ut never in the dark
ravines or thick timber; among the bushes just below timber-line on the
southern acclivity of the peak; everywhere around the village of Buena
Vista; about four miles below Leadville; and, lastly, beyond the range
at Red Cliff and Glenwood.[1]

[1] This list was greatly enlarged in my second trip to Colorado in
1901.

The song, besides its melodious quality, is full of expression. In this
respect it excels the liquid chansons of the mountain hermit thrush,
which is justly celebrated as a minstrel, but which does not rehearse a
well-defined theme. The towhee's song is sprightly and cheerful, wild
and free, has the swing of all outdoors, and is not pitched to a minor
key. It gives you the impression that a bird which sings so blithesome a
strain must surely be happy in his domestic relations.

Among the Rockies the black-headed grosbeak is much in evidence, and so
is his cheerful, good-tempered song, which is an exact counterpart of
the song of the rose-breasted grosbeak, his eastern kinsman. Neither the
rose-breast nor the cardinal is to be found in Colorado, but they are
replaced by the black-headed and blue grosbeaks, the former dwelling
among the lower mountains, the latter occurring along the streams of the
plains. Master black-head and his mate are partial to the scrub oaks for
nesting sites. I found one nest with four callow bantlings in it, but,
much to my grief and anger, at my next call it had been robbed of its
precious treasures. A few days later, not far from the same place, a
female was building a nest, and I am disposed to believe that she was
the mother whose children had been kidnapped.

Instead of the scarlet and summer tanagers, the Rocky Mountain region is
honored with that beautiful feathered gentleman, the Louisiana tanager,
most of whose plumage is rich, glossy yellow, relieved by black on the
wings, back, and tail; while his most conspicuous decoration is the
scarlet or crimson tinting of his head and throat, shading off into the
yellow of the breast. These colors form a picturesque combination,
especially if set against a background of green. The crimson staining
gives him the appearance of having washed his face in some bright-red
pigment, and like an awkward child, blotched his bosom with it in the
absence of a napkin.

So far as I could analyze it, there is no appreciable difference between
his lyrical performances and those of the scarlet tanager, both being a