammulated Screech Owl is quite a common migrant
in the Huachucas some years. I believe that but very few remain to
breed, the bulk of them going- farther north. In 1896 eight, and in 1902
seven, specimens were secured : and of these. I believe all but one were
migrating birds. The exception was a female, taken, with a set of two
badly incubated eggs, by H. G. Rising on June 7. 1896. Of the others the
earliest secured was on April 22, 1902, and the latest on May 12 of the
same year. All were shot where they were sitting in the trees, usually
in dense thickets almost impossible to penetrate; and this fact may
perhaps account for so few specimens of this bird being taken, as quite
half of those secured were found while searching for the nest of such
bfirds as bred in the thick brush. On May 5, 1902, O. W. Howard
secured two females in some willows on the San Pedro River, fifteen
miles from the mountains and an exceptionally low altitude for this
species, about 3000 feet. The breeding bird mentioned was taken at
about 8000 feet elevation ; and all the others, from the base of the moun-
tain (about 4500 feet) up to 6000 feet. In 1903 I did not see a singl!e
Flammulated Screech Owl. and it is noteworthy that cineraccns was also
much more scarce than it had been during the previous year. The
stomachs of such as I examined contained nothing but beetles and other
insects, indicating an entirely insectivorus diet on the part of this species.

Bubo virginianus pallescens Stone. Western Horned Owl.

I have seen but very few Horned Owls in the Huachucas. although
along the San Pedro River it appears to be of fairly common occurrence.
In 1896 one made his home in a cavity in the face of a high precipice
overlooking our camp, and hardly a night passed that we did not see
him appear about dusk, and after a few preliminary hoots, start out in
search of provender. A male I secured on May 6. 1903. at the mouth of
Miller Canyon, was evidently not breeding. I have heard one or two
others hooting at various times, but these two are all that T have se^n
and I believe that they are anything but common in the mountains. The
male bird mentioned above is exceedingly pale in coloration, more
so than any other Southern Arizona specimen I have seen, though the
plumage is fresh and unworn and does not appear to be faded by the
action of the sun. The general appearance of the upper parts is dark
gray, with the head and ear tufts rather darker, but with very little of
brownish or rusty markings anywhere. The throat, median line of
breast, abdomen, tibiae and feet are pure white, while the sides of the
body are white, finely marked with narrow, dark vermiculations.

Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea (P)Onapartc). Burrowing Owl.

Burrowing Owls are to be seen in considerable numbers in the vari-
ous prairie dog "towns" between the Huachucas and the San Pedro
River, and a few are scattered elsewhere over the prairies, some coming
quite to the base of the mountains.

Glaucidium gnoma Wagler. Pygmy Owl.

I have seen but very few Pygmy Owls in the mountains, and though
very possibly resident there, I doubt if they are very abundant. On
August 3, 1902, I saw a pair of very ragged birds but was unable to
secure either of them.

lO PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

Crotophaga sulcirostris Swainson. Groove-billed Ani.

The capture of a single specimen of this bird near the Huachuca
Mountains has been recorded by O. C. Poling. (See Auk Vol. VIII, '
1891, page 313.)

Geococcyx calif ornianus (Lesson). Road-runner.

Road-runners are fairly abundant all through the foothill region,
and I occasionally saw them far up the canyons ; at least once at an
altitude of about 6500 feet.

Coccyzus americanus occidentalis Ridgway. California Cuckoo.

A rare migrant, but of fairly regular occurrence both in spring and
fall. Along the San Pedro River it is a fairly common summer resident,
breeding in all suitable localities ; but in the mountains it is only a stray
pair or two that remains to breed. O. W. Howard found a nest con-
taining two badly incubated eggs, on June 28, 1896, in Ramsey Canyon
at an altitude of about 6000 feet. The eggs were beyond saving and
were left, and a day or two later young birds were seen in the nest. An
adult male was secured on August 21, 1902.

Trogon ambiguus Gould. Coppery-tailed Trogon.

Probably of fairly regular occurrence in the mountains during the
summer months. I have never been fortunate enough to run across any
myself, but O. W. Howard informs me that he has seen them on several
occasions, and specimens have been taken by G. F. Breninger, R. D.
Lusk, and others. A hunter on the west side of the mountains told me
that he had killed one in the summer of 1902, and that he knew of another
that was killed close by at about the same time.

Ceryle alcyon (Linnaeus). Belted Kingfisher.

On /\pril 15, 1903, a Belted Kingfisher lit on a tree overhanging the
tent I was occupying, and gave utterance to his loud rattling call to
announce his arrival. This is the only occasion on which I have seen
this species in the mountains : none of the streams are large enough to
support any fish, and an occasional stray bird which drops in to rest
during the migration, is probably all that visits the range.

Dryobates villosus hyloscopus (Cabanis). Cabanis Woodpecker.

Fairly abundant in the higher parts of the mountains, from 7000 feet
upward. They may be seen almost anywhere in that region, but for
breeding purposes, seem to particularly favor the dense thickets of
quaking asp. They do not seem to remain through the. winter months ;
at any rate I saw none during February, 1903, nor did any appear until
March 17, when I secured two and saw one other. Ten days later they
were quite abundant. The winter of 1902-1903 was quite cold, with a
great deal of snow on the ground, and it is possible that with a milder
winter they might remain the year through. There does not seem to be
any vertical migration on the part of this woodpecker, for I saw none
below 7000 feet, and but very few as low as that. Specimens from the
Huachucas compared with Southern California examples of Iiyloscof^us
average rather smaller, with decidedly smaller and weaker bills.

Dryobates scalaris bairdi (Malherbe). Texan Woodpecker.

On the dry and comparatively barren foothills the Texan Wood-
pecker is a fairly abundant resident, breeding usually in the dead stalks
of the mescal plant, which grows in abundance throughout the moun-
tains. This woodpecker is seldom seen above 5500 feet, and rarely ven-

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. II

tures into the canyons. On the plains below, wherever there is brush or
trees, and all along the San Pedro River it is very common, as in fact, I
have found it in all similar places I have visited in Southern Arizona. I
have frequently observed the bird feeding in small bushes close to the
ground, and often at work on the leaves of a cactus, seeming to be gen-
erally less dependant on the presence of large timber than any of the
other woodpeckers.

Dryobates arizonae (Hargitt). Arizona Woodpecker.

Although the Arizona Woodpecker is resident the year through in
the Huachucas, it is singular how the birds seem to disappear in the
breeding season, that is from the middle of April to the middle of June,
when the young birds begins to leave the nest. During this time their
loud shrill call may be occasionally heard from some wooded hillside,
but the birds themselves are seldom seen. I have taken specimens from
the base of the mountains, about 4500 feet altitude, up to 8000 feet, but
they are not often seen above 7000 feet. In the winter they seem to more
particularly favor the large groves of live-oaks along the foot-hills and
at the mouths of the canyons ; scattering over the mountains and as-
cending to rather a higher elevation upon the advent of the breeding
season. They breed indiscriminately in the large trees along the canyon
streams, in the oaks on the hillsides, and occasionally in a dead mescal
stalk in the same locality as the Texan Woodpecker. Although a fairly
common bird in the region they frequent, I have never found them at all
gregarious ; except in the svmimer when a pair of old birds with three
or four young may frequently be seen ; never more than a single brood
however and these small gatherings break up before the young acquire
the adult plumage. What I have frequently seen though, occasionally
even in the breeding season, is two old males bearing each other com-
pany, and usually sticking pretty close together.

About the third week in April they commence laying their eggs, and
after the middle of June the young birds begin to leave the nest, and
soon become quite abundant. I have never had any difficulty in ap-
proaching these birds as they are usually quite tame and unsuspicious;
far more so than the generality of woodpeckers, and the young birds are
noticeably so. I have several times stood within ten feet of a young
bird, easily distinguishable by his red cap, as he was industriously
pounding on a limb without seeming in the least disturbed by my pres-
ence, or showing any inclination to leave. On one occasion the con-
fiding, and in this case inquiring nature of the bird occasioned rather a
laughable scene. An acquaintance in the mountains, passing the camp
one day stopped to lead his horse down to the well which supplied us
with water. A young Arizona Woodpecker was sitting in an oak tree
close by, and soon after the horse began drinking he flew down, and
lighting on the animal's hind leg as on the side of a tree, hit it a vigorous
rap or two. The horse and its owner appeared equally surprised, and
both moving a little the bird retreated to his tree. It wasn't a minute be-
fore he was back again, this time on a front leg, where he went to work
with such energy as to start the horse plunging and kicking in an efifort
to get rid of its curious assailant. The woodpecker left but did not seem
to be particularly frightened, as he sat on the wooden curb of the well
until he was left alone again.

The Arizona Woodoecker commences to moult about the middle of
July, and by the first weeK in September the new plumage is almost com-
pletely acquired. The plumage of the breast, abdomen, and lower parts

12 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

generally, seems to be the first to be renewed, while the remiges, rec-
trices and feathers of the interscapular region are the last to get their
growth. An old female shot on September 3 had practically completed
its moult, with the exception of the tail feathers, none of which were
over half an inch long ; while several specimens of both sexes, taken
during the last two weeks in August, are in nearly perfect autumnal
plumage, except for some small patches of old feathers in the inter-
scapular region. Fall specimens are considerably darker on the back
than birds taken during the spring and summer, but the change is un-
doubtedly due to fading of the plumage, as birds taken in the late winter
and early spring, show not the slightest traces of moult, and a series of
birds taken from February to July, show plainly the gradual change of
coloration. Singularly enough the pileum and back of the neck does not
seem to fade as the dorsum does, and consequently, while birds in fresh
fall plumage are of practically uniform coloration on the upper parts,
specimens taken in the late spring and summer have the head and neck
abruptly darker than the back and exposed portion of the wings. Young
birds of both sexes have the pileum' red, and although it is not always
safe to lay down rules concerning young birds, the sexes not always
being easy to ascertain with certainty, there seems to be some difference
in the marking of the juvenile male and female. In no case does the red
cap extend over the entire pileum ; the anterior portion is always brown
like the back, and in some young females half the surface is without any
red. In the young female, besides occupying a less extensive surface,
the red is less intense than in the male, and not as solid, that is there is
always more or less brown showing through. The red cap of the juvenile
bird seems to be worn but a short time, as a young female taken Septem-
ber 4 has hardly a trace of it remaining. Young birds are lighter un-
derneath than the adult, with the markings of the under parts less
plainly defined, but there is a difference in this respect between autum-
nal and spring adults also ; and in each instance it is caused by the dark
markings being obscured by light colored edges to the feathers, which
disappear by abrasion later on. Of twenty-four specimens from this
region four show more or less traces of white bars across the rump ; one
of these is a male in nuptial plumage, one a male in freshly acquired
autumnal plumage, one a female in nuptial plumage (this specimen his
some faint indications of white bars on some of the scapulars as well),
and one is a young male. Another spring female has some white bars
on the scapulars but none on the rump. Presumably this is a tendency
toward the Mexican species Dryobafcs stricklandi.

Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis Raird. Red-naped Sapsucker.

In February, 1903, I found this species fairly abundant in the Hua-
chucas, and pretty equally distributed over all parts of the mountains ;
though possibly more abundant in the pine forests of the higher p-^rts
of the range than elsewhere. They remained in diminishing numbers
up to March 26, on which date I secured the last one I saw. I was rather
surprised at their leaving so early, the more so that during the previous
yc^i thvi only one I saw for the season was a male which I secured on
April 25. Nearly all the specimens secured showed more or less s'gns
of moult on the throat and breast, though not elsewhere. One young
male, shot February 21, had but a few scattered red feathers on the
crown, and one or two black ones on the breast ; the red throat patch
being nearly perfect. In the specimens secured the color of the lower
parts varies from almost pure white to rather bright sulphur yellow.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 1 3

Sphyrapicus thyroideus (Cassin). Williamson Sapsucker.

On April 6, 1902, I saw about a dozen Williamson Sapsuckers near
the summit of the mountains at an altitude of about 9000 feet. Though
not at all in a compact flock they seemed to keep rather close together,
and when one flew any distance away, the others soon followed. The
bulk of them were females, and but one or two males were seen, one of
which was, with great difficulty secured, for they were very wild. On
April 9 several more were seen and a female secured at this same place ;
and a male was taken a mile or two from this place, at an altitude of
nearly 10,000 feet. These were the last I saw in the spring, though they
do occur later as I have a female that was taken in the Huachucas by H.
Kimball on April 20, 1895. On August 30, 1902, I secured a female in
Tanner Canyon at an altitude not over 7000 feet, the lowest point at
which I have seen this species in the mountains. I think that this bird
was a migrant returning south early, as I doubt very much if they breed
anywhere in the Huachucas. On February 21, 1903, I shot a female at
the same place where I had seen so many the previous year ; it was a
favorite locality for >uicholis and I took several of that species there, but
saw no more of thyroideus, nor were any more seen for the remainder
of the time I was in the mountains.

Melanerpes formicivorus aculeatus Mearns. Ant-eating Woodpecker.

A most abundant summer resident in the lower parts of the moun-
tains ; a few winter here but they are scarce during the cold weather. I
saw but two or three during February and the early part of March, about
the middle of March they began to arrive in numbers, and by April i
were most abundant. Primarily a bird of the oak woods they seldom
venture into the higher parts of the mountains, breeding almost entirely
below 6000 feet. About July i the young birds begin to make their ap-
pearance so like the adults" in general appearance that it is difficult to
distinguish between them. The young of both sexes usually have the
entire crown red, as in the adult male, but of a duller color, more of a
brick red; but one young female secured has the red area very limited
and coming to a point behind, so as to form a small, triangular shaped
patch on the crown. Of seventeen specimens collected in the Huachucas,
three show, more or less distinctly, white markings on the outer tail
feathers. In one of these, an adult female, the marks consist of indistinct
white spots, mostly on the inner web. The other two, juvenile females,
have the outer feathers distinctly, though irregularly, barred with white
for about half their length.

Aculeatus seems to me to be a perfectly good subspecies, inter-
mediate in characteristics and habitat between true formich'orns and
bairdi, as claimed for it by its describer. (See Auk Vol. VH, 1900, 249).
My Huachuca Mountain birds have the "solid" black breast of bairdi,
and in the coloration and markings of the lower parts generally, are abso-
lutely indistinguishable from that race ; but they are smaller, with
smaller and weaker bills, and possess one important characteristic over-
looked bv Dr. Mearns in his description of aculeatus, which serves to
distinguish them from either foriniciz'orus or bairdi. This is the pattern
of coloration of the crown in the females, in which respect the Arizona
birds apparently approach the Lower California form angnstifrons. In
most cases the width of the white or yellow frontal band and the black
crown band is about equal to the width (longitudinally) of the red occi-
pital patch. Occasionally it is a trifle greater, but invariably the black

r4 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

crown patch is much more narrow than in bairdi. The red occipital
patch in the female is usually almost square in shape.

Following is a table of measurements of ten specimens of Melauerpcs
foriiiick'orus aciilcafiis from Southern Arizona:

Number

Sex

Date

Locality

Length

Alar

Wing

Culmen-

('oil. H. S.

S.

expanse

3414

Male

Feb. 25,

1903

Huachuca Mts.

9 56

17 50

5-31

I 06

3544

* *

Mar 19,

' '

" ' '

9.18

17 37

5 44

I. 12

3 12 I

' *■

Au.^. 21,

1902

" ' '

9 18

17.69

5-75

2906

^1

July 4,

' '

' ' ' '

8 50

16.37

5 31

■94

6292*

' '

June 20.

1903

Sta. Rita

10.

17-31

556

3490

Female

Mar 10,

"

Huachuca "

9 06

17-25

5-50

3044

'•

Auo^. 12,

1902

" "

8.87

17-50

556

31 11

' '

Aug 20,

"

• t 1 1

9.06

17.44

562

•94

2904

"

Julv 3,

t(

" "

8.62

17 44

5-44

■94

6-291*

1 <

July 20,

1903

Sta Rita

9-

17.12

5 37

I.

* Collection of F. Stephens.

Asyndesmus torquatus (Wilson). Lewis Woodpecker.

Of irregular occurrence in this. region, in 1902 I found them fairly
common when I arrived in the mountains at the end of March, and they
remained so until about the first of May. They did not venture into the
canyons at any time, but remained in the groves of live oaks extending
along the base of the mountains. The following year they did not put
in an appearance at all, in fact this is the only year that I have seen them
in the Huachucas.

Centurus uropygialis Baird. Gila Woodpecker.

Although the Gila Woodpecker is a common resident all along the
valley of the San Pedro River, in the Huachuca Mountains it is of rare
and very irregular occurrence. This woodpecker does not seem to mi-
grate south from this region to any extent, but after the breeding season
it spreads out over a greater area, and wanders to places it does not
frequent during the summer. A such times it occasionally strays up inta
the Huachucas, but I doubt very much if any breed in the range. I saw
one an August 30, 1902, and secured a female on March 9, 1903. One or
tw^o others were seen about the latter date but none later than March 15 :
all were right at the base of the mountains at an altitude of about 4500.

Colaptes cafer collaris (Vigors). Red-shafted Flicker.

A common resident throughout the mountains, but during the
breeding season restricted to rather a higher altitude than at other times.
They seldom breed below 5500 feet and from there on up become more
and more abundant as the summit is approached. They begin to lay the
first week in May and the full grown juveniles are tolerable abundant
by the third week in July.

Antrostomus vociferus macromystax (\\'agler). Stephens Whip-poor-
w^ill.
A fairly abundant summer resident, occurring principally between
5000 and 8000 feet ; they may occasionally occur at a little higher eleva-
tion, but T have never seen any below the lowest altitude given. In 190.'^
the first I saw was on April 28, and soon after their notes could be heard
every evening, usually from some thickly wooded hillside, near the bot-
tom of the canyon. The birds themselves were but seldom seen and I
never observed any alight on a road or trail, as their near relative the

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. T5

Poor-will does so habitually of an evening-. They seem to remain rather
late in the fall, as at the end of August their notes were heard as fre-
quently as ever, and I have a female taken by H. Kimball on September
29, 1895. An adult male secured on August 29, 1902, had not yet quite
completed its moult.

Phalaenoptilus nuttalli (Audubon). Poor-will.

I found the Poor-will quite abundant during the summer months in
the foothill region and in the lower parts of the canyons ; but though
most numerous below 5000 feet they were by no means restricted to these
parts, for I saw or heard some in all parts of the mountains occasionally
up to an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet. They began to arrive early in
April and could soon be heard calling on all sides of an evening. Al-
though usually silent during the night, I have frequently noticed that
in the morning they begin again, and for half an hour or so before day-
light, call nearly as much as they do in the evening. They show great
fondness for any open piece of ground, and about dusk can usually be
found along any road or trail, sitting on the ground and occasionally
flying up after some passing insect. I cannot recall ever having seen a
Poor-will alight on the limb of a tree, but on one occasion I saw one
alight on a guy rope of a tent, where he remained for half a minute or so.

I have taken several specimens of the so-called Frosted Poor-will
(P. n. nitidus) but have not much faith in the validity of this race, be-
lieving it to be merely a color phase of inittaili. My series of Poor-wills
from Arizona contains some very pale colored birds which could easily
enough be distinguished from true nuttalli as far as color is concerned,
but it seems strange to find two closely related sub-species like these
occupying the same region and breeding side by side, as it were. I have
taken both the pale and the dark colored birds in the foothills of the
Huachucas, and at the summit of the highest peaks, both being more
numerous during the migrations than at other times. If several pairs of
birds could be obtained and shown to be of the same style of coloration,
it might go to prove the validity of the race ; but it is not easy to obtain
both birds of a pair of a nocturnal species like the one under considera-
tion, and though I secured both sexes, they were all single birds, mostly
migrants. I have recently secured two exceedingly pale colored Poor-
wills near San Fernando, Los Angeles County, California, demonstrating
the presence of this light phase in P. 11. calif ornicus as well as in nuttalli.
One of these is quite as pale as any specimen of "nitidus" tliat I secured
in Arizona.

I have talked on this subject with Mr. G. F. Breninger, who has
done a great deal of field work in Arizona, and believe that he holds the
same view of it as I do.

Chordeiles virginianus henryi (Cassin). Western Nighthawk.

Quite a common summer resident, though as yet I believe that there
is no positive evidence of its breeding in the Huachucas. The earliest
date at which I have seen any is April 23, 1903, when a male bird was
flushed from an oak tree near the mouth of one of the canyons. At times
in the summer I have found them quite abundant in the oaks along the
base of the hills (about 4500 feet altitude). They were invariably in the
trees, sitting lengthwise of the limbs ; and were very shy and hard to
approach, at times flying to a considerable distance before alighting
again. I never flushed one from the ground. Through the months of
June and July, 1902, I found them very abundant on the divide at the

l6 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

head of Miller Canyon, about 9000 feet altitude. They made their ap-
pearance soon after sunset and remained for an hour or so, hawking back
and forth, usually within a few feet of the i2:round, sometimes thirty of
forty being in sight at once ; but they were difficult to ^hoot, as the light
was poor and they seldom rose so as to be seen against the sky. A num-
ber a male birds were taken, but of females I secured but a single speci-
men. This was taken on June 23, 1902, and most vmdoubtedly was not
a breeding bird. In the daytime, while shooting warblers and other
small birds in the pines, several night hawks were flushed from limbs
high up in the trees. I presume that in all probability they breed in the
Huachucas, but I know of no one who has found any eggs in this re-
gion. The Texan Nighthawk I have never seen in the Huachuca Moun-
tains, though along the San Pedro River it is a most abundant summer
resident.

Chaetura vauxi (Townsend). Vaux Swift.

From the tenth to the fifteenth of May (1902) I several times saw
a few Vaux Swifts flying about, usually late in the afternoon. They
seem to be of rare occurrence in this region, as this is the only occasion
on which I have seen any.

Aercnautes melanoleucus (Baird). White-throated Swift.

The numerous high rocky cliffs found throughout the mountains
afford an abundance of nesting sites for these swifts ; so that, as a rule,
they are exceedingly abundant during the summer months, their shrill
twittering notes being heard on all sides ; and I believe that a few stay
through the winter as well, as on February 26, 1903, I saw a small flock
flying about during a snow storm. Altitude seems to cut but little figure
with them, as I have seen them entering crevices in the rocks in all parts
of the mountains, and they probably breed wherever the nature of the
ground suits them. In feeding, however, they seem to congregate, in a
measure, over the highest parts of the mountains, where I have seen
them in greater numbers than in any other one place ; passing from one
side of the mountains to the other, and occasionally skimming over the
ridge but a few feet from the ground, screaming and twittering almost
continuously. Occasionally during July and August, the rainy season, I
have been on the divide when black threatening thunder clouds were
passing low over the mountains, and the flocks of swifts, flying beneath
these heavy clouds produced by their wings a most peculiar sound; a
continuous murmur, now loud and now low, utterly indiscribable, but
much like a crowd of people shouting in the distance. I heard the noise
for half an hour or more one day before I was able to place it, for the
birds were flying high, and were utterly silent as far as their vocal organs
were concerned; being probably too busy feeding to indulge in their
usual fights and squabbles, which are always accompanied by consider-
able noise. A nest of this species was, with the greatest difficulty,
reached and examined by O. W. Howard and W. B. Judson. on June 9,
1896. The nest was in a crevice in a high over-hanging cliff, and at this
date a single egg was found lying on the rock outside the nest. On June
18 three eggs were taken from this nest. Aside from the difficulty nid
great danger usually attendant on approaching the nests of these birds,
it is generally labor thrown away, as the crevices in which they breed
often run far back in the rock, and the eggs are as much out of reach
when the opening is reached as before.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA I7

Eugenes fulgens (Swainson). Rivoli Hummingbird.

On the first day I spent in the Huachucas, April 26, 1896, almost
the first bird I saw on leaving camp in the morning, was a male Rivoli
Humming bird, two of them in fact; and the size and beauty of the bird
made an impression on me at the time that even considerable familiarity
with the species has not effaced ; as it is without question, the hand-
somest of the North American Hummingbirds. The date given above
is the earliest at which I have seen it in the mountains, and the birds
become more and more abundant as the summer advances. As is the
case with the rest of the hummingbirds the male fuIgcns is never seen
near the nest, but remains almost entirely in the higher pine forests, and
in my experience, only a stray bird is occasionally seen in the lower
canyons. The breeding females are found principally along the water
courses between 5500 feet and 7500 feet ; the nest being frequently built
in the maples along the streams, sometimes at a considerable height,
forty or fifty feet above ground. On May 18, 1896, an unfinished nest
was found, while on May 26, of the same year, two sets of eggs were
taken ; Mr. Howard has recorded the taking of a set as late as July 25,
T899, (Condor Vol. H, 1900, page loi) ; and on August 3, 1902, I saw a
female on a nest, but did not disturb her as it was in rather too inac-
cessible a position. Toward the end of summer I have occasionally
seen females down quite to the base of the mountains, but not often.
A favorite resort of the Rivolis, in fact of most of the hummingbirds in
this region, are the flowering stalks of the mescal plant, which grows
in profusion all over the mountains; in 1902, I saw but one or two male
fulgens before the mescals were in bloom, which was quite late, nearly
the end of July, that year. In the spring of 1903 hummingbirds of all
species were scarce in the mountains, though there was an abundance of
wild flowers, more so than usual ; I saw a few female fill gens along the
canyon streams, but up to the time I left, the end of May, I had not seen
a single male.

Coeligena clemenciae Lesson. Blue throated Hummingbird.

A summer resident in the mountains, but in my experience not
nearly as common as the Rivoli. The two species are sufficiently alike
to be confused while flying about, but I have seen but two or three that
I could be positive belonged to this species, and succeeded in obtaining
bu.t a single bird. This one, a male, was taken on May 27, 1903, while
feeding on a honeysuckle in a garden ; and was extremely shy, darting
off the moment it caught sight of me, and staying away for a consider-
able length of time.

Trochilus alexandri Bourcier & Mulsant. Black-chinned Hummmgbird.
A very abundant summer resident, probably the most common
hummingbird of this region. I have occasionally seen the male bird up
to an altitude of 7000 feet, but they are most abundant below 6000 feet,
and breed from that altitude down to the base of the mountains and as
far down the washes as there is any vegetation. The earliest date on
which I have seen this species was April 26, 1902, and on September 5,
when I left the mountains, they were still abundant.

Calypte costae (Bourcier). Costa Hummingbird.

Costa Hummingbird begins to appear in the mountains about the
first of July, and some years becomes exceedingly abundant. In 1896
they were particularly numerous, but nearly all immature males show-

l8 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

ing just a trace of the violet coloration on the throat. Some adult males
also were taken, but hardly any females ; these were probably still attend-
ing to their family duties, as I have seen nests with eggs along the San'
Pedro River in July. They breed quite commonly all along this valley,
and possibly a few breed in the mountains, but I do not know of any
nests being found there. They do not ascend to any great height in the
Huachucas and I have never taken one above 5500 feet.

Selasphorus platycercus (Swainson). Broad-tailed Hummingbird.

Although generally distributed over the mountains, and at times
quite common, this hummingbird is still far more often heard than seen.
The shrill buzz of its wings, that is of the male bird, is frequently heard ;
and time and again as the sound approached, passed, and died away in
the distance, I watched, but in vain, to catch sight of the author of it.
Several times I have seen one leave his perch on a twig and dart ofif in
pursuit of another of the same species, and even then was unable to fol-
low him with my eye ; and though presently the sound of wings an-
nounced his return, I was seldom able to see the bird before he dropped
onto his perch. It is possible that this species remains in the Huachucas
through the winter as I saw a male bird near the base of the mountains
on February 28, 1903; and though not at all common, I saw and heard
them a number of times through the month of March. It was the middle
of April before they began to appear in any numbers, and from then on
they became more and more abundant. At this time they were seen at
a low altitude and along the canyons ; but after the summer rains began
and the grass and flowers sprung up, I found them mostly in the highest
parts of the range. At this time they were not nearly as restless and
pugnacious as in the spring and were more easily approached. I have
occasionally shot them on mescal plants, but they do not seem to feed
on them nearly as much as some of the other hummingbirds do. The
flight of the female is not accompanied by the buzzing noise made by the
male bird, and from their habits they are more inconspicuous and less
frequently seen than their mates. They breed in the highest parts of
the mountains, often in the pines and at a considerable distance from the
ground.
Selasphorus rufus (Gmelin). Rufous Hummingbird.

I have not seen this species at any time in the spring, but about the
middle of July they begin to make their appearance; and throughout
the month of August I found them very abundant, but frequenting the
highest parts of the mountains, principally; more being seen between
8000 and 9000 feet than elsewhere. The flowering mescal stalks are a
great attraction to them, and they seem to frequent them in preference
to anything else. I have seen as many as twenty Rufous Hummingbirds
around a single stalk, mostly immature birds, but with a fair sprinkling
of adult males. No adult females were taken at any time. The old males
were, as usual, very pugnacious, and objected to any other hummingbird
feeding on the plant they were patronizing; but as they could only pur-
sue one at a time, and as the one pursued promptly returned as soon as
the chase ended, there was more or less confusion going on about these
plants all the time. Upon finding a mescal in full bloom I frequently
watched it for some time in the hope of securing some rarity, but in the
twittering, whirling mass of birds it was no easy matter to distinguish
the species. Occasionally a Rivoli would dart in, a giant among pygmies
and easily enough distinguished, but for the rest it was mostly guess
work.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. I9

Selasphorus alleni Hensbaw. Allen Hummingbird.

Among- a number of specirhens of Selasphorus rufiis from this re-
gion I have found four of allcui. These are an adult male and immature
male taken July 13, 1896; an immature male taken July 15, 1896, and an
adult male taken July 30, 1902. The last mentioned was taken from a
flock of riifits at an altitude of 9500 feet.

Stellula calliope Gould. Calliope Hummingbird.

After the summer rains the mountains present an exceedingly invit-
ing appearance, particularly so in the higher parts, along the ridges and
on various pine covered "flats." where, with the green grass, a multitude
of brilliantly colored wild flowers springs up, often waist high, and in
many places in solid banks of bright colors. In such places, in the late
summer of 1902, I found the Calliope Hummingbird quite abundant,
feeding close to the ground, and when alighting usually choosing a low
bush. I did not see any around the mescals, which at this time were
past their prime, and aside from a few Rivolis did not attract many
hummingbirds; nor did they seem very gregarious, a single bird, or at
most two or three, being all that were seen at a time. The first one was
shot August 14, and from then up to the time we left the mountains,
September 5, they remained abundant in certain localities ; none being
seen below 9000 feet.

Atthis morcomi Ridgway. Morcom Hummingbird.

Known only from two females shot by H. G. Rising, July 2, 1896.
These were taken in Ramsey Canyon, not together but not far distant
from one another; and at an altitude of about 7500 feet. I have looked
carefully for this species since then, but have seen nothing that I could
ascribe to it, though possibly when calliope was so abundant there might
have been some of uiorcoini with them- without my noticing them, for
the females, at least, of the two species are very much alike.

Basillina leucotis (Vieillot). White-eared Hummingbird.

In all prob^bilitv the White-eared Hummingbird is a regular sum-
mer visitant to the Huachucas, though in small numbers. A female was
taken by W. B. Judson on July 7, 1896; and in 1902, I secured a male on
June 21 at an altitude of 5500 feet, and another August 14, at 7000 feet.
On July 23 I saw still another at the same place where the last men-
tioned was secured. Mr. O. W. Howard tells me that he has seen them
several times in the years intervening between 1896 and 1902, and on
one occasion saw a female carrying building material. In 1903 I left the
mountains at an earlier date than I had seen the species in the region,
but a few weeks later, on June 24, I was in company with Mr. F. Steph-
ens when he secured a male in the Santa Rita Mountains, some forty
miles to the northwest of the Huachucas, at an altitude of 5500 feet.
T'his one is not an adult bird, but is in a stage corresponding to one
often met with in the male of Calypte costae, probably a bird of the pre-
vious year. In this bird (No. 6301 F. Stephens) the whole of the upper
parts are dull green, the feathers of the rump being narrowly margined
with brown. Forehead, dull brownish. Under parts (breast and abdo-
men) dull white spotted with green, as in the female. Throat, metallic
emerald-green with a few grayish feathers intermixed, and with but the
faintest trace, (one or two scattered feathers), of the beautiful sapphire-
blue chin of the adult male. The white stripe on the side of the head
is about the same, both in color and extent, and the auriculars are not
even as dark, as in the female. The lateral rectrices (as is the case in the

20 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

opposite sex) are broadly tipped with white. Bill, black ; base of mandi-
ble flesh color. In the adult male the base of the bill is compressed,
similarly though not to such an extent as in I ache latirostris, but in this
specimen it is quite as narrow as in the female. All the specimens se-
cured were feeding on a scarlet flower, somewhat similar to a honey-
suckle, but growing close to the ground.

lache latirostris (Swainson). Broad-billed Hummingbird.

An extremely rare bird in this region. A male was secured on July
21, 1902, and I have seen a female taken by R. D. Lusk, July 10, 1897.

Platypsaris albiventris (Lawrence). Xantus Becard.

The capture of a male bird of this species on June 20, 1888, has been
recorded by W. W. Price. (Auk Vol. V., 1888, page 425) Although
Mr. Price mentions hearing the notes of several besides the one secured,
and seemed to believe that the species would prove to be a regular sum-
mer visitant to the Huachuca ^Mountains, it has not since been met with
by any collector in this region, and is probably extremely rare and ir-
regular in it's occurrence over our borders.

Tyrannus verticalis Say. Arkansas Kingbird.

The Arkansas Kingbird is found most abundantly in the washes
leading from the various canyons ; and breeds in large numbers as far
down these washes as the trees extend. They occasionally venture up
into the mountains but not often ; and while breeding the nests stop so
abruptly at the mouths of the canyons that I am uncertain if it is on ac-
count of the altitude, or because they .prefer the open country below to
the more restricted canyons. They are late late in getting here in the
spring; considerably later than in Southern California, the earliest ar-
rival noted at the Huachucas being three weeks later than the time the
species reaches Los Angeles, which is considerably further north. In
1902 the first seen was on April 8, and it was a week later before they
were at all abundant. The following year the first seen was on April 14,
and the bulk of them were correspondingly later in making their appear-
ance. During the breeding season the large numbers of White-necked Ra-
vens and Swainson Hawks found in the vicinity afford the Kingbirds ex-
ceptional opportunities for exhibiting their peculiar talents, and during
the summer months these wretched birds' lives are made a burden to them
through the incessant persecution they receive. The hawks usually
leave as soon as possible on being attacked ; but the ravens, though
beating a hasty retreat often try to fight back, twisting from side to
side in vain endeavor to reach their diminutive assailant ; cawing a
vigorous protest, meanwhile, at being treated in such a disrespectful
fashion. On September 5, 1902, I saw a large number of Kingbirds,
both verticalis and vociferans, sitting along the fences in the valleys evi-
dently migrating: and apparently in the midst of their moult, as they
presented a very ragged appearance.

Tyrannus vociferans Swainson. Cassin Kingbird.

It is rather a singular fact that although this species winters
abundantly in Southern California, in this region it arrives in the spring
at the same time, and usually in company with rerficalis the enrli'st
being on April 8. In breeding it ascends to rather a higher altitude than
that species, the majority of the nests found being between 5000 and
6000 feet ; I have occasionally^ but not often seen the birds as high as
7500 feet, and I found one nest quite at the mouth of the canyon, 4500

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 21

feet ; but as a rule, the territories occupied by this species and vcrticalis
during the breeding season hardly overlap. All the nests of this species
I have seen in this region were built in sycamores, usually at a con-
siderable distance from the ground. In 1896 a set was secured on June
20, and another on June 26. They probably leave in the early fall, for
as I before remarked, I have seen both this species and vertical is evi-
dently migrating in the early part of September.

The Cassin Kingbirds do not seem to persecute the hawks and other
large birds to >such an extent as the Arkansas does, but they are far
more noisy ; and at times, particularly in the early morning, make a fear-
ful racket. Commencing shortly before daybreak, they keep up a con-
tinuous clamor, generally on the wooded hillsides, to such an extent that
it seems like an army of birds engaged. They do not seem to be quar-
reling or fighting at these times, for those I have seen merely sat,
screaming, on the top of some tall tree. This racket is kept up until
about sunrise, when it stops rather abruptly.

Myiodynastes luteiventris Sclater. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher.

This species, though a handsome, strikingly marked bird, and at
times an exceedingly noisy one, is yet so shy and retiring, that, far from
being conspicuous, a person unfamiliar with the habits of the species
might collect for weeks in a region in which it abounded and not know
that there were any around. Frequenting as they do, the tops of the
tallest trees ?ilong the canyons, which are thickly covered with foliage
at the time these birds arrive, a far brighter colored bird might easilv
escape observation ; and as their colors, though striking, blend exceed-
ingly well with the surrounding vegetation, they are by no means easy
to see ; the more so that they frequently sit perfectly motionless for a
considerable length of time. It has happened more than once, that,
hearing the familiar note in some tree too, I have watched, sometimes
for half an hour, endeavoring to see the bird ; scanning, as I supposed,
every twig on the tree, only to see it finally depart from some limb where
it had been sitting, if not in plain sight, at any rate but very imper-
fectly concealed. The call note is loud and shrill, and there are times
when they are quite noisy, particularly so when pairing off. At this
time three or more can occasionally be seen pursuing one another
through the tree tops and keeping up a continuous clamor. Occasionally
also, I have heard a single bird calling in the early morning, from some
tree top, as the Cassin Kingbirds do. Though noisy their vocabulary
is limited and I have never heard but the one shrill call from them, a
note hard to describe but very much in the style of the familiar two-
svllabled whistle of the VVesrern Fhcatcher { Empidoiia.v difficilis). Of
course the volume is infinitely ereater than with the little Empidonax.
but they resemble each other to this extent, that I have known a person
familiar with the Sulphur-bellied Flvcatcher to mistake a difficilis near
at hand for the larger flycatcher in the distance.

They are late in reaching their breeding grounds, about the latest
of all the birds of this region. M^v 19 being the earliest d^te at w^Mch
I have seen any. and about a week later nearer the usual time for the
first arrival. The nest is built in a natural cavity in a tree, invariably
in a sycamore as far as known ; and Mr. O. \V. Howard, who has taken
a good many sets of eggs, has demonstrated beyond question that the
same cavity is used year after year, but that the same pair of birds oc-
cupies it indefinitely is, I think, open to question. I have, as I before
remarked, seen two or more males contesting for a female, to the ac-

27 PACIFIC COAST AVrFAU-^-A. fNo 4

conipaniment of considerable clamor, and those I have seen first in the
Slimmer h^ve invariably been sinerle birds. Of course those I have seen
pairing might have been birds hatched the preceeding year, or old birds
whose mates had been killed ; and possibly when both of a pair survive
they repair to their old nest of the previous 3^ear. On July lo, 1902, in
company with Mr. O. W. Howard about half a dozen nests of this
species were examined. Although in each instance both birds were seen
about the cavit)^ and exhibited considerable excitement at the invasion
of their privacy, no eggs were found,. and onlv two of the nests showed
signs of having been recently constructed. From these two nests Mr.
Howard secured sets later, on July 21. On August 30, 1902, four
juveniles were secured, two hardly able to fly and two nearly full grown.
The latter, in markings and coloration, are practically indistinguishable
from adults. The concealed yellow crest of the old bird is lacking, the
feathers of the crown merely having their bases pale safifron, not sharply
defined and hardly apparent at a casual glance ; and in the very young
birds even this feature is almost entirely absent. Also, the dark medi-^n
stripe of the rectrices is more narrow than in the adult ; aside from this
the only point of dilTerence are the slightly darker, more brownisl-- -ap-
pearance of the upper parts : and the softer, more blended, appearance
of the plumage, as is usually the case in young birds.

This species does not occur in the higher parts of the range, nor is
it found in the foothills. Preeminently a bird of the heavily wooded
canyons, it is seen only along the streams : and all I have seen have been
between 5000 and 7500 feet, altitude. It is most abundant in Tanner
Canyon, a broad, well watered canyon with a far more gradual ascent
than any of the others. It is on this account, I think that this flycatcher
occurs in it so much more abundantly than elsewhere, for besides being
the longest canyon in the range, the head of it is at the lowest point
along the divide ; thus giving the greatest area at the altitude favored by
this species of any canyon in the mountains. This canyon seems to be
abundantlv suited to the needs of this flycatcher for almost its entire
length, and I have seen them very nearly to the head of it.

Myiarchus cinerascens (Lawrence). Ash-throated Flycatcher.

A common summer resident in the lower parts of the mountains,
breeding generally throughout the foothill region and along the canyons,
and down the washes nearly as far as the vegetation extends. It arrives
early in April ; in 1902 the first seen was on April 13, and the following
vear April 9; while on the latest date I have been in the mountains, Sep-
tember 5, it was still fairly abundant.

Myiarchus cinerascens nuttingi (Ridgway). Nutting Flycatcher.

Out of a considerable number of specimens of cinerascens from the
Huachucas. just two examples of nuttingi were found; so judging from
this it would seem to be of rare occurrence in this region. These two,
both females, were taken June 17, and July 13, 1896, and were evidently
breeding in the vicinity. They were both taken at rather a low altitude,
almost at the base of the mountains ; so very possibly, though rare in
the Huachucas, they occur more abundantly in the valleys below.

Myiarchus lawrencei olivascens Ridgway. Olivaceous Flycatcher.

Though during the summer months the Olivaceous Flycatcher is
found in considerable numbers through the lower parts of the moun-
tains: still from its retiring halaits, its mournful, long drawn, note is
heard far more often than the bird itself is seen. Seldom venturing into

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 23

open ground, it loves the dense, impenetrable scrub oak thickets of the
hillsides better than any other place, though also found along the can-
yon streams wherever the trees grow thick enough to prevent the sun
from penetrating. It seldom ascends the mountains to any great height,
7500 feet being about the upward limit of the species, and it is most
abundant below 6000 feet. They breed down quite to the mouths of the
canyons, and on one occasion during the migration I secured one in a
wash over a mile from the mountains. This, however, is quite except-
ional. These flycatchers begin to arrive early in April, the first noted
being on April 6, but it is a week or ten days later before they are at all
abundant. They seem to disappear during the breeding season, and
though really very abundant, their plaintive note, heard occasionally
from some dense thicket is almost the only evidence that the birds are
still around. Consequently not a great deal is known of their breeding
habits. All the nests I have seen, some six or eight, all told, were built
at a considerable distance from the ground, from twenty to fifty feet.
They seem to breed rather late, as Mr. Howard secured a set on June
17, 1902, and on July 25 I shot a young bird which had only just left the
nest. They begin to leave as soon as the young have attained their
growth, being about the first of the summer residents to move south.
Their numbers decrease rapidly after the end of July, and by the middle
of August there were practically none left in the mountains. I saw no
more, and supposed that they had all left, until September 3, when I
came onto a pair of the birds feeding several young. This was right at
a place where Mr. Howard had secured a set of eggs earlier in the sea-
son, and I have no doubt that, as neither of the parent birds were shot,
they reared another brood and were correspondingly delayed in leaving.
Young birds collected, of various ages, differ from the adults in having
the upper parts more of a brownish color, and the lower breast and
abdomen, light yellow in the adult, very pale, in some cases almost
white with just the faintest tinge of yellow; wing coverts, tertials and
secondaries are broadly, and primaries narrowly margined with rusty
fulvous, while the rectrices are broadly margined with the same.

Sayornis saya (Bonaparte). Say Phoebe.

Resident in the foothill region, and along the base of the mountains
generally, though in limited numbers. During the migrations they
appear rather more numerously, but never venture far up into the can-
yons. A favorite nesting site is a well or some similar excavation, or
an old abandoned adobe house. At the postofifice at Turner, some six
or seven miles below the mountains, a pair of Say Phoebes has built a
nest over the doorway, and bred there for many successive seasons; and
not only do they breed there year after year, but the same individual
pair of birds seems to stay there the year through.

Sayornis nigricans (Swainson). Black Phoebe.

The Black Phoebe occasionally breeds in the Huachucas up to as
high an altitude as 6000 feet, but it is anything but a common bird in
this region and does not remain at all through the winter months. The
earliest date at which T saw any was March 15, 1903, when a single bird
was seen ; for the next week or two an odd bird was seen now and then
evidently migrating, and after that, no more appeared. About the first
of August they began to appear in the lower parts of the mountains,
evidently moving up from the river valleys where they breed in greater
abundance. -At this time they were just commencing the autumnal moult

24 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

and were consequently extremely ragged and disreputable in appearance.
T did not secure enough specimens to admit of extended comparison, but
the few I have are absolutely indistinguishable from Southern Califor-
nia birds.

Nuttallornis borealis (Swainson). Olive-sided Flycatcher.

The Olive-sided Flycatcher occurs regularly in the Huachucas
during the migrations, but is never at all abundant; five or six being
about as many as I have seen in the whole course of a migration. It is
rather a late arrival, and the extreme dates at which I have noted the
species are from April 20th to May 28th. In the fall the first and only
one I saw was on August 30th. Though a bird of the highest altitudes
in the regions in which it breeds, these migrating birds never seemed
to ascend the mountains to any height, none being seen above 6000 feet.

Contopus pertinax pallidiventris Chapman. Cones Flycatcher.

During the summer months this flycatcher is one of the character-
istic birds of the pine regions of the Huachucas, where if not seen, it can
at least be heard almost everywhere. It is one of the first of the summer
residents to arrive, and one was heard calling as early as March 29th The
usual time of arrival is the first week in April, and during this month
they can be found generally distributed over all parts of the mountains ;
while I have taken specimens, evidently migrating birds, quite at the
base of the range, as latp as May 25th, though others were found breed-
ing at an earlier date. In its breeding, in fact in its habits in general, it
closely resembles the Olive-sided Flycatcher, but I have never found it
migrating out in the plains and valleys as that species quite generally
does. As with borealis the male bird is fond of getting in some elevated
position, usually the extremity of a dead limb at the top of some tall
pine or fir, and remaining there for hours, uttering at frequent intervals
its loud, characteristic call. In character and tone this call is quite
similar to that of borealis, but the rotes differ. The local name for the
species, derived from its cry, is Jose Maria (pronounced, Ho-say Maria,
with the second syllable of the last word drawn out and emphasized),
a far better translation of the sounds that is the case in many similar
instances.

During the breeding season these birds are to a great extent re-
stricted to the higher parts of the mountains, being most abundant from
8000 to 10,000 feet ; though I have seen one or two nests as low as 7000
feet. In the choice of a nesting place they show a marked prefierence
for the conifers, the nest being usually built at a considerable distance
from the ground, on some limb affording a wide, uninterrupted outlook,
but there again no hard and fast rule can be laid down, as I have seen
nests built in maples in the bottom of a canyon, not twenty-five feet
above the ground, and nearly hidden by the luxuriant foliage. I have
seen birds beginning to build in the middle of May, and eggs can be
occasionally be found until at least the middle of July. On July 23, 1902,
I secured a young bird which had just left the nest but was as yet hardly
able to fiy, and two weeks later broods of young, attended by the parents
could be seen everywhere. After the young had left the nest, a general
movement toward a lower altitude began, and by the middle of August
young and old could be found quite commonly along the canyons, and in
the groves of live oaks at the mouths of the same. The young birds
collected differ from the adults in having the abdomen and lower tail
coverts and sometimes tlie center of the throat as well, bufify ochraceous.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 25

rather sharply defined against the dark colored breast and sides. The
greater and middle wing coverts are edged with a darker shade of the
same, so as to form two conspicuous bars across the wing. An adult
female taken August 24, 1902, just commencing the autumnal moult,
has most of the plumage so worn and faded as to have lost all distinc-
tive coloring, but on the upper breast and on the dorsum the new
feathers are just beginning to appear.

Contopus richardsoni (Swainson). Western Wood Pewee.

During the summer months this species is found in abundance in
the lower parts of the mountains, occurring almost entirely, at least in the
breeding season, along the canyon streams, and but seldom venturing
up on the hill sides. It is a late arrival in this region, the earliest one
noted being on May 4, 1903. and it is the middle of the month before
they are at all abundant. Migrating birds were seen on the plains be-
low the mountains up to nearly the end of May. Old birds were noted
feeding young still in the nest after the middle of August.

Empidonax difficilis Baird. Western Flycatcher.

Although the Western Flycatcher breeds in the Huachucas it is
anything but a common bird, and even during the migrations is not as
abundant as some of the other species of Emipidonax. It is a late arival
in this region, the earliest one noted being a male bird shot on May 18.
Up tp the first of June it can be found in limited numbers in the washes
leading from the various canyons, not occurring at all in the higher parts
of the mountains, from 7000 feet upward, where it breeds. On June 21,
1902, a nest was found, apparently just finished, but empty, built on a
beam in an old cabin at an altitude of 9000 feet. The bird had been seen
about the place a week earlier but at that time had not yet commenced
to build. After examining the nest I left the cabin for a few minutes,
and at my return the bird darted out over my head, having laid an egg
during my brief absence. On visiting the place a few days later I found
the nest torn apart and the eggs destroyed, probably by the rats which
infested the place. After the breeding season they descend the moun-
tains to a lower altitude, and after the first of August young and old are
fairly abundant in the oaks of the foothills, and along the washes as in
the spring.

Empidonax trailli (Audubon). Traill Flycatcher.

On August 9, 1902, I secured two Traill Flycatchers in some scrub
oaks at the base of the mountains. This is the only record I have of the
occurrence of this species in the Huachucas, though it is a fairly com-
mon summer resident in suitable spots along the San Pedro River. The
two secured, both adult males, had not yet begun to moult their summer
plumage, and compared with specimens from Southern California are
very pale in coloration. There is hardly a trace of olivaceous on the
back or yellow in the abdomen, and at a casual glance, they bear a close
resemblance to E. grisciis, for which species, in fact, I mistook them
when I shot them.

Empidonax hammondi (Xantus). Hammond Flycatcher.

Of the migrating birds passing through this region in the spring
the Hammond Flycatcher is one of the first to put in an appearance, and
about the last to leave. The earliest noted, a male, was taken on March
30; the bulk of them arrive early in April, and they remain in the great-
est abundance until the middle of May, when they begin to rapidly

26 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

diminish in numbers,- the last being seen May 22. In the spring I found
them in all parts of the mountains, but most abundantly below 6000
feet, and usually along the canyons, not far from water. I was rather
surprised when they re-appeared in August, not in the foothills and along
the canyons, as before, but up in the pines, none being seen below 9000
feet. The first was seen on August 26, and from that time on, though
not at all abundant, I found them in small numbers scattered through
the pines along the divide.

Specimens of hammondi collected vary from very dark colored birds
at the one extreme, with the abdomen strongly tinged with yellow, and
in some cases with the breast, throat and even the back, strongly sufifused
with the same yellowish hue; to very grayish colored ones at the other,
with the yellow of the abdomen almost, and elsewhere entirely, ob-
literated.

Empidonax wrighti Baird. Wright Flycatcher.

A fairly common migrant but a shy unobtrusive bird, and conse-
quently easily overlooked. On my first visit to the mountains, in 1896,
I failed to find the species at all; and the next time, in 1902, I mistook
the birds for hammondi, which they closelv resemble, until the different
note (exactly the same in ivri^hti as in griseiis, with which I was fami-
liar) betrayed them. They arrive about the middle of April ; in 1902 I
shot one in the lowlands near the San Pedro River on April 17, but saw
none in the Huachucas until April 25, after which they were quite
abundant. In 1903 I secured the first on April 14 and the last. May 18.
They were most abundant below 5000 feet, particularly favoring the foot-
hill region covered with scrub oak, madrona, and manzanita bushes. I
also found them where the canyons opened out into the plains below,
but they were not entirely restricted to the lower parts of the mountains,
for on one occasion. May i, 1903, I secured two and saw several others
in the pines on the divide, about 9000 feet, altitude. Wherever I found
them, though, they were equally shy and difficult to get a shot at, and
when in the thick brush, which they particularly love to frec[uent, their
low, lisping note was heard far more often than the birds themselves
were seen.

Empidonax griseus Brewster. Gray Flycatcher. .

I found this species to be a common migrant in the Huachucas,
more abundant than its near relative wrighti, and generally frequenting
ground of a different character. Some specimens were taken along the
various washes, but the region where they were most abundant was in
the most barren of the foothill country ; rough boulder strewn hills with
but a scattering growth of scrubby live oaks. In such places I found
them fairly abundant, that is I have seen as many as twelve or fifteen in
the course of a morning's collecting ; but they never ventured above the
very entrance of the canyons, nor ascended the mountains at all. Though
this flycatcher probably winters in some parts of Arizona (I have speci-
mens taken at Tucson during February and March), and might be ex-
pected to breed in this region, it nevertheless occurs in the Huachucas
merely as a migrant ; though from the early date at which it reappears
in the fall, it probably breeds at no great distance to the northward.
The earliest noted was on April 2 ; they were most abundant about the
first of May ; and by the middle of May had all passed on. They ap-
peared again the first week in August ; one was secured August 6, i(;o2.
and soon after they were fairly abundant in the same localities as in the

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZO>JA. 27

spring-, remaining so throughout the month. All that were taken at this
time were adults in worn, abraded plumage, many of them in the midst
of the autumnal moult with hardly enough feathers to cover them. A
series of twenty-one Gray Flycatchers taken in the spring from Febru-
ary to the middle of May, show some little variation in color and plu-
mage, enough so to indicate a slight pre-nuptual moult. .Specimens
taken during February and the early part of March are in fresh, unworn
plumage, soft and blended in appearance and with a considerable oliva-
ceous on the dorsum. Those secured at the end of March and through-
out April have the feathers rather worn and abraded, the upper parts
dull grayish with a few new olivaceous feathers showing on the back.
Specimens taken in May present a bright, fresh appearance, with the
upper parts olivaceous with but a few of the old gray feathers remaining,
and with considerable yellow on the abdomen. There is considerable
individual variation also, the extremes of which are presented in my
collection by a male bird taken April 2, 1902, which has the breast, sides,
and flanks dark plumbeous, the throat a trifle paler, and but the middle
of the abdomen white, with just a tinge of yellow; and a female taken
April 22, 1896, in which nearly the whole of the under parts are pure
white, the breast being darker on the sides and presenting rather a
streaked appearance along the median line.

From the middle of A.pril to the middle of May these three Einpidon-
' aces, haniDioiidi, -cvriglifi and i^riseus, taken together, are a feature of the
avian landscape in all parts of the mountains; haminoiidi along the can-
yons and in the pines, zvrighti in the oak belt, and crriscus in the more
barren country along the base of the range ; and during this time there
is hardly a place where one or more of some one of these small fly-
catchers can not be seen, darting from tree or bvtsh after some passing
insect, or sitting on a twig with drooping wings and twitching tail.

Empidonax fulvifrons pygmaeus (Coues). Bufif-breasted Flycatcher.

The Buff-breasted Flycatcher is one of the rarest of the regular
summer visitants to these mountains, and as it is a small, inconspicu-
ously colored bird, and in my experience rather shy and difficult to ap-
proach as well, it is a species that is most easily overlooked. It arrives
in the Huachucas about the middle of April, and all the migrating birds
T have taken have been alon;^ the base of the mountains, where they were
usually sitting in low bushes or weeds. In 1902, I secured but two. both
males, during the spring migration ; one on the evening of April 20, and
another early the next morning at precisely the some place. In 1903 I
secured a female on the west side of the mountains on April 12, and a
migrating bird was shot as late as May 4.

Specimens collected show considerable variation in the color of the
lower parts, irrespective of sex. The darkest colored one I have, a
female, has the breast deep ochraceous buff, with the throat and abdo-
men but little paler ; while a rather large sized male in fresh unworn
plumage, has the upper breast yellowish buff, fading to pale yellowish
on the throat and abdomen, almost white along the median line. Speci-
mens taken during April frequently have a few new feathers scattered
over the back, indicating at least a partial pre-nuptial renewal of the
plumage of these parts. The buff of the lower parts extends up on the
sides of the neck so that in many skins it nearly joins on the nape.

On May 26, 1903, I found these flycatchers breeding near the head
of Tanner Canyon in such a way as to almost indicate a "colonizing"
tendency, for I found seven or eight pair breeding within a radius of

28 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

about a quarter of a mile, and three or four of these were within a hun-
dred yards of each other. This may have been due, however, to the
exceptionally favorable nature of the ground ; for it was different from
most of the region thereabout in that the canyon opened out into a con-
siderable area of low, rolling hills, covered with a scattering growth of
large pines. Most of the birds seemed to be building, and two nests
were located, nearly completed; one of them being saddled on a large
pine limb, in plain sight and not over fifteen feet from the ground. As
rather exhaustive accounts of the breeding of the species in this region
have already been published (Condor Vol. I, 1899, 103; Vol. Ill, 1901,
38) there is no need of dwelling further upon it here.

Pyrccephalus rubineus mexicanus (Sclater). Vermilion Flycatcher.

Though seldom entering into the canyons, never above the mouths
of them, the Vermilion Flycatcher is quite a common summer resident
all along the base of the Huachucas, breeding principally along the vari-
ous washes descending therefrom. The earliest arrival noted was on
March 25 ; others were seen during the first week in April, but the bulk
of them did not arrive before the middle of the month. The male birds
vary considerably in coloration, and probably take at least two years in
attaining the perfect plumage. Several were taken at Tucson about the
middle of March, probably birds of the previous year, just finishing the
prenuptial moult. They are evidently just acquiring the globular red
crest of the adult, for they still have grayish feathers scattered over the
crown, and most of the red ones have not yet attained half their growth ;
while the red of the lower parts is paler than in the adult male, irregu-
larly blotched with whitish, and with dusky streaks on the breast. A
breeding male tsken near Fort Huachuca has many of the feathers of
the crown tipped with dusky, and the red of the under parts blotched
with white on the throat and abdomen. A male shot on August 9, was
in the midst of the autumnal moult. Females diflfer principally in the
amount and shade of the red of the abdomen and flanks, but one in my
possession has a few salmon colored feathers, tipped with dusky, on the
crown, and a few of the same color scattered over the breast. During
August, families of young with the parents in attendance, were fre-
quently seen, and at this time I found them more shy and difficult to
approach than at any other. The males are, in my experience, singularly
tame and unsuspicious for such bright, gaudy plumaged birds.

Otocoris alpestris adusta Dwight. Scorched Horned Lark.

A common summer resident, breeding everywhere on the plains
below the Huachucas, right up to the base of the mountains. They ar-
rive early, for on February 17, 1903, while driving from the train to the
mountains, I saw a flock of about a dozen, and a few single birds ; but it
was nearly a month later before they were at all abundant. I saw young
birds flying about the prairie by the middle of May and they became
more and more abundant as the summer advanced. Toward the end of
July and early in August, young and old gathered together in immense
flocks, and were at this time very restless and difficult to approach, flying
a long distance when disturbed. They seemed to depart for the south
soon after, for on September 5, 1902, on a drive of over twenty miles
over country in which they had bred in the greatest abundance, not a
single Horned Lark was seen.

Horned Larks from this region are very uniform in coloration, the
greatest variation being in the intensity of the yellow of the throat.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA 29

This is the only race of the Horned Lark that I have found here, though
I have specimens taken from February to July, and some of the other
•sub-species might be expected to occur as migrants.

Cyanocitta stelleri diademata (Bonaparte). Long-crested Jay.

A common resident in the Huachucas, ascending to the pine forests
■of the higher altitudes during the breeding season, but generally dis-
tributed over the mountains for the rest of the year. Up to the middle
of April they were most abundant in the oak regions and along the can-
yons from 5000 to 7000 feet, usually in fiocks of a dozen or more ; but
after that time they gradually withdrew to the higher parts of the moun-
tains to attend to their domestic duties. During the breeding season,
up to the beginning of July, they were as quiet and inconspicuous as it
is in the nature of a jay to be, but after the young left the nest they began
to move down to a lower altitude, as noisy and as much of a nuisance as
ever. They did not seem to be as gregarious at this time as in the early
spring, for after the young had attained their growth the families seemed
to break up, and each one to shift for himself to a great extent.

A young male just from the nest, and with the rectrices not yet half
their length, has both the upper and lower parts, a uniform dark slate
color, rather darker on the crest and paler on the rump and abdomen.
There is some whitish on the chin, an indistinct whitish line over the
eye, and the faintest suggestion of bluish white markings on the fore-
head. A juvenile female is essentially the same in coloration but lacks
the whitish markings about the head. A young male, taken August 13.
is beginning to lose the juvenile plumage, having patches of blue feathers
on the sides and upper parts of the breast, the rump and lower tail co-
verts. Soon after the young leave the nest the adults begin to moult ;
specimens taken the middle of July being in a very worn state of plu-
mage, with the webs of the tertials abraded so as to show hardly a trace
of the transverse markings ; but as yet hardly beginning to shed their
feathers. An adult male taken August 15 has almost entirely renewed
the rectrices and remiges as well as the plumage of the lower breast and
abdomen ; while the chin and throat are nearly bare, but little more than
the shafts of the old feathers remaining, and a scattering growth of pin
feathers just beginning to appear. The feathers of the crest are mostly
new, but still ensheathed for about half their length ; while the neck and
anterior portion of the dorsum still retain the old worn plumage.

Specimens in fresh, unworn plumage have the upper parts of a de
cidedly bluish tinge, in marked contrast to the brown dorsum of late
spring and summer birds.

Aphelocoma woodhousei (Baird). Woodhouse Jay.

This species is resident in the oak belt from the base of the moun-
tains up to an altitude of 7500 feet, and is possibly fairly common in this
region : but from the quiet, retiring disposition of the birds (a striking
contrast to the rest of the family!) they are seldom seen, and it would
be an easy matter for even an experienced collector to overlook them en-
tirely. They frequent the steep brush-covered hillsides for the most
part, seldom venturing down into the canyons, or into the open any-
where ; and though their note can occasionally be heard, though they
do not call very much either, a fleeting glimpse of a bird sneaking
through the brush, close to the ground, is the most that is usually ob-
tained. They are possibly more abundant on the west slope of the
mountains than elsewhere; and they are generally rather local in their

30 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. fNo. 4

distribution, favoring certain spots in certain canyons, where they cart
usually be foimd, to the exclusion of other places presenting apparently
precisely similar conditions. On April 6, 1903, I scared several from
some oaks at the base of the mountains, and with considerable difficulty
secured ane. Possibly these were migrating birds, as it was a place they
did not usually frequent ; and the one secured, a female in very worn
plumage, was evidently not breeding, not even paired off in fact. On
July 23, 1902, I saw a fully fledged juvenile at an altitude of about 7500
feet. I was not able to secure it, for as I was resting by the side of the
trail it lit on a limb but a few feet away, and after a short inspection, left
rather abruptly, nor did I see it again.

Aphelocoma sieberii arizonae Ridgway. Arizona Jay.

Noisy, fussy and quarrelsome as all the jays are, I know of no other
species which possesses to such an eminent degree the quality of prying
into* all manner of things which do not concern it, and of making such a
nuisance of itself in general, on the slightest provocation or on none at
all, as the Arizona Jay does. They are very gregarious, and even during
the breeding season may be seen travelling through the oaks in flocks of
fifteen or twenty or more, ostensibly seeking for food, but also on the
lookout for trouble, or any excitement which might turn up. A collector
travelling through the wo'ods gets his fair share of invectives, especially
if he is examining nests, shrieked from the tree tops at a safe distance,
to the accompaniment of bobbing heads and twitching tails; a Red-tail
or Swainson Hawk sitting on some limb, furnishes a little excitement
until he removes to some quiter locality: but the crowning joy of all is
to find some wretched fox or wild cat quietly ensconsed on some broad,
sheltered, oak limb. In such a case the one that finds the unhappy vic-
tim takes care to let every jay within half a mile know from his outcry
that there is some excitement on hand ; and it is nothing unusual to see
thirty or forty birds gathered about the object of their aversion, letting
him know in no undecided terms just what their opinion of him is. It is
a curious sight also to see a dozen or more gathered around some large
sn^ke, which they seem to fear nearly as much as they hate. On one
occasion I had an excellent opportunity of watching about twenty Ari-
zona Jays protesting at the presence of rather a large rattlesnake which
was leisurely travelling down a dry watercourse which passed our
camp. The jays seemed imbued with a wholesome fear of their wicked
looking antogonist, and though they surrounded it, kept at a respectful
distance ; they were not as noisy as they often are, but kept uttering low
querulous cries, quite different from their usual outbursts. Some of the
boldest lit a short distance from the snake and strutted before it in a
most curious fashion, head and body held bolt upright, and the tail
pressed down on the ground vmtil about a third of it was dragging. A
bird we had in captivity for some time strutted about in the same comical
fashion whenever it was angered and wished to show fight. On many
occasions while out collecting, I have heard an outburst of jay's voices
drawing nearer and nearer, until presently a Cooper, or Sharp-shinned
Hawk, passed silently, like a ghost down the canyon ; while behind it a
straggling stream of jays trooped, anything but ghost-like, screaming
and clamoring, to the great detriment of the hawk's hunting, who re-
garded them, I have no doubt, with precisely the same feeling that most
of the deer hunters of this region have for the jays. Beside his vocal
outbursts, the Arizona Jav mqkes when flying a curious fluttering noise
with his wings, loud and distinct enough to be heard some little dis-

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHDCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA 31

tance producing a curious eiTect ; especially when, as often happens, a
troop of them comes swooping down some steep hill side to the bottom
■of the canyon. Though wary and cunning to a marked degree, so that it
is usually impossible to get within gun shot of them, still their curi-
osity leads to their destruction ; for it is a simple matter for the collector,
by hiding behind a bush and making any squeaking or hissing noise, to
get all the specimens desired. In fact they fairly tumble over one an-
other to find out what is going on ; and T had not the slightest trouble in
getting as many as I wished with a .32 caliber auxiliary, though other-
Avise it would have been difficult to secure any even with a twelve gauge.
Owing to the gregarious nature of the bird, it is difficult to say just
when tbey pair ofif, for even when breeding they remain in flocks to some
extent ; but they seem generally to begin building their nests about thf
first of April, though I have taken specimens late in April which had not
yet paired off. There seems to be no difference in the territory occupied
by these jays at different seasons; I have never seen them above 7500,
and they are most abundant below 6000 feet, breeding down quite to the
base of the mountains. Though so extremely gregarious they do not
seem to mix with any of the other species, and though I have seen both
AVoodhouse and Longcrested feeding in company with the Arizona, it
was evident that they were merely drawn together in the search of food,
and when disturbed the different species did not attempt to stick to-
gether. Acorns form a staple article of diet with these birds, and the}
can be seen everywhere under the oak trees searching for their favorite
food, progressing by means of strong, easy, hops ; and poking under
sticks and stones, eating what they can, and hiding more for future use.
On finding an acorn, a retreat is made to some near-by limb or boulder,
where the prize is held between the two feet, and opened by a few wel\
directed blows. The tame bird before mentioned, could in this manner
demolish a lead pencil in a very few minutes, so that it can be imagined
that an acorn presents no particular difficulties.

Soon after the first of June young birds begin to appear, and by the
middle of the month are very much in evidence everywhere in the oak
region ; first sitting in the trees sqvialling to be fed, but very soon de-
scending to the ground and rustling for themselves. The young are, in
general appearance, very similar to the adults, but with the upper parts
"brownish with hardly a trace of blue, and the lower parts a dingy gray-
ish brown ; while the base of the bill is always light colored, to a varying
extent. Sometimes the lower mandible is nearly all light colored with
but a dusky spot near the tip, and sometimes the upper mandible also is
light colored for nearly half its length. A considerable number of birds
taken in the early spring, and some breeding birds, retain the light
colored base to the lower mandible to a greater or less extent, but I
think it is unquestionably a sign of immaturity; those seeming to be the
oldest and most mature having the upper parts almost uniformly blue,
the throat and upper breast, strongly tinged with the same color and the
bill invariably black ; while those with the lower mandible still retaining
more or less of the light color have most of the wing coverts, tertials
and dorsum, grayish brown, with hardly a trace of blue on the breast,
and the blue of the head, rump, etc., not nearly as bright as in the more
mature birds. In short the brightest colored birds of both sexes always
have the bill black throughout, and those with the parti-colored bills are
always the dullest in coloration. About the first of August young and
old begin to moult together, and the grayish colored immatured birds

52- PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

variously blotched with blue, may be seen all through the month. The
adults renew their plumage entirely at this time, but the juveniles seem
to retain the rectrices and remi^jes acquired with the first plumage. I left
before the moult was completed, but specimens taken in February and
March, which I take to be birds of the previous year, have these feathers
much more worn and abraded than have the more highly colored, older
birds. Two old females taken the middle of August are in the midst of
the autumnal moult, covered with pin feathers, and with many old
feathers still scattered over the body.

Corvus corax sinuatus (Wagler). American Raven.

I have occasionally, but not often, seen large ravens in the higher
parts of the mountains, their size, as well as the different note, serving-
to distinguish them from their smaller white-necked cousins of the
plains. Possibly they breed in the mountains, but I know of no instance
of a nest being found, or of any other evidence showing that they do so.

Corvus crytoleucus Couch. AVhite-necked Raven.

On the plains and in the low lands generally in this region, the
White-necked Raven, or "Crow," as it usually called here, is a most
abundant resident ; and though not a mountain bird, properly speaking,,
they frequently come up into the canyons, and on the lower foothills,
usually after dead cattle. They are usually quite tame and unsuspicious^
paying little or no attention to a man on horseback or a wagon passing
by ; but after being shot at a few times soon become very wary and hard
to approach, and as they are usually out on the open prairie it is an easy
matter for them to keep out of the way. On one occasion I approached
a flock of thirty or forty busily engaged in catching grasshoppers, and as
they began to leave long before I arrived within gunshot, I thought to
try an experiment ; wondering if an appeal to their curiosity might not
be as successful as it usually was with the jays. Tying a stone in the
corner of a red bandana handkerchief, I tossed it high into the air, and
the result far exceeded my expectations; for though standing in plain
sight, they came headlong to see what it was that had fluttered to the
ground, and from that time on I had no difficulty in securing White-
necked Ravens. When one or more were shot out of a flock the re-
mainder did not fly off and alight again, but usually circled about, keep-
ing in rather a compact body and ascending higher and higher; not de-
scending to the ground for a considerable length of time, and usually a
long ways off. On May 3, 1902, I heard a flock of Ravens making a
great commotion in the air, and at first supposed them to be mobbing a
]-iwk. brt on their descending nearer to the ground and passing within
about a hundred yards of where I was standing, I saw that what I had
t''ken for a hawk was undoubtedly a White-necked Raven, but of a
uniform pale brown color throughout. After a time the others appeared
to become reconciled to their unique companion, and they all passed
amicably away together. In the spring of 1903, I noticed a place on the
plains some eight or ten miles from the mountains, where some species
of bird w^s evidently roosting in large numbers. The plains are cov-
ered with brush at tliis point, mostly scrubby mesquite, and for a space
some two hundred yards long and twenty-five or thirty yards wide the
t'-«es w^re almost destroyed by the use to which they had been put.
Tlie ground underneath was inches deep with excreta, and the trunks
and branches of the trees were white with the same; while they were
almost totally denuded of leaves, except at the extreme top where a little

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 33

green still lingered. In many cases the limbs were broken down by the
weight of the birds. From the appearance of the excreta it was evi-
dently a large species of bird that was roosting there, and as on a careful
examination none but raven feathers could be found lying about, I came
to the conclusion that it was they who were using the place, though I
never found them roosting in such large numbers in any one place before.
At the neighboring schoolhouse the ravens were in the habit of
gathering early in the afternoon, and cleaning up the scraps thrown aside
from the children's lunches, strutting about the doorsteps like so many
chickens. They are late in breeding though here in abundance all
through the spring; and at nearly the end of May I have seen flocks of
a hundred or more birds. I have found eggs the first week in June, but
the bulk of them probably lay rather later. Their nests are scattered in
considerable numbers along the washes leading from the mountains,
being built indiscriminately in sycamores, walnuts, mesquites, or any-
thing that will suport the structure. From the nature of the trees they
are in they are seldom over twenty or twenty-five above the ground, ana
I saw one nest in a little mesquite not over four feet from the ground.
Early in August the young birds begin leaving the nests, and when they
have attained their growth young and old gather together in enormous
flocks. Juveniles taken at this time are much like the adults, but the
plumage is of a dull black with none of the purplish gloss of the old birds,
except on the wing and its coverts ; the lanceolate throat feathers of the
adult are also lacking, but the base of the feathers of the throat and neck
is white, as in the old bird. The base of the lower mandible is light col-
ored, (reddish in the dry skin) to a varying .extent. Three young birds
nearly full fledged, were taken from a nest August i6, 1902, and in spite
of their protests, vocal and otherwise, taken to the camp and lodged in
a large box. One soon died but the others did very well and returned to
Los Angeles with us in Septem.ber. About the first of October they com-
menced to moult ; by the middle of the month they were very ragged
looking, one being completly bald, but by the first of November they had
renewed their entire plumage, except the rectrices and remiges. When
we first secured them about the basal half of the lower mandible was
light colored, but this area became more and more restricted, retreating
toward the base of the bill, until by the time the moult was completed
the bill was entirely black.

Nucifraga columbiana (Wilson). Clarke Nutcracker.

My personal experience with this species has been extremely
limited. On June 21, 1902, a single bird passed over my head going in a
southerly direction, at the extreme summit of the mountains. This is
the only one I have seen, but I have some taken in the Huachucas by H.
Kimball durinp- April. iSoS T have been told th^t it is of quit" common
occurrence at times, but it is probably very irregular in its visits.

Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus (Wied). Pinon Jay.

On May 8, 1902, a large flock of Pinon Jays was seen late in the
afternoon, flying about some oaks on a steep hillside, apparently looking
for a place to roost. They were very restless and hard to approach, and
it "was with great difficulty that I secured three of them. Another flock
was seen on May 15, but no more secured. The three I shot, a male and
two females, were adult birds in rather worn plumage, and it is some-
thing of a puzzle just what they were doing here at this time, as they
do not breed anywhere in the Huachucas. On August 22, 1902, I heard

34 . PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

a flock calling as they passed by, but was unable to catch sight of them
on account of the thick trees in which I was standing. These are the
only occasions on which I have met with the species in this region.

Molothrus ater obscurus (Gmelin). Dwarf Cowbird.

About the first of May, Cowbirds begin to appear in small numbers
along the base of the mountains, but they never become at all abundant.
Occasionally I have seen them as high as 5500 feet, but as a rule they
do not venture far up into the mountains ; remaining more at the base
of the hills and in the mouths of the canyons. They are most numerous
about the middle of May, and leave early in the summer; I saw none in
the Huachucas after the middle of July.

Sturnella magna subspecies ?. Meadow Lark.

T have seen a few meadow larks in various places along the base of
the Huachucas, usually in the tall grass in enclosed pastures, but they
are anything but abundant, and those I saw were so wild as to be utterly
unapproachable, so I was unable to secure a single specimen. I have
seen them at various times through the spring and summer, so the few
that are there undoubtedly breed in the locality. As I unfortunatelv
failed to secure any it is, of course, impossible to say whether those I
saw were ncglccta or hoopcsi, either or both of which may occur in this
region.

Icterus parisorum Bonaparte. Scott Oriole.

A most abundant summer resident, principally frequenting the
lower parts of the mountains, though I have occasionally seen it as high
as 8000 feet. The earliest date at which I have seen any was March 31,
1903, when a male was secured ; no more being seen until April 5, after
which date they were abundant. Until' nearly the end of April small
flocks of from six to a dozen birds could be found along the canyons,
usually below 5000 feet, feeding in the tops of the trees, where, in spite
of the brilliant plumage and loud, ringing whistle of the male birds, they
were anything but conspicuous. In feeding they sit quietly on the limbs
prying and peering into such buds as are within reach, any necessary
change of position being accomplished by clambering along the branches
with hardly any fluttering of the wings ; and as their plumage, though
bright, harmonizes exceedingly well with the surrounding foliage, they
could be easily overlooked were it not for the loud notes to which the
males give utterance at frequent intervals. The first to arrive were the
old, bright plumaged males, then a week or so later some females began
to come in, and finally toward the end of April, what few flocks were
seen were composed of females, and males presumably of the previous
year, in every stage of plumage, most of them indistinguishable from the
more highly colored females. The males in intermediate stages of plu-
mage were very abundant for a time, and as specimens were secured in
every phase from those absolutely indistinguishable from some females,
up to the fully mature male, I should think it very probable that two
years, at least, are required to obtain the perfect plumage. The dullest
colored male I secured has the black restricted to the lores, cheeks,
throat and upper breast, while the top of the head and sides of the ne'ck
are olive-green slightly specked with black. Some others are much like
this one, but with the top and sides of the head more or less uniform,
though dull, black. In all but one of these the tail is precisely as in the
female, plain yellowish-olve, but little darker toward the tip ; the excep-
tion has three rectrices bright yellow, the terminal third abruptly darker,

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 35

nearly as dark as in the adult male. These are not new feathers, for all
tl:e rectrices are equally worn and have the appearance of having been
acquired the previous fall. Another specimen is a step nearer the mature
plumage ; the black of the head and breast is more extensive and more
glossy ; the back is dull black, and the feathers of this part as well as
those of the nape and sides of the neck are edged with grayish and yel-
lowish so as to produce a somewhat mottled efifect. The pattern of
coloration of the tail is exactly as in the adult male, but the colors much
duller ; and the under parts and the rump are dull greenish yellow but
little brighter than the female. Still another is very nearly perfect ; the
wings and the tail have the bright, sharply defined colors of the adult,
the throat and breast are glossy black, and while the yellow of the lower
parts is not so bright as in my finest specimens, still it does not fall short
of it very much. The upper parts, however, are duller; the head is black
but with very little gloss, while from the nape the feathers of the back
are broadly edged with olive-yellow and green. The rump, too, is dull
greenish yellow but little brighter than in some females. Mr. Brewster.
in his "Birds of the Cape Region of Lower California" dwells at some
length of this same intermediate plumage of the male of Icterus pan-
sonim, and seems to doubt the probability of its indicating immaturity;
and though I have not the advantage of anything like as extensive a
series as was at his disposal (I have no fall specimens but have examined
in this connection thirty-five males taken iDy myself in the Huachuca
Mountains and near Tucson from March to July) I can not help think-
ing that this is the explanation of the variation. It is not a well defined
phase either of color or markings, for, as I have shown, there is a nicely
graded series of changes from a dull plumage similar to the female, up
to the brightest colored male. The fact that these dull colored males
arrive in the spring later even than the female would also indicate their
immaturity. The fact that they breed in this plumage is indisputable,
but I should imagine that to merely prove that more than a year is re-
quired to obtain the full plumage. Most of the male birds I secured have
more or less traces of grayish-white edgings to the feathers of the lower
back, the only one without any trace of these markings being a specimen
taken late in July% in very abraded plumage, and nearly ready to com-
mence the moult. About a third of the females secured have the throat
and upper breast, and sometimes the top of the head black, much as in
the more imperfect males ; one has a few scattered black spots on the
breast, and the remainder have no trace of black on these parts.

The Scott Orioles seem to leave the Huachucas very soon after they
are through breeding ; I have taken none after July and though some mav
linger through August. I have no notes or recollections of seeing any
at this time.

On May 25th, 1903, I secured a set of four fresh eggs near the mouth
of one of tl*e canyons, at an altitude of about 4500 feet. The nest was
built under the sharp, overhanging leaves of a yucca, about four feet
from the ground.

Icterus cucullatus nelsoni Ridgway. Arizona Hooded Oriole.

The Arizona Hooded Orioles hardly enter into the mountains at all,
except in the migrations, when I have occasionally seen a few half a mile
or so up the canyon ; but in the washes below they are quite abundant
throughout the summer. The earliest arrival noted was a male on April
4th, but they were not really abundant until after the middle of the
month. Two males secured are in the dull plumage of the female, with

36 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. . [No. 4

hardly any black on the throat. In one of these there are black feathers
scattered throughout the area which is all black in the adult male; but
the other has but two or three black spots on the throat. These two birds
taken ]\Iay 6th and 8th, 1903, were paired ofif and preparing to breed.

Icterus bullocki (Swainson). Bullock Oriole.

The only time at which I have seen Bullock Orioles at all abundant
in the Huachuca Mountains was in August, 1902. About the middle of
the month flocks of from ten to twenty, nearly all young birds, could be
seen along the canyons up to an altitude of about 5500 feet. ]\Iost of these
must have come in from other parts of the country, for I have never
found them breeding at all abundantly in the mountains .being in fact,
the rarest of the three species of orioles occurring there. They probably
arrive, usually, about the first week in April along with the Hooded and
Scott Orioles ; in 1902 I saw one on April 3rd and they were fairly com-
mon by the middle of the month, but in 1903 the first I saw was on May
4th, after I had begun to think that they were not coming at all. They
kept arriving in a leisurely fashion, and it was after the middle of May
before I saw any beginning to pair off. They breed mostly along the
washes in the same localities as the Hooded Oriole.

Scolecophagus cyanocephalus fWagler). Brewer Blackbird.

I have seen this species about the yards and corrals at Fort Hua-
chuca but hardly anywhere else. A solitary female was shot in a dry
wash some three miles from the mountains on May 8, 1903.

Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus (Ridgway). Western Evening
Grosbeak.
I am in doubt as to whether this species breeds in the Huachucas
or not, for though I have never seen any at any time in the spring or
early summer, on July 30, 1902, I came onto about half a dozen birds
scattered through the pines at an altitude of about 9000 feet. An old
male was observed feeding a fully fledged young, and secured, but the
young one flew ofT and was not seen again. All that were seen were very
wild, and after securing a second bird, a female, I was unable to ap-
proach within gunshot of any more. I am satisfied that these birds had
not bred anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the place where they
were at this time, for I had done a good deal of collecting there during
the summer and would certainly have seen or heard them; but the\
might have done so in some more distant part of the range which I had
not visited. The two secured were in badly worn plumage, the female
having commenced to moult. On this occasion all the birds seen were
scattered individuals, but on August 3rd a flock of six or eight were seen
at a spot some five miles distant, and on August 30th a flock of over a
dozen was seen near this latter place. These birds were all so wild that
I was unable to get anywhere near them, and so none were secured.

Carpodacus cassini Baird. Cassin Purple Finch.

A migrant, but probably of irregular occurrence. At various times
during the spring of 1903, I saw flocks of Cassin Purple Finch in the pines
from 9000 feet upward, specimens being secured from April 8th to May
nth; while during the previous year all that were seen were one or two
stray birds about the middle of April in the canyons below 5000 feet.
They were frequently found in company with the Pine Siskin, feeding
simetimes on the ground and sometimes in the trees, the two species
flying away together when disturbed. Several male birds secured, one

April 1904] BIRDS OF THH HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, AR120KA. 37

as late as May ii, were in the brown streaked plumage of the female,
and several in this plumage were in full song.

Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say). House Finch.

A summer resident, but in very limited numbers. I have not found
it common anywhere in or near the mountains, nor have I seen any above
6000 and but very few above 5000 feet. The first seen in 1903, was a male
which I secured on March 6; from then until the first of May two flocks
of five or six each, and an occasional bird at long intervals, were all that
were seen. In May a few were observed in pairs and they gradually
became more numerous as the summer advanced. I have seen more in
August than at any other time, but they never become abundant enough
to call upon their heads the wrath of the fruit grower, as in California ;
?nd as several species of birds have done here, more or less deservedly.
Though the House Finches I secured in the Huachucas and Santa Rita
Mountains do not dififer appreciably in size or proportions from South-
ern California birds, the difference of color in the males is certainly
striking; the Arizona birds having the head and breast of a bright rose-
pink, very dififerent from the darker colored California birds. There is
usually more or less red on the back, and frequently the whole crown is
uniformly of this color, but there is considerable variation in these re-
spects.

Loxia curvircstra stricklandi Ridgway. Mexican Crossbill.

My experience with this species was very limited, but from informa-
tion received from Mr. O. W. Howard and others, I should judge that it
occurred with fair regularity in the Huachucas as a fall migrant. The
first I saw was a flock of four birds on August 30, 1902, at an elevation
of about 9000 feet, and I saw others on several occasions before I left the
mountains, about a week later. All that were seen were so wild as to
be unapproachable, and it was by chance that I secured a single bird, a
female, which happened to alight within gunshot of where I was stand-
ing. I have several males taken in the Huachuca Mountains by H.
Kimball, apparently in fresh autumnal plumage, but unfortunately with-
out data.

Astragalinus psaltria (Say). Arkansas Goldfinch.

I have never found this species at all common in the Huachuca
Mountains. From March until nearly the end of June an occasional
stray bird, wandering up into the canyons, was all that was seen; but
after the summer rains they became a little more abundant, and small
flocks were frequently seen feeding on weeds close to the ground ; oc-
casionally venturing up the canyons to an altitude of 5500 feet. All the
males secured have more or less admixture of black in the auriculars.
scapulars, etc., and one or two very dark colored ones were seen but not
secured.

Spinus pinus (\^'ilson). Pine Siskin.

A very abundant migrant, appearing about the end of March and
remaining in considerable nimibers until the end of May. I saw one or
two single birds in June, 1902, but doubt very much if any breed in the
r'ountains. though from the early date at which they reappear in the
fall, their breeding ground can not He so very far to the northward. On
August 7, 1902, I saw severa] flocks, and from that time on they were
quite abundant ; but though in the spring they were generally distributed
throughout the mountains, in August all that were seen were in the pines

SS PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

from 8500 feet upward. All the specimens taken at this time were adults
in very worn plumage, several of them with the lower part discolored
with reddish stain. The series of Siskins I secured in this region aver-
ages paler and grayer than Southern California birds ; with the streak-
ing of the lower parts restricted more to the sides and flanks, so that
frequently the median line from the bill to the tail is almost immaculate.
Occasionally the plumage above and below is suffused with greenish
yellow to a considerable extent. Only once have I seen this species
anywhere in the lowlands in this region, on April 17, 1902, when a few
were seen in some willows along the San Pedro River, some twelve
miles from the moimtains.

Calcarius ornatus (Townsend). Chestnut-collared Longspun

For a month or so in tho spring Chestnut-Collared Longspurs were
quite abundant on the plains below the Huachucas, and could be seen
almost anywhere, usually, in large flocks. The first observed were on
March 14, when one or two small flocks were seen passing overhead.
From that time on their numbers rapidly increased and the last week in
March and the first in April they were at the height of their abundance.
They began leaving about the middle of April, and by the end of the
month w^ere practically all gone, the last seen being a small flock, ap-
parently all females, on May 3, 1902.

Rynchophanes mccowni (Lawrence). McCown Longspur.

Recorded by O. C. Poling as common at Fort Hviachuca during
February and IVIarch (Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. 15, 1890, 71 j. 1
have never met with the species here myself.

Pooecetes gramineus confinis Baird. Western Vesper Sparrow.

The Western Vesper Sparrow is quite a common migrant in the
lowlands of this region, occurring as far up as the base of the mountains.
Near the Huachucas it was rather locally distributed, clinging in small
flocks to the same favorite localities as long as it remained in this region.
The earliest date at which any were seen was March 14, and they dis-
appeared soon after the middle of April.

Ammodramus sandwichensis alaudinus (Bonaparte). Western Savanna
Sparrow.
Very'^ rare. On March 29, 1902, I shot one on the plains a few miles
from the mountains, moulting so badly that I did not save it. This is
the only one I have seen in this region.

Cotumiculus bairdi (Audubon). Baird Sparrow.

This species proved to be exceedingly abundant in the spring, on
all parts of the plain below the Huachucas; even coming up into the
mouths of the canyons in places where the ground was open and free
from trees. Possibly a few remain through the winter as I took a speci-
men on February 17. 1903; but no more were seen until nearly the mid-
dle of March, when they became quite abundant, remaining so until the
end of April, when they rather abruptly disappeared. May 3, being the
latest date on which any were seen. I found them difficult to shoot at
all times, running through the grass and seldom taking wing when it
could be avoided ; and their colors harmonize so well with the surround-
ings that they were by no means easy to catch sight of. Xone were
observed singing at any time, nor were any seen in pairs ; they were not
at all gregarious, and though abundant, nearly all that were seen were

April 1904] BIRDS OF THH HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 39

single birds. If more than one was seen at a time they made no effort
to keep together when startled, but usually went in different directions.
Specimens taken the third week in April were undergoing a slight moult,
usually restricted to the chin, throat and upper breast. In such as have
completed this change, the plumage of these parts is of a decidedly more
buffy hue than in those taken earlier in the season, in which it is gen-
erally almost pure white. Aside from this, ahnost the only variation in
the specimens collected is in the markings of the pileum ; in some the
■dark streakings being destricted almost entirely to the sides, leaving a
broad, well defined, median line of buff", while others have the whole
crown almost equally strealced with dusky.

Coturniculus savannarum bimaculatus (Swainson). Western Grasshop-
per Sparrow.
A rare migrant. In 1902 I secured a female on March 31st, and a
pair on April 4th ; the following year a male was taken on April 5th.
These were all shot in a field at the base of the mountains, about 4500
feet, altitude, and are all that I have seen in this regoin.

Chondestes grammacus strigatus (Swainson). Western Lark Sparrow.
This species proved to be an exceedingly abundant summer resi-
dent in the washes below the mountains, arriving about the middle of
April. Though so common along the base of the mountains, I never met
with any above the very entrance of the canyons.

Zonotrichia leucophrys (Forster). White-crowned Sparrow.

I found this species, together with '^amhcli, very abundant alont^
the San Pedro River during the latter part of March and throughout
April, but they appeared in the Huachucas in but very limited numbers
The first seen in the mountains were secured on April 7th, and a few
others were observed at various times up to May 13th, when a pair of
l)irds were shot, none being detected above 5000 feet. Most of the speci-
mens taken early in May show more or less traces of moult on the head,
throat, and dorsum.

Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli (Nuttall). Intermediate Sparrow.

Very rare in the Hviachuca Mountains, though, as I before indicated,
more abundant along the valley of the San Pedro. Even there, how-
ever, it is outnumbered by true leucophrys two to one, and the only
positive record I have of its occurrence in the mountains is one immature
female taken March 24, 1903.

Spizella socalis arizonae Coues. Western Chipping Sparrow.

This species probably remains in the Huachucas through the winter,
for on my arrival in the mountains on February 17, 1903, I found large
flocks of Chipping Sparrows everywhere in the oak region, and they
remained in the greatest abundance all spring. Though not breeding in
this region they remain very late, being abundant up to the first of May;
and I saw some as late as May 15. In 1902 they appeared in the fall
about the first of August, and were soon quite abundant, though not as
much so as in the spring. All that were seen at this time were adults in
very worn plumage, many of them ragged and moulting. None were
seen at a higher altitude than 5000 feet.

Spizella breweri Cassin. Brewer Sparrow.

Occurring in company with the Chipping Sparrow in the spring, but
in much smaller numbers, and leaving at rather an earlier date. I saw
none in August or September up to the time I left the mountains.

40 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

Spizella atrogularis (Cabanis). Bl-\ck-chinned Sparrow.

On April 4, 1902, I heard a Black-chinned Sparrow singing on a
steep bill-side near our camp. The bird was not seen, buj the loud
characteristic song was kept up for some time, and I know of no other
species in this region with a note at all like it. Some ten days previous
to this I saw and heard several in the foothills of the Santa Catalina
Mountains, near Tucson, so I do not think I could have been mistaken.
This is the only occasion on which I have had any indications of the
presence of this species in the Huachucas, and it must be of rare occur-
rence there.

Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus). Slate-colored Junco.

Occurs in limited numbers in the winter in company with caniccps,
mearnsi and thurbcri. I took but four specimens all told : two males
taken on February 18 and 24, respectively, and a male and female taken
on March 24, all in 1903. Possibly three or four others were seen; none
being observed at a higher altitude than 5500 feet.

Junco hyemalis shufeldti Coale. Shufeldt Junco.

I have three Juncos from this region, two males and a female, which
Mr. Ridgway has identified as belonging to this race. These were all
taken at a low altitude in flocks composed of the various species of jitnca
wintering in the mountains, and though these were all the specimens
secured they may have been fairly abundant, being associated with
thurbcri as thev were; for the two races are bv no means easv to dier-
entiate. even where specimens are secured, and in the field it is prac-
tically impossible to do so.

Junco hyemalis thurberi Anthony. Thurber Junco.

As this bird is usually listed as a mere straggler in Arizona, I was
surprised at finding it as numerous as it was in the Huachuca Mountains
during February and March, 1003. At this time it was probably the
most abundant species of junco in the mountains, being particularly
numerous in the oak regions below 5500 feet, and occurring in limited
numbers up to the highest parts of the range. On February 21, I saw
a few on the divide of the mountain at about 9000 feet. After the middle
of March they began to disappear, and after the first of April but an
occasional small bunch of half a dozen or so was seen, the last observed
being on April 19. Specimens secured differ in no wise from birds in my
collection taken in various parts of Southern California.

Junco mearnsi Ridgway. Pink-sided Junco.

T found this species quite common during February and March, 1903,
occurring in the large flocks composed of the various species of juncos
that were in the mountains at the time ; but restricted almost entirely
to the lowest part of the range, no specimens of mearnsi being taken
above 5500 feet. Though not as abundant as some of the other species,
it was fairly numerous up to the third week in March, all that were seen
after that being an occasional stray bird, usually in a small flock of can-
iceps, which lingers in this region longer than any of the other non-resi-
dent species of juncos. The last Pink-sided Junco seen was a female
shot on April 15. In the specimens secured there is considerable varia-
tion, particularly in the females, in the shade of pink of the sides, and the
area covered by it ; in some this color extending^ far up on the sides of the
neck, or meeting- across the breast.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 4I

Junco caniceps (Woodhouse). Gray-headed Junco.

A winter resident, very abundant in the oak regions, and to a lesser
extent in the higher parts of the mountains, remaining until about the end
of April. In February and the early part of March it was outnumbered
bv f/mrbcri, but as that species decreased in numbers caniceps became
more in evidence, though probably not really increasing in numbers. Up
to the middle of April the Gray-headed Junco was still fairly abundant,
though in smaller Hocks than before, and often found at a considerably
higher altitude than that frequented earlier in the season. I took sev-
eral specimens as high as 9000 feet, and they may have been more numer-
ous than I supposed, for those secured were usually in company with the
Arizona Junco (/. />. palliafus) and it is not easy to distinguish between
the two species in life. I took specimens on various occasions toward
the end of April, and have one shot as late as May 2 (1896). A small
percentage of specimens of both sexes have more or less chestnut on the
crown, of the same color as the back, usually in the shape of a few dis-
connected spots but occasionally covering nearly the whole of the crown.
There is also considerable variation in the color of the tertials, which,
usually edged with pale gray or having the whole outer web of that color,
are in about a third of the specimens collected, broadly edged with pale
brown.

Four specimens were secured which are probably hybrids between
caniceps and inearnsi (J. anneetcns of Professor Baird. and /. ridgzvayi
of Dr. Mearns). These were all taken in March, 1903, two males the
7th and I2th, ?nd two females on the 13th and 14th. respectively. Three
of these, a male and two females, resemble each other very closely, and
?re oracticalb' like average ex'^mples of caniceps but with more or les,^
pink on the sides and flanks. The fourth specimen, a male taken March
12, is quite different from these and has apparently just undergone a com-
plete moult, for there are pin feathers scattered over the body, three of
tl'-e rectrirf^s have not vet attained their full leneth, and over the entire
plumage there is a gloss and bloom only present in newly acquired
plumage. The head and throat are darker than is the case in either
caniceps or inearnsi, there is considerable pink on the sides and flanks,
and the lower parts from the breast to the anal region are dirty bufif, the
only pure white feathers being the under tail coverts. The interscapular
region is dark chestnut obscured throughovt by a dusky wash; the
greater wing coverts are reddish brown, and the outer web of the tertials
is broadly margined with the same.

All four of tbpse birds in general appearance resemlilc caniceps
nnich more c^oselv than thev do niearnsi.

Junco phaenotus palliatus Ridofway. Arizona Junco.

An abundant resident, and one with which, apparently, the seasons
make but little difference, for not only does it refrain from going further
south at the advent of cold weather, but I could discern little evidence
of any vertical migration either. During February and March I found
the non-resident species of j uncos together in large flocks throughout
the oak resion, but I never once took a specimen of palliatns in any of
these mixed gatherings. Even in the coldest weather I never saw one
below 5500 feet, and they were most abundant above 7500 feet ; usually in
small bunches of six or eieht. occasionally witht a strav caniceps includ-
ed in the flock, but usuallv by themselves. They are at all times, winter
and summer, most abundant along the divide of the mountains, from
8500 to 10,000 feet, altitude, and the only appreciable difference in their

42 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No 4

distribution at the different seasons, is that up to the end of March they
are fairly abundant between 5500 and 6500 feet, while but very few breed
at so low an altitude. They begin to pair off about the first week in
April ; on April 25 I shot a female which had laid part of its set, while the
latest nest I have seen was one containing three badly incubated eggs,
on July 30. The nest is usually built upon the ground, under a bunch
of grass, a log, or, as I have occasionally found it, under a flat stone ; but
this is not invariably the case, as I have known one or two instances of
its being placed in some thick shrubbery, a drooping pine limb, or a
young fir, a foot or two above the ground. The Arizona Junco is much
more arboreal in its habits in general than any other of the genus that T
have come in contact with, and on several occasions specimens were shot
from the topmost branches of the pines, fluttering about like warblers,
for which I mistook them, and from their actions apparently in search
of insect food. In the spring the male bird frequently ascends high in
the tree tops, and sits there motionless, uttering his short song at fre-
quent intervals; and two or more may often be seen pursuing one an-
other through the trees, seldom descending to the ground at such times.
About the middle of June the young birds in the spotted plumage begin
to appear, and all through July they are quite numerous, often two or
more broods running together, accompanied by the various parents.
The young birds are at this time heavily streaked above and below,
though less on the throat and abdomen than elsewhere, the bill is uni-
formly black, and the iris brown. The dark streakings are confined
principally to the tips of the feathers, and, as the soft juvenile plumage
wears away very rapidly, those birds which have nearly attained their
full size have these markings much more faintly indicated than those
which have just left the nest. Specimens taken late in July, nearly ready
to discard the juvenile plumage, have the dorsum nearly uniform red, as
in the adults though much paler; and the dark streaks of the lower parts
restricted almost entirely to the upper breast. As the bird becomes older
the iris gets paler, changing from brown to whitish, then to pale yellow,
and finally, about the time the juvenile plumage is shed, to the bright
yellow of the adult bird. At the same time the lower mandible is grad-
ually becoming paler than the upper, the change in this respect as well as
in the iris, being completed about the time the adult plumage is assumed.
The juvenile plumage is shed in August, at tbe same time that the adults
are undergoing their post-nuptial moult; specimens secured on Septem-
ber 2 being hardly distinguishable from adults, and wi^h but a few faint
spots remaining on the breast, sides of the head, and scapulars. The
scapulars seem to retain the juvenile markings the longest, and I have
one specimen, a female, presumably of the previous year, taken on April
4, in which not only the scapulars, but the greater wing coverts also, are
tipped with dusky, and there are one or two faint spots on the red of the
dorsum as well. An adult male taken September 2, has not quite
completed the moult, some of the rectrices having not yet acquired their
growth ; and is practically indistinguishable from specimens taken in
February, the principal difference being in the softer more blended ap-
pearance of the plumage.

In the specimens collected there is some difference, mamly seasonal,
in the intensity of the red of the back, those taken in February and
March, having the color obscured by grayish edgings to the feathers.
In a number of cases there is. more or less admixture of grayish in the
red of the sca'pulars and greater wing coverts, these parts occasionally
being almost entirely gray. In the tertials also there is considerable

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 43

variation, from those in which the outer web is gray with hardly a trace
of red, through every stage to those in which they, together with the
scapulars and greater coverts, are uniform with the back. All the speci-
mens secured have the bright yelow iris of palliatus, and I took none
but what are referable to that race rather than dorsalis, though the latter
might be expected to occur in this region in the winter. Intergradation
between the two races might be indicated by the varying extent of the
red areas of the upper parts in the specimens of palliatus secured.

. In just one specimen, a female, is there any indication of red on the
crown, but whereas in caniceps, where it is fairly common, such a mark-
usually takes the form of a more or less connected patch, in this case it
is a well defined line over each eye.

Amphispiza bilineata deserticola Ridgway. Desert Sparrow.

Breeds in the greatest abundance in the valley of the San Pedro
River, where it is probably resident the year through. It appears in
limited numbers in the foothills of the Huachucas for a short time in
the spring, from the end of March, to about the end of April ; and though
I have seen none during the breeding season, toward the end of July
small flocks were frequently met with, usually composed of a single
family ; the two parent birds and three or four juveniles.

Aimophila cassini (Woodhouse). Cassin Sparrow.

When I reached the Huachuca Mountains at the. end of March, 1902,
I found this species scattered in small numbers along the base of the
mountains, and took several specimens during the first week in April.
At the middle of April it was fairly abundant along the San Pedro River,
being generally found in the tall grass; and in June, O. W. Howard
found several nests in the valley, some ten miles from the mountains,
that probably belonsr to this species, though none were positively identi-
fied. About the middle of March of the same year I took several speci-
mens in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, near Tucson.

It seems rather irregular in its occurrence, for in. 1903, there were
none to be found in places where it was fairly abundant the previous
year ; and the only one seen was a single bird at the base of the Hua-
chucas, on May 14th.

Aimophila ruficeps scotti (Sennett).. Scott Sparrow.

This species proved to be an abundant resident in the Huachucas,
particularly favoring those oarts of the foothills which, having but little
brush, are covered with tall ofrass pnd a scattering growth of live-oaks.
Though most abundant in the foothills below five thousand feet, they
seemed afifected more by environment than altitude, and were found
throughout the mountains, in all suitable places, quite up to the divide
of the range. They were almost invariably seen in pairs, occasionally
but rarely, two pair being together . Specimens collected vary consid-
erably in color. This variation is seasonal to a great extent, for birds
taken in February and March have the colors of the upper parts ob-
scured by the grayish edgings to the feathers ; but aside from this, and
irrespective of sex, some are much paler than others. It is only those
taken late in the summer, in July and August, in very abraded plumage,
that have the rufons of the crown clearly defined and unmixed with other
colors.

44 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

Melospiza lincolni (Audubon). Lincoln Sparrow.

This species is usually fairly abundant in the spring, frequenting
damp shady places in the canyons up to an altitude of 6200 feet. In 1902
I found it in the mountains when I arrived at the end of March, remain-
ing until about the midle of May ; but in 1903 the first did not arrive
until May 9, and not more than half a dozen were seen altogether.

Pipilo maculatus megalonyx (Baird). Spurred Towhee.

A common resident in the higher parts of the mountains, descend-
ing, along the canyons, as low as 5500 feet, but most abundant from 7500
feet upward. During the breeding season a more restricted area is oc-
cupied than at other times ; for after the young birds begin to appear,
about the middle of July, they scatter over the mountains, and are more
abundant in the lower canyons than before, but at all times their num-
bers are greater along the divide of the mountains, in the pines, than
elsewhere.

Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus (Baird). Canyon Towhee.

Occurs in limited numbers along the base of the mountains, favor-
ing the more barren foothill region rather than the canyons, where it is
frequently seen in companv with Aimophila rnficeps scotfi. It is far
more abundant along the San Pedro River than I have found it any-
where in the Huachucas.

Oreospiza chlorura (Townsend). Green-tailed Towhee.

A common migrant, frequenting the lower canyons up to an alti-
tude of about 6000 feet. In 1902 the earliest arrival noted in the Hua-
chucas was on April 2, though I saw some near Tucson, in the Santa
Catalina Mountains at the middle of March. They were fairly abundant
throughout April, and up to the middle of May; reappearing in the fall
on September ist. In 1903 the Green-tailed Towhee were very late in
arriving, the first seen being on May 6th; the last noted, on May 22nd.
At this time all that were seen were in the washes issuing from the can-
yons, specimens being taken a mile or more from the mountains. A male
bird, presumably of the previous year, taken on May 8, 1903, has hardly
a trace of the rufous crown, and is generally of a duller color and with
the markings less sharply defined than in the fully adult bird. An im-
mature female, taken September i, 1902. has the rufous crown obscured
by dusky tips to the feathers, and the whole of the upper parts sufifused
with a brownish wash.

Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linnaeus). Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

I have in my possession a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak collected by
R. D. Lusk in the Huachuca Mountains, on June 29, 1894. From the
date at which it was taken it would almost seem as if it was a breeding
bird, though I doubt very much that that was the case. This species is
undoubtedly of extremely rare occurrence in this region ; I have never
met with it myself nor do I know of any other specimens secured in the
mountains.

Zamelodia melanocephala (Swainson). Black-headed Grosbeak.

This species is one of the most abundant and conspicuous of the
breeding birds of this region, and during the summer months the loud,
ringing song of the male bird can be heard in all parts of the mountains.
They arrive in April, in 1902 the first being seen on April 20th, and the
following year on April 28th ; and though the first arrivals soon set to

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA 45

work at their housekeeping, migrating birds were taken up to the end
of May. It is rather singular that though in Cahfornia this species is
most abundant in the willow regions of the low lands, here it is pre-
eminently a bird of the higher mountains, and, even during the migra-
tions, of very rare occurrence in the lower valleys. During the summer
it is most abundant in the highest parts of the mountains, seldom breed-
ing below 6000 feet ; but soon after the young leave the nest a down-
ward movement is begun, and up to the middle of August these Gros-
beaks fairly swarm in some of the lower canyons, young and old gather-
ing together in enormous, though loose and straggling flocks. They
have a bad name with the fruit growers of this region, who destrov tl-'p'ii
without mercy, and there is no doubt that they are very destructive to
the fruit, descending on the orchards in large flocks, and ruining much
besides what they eat. A series of eighteen male birds from the Hua-
chuca Mountains shows considerable variation in color and markings,
but the most highly plumaged specimens have the lower parts darker
than any California birds in my possession, with rather more black on
the chin and throat. A well defined tawny postocular stripe is present
in many instances, and even in most perfectly marked early spring speci-
mens it is usually indicated by rusty tips to the feathers of those parts
which are lost by abrasion at a later date; so that it is really only late
summer specimens in worn plumage that have the head solid black with-
out any appearance of these markings. One bird, otherwise as bright-
colored and highly marked as any collected, has the black of the head
divided by a broad, well defined median stripe reaching quite to the bill,
while the postocular stripe is continued, narrowly but sharply defined,
over the eye to the nostril. Several specimens taken during the latter
part of May were changing from the dull, immature plumage to that of
the adult ; and such birds are variously marked, streaked more or less
underneath, with the bright new black and white wing and tail feathers
showing conspicuously against the old dull colored ones, and blotches
of old feathers showing on various parts of the head and body. This
change seems to be accomplished very gradually, however, and I saw
none which appeared very ragged as a result of it. It is noteworthy that
in such specimens the postocular stripe is always present, more or less
conspicuously, so that it is possible that such a mark is to some extent
a mark of immaturity.

The male birds had nearly all left by the second week in August ;
and such as were taken at this time had not yet commenced to moult
their summer plumage, though in many instances the white and tawney
edges to the feathers of the dorsum, as well as the scapulars and tertials,
had worn off to such an extent as to leave those parts almost uniformly
black in appearance. By the middle of August none but females and im-
mature birds remained, and these gradually disappeared, until by the
end of the month there were very few to be seen of any age or sex.

Guiraca caerulea lazula (Lesson). Western Blue Grosbeak.

A common summer resident along the San Pedro River, but of rare
occurrence in the Huachucas. Several times during August, 1902, I
thought I heard the note of the Blue Grosbeak in some of the lower can-
yons but never secured any. I have seen an adult male taken by R. D.
Lusk in the Huachuca Mountains, August 19, 1894.

Cyanospiza amoena (Say). Lazuli Bunting.

During the spring migration this species appears in the Huachucas,
not in great numbers, but still in tolerable abundance ; but its stay is an

46 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

exceedingly short one, more so than any other of the migrating species.
In 1903 the first noted was on April 14th ; for about a week they were
quite plentiful, and then abruptly disappeared. In 1902 I observ^ed a few
along the San Pedro River on April 17th ; a day or two later they began
to appear in the mountains, and by the third week in April had all gone
on. In 1896 I saw a very few during the last week in April. They re-
appear at a very early date, for one was seen on July 22, 1902, and their
numbers increased rapidly throughout August. Though at all times
more abundant in fairly open ground in the lower parts of the moun-
tains than elsewhere, I have occasionally seen them far up the canyons ;
and, particularly in the spring, have known them to ascend to as high
an altitude as 8000 feet. At such times they were generally in mixed
flocks of migrating warblers, vireos, etc. ; and fed with them in the tree
tops rather than on or near the ground, as they usually do. In the fall
the old males were the first to appear, the females and young following
later. An adult male taken August 21st has renewed many of the
feathers of the head and back, but for the rest it is clothed almost entire-
ly in the old worn breeding plumage. An adult female taken August
nth has almost entirely renewed the plumage of the upper parts, and
has many new feathers scattered over the throat, breast and sides.

Cyanospiza ciris (Linnaeus). Painted Bunting.

On July 12, 1902, I secured a male bird of this species, which, on
dissection appeared to be an adult, though lacking entirely the bright
colors of the old male. The plumage is old and abraded, the upper parts
almost uniform dull greenish, while the lower parts are yellowish
with a tinge of green on the throat and breast. This bird was taken near
the mouth of a canyon, feeding on the ground under some live-oaks, and
another, apparently a facsimile of the one secured, was seen close bv.
Several times during the month of August I imaeined I saw others in
the same dull plumage in the flocks of amoena which were abundant at
the time, but no more were secured : and it is difficult, if not impossible,
to distinguish with any degree of certainty, the immature of the two
species while flying about.

Calamospiza melanocorys Stejneger. Lark Bunting.

The only place in this region wdiere I have found the Lark Bunting
really abundant is below Fort Huachuca along the edge of the rnesi
rising from the Barbacomari River. I have occasionally seen scattered
birds along the base of the Huachucas elsewhere, though not many, but
here during the migrations they can usually be found in considerable
numbers. I saw several small flocks here on x^pril 22, 1902, and secured
a male which had nearly acquired the nuptial plumage. The lower parts
are nearly all black, and the plumage of the wings and tail has been
entirely renewed, but a good many old feathers remain, scattered over
the upper parts, and a single pure white one shows conspicuously against
the black throat. On May 16, 1902, I saw a large flock and several single
birds on the Empire Ranch, some twenty-five miles to the northward of
the Huachucas, the latest that I have seen any in this region in the
spring. The first to appear in the fall were three adult males which T
saw at the base of the mountains on August loth ; while on September
5th, while driving to the railroad, flocks of hundreds were seen on the
plains below Fort Huachuca, all moving in a southerly direction. In
these flocks none were seen in the black and white plumage of the adult
male, so that either the old males had gone on ahead, or had already
moulted their summer plumage.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACH]QCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 47

Piranga ludoviciana (Wilson). Western Tanager,

Occasionally during the summer months I have seen Western Tan-
agers in some of the higher parts of the mountains, so they probably
breed in the Huachucas, though in very limited numbers. They are
fairly common during the spring migration, the first noted being on
April 26, but are more abundant in the lower oak regions than elsewhere,
going in flocks of ten or twelve, often in company with the Black-headed
Grosbeaks. Such flocks were seen throughout May and early in June,
after which they disappeared, except for the stragglers before men-
tioned, to reappear about the third week in July, rapidly increasing in
numbers from then on. Throughout August they remained in large
flocks composed mostly of young birds and females, with but a sprink-
ling of old males, and their favorite food at this time seemed to be the
wild cherries, of which there is an abundance in the mountains.

Piranga hepatica Swainson. Hepatic Tanager.

A fairly common summer resident, generally distributed over the
mountains during the migration, but in the breeding season restricted
more to the canyons between 5000 and 7500 feet. In 1902 the first arrival
was noted on April nth, and the following year on April i6th ; about the
middle of May they were quite abundant in the higher pine regions,
going in flocks of eight or ten, feeding in the tree tops and but seldom
descending to the ground. The male birds collected vary but little in
shade or intensity of the red coloration, except that late summer birds
are paler and duller through abrasion of the plumage, but there is hardly
one that does not show some greenish-yellow feathers somewhere in the
plumage, sometimes but a scattered feather or two, and sometimes a
conspicuous patch of that color. Two male birds secured are strikingly
different from the others in that in general appearance they strongly
resemble the female, though of a larger size. Possibly this is an imma-
ture stage, but it seems to be of rare occurrence ; and one of these two
birds was taken on April i6th, the first of the species to arrive for the
year, which is rather unusual for a young bird ; while the other, shot on
Tune 2, 1896, was a breeding bird. The first mentioned is, in coloration,
a facsimile of the average female, but the other differs in having chin,
throat, and jugulam, bright orange, with some of the same color on the
anterior portion of the crown. Females vary, principally on the lower
parts, from rather bright greenish-yellow to dark olive-green : while one
from the Santa Rita Mountains has the entire under parts, including the
lower tail coverts, and excluding the flanks, bright orange-buff.

A young bird taken August 26, 1902. with sex undetermined but
probably a male, for it is larger than the average female, is still in the
streaked juvenile plumage. Chin, throat, breast and abdomen are
heavily streaked with dusky, while the crown, dorsum, rump and lower
tail coverts are more faintly marked with the same. A few greenish-
vellow feathers are beginning to appear on various parts of the body.

Piranga rubra cooperi Ridgway. Cooper Tanager.

This species proved to be of very rare occurrence in the mountains,
(luring the migration ; though it is a fairly common summer resident
along the San Pedro River. I have met with it in the Huachucas on but
three occasions; a male bird, secured on May 6, 1902, at an altitude of
5700 feet, which is probably as high an elevation as is ever reached by
this species ; and two females taken near the base of the mountains on
May 3, 1902, and May 8, 1903, respectivelj-.

4^ PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

Petrochelidon lunifrons (Say). Cliff Swallow.

At various times during the month of April and May I have seen
small flocks of Cliff Swallows passing overhead, usually flying at a con-
siderable height, but I know of no place in this region where the species
breeds. As no specimens were secured it is, of course, possible that P.
inelanogastra was also seen, and it may be that all that were observed
belonged to that species rather than lunifrons.

Hirundo erythrogastra Boddaert. Barn Swallow.

Though the Barn Swallow is an exceedingly common summer resi-
dent along the San Pedro River and in the low lands generally in this
region, I have seen it along the base of the Huachucas on but very few
occasions during the migration.

Tachycineta thalassina lepida (Mearns). Northern Violet-green Swal-
low.
A fairly abundant summer resident in the higher parts of the range,
breeding from 7500 feet upward, but most numerous along the divide of
the mountain. The first arrivals were noted on INIarch 12, 1903, a small
flock flying about some live oaks at the mouth of a canyon, but they
were not at all abundant until about a month later. Toward the end of
July, 1902, after the young were out of the nest, they moved down into
the lower parts of the mountains, where young and old were seen to-
gether in large flocks ; the young birds being, in many cases, still fed by
their parents.

Ampelis cedrorum (Vieillot). Cedar Waxwing.

Probably of very irregular occurrence. None were seen either in
1896 or 1903, but in the spring of 1902 they were fairly abundant in the
lower canyons up to an altitude of 6000 feet. They were seen through-
out the month of April, the last obser\^ed being a small flock on May 6th.

Phainopepla nitens (Swainson). Phainopepla.

Though this species is an exceedingly abundant summer resident in
the lower valleys of this region, it does not, as far as I am aware, breed
anywhere in the Huachuca Mountains ; but appears in the spring, during
the migration, in limited numbers in the foothills. About the end of
July, 1902, a movement began from the lower valleys up into the moun-
tains, and during August the Phainopeplas were most numerous through-
out the oak region, up to about 5000 feet. At this time they were in
loose straggling flocks of from six to a dozen birds, young and old to-
gether, and were generally seen sitting in the tree tops and feeding for
the most part, as flycatchers.

Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides (Swainson). White-rumped Shrike.

A common resident throughout the brush-covered valleys and low-
lands generally, breeding occasionally quite up to the base of the moun-
tains. I found it most abundant in the Huachucas, though even then
OTily in the lowest parts of the foothill region, toward the end of the
summer from the last week in July through the month of August ; most
of the birds seen being young of the year. The shrikes of this region
seem to be rather late in their breeding, compared with the California
birds.

On March 21, 1903, I saw eight or ten birds in one place nei.r the
San Pedro River, evidently pairing off ; the males sitting on the tree
tops singing, and at frequent inter\'als fighting among themselves or

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 49

pursuing the females. On April 17, 1902, several nests containing from
one to three eggs were examined, and the first containing a full set was
one containing six eggs, found on April 22nd. An immature bird taken
on July 26th, is still to a great extent in the grayish brown vermiculated
juvenile plumage, but another, shot on August 6th, is hardly distinguish-
able from the adult. An adult male taken on August 17th has almost
completed the moult, the only old feathers remaining being a few in the
wings and tail. It is appreciably darker than the spring specimens.

Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus). Red-eyed Vireo.

I have an adult male of this species taken in the Huachuca Moun-
tains by R. D. Lusk on May 20, 1895. It is probably a mere straggler
to this region.

Vireo gilvus swainsoni (Baird). Western Warbling Vireo.

A very common migrant ; but though I thought it possible that a
few might remain to breed in these mountains, I was unable to detect
any during the breeding season, and they probably go further north ;
though from the early date at which they reappeared in the fall their
breeding ground cannot be at any great distance to the northward. The
earliest date at which I have seen this species in the spring was April
21, IQ02; the following year the first seen was on April 30th. They were
found in all parts of the mountains, though probably most abundant in
the oak region, below 6000 feet, and remained in tolerable abundance
until about the third week in May. They reappeared before the end of
July ; I saw several on July 27th, and, though not as abundant as in the
spring, they were to be found all through the oak region during the
month of August.

Vireo solitarius cassini (Xantus). Cassin Vireo.

A common migrant, found throughout the mountains. The earliest
arrival noted in the spring was on April 9th, and the last seen on May
22nd. On September 3, 1902, I saw several and secured two, a male and
a female, in newly acquired autumnal plumage.

Vireo solitarius plumbeus (Coues). Plumbeous Vireo.

During the spring migration the Plumbeous Vireo is quite abundant
in all parts of the mountains ; and at this time I took several specimens
from the base of the mountains up to the top of the highest peaks.

During the summer it is not so numerous, though still a fairly com-
mon bird, and the breeding birds occupy a more restricted area, being
found along the canyons, from 6000 to 8000 feet. In 1902, the first seen
was on May 6th; in 1903, one was secured on May ist, and on May 5th,
one was seen at work at a nest which was already well started. Speci-
mens collected show considerable variation in color, and though I took
none that could be confused with cussiin, still some have a considerable
admixture of greenish-yellow on the sides and flanks ; though the ma-
jority have those parts plain, dark plumbeous. A female shot on May
nth, has a number of old, worn feathers scattered over the crown and
back as though it were just completing a moult.

Vireo huttoni stephensi Brewster. Stephens Vireo.

Possibly this species remains in the Huachucas Mountains through-
out the winter, but I am inclined to doubt it, and if it does it must be in
very limited numbers. I secured a single bird as early as February
20th, but no more were seen until March 2nd, when another was taken ;

50 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

about the middle of March they became more abundant, though not a
common bird at any time, and soon after the middle of the month were
already in pairs. Upon their first arival they were found mostly in the
live oaks near the base of the mountains, but the breeding- range seems
to lie between 5000 and 7500 feet. During the breeding season these
vireos were very quiet and inconspicuous, and were most easily over-
looked ; but after the middle of August they began to appear in con-
siderable numbers, and were more abundant at this time than at any
other. Specimens taken the middle" of August are in the midst of the
moult, but some secured the first week in September have nearly com-
pleted the change. Birds taken at this time are generally rather darker
and more olivaceous than spring specimens, with more greenish-yellow
on the edges of the wing and tail feathers. Aside from these seasonal
differences the series of specimens I secured here shows very ilttle
variation in color, and I took none which approach huttoni very closely;
but I have a male specimen of huttoni taken at Los Angeles on Decem-
ber 6th, 1898, which is almost indistinguishable from autumnal examples
of stcphensi; being quite as pale in coloration, but having rather more
greenish-yellow streakings on the sides and flanks than is the case with
that race. The bill is also of the larger size which distinguishes the
coast race.

Vireo pusillus Coues. Least Vireo.

This species must be of very rare occurrence in these mountains,
for the only occasion on which I met with it was on April 8, 1902, when
a single bird was seen, but not secured, in a live-oak at the base of the
movmtains. Along the San Pedro River it is a common migrant, and
breeds fairly abundantly in suitable places.

Helminthophila luciae (Cooper). Lucy Warbler.

From April 8th to 12th, 1902, I found this species in very limited
numbers, in company with virginiac, gittturalis and Intcscciis, in some
live-oaks at the mouth of the canyon I was camped in. This is the only
occasion on which I have found it in the Huachucas, though in the lower
valleys of- this region it is an exceedingly abundant summer resident.
Along the San Pedro River it breeds in great abundance, and O. W.
Howard and F. C. Willard have both informed me that in this region
the nest is frequently placed in some hole or depression in the steep
sides of the "washes" and "draws" which intersect the country draining
to the river.

Helminthophila virginiae (Baird). Virginia Warbler.

This species proved to be very abundant during the spring migra-
tion, particularly in the lower parts of the mountains ; but the nipst of
them seem to go farther north, and but few, compared with the numbers
seen in April and the early part of May, remained through the summer
to breed. The earliest arrival noted was on April loth and soon after
they were quite abundant, mostly in the oak region below 5000 feet,
remaining so throughout April and up to the first week in May. at which
time the migrating birds had about all passed on. All that were seen
after that I took to be breeding birds, for they gradually moved to a
higher altitude, (6000 to 8000 feet) and were nearly all in pairs. About
the middle of April. 1902, I found a few virginiae, together with other
migrating warblers, in the willows along the San Pedro River, some
fifteen miles from the mountains. Throughout the summer thev were

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 5I

very quiet and inconspicuous ; I once or twice heard the male bird sing-
ings from some elevated position, but as a rule they kept quietly in the
underbrush, close to the ground, and were most easily overlooked. On
-May 20, 1903, I found a nest about half finished, which on the 29th
contained four fresh eggs. It was built on a steep sidehill about ten
feet from a much traveled trail, and was very well concealed ; being
under a thick bunch of overhanging grass, and sunk into the ground be-
sides, so as to be entirely hidden from view. This was at an elevation
of about 8000 feet, which seems to be about the upward limit for this
species in this region. About the middle of July, young birds began
to appear, and from this time, young and old moved down into the foot-
hill region once more, where I took specimens at various times through
the month of August, though they were not nearly as nimierous as in
the spring.

In the spring males collected there is great variation in the amount
of yellow on the breast; in some instances it extends quite to the bill,
and over the sides of the breast, while in some few it is restricted to a
small, faintly indicated sppt. Usually the yellow is restricted to the
center of the breast and lower part of the throat, the upper throat and
chin being grayish white ; and even in the brightest colored specimens
there is a more or less well defined line of grayish extending across the
yellow of the throat. Just one spring bird shows signs of moult on the
chin and throat, the new feathers being yellow, the old ones gray; so
possibly it is the older birds which are the brightest in this respect. In
some females the yellow marking is almost entirely absent, while in
others it is quite bright, more so than in some of the duller colored males ;
and in the females the chestnut crown patch is sometimes present and
sometimes not.

An adult male taken August i8th, which has nearly completed the
post-nuptial moult, has the upper parts clear gray with but very little
of a brownish cast. The lower parts are grayish, strongly tinged with
brown on the sides and flanks, while the yellow of the breast is overcast
with grayish, and the chin and throat white, tinged with yellowish buff.
An adult female taken August 22nd, in newly acquired autumnal plumage
has the upper parts uniform grayish brown, much darker than the male
bird just described. The crown patch is present but almost entirely
concealed by the brownish tips of the feathers. The yellow of the breast
is quite as extensive as in many spring specimens, but overcast with
grayish : while the throat and median line of the abdomen are white with
a decidedly buffy tinge, the sides and flanks being brownish. A very
young male has the upper parts dull grayish brown, the breast, sides and
flanks a rather paler shade of the same, while the chin, throat and abdo
men are a dirty white. On the median line of the throat and on each
side of the breast, a narrow line of buffy yellow pin feathers is appear-
ing. A female, a little older, has the entire lower parts of this buffy
yellow hue, a spot on the breast being almost clear yellow. Another,
with sex undertermined but probably a female, is about the same but
lacks the yellow on the breast, having the lower parts buffy yellow in-
terrupted by a line of grayish feathers across the throat. Two young
males taken at a later stage have lost much of the buffy hue of the lower
parts, have the chin and throat grayish white, the yellow of the breast
quite bright and well defined, and are losing by moult the plumage of
the head, upper neck, and back, replacing it with a plumage more like
the adult. In one case in which the feathers of the pileum have been

52 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

almost completely renewed, there is still no sign of the chestnut crown
patch of the adult bird. It is rather curious that in all these juveniles
the yellowish rump, and upper and lower tail coverts, are nearly or quite
as bright as in the adult.

To sum up, it would seem that on leaving the nest the young bird is
in a plumage, grayish-brown above, on the breast and sides, and whitish
on throat and abdomen, which is retained but a very short time ; a moult
of the lower parts taking place almost immediately, and those parts be-
coming a more or less uniform buffy-yellow from the bill to the anal
region. A little later the plumage of the upper parts is moulted, and at
the same time the bulTy breast and abdomen changes to gr.ayish-white
with the yellow breast spot. Through the changes the rectrices and re-
miges are retained and the bird is now much like the autumnal
adult, though lacking the chestnut crown patch, which possibly is not
acquired until the following spring.

Helminthophila rubricapilla gutturalis (Ridgway). Calaveras Warbler.
Contrary to my expectations T found the Calaveras to be rather a
common migrant in this region, and in the spring at least, occurring in
the lowlands as well as in the mountains. The earliest noted in the
Huachucas was on April 6th and the last seen on April 25th ; while about
the middle of April I saw several in the willows along the San Pedro
River. In the spring they were most abundant in the oaks at the mouths
of the canyons, but also occurred up as high as 6500 feet. They re-
appeared in the fall on August i8th, and until I left, September 5th, were
fairly abundant, but frequented rather diflferent localities than in the
spring; for I took none below 5500 feet, and they were most abundant
along the divide of the mountain, from 9000 to 10,000 feet, where they
fed mostly in the flowers and weeds which had sprung up from the sum-
mer rains. Both adults and young were taken at this time, but the old
birds seemed to be the most numerous.

Helminthophila celata (Say). Orange-crowned Warbler.

On September 2, 1902, I secured a male bird of this species from
where it was feeding in some low bushes at an altitude of 9000 feet. The
same day I saw several more apparently the same, fluttering in and out
of a thick patch of sunflowers, but was unable to get any of them. The
one secured is a facsimile of some fall birds I have taken in Southern
California, with the head very gray, grayish-white orbital ring, and the
lower parts dull greenish yellow, obscurely streaked with grayish. On
April 17, 1902, I secured a female in some willows near the San Pedro
River which appears to be of this species. Allowing for the greater
abrasion of the plumage, it is practically the same as the autumn bird
just mentioned.

Helminthophila celata lutescens Ridgway. Lutescent Warbler.

Although I found the Lutescen Warbler to be a most abundant
migrant in the spring in this region, I took but few specimens which
can be considered as typical of the race ; but one or two, in fact, which
are as brightly colored as Pacific Coast specimens. The greater part of
those secured appear to be intermediate between celata and lutscens.
but nearer the latter from which they differ principally in being of duller
coloration.

Although I have seen the species at Tucson in the middle of March,
the earliest arrival noted in the Huachuca Mountains was on April 8th ;
the last seen on May 5th.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 53

Dendroica olivacea (Girand). Olive Warbler.

I have not found this species very abundant in the Huachucas at
any time, but it is probably resident to some extent, for I secured an
adult male on February 21, when the snow was deep on the ground.
During March I saw several more, all adult males and single birds,
usually with a troop of Pygmy Nuthatches ; but it was not until the first
of April, when the other warblers were arriving, that they became at all
abundant. In 1902, they were few in numbers and I did not get many
specimens, in fact but two adult males were observed ; but in 1903 they
"became fairly abundant, particularly in April, when many small flocks-
of five or six birds each, were seen. I found them only in the pine forests
of the highest parts of the mountains, even in cold weather none being
seen below 8500 feet ; and more were secured above 9000 feet than below
it. They were seldom in company with other warblers, but when not
alone, associated with nuthatches and creepers. In their actions they
are more like vireos than warblers, clambering slowly and deliberately
over the branches in the search for food ; and uttering at frequent inter-
vals a liquid note much like that of a bluebird, but ventriloquial in its
efifect, and very difificult to locate. Though frequenting the tree tops to
a great extent, they seem singularly tame and unsuspicious, and several
times I have had one feeding in some of the lower branches, within arm's
reach of me without it's showing the least sign of fear.

The male birds seem to take at least two years in acquiring the adult
plumage, being indistinguishable from the female the first year, and I
was surprised at the large proportion of birds in this immature plumage
that were seen. At a very liberal estimate I should say that the males in
adult plumage comprised barely a third of the birds seen in the spring;
while in the late summer, when the flocks of juveniles appeared on the
scene, the proportion of perfect plumaged males was, of course, much
smaller. The male bird breeds in the immature plumage, for on June 21,
1902, I assisted Mr. O. W. Howard in securing a nest, containing four
eggs, the parents of which were indistinguishable in color and markings.

About the middle of July young birds began to appear, and through-
out August young and old "were seen together in small flocks.

Dendroica aestiva sonorana BrcAvster. Sonoran Yellow Warbler.

A common summer resident along the San Pedro River. It is possi-
ble that this species occasionally breeds in the Huachucas, for on sev-
eral occasions about the middle of June, 1902. I saw a single bird, a
female, at the same spot, a small clump of willows in a canyon at an
altitude of about 5500 feet. This warbler does not occur in the moun-
tains at all during the spring migration, but in August, 1902, it was
fairly abundant up to 6000 feet, the first seen being on August 9, and
most of those observed being immature birds. An adult female taken
August 26th, in fresh autumnal plumage, is very curiously colored; nor-
mallv marked below, but the dark olive-green of the upper parts, wings
and tail, irregularly blotched with bright yellow ; so that in the char-
acter of coloration it closely resembles a tame canary.

Dendroica aestiva brewsteri Grinnell. Western Yellow Warbler.

From May 8 to 19. 1903, I found Yellow Warblers in limited num-
bers in some of the washes immediately below the mountains. At the
time I took them to be sonorana, but the nine specimens I secured ,five
males and four females, prove to be indistinguishable from California
birds; and were probably migrants en route for the Pacific Coast to-

54 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

g'ether with D. f07viiseiidi, D. occidcntalis, Vireo s. cassiui, and others
passing through here at the same time.

Dendroica auduboni (Townsend). Audubon Warbler.

I was surprised at not finding this species in the mountains during
the winter months, but it seems to occur in the Huachucas only as a
migrant. A single bird was seen near the base of the mountains on
March 6th, but he was much in advance of the rest of his tribe, for na
more were seen until March 24th ; after which they steadily increased in
numbers until the end of April. A great many were seen in the pines on
the top of the mountain on May 11, 1903, and they left rather abruptly
about a week later. Though distributed over all parts of the mountains,
they were at all times more abundant in the higher pine region, than
elsewhere; and on April 24, 1903, I found them particularly numerous
along the divide of the mountains, evidently migrating. They could
hardly be said to be in flocks on this occasion, for along the ridge, which
runs almost due north and south, there was for several miles a continu-
ous stream of Audubon Warblers travelling rapidly from tree to tree,
always moving in a northerly direction ; sometimes a dozen or more in
one pine, and sometimes only two or three, but never stopping long and
all moving in the same direction. Almost all that were seen on this
occasion were high plumaged males, hardly half a dozen females being
observed for the day.

Dendroica auduboni nigrifrons (Brewster). Black-fronted Warbler.

This, the only form of auduboni that breeds m the Huachucas, oc-
curs during the summer months, though in rather limited numbers, in
the higher pine regions from 8500 feet upwards. On one occasion, April
5. 1903, I secured a male nigrifrons from a flock of auduboni feeding in
some live-oaks near the mouth of one of the canyons at an altitude of
about 4500 feet, but this is the only time that I have seen it below the
altitude given above; and it is also exceptional in the early date of its
arrival. No more were seen until the second week in May, which seems
nearer the usual time of arrival, for in 1902, the first seen was on May
9th. A young bird just from the nest was secured on July i, 1902, and
another about the same age was taken on July 13th. A young male
taken August 19th, which has discarded the streaked juvenile, for the
first winter plumage, is practically indistinguishable from specimens
of auduboni at the same stage, being perhaps a shade darker, throughout.
In two adult males, taken August 26th and August 30th, respectively,
which have practically completed the postnuptual moult, the black of
the under parts is quite as extensive as in spring birds, but obscured by
gray tips to the feathers. In one the feathers of the back are much as
in spring birds, though with rather broader gray edgings and overcast
with a faint wash of brown ; while the white patch formed by the edgings
and tips of the middle and greater wing coverts is nearly perfect. In the
other, the plumage of the back is overcast with brown to such an extent
that hardly a trace of the dark centers of the feathers is discernable,
while the white wing patch is heavily washed with the same.

Several specimens were taken intermediate in their characteristics
between auduboni and nigrifrons: some, of the size of the latter, though
in color 1)ut little darker than auduboni, while some show every grada-
tion of color between the two extremes.

In the darkest specimens of nigrifrons the black of the under parts
extends from the yellow throat patch to the flanks miinterruptedly, even

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 55

the white of the abdomen being mixed with black ; while the yellow areas
on the throat, crown, and sides, are more restricted in size, and brighter
in color, as compared with aiiditboiii. In one specimen there is a black-
line, narrow but well defined between the yellow of the throat and tac
lower mandilile. But two adult females of nigrifrons were secured ; both
are darker than female examples of aitdnboni, and with the yellow areas
more restricted. In one the breast, sides and blanks are covered with
rather narrow, sharply defined black streaks ; the other has the breast
and sides uniformly black, but with the feathers broadly edged with
lighter, producing a dark slaty appearance, while the flanks are streaked
with dusky.

Measurements (in inches) :

Alar ex-
Dendroica auduboni nigrifrons. Length, pause. Wing. Tail.
Average of nine adult males... 5.96 9.84 3.26 2.36

Maximum 6.12 10.18 3.40 2.37

Minmum 5.81 9.56 3.18 2.30

Dendroica auduboni.

Average of twelve adult males. .5.79 9.49 3.05 2.26

Maximum 6.06 10. 3.30 2.37

Minimum 5.62 9.06 2.94 2.25

Dendrocia graciae Baird. Grace Warbler.

Of very irregular occurrence ; in the spring of 1902. I saw but a
single bird, whereas in the following year it was fairly abundant during
the spring migration. In 1896 it was still more abundant, and what is
rather unusual remained to breed in considerable numbers. The earliest
arrival noted was on April 12. 1903; they remained fairly numerous
throughout the month and disappeared about the first of May. A bird
of the pine woods, it was found almost exclusively in the higher moun-
tains, all that were taken being above 8000 feet, with the exception of a
few secured in the spring of 1896 as low as 6000 feet. In their travels
they associated with the other migrating warblers, particularlv with
occidentahs and townsendi, and I found it bv no means easv to distinguish
the various species in the tree tops ; though graciae acts more like a fly-
catcher than any of the others, constantly flying out from the trees to
a considerable distance after insects. Several juveniles were taken dur-
ing July, 1896; and in July and August, 1902, one immature and six
adults in fresh autumnal plumage were secured. A young male taken
July 13th is in the brown streaked plumage, but yellow feathers are be-
ginning to appear along the median line of the throat and upper breast,
and the yellow superciliary stripe is also beginning to show. Another,
a little older, has the streaks of the lower parts restricted to the sides
and flanks, and the yellow markings nearly perfect. A male taken on
July 30th, which has just discarded the juvenile for the winter plumage,
difl^ers from the autumnal adults in having the white of the under parts
more strongly tinged with bufif; and wher'eas the adult has the back
decidedly streaked, though the markings are overcast by the brownish
edgings to the feathers, in the juvenile these markings are but imper-
fectly indicated. Autumnal adults have the upper parts overcast with
brown to such an extent, that except on the sides of the crown where a
little of the black shows through, the characteristic markings are en-
tirely hidden. Females are even more brown than the males, and have
the black streaks on the sides of the breast and flanks nearly concealed
as well.

5^ PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. fNo. 4

Dendroica nigrescens (TownsencI). Black-throated Gray Warbler.

A very common summer resident, occurring- principally below 7500
feet, and favoring the brush covered hills of the oak belt to a great exten^
The earliest arrival noted was on March 31st.

Dendroica townsendi (Townsend). Townsend Warbler.

One of the most abundant of the migrating warblers in this region.
In the spring I found it in all parts of the mountains, but most abundant
along the canyons from 5000 to 7500 feet. The first seen was on April
9th, and the last May 15th. At the beginning of the fall migration in
1902, a few were seen in the pines above 9000 feet on August 19th; and
they remained in limited numbers up to the time I left the mountains,,
September 5th.

Dendroica occidentalis (Townsend). Hermit Warbler.

A common migrant both in the spring and fall. The first arrivals
appeared in the very highest parts of the mountains, but a little later
they could be found in all parts of the range, and on April 17, 1902, 1
saw a few in some willows near the San Pedro River. The first seen in
the spring was on May 9th, and the last. May 28th. They reappeared
in August, but at this time were seen only in the pines above 8500 feet.
It xS rather singular, and in contradiction to the idea that m the migra-
tions the old birds go first in order to show the way, that the first secured
in the fall was a young female, taken August 7th. The young birds then
became very abundant, and on August 14th the first adult female was
taken ; and not until August 19th was an adult male seen. The adults
then became nearly as abundant as the juveniles, and both together were
more numerous than I have ever seen them in the spring, on several oc-
casions as many as fifteen to twenty being seen in one flock.

The young birds of both sexes were in many instances quite indis-
tinguishable in coloration, none of the young males having as much
black on the throat as the adult female.

S«iurus noveboracensis notabilis (Ridgway). Alaska Water-Thrush.

I met with this species on but one occasion, August 31, 1903, when
I secured a female at an altitude of about 5500 feet. Scott has recorded
its occurrence in the Santa Catalina Mountains in September, and Hen-
shaw, at Camp Crittenden in August, so it may very possibly prove to be
a regular fall migrant through this region.

Geothlypis tolmiei (Townsend). Tolmie Warbler.

A fairly common migrant in the lower parts of the mountains, oc-
curring up to 6000 feet, mostly in the thick underbrush along the streams.
I observed it in the spring from April nth to May i8th ; in the fall one
was seen on August 21st, and through the rest of the month it was fairly
abundant, though not as much so as in the spring.

Geothlypis trichas occidentalis Brewster. Western Yellow-throat.

A rare migrant in the inountains though of common occurrence in
the lower valleys of this region. In the Huachucas 1 have seen it on but
two or three occasions, and then only in the lowest parts, at the mouths
of the canyons and in the washes below. A male was secured, and an-
other seen, on May 8, 1903, and a female taken on May 22nd.

A breeding male taken on the San Pedro River, about twenty miles
from the mountains, on July 6, 1902, and submitted to Mr. Ridgway,
was jjronounced by him as "inclining toward G. t. mclanops." Tliis bird

April IQ04] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 57

is of about the same size as the migrating yellow throats that pass
through this region, but is very different in coloration. The entire lower
parts> including- the lower tail coverts, are bright yellow, darker on the
flanks. The upper parts are greenish yellow, even the grayish white of
the crown and sides of the neck being strongly suffused with the same
color; while the black "mask" is continued in a long point, further down
the sides of the neck than in the case with occidentalis.

Icteria virens longicauda (Lawrence). Long-tailed Chat.

In 1896 several pair of Chats bred in the vicinity of our camp in
Ramsey Canyon, at an altitude of about 5500 feet, but this is the only
place in the mountains where I have known them to do so ; and the only
year in which I have seen them through the summer months. As a rule
two or three migrating birds seen during April near the base of the
mountains, are ail that appear ; though along the San Pedro River they
breed in tolerable abundance.

Wilsonia pusilla pileolata (Pallas). Pileolated Warbler.

An exceedingly common migrant in all parts of the mountains,
though most abundant below 6000 feet. It was observed in the spring
from April 12th to May 22nd; reappearing in the fall on August 21st.
On August 26, 1902, I saw a Pileolated Warbler on the summit of the
highest peak in the mountains, about 10,000 feet altitude. All the speci-
mens secured are referable to pileolata rather than chryscola, though the
latter also might be expected to occur here as a migrant.

Setophaga picta Swainson. Painted Redstart.

One of the most beautiful of the summer residents of the mountains,
the Painted Redstart is pretty sure of receiving rather more than his
fair share of the attention of the visiting ornithologist, for it is abundant
in numbers, and, for such a bright colored bird, not at all shy. In fact,
instead of escaping observation he seems to court it, for with wings and
tail outspread, and feathers puffed out to show their beauties to the best
advantage, he can be seen clambering over tree trunks or mossy rocks,
turning now this way and now that, as if conscious and proud of his
beautiful appearance even when engaged in the commonest duties of
life, gathering insects for the young or material for the nest. Females,
as well as males, strut about in the same ostentatious manner, for in
color and appearance the sexes are absolutely indistinguishable : and
even the dull colored juveniles adopt the same style as soon as they are
able to fly. They are most abundant in the damp, shady canyons in
the breeding season, between 5500 and 8000 feet: but during the migra-
tions, though ascending no higher, they are more generally distributed
over the mountains, and can be found quite to the base of the range.
They reach the mountains very early in the spring, the first arrival being
noted on March 15th, and a week or so later they were quite abundant.
At all times rather a solitary bird, they are never to be seen in the mixed
flocks of migrating warblers, but prefer rather to forage for themselves ;
and I have never seen, more than a pair of birds together, except for the
short time that the adults tend the young after the latter leave the nest.
Though feeding to some extent in the underbrush, and even on the
ground and over the rocks, they do not stick closely to such places as do
the Tolmie Warblers and Yellow-throats ; nor on the other hand do they
frequent the extreme tree tops and tips of the limbs as the Townsend,
Hermit and other Warblers do. but preferring rather the medium be-
tween the two extremes, they can be seen clambering about the sides

58 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No 4

of the tree trunks and over tlie larger limbs, examining the crevices ana
interstices in the bark in search of food, and occasionally flying out a
short distance after some passing insect. A call note is uttered at fre-
quent intervals, not unlike the peep of a young chicken, and occasionally
the short, low song of the male can be heard. Though this is usually
given utterance to between intervals of feeding, I have once or twice,
usually in the early morning, seen the male bird ascend to the top of a
tall tree, and from the tip of some dead limb repeat his song, sometimes
for half an hour before descending. Though the nest is usually built near
the bottom of the canyon, and generally close to the water, this is not
always the case, for I saw one nest that the birds had built in a crevice
on the side of an open cut leading into a tunnel on a ridge between two
canyons, and nearly a mile from water. The strangest part of it was that
two men were working and blasting, daily in the tunnel without the
birds seeming disturbed. When the young appear, the first being seen
about the end of June, they are dark sooty Ijlack, rather paler on the
abdomen, but they quickly begin to lose this plumage ; most of those
secured having a few glossy black feathers showing on the back, and
one or two red ones on the lower parts. The juvenile plumage is moulted
entirely with the exception of the remiges and rectrices, (even the wing
coverts being renewed, though the pattern of coloration is the same in
the juvenile as in the adult) ; specimens taken during July and August
being variously intermediate in color, and more or less covered with pin
feathers. The adults moult at the same time ; one taken on August 20th
having entirely completed the change, though others secured later have
many pin fathers still scattered over the body. By the first week in Sep-
tember, however, the moult is practically completed, and at this time
young and old are indistinguishable in color ; only differing from spring
specimens in a slightly scaled appearance of the red of the lower parts,
due to those feathers being faintly tipped with grayish.

Cardellina rubrifrons (Giraud). Red-faced Warbler.

The Red-faced Warbler and Painted Redstart are always associated
together in my mind, being both of a tropical appearance in decided
contrast with their duller colored associates, and essentially alike in their
habits and modes of life. They inhabit rather different areas in the
mountains, rubrifrons being found during the breeding season from 7000
feet upwards, and in the migrations as abundant in the higher pine re-
gions as anywhere. The first arrival was noted April 20th, and up to the
middle of May they were seen in considerable numbers along the can-
yons, often in company with other migrating warblers. During the
breeding season their numbers seem to be greatly decreased, but this is
probably more apparent than real, as at this time they are very quiet
and inconspicuous ; and as soon as the young begin to appear, about the
middle of August, are as numerous as ever. The moult takes place in
August, and specimens secured immediately after, in fresh autumnal
plumage, have the white of the under parts strongly tinged with pink.
Early spring specimens have this pinkish tinge, though in a lesser degree,
but in breeding birds taken during May and June it is almost entirely
absent. After the young leave the nest they spread out more and de-
scend to rather a lower altitude, though I have never taken specimens
below. 5500 feet, and at the same time, they can be found in the highest
parts of the range.

A nest containing four eggs, found on May 20, 1903, at an altitude
of about 8500 feet, was well concealed under an old rotten log, on a steep

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 59

bank by the side of a trail, and could never have been seen had not the
bird darted from the nest when it was approached.

Cinclus mexicanus Swainson. American Dipper.

On August 4, 1902, I saw a dipper in the narrow, rocky defile known
as the "Box" in Ramsey Canyon. Several times in the month /of August
I saw what was probably the same bird, in this place ; but it was so wild
as to be unapproachable, and though it never flew to any great distance
I was quite unable to get a shot at it.

Mimus polygottos leucopterus (Vigors). Western Mockingbird.

A summer resident in the lower canyons and very abundant in the
washes leading from the mountains. It does not seem to remain during
the winter, for though a single bird was seen on February i8th, I be-
lieve it was one that had strayed from the valley below, and quickly
returned there, for no more were seen until the middle of April. As
the summer advances they ascend higher and higher in the canyons,
about 5500 feet being their upward breeding limit; but on one occasion,
August 14, 1902, I saw a Mockingbird right on the divide of the moun-
tain at an elevation of about 8500 feet. Specimens taken the first week
in May were not yet breeding, and a female secured on May 18th had
laid part of its set ; while on July 5th I examined eight or ten nests along
the San Pedro River, all of which contained eggs in various stages of
incubation.

Toxostoma curvircstre palmeri (Coues). Palmer Thrasher.

Breeds in very limited numbers in the lower parts of the moun-
tains, none being seen above 5000 feet. It is common enough in the
brush covered valleys below, and after the breeding season, moves up
toward the mountains to some extent. During August young and old,
equally ragged in appearance, were seen along the foothills in consider-
able numbers ; but they were very shy and difficult to approach, and
from their disreputable appearance I did not covet them very much, so
secured but few specimens.

Toxostoma crissalis Henry. Crissal Thrasher.

This is apparently a very rare species in this region, for a juvenile,
though fully fledged, female, secured August 9, 1902, at the base of the
mountains, is the only one I have seen. This bird, as well as the Palmer
Thrasher, was busily engaged in grubbing up a species of small black
beetle which abounds after the sumriier rains, from the shallow burrows
that it occupies.

Heleodytes brunneicapillus couesi (Sharpe). Cactus Wren.

I have never seen the nest of this species in the Huachucas, though
very possibly it breeds in limited numbers in some parts of the range ;
but in the valley below it is a common resident, ascending, together
with the thrashers, to the base of the mountains after the breeding sea-
son.

Salpinctes obsoletus (Say). Rock Wren.

A common resident in the stony foothill region, ascending in. places
up to 5000 feet. I could discern no difference in the distribution of the
species at the different seasons.

6o PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

Catherpes mexicanus conspersus Ridgway. Canyon Wren.

Resident throughout the mountains, though nowhere very abund-
ant, the Canyon Wren is to be found around the steep cliffs and preci-
pices bordering the canyons, or on the rock strewn foothills. A female
secured on April 12th contained an egg about ready to be laid; and by
,the middle of June troops of young led by their parents were seen in
many places.

Thryomanes bewicki leucogaster (Baird). Baird Wren.

I found this wren to be quite common in the lower parts of the
mountains, ranging up to about 6000 feet, and occurring also in suitable
localities in the valley below. It appeared to be resident, and I could
discern no increase in the number of birds seen during the migration.

Though a common species the nest is quite difficult to find, and I
have seen only three or four, all built in cavities in the trees, from six
to fifteen feet from the ground.

Specimens secured vary much in size but little in color, though the
only autumnal adult taken, a male on August 17th which had nearly
completed the moult, is appreciably darker than any spring specimens.

Troglodytes aedon aztecus Baird. Western House Wren.

An abundant summer resident in the higher parts of the mountains,
breeding from 7000 feet upward, but most abundant in the pine forests
above 8000 feet. Upon their arrival in the spring, the first being noted
on April 8th, they were distributed over all parts of the range, but soon
withdrew to the higher altitudes to breed; nor did they descend again
when the young were out of the nest, as so many species similarly
placed, did. Spring specimens are uniformly very pale, and easily dis-
tinguished from parkiiiani of the Pacific Coast ; but a male taken Sep-
tember 2nd, which has quite completed the moult, is much darker than
the spring birds and bears a close resemblance to fall specimens of park-
iiiani.

Olbiorchilus hiemalis pacificus (Baird). Western Winter Wren.

I met with this species on but one occasion, on April 2, 1902, when
a male bird was secured at an altitude of 5500 feet. It is probably a
straggler from the Pacific Coast, of rare and irregular occurrence.

Certhia familiaris albescens (Berlepsch). Mexican Creeper.

A fairly common summer resident in the higher pine regions, and
as a rule restricted to those parts and but seldom descending below 7000
feet. The earliest arrival noted was a female, taken with a female of
C. f. montana, on March 3, 1903, at an altitude of 5700 feet, the lowest
altitude at which I have ever found the species. About ten days later
they were fairly numerous along the divide of the mountains, where the
faint call note peculiar to the species could be frequently heard, though
the birds themselves generally succeeded in evading observation. About
the middle of July young birds began to appear, and they seemed more
abundant at this time than at any other. As with many other species
breeding in the higher parts of the range, a downward movement began
about this time, and though never descending to the foothills, in the late
summer Creepers were found scattered all through the upper part of the
oak belt. The juveniles seem to be attended by their parents for a long
time, for up to the first week in September, when young and old were
practically indistinguishable in size and general appearance, the families

April 1904] BIKDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 61

Still clung together, and the old birds were seen continually feeding their
offspring.

In differentiating this race great stress has been laid upon the ab-
sence of white markhigs on the primary coverts of albescens, a charac-
teristic which is not borne out by the series before me, for out of four-
teen specimens, young and old, there are just three that lack these
markings. In most cases they are quite as distinct and apparent as in
any specimens of ::elotes, or the two examples of montana in my collec-
tion.

Certhia familaris montana Ridgway. Rocky Mountain Creeper.

A creeper submitted to Mr. Ridgway and pronounced by him to be
montana, was secured in Miller Canyon on March i. 1903. at an altitude
■of 5500 feet. Another bird practically the same in markings and colora-
tion, and referred to above, was taken on March 3rd in the same canyon.
These were probably migrants going further north, and they may be of
regular occurrence in this region during the migrations. The paler
coloration, above and below, longer and more slender bill, and generally
larger size, serves to distinguish this race from the breeding bird (albescens)
of the mountains of Southern Arizona.

Sitta carolinensis nelsoni Mearns. Rocky Mountain Nuthatch.

Resident throughout the mountains, though most abundant in the
higher pine regions. During the cold weather it is quite common in the
oaks along the base of the mountains, but though a few breed there, the
majority of them ascend to a higher altitude in the summer. Several
were seen hard at work excavating for their nests on April 6th ; and a set
of eggs was secured by O. W. Howard on April 19, 1902. They seem to
be at all times rather solitary birds, and though a single one may occa-
sionally be seen in a flock of Pygmy Nuthatches or Chickadees, I cannot
recall ever seeing more than a pair of them together. Birds taken in
August and September are much darker than spring specimens, and
some males, possibly immature, have the black of the crown extending
in disconnected spots on to the dorsum.

Sitta canadensis Linnaeus. Red-breasted Nuthatch.

On April 6, 1902, I secured four Red-breasted Nuthatches from a
flock of a dozen or more feeding in some pines in a steep, narrow canyon,
at an altitude of about 8500 feet. This is the only occasion on which T
have seen the species in the Huachucas, and from the scarcity of records
it would seem to be of rare occurrence anywhere in Arizona.

Sitta pygmaea Vigors. Pygmy Nuthatch.

An abundant resident, though restricted entirely to the higher parts
of the range and rarely descending as low as 6000 feet, the Pygmy Nut-
hatch is seen and heard everywhere in the pine regions ; going about in
large flocks and travelling rapidly and restlessly from tree to tree. Dur-
ing the migrations they seem to form a sort of nucleus for other birds
to gather around, and are usually accompanied by a number of migratmg
warblers vireos, etc. Many of them remain in small flocks up to the
middle of May, though others may be seen at work at their nests in some
old stump early in April ; so by the time the last of them are paired ofif,
those that first went to work are nearly ready to appear with their
broods, and there is consequently hardly any time when Pygmy Nut-
hatches are not to be seen in flocks.

62 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

Baeolophus wollweberi (Bonaparte). Bridled Titmouse.

This, one of the characteristic birds of the mountains of Southern
Arizona, is found in the greatest abundance everywhere in the oak re-
gions of the Huachucas, breeding occasionally up to 7000 feet, but most
abundant below 6000 feet. On one occasion, late in the summer, I saw
a Bridled Titmouse in a flock of Lead-colored Bush Tits on the divide
of the mountains at about 8500 feet, but it is very unusual to see the spe-
cies at such an altitude. In February and March they were in small
flocks of from twelve to fifteen birds, and about the middle of March
they began to pair off, though one or two small flocks were still seen
during the first week in April. Early in June young birds began to ap-
pear, and soon the broods, attended by their parents, were seen every-
where in the oaks. The young are essentially like the adults as to the
markings about the head, but duller colored and with the black of the
throat more or less obscured by grayish. About the middle of July the
adults commence to moult, the new plumage being entirely acquired by
about the first of September. Adults in fresh autumnal plumage are
more olivaceous on the dorsum and rump than are spring specimens,
which are usually of a more uniform grayish cast throughout. At the
end of August they were gathered in rather larger flocks than I have
seen them in at other times, sometimes as many as twenty or twenty-five
being seen together.

Psaltriparus plumbeus Baird. Lead-colored Bush-Tit.

I found this species in the Huachucas in February, though not as
abundant as it was later on, nor did I see any in the higher parts of the
range until later in the spring. During the summer it seems to be
equally distributed over all parts of the mountains, from the highest
peaks down to the groves of live oaks on the plains immediately below
the mountains. About the middle of March the birds commenced to
pair ofif, and I found one nest about half finished on ]\Iarch 26th. The
earliest nests found were all in the lower foothill regions, built mostly in
scrub oak and small juniper trees, usually not over eight or ten feet
from the ground ; but later in the season they nest abundantly in the
higher altitudes, sometimes high up in the pine trees. I saw one nest
at the very top of a tall pine, but the tree was growing on a steep hill
side, and the nest was about on a level with the trail from which I saw it.
Of the spring specimens collected, the majority had bright yellowish-
white eyes ; but in about a third of either sex the iris was brown ; several
of the adults have the flanks decidedly tinged with vinaceous. I took
no specimens that could be referred to Jloyd'x though several juveniles,
undoubtedlv plumbeus, have some slight indication of a duskv line over
the auriculars ; and one young female has a fairly distinct, though nar-
row, black line or collar across the hind neck.

Auriparus flaviceps (Sundevall). Verdin.

Though the Verdin is exceedingly abundant along the San Pedro
River and everywhere in the lowlands it but very rarely ventures up into
the mountains, and I have seen it in the Huachucas but once or twice,
and then only in the foothills. T have seen one or two old nests in some
of the canyons so it sometimes breeds in the mountains, though ])rob-
ably very rarely.

Regulus calendula (Linnaeus). Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

A common migrant and probably a winter resident. I saw a few
in February, but they did not become abundant until about the middle

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 63

of March, when their numbers were suddenly greatly increased. At
this time they could be seen feeding in trees along the streams in flocks
of from fifteen to twenty-five individuals, being larger gatherings of
these birds than I have seen elsewhere. Though occurring in all parts
of the mountains up to the highest peaks, they were most abundant m
the canyons below 7000 feet; and remained until about the middle of
May, the last being seen May 13th. In the fall, up to the time I left,
September 5th, they had not yet returned.

Polioptila caerulea obscura Ridgway. Western Gnatcatcher.

This is the only species of gnatcatcher I have observed in the
Huachucas. On the brush covered plains below, and along the San
Pedro River, plmnhca breeds in moderate abundance, but \ have never
seen it in the mountains, the altitude being probably too high. Oh-
sciira is probably resident in the Huachucas, though I have not found
it very abundant at any time : and it does not seem to range above 6500
feet, and but rarely to that altitude. It seemed more particularly to fre-
quent the rather barren foothill country, staying in the oaks and brush
high up on the hill sides rather than in the canyons. I saw several al-
ready paired on April 7th.

Myadestes townsendi (Audubon). Townsend Solitaire.

The Townsend Solitaire occurs in this region only as a migrant,
passing through earlv in the spring. The first noted was on March 7th,
and the last on April 30th. They were found in all parts of the range,
for I took specimens at nearly 10,000 feet, and others in the washes be-
low the mountains. They preferred rather open ground, and in the can-
yon I did most of my collecting in there was a large patch of cleared
ground which they seemed particularly to favor, and occasionally as
many as eight or ten birds could be seen sitting on the tops of the trees
surrounding the clearing. As a rule they stayed high up in the trees,
and were at all times shy and hard to approach. They were in full song
before they left.

Hylocichla ustulata (Nuttall). Russet-backed Thrush.
Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni (Cabanis). Olive-backed Thrush.

In 1896 two thrushes from the Huachuca Mountains sent to Mr.
Ridgwav to be identified were returned to him labelled, the one ustu-
lata, the' other swainsoni. These two represent the extremes of color of
a considerable series of these birds from the region under consideration,
the one (tistulata) being an extremely pale colored bird, sparsely marked
on the breast, indistinguishable from breeding birds from Southern Cal-
ifornia; while the other (szvainsoni) is a very dark colored heavily
marked bird. Between these extremes the specimens collected form an
unbroken chain, so that it is impossible to say where the one ends and
the other begins, The scries of szvainsoni are all very olivaceous in their
coloration, without any trace of the grayish on the upper parts that Mr.
Oberholzer ascribes to the sub-species almae, (Auk. XV, page 303), oth-
erwise I should think it more probable that the Huachuca Mountam
birds belonged to that race than to szvainsoni.

These two varieties appear in the spring at about the same time,
and in the same localities, being abundant along the streams in the
lower canyons at a time when most of the migrants have already passed
on to their breeding grounds. I have specimens of both ustulata and

64 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. fNo. 4

sivainsoui taken on May 2, 1902, which is the earhest date on which T
have noted them, and they remain until about the end of tlie month.

Hylocichla guttata (Pallas). Alaska Hermit Thrush.

The Hermit Thrushes as found in this region arc an interesting
though rather puzzling group, for though the individuals were never at
all abundant, the number of varieties found passing through during the
migrations was surprising. The birds were all extremely shy and hard
to approach, and it was only by hard work that I managed to secure as
many specimens as I did. In all twenty-four Hermit Thrushes were
obtained, representing the folowing races: guttata (9), auduboni (10),
nana (i). slei'ini (4). These figures probably represent pretty accu-
rately the relative abundance of the various races. The specimens of
guttata were all taken at a low altitude, none above 5500 feet ; usually in
thick brush along the canyon streams. One specimen (No. 3434, March
I, 1903) is an extremely grayish colored bird, with the spots on the
breast ill-defined and run together, and may possibly represent the
Siera Nevada form scquoiepsis, but in size it does not dififer from true
guttata.

Possibly a few of these thrushes spend the winter in the Huachucas,
for one was taken as early as February 19 (1903) ; the last secured was
on April 20 (1902).

Hylocichla guttata auduboni (Baird). Audubon Hermit Thrush.

Very possibly this thrush breeds in some parts of the Huachucas,
though if it does it must be in very limited numbers, for personally I
have never met with it except in the migrations. I secured most of my
specimens of auduboni in the hio'hest parts of the range, feeding, not in
the thick bushes and underbrush, as most of the thrushes do, but on
the open ground under the big pines, scratching and w^orking in the pine
needles with which the ground was thickly covered. One or two speci-
mens were secured in the canyons as low as 6000 feet, but the great ma-
jority of the birds seen were along the divide of the mountain, from
8500 feet upward. The earliest arrival noted was one secured on April
18 (1903), and the latest a female shot by W. B. Judson on May 19-
(1896). This last is in badly worn plumage and may have been a breed-
ing bird ; they were most abundant about the first week in May.

Hylocichla guttata nana (Audubon). Dwarf Hermit Thrush.

From its extremely dark coloration and rich markings I have
ascribed to this race a female, shot in a thick tangle of wild grape vines
and other shrubbery, near the mouth of Miller Canyon on April 6, 1903.

Hylocichla guttata slevini (Grinnell). Monterey Hermit Thrush.

This seems to me to be a perfectly distinct and easily distinguish-
able variety, about the recognition of which there should be no hesita-
tion, for in size it departs from guttata as far to one extreme as auduboni
does to the other; and the extremclv pale coloration of sle^'ini also ren-
ders it one of the most easily recognized of the rather puzzling branches
into which the Hermit Thrush divides. At first it seems strange to find
a bird belonging so decidedly to the Pacific Coast wandering as far as
eastern Arizona, but when we consider that such species as the Hermit
and Townsend Warblers, Cassin Vireo, and others, pass regularly
through this region, it is evident that there is a regular line of migra-
tion from the Pacific Coast to the southeast, in spite of the formidable

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 65

deserts that intervene, and might be expected to form an utterly impas-
sible barrier.

I believe slcvini to be a fairly common migrant in the Huachiicas,
though but few specimens were secured, for it is an extremely shy bird,
and from the nature of the ground frequented, exceedingly difficult even
to get sight of. Aiidiiboiii was found mostly in the pine woods, and
guttata along the canyons, but slevini seemed to prefer the dense thickets
covering the steep, dry, hillsides, an unpleasant place to travel in at any
time, and almost hopeless ground in which to pursue a shy, secretive
bird like the present species. The specimens secured were, a male shot
on March 9, 1903, and two females taken on May 8th, and another on
April 19, 1902.

I have a specimen of slexini in my collection, from which the label
was unfortunately lost, which was one of a lot of skins (now in the pos-
session of W. Lee Chambers) put up by R. D. Lusk in the Chiricahua
Mountains. If this specimen came from that range, as would seem to
be the case, it probably indicates the extreme eastern limit to which the
species wanders.

Merula migratoria propinqua Ridgway. Western Robin.

This species is a fairly common resident in the Huachucas, and I
could see no difference in its numbers at different seasons. During the
cold weather the Robins could be found in abundance along the lower
canyons and through the foothills generally, but by the end of April they
had retreated to the higher pine regions, few being seen below 8000 feet
during the breeding season. I took fully fledged young on July i, and
by the middle of the month they began to move down to a lower alti-
tude, the spotted juveniles being seen in all parts of the mountains.

Sialia mexicanus bairdi Ridgway. Cestnut-backed Bluebird.

During February and the early part of March I found the Chestnut-
backed Bluebirds quite numerous in the lower foothills, and on the plains
immediately near the mountains, being entirely absent from the higher
parts of the range, where the snow still lay deep on the ground ; but
about the middle of March they began to move upward, and by the first
of April there were none to be seen except in the higher pine regions,
their breeding grounds. Here they remained through the summer in the
greatest abundance, none being seen below 8000 feet, and being most
numerous along the divide of the mountain. About the middle of Au-
gust they began, to some extent, to move down to a lower altitude once
more, for the evening of August 12th a small flock was seen flying over-
head near the base of the mountains.

The male birds collected show considerable variation in the shade
and intensity of the blue coloring, but are remarkably uniform in the
pattern of the markings ; having with hardly an exception the inter-
scapular region "solid" chestnut, and the sides and flanks of the same
color extending broadly across the breast. In just one specimen, a
breeding bird in rather worn plumage, the blue of the throat and abdo-
men just meets on the median line of the breast; while the chestnut of
the upper parts is reduced to a mere line across the back. A juvenile
male taken August 26th is still in the spotted plumage, though with
large chestnut patches appearing on the sides and flanks.

66

PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4

Passer domesticus (Linnaeus). English Sparrow.

In the report on the English Sparrow published by the Department
of Agriculture in 1889, this species was reported as present at Camp
Huachuca in the summer of 1886 (page 200, 1. c). I have never seen the
bird either in the grounds of the post or anywhere in the surroundmg
country, and it has probably been exterminated in this region since that
time.

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA.

67

INDEX.

PAGE

Accipiter atricapillus 6

cooperi 6

velox rufilatus 6

Aeronautes melanoleucus 16

Aimophila cassini 43

ruficeps scotti 43

Ammodramus sandwichensis alaudi-

nus 38

Ampelis cedrorum 48

Amphispiza bilineata deserticola. . . . 43

Ani, Groove-billed 10

Antrostomus vociferus macromystax 14

Aphelocoma sieberi arizonoe 30

woodhoLisei 29

Aquila chrysaetos 7

Astragaliiuis psaltria 37

Asyndesmus torquatus 14

Atthis morcomi 19

Auriparus flaviceps 62

Bseolophus wollweberi 62

Basillina leucotis 19

Becard, Xantus 20

Blackbird, Brewer 36

Blue-bird, Chestnut-backed 65

Bunting, Lark 46

Lazuli 45

Painted 46

Bubo virginianus pallescens 9

Bush-tit, Lead-colored 62

Buteo abbreviatus 6

borealis calurus 6

swainsoni 6

Calamospiza melanocorys 46

Calcarius ornatus 38

Callipepela squamata 4

Calypte costse 17

Cardellina rubrifrons 58

Carpodacus cassini 36

mexicanus frontalis 37

Cathartes aura 5

Catherpes mexicanus conspersus 60

Centurus uropygialis 14

Certhia familiaris albescens 60

niontana 61

Ceryle alcyon 10

Chfetura vauxi 16

Chat, Long-tailed 57

Chondestes grammacus strigatus . . 39

Chordeiles virginianus henryi 15

Cinclus mexicanus 59

Circus hudsonius 6

Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus 36
Coccyzus americanus occidentalis . . 10

Coeligena clemenciae 17

Colaptes cafer collaris 14

PAGE

Columba fasciata 4

Columbigallina passerina pallescens. 5

Contopus pertinax pallidiventris ... 24

richardsoni 25

Corvus corax sinuatus .32

cryptoleucus 32

Coturniculus bairdi 38

savannarum bimaculatus 39

Cowbird, Dwarf 34

Creeper, Mexican 60

Creeper, Rocky Mountain 61

Crossbill, Mexican 37

Crotophaga sulcirostris 10

Cuckoo, California 10

Cyanoceohalus cyanocephalus 3^

Cyanocitta stelleri diademata 29

Cvanospi7a amoena 45

Cyanospiza ciris 46

Crytonyx montezumse mearnsi 4

Dendroica sestiva brewsteri 53

sonorana S3

auduboni 54

nigrifrons 54

gracioe 55

ni?rescens 56 .

occidentalis 56

olivacea 53

townsendi 56

Dipper, Americm 59

Dove, Mexican Ground 5

Mourning 5

White-winged 5

Dryobates arizonre 11

scalaris bairdi 10

villosus hyloscopus 10

Eagle, Golden 7

Empidonax difificilis 25

fulvifrons pygmaeus 27

griseus 26

hammondi 25

trailli 2^

wriehti 26

Eugenes fulgens 17

Falco colutnbarius 7

fuscn-casrulescens S

mexicanus 7

pereorinus :'n"tum 7

sparverius phaloena 8

Falcon. Anlom-'do 8

Prairie 7

Finch, Cassin Purple 36

House 37

Flicker, Red-shafted 14

68

PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA,

[No. 4

PAGE

Flycatclier, Ash-throated 22

Buff-breasted 27

Coues 24

Gray 26

Hammond 25

Nutting -22

OHvaceous 22

Ohve-sided 24

Sulphur-bellied 21

Traill 25

Vermilion 28

Western 26

Wright 26

Geococcyx californianus 10

Geothlypis tolmiei 56

trichas occidentalis 56

Glaucidium gnoma 9

Gnatcatcher, Western 63

Goldfinch, Arkansas 37

Goshawk, American 0

Grosbeak, Black-headed 44

Grosbeak, Rose-breasted 44

Western Blue 45

Western Evening 36

Guiraca cserulea lazula 45

Hawk, Cooper 6

Desert Sparrow 8

Duck 7

IMarsh 6

Pigeon 7

Swainson 6

Western Red-tailed 6

Western Sharp-shinned 6

Zone-tailed 6

Heleodytes brunneic'apillus couesi. . 59

Helminthophila celata 52

lutescens 52

lucige 50

rubricapilla gutturalis 52

virginipe 50

Hirundo erythrogastra 48

Hummingbird, Allen 19

Black-chinned 17

Blue-throated 17

Broad-billed 20

Broad-tailed 18

Calliope 19

Costa 17

Morcom 19

Rivoli 17

Rufous 18

White-eared 19

Hylocichia guttata 64

auduboni 64

nana 94

slevini 64

ustulata 63

swainsoni 63

lache latirostris 20

Icteria virens longicauda 57

Icterus bullocki 36

cucullatus nelsoni 35

parisorum 34

PnGE

Jay, Arizona , 30

Long-crested 29

Pinyon 33

Woodhouse 29

Junco, Arizona , 41

Gray-headed 41

Pink-sided 40

Shufeldt 40

Slate-colored 40

Thurber 40

Junco caniceps 41

hyemalis 40

shufeldti 40

thurberi 40

mearnsi \o

phaenotus palliatus 41

Killdeer 4

Kingbird, Arkansas 20

Cassin 20

Kingfisher, Belted 10

Kinglet, Ruby-crowned 62

Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides . 48

Lark, Scorched Horned 28

Longspun Chestnut-collared 38

JNIcCown 38

Loxia curvirostra stricklandi 37

Meadowlark, Western 34

Megascops asio cineraceus 8

flammeolus 9

trichopsis 8

Melanerpes formicivorus aculeatus.. 13

Meleagris gallopavo merriami 4

Melopelia leucootera 5

INIelospiza lincolni 44

Merula migratoria propinqua 05

Mimus polyglottos leucopterus .... 59

Mockingbird, Western 59

Molothrus ater obscurus 34

IMyadestes townsendi 63

Myiarchus cinorascens 22

nuttingi 22

lawrencei olivascens 22

Myiodynastes luteiventris 21

Nighthawk, Western 15

Nucifraga columbiana ' 33

Nutcracker, Clarke 3^

Nuthatch, Pygmy 61

Red-breasted 61

Rocky Mountain 61

Nuttalornis borealis • 24

Olbiorchilus hiemalis pacificus 60

Oreospiza chlorura 44

Oriole, Arizona Hooded 35

Bullock 36

Scott 34

Otocoris alpestris adusta 28

Owl, Burrowing 9

Flammulated Screech 9

Mexican Screech 8

Pygmy .. 9

Spotted 3

Spotted Screech 8

Western Horned 9

April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA.

69

PAGE

Oxyeclius vociferus 4

Partridge, Mearns 4

Scaled 4

Passer domesticus 66

Petrochelidon liinifrons 48

Pewee, Western Wood 25

Phainopepla 48

Phainopepla nitcns 48

Phalsenoptilus nuttalli 15

Phoebe, Black 23

Say 2^

Pigeon, iiand-tailed 4

Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus 44

maculatus megalonyx 44

Piranga hepatica 47

ludoviciana 47

rubra cooperi 47

Platypsaris albiventris 20

Polioptila casrulea obscura 63

Pooecetes gramineus confinis 38

Poor-will 15

Psaltriparus plnnibeus 62

Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus . . 28

Raven, American 32

White-necked ^2

Redstart, Painted 57

Regulus calendula 62

Rhynchophanes mccowni 38

Robin, Western 65

Road-runner 10

Salpinctes obsoletus 59

Sapsucker, Red-naped 12

Williamson 13

Sayornis nigricans 2^

saya 23

Scolecophagus cyanocephalus 36

Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis .... 56

Selasphorus alleni 19

platycercus 18

rwfus 18

Setophaga picta 57

Shrike, White-rnmped 48

Sialia mexicana bairdi 65

Siskin, Pine 37

Sitta canadensis 6[

carolinensis nelsoni 61

pygmsea 61

Solitaire, Townsend 63

Sparrow, Baird 38

Black-chinned 40

Brewer 39

Cassin 43

Desert 43

English 66

Intermediate 39

Lincoln 44

Scott 43

Western Chipping 39

Western Grasshopper 39

Western Lark 39

Western Savanna •'8

Western Vesper 38

White-crowned 39

PAGE

Sphyrapicus thyroideus 13

varius nuchalis 12

Spinus pinus . . . .v . 37

Speotyto cunicularia hypogrea 9

Spizella atrogularis 40

breweri . 39

socialis arizonas 39

Stellula calliope 19

Sturnella magna neglecta 34

Swallow, Barn 48

Clifif 48

Northern Violet-green 48

Swift, Vaux 16

White-throated 16

Syrnium occidentiile 8

Tachycineta thalassini lepida 48

Tanager, Cooper 47

Hepatic 47

Western 47

Thrasher, Crissal 59

Palmer 59

Thrush, Alaska Hermit 64

Audubon Hermit 64

Dwarf Hermit 64

jNIonterey Hermit 64

Olive-backed 63

Russett-backed ' 63

Thryomanes bcA'icki leucogaster ... 60

Titmouse, Bridled 62

Towhee, Canyon 44

Green-tailed 44

Spurred 44

Toxostoma cribsalis 59

curvirostre palmeri 59

Trochilus alexandri 17

Troglodytes aedon aztecus 60

Trogon ambiguus 10

Trogon, Coppery-tailed 10

Turkey, Merriam ^

Tyrannus verticalis 20

vociferans 20

Verdin 62

Vireo, Cassin 49

Least 50

Plumbeous . c'g

Red-eyed 49

Stephens 49

Western Warbling 49

Vireo gilvus swainsnn 49

huttoni stephensi 49

olivaceus 49

pusillus 50

solitarius cassini 49

plumbeus aq

Vulture, Turkey 5

Warbler, Audubon 54

Black-fronted 54

Black-throated Gray 56

Calaveras 5^:

Grace 55

Hermit 56

Lucy 50

Lutescent 52

PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA.

[No. 4

PAGE

Olive 53

Orange-crowned 52

Pileolated 57

Red-faced ' 58

Sonoran Yellow 53

Tolmie 56

Townsend 56

Virginia 50

Western Yellow 53

Water-thrush, Alaska 56

Waxwing, Cedar 48

Whip-poor-will, Stephens 14

Wilsonia pusilla pileolata 57

Woodpecker, Ant-eating 13

Arizona 11

Cabanis lO

PAGE

Gila 14

Lewis 14

Texan 10

Wren, Baird 6a

Cactus 59

Canyon 60

Rock 59

Western House 60

Western Winter 60

Yellowthroat, Western 56

Zamelodia ludoviciana 44

melanocephala 44

Zenaidura macoura 5

Zonotrichia leucophrys 39

gambeli 39

SPENCER & PARKER

...Printers...
238 New High St., Los Angeles

COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB
OF CALIFORNIA

Pacific Coast Avifauna

NO. 4

W9f^

BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS,

ARIZONA %^9,i(n£^.i)

...BY...

HARRY S. SWARTH

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB

April 15, 1904

PUBLICATIONS
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Pacific Coast Avifauna

NO. I — Birds of the Kotzebue Sound
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NO. II— Land Birds of Santa Cruz
County, California, by R. C. McGregor;
22 pp 25

NO. Ill— Check List of California Birds,
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NO. IV — Birds of the Huachuca Moun-
tains, Arizona, by Harry S. Swarth;

75 PP 50

The above four Avifaunas, ordered together 2.00

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