Page:Condor12(1).djvu/28

28 THE CONDOR VOL. XII morning of the ninth, and prepared to rest a few days. I ought to say that while the names Medano and Madenos seem to be pronounced much alike, I have spelled the former as it was given me at the ranch, and the latter as it is spelled on the Huerfano Park Sheet of the U.S. Geological Survey, though it seems likely one may be a corruption of the other. This Madenos Cation camp was at an elevation of 8700 feet, and we were glad to be getting back into the mountains again. It is hardly necessary to say that we collected there, but without any specially notable results. We made a trip to and above timberline one day, each going in a different direction, and a few alpine birds were seen. Finally on the 14th, the mule having recovered sufficiently to work a little, we crossed the Sangre de Christo Range by Madenos Pass, elevation 9700 feet, and dropped down to 8300 feet on the other side to that night's camp on Muddy Creek. Thence we went directly to the Wet Mountain Valley, going first to Querida, where we spent several days, and then moved down to Westcliffe. Querida is the location of the noted old Bassick Mine, and the tailings dump of the old mills is being worked by a cyanide plantin which a friend is interested, hence my visit there and to him. It ts an altitude of 9000 feet, a country of low rounded hills, with a rather limited growth of red spruce, yellow pines, and aspens, mainly on the northerly slopes. I also spent a couple of weeks there last February. Westcliffe is at an elevation of 7800 feet, and in the main portion of the Wet Mountain Valley, one of our large mountain parks, the bottom lands of which 'are mostly under cultivation, mainly in hay. Our camp was a short distance outside the town, near some of the meadows, and with the dry, unirrigated, and uncultivated land lying back of us, and extending to the foothills. This was dry and barren, with a low growth of rabbit brush. At Westcliffe I disposed of the mules and purchased a pair of horses, and no sooner was this done than we took our departure, going first back to Querida, and thence down Hardscrabble Cation, one of the wildest we had been through, and where we camped overnight. Thence around to Beulah, and over a hill or two which tried the pulling powers of the new team; but they were all there, and made nothing of them. From Beulah to Pueblo, and thence northward home was the balance of our route, and we arrived at Colorado Springs at lunch-time August third, just the proper time to arrive, seeing that I had taken the precaution to tele- phone from a few miles down the road that we would be on hand for lunch. We traveled nearly 400 miles, and went through portions of eight counties, as follows: E1 Paso, Fremont, Chaffee, Saguache, Costilla, Huerfano, Custer and Pueblo. I have included in this paper some notes taken at Villa Grove in January, 1907, and at Mosca in January, 1908, during some short trips I made to those places, and also such notes as I made on the visit to Querida in February which I have already men- tioned. Notes and references to some species not seen by me are also made, but these explain themselves. Colymbus nigricollis californicus. Eared Grebe. We saw several June 20 on one of the small lakes near the large or San Luis Lake. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. One seen on the same lake as the preceding species, and at the same time. It would seem as if grebes should have been seen more frequently, but this was the only occasion when we noted them, though we visited other ponds as well suited to them. 'Laxus delawarensis.' Ring-billed Gull. A flock frequented the upper end of San Luis Lake in the early morning and late afternoon. Wher? they spent the rest of the day I do not know, for we never saw them anywhere else.