Page:Condor5(5).djvu/20

 Se., t9o3 I THE CONDOR Callipepla squamata. Scaled Quail. Very common throughout the valley. Females with large eggs in their oviducts were taken May 22. A flock of about sixty came for several weeks morning and night into the corral to drink. Lophortyx gainbell. Gambel Quail. Seen in the Chiricahua mountains but not found in the Dragoons. Cyrtonyx montezumae mearnsi. Mearns Quail. The Mearns quail was not seen by me but was repor/ed from Rucker in the foothills of the Chiricahua moun- tains and was said to have been abundant about the Dragoons in former years. It is well known to the ranchmen who commonly call it the 'fool quail.' Meleagris gallopavo merriami. Merriam Turkey. Reported from the foothills of the Chiricahuas. Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. Very Common. They were our staple article of food in early summer. Melopelia leucoptera. W'hite-winged Dove. One specimen shot in the cotton- woods at the ranch. Columbigallina passerina pallescens. Mexican Ground Dove. One seen near Sulphur Spring May 29. Cathartes aura. Turkey Vulture. Quite common. Always seen soaring about the cliffs of Cochise Stronghold. Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawk. Seen at Sulphur Spring. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. One taken near the house at Allaire's ranch in early November. Accipiter cooperi. Cooper Hawk. Not uncommon through the winter. Buteo borealis calurus. Vestern Red-tail. Rather rare and not often seen. A pair had a nest a few miles east of the ranch. Buteo swainsoni. Swainson Hawk. The most common hawk. Nests were found in the mesquites at elevations of from six to fifteen feet. Fresh eggs were taken May 2, 9, 23, 25 and 29. Archibuteo ferrugineus. Ferruginous Rough-leg. A large hawk thought to be this species was seen once. Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. Seen occasionally. One day I rode over a little sandhill and surprised one which was there feeding on a prairie dog. Falco mexicanus. Prairie Falcon. One was shot near the ranch in Novem- ber. A pair remained about an old deserted house for several weeks in December and January. Falco sparverius phalina. Desert Sparrow Hawk. Not common. Noticed a number on April th. Seen occasionally in January. Asio wilsonianus. Long-eared Owl. One found dead near the house April t . Asio accipitrinus. Short-eared Owl. Common at Sulphur Spring in winter. No specimens taken. Bubo v. pallescens. W'estern Horned Owl. A large owl made nightly visits to our pigeon boxes and with disastrous effect, but I failed to secure him although I watched for several nights. Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea. Burrowing Owl. A large colony was located in a dogtown about 2oo yards from the house at Allaire's ranch. A few were seen elsewhere in the valley. Micropallas whitneyi. Elf Owl. One specimen taken in the Dragoons April 4. In brushing against a low bush I started tlis fellow up. He flew quickly and alighted in a thick bush where I could not see him distinctly. Not knowing what I was shooting, I fired, and was surprised when I picked him up to find an owl.