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164 THE CONDOR Vol. XIV ceased and we proceeded on our way, but soon the deep snow made the road im- passable, and we were compelled to unharness the horses, packing only the ne- cessities on their backs, in order to continue. In places small streams had under- mined the snow, in which the horses would sink deep, shifting the pack in their efforts to right themselves. Half a mile of this disheartened us and we turned back; but when we reached our wagon we found we were unable to turn it on the narrow road-bed. Not having eaten since breakfast, and being wet and cold, we were indeed in a sorry plight. After unloading the wagon we finally suc- ceeded, inch by inch, in turning it around, and a mad ride down the grade brought us again to Georgetown Junction; and a few miles farther on we reached Echo, where we built a roaring camp fire and dried our outfit." From June 11 to 13 (1903) was spent in fieldwork at Phillips' Station, but without noting any Pine Grosbeaks; nor were any seen in the vicinity of Star Lake where we camped on June 26 and 27. In 1906 the Lake Tahoe region was visited in August and September, a much later time than on any previous trip, and when one would rather expect to find juvenile Pinicola in evidence. Fieldwork was done in the higher altitudes, at Phillips' Station August 12 and September 6, and at Star Lake August 24 and 25; but none of the birds in question were recorded. During 1909 a trip was taken to Cold Creek Meadows on June 3, while from June 11 to 13 was spent at Deerington's, a mile east of Phillips' Station. At both places owing to the lateness of the summer the ground still lay hidden be- neath deep snow. Although all of the commoner alpine species were met with in their usual numbers, I failed to find any Pine Grosbeaks. On June 24, at Mar- lette Lake, Nevada, 8000 feet altitude, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Sierra Grouse, Clarke Nutcracker, Sierra Hermit Thrush and other boreal birds were found, but none of the much-sought Grosbeaks. On June 28 Heinemann and I started on an extended tramp through the mountains that encircle the southern end of Lake Tahoe. It was near the end of the trip, at Lake-of-the-Woods, elevation 8000 feet, on July 1, that we saw our first Grosbeaks. It was a little after daybreak and, as the welcome rays of the morning sun came filtering through the trees about our camp, we became aware of the presence of a pair of these birds. The Pine Grosbeaks were watched with that extreme interest which-must ever be given by the oologist to birds whose eggs remain unknown to science. The pair staid about our camp for some time, feeding on the ground and in the trees. If the birds were nesting we failed to gain any clue of it from their actions, for they flitted from branch to branch and from tree to tree in a leisurely and unconcerned fash- ion, finaIly taking wing across the lake and disappearing in the heavy timber. While our efforts in 1910 were principally confined to taking the eggs of the Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, nevertheless it was on the two journeys to Pyra- mid Peak in quest of these eggs that we found more Pine Grosbeaks than in all the previous years combined. In 124 miles of fieldwork fifteen birds were seen, which shows, ho.wever, that the bird must be considered rare even in the most favorable localities. We found the bird absent in seemingly suitable territory which would show its distribution to be rather irregular. During all the previous years that we traversed this same region we found only a small fraction of the number now observed, which would further prove the bird's occurrence to be rather uncertain as well. We saw the first bird for the season of 1910 on the Pyramid Peak Plateau