Page:Condor12(5).djvu/17

 Sept.,1910 1)ISCOVERY {)F NEST AND EGGS {)F GRAY-CROWNED LEUCOSTICTE 159 Space will not allow me to describe at length how we ran out of provisions at Lake of the XVoods and were forced to subsist for a whole day on but three slices of bacon; or how, on the day following, after a breakfast consisting of but a single slice, we made the long laborious march to Phillips' Station, against the strong wind which had now begun blowing again, and where we all did justis (or, rather, an injustis) to the excellent table set by Mrs. Vade Bryson. Eventually arriving in Bijou on June 24 the trip came to a successful conclusion. Thru the letter going astray in the mail, however, Mr. Carriger who was anxiously awaiting news of the trip did not know of the results until in July. In closing I wish to add some notes by Dr. Sterling Bunnell, hitherto unpub- lisht, and which I think will prove of considerable interest covering, as they do, such a wide range of territory. Dr. Bunnell writes as follows: "I have always found the Leucosticte in either the Hudsonian or Arctic zone }ig. 5. THE CENTRAL OPENING LED TO THE NEST XVHICH, HO%VEVER, XVAS OUT OF SIGHT THREE FEI BACK BENEATH AND BET'EEN THE ANGULAR BLOCKS and always among the snow except once: On July 15, 1902, when the surrounding snow had melted, I saw a flock as low as 9000 fcct at the junction of East and Bubb's Creeks above the south fork of Kings River. In May and June they are almost invariably on the rocks and snow and live on the many insects that become stranded while flying over, and settling on the latter frcczc there. In fact the snow is often dotted with these mosquito-like insects. From May to July, at least, Leucostictes are numerous from Mt. XVhitney to Pyramid Peak in the Tahoe region. I could not find them in an extensive search in July on Mt. Shasta, nor on the Coast Range, altho I lookt for them on Preston Peak, South allo Bally Mountain and on Mr. Sanhedrin. I found the birds on Pyramid Peak in June and close to the edge of Desolation Valley nearby. The following notes appear in my field book: