May 24, 1935 This morning skinned a Shrike taken yester- day about 4 mi S Murphy, and a female Neotoma cinerea taken in a trap last night in the shack. In the afternoon I crossed the ragged rocky ridge north east of here, dip- ped to the valley valley beyond, traversed the entire length of the valley, then climbed back to the ridge, and traversed the crest ging southward to a point above camp. On the way up to the ridge heard and watched a Black Headed Grosbeak singing a whisper song which was much more melodious than the ordinary song. The valley on the other side was very much the same, along the entire length. Artemesia was dominant with some Atriplex, and the ground was everywhere covered, often hidden by dense growths of Ammikia about a foot high and Plagiobothrys a few inches high. There was no grass whatever here although grass was abundant on the ridge. Life was visibly lacking. Occasional Whip- tailed Lizards, Grasshoppers, one Shrike, a Brewer Sparrow, and one Sage Sparrow singing was all that was seen in more than two miles of sage. At Payette we heard that Citellus idahoensis was common in the open fields south of town 80