. Birds of the Rockies . thatare precisely to their taste. The wind blowing downto their haunts from the snowy summits carries on itswings the same keenness and invigoration that they UP AND DOWN THE HEIGHTS 21 would find if they went to British America, where thebreezes would descend from the regions of snow andice beyond the Arctic Circle. It will add a little spice of detail if we take aconcrete case. There is the handsome and lyricalwhite-crowned sparrow; in my native State, Ohio,this bird is only a migrant, passing for the summerfar up into Canada to court his mate and rear hisfamily. Now
. Birds of the Rockies . thatare precisely to their taste. The wind blowing downto their haunts from the snowy summits carries on itswings the same keenness and invigoration that they UP AND DOWN THE HEIGHTS 21 would find if they went to British America, where thebreezes would descend from the regions of snow andice beyond the Arctic Circle. It will add a little spice of detail if we take aconcrete case. There is the handsome and lyricalwhite-crowned sparrow; in my native State, Ohio,this bird is only a migrant, passing for the summerfar up into Canada to court his mate and rear hisfamily. Now remember that Col-orado is in the same latitude asOhio ; but the Buckeye State,famous as it is for furnishingpresidents, has no lofty eleva-tions, and therefore nowhite-crowns as summerresidents. However,Colorado may claimthis distinction, as wellas that of producinggold and silver, andfurnishing some of thesublimest scenery onthe earth; for onthe side of PikesPeak, in a green,well-watered vallevjust below CrownedSparroirs 22 BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES I was almost thrown into transports at finding thewhite-crowns, listening to their rhythmic choruses, anddiscovering their grass-lined nests by the side of thebabbling mountain brook. Altitude accomplishes forthese birds what latitude does for their brothers andsisters of eastern North America. There is almost endless variety in the avi-faunal life ofthe Rockies. Some species breed far above timber-linein the thickets that invade the open valleys, or clamberfar up the steep mountain sides. Others ascend stillhigher, building their nests on the bald summits of theloftiest peaks at an altitude of fourteen thousand feet andmore, living all summer long in an atmosphere that is asrare as it is refreshing and pure. Among these alpinedwellers may be mentioned the brown-capped leuco-stictes, which shall be accorded the attention theydeserve in another chapter. Then, there are specieswhich have representatives both on the plains
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1902
