ring twin peaks. In the arctic gulches the
scrubby copses came to an end, and therefore the white-crowns ascended
no higher, for they are, in a pre-eminent sense, "birds of the bush."
Subsequently I found them as far up the sides of Mount Kelso as the
thickets extended, which was hundreds of feet higher than the snow-bound
gorges just mentioned, for Kelso receives more sunshine than his taller
companions, particularly on his eastern side. Brave birds are these
handsome and musical sparrows. It was interesting to see them hopping
about on the snow-fields, picking up dainties from the white crystals.
How lyrical they were in this upper mountain valley! As has been said,
for some unaccountable reason the white-crowns in the vicinity of
Georgetown were quite chary of their music. Not so those that dwelt in
the valley below Gray's and Torrey's peaks, for there they trilled their
melodious measures with a richness and abandon that were enchanting.

On reaching the snow-belt, though still a little below the limit of
copsy growths, we saw our first pipits, which, it will be remembered, I
had encountered on the summit of Pike's Peak two years before. In our
climb up Gray's Peak we found the pipit realm and that of the
white-crowned sparrows slightly overlapping. As soon, however, as we
began the steep climb above the matted copses, the white-crowns
disappeared and the pipits grew more abundant. At frequent intervals
these birds would suddenly start up from the ground, utter their
protesting "Te-cheer! te-cheer!" and hurl themselves recklessly across a
snowy gulch, or dart high into the air and let their semi-musical calls
drop and dribble from the turquoise depths of the sky. Did the pipits
accompany you to the summit of the peak? I half regret to admit that
they did not, but ceased to appear a good while before the summit was
attained. This is all the more remarkable when it is remembered that
these birds were extremely abundant on the crest of Pike's Peak, where
they behaved in a "very-much-at-home" way.

However, there was ample compensation in the ascent of Gray's Peak. As
we clambered up the steep and rugged side of the mountain, sometimes
wading snow up to our knees, then making a short cut straight up the
acclivity to avoid the snow-banks, unable to follow the trail a large
part of the way, we were suddenly made aware of the presence of another
fearless feathered comrade. With a chirp that was the very quintessence
of go