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14 THE CONDOR 'VOL. VII tramping was concerned, on July 5th at Tallac on the southern shore of Lake Tahoe. Including numerous side trips, such as those to South Calaveras Grove, to various lakes about Glen Alpine, and finally the ascent of Mr. Tallac, we tramped about two hundred miles, at no time meeting with hardships and at all times surrounded by a nature surpassingly beautiful in its combination and suc- cession of forest and meadow and mountain. Notes were made on the birds seen throughout the trip and the opportunities for such study proved to be far richer than had been expected. The alleged "scar- city of birds in the High Sierras" could not at no time be a subject of reasonable complaint. Probably birds were not so abundant as in the plains and foothills of the lower altitudes, but one was seldom indeed removed irom the sight of fl(tting forms and almost never from the sound of bird voices. The loud "querk" of the plumed partridge, the joyous quavers of the ruby-crowned kinglet and the serious- ly dignified song of the 'white-crowned sparrow were constantly in one's ears dur- ing the days spent in the higher altitudes and the last named songster at least often continued his efforts until well into the night, when sleep had overcome one's powers to observe and note. In a previous number of TH? CONDOR Mr. Barlow contributed his very thor- ough observations on the birds of the Placerville-Lake Tahoe stage road, a region lying mostly along the course of the American River to the north of the territory covered by our party and joining the region of our observations at Lake Tahoe. So far as the mere occurrence of species is concerned lists of birds found along the route studied by Mr. Barlow and on the one taken by us would differ but little, the faunal conditions eyidently being very similar. About all I can hope to add in the way of notes from this region therefore will concern those species which acci- dent or unusual opportunity allowed me to observe with special success. I should say farther that in writing these notes I have kept in mind Mr. Belding's accounts of the same species in his very valuable "Land Birds of the Pacific District." Mr. Belding has covered at different times a considerable part of the very ground which it was my privilege to tread, nay most interesting days with the birds being on what is apparently familiar and favorite ground to him, viz., Bear Valley in Al- pine county. I should like to say parenthetically that Mr. Blood, ?vho last year completed his fortieth and, as he said, last year in charge of the toll and ranch in this mountain meadow, always spoke with unusual enthusiasm of the days when Mr. Belding came to hunt and study in this favored spot. It caused one to regret 'the fact that to many of us a personal acquaintance with our esteemed honorary member has not been possible. In the following notes I shall venture a few ob- servations on nine species of land birds only, namely, the plumed partridge, Wright flycatcher, white-crowned sparrow, Lincoln sparrow, thick-billed sparrow, tree. swallow, phainopepla, pileolated warbler, and mountain chickadee. The plumed partridge (Oreortyxpictus plumiferus) had already assumed nup- tial cares apparently when we first reached its breeding range on June ?, a short distance below Avery at an altitude of 3000 feet. From here on to the end of the trip it was no uncommon sight to see a pair of these birds walking sedately along the road or across a forest opening, the male leading with plumes erect and the fe- male walking close behind. As I afterward learned this was usually an indication of an incompleted set of eggs in the near vicinity. At Bear Valley elevation 7oi 5 feet, three occupied nests were found and two nests of the preceding year. A sixth occupied nest was found on Mt. Tallac. Eyesight alone was depended on to reveal a nest after having decided upon the approximate location from hearing the whistle of the male or seeing the pair xvalking about as mentioned. The nests