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309. SAGK Guot'sE
Centrocercus urophaxianus
BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA
AN INTRODUCTION
TO MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED COMMON
BIRDS OF THE STATE AND ADJACENT
ISLANDS
WITH A SUPPLEMENTARY LIST OF RARE MIGRANTS, ACCIDENTAL
VISITANTS, AND HYPOTHETICAL SUBSPECIES
BY
IRENE GROSVENOR WHEELOCK
AUTHOR OF " NESTLINGS OF FOREST AND MARSH "
WITH TEN FULL-PAGE PLATES AND SKVENTY-E IGHT DRAWINGS
IN THE TEXT BY BRUCE HORSFALL
Fourth Edition
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1916
COPYRIGHT
A. C. McCLURG & Co.
1903
Published February 20, 1904
Stack
Annex
TO
MY MOTHER
2003717
NOTE OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT
WHILE, in the preparation of this work, I have
met with universal kindness from the ever-
hospitable Californians, my especial thanks are due
to members of the Cooper Club and to Dr. David Starr
Jordan, of Leland Stanford University, for many cour-
tesies extended and kindly encouragement given. For
advice and assistance I am also indebted to Mr. Chas.
F. Lummis, Mr. Leverett M. Loomis, Mr. John Muir,
Mr. Joseph Grinnell, Mr. H. R. Taylor, and the late
Chester A. Barlow. But it is to my fellow-student
and co-laborer, my husband, Mr. Harry B. Wheelock,
that I owe most. With untiring patience he has
read manuscript, checked lists, and corrected errors,
thereby making it possible for me to go on in the
face of many obstacles.
I. G. W.
INTRODUCTORY
CALIFORNIA is the land of sunshine, flowers,
^-' and bird song. In the great sweep of country
from Mexico on the south to Oregon on the north
are found climatic conditions ranging from the Arctic
circle to the tropics. The valleys blossom with roses,
while the mountains are crowned with perpetual
snow. Hence we find a flora and fauna as unique
as the climate. It is the paradise of the bird-lover
as well as of the tourist. Birds of the Torrid Zone
come here ; birds of Alaska winter here ; birds from
the mountains come down into the valleys. There
is a constant -movement north and south, a lesser
one vertically from the warm lowlands to the colder
altitudes, or vice versa.
To live among these fascinating feathered folk
and not long to know them, one must have eyes that
see not and ears deaf to Nature's music. Yet the
bird-lover who wishes to enjoy an acquaintance with
them without scientific study finds his road beset with
difficulties. From the scientific works that seem to
him hopelessly abstruse he turns to the " popular " bird
book, which is delightful but does not help him to
x INTRODUCTORY
identify his "bird neighbors." It is in the hope of
meeting this need and affording an introduction to
the birds more commonly found in California that this
non-technical work is offered. Keys have been avoided
and a simple classification, according to habitat or color,
substituted, following the excellent plan used by Neltje
Blantjan, which has never been excelled for easy iden-
tification.
In selecting these three hundred from the five hun-
dred varieties listed as occurring within the confines
of the State and adjacent islands, no arbitrary rule has
been followed, the author being guided by her own
experience in field work among them. During a test
study in 1902, the ground covered was from Mexico to
Oregon, and from the islands off the coast to the eastern
slope of the Sierra Nevada ; and in this, two hundred
and forty odd species were commonly met with, while
the others were by no means rare. The observations
were made in the desert region along the California side
of the Colorado River, and at Tia Juana, San Diego,
Riverside, Redlands, Pasadena, San Pedro, Santa Cata-
lina, in. the Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey, Pacific
Grove, Palo Alto, Alviso, San Francisco Bay region,
Martinez, the Farallones, Mt. Tamalpais, Mt. Shasta,
Sacramento, Slippery Ford, Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf
Lake, Eagle Lake, and Lake Tulare. This list is
given for the benefit of bird-loving tourists who
may wish to do likewise.
INTRODUCTORY xi
Of the birds occurring in the State and not men-
tioned in this volume forty are ducks and geese, the
rest being either rare migrants or subspecies, confus-
ing to the observer and usually impossible to differ-
entiate without a gun. The seabirds, usually omitted
from non-technical bird books in the East, are so
conspicuous a part of California Avifauna that
no work on the subject would be complete without
them.
Field notes begun in 1894, and made with the aid
of powerful binoculars, form the basis of the follow-
ing pages. The books used for reference, wherever the
author's personal observations were unsatisfactory,
are " Ridg way's Manual of North American Birds, "
Bendire's " Life Histories, " Loomis's " Water Birds
of California," Mrs. Bailey's " Manual of Birds of
the Western United States," Davie's " Nests and
Eggs of North American Birds," " The Condor, "
"The Auk," "The Nidologist," Nelson's "Report
of Birds of Alaska," and Mr. Grinnell's " Check-list
of California Birds." The check-list numbers and
nomenclature of the American Ornithologist Union
have been strictly adhered to.
No originality is claimed for the technical descrip-
tions of the birds, as on this point the author has
drawn freely from standard authorities, oftentimes
verbatim, when a personal examination of specimens
was impossible.
xii INTRODUCTORY
It has been a difficult matter to collect facts for the
breeding range and season because there is no pub-
lished data on the subject; but the work has been
conscientiously done, and every precaution taken to
prevent possible errors. The dates given include the
earliest and latest at which eggs or newly hatched
young are usually found. It will be seen from this
that especial attention has been given to the habits of
each species during the reproduction period, including
nest-building, incubation, care of the young, etc., all of
which, unless otherwise accredited, has been taken
from the author's own notes.
Long and careful study of the feeding habits of
young birds in California and the Eastern United
States has led the author to make some statements
which may incur the criticism of ornithologists who
have not given especial attention to the subject. For
instance, that the young of all macrochires, wood-
peckers, perching birds, cuckoos, kingfishers, most
birds of prey, and many seabirds are fed by regurgita-
tionfrom the time of hatching through a period varying
in extent from three days to four weeks, according to the
species. Furthermore, that birds eating animal flesh
or large insects give fresh (unregurgitated) food to
their young at a correspondingly earlier stage of devel-
opment than do those varieties which subsist on small
insects or seeds. Also, that exclusive seed eaters are
usually fed by regurgitation so long as they remain in
INTRODUCTORY xiii
the nest. Out of one hundred and eighty cases recorded
by the author, in every instance where the young were
hatched in a naked or semi-naked condition they were
fed in this manner for at least three days. In some
instances the food was digested, wholly or in part ;
in others it was probably swallowed merely for con-
venience in carrying, and was regurgitated in an un-
digested condition. There seemed to be no definite
relation between the duration of the period of regurgi-
tative feeding and the length of time required for
the full development of the fledgeling. Young vul-
tures were fed in this way for ten days, and stayed in
the nest nine weeks. Young robins received their
food by this process three, occasionally four, days,
and usually took flight on the fifteenth day. Hum-
ming-birds, swallows, and a few others are fed by
regurgitation so long as they remain in the nest.
Goldfinches, waxwings, and others are nourished in
this way, with an occasional meal of raw food, until
they are ready to fly. The list is a long one, and as
most if not all of these instances are mentioned in
their individual biographies, given in this volume,
they need not be cited here. Scientists have long
known that pigeons, doves, and humming-birds feed
their young in this manner, and the discovery that
most species do likewise need cause no surprise.
IRENE GROSVENOR WHEELOCK.
CHICAGO, January 1, 1904.
ilf-
IDENTIFICATION
THE accompanying chart of a bird will explain the terms
used in the descriptions. "Upper parts" refers to the
entire upper surface of the body of the bird from the bill
to the tail. In the same manner, "Under parts" refers
to the under surface.
In identifying, decide first into which class the bird you
are observing is likely to belong, that is, whether land
or water birds. If water, whether it is found on the open
sea, or near shore, or in bayous or marshes, and whether
it is a swimmer or a wader, and then look for it in the list
where you think it may belong. Always ascertain as near
as you can the bird's length, and remember, in judging
length, that a bird usually looks smaller than he actually
measures. If the bird is among the land birds, and is
neither a game bird nor a bird of prey, trace it down in the
color classification.
USE OF THE MAP
THE four Life Zones indicated on the accompanying
map are those mentioned in the data given under the
headings Geographical Distribution and Breeding Range.
They represent climatic conditions of temperature in the
regions indicated. 'The "Boreal" extends from the tree-
less, snowclad summits, far above the timber-line down
through the coniferous forests. Next in coldness is the
"Transition," which begins at the Yellowpines, overlap-
ping the Boreal a little, and containing some species of
oaks, buckbrush, manzani'ta, and some sagebrush. Lying
between the Transition and the almost tropical heat of
the "Lower Sonoran " is the "Upper Souoran," where
we find the juniper, oaks, piuon pines, and sagebrush.
Last of all, the "Lower Sonoran" is the warmest. In it
lie the hot valleys and desert regions of California, and
here flourish the live oaks and mesquites. Many Cali-
fornia birds migrate from one to another of these zones
between breeding seasons, as the birds of the Eastern
United States migrate north and south. This changing
from lower to higher altitude, or the reverse, is termed
vertical migration.
CONTENTS
PART L WATER BIRDS
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA
Tufted Puffin
3 Black-footed Albatross . .
17
Rhinoceros Auklet ....
5 Short-tailed Albatross . . .
18
Cassin Auklet . .
6 Pacific Fulmar
19
Ancient Murrelet ....
7 Black-vented Shearwater . .
20
Marbled Murrelet ....
10 Dark-bodied Shearwater . .
21
Xantus Murrelet ....
11 Kaeding Petrel
22
Pigeon Guillemot ....
12 Black Petrel
2:3
California Miu-re ....
13 Ashy Petrel
24
Parasitic Jaeger
16 Man-o'-War Bird ....
26
BIRDS FOUND NEAR THE SHORE OR IN BAYS
Loon
27 Forster Tern
44
Pacific Loon
30 Least Tern .
45
Red-throated Loon ....
31 American Black Tern . . .
46
Glaucous-winged Gull . . .
32 Farallone Cormorant . . .
48
Western Gull
34 Brandt Cormorant ....
50
Herring Gull
37 Baird Cormorant
52
California Gull
39 American White Pelican . .
53
Ring-billed Gull
40 California Brown Pelican . .
55
Heennann Gull
41 Whistlino- Swan
56
Bonaparte Gull
42 Trumpeter Swan ....
57
Royal Tern
43
BIRDS FOUND
ALONG THE BEACHES
Wilson Phalarope ....
58 Red-backed Sandpiper, or Ox
American Avocet ....
60 Bird
66
Black-necked Stilt ....
62 Western Sandpiper ....
67
Long-billed Dowitcher . . .
63 Sanderling
68
Least Sandpiper, or Meadow
Greater Yellow-legs ....
69
Oxeve .
65 Wandering Tattler .
71
CONTENTS
Spotted Sandpiper
billed Curlew
73
Snowy Plover
78
Hudsonian Curlew, or Jack
Black Turnstone ....
80
Curlew ....
75
Black Ovster-catcher .
81
BIRDS FOUND IN
BAYOUS AND MARSHES
Western Grebe
82
Anthony Green Heron . .
96
American Eared Grebe . .
84
Black-crowned Night Heron
97
Pied-billed Grebe ....
86
Sandhill Crane
98
White-faced Glossy Ibis . .
89
California Clapper Rail . .
99
American Bittern ....
90
Virginia Rail
101
Least Bittern
91
Sora, or Carolina Kail . .
102
Tregauza Blue Heron, or
California Black Rail . .
104
Blue Crane
93
Florida Gallinule, or Red-
American Egret ....
94
billed Mud-hen'. . . .
105
Snowy Heron
95
American Coot
107
FART II. LAND BIRDS
I. -UPLAND GAME BIRDS
Wilson Snipe . . . .
Mountain Plover . . .
Mountain Partridge . ,
Plumed Partridge .
. Ill
. 113
. 114
115
Gambel Partridge ....
Sierra Sooty Grouse . . .
Oregon Ruffed Grouse . .
Sage Grouse .
122
124
126
127
California Partridge . ,
Valley Partridge . . ,
, . 118
. . 120
Band-tailed Pigeon . . .
Mourning Dove ....
130
132
II. BIRDS
California Vulture, or Condor 134
Turkey Vulture . . . '. 136
White-tailed Kite .... 138
Marsh Hawk 139
Western Sharp-shinned
Hawk 142
Cooper Hawk 143
Prairie Falcon 145
Western Red-tailed Hawk . 147
Red-bellied Hawk .... 149
OF PREY
Swainson Hawk .... 150
Ferruginous Rough-leg . . 153
Golden Eagle 154
Bald Eagle 156
Duck Hawk 158
Pigeon Hawk ..... 159
Desert Sparrow Hawk . . 161
Fish Hawk, or American
Osprey 163
American Barn Owl . . . 166
CONTENTS
xxi
American Long-eared Owl . 168
Short-eared Owl .... 169
California Screech Owl . . 171
Pacific Horned Owl . . . 173
Burrowing Owl 175
Pygmy Owl 178
III. COMMON LAND BIRDS IN COLOR GROUPS
With Brmon Predominating in Plumage
Road-runner 181
California Cuckoo .... 185
Red-shafted Flicker ... 188
Dusky Poorwill, or California
Poorwill 192
California Nighthawk . . 194
Texan Nighthawk .... 197
Say Phoebe 199
Western Wood Pewee . . 202
Pallid Horned Lark, or Des-
ert Horned Lark ... 204
California Horned Lark . . 208
Ruddy Horned Lark ... 208
Streaked Horned Lark . . 209
Gray-crowned Leucosticte . 209
Pine Siskin, or Pine Finch . 211
Western Vesper Sparrow . . 213
Western Savanna Sparrow . 215
Bryant Marsh Sparrow . .216
Belding Marsh Sparrow . . 217
Large-billed Sparrow . . . 218
Western Grasshopper-Sparrow 219
Western Lark Sparrow . . 221
White-crowned Sparrow . . 222
Gambel Sparrow, or Inter-
mediate Sparrow . . . 224
Nuttall Sparrow .... 225
Golden-crowned Sparrow . . 225
Western Chipping Sparrow . 227
Brewer Sparrow .... 228
Black-chinned Sparrow . . 230
Thurber Junco, or Sierra
Junco 231
Point Pinos Junco . . 234
Bell Sparrow 236
Sage Sparrow 237
Rufous-crowned Sparrow . . 239
Desert Song Sparrow . . . 240
Mountain Song Sparrow . . 242
Heerman Song Sparrow . . 243
Samuels Song Sparrow . . 243
Rusty Song Sparrow . . . 244
Lincoln Sparrow .... 244
Townsend Sparrow . . . 245
Thick-billed Sparrow ... 247
Stephens Sparrow .... 248
Californian Towhee ... 248
Anthony Towhee .... 250
Green-tailed Towhee . . . 251
Black-headed Grosbeak . . 253
Cliff Swallow 256
Rough-winged Swallow . . 258
Cedar Waxwing .... 259
American Pipit 262
Water Ouzel, or American
Dipper 264
Sage Thrasher 268
Californian Thrasher ... 270
Pasadena Thrasher . ... 272
Leconte Thrasher .... 273
Crissal Thrasher .... 274
Cactus Wren . ' . . . . 276
Rock Wren 279
Canon Wren 281
Dotted Canon Wren ... 282
Vigors Wren 284
Parkman Wren, or Pacific
House Wren . . 285
XXI 1
CONTENTS
Western Winter Wren . . 287
TuleWren 289
Interior Tule Wren, or West-
ern Marsh Wren ... 292
Californian Creeper ... 293
Sierra Creeper 293
Pallid Wren-tit . . . . . 296
Californian Bush-tit ... 298
Chestnut-backed Chickadee . 301
Coast Wren-tit ....
Townsend Solitaire . .
Russet-backed Thrush .
Audubon Hermit Thrush,
Sierra Hermit Thrush .
Dwarf Hermit Thrush .
Western Robin ....
Varied Thrush ....
302
303
306
307
309
309
311
With Dusky, Gray, and Slate-Colored Plumage
Belted Kingfisher . . .
Vaux Swift
. 313
317
Western Mockingbird
Slender-billed Nuthatch .
. 340
. 342
Arkansas Kingbird . .
Cassin Kingbird . . .
Ash-throated Flycatcher .
. 318
. 322
. 324
Red-breasted Nuthatch .
Pygmy Nuthatch . . .
Plain Titmouse
. 344
. 345
348
Oregon Jay
Clarke Nutcracker ... .
Oregon Junco ....
Bank Swallow ....
White-rumped Shrike
California Shrike . . .
. 327
. 329
. 333
. 334
. 336
. 337
Mountain Chickadee . .
Californian Chickadee
Lead-colored Bush-tit . .
Western Gnatcatcher . .
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
. 350
. 353
. 354
. 356
. 358
Plumage Conspicuously Black and White
Harris Woodpecker . . .
Cabanis Woodpecker . . .
Gairdner Woodpecker . .
Nuttall Woodpecker . . .
White-headed Woodpecker .
Arctic Three-toed Wood-
pecker
Williamson Sapsucker . .
Northern Pileated Wood-
pecker
Californian Woodpecker .. .
Gila Woodpecker . . . .
360 White-throated S'wift . . .
361 Western Black Phoebe . .
363 Black-billed Magpie . . .
364 Yellow-billed Magpie . .
366 White-necked Raven . .
Bobolink .......
368 Spurred Towhee ....
370 Oregon Towhee
Lark Bunting
372 Phainopepla
376 Black -throated Gray Warbler
378
Plumage Black or Iridescent Black
Black Swift . .
American Raven
Western Crow .
404
405
408
Cowbird . . .
Brewer Blackbird
Western Martin
379
381
383
387
389
390
393
394
396
398
401
411
412
415
CONTENTS
Plumage Green, Greenish Gray, and Olive
Black-chinned Humming-
bird
417
420
423
426
429
431
433
436
439
441
442
'.spicu
462
465
466
470
473
Blue
485
489
490
Northern Violet-green Swal-
low
445
447
448
451
453
454
455
. 457
458
459
474
475
476
478
480
481
483
500
502
Costa Hummingbird . . .
Anna Hummingbird . . .
Rufous Hummingbird
Allen Hummingbird . . .
Calliope Hummingbird . .
Olive-sided Flycatcher . .
Western Flycatcher . . .
Traill Flycatcher ....
Hammond Flycatcher . .
Wright Flycatcher . . .
Red Cm
Red-breasted Sapsucker . .
Lewis Woodpecker . . .
Vermilion Flycatcher .
San Diego Red-winged Black-
bird
Western Warbling Vireo
Cassin Vireo
Hutton Vireo
Least Vireo
Gray Vireo
Lutescent Warbler . . .
Dusky Warbler ....
Western Golden-crowned
Kinglet
Western Ruby-crowned
Kinglet ....
ous in Plumage
Bicolored Blackbird . . .
Tricolored Blackbird . . .
California Pine Grosbeak .
California Purple Finch . .
Cassin Purple Finch . . .
House Finch, or Linnet . .
Bendire Crossbill ....
Conspicuous in Plumage
Barn Swallow
' White-bellied Swallow, or
Tree Swallow ....
Sonoran Red-winged Black-
bird
Blue or Metallic
Grinnell Jay
Blue-fronted Jay ....
California Jay .
Pifion Jay 493
Western Blue Grosbeak . . 496
Lazuli Bunting .... 498
Western Bluebird .... 505
Mountain Bluebird ... 506
Yellow or Orange Conspicuous in Plumage
Yellow-headed Blackbird . 508
Western Meadowlark . . . 511
Scott Oriole ...'... 514
Arizona Hooded Oriole . . 517
Bullock Oriole 519
Western Evening Grosbeak . 523
Willow Goldfinch .... 525
California Goldfinch . ' . . 528
Lawrence Goldfinch . . .
Louisiana Tanager, or West-
ern Tanager
Calaveras Warbler ....
California Yellow Warbler .
Yellow-rum ped Warbler, or
Myrtle Warbler . . .
Audubon Warbler .
529
530
533
535
537
. 538
xxiv
CONTENTS
Townsend Warbler
Hermit Warbler .
Maegillivray Warbler
Pacific Yellow-throat
540 Long-tailed Chat .... 549
542 Golden Pileoiated Warbler . 552
545 Verdin ....... 554
546
SUPPLEMENTARY LIST 559
INDEX ... .569
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
SAGE GROUSE Frontispiece
IDENTIFICATION CHART OF BIRD xiv
MAP OF ZONES xvi
TUFTED PUFFIN. " As a puppy enjoys a bone " 4
ANCIENT MURRELET. "If a white-cap developed near them, they
would always escape it by diving " 8
PIGEON GUILLEMOT. " The Baby Guillemot " 12
ASHY PETREL. " The playmate of the grim old sea " .... 25
LOON. " The young loons are taken into the water " 29
WESTERN GULL. " The young gull is taught to fish " .... 35
AMERICAN BLACK TEIIX. "As it picks dragon-flies from the low
rushes" 47
BRA.NDT CORMORANT To face page 50
WILSON PHALAROPE. " Picking up their own food before they
were ten hours old " 59
SANDERLING. " A game of tag with the ocean " 69
HUDSONIAN CURLEW. " When alighting " 75
AMERICAN EARED GREBE. When tired, they are given a ride on
the mother's back 85
WHITE-FACED GLOSSY IBIS. " Watching for minnows in the
shallow water " 89
VIRGINIA RAIL. " Picking his way cautiously between the tules " 101
CALIFORNIA PARTRIDGE. ' It haunts the canons and slopes" . 119
MOURNING DOVE. " A platform of sticks " 133
CALIFORNIA VULTURE, OR CONDOR To face page 134
WHITE-TAILED KITE. " Preying upon the field mice ". ... 139
PRAIRIE FALCON. " Not even the bald eagle can strike such
terror to a flock of grouse " 146
xxvi ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
SWAINSON HAWK. "\Vaitsilentlyuntilthepreyappears" . . 151
BURROWING OWL. " They converse in soft love notes " . . . 176
ROAD-RUNNER To face page 181
CALIFORNIA CUCKOO. " He was busy feasting where the tent
caterpillars nested" 187
NIGHTHAWK. " Crept back as often as she was driven away " .196
SAY PHCEBE. " The industrious little mother repairs the nest " . 201
GRAY -CROWNED LEUCOSTICTE. "Searching in the snow for beetles
and bugs" 210
LARGE-BILLED SPARROW. "It haunts the wharves and break-
waters" 219
WESTERN LARK SPARROW. "The singer" 221
GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. "Their food is chiefly weed seeds
and winter berries " 226
THURBER JUNCO. "They protested with plaintive calls" . . . 232
SAGE SPARROW. " He sings to his mate, not to you " . . . . 238
DESERT SONG SPARROW. " In rain or shine, he is the same jolly
fellow" 241
TOWNSEND SPARROW. " The way he digs for his supper " . . 246
GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. " A manner distinctly his own " . . 252
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. "His little brown throat swelling
with music" . . . .- 254
AMERICAN PIPIT. " Up to the very highest peaks they wander " 263
WATER OUZEL, OR AMERICAN DIPPER . ... To face page 264
LECONTE THRASHER. " He loves the barrenness of the desert" . 274
CACTUS . WREN. " A long, purse-shaped affair " 278
TULE WREN .To face page 289
SIERRA CREEPER. " He offers his sweetheart a fat grub " . . . 295
CALIFORNIAN BUSH-TIT To face page 298
TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE. "Remained there singing when the
shadows of evening closed over the scene " 304
RUSSET-BACKED THRUSH. " Only at twilight and in the earliest
dawn may one hear the rich sweet song of this shy singer " . . 307
VARIED THRUSH. " Silent and shy " 312
BELTED KINGFISHER. " He strikes again and again " . . . . 315
ARKANSAS KINGBIRD. " Watching with a great show of alertness " 319
ILLUSTRATIONS xxvii
PAGE
OREGON JAY. " Not a single blue feather " 328
CLARKE NUTCRACKER To face page 329
WHITE-RUMPED SHRIKE. " Impaling their prey on thorns " . . 337
PYGMY NUTHATCH. " Both birds worked busily carrying feathers " 347
PLAIN TITMOUSE. "Busily carrying short hair, feathers, and
wool " 349
MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE. " The birds were very fearless ". . . 352
BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER. " He was a bewitching little gray
ball of feathers " 359
CABANIS WOODPECKER. " Both sexes share the labors of excavat-
ing" 362
WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER. " Where the bark is thickest and
roughest " 367
NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER. "After a few trials he
learns to hammer right merrily" 374
CALIFORNIAN WOODPECKER To face page 376
WHITE-THROATED SWIFT. " Its nesting site is the most inaccessi-
ble cliff " 380
BOBOLINK. " While his demure sweetheart listens " 392
PHAINOPEPLA To face page 398
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. "They lean away over to
peer under every leaf " 403
BLACK SWIFT. " While flying swiftly through the air " . . . 404
BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD. " Lit daintily a few inches away " 418
ANNA HUMMINGBIRD. " Upon a wire clothes-line, and squeaking
right merrily " 424
CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD. " It feeds upon the painted cups " . 432
NORTHERN VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW. " It is a lover of pine
woods and mountain forests " 446
GRAY VIREO. " The best songster of all the vireos " .... 454
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. "Only an expert climber can hope to
peep into one " 461
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER. "The mother watched the attempt
to drink the sweet syrup " 463
VERMILION FLYCATCHER. "Pouring out his joy " 467
SAN DIEGO RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. " A spirit of reckless
daring" 472
xxviii ILLUSTRATIONS
CALIFORNIA PIXE GROSBEAK. "He seems fairly to revel in the
swirling clouds of snow " 477
MEXICAN CROSSBILL. " Head down, chickadee fashion " . . . 484
STELLER JAY. " Xowhere are they welcome " 487
CALIFORNIA JAY. " The colder the better " 491
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. "Beseechingly from the cradle" 510
SCOTT ORIOLE. " He will peer into it with ludicrous earnestness " 516
LOUISIANA TANAGER. " A dragonfly had been captured for break-
fast " 532
AUDUBON WARBLER. " Always in a mad chase for something to
eat" . . 539
HERMIT WARBLER. " With her beak full of cobwebs" ... 543
LoNG-TAfLED CHAT. "Where he whistled and sang from dawn
until dark " 549
PILEOLATED WARBLER. " His song reminds one of the tinkle of
a brooklet " 553
VERDIN. " A retort-shaped affair " 555
PART I
WATER BIRDS
BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA
PART I
WATER BIRDS
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA
12. TUFTED PUFFIN. Lunda cirrhata.
FAMILY : The Auks, Murres, and Puffins.
Length: 15.00.
Adults in Summer : Top of head, wings, back, and tail uniform blackish
brown ; throat, breast, and, belly dark grayish brown ; cheeks, fore-
head, and chin white ; a long silky tuft of yellow feathers, curved
like horns, hanging down and back from each side of the crown, just
back of the eyes. End of the bill bright red, base greenish yellow ;
feet bright red.
Adults in Winter: Tufts wanting ; sides of head dusky; feet and bill
duller; horny covering at base of bill replaced by brown skin.
Doumy Young: Uniform dark gray or black.
Geographical Distribution : Coasts and islands of the North Pacific from
Southern California to Alaska.
Breeding Range : From the Farallone Islands north to Behring Sea.
Breeding Season: Approximately, June 1 to August 1.
Neat : Usually in crevice in rock ; sometimes a burrow is excavated in
the shale ; bare, or lined with coarse weeds.
Eggs: 1 ; ranging from white to yellowish buff, variously marked
with lilac dots at both ends ; or, irregular, indistinct tan-color spots
over entire surface ; or, having nondescript zigzag markings. Size
2.81 X 1.89.
THE name " sea parrot " is applied to all puffins on
account of their curious parrot-like bill. The Tufted
4 WATER BIRDS
Puffin breeds extensively on the Farallone Islands and,
to a limited extent, on Santa Barbara and San dementi
and Point Reyes Islands. Its single egg is laid in
the barest semblance of a nest at the end of a burrow,
or in a crevice among the rocks, or often under the
shelter of a boulder. Wherever the nest may be it is
always valiantly defended, and
only in the rare absence of
both parents will the collec-
tor rob it. The only child
receives all the atten-
tion proverbially given to
only children, for the nest is
never left unguarded and the par-
ents make a fierce fight if molested.
The young puffin is an odd-
, , . , , ., . , ., . .
looking baby, for it inherits u Asamyenjoysabone ."s*
the family bill. Otherwise ' /
it looks like a gray rat crouched at the entrance to
its home run. Both adults and young are noisy, con-
stantly growling from their burrows, and croaking
when outside ; this with their odd bill, white face-
mask, and drooping yellow ear-tufts, makes them
eerie creatures of the sea. Their food consists of fish,
mollusks, and Crustacea, which they obtain by diving,
using both wings and feet to propel themselves under
water. This top-heavy bird is exceedingly awkward on
land, and especially so when alighting with a fish in its
beak, as with a swinging motion it drops its feet very
wide apart. In feeding, the parent holds the fish or
12. TUFTED PUFFIN
>^ . * .
FIN. *
"
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 5
crustacean firmly in its beak, and the young tear bits
from it with snarling whines, somewhat as a puppy
enjoys a bone.
The young bird dives or is shoved off from the rocks to
the water, both parents assisting at the rather startling
debut and, apparently, breaking the force of the fall
by flying under the little one. One would expect a bird
so uncouth and helpless in walking to be particularly
graceful on the water, but this is not the case with the
puffins, for they swim in such a horizontal position as
to seem even more ungraceful than on land.
15. RHINOCEROS AUKLET. Cerorhinca monocerata.
FAMILY : The Auks, Murres, and. Puffins.
Length: 15.00.
Adults: Upper parts uniform grayish black ; sides of head, neck, upper
neck, and sides dull gray ; lower breast and belly white, washed with
gray ; a row of narrow, pointed white feathers along each side of
occiput ; another row from base of bill across cheek to ear.
Nuptial Plumage : Base of upper mandible surmounted by a compressed
upright horn, the base of which clasps the mandible as a saddle, down
to and inclosing the nostrils. In winter this is replaced by leathery
skin.
Downy Young : Soft gray-brown.
Geographical Distribution ; Coast and islands of the North Paciftp from
Behring Sea south to Lower California (resident).
Breeding Range: From Washington northward on islands near the coast.
Breeding Season : Approximately, June 1 to August 20.
Nest : In crevice or at end of burrow, 2 to 4 feet from entrance, some-
times lined with refuse, but oftener bare.
Eggs: 1 ; chalky white, with faint gray markings. Size 2.70 X 1.82.
THE Rhinoceros Auklet is an odd-looking bird, hav-
ing a short chunky body, with head set so close to
its shoulders as to leave no neck at all, and legs so
6 WATER BIRDS
short as to be practically invisible. Floating on the
water it seems to have fallen over on its face and to be
unable to right itself, so that it looks much more like
a bit of wood than a bird. You glance at it carelessly,
never dreaming that it may be alive, when suddenly it
dives, leaving no trace. In a moment it reappears at
some distance away, only to dive again the instant you
turn in its direction. It is perfectly at home on or in
the water, although so helpless on land, and can swim
a long distance submerged.
Largely nocturnal in habits, migrating and feeding at
night ; it hides from the sun in burrows or behind rocks
during the day, and if brought into the strong light it
blinks like an owl. At night it flies swiftly in flocks,
with peculiar, plaintive cries, after the manner of the
swift. In winter it is found on most of the islands
along the coast from Tia Juana and San Diego north.
Migrates in flocks about May 1. Is recorded from Santa
Catalina.
16. CASSI N AUK LET. Ptychoramph its aleutiais.
FAMILY : The Auks, Murres, and Puffins.
Length: 8.75.
Adults: Above, dark slate-color, merging into ashy on sides of head and
neck ; upper breast and sides slate ; lower breast and belly white ; a
white spot on lower eyelids.
Downy Young : Soft brownish gray.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America from Alaska
to Lower California.
Breeding Range : From San Benito Islands northward.
Breeding Season : Approximately, April 1 to September 1.
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 1
Nest: In crevices of rocks, under edge of boulders, or in shallow burrow ;
unlined.
Eggs: 1 ; greenish white. Size 1.81 X 1.33.
LIKE the rhinoceros auklet, Cassin's Auklet is noc-
turnal in habit, hiding in its burrow by day and coming
out in the twilight to feed and fly. Both species are
expert swimmers and divers, obtaining in this manner
the Crustacea which form their chief diet. On stormy
nights they may be heard calling to each other above the
thunder of the surf and the fury of the gale. On clear
or moonlight nights they flit like huge beetles over the
shore, with continual high-keyed notes. With the screams
of the gulls by day and the calls of the auklets by night,
the rocky islands of the Pacific coast are never silent.
The Cassin Auklets are resident in small numbers off
the coast of Southern California and on the islands of
Santa Catalina, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, breeding
locally northward along their range. On the Farallones
they breed in great numbers, and are also found nesting
abundantly on the Netarte Islands and along the rocky
coast of British Columbia. Each pair will usually raise
three broods, of a single bird each, every season. The
young remain in the nest until fully feathered, when they
are able to fly, swim, and dive with the ease of adult birds.
21. ANCIENT MURRELET. Synthliboramphus antiquvs.
FAMILY : The Auks, Murres, and Puffins.
Length: 10.00.
Breeding Plumage : Head and throat black ; sides of neck, line on each
side of crown to nape, white ; upper back gray, streaked laterally
with white ; back, wings, and tail brownish gray, blackish on prima-
ries ; sides sooty brown ; breast and belly white.
8 WATER BIRDS
Winter Plumage : Throat white; upper parts uniform dark gray ; under
parts white.
Downy Young : Above, soft dark gray ; lower parts and throat white.
Geographical Distribution : Coasts of the Northern Pacific from Monte-
rey northward to arctic circle.
Breeding Range: From Sitka northward.
Breeding Season: June and July.
Nest: Unlined, in holes in a bank or shallow burrow.
Eggs: 2 ; deep buff, with fine markings of light purplish brown.
Size 2.32 X 1.47.
IN " California Water Birds," No. IT., Mr. Leverctt
M. Loomis says concerning the occurrence of the Ancient
Mnrrelet at Monterey in
midwinter: "About - v
five hundred yards
from the surf a belt
of drift kelp extend-
ing from Seaside
Laboratory (^
around Point
Pin os (Pacific
Grove, Cal.)
had gained an
anchorage.
Thenar- -
"If a white-cap developed near them,
they would always escape it by diriitg."
row strip between this and the
beach was the favorite resort of
"Ancient Murrelete. A good many were
<- also found near the surf in the little coves in
-r^^the direction of Monterey, and some were seen
several miles out from the land. They were great
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 9
divers and swimmers under water, and voracious in their
pursuit of small fry. Unlike marbled murrelets they did
not seek safety in flight when pursued. Neither did they
dive as soon or remain as long under water when keeping
out of the way of the boat. If a whitecap developed
near them they would always escape it by diving. That
this little Auk leaves its summer home in the land of ice-
bergs- and comes south in considerable numbers in winter
to California has not been generally known to ornithol-
ogists."
In April it starts north again, and by May 20 has
reached the breeding ground in Alaska. Here it selects
a nesting place, either a deep crevice in the rock, the
abandoned burrow of a rabbit, or under the heavily
matted grass. Under the grass it burrows its way for
two or three feet, and there scratches out a small cavity,
lining it carefully with dry grass from the outside. Here
two buff eggs are laid. These are brooded by one bird
during the day, while the other feeds out at sea. At
night they change places. The only account of their
nesting habits has been given by Mr. Littlejohn, who
spent some time with them on an Alaskan island. He
describes the squeaky noises made by the nocturnal birds,
murrelets, auklets, and petrels, as effectually banishing
sleep. "As if not satisfied with the constant babble of
their neighbors, the murrelets took especial delight in
alighting at the foot of the A-shaped tent, toe-nailing
it up to the ridgepole, resting there a moment, and then
sliding down the other side."
10 WATER BIRDS
23. MARBLED MURRELET. Brackyramphus
maiinoratus.
FAMILY : The Auks, Murres, and Puffins.
Length: 9.75.
Adults in Summer : Above dusky, barred with rusty brown ; under parts
white, each feather tipped with umber, producing a mottled effect.
Adults in Winter : Above slate-gray with white band across nape ; scap-
ulars mixed with white, and feathers of back tipped with brownish ;
lower parts white, more or less mottled with gray.
Young : Above uniform dark gray, with light band on nape more or less
distinct. Lower parts white, mottled with gray.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America from South-
ern California to Alaska.
Breeding Range : From Oregon coast northward.
Nest : In burrow in ground, or hole in bank, or crevice in cliff.
Eggs: 1 ; buffy, marked with purple-brown. Size 2.14 X 1.42.
THE Marbled Murrelet is found only in the Pacific
Ocean, and breeds in such inaccessible places that little
is known of its habits. The adult birds and young are
found in numbers about Vancouver Island, but its nest-
ing sites are difficult to find. It is more common along
the coast of British Columbia than farther south. The
best authorities seem to agree that the nesting habits of
this species are like those of the ancient murrelet and
their usual breeding grounds only a little farther south.
In California they are common near the coast all winter
as far south as San Diego. At Monterey we found
them exceedingly timid, diving at the slightest alarm
and impossible to approach. Their food consists of
small invertebrates, which they pick from the rocks at
some distance under water.
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 11
25. XANTUS MURRELET. Endomychura
hypoleuca.
FAMILY : The Auks, Murres, and Puffins.
Length: 10.00.
Adults : Upper parts plain slaty gray ; under parts, including cheeks
and throat, uniform clear white ; lining of wing white ; head without
ornamental feathers or spines.
Downy Young : Uniform dusky color above, light gray beneath.
Geographical Distribution : Southern California to Cape St. Lucas.
Breeding Range : From San Diego southward on coast of Southern Cali-
fornia and on Coronado Islands.
Breeding Season : Approximately, March 1 to June 1.
Nest : In crevices of cliffs ; usually lined with coarse grass.
Eggs: 1 ; light buffy, with gray-brown markings. Size 2.05 X 1.50.
THE Xantus Murrelet is a common resident along the
coast of Southern California as far north as Monterey.
Little is known concerning its breeding habits, although
it nests on the coast from San Diego south, more abun-
dantly sout\i of the Mexican border. It is numerous
out in the open sea south of Coronado Islands during
the breeding season, and is said to nest on the Island
of San dementi as well as Coronado. It is found in
the Santa Barbara Channel at all seasons of the year,
and without doubt a few nest on the Santa Barbara
Islands at present, though the breeding ground there
is reported as deserted for some years. ' The nesting
habits are probably not unlike those of its Alaskan
cousins except as to season.
12 WATER BIRDS
29. PIGEON GUILLEMOT. Cepphus columba.
FAMILY : The Auks, Murres, and Puffins.
Length: 13.50.
Adults in Summer : Uniform blackish except wings, where black basal
half runs to point, making a black wedge between two white patches ;
feet red ; bill black and slender.
Adults in Winter: White, varied on upper parts with black ; wings and
tail as in summer.
Young: Similar to winter plumage of adult.
Downy Young : Uniform black above, under parts gray.
Geographical Distribution : Coasts and islands of the North Pacific from
Behring Strait to Southern California.
Breeding Range : From San Nicholas Island northward.
Breeding Season: Approximately, May 1 to August 1.
Nest : Behind or under boulders or in dark places, as near the water as
possible.
Eggs : 2 ; light green-blue, thickly marked with lilac, mostly at larger
end. Size 2.43 X 1.62.
THE Pigeon Guillemot, "so like a guillemot and so like
a pigeon," is very abundant on the Farallones. It is a
pretty, graceful bird, first cousin to the murre,
which it somewhat resembles, being of a soft,
dark brown color. Two points im-
press you at first, its conspicuous
scarlet feet, and the broad white
band on the wing. Like many
sea birds, it stands with the body in
a vertical position, supported by the
long foot, after the manner of a penguin.
Its curious nest is made of pebbles, carried 29. " THE BABY
. . GUILLEMOT"
one by one in its bill and deposited in a
circle in dark crannies of the rocks or hidden under boul-
ders. They seem to serve chiefly as a rim to keep the eggs
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 13
from rolling away. The breeding ground of the Pigeon
Guillemot is that also occupied by the gulls, on the
lower part of the islands, often near the water's edge.
Yet surrounded on every side by the nests of the gulls
and living near neighbors with them, they seem to be
the only birds which these brigands of the sea do not
commonly molest. Probably pigeon eggs are not to
their taste. The baby Guillemot when first hatched
is covered with thin blackish down on the head, neck,
and back, shading to dark gray on the under parts.
There is no conspicuous coloring to betray him in the
dark nesting place, for even his feet are dull olive rather
than red like those of his father. As with our own'
land pigeons, the family always consists of twins, theo-
retically a male and a female. Like the land pigeons,
also, they are fed by regurgitation ; but here the resem-
blance ends, for they learn to dive and swim almost as
soon as the down is fairly dry, and become expert in
paddling swiftly with their heads submerged, in a
unique and very amusing fashion.
30a. CALIFORNIA MURRE Una troile calif ornica.
FAMILY : The Auks, Murres, and Puffins.
Length: 17.50.
Adults in Summer: Upper parts uniform grayish brown; browner on
neck and sides of head; under parts white.
Adults in Winter: Upper parts same as in summer ; under parts white ;
throat and sides of head more or less washed with brownish ; sides
tinged with darker.
Downy Young: Upper parts grayish brown, the head and neck finely
streaked with pearl-gray. Under parts white.
Geographical Distribution : Coasts and islands of North Pacific.
14 WATER BIRDS
Breeding Range : From Farallones to Alaska.
Breeding Season : Approximately, May to August.
Nest: A bare flat place on cliffs, no lining, no protection.
Eggs: I ; pear-shaped; varying from white to buffy, amber, and pale
green. May be either unmarked or streaked with brown. In size
they vary from 3.50 X 1.90 to 2.05 X 1.45.
THE great Murre rookery of the California coast is
on the Farallone Islands; until the last few years
their eggs were a common product in the markets of
San Francisco. According to figures furnished by Mr.
Leverett M. Looinis, the collection of Murre's eggs at
the Farallones in 1896 amounted to 7>645 dozen, all
of these being shipped to California markets. Mr.
Loomis also says: "In 1885 three hundred thousand
eggs were gathered. The market became glutted, one
cargo being dumped into San Francisco Bay and another
abandoned on the island." According to another au-
thority, five hundred thousand eggs were sold in less
than two months, all collected in one limited portion
of South Farallone Island, and, " in the opinion of the
eggers, not more than one egg in six was gathered."
Fortunately the Government has now forbidden the
collection of eggs and the molesting of the birds on
any portion of these islands, and no one is allowed to
land except by permission of the Government Light
House Inspector.
Besides being robbed by human enemies, the unfor-
tunate Murres have to wage continual war against the
Western gulls, who steal their eggs the moment their
backs are turned, or even snatch them from under the
mother bird. Possibly for this reason they often choose
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 15
a narrow ledge just wide enough for them to squat upon
when brooding the egg, where they will have only one
side to defend. Since they brood in an almost upright
position, the egg resting between the feet, it is difficult
to tell a brooding bird.
Most ludicrous is their habit of ducking their heads as
if in salute, and when this is done by hundreds, one after
another, the effect is grotesque indeed. I had thought
this the result of excitement at the presence of an
enemy, but it continued when I fancied myself well
concealed and no one else in sight. It is usually fol-
lowed by the departure of a number, who dive with
incredible swiftness from the steep rocks to the sea,
either from hunger or alarm. Although so awkward
and helpless on land, they are at home on or under
the water, swimming submerged with great ease and
swiftness.
The nesting date of the California Murres differs with
different authorities, Mr. Loomis placing it in April, and
Mr. Emerson from the middle of May to late in August ;
my own date is June. This discrepancy is accounted
for by the fact that they rear several broods in a year
if accident befall the earliest. And as the Western gulls
consider the young Murre a delicious morsel, the life of
any nestling is precarious. When the gulls press too
closely, the wise Murres push their one baby off the
rock into the water below, darting beneath it with in-
credible swiftness, and the young Murre, although not
ready for the dive, is yet born with its swimming-suit
on, and bobs up serenely after a dizzy fall.
16 WATER BIRDS
37. PARASITIC JAEGER. Stercorarius parasiticus.
FAMILY : The Skuas and Jaegers.
Length: 17.00.
Light Phase of Adults: Top of head and lores dark grayish brown ; re.st
of head and back of neck straw-color, merging into white on throat ;
breast and belly white, washed on sides with grayish ; back, wings,
and tail slaty gray ; middle tail-feathers narrow, pointed, and 3.UU
longer than the others ; tarsi black.
Dark Phase of Adults: Entire plumage dark brownish slate-color, darker
on head and lighter on under parts.
Light Phase of Young: Head and neckbuffy, streaked with dark ; upper
parts dark grayish brown, the feathers tipped with buffy ; under parts
buffy, barred with dark.
Dark Phase of Young : Dark grayish brown, darker on wings and tail ;
neck, belly, and sides streaked with buffy.
Downy Young: Soft grayish brown above, under parts lighter.
Geographical Distribution ; Entire northern hemisphere ; south in winter
to equator.
Breeding Range : Chiefly within the arctic circle.
Breeding Season: Approximately, June 5 to July 15.
Nest: A mere depression in the ground, rudely lined with grass, dry
leaves, or moss ; situated on dry upland or rocks near the water.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; pale greenish brown, spotted thickly with umber at larger
end and somewhat over entire surface. Size 2.23 X 1.62.
THE Parasitic Jaeger occurs commonly as a migrant
on the coast of California, though a few remain all winter.
Mr. Grinnell reports one taken at Santa Monica, and Dr.
Jeffries tells me they are numerous at Santa Catalina in
November. They are winter residents in small numbers,
also in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, and
wherever found in sufficient numbers they render life
miserable for terns and gulls by snatching their fish from
them. At the end of a month's persecution the bodies
of the terns become much emaciated from lack of food,
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 17
as nearly every capture is seized by the rapacious Jaegers
as soon as raised from the water. Like most bul-
lies, the Jaeger never bothers a gull of its own size,
but chooses its victim from the smaller varieties.
In the northern regions it destroys eggs and nests of
other water-fowl, rarely fishing for itself, but living
by thievery.
81. BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS. Diomedea
nigripes.
FAMILY : The Albatrosses.
Length: 28.50-36.00.
Adults: Upper parts dark brownish gray ; under parts uniform grayish ;
tail-coverts and anterior portions of head white ; bill dusky brown ;
feet black.
Young : Similar, but upper tail-coverts dark gray, and little or no white
on head.
Geographical Distribution : North Pacific, including west coast of North
America.
Breeding Hinge : Islands of the Pacific near the equator.
Nest : A depression in the guano, lined or edged with a little seaweed.
Eggs : 1 ; white.
VERY little is known of the nesting habits of this
rover of the high seas. I have been able to find only
one record of any nest discovered or any egg taken.
It is said to breed on the islands in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean toward the equator, in January and Feb-
ruary. Its cries are said to resemble cat-calls and to
have a particularly doleful sound heard in the roar of a
tempest. Of untiring flight, it visits the land only to
nast, and is seldom seen near the coast, preferring the
free, bold life on the open sea.
2
18 WATER BIRDS
It has been nicknamed " Gonie " by the fishermen, in
supposed allusion to a peculiar croaking noise it makes
when feeding.
82. SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS. Diomedea albatrus.
FAMILY : The Albatrosses.
\: 33.00-37.00.
Adults : White, merging to straw-yellow on head and neck ; tail-
feathers brownish, primaries having yellow shafts.
Young : Uniform dark brownish gray, merging to blackish on head and
neck ; shafts of primaries straw-yellow ; bill and feet light brown.
Geographical Distribution: North Pacific; in America from California
to Alaska.
Breeding Range: Islands of the Sandwich group and northward to
Aleutian Islands.
Nest : The bare ground.
Eggs: 1 ; elliptical ; white. Size 4.20 X 2.60.
THE Short-tailed Albatross is found on the Pacific
Ocean, following the whaling ships to feed on the refuse.
Mr. Davie says : " It is easily caught with hook and line,
and when taken on board is unable to rise from the deck,
as it requires a long range of surface on which to flap its
wings."
It is occasionally seen in the Bay of Monterey in
.December and January, following the whales that fre-
quently come into the harbor, and it is remarkably fear-
less. A young bird of this species shot by Mr. Loomis
was very ferocious, screaming with rage, and trying to
bite its wounded wing. When approached by the col-
lector who had shot it, the bird turned its fury upon
him. The Chinese fishermen regard these monarchs of
the high seas with superstitious awe, feeding them and
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 19
propitiating them with choice bits, in hope of averting dan-
ger and winning good luck in their fishing. According
to their belief, the whales drive the sardines into the bay
to help the Chinese, but the albatross drives the whales.
86 c. PACIFIC FULMAR. Fulmarus gladalis rodgersi.
FAMILY : The Fulmars and Shearwaters.
Length: 17.00-19.00.
Light Phase : Head, neck, and under parts white ; upper parts ashy
gray ; primaries and secondaries dark gray-brown.
Dark Phase : Uniform dusky gray above, ashy gray below.
Geographical Distribution : North Pacific, south on the American coast
to Mexico.
Breeding Range : Islands of the Pacific from the coast of British Colum-
bia to Behring Sea.
Breeding Season: June and July.
Nest : in colonies on ledges ami in crevices of steep promontories rising
perpendicularly from the sea.
Eggs: 1 ; chalky white. Size 2.85 X 1.90.
LIKE all the Fulmars, this species is found on the
open sea and rarely lands upon the coast. It has been
recorded at Monterey, and occurs at most of the islands
along the coast of California, Washington, Oregon, and
British Columbia. It is very abundant at Santa Cata-
lina in the fall and winter.
Its common names are Goose, Gonie, Gluttonbird,
Giant Petrel. Of these " Gluttonbird " seems to apply to
this vulture of the sea. Its food consists of dead flesh,
fish, or fowl, as the case may be, upon which it gorges
until unable to fly. It is eminently a bird of the open
sea, visiting the land seldom except in the breeding
season, and usually not flying nearer the coast than five
or ten miles.
20 WATER BIRDS
All the Fulmars may be distinguished from the gulls
in flight by their characteristic wing motions. The
wings of the gulls rise and fall rapidly in wide sweeps,
and are held more or less at an angle in soaring; the
Fulmar wing stroke is slower and apparently (though
not really) less powerful.
The Pacific Fulmar feeds its newly hatched young by
regurgitation of an amber-colored ill-smelling oil. It is
said by some authorities to eject this as a protection
against enemies, also ; certainly the odor is sufficiently
offensive to prevent any but the most enthusiastic orni-
thologist from meddling with its domestic affairs.
93. BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER. Puffinus
opisthomelas.
FAMILY : The Fulmars and Shearwaters.
Length: 12.00-15.00.
Adults : Upper parts dark slate-color, merging to gray on head and neck ;
under parts white, except lower tail-coverts, which are blackish gray.
Downy Young : Upper parts dark ashy gray ; under parts smoky white.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific Oceau, chiefly the southward coast of
Lower California, north to Santa Cruz, California.
Breeding Ramje: Islands of the South Pacific, north to Lower California.
RECORDS are claimed of this species as far north as
the coast of Oregon. Little is known concerning its
nesting habits. Mr. Anthony found adults and young
on San Benito Islands in July, and writes that they
nest in caves there. (" The Condor," Vol. II. page 29.)
Mr. A. W. Anthony in "The Auk," Vol. XIII., has
given a full description of the occurrence of these Shear-
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 21
waters off the coast of Southern and Lower California.
Here flocks of several thousand birds may be frequently
seen hovering over the vast schools of herring that for
some reason come near the shore. Mr. Anthony men-
tions one flock that numbered at least fifty thousand.
The presence or absence of the Shearwater near shore
is governed by the abundance or scarcity of fish ; during
late July, August, and September the maximum is
reached.
The Black-vented Shearwater is supposed to breed
during the winter months, south of the equator, and the
summer flocks usually contain numbers of young birds.
95. DARK-BODIED SHEARWATER Puffinm griseus.
FAMILY : The Fulmars and Shearwaters.
Adults: Plumage uniform sooty gray ; lighter, sometimes whitish, on
chin and throat ; under wing-coverts white, transversely mottled
with gray at tips ; bill blackish.
Geoyraphicfil Distribution: South Pacific, north on the American coast,
to Queen Charlotte Islands. British Columbia.
Breeding Range : Islands of the South Pacific.
Nest : A rude structure of twigs, dead leaves, and peat at the end of a
burrow three or four feet long, in side of a bank.
Eggs: 1 ; chalky white. Size 2.25 X 1.45.
THIS Shearwater occurs in great numbers at Monterey
and Santa Cruz, California. I have seen a black cloud
fully a mile long composed of thousands of dark-bodied
Shearwaters, a few brandt cormorants, and many gulls
hovering over the sardines in the Bay of Monterey in
June. So numerous were they that the surface of the
water was black with them in continual motion as they
22 WATER BIRDS
dropped for a catch, or rose each with a fish in its
beak, or settled to the water to eat. In this multitude
the dark-bodied Shearwaters outnumbered both gulls
and cormorants, and the combined noise was indescrib-
able. Mr. Loomis, in his work on the migration of sea
birds, as observed at Monterey, proves inferential!? that
the dark-bodied Shearwaters breed in the south temper-
ate zone during the winter months, coming nortli as
soon as the breeding season is over, and remaining until
September. In New Zealand, where this bird breeds
abundantly, it excavates a burrow in a bank almost
exactly like that made by a kingfisher. At the end of
this is placed a lining of small sticks, and occasionally
a few leaves, or a little moss, and here the one chalky
egg is laid.
105.2. KAEDING PETREL. Oceanodroma kaedingi.
FAMILY : The Fulmars and Shearwaters.
Length: 7.25-8.50.
Adults : Sooty gray, lighter on under parts ; upper tail-coverts white ;
tail-feathers shading to gray at base ; tail forked ; bill and feet black.
Geographical Distribution : Nortli Pacific, south to Southern California.
Breeding Range : Islands of the Pacific Coast.
Breeding Season : March to September.
Nest : In burrow, or more commonly in crevices of loose rock ; rudely
lined with dried grasses.
Eggs : 1 ; cream white, with wreath of fine purple dots about larger
end. Size, 1.34 X 1.00.
According to Mrs. Bailey the Leach petrels reported
on the coast of California were really the species known
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 23
as Kaeding petrels. There is little to distinguish the
two except size, the latter being slightly smaller and
darker than the Eastern species. In breeding habits the
two are probably identical. Male and female take part
in sitting upon the single egg sometimes one of the
pair, sometimes both together. The newly hatched
young are fed by regurgitation of a brownish oily fluid.
Like the forked-tailed petrel, this species ejects the oil
from its throat and stomach if molested. The odor
clings to nest, eggs and young.
107. BLACK PETREL. Oceanodroma melania.
FAMILY : The Fulmars and Shearwaters.
Length: 8.00-9.00.
Adult : Dusky blackish, lighter on under parts ; greater wing-coverts
and outer webs of tertials light ash-color.
Geographical Distribution: South Pacific, northward to Los Angeles
County, California.
Breeding Eange : Islands off the coast of Southern California and south-
ward to the equator.
Breeding Season : July.
Nest : Bare ground, or burrow one to three feet in depth.
Eggs: 1 ; pure white ; elliptical oval. Size 1.44 X 1.08.
THE Black Petrel, while less common than the ashy,
is yet a resident on the ocean adjacent to Southern
California. Mr. Grinnell reports it as far north as Santa
Barbara, and as breeding on Los Coronados Islands, off
San Diego. Like all its family, it comes to land only to
nest, and any acquaintance with it must be made from a
boat, or during the breeding season at the islands. It
24 WATER BIRDS
is nocturnal in habits, feeding and flying only after dark-
ness has settled over the sea, and enjoying a storm as
the robin enjoys the sun. Its notes are a high plaintive
call or a queer, low, purring coo. The latter is heard
only during the nesting season. The name "Petrel"
means Little Peter, and has been given this bird be-
cause of its curious habit of skimming over the surface
of the water with feet just touching it in a quick, patter-
ing motion, as if trying to walk upon the waves. All the
time it flutters its wings like a huge butterfly.
108. ASHY PETREL. Oceanodroma homochroa.
FAMILY : The Fulmars and Shearwaters.
Length: 8.00-9.00.
Adult: Grayish slate-color, merging to lighter on wing-coverts; quills
and tail blackish, merging to ashy slate-color on rump and upper
tail-coverts.
Geographical Distribution : Coast of California.
Breeding Range: Islands off the coast of California, including the
Farallones and Santa Barbara.
Breeding Season: June and July.
Nest: In crevices under rocks, under driftwood, in stone walls, in
burrows.
Eggs: Creamy white, sometimes faintly spotted about the large end.
Size 1.19 X 0.93.
THE Ashy Petrels were breeding abundantly on the
South Farallone Islands at the time of a recent visit I
made to the spot, but few of the birds were in evidence
during the daylight hours. The nests were well hidden
under loose rocks, in crevices and in all sorts of crannies ;
they were betrayed only by their disagreeable odor. In
BIRDS OF THE OPEN SEA 25
common with other petrels these feed their newly hatched
young upon the dark oily fluid which they eject through
their bills into the throats of the fledgelings, and this is
undoubtedly the cause of the unpleasant smell that ever
clings to their plumage. The male petrel takes a full
share of the labors of incubation, and some authorities
aver that, like the phalarope, he does it all. As soon
as he is able to fly, the young petrel takes to the sea,
108. ASHY PETREL.
" The playmate of the grim old sea."
never to come ashore until, a year or two later, he wants
a wife and a burrow of his own. Think of it day
after day, week after week, eating, sleeping, resting on
the boundless water ! His only refuge from the storm
is to fly above or beyond it ; his only food is the drift he
may pick up. Dancing on the crest of the wave, dashing
through the salt spray, he is the ocean's own darling, the
playmate of the grim old sea.
26 WATER BIRDS
128. ' MAN-O'-WAR BIRD. Fregata aquila.
FAMILY : The Man-o'-War Birds.
Length: 39.00.
Adult Male: Uniform iridescent black, with green and reddish purple
reflections ; wings very long ; tail forked for more than half its
length.
Adult Female : Upper parts rusty black ; under parts white ; wings with
gray patch.
Young : Head, neck, and under parts white ; rest of plumage dull
blackish.
Doiany Young: Uniform white.
Geographical Distribution : Tropical and subtropical coasts generally ;
in America north to Florida and Texas, casually through interior
along Mississippi River and along Pacific coast to Humboldt Bay,
California.
Breeding Range: Gulf of Mexico and islands off coast of Lower Cali-
fornia.
Breeding Season: January to March.
Nest: A slight platform of twigs upon the branches of the mangrove
trees at edge of lagoon.
Eggs: 1 ; dull white, unspotted. Size 2.70 X 1.84.
FRIGATE BIRD, Frigate Pelican, Man-o'-War Bird, and
Hurricane Bird are the common names applied to Fregata
aquila by sailors and fishermen. It is regarded by sea-
men as a weather prophet, always flying higher in clear
weather and low before a storm. The name " Man-o'-
War Bird " doubtless obtains from its resemblance to a
black ship as it hangs motionless in midair. Mr. Chap-
man writes of these birds : " They have a greater expanse
of wing in proportion to the weight of their body than any
other bird. They rarely alight on the water, but, facing
the wind, pass hours resting motionless on outstretched
wings, sometimes ascending to great heights and calmly
soaring far above storms. It is when feeding that their
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 27
marvellous aerial powers are displayed to the best ad-
vantage. By swift, indescribably graceful darts they
secure fish which are near the surface, or capture those
which have leaped from the water to escape some enemy
below. They also pursue gulls and terns, and, forcing
them to disgorge their prey, catch it in midair."
Although rare in California north of Monterey, they
are more or less common throughout the coast from that
point southward. They are high-handed plunderers of
the gulls, meting out to them some punishment for their
constant thieving. But it is to the unfortunate fish-hawk
that these pirates are most terrible. Reports are given
on good authority of the terror exhibited by fish-hawks
at the approach of their enemy, who forces them to fish
hour by hour until exhausted, and seizes every fish as
soon as it is brought up from the water. This frequently
results in the death of the hawk by exhaustion and
drowning.
BIRDS FOUND NEAR THE SHORE OR
IN BA YS
7. LOON. Gavia immer.
FAMILY : The Loons.
Length: 32.00.
Adults in Summer: Head and neck glossy greenish black ; upper parts,
wings, and tail iridescent black ; throat and sides of neck crossed by
. transverse streaks of white ; back and wings spotted or speckled with
white ; breast and belly white ; sides black, spotted with white ; bill
black.
28 WATER BIRDS
Adults in Winter, and Young : Plumage of upper parts without white ;
under parts and throat white.
Downy Young : Uniform blackish ; belly nearly white.
Geographical Distribution : Northern part of northern hemisphere.
Breeding Range : Northern United States and throughout Canada to the
arctic circle.
Breeding Season: Approximately, June 1 to August 15.
Nest: A slight hollow in the sand near the water; sometimes roughly
lined with dry reeds, sticks, or marsh grass.
Eggs: 2, rarely 3 ; olive, spotted with umber ; elliptical. Size 3.50 X
2.20.
ON the loneliest lakes of California the common Loon,
known as Gavia imber, is a regular winter visitant, but
he shuns the coast whenever he can. Is this because
he likes the taste of fresh-water fish better than that of
sea fish? \Yho knows? Like those of all diving birds,
the Loon's stout legs are set well back, and propel its
heavy body with equal rapidity and ease on or under
the water. Its speed in submarine swimming has been
estimated to reach eight miles an hour and to continue
indefinitely with only the bill exposed. In this he uses
only his feet, the wings being folded tightly. All its
fish are caught by diving. Awkward and helpless on
land, where it uses wings to assist in locomotion, it leaves
the water only to nest. Its two greenish gray eggs are
laid upon a thin mat of grass in a slightly hollowed place
on the ground, and, in order to be as far as possible re-
moved from neighbors, the site chosen is usually a small
grass-covered islet. The young Loons are oval balls of
blackish down and are occasionally taken into the water
on the back of the adult bird. Their first attempts at div-
ing are very funny, and with all their efforts they are able
to submerge no more than their heads and necks, so that
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IX BAYS 29
they seem to be standing on their heads and paddling
their feet in the air. They soon become expert swim-
mers and divers. Yet under the water as on it, lurk
the Loon's enemies. The large pickerel are fond of
catching him by the feet, and great
wait for a delicious piece of Loon
meat. If he floats serenely on the
surface, hawks and gulls are ever
ready to swoop down upon
him. Fortunate it is for the
poor mother that she has
but two to guard.
The peculiar cry of the
Loon has been
well described
by Mr. J.
mud-turtles
7. LOON.
The young loons are taken into the water.' 1 ''
Langille : "Beginning on the fifth note of the scale,
the voice slides through the eighth to the third of
the scale above in loud, clear, sonorous tones, which
on a dismal evening before a thunderstorm the light-
ning already playing along the inky sky are anything
but musical. He has also another rather soft and pleas-
ing utterance, sounding like who-who-who-who, the syl-
lables being so rapidly pronounced as to sound almost
like a shake of the voice a sort of weird laughter.
30 WATER BIRDS
" Only on a lonely lake in the heart of the woods do
you get the startling thrill of the Loon's wild cry one
clear, piercing note, or a long, quavering, demoniacal
laugh that to the timid suggests a herd of screaming
panthers."
10. PACIFIC LOON. Gavia pacifica.
FAMILY : The Loons.
Length: 27.00.
Adults in Summer: Upper part of head and nape pale gray, nearly
white ; sides of head, throat, and fore-neck black, glossed with
metallic purple and green ; wings and tail blackish ; breast and belly
white ; sides of neck, wing-coverts, and back black, spotted and
streaked with white ; sides of belly sometimes finely streaked with
black.
Adults in Winter, and Young : Similar to Gavia imber.
Downy Young : Dark sooty gray.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States, east to Rocky Moun-
tains, south to Cape St. Lucas, north to arctic circle, east to Hudson
Bay.
Breeding Range : From Northern United States to Alaska.
Breeding Season : Approximately, June 1 to August 1.
Nest : Of water grasses, rushes, or decayed vegetation at edge of water.
Eggs : 2 ; varying in color from brown-olive to pale greenish gray. Size
3.00 X 1.85.
THIS species of the Pacific coast Black-throated Loon
corresponds to the Black-throated Loon of Eastern
United States, being a trifle paler in coloring but iden-
tical in habits. It is the most expert of all divers ; I
have seen one remain under water three minutes by
a watch, mean while covering a distance of a hundred
yards in his submarine swimming. They are very abun-
dant in Monterey Bay all the winter, and I have found
a few there as late as June 10, although the regular
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 31
breeding season had begun and they were long since due
in Canada. The nest of the Pacific Loon is usually a
mass of wet, decaying vegetation at the very edge of the
water, or sometimes floating among the rushes. Occa-
sionally it is lined with feathers. The bird follows the
grebe's fashion of covering the eggs during her absence,
but does not remain away all day as do the grebes.
The Loons are most devoted parents, carrying the little
ones pick-a-back as soon as hatched, and, in case of
attack by hunters, often rising with a great splash be-
tween the hunter and their brood, to cover the retreat
of the young. The food of all Loons consists largely of
fish, although they occasionally relish frogs, and to the
newly hatched young the mother brings the larvso of
water insects obtained by diving. These she lays on
the surface for the brood to pick up, instead of placing
them in the bills of the little ones.
11. RED-THROATED LOON. Gavia stellata.
FAMILY : The Loons.
Length: 25.50.
Adults in Summer : Sides of head and neck light brownish gray ; throat
gray ; a triangular patch of rich chestnut on fore-neck ; crown aiid
broad stripe down back of neck finely streaked brownish black and
white ; back, wings, and tail dark grayish brown, finely specked
with white ; breast and belly white.
Adults in Winter, and Young : Throat and fore-neck white ; upper
parts blackish, spotted with white.
Downy Young : Upper parts blackish slate ; under parts dark gray.
Geographical Distribution : Entire northern hemisphere, south in winter
as far as latitude 30.
Breeding Range : The arctic regions.
Breeding Season : June 1 to August 1.
32 WATER BIRDS
Nest : A alight hollow on ground, close to water ; imlined and unpro-
tected.
Eggs : 2 ; brown or olive, spotted with umber. Size 2.50 X 1.81.
THIS is the smallest and handsomest of the loons.
It occurs in California from November to late in April,
being the last to arrive from the North and the first to
leave. In habits it is nearly identical with Garia
imber, but is a more northern variety, being more abun-
dant in Canada than in the United States. It has been
found breeding in British Columbia fifty miles north of
Vancouver. Unlike the common loon, however, it fre-
quents the salt rather than the fresh water, and during
the winter months is common along the California coast
from Oregon to Mexico. It is the " gray loon " of the
fishermen, and its long, wild call as it rises against a
breeze and circles under a cloudy sky is always a signal
for the boats to seek shelter, for the storm will break
and not " blow over."
44. GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. Larus glaucescens.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 25.75.
Adults in Summer : Head, neck, lower parts, and tail uniform white ;
mantle dark pearl-gray ; feet and legs black.
Adults in Winter : Plumage similar to that of summer, but with head
and neck finely mottled or washed with sooty gray.
Young : Dark ash-gray, with mantle mixed with pearl-gray ; head and
neck indistinctly streaked with buffy ; under parts mixed with white.
Downy Yming : Dull whitish gray above, white below ; head, neck, and
upper parts marked irregularly with dark gray.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America from Alaska
and Behring Sea ; south in winter to Southern California.
Breeding Range : Islands of the Pacific coast from Washington north-
ward.
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 33
Breeding Season : Approximately, May 1 to August 1.
A'est : A bare slight depression in the ground near shore, or a rude
affair of seaweeds and grass on shelving rocks or cliffs.
Eggs : 2 to 4 ; from dark olive to white, spotted with light brown and
umber. Size 2.88 X 2.03.
THE Glaucous-winged Gull is one of the most numer-
ous birds on the California coast. Mr. Leverett M.
Loomis writes of it at Monterey in midwinter as follows :
" Whales frequently came into the bay. Often they
would be attended by a great train of gulls and pelicans
'feeding upon the slop-over' ... In Carmel Valley
near the ocean I found them [the Glaucous-winged
Gulls] in company with Western gulls following the
plough as robins do in the spring in South Carolina.
The tameness and familiarity of the water birds on this
coast strikingly contrast with the wariness of those of
the North Atlantic."
This gull may be known from the others by the long
wing-quills of slate-gray tipped with white. Its winter
range does not extend so far south as that of some of
its congeners, but it is reported all along the California
coast from Monterey northward. In nesting habits the
Glaucous-winged Gulls resemble the Western gulls ; the
newly hatched Glaucous-winged are the softest, downiest
nestlings imaginable. They are fed upon small fish, refuse
from salmon canneries, which the parents fly miles to
obtain, and small mollusks.
34 WATER BIRDS
49. WESTERN GULL. Larus occidentalis.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 25.50.
Adults in Summer : Head, neck, lower parts, rump, and tail white ;
mantle dark slaty gray ; wing-quills black, with large spots of white.
Angle of lower mandible very conspicuous ; depth of bill through
mandible greater than at base.
Adults in Winter : Plumage similar to that of summer, except that top
of head and nape are streaked with dark gray-brown.
Young : Upper parts brownish gray mottled with white ; quills and tail-
feathers black, tipped with white ; under parts grayish ; sides mot-
tled with white.
Downy Young : Ashy white ; head mottled with distinct black patches ;
upper parts more or less mottled with dark ash.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America from Lower
California to British Columbia.
Breeding Range : From Coronado Islands to British Columbia ; at Santa
Catalina, Santa Barbara, and San Clernenti.
Breeding Season : Approximately, May 1 to August 1.
Nest : Of weeds ; on rocky ledges.
Eggs : 2 to 3 ; light olive, spotted with umber. Size 2.76 X 1.94.
MOST conspicuous because everywhere present, most
interesting because of his very wickedness, is the variety
of gull found on the Farallones, and everywhere on the
California coast. He is known as Larus occidentalis,
and is the only species that breeds on those islands.
The pretty herring gulls of our harbors are quite differ-
ent in habit from this voracious plunderer.
Larus occidentalis is a degenerate. Too lazy to fish
for himself, he steals from whomsoever he can. If the
victim be a diving bird who has come to the surface
with a struggling fish in his beak, the Western Gull will
hover over him, compelling him to dive again and again,
until, exhausted, he abandons the food he has had no
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 35
time to swallow ; then the victor, seizing it quickly, flies
away to devour it. Fish brought to the nest of other
birds as food for mate or young is stolen by the Western
Gulls as soon as laid down, and so expert on the wing
are they that but once have I seen punishment overtake
them. In this case the bird tried to snatch a fish that
had been thrown to a baby seal. Quicker than thought,
the seal mother caught the bird by the feet and drew
it under the water. In a few moments she rose with
the lifeless body, shook it viciously, and tossed it con-
49.. WESTERN GULL.
The young gull is taught to fish.
temptuously away. This occurred at Avalon, Santa
Catalina, and was witnessed by many spectators at 6
A. M. one May morning. But seals are not usually the
victims of these tyrants. Cormorant and murre eggs
and young, and even young rabbits, are its favorite bill
of fare. Eggs they will steal in spite of all precautions ;
a lighthouse keeper tells about covering a pile of eggs
closely with a sail-cloth, only to have the gulls work
their way under it and carry off every one.
But in spite of all his faults, the Western Gull is
devoted to his mate and nestlings, feeding and guarding
them with constant care. Early in May he begins to
repair his old nest, stealing material from the cormo-
36 WATER BIRDS
rants if he can, bringing it himself if he must. The nest
is a large, soft, and warm affair made of dried Farallone
weed and occasionally lined with a few feathers. It is
also scrupulously clean. No fish scales, fish bones, or
other debris is allowed to remain near it. The young
gulls, usually three in number, are beauties, covered
with grayish buff down and spotted all over with dots
of darker. At three weeks old they are mottled black
and light ashy. They show no fear, and will allow a
person to handle them, only looking surprise from their
bright little eyes. One would never believe that such
innocent-looking babies could ever become thieves and
cannibals. They stay in the nest longer than most of
the young sea birds, not leaving it until their wings are
fully feathered and strong. Even then they are not like
the parents, for, until a year old, all young gulls are
mottled brown and white. The brownish-looking gulls
flying with the others on our harbors and rivers are not
a different species, but are the immature.
The young gull learns to fish in a unique way. He
also learns to steal, but that is another story. He scram-
bles with fluttering wings down to the water, accom-
panied by the rest of his family. As soon as he is
fairly launched, one of the adult birds brings a small fish,
and showing it to him, lets it float on the surface.
If the youngster is an apt pupil, he snaps at it and
usually gets it. If not, it is snatched up by some adult,
for might is right in the sea-bird world. If after losing
several in this way he becomes discouraged, he is fed,
taken ashore for a sun-bath, and in an hour is back for
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 37
another lesson. In the meantime he watches his par-
ents filching food from nestlings around him, and as
soon as he dares, or can find a bird more helpless than
himself, he tries the plan. He finds it much easier than
catching a bobbing sardine in the water, and from that
time his career in crime begins.
51. HERRING GULL. Larus argentatus.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 23.25.
sldults in Summer: Head, throat, and under parts white ; mantle pearl-
gray ; white tip of first primary separated from large white spot
farther up by blotch of black half an inch wide extending to the tip ;
eyelids yellow ; feet pale flesh-color.
Adults in Winter: Similar, but mottled with ash-color on head and
neck.
Young : Grayish brown, streaked or mottled on head, neck, and upper
parts with dull whitish ; quill-coverts and tail-feathers rusty black.
Downy Young: Soiled white; head irregularly spotted with black;
back, wings, and tail washed with ashy.
Geographical Distribution: North America in general; in summer
from latitude 40 northward ; south in winter to Cuba and Lower
California.
Breeding Ranye : Inland lakes from latitude 43 to the Upper Yukon,
Alaska.
Breeding Season: Approximately, May 15 to August 1.
AVs/ : A slight depression in the ground, lined thinly with grasses ; near
water.
Eg</s: 3 ; varying from blue-white to yellow-brown, blotched with light
and dark brown. Size 2.80 X 1-75.
THIS is a common gull throughout its range, and
differs from other species in its abundance around rivers
and harbors. It is the gull seen following the ferry-
boats on San Francisco Bay, perching on the anchored
fishing craft in Monterey harbor, and sitting on the
buoys at San Diego, and tormenting the seals at Santa
38 WATER BIRDS
Catalina. It is the species best known East and West,
following the coastwise vessels as well as those of the
Great Lakes, and feeding on the refuse thrown out.
Its name of Herring Gull is probably derived from its
habit of following a school of herring, and gorging itself
upon them as it flies. To see the countless numbers
of gulls and shearwaters hovering over a school of her-
rings in Monterey Bay is an experience worth a trip
across the continent. No words can describe their
multitude or their clamor. A compact cloud of them
two miles long and half a mile wide, seeming almost
like a solid mass of wings, is a common sight in that
harbor.
By a curious adaptation of its natural nesting-habits
to necessity for self-protection, in localities where its
riests have been continually robbed, it has learned to
build in trees sixty and seventy feet from the ground.
In these cases the nest is a compact structure some-
what resembling a crow's nest, but more often plastered
with a small amount of mud and lined with grasses and
moss. In fact, it adapts itself to local conditions in
placing and constructing its home : guided by some
instinctive law, it lays its eggs on the bare ground in
one region ; it elaborately lines and carefully conceals
its nest in another; and, wherever necessary for self-
preservation, it chooses a tall tree.
The young gulls are fascinatingly fat babies covered
with fluffy down, and even prettier than ducklings. When
hatched in ground nests, they soon learn to run about,
and they are taken to the water when a few weeks
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 39
old. It is possible that when the nest is seventy-five
feet up in a tree the nestlings, like those of the wood
ducks, are carried down by one of the adults.
53. CALIFORNIA GULL. Larus californicus.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 21.50.
4duUs : Head, neck, and under parts white ; mantle dark slate-gray ;
the yellow bill marked with red spot, touching or encircling a black
spot near end of lower mandible ; iris bright brown ; feet light
green.
Young: Head, neck, and lower parts white, washed with brownish
gray ; upper parts mottled gray and buflfy ; quills and tail-feathers
rusty black.
Downy Young: Light ash-gray, marked with black spots on head and
washed with dark gray on back, wings, and tail.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America, chiefly in the inte-
rior from Alaska to Mexico.
Breeding Range: Inland lakes of Oregon, Washington, British Colum-
bia, and Utah.
Breeding Season: Approximately, May 15 to August 15.
Nest : Of sticks and grasses, lined with feathers ; on ground, on rocks,
or in low sagebrush near water.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; from blue-white to gray-brown. Size 2.50 X 1.65.
THE California Gull is a regular winter visitant on the
coast, but disappears usually about May 1. It breeds
abundantly on Lake Malheur, Oregon, on Great Salt
Lake, Utah, and as far north as Great Slave Lake.
It may easily be distinguished from the other species by
its smaller size. Mr. Loomis reports it as abundant at
Monterey, where it is found in company with the west-
ern and glaucous-winged. During the winter it is com-
mon on all the fresh-water marshes as well as the coast,
throughout Southern California. Mrs. Bailey says, "At
40 WATER BIRDS
Pescadero in the low fields near the ocean, hundreds
have been seen following the plough." A similar state-
ment has been made of two other varieties, the ring-
billed and the short-billed.
54. RING-BILLED GULL. Larus delawarensis.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 19.00.
Adults in Summer : Head, neck, lower parts, and tail white ; mantle
pearl-gray ; first primary black, with white patch near tip ; rest of
primaries gray, washed with black on outer web and tipped with
white ; iris pale yellow ; eyelids red ; bill greenish yellow, banded
near end with black and tipped with orange ; feet yellowish green.
Adults in Winter : Similar, but with ashy streaks on head and nape.
Young: Upper parts dark ashy, mottled with buff; outer primaries
black ; upper half of tail-feathers pearl-gray, meeting a broad band of
black which extends to a narrow white tip ; bill yellowish at base,
shading into black at tip.
Downy Young : Dull gray- white ; head spotted with black ; back washed
with dusky.
Geographical Distribution: Entire North America; south in winter to
Cuba and Mexico.
Breeding Range: Northern portions of the United States, and inland
lakes of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
Breeding Season : Approximately, May 1 to August 1.
Nest : Of coarse grass ; on ground, near water.
Eggs: 2 to 3 ; buffy gray, spotted with chocolate. Size 2.77 X 1.67.
ALTHOUGH the Ring-billed Gull is a more or less
locally common species in every part of the United
States, it is more abundant on the Atlantic than on the
Pacific coast. In habits it is like the herring gull, but
may be distinguished by its smaller size, yellowish green
feet, and banded bill. Quite un-sea-bird-like, it relishes
the larvae of marsh insects as well as the adult forms,
and during fall migrations it catches them on the wing,
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 41
as do swallows. In some localities it has been seen feed-
ing among the freshly turned furrows of a ploughed field.
There is reason to believe that, unlike some members of
its family, it never robs other birds either of food, eggs,
or young, but is content with the small fish and insects
it can pick up on inland marshes and meadows.
57. HEERMANN GULL. Lams heermanni.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 18.75.
Adults in Summer: Upper parts dark slate-color; head and neck white ;
under parts dusky gray; wings and tail black, the latter tipped with
white ; hill scarlet.
Adults in W inter : Similar, but head very dark, nearly black.
Downy Young: Dark ash -color, the feathers of upper parts edged with
buffy ; head mottled.
Immature (Second Year?) : Entire plumage uniform dark ash ; tail black.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America from British
Columbia south to Panama.
Breeding Range : From Coronado Islands northward ; does not breed at
the Faralluues.
Breeding Season: Approximately, May 20 to August 1.
Nest : On ground near water, or on cliffs ; scantily lined with coarse
grass or moss.
Eggs: 2 to 3 ; greenish gray, marked with lilac and brown. Size 2.45 X
1.50.
THE Heermann Gull may be readily distinguished
from any other species by its darker plumage. It is a
curious sight to see these handsome birds at San Diego
Bay and La Jolla following an unlucky pelican who has
a fine pouchful of fish. They fly over and around him,
darting down to peck at him with their bills until he is
forced to disgorge his catch. The dignified and methodi-
cal pelican is no match for these swift flyers, and soon
yields to the inevitable. I have seen the same pelican
42 WATER BIRDS
robbed three times in succession, leave the vicinity with
a flock of several gulls following. A close watch failed
to discover any other species of gulls at this sport, and
I believe the persecutors are invariably the Larus heer-
rnanni, although the Western gull is much more apt to
commit such atrocities. In this locality, however, the
Heermann Gulls outnumber the Western three to one.
Mr. Grinnell says this is the case also at Los Angeles,
while at Monterey Mr. Loomis reports them as varying
in proportion at different times during migration.
60. BONAPARTE GULL. Larus Philadelphia.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 13.00.
Adults in Summer: Head and throat dark slate, nearly black ; mantle
pearly gray ; under parts, tail, nape, and sides of head white ; wings
white, shading to pearl-gray ; first primary tipped and edged on
outer web with black ; other primaries with broad black transverse
spots, forming a bar ; feet and legs orange ; bill black.
Adults in Winter: Similar, but head and throat white, back and sides
of head gray.
Young: Head white, top and nape washed with gray; under parts and
tail white, the tail banded with black near end ; back and wing-
coverts ashy ; primaries bluish gray, narrowly tipped with black.
Geographical Distribution : Whole of North America.
Breeding Range: Northern parts of the United States northward.
Breeding Sea-ion: Approximately, June 1 to August 1.
Nest : Of sticks and grasses ; lined with fibre ; always elevated from the
ground in bushes, trees, or high stumps.
Eggs: From greenish to olive-brown, spotted with brown and light
purple, chiefly at larger end. Size 1.95 X 1.34.
THE distinguishing feature of the Bonaparte Gull is
its slate-gray hood in summer, all the other Pacific gulls
having light-colored or white heads. Its appearance as
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 43
it flies toward you may have suggested its name, for it is
not unlike the black cocked hat and white expanse of
bosom so characteristic of the portraits of that monarch.
It is found throughout North America, being rather
more abundant on the Atlantic than the Pacific coast.
Its food is small fish, which it procures by diving
from the air to the surface of the water, not beneath
it. Swift and graceful in flight, of small and elegant
form, it seems rather to belong to the terns than to the
gulls. Its breeding grounds are in the far north, through
the wooded districts of Alaska and as far south as Mani-
toba. In November and May these gulls pass through
California as migrants, a few remaining at San Diego
Bay throughout December and returning there in
March.
65. ROYAL TERN. Sterna maxima.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 18.21.
Adults in Spring: Top of head and nape glossy black, feathers length-
ened to form a crest ; upper parts pearl-gray, merging to white on
tail and at back of neck ; under parts, including throat and sides of
neck, pure white ; bill bright orange ; feet black.
Adults after Breeding Season and in Winter : Similar, but black on head
and crest mixed with white ; bill'pale orange.
Young: Similar to winter adults, but upper parts more or less mottled
with dusky brown ; tail dusky near tip ; crest slightly developed ;
top of head dusky, mixed with white.
Downy Young : Like downy young of S. cdspia.
Geographical Distribution : Tropical America and warmer parts of North
America, to latitude 40, casually northward to Massachusetts and the
Great Lakes. Common coastwise in California at all seisons.
Breeding Range : On Atlantic coast from New Jersey southward ; on
Gulf coast from Texas to Florida; at San Miguel Island on the
Pacific coast.
44 WATER BIRDS
Nest : A shallow depression scooped in the sand of a beach.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; narrower and more pointed than those of Caspian tern ;
grayish, spotted with brown and purple. Size 2.67 X 1.70.
CONCERNING the Royal Tern, Mr. Frank M. Chapman
writes : " It is a strong, active bird on the wing, and a
reckless, dashing diver, frequently disappearing beneath
the surface in catching its prey. The slow-Hying pelicans
are at its mercy, and it often deftly robs them of their
well-earned gains.
" All the terns are to be known from the gulls by the
very different manner in which they hold their bills.
A tern points its bill directly downward and looks, as
Coues says, like a big mosquito, while a gull's bill points
forward in the plane of its body."
69. FORSTER TERN. Sterna forsteri.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 15.10.
Adults in Summer : Top of head and nape jet black ; upper parts pearl-
gray ; under parts, including throat and sides of neck, uniform
white; bill dull orange, tipped with dusky; feet deep orange.
Adults in Winter: Similar, but head white, tinged with gray on nape,
and white dusky patch around eyes and ear-coverts ; bill brownish,
merging to black at tip ; feet brownish.
Young: Similar to winter adults, but with top of head, nape, back, and
wings washed with dark umber ; distinctly darker at end of tail ;
sides of head dusky brownish.
Downy Young: Upper parts' pale buffy brown, coarsely mottled with
black ; under parts, except throat, white.
Geographical Distribution : North America generally ; south in winter
to Brazil.
Breeding Range : On Pacific coast from Washington to Lower California ;
common at Lake Tahoe, Eagle and Elsinore Lakes, California.
Breeding Season: Approximately, May 1 to July 20.
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 45
Nest : Made of flags or marsh vegetation ; lined with weeds ; in wet
marshy place, or floating among rushes.
Eggs: 2 or 3 ; from pure, white to pale green or brown -gray, irregularly
spotted with several shades of brown and purple. Size 1.85 X 1.35.
DR. BREWER calls this species " pre-eminently a marsh
tern," and says that its monotonous cry closely resembles
the call note of a loggerhead shrike. It is found nest-
ing in colonies in company with gull-billed terns and
Bonaparte gulls in suitable localities throughout its
breeding range, but chiefly on large lakes in the interior.
Its food consists of minnows, insects, and refuse floating
on the water.
74. LEAST TERN. Sterna antillarum.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 8.50-9.75.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts pearl-gray ; under parts white ; fore-
head white; crown, lores, and nape jet black; bill yellow, usually
tipped with black ; feet orange.
Adults in Winter : Similar, but lores and crown white ; nape black ; bill
black.
Young : Similar to winter adults, but upper parts mottled with blackish
and buffy.
Downy Young : Upper parts pale buffy gray, finely mottled with dusky;
head distinctly marked with irregular black speckles ; under parts
white.
Geographical Distribution : Northern South America, north to California,
Minnesota, New England, and casually to Labrador.
Breeding Range : Breeds locally nearly throughout its range. In Cali-
fornia as far north as Ballona Beach, Los Angeles County.
Breeding Season: Approximately, May 1 to July 15.
Nest : Scarcely perceptible hollow in the bare sand of the beach ; nnlined.
Eggs: 2 or 3 ; greenish gray, spotted with light and dark brown, and
light purple. Occasionally these markings form a wreath at the
larger end. Size 1.25 X 0.95.
SEA SWALLOW and Little Striker are the common
names applied to this little tern, although sea swallow
46 WATER BIRDS
is used of all terns. The Least Tern is said to feed
upon insects, and has the peculiar darting, skimming
flight of swallows ; hence the appellation " sea swallow "
is particularly appropriate to it. Its call note is a high-
keyed squeal or squeak, and it utters this note almost
continuously while on the wing.
Throughout the coast of Southern California these
Terns are found nesting on the narrow strip of beach
between the tide marsh and the sea. Along the old sea
drive, a few miles southward from Coronado Beach, it is
not uncommon to find their eggs laid on the bare sand,
at the edge of the salt marsh, well out of reach of the
tide ; but so perfectly do they harmonize with their
environment that the searcher may, and usually does,
pass them by, unless the distress of the parent bird or
the flushing of the mother from the nest betrays its
location. Even more difficult to find are the newly
hatched young, which are little balls of down scarcely
larger than a walnut, and seem to melt into the color
of the sand even after you have discovered them.
Crouched motionless among the pebbles, they do not
even wink until your hand almost closes over them,
when, presto ! they scud off with most surprising speed.
77. AMERICAN BLACK TERN. Hydrochelidon nigra
surinamensis.
FAMILY : The Gulls and Terns.
Length: 9.00-10.00.
Adults in Summer : Head, neck, and under parts black ; upper parts
uniform slate-gray; bill and feet black.
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 47
Adults in Winter; Head, neck, and under parts white; upper parts
deep pearl-gray.
Young: Similar to winter adults, but feathers of back tipped with
brownish, and sides washed with slaty.
Downy Young: Upper parts dull dark brown, coarsely mottled with
black ; top of head, throat, and breast plain blackish brown ; side of
head dull whitish ; belly white, washed with dark gray.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate and tropical America, from
Alaska to Brazil and Chili.
Breeding Range : Interior of United States from latitude 39 northward.
On Pacific coast breeds abundantly in Oregon and California.
Breeding Season : Approximately, from May 10 to August 1.
Nest : The eggs are laid on a mat of reeds and decaying vegetation float-
ing among rushes of a marsh,' in shallow water ; or occasionally on
bare ground of a mud flat.
Eggs: 2 or 3; brownish green, thickly spotted with dark and light
brown and light purple, mostly about the larger end. Size 1.35
X 0.98.
THE Black Tern has long wings and a
short tail which, with its dark coloring,
renders it easily dis-
77. AMERICAN
BLACK TERN.
" As it picks dragon-flies
from the low rushes."
tinguishable from the
other species occur-
ring on the Pa-
cific coast. Like Sterna antillarum ',,
it is a fly-catcher among the terns,
feeding almost entirely on aquatic insects and dragon-
flies. It darts and skims over the marshes with the
48 WATER BIRDS
grace and agility of a swallow, scarcely pausing in its
flight, as it picks dragon-flies from the low rushes or
catches them in midair. Fish proper it scorns. Cray-
fish forms some part of its diet, though possibly only a
small part. It is found circling over a marshy meadow
as well as above the more open water of the lakes, and
its nesting site is not infrequently an almost dry pool.
The choice of these often seems to be a mere matter of
whim, but probably is determined by the abundance of
insect life in the locality.
120 c. FARALLONE CORMORANT. Phalacrocorax
auritus albociliatus.
FAMILY : The Cormorants.
Length: 25.00-31.00.
Adults : Greenish black merging to grayish brown on back and wings.
All the feathers of these parts bordered with black, producing a
scaled effect.
Nuptial Plumage : On each side of head behind the eye there is a small
tuft of long, curved, whitish feathers ; gular sac bright orange.
Young: Head and neck brownish gray shading to light on chin, and
dark on top of head; under parts brownish, darker on sides; gular
sac yellow.
Geographical Distribution: California, south to Cape St. Lucas and the
Revilla Gigedo Islands.
Breeding Range : Farallone Islands.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : A loosely constructed mat of kelp, seaweed, and sometimes twigs.
Eggs: From 4 to 5 ; light greenish, covered with chalky film. Size
2.40 X 1.54.
THE Farallone Cormorant may be recognized from the
other species on the Farallone Islands by the long white
tufts over the eyes. In nesting habits it is identical with
Brandt's cormorant, nor can the eggs of the two species
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 49
be distinguished by an expert. Both nest in colonies
on the South Farallone, and Mr. Corydon Chamberlin,
in the " Nidologist," 1895, reports a rookery at Clear
Lake, California. Early in May it constructs a shallow
nest, about a foot in diameter, lined with Farallone weed
and kelp. Occasionally one attempts to carry a long,
bulky-looking string of the latter, which trails behind
him as he flies, making him look like a winged polliwog.
They mould .these nests to a roundness by sitting on
them, turning awkwardly about and working the kelp
into place with feet and bill, but with none of the flut-
tering movements of wings and tail apparent in the nest-
building of land birds. After the nest is begun, one or
the other of the parent birds is constantly present, and
even then it is a hard struggle to keep the Western gulls
from stealing the nesting material as fast as it is brought.
The newly hatched Cormorants lack the down of most
young sea-birds and are not handsome babies, their fat
bodies and grotesque long necks being covered with a
leathery-looking black skin. My observations convince
me that they are fed by regurgitation for the first twenty-
four hours or longer ; this is, if possible, a more ludicrous
process of "pumping" than in the case of young herons. 1
After this regurgitation period comes a time when live
fish is brought to the nest and torn or chewed by the
adults before being given to the nestlings. As soon as
the latter are able to manage live fish, small carp are
popped into their throats head first, and swallowed with
curious gulpings. Each meal is followed by a rest time,
i See Brandt Cormorant.
4
50 WATER BIRDS
when the half-grown Cormorant sits shrugged up into
a discouraged-looking bunch, or lolls listlessly against
his fellow nestlings. Around (and beneath the nest if
in a tree) are bits of fish and other debris, showing that
the supply often exceeds the demand.
122. BRANDT CORMORANT. Phalacrocorax
penicillatus.
FAMILY : The Cormorants.
Length: 35.00.
Adults: Head and neck iridescent black, with a patch of whitish sur-
rounding base of gular sac ; under parts iridescent dark green ;
scapulars and wing-coverts dark green, edged with black.
Nuptial Plumage : Uppermost scapulars and sides of neck ornamented
with long stiff white filaments ; gular sac blue.
Young : Head, neck, and rump dark brown ; rest of upper parts paler
brown ; under parts dusky brown, paler on throat.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast of North America from Cape
St. Lucas to Washington.
Breeding Range : Islands of the Pacific from Lower California to "Wash-
ington.
Breeding Season : Approximately, May 1 to July 20.
Nest and Eggs: Identical in appearance with those of Farallone cor-
morant. Size 2.40 X 1.50.
THIS is the most common cormorant of the California
coast, and may be distinguished by its stiff white feathers
on sides of neck and by its blue gular sac. Rookeries
are found on seal rocks near Cypress Point, Monterey, at
Santa Cruz, and on the Farallones. These birds nest in
colonies on the steepest crags and ledges of those islands.
About the middle of May they may be seen carrying sea-
weed and kelp to their chosen site. There they fashion a
new shallow, bowl-shaped nest, which becomes cemented
with guano ; or perhaps they redecorate an old one
122. BRANDT CORMORANT
Phalacrocorax penicillatus
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 51
with fresh sea moss. From the amount of guano used,
and the solidity with which most of these structures
had become cemented to the rock, indeed, they seemed
a part of the rock itself, I judged that they had been
handed down from one cormorant generation to another,
for many years. Yet each season sees them carefully
redecorated on the outside with new, bright-colored
seaweed., This weed is seldom picked up on the rocks,
but is freshly pulled from the bed of the ocean near
shore, the birds diving in some places more than fifty
feet. Upon timing one, I found it was under water
two and one half minutes ; it then reappeared with
a bill full of scarlet algae. Here again the mischievous
gulls are in evidence, and the poor Cormorant must guard
his gayly trimmed nest, or every bit of his hard-earned
moss will be stolen. After the five chalky green eggs
are laid his vigilance must never relax, for cormorant
eggs and cormorant babies are the most delicious morsels
in a sea gull's menu. So the great awkward birds are
ever craning their long necks this way and that,
watching before, behind, on every side, for the white-
winged robbers. The effect i.s that, from any point of
view, a cormorant rookery is a weird sight. As the
days go by, the pretty nests blossom one by one with
newly hatched Cormorants, the very homeliest of all
created things. Their ungainly bodies are encased in a
naked, greasy black skin, and their preternaturally long
necks end in immense mouths, so that they resemble
huge polliwogs. Like polliwogs, also, they are ever
wriggling. For the first few days the young Cormorants
52 WATER BIRDS
are fed by regurgitation a curious process, always
alarming to the observer. The mother squats at the
side of the nest, and immediately four or five long black
necks are stretched up like fingers of a black kid glove
split at the end. These wave helplessly about, until she
selects one and thrusts her bill far down the split, which
is the throat of the young. She then violently shakes the
baby, thereby emptying the food from her mouth into
his. Later on small fish are torn and given them. 1
123 b. BAIRD CORMORANT. Phalaorocorax
pelagicus resplendens.
FAMILY : The Cormorants.
Length: 34.00-40.00.
Adults : Feathers of forehead advancing to base of culmen ; gular sac and
naked lores dull coral-red or reddish brown ; head and neck glossy
violet-black, more purplish toward head, changing gradually through
green-blue to glossy bronze-green on under parts ; scapulars and
wing-coverts dark green, tinged with bronze. Back dark green.
Nuptial Plumage : Neck and rump ornamented with narrow white fila-
ment-like feathers; flanks with a large patch of pure white.
Young : Uniform brownish dusky, merging to grayish on head ; the
upper parts darker, with glossy greenish reflections.
Downy Young: Covered with down of a uniform dark sooty gray
(Ridgeway).
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America from Wash-
ington south to Cape St. Lucas, and Mazatlan, Mexico.
Breeding Range : Islands near the coast of California and Washington.
Breeding Season: Approximately, June 1 to July 15.
Nest: Of rock moss or kelp on ledges of perpendicular rock.
Eggs : 4 ; pale bluish green, with lime deposit on surface. Size
2.19 X 1.44.
THE Baird Cormorants are less common and more
timid than either of the foregoing species. They may
1 See Farallone Cormorants.
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 53
be recognized by a white patch on each flank. They
breed in very small rookeries of ten or a dozen pairs,
instead of several hundred as is the case with Brandt
cormorants, and are frequently found nesting alone.
Their site is usually the most inaccessible rocks in the
vicinity. Frequently, so narrow is the ledge chosen
that the young are crowded off and are killed by the
fall to the water or rocks below. Each season the old
nests are used, being repaired with kelp or relined with
fresh sea moss. Baird Cormorants, though so retiring,
are particularly courageous in defence of their nests and
young, and are either so devoted to the former or so
stupid that they will return after being robbed and
brood upon the empty nest. Their nests are con-
structed with greater care than those of the other
species mentioned, and are lined with the more deli-
cate varieties of sea moss as well as the coarse kelp.
They become cemented into a more or less solid mass
and also glued to the rock with guano. Some of them
are so solid as to warrant the opinion that they have
been in use many years. The feeding habits of this
species are like those of the Brandt and Farallone
cormorants.
125. AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN. Pdecanus
erythrorhynchos.
FAMILY : The Pelicans.
Length : 4J-6 feet.
Adult Nuptial Plumnge : Entirely white, quills black, whitish at base ;
a pendant crest of pale yellow feathers, and a horny protuberance on
top of bill ; pouch and bill reddish ; feet bright red.
54 WATER BIRDS
Adults in Winter : Similar to above, but lacking the crest and the horny
protuberance on bill. Pouch, bill, and feet lemon-yellow.
Young : Plumage white, merging to brownish gray on top of head ;
bill, pouch, and feet pale lemon.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate North America, south in winter
to Mexico ; common on the coast of California.
Breeding Range : Southeastern Oregon, Red River valley in British Co-
lumbia; lakes of the interior west of Mississippi River, and from Utah
northward.
Breeding Season: Approximately, April 15 to August.
Nest: A pile of sand heaped up about 8 inches high and 14 inches
in diameter, sometimes lined with sticks and slightly hollowed out
on top. Usually on dry sandy beach of an island.
Eggs: 2, rarely 4 ; chalky white. Size 3.45 X 2.30.
THE American White Pelican has become a com-
paratively rare bird east of the Mississippi River, but
is abundant throughout the coast of Southern and Cen-
tral California and on Santa Barbara Island. Mr.
Grinnell reports it breeding at Eagle Lake. It feeds
while on or in the water, scooping the fish in its bill
when swimming or wading, seldom diving for them
from the air, and always tossing the catch until it can
be swallowed head first. Crustacea are rarely if ever
eaten by this species, and they will travel many miles
for fish rather than eat frogs.
" Often a flock will band together and, by beating
their wings, drive a school of fishes into the shallows,
where they gather up large numbers at every scoop of
their big bag. The water taken is allowed to drain out
of the corners, and the fish are swallowed. If the bird
is fishing to feed her young, she still does the same,
and afterwards disgorges the fish ; for she could not
fly if her pouch were filled with fishes." 1
1 Mrs. Eckstrom, in "The Bird Book."
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 55
It is the White Pelican that the gulls torment so by
stealing his hard-earned catch time after time. And
the Pelican, always of dignified and care-burdened mien,
looks comically disconsolate over losing his dinner in
this fashion. Yet he makes no attempt to defend him-
self, for he has no chance ; the quick gulls have seized
the booty and fled before his slow brain and slower
body can move to resent the robbery.
127. CALIFORNIA BROWN PELICAN. Pelecanus
occidentalis californicus.
FAMILY : The Pelicans.
Length : 4^-5 feet.
Nuptial Plumage : Head and chin white, the top of head tinged with
straw-yellow ; a chestnut patch more or less lengthened to crest on
back of head ; neck chestnut, merging to seal-brown ; upper parts,
including wings and tail, silver gray, more or less streaked with seal-
brown ; under parts dark brow'nish, streaked with white ; pouch and
feet red.
Adults in Winter: Similar, but entire head and neck white, somewhat
tinged with straw-color ; pouch and feet dull olive.
Young : Head, neck, and upper parts light-brownish gray, tipped with
paler ; under parts white, washed with brownish gray on sides.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast from British Columbia to the
Galapagos.
Breeding Range : Islands off coast of Lower California and Mexico.
Breeding Season: May and June.
Nest : Usually on the ground, sometimes in the mangrove trees ; a
loosely constructed, rather bulky mass of sticks and weed-stalks ; lined
with grass.
Eggs: 2 to 5 ; chalky white. Size 3.00 X 2.01.
THE California Brown Pelican is abundant through-
out California, especially from Santa Cruz southward.
At almost any time of the day during the fall, winter,
and early spring, a flock of them may be seen lazily
56 WATER BIRDS
flying along the coast over the water in pelican fashion,
one behind another. Their flight is characteristic, being
five or six wing-strokes taken by all simultaneously,
followed by a soaring, which lasts until the leader gives
the signal for more wing-strokes. Back and forth up
and down the coast, always in pelican single file, the
line broken only when one dives to the water for an
especially tempting fish. At the inlet on the west side
of the isthmus of Santa Catalina, the early morning
hours are vocal with the noise of their fishing. Plunk !
plunk ! they dive one by one from various heights,
striking the water with a heavy splash that can be
heard several hundred feet. Mr. Gosse says that these
Pelicans invariably turn a somersault under the surface
of the water ; for they descend diagonally, and the head
emerges in the opposite direction.
Although shown a young Brown Pelican which the
owner said he had taken from the nest on Santa Cata-
lina Islands, I found that the fishermen there agreed
with Mr. Grinnell that no pelicans nested nearer than
Los Coronados Islands. As they return to the same
breeding ground year after year, the rookery would cer-
tainly have been discovered, no matter how inaccessible.
180. WHISTLING SWAN. Olor columbianus.
FAMILY : The Ducks, Geese, and Swans.
Length : About 4 feet.
Adults: Uniform white; basal portion of bill white, with lores black,
the latter usually with a small yellow spot.
Young : Light grayish ; bill pinkish ; feet light.
BIRDS FOUND NEAR SHORE OR IN BAYS 57
Geographical Distribution : Whole of North America.
Breeding Range: Arctic regions.
Breeding Season : June, July, .and possibly May.
Nest: "The eggs are usually laid on a tussock surrounded with water,
and so near it that the female sometimes sits with her feet in the
water." *
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; grayish white, stained with rusty. Size 4.19 X 2.72.
THIS beautiful bird is found in the United States only
in winter and while migrating in spring and fall. It is
rare in California, but a few remain through the winter
in the interior of the northern part of the State. The
peculiar call note is kept up while the birds are mi-
grating ; it resembles the " honk " of wild geese, but is
shriller and more metallic in tone. Heard overhead in
a small valley shut in by mountains, it has a weird,
vibrant quality.
181. TRUMPETER SWAN. Olor buccinator.
FAMILY : The Ducks, Geese, and Swans.
Length: 5-5 J feet.
Adults: Plumage uniform white ; bill and lores jet black.
Young : Grayish brown, browner on head and neck.
Geographical Distribution : Interior of North America, west to the Pacific
coast ; rare or casual on the Atlantic.
Breeding Range: Interior of the Northern United States northward.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : On high ground; of grasses and moss ; lined with down and feathers.
Eggs: 2 to 6 ; white. Size 4.30 X 2.60.
A NOT uncommon bird in California during the winter
and early spring. It is found somewhat back from
the coast in the fresh-water sloughs. According to
Mr. Shields, the cry of the Trumpeter Swan resembles
the tones of the French horn. Certainly it is a different
i Davie.
58 WATER BIRDS
sound from the shrill notes of the preceding species,
being deeper and more mellow. It is a more common
bird in Southern California, and may be heard, as well
as seen, in large flocks migrating during the early spring
and late fall. It trumpets, however, at dusk and day-
break, for an hour at a time without ceasing, and is
particularly noisy at nesting time when feeding its
young;' the united clamor carries the news of its
presence at the nest to listeners a mile or two away.
Although the arctic regions are the breeding ground
of this bird, a few pairs are said by Mr. Lockhart to
breed on the Saskatchewan River in British Columbia.
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE
BE A CHES
224. WILSON PH ALAROPE. Steganopus tricolor.
FAMILY : The Phalaropes.
Length: Female, 10.00 ; male, 9.00, a little smaller than a robin.
Male in Breeding Plumage: Upper parts grayish brown, brownest on
crown and merging to reddish brown on sides of neck in a more or
less distinct stripe ; line over eye and under parts white, tinged with
buff on throat and breast.
Female in Breeding Plumage : Back and crown slaty gray ; a black stripe
on sides of head and neck merging to red-brown on shoulders ; line
over eye and under parts white, tinged with light brown on chest
and lower part of throat.
Adults in Winter: Upper parts dusky gray ; under parts white, washed
with grayish on chest and sides.
Downy Young : Light cinnamon-brown above, paler below, merging to
white on under parts. Line of black through crown and nape to back
of neck. Three black stripes on lower back.
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 59
Geographical Distribution : From British Columbia, south in winter to
Brazil.
Breeding Range : Breeds locally throughout the United States from lati-
tude 35 northward. At Lake Tahoe and other points in California.
Breeding Season : May 20 to July 15.
Nest : A slight depression in the ground ; lined with grass.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; butfy, marked with umber. Size 1.30 X 1.60.
WILSOX PHALAROPES present some unique features
of bird life. The female is an inch or more longer than
the male and larger in proportion. She is more con-
spicuously marked, and is the handsomer of the two,
a condition rarely found ^J0*K\ -.^c^sssstMT arnon
avifauna. Although so^^ pWoSf^*" 111 ail( l
....^..^^
224. WILSON PHALAROPE.
"Picking up their own food before they were ten hours old."
dainty, she is naturally, perhaps, somewhat overbear-
ing in her domestic relations, refusing to consider her
master in anything. She does all the wooing, and
woe to the unfortunate male if two females place
their choice upon him. No voice will he have in the
matter, for the more persistent or the stronger will win,
and he must follow her. To do him justice, he seems
to admire her fully as much because she is aggressive.
Once the choice is made his daily life is cut out for him.
He must make the nest in which madam condescends
to lay three or four buff eggs spotted with dark brown.
After that the entire care of incubation and rearing the
brood devolves upon him. In one instance at least, I
60 WATER BIRDS
am positive that the mother was not near the nest at
any time after the eggs were laid. The male brooded
continually, leaving only when necessary to obtain food.
Almost as soon as the down was dry on the chicks they
ran out of the nest like little sandpipers, and followed
him about up and down the beach, picking up their
own food, before they were ten hours old, and the
second day they were swimming in the shallow water
as gayly as any of the adult birds.
The Phalaropes are not rare along the eastern part of
California, and doubtless nest in other marshes than
those bordering some parts of Lake Tahoe. They breed
there quite abundantly, and their sandpiper-like cries
mingle with the plaintive notes of the killdeer whenever
anyone enters the nesting place. Like the killdeer, also,
the Phalarope will fly restlessly back and forth over its
home, revealing by its very anxiety what it is most
anxious to conceal. Wilson Phalarope is exclusively
an American species, and is less common on the coasts
than in the interior.
225. AMERICAN AVOCET. Recurvirostra americana.
FAMILY : The Avocets and Stilts.
Length: 17.00.
Adults in Summer: Head, neck, shoulders, and chest uniform light
reddish brown, merging to buff at base of bill ; rump, wing-patches,
and belly white ; scapulars and primaries black ; bill long, black, and
curved upward ; feet and legs grayish blue.
Adults in Winter: Head, neck, and chest grayish white ; otherwise as
in summer.
Downy Young: Upper parts grayish, mottled with darker ; under parts
lighter, nearly white on throat and chest ; dark, almost black,
splatches on the rump and shoulders.
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 61
Geographical Distribution : Western United States in general from lati-
tude 30 to the Canadian border ; south in winter to Guatemala and
West Indies.
Breeding Range : The plains of the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Colo-
rado, Utah, and interior of California.
Breeding Season : June to July 15.
Nest : Of grass stems matted together ; placed in tall grass near water.
Eggs: 2 or 3; light olive, spotted with brown. Size 1.90 X 1.35.
THE American Avocet is a conspicuous bird under any
circumstances, for its long, curved-up bill, intensely black
and white plumage, and long blue legs are sure to attract
attention. In some localities its blue legs have given
it the nickname of " blue-stocking." In writing of these
birds, Mr. Frank Chapman says : " They frequent shores
and shallow pools, and in searching for shells, crusta-
ceans, etc., their peculiar recurved bill is used in a most
interesting manner. Dropping it beneath the surface
of the water until its convexity touches the bottom, they
move rapidly forward, and with every step swing their
bill from side to side as a mower does his scythe. In
this way they secure food which the muddy water would
prevent them from seeing."
They may occasionally be found swimming in small
companies, but never in exposed or very open water, and
usually as near shore as possible. The nest is made in
a wet meadow, and is not unlike that of a king rail, ex-
cept for size. The young, like the young rails, are taken
to the edge of a meadow, and, until they are two or
three days old, do not go into the water. They pick
up bugs for themselves from the damp ground and
run to cover at the call of the mother, after the manner
of killdeer. Their note is seldom heard until nightfall
62 WATER BIRDS
when, during nesting season, it adds much to the weird-
ness of the marsh music. The alarm call is something
between a croak and a whistle, but usually the retreat
is made with no sound but the soft flutter of wings as
the birds take refuge in the tall marsh grass.
226. BLACK-NECKED STILT. Himantopus mexkanus.
FAMILY : The Avocets and Stilts.
Length: 14.50-15.00.
Adult Male: Back of head and neck, upper back, and wings iridescent
greenish black ; tail grayish ; forehead, throat, and under parts white ;
white spots above and below each eye ; bill black ; feet and legs
flesh -color.
Adult Female: Similar to male, except back, which is grayish brown.
Downy Young: Upper parts light grayish, mottled with dark ; large
black patch on back and rump ; crown light grayish, with median
line of black ; under parts white.
Geographical Distribution : United States, chiefly west of the Great Lakes ;
south in winter to Brazil.
.Breeding Range: From Southern States to Oregon. In California, breeds
in Los Angeles County and in various localities in interior of State
north to Sutter County, west of the Sierra Nevada ; east of the Sierra
Nevada it breeds as far north as Rhett Lake.
Breeding Season: May 1 to June 16.
Nest: A shallow depression in ground ; lined with grass and occasionally
rimmed with rootlets ; usually in grass on edge of lake.
Eggs: 3 to 4 ; light olive-brown, thickly and irregularly marked with
purplish brown. Size 1.72 X 1.20.
THIS bird with the extraordinarily long legs is rare
east of the Mississippi River, but throughout the West
it is abundant. It is a common summer visitant in
California, where it breeds in colonies. Formerly it was
found in numbers- in Los Angeles County, but of late
years it seems to prefer more northern nesting grounds,
although a few pairs still breed there every year. It is
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 63
a picturesque graceful bird, well proportioned in spite
of the stilt-like legs which give it its name. In flight
it is not unlike the cranes, but when alighting it drops
its feet and raises its wings, poising a moment, as do
the gulls. It feeds upon small fresh-water crustaceans,
mollusks, and larvae of insects, not scorning earthworms,
and picks its way daintily through the marsh grass in
search of favorite tidbits, with a charming air of quiet
grace. Surprised, it springs into flight, trailing its long
legs behind it. During the breeding season it is quite
noisy, uttering its hoarse croaks continually, until the
whereabouts of its nesting place may be known by any
who will investigate. A large part of this noise occurs
when the food is brought to the mate on the nest,
where it receives a joyous, if unmusical, welcome. The
nestlings look like balls of down perched upon tooth-
picks, but neither their legs nor their bills are developed
at all in proportion to those of the adults. They are
spry, like the young of most ground birds, and in a
marvellously short time become self-supporting.
232. LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. Macrorkamphus
griseus scolopaceus.
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 11.00-12.50.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts black, mottled with buff and light red-
brown ; rump mottled black and white, and tail barred black and
white ; a light line over eye, and a dark one from eye to bill ; under
parts mottled on throat, breast, and belly with red-brown and black-
ish ; sides and lower tail-coverts barred with same colors.
Adults in Winter : Plumage uniform dusky gray ; line over eye and the
lower belly white.
64 WATER BIRDS
Young: Similar, but belly and chest tinged with uniform light red-
brown.
Geographical Distribution : Mississippi valley and Western North Amer-
ica from Mexico to Alaska. In California it is found as a common
winter visitant in the interior valleys.
Breeding Range : The Yukon valley and arctic regions.
Breeding Season : May 28 to July 1.
Nest : A shallow depression in Alaskan moss ; placed on dry hill-tops.
Eygs : 3 or 4 ; dirty grayish buff, marked with blackish brown. Size
1.80 X 1.20.
IN California, the Long-billed Dowitchers occur only
in the winter, when cold drives them southward from
their chosen haunts among the frozen regions of Alaska.
They come in October, flying in little companies along
the coast region or through the interior valleys, feeding
wherever there is a suitable marshy place. About San
Francisco Bay and Alviso they may occasionally be seen
on migration, but as soon as possible they find winter
quarters in the more sheltered valleys. Their flight is
strong and swift, though rather low. When resting, the
Dowitchers huddle together in the tall grass, and are
either so confiding or so stupid that they are easy victims
to the hunter. To know them one must watch them in
their nesting grounds in the Yukon valley. Here, ac-
cording to Mr. Nelson, their noisy wooing can be heard
morning and evening, the love song being a clear " pee-
ter-wee4oo ; wee-too ! pee-ter-wee-too ; wee-too," sung
as the pair hover in midair, twenty yards above the
earth.
The unlined nest is usually in a clump of Alaskan
moss or dry grass, and not very near the water. The
young are covered with brownish gray down, so pro-
tective in coloring as to render their discovery difficult.
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 65
If disturbed, the mother flies a short distance with a
shrill cry and, hiding behind a tussock, watches the
intruder but makes no attempt to defend.
By September 1 the adults are in winter plumage and
ready for their trip south.
242. LEAST SANDPIPER, OR MEADOW OXEYE.
Pisobia minutilla.
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 5.00-7.00.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts dusky, nearly black ; feathers edged
with light red-brown ; middle tail-feathers black, outer ones gray ;
upper throat, bell}', and sides white ; neck and breast yellowish
white, streaked with dusky.
Adults in Winter: Upper parts lighter than in summer, and clouded
with dusky ; under parts light gray, finely streaked with darker.
Young : Similar, but with heavy black streak through crown and middle
of back.
Geographical Distribution: North America, wintering from the Gulf
States southward.
Breeding Range : From Canada to arctic regions.
Breeding Season : May 15 to June 15.
Nest : A slight depression in the dry ground near water ; usually lined
with leaves and grasses.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; light gray, speckled with cinnamon and lavender. Size
1.15 X 0.85.
THESE tiny little Sandpipers are commonly found in
flocks, alone or in company with the semipal mated sand-
pipers, along the shores of the bays and lakes of Cali-
fornia during the fall, winter, and spring. They trip
lightly along the beaches, just at the edge of the water,
with a dainty bobbing walk, scurrying out of the reach
of a wave, picking up bugs and water insects, and so
absorbed in the fun that they forget to be afraid. Mr.
66 WATER BIRDS
Bailey describes them as quick to take alarm, but I
have had them pick up food almost under my feet.
Their habit of frequenting the meadows in the vicinity
of water and hiding in the long grass has given them
the name of " Meadow Oxeye." On account of their
small size, they escape the covetous eye of sportsmen
and plume-hunters, and are in little danger of being
decimated by the gun. When newly hatched, the young
are not larger than a man's thumb, and they begin im-
mediately to run about on their spry little legs.
243 a RED-BACKED SANDPIPER, OR OX BIRD.
Pelidna alpina sakhalina.
(Common names : American Dunlin ; Lead Back ; Black
Breast.)
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 7.50-8.00.
Adults in Summer: Upper parts bright reddish-brown, more or less
mottled and streaked with black ; breast whitish, streaked with
dark gray ; centre of belly black ; sides and lower belly white.
Adults in Winter: Upper parts brownish gray, streaked with dark
gray ; breast ashy, streaked indistinctly with darker ; rump, throat,
and belly white.
Young: Similar to winter adults, but with upper parts streaked with
black and buflfy.
Geographical Distribution : North America ; south in winter to South
America.
Breeding Range : Arctic regions.
Nest : A slight hollow ; lined with grass.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; grayish buffy or greenish white, dotted with shades of
brown. Size 1.43 X 1.01.
THIS species may be known in any plumage by its
curved bill. It is common along the coast of California
FIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 67
in the winter, and is found in the interior in spring and
fall. Early in May it leaves for its breeding grounds
in the arctic regions, returning in October. It is seen
usually in large flocks, and, being less active than most
shore birds, is oftener a victim to the surf of the winter
storms. Walking along the beach after a blustering
night or day, one occasionally may find the lifeless
bodies of these little birds half buried in the sand, not
in the same numbers as the more venturesome waders,
but enough to sadden a morning tramp.
247. WESTERN SANDPIPER. Ereuneles mauri.
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length : 7.00 or 8.00.
Adults in Summer: Upper parts black or dusky, conspicuously mottled
with buffy and red -brown ; breast and sides streaked with blackish ;
rest of under parts white.
Adults in Winter: Upper parts dull brownish gray, indistinctly streaked
with dusky ; under parts white, with faint dusky spots on breast and
sides.
Downy Young: Upper parts bright rusty buff, spotted with black ; a
black line through crown and middle of back ; hair-like feathers
among the down, tipped with yellow ; under parts cream-white.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America ; south in winter to
Central America.
Breeding Range : Alaska and British America.
Breeding Season: June 1 to July 1.
Nest: A hollow in the ground, with scanty lining of grasses.
Eggs: 4; clay-colored, thickly speckled with reddish brown. Size
1.20 X 0.87.
THE Western Sandpiper is abundant on the Pacific
coast during the spring and fall migrations. In its
nesting grounds it is said by Mr. Nelson to be fearless,
and conspicuously devoted to its young. He gives an
68 WATER BIRDS
instance in which a bird returned to her eggs across
a man's outstretched arms. During migrations the
Western Sandpiper rests occasionally for two or three
days in one locality. It is less timid than most of its
family.
248. SANUERLING. Calidris leucophaea.
(Common names : Surf Snipe ; Ruddy Plover ; Beach
Bird.)
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 7.00-9.00.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts mottled white, gray, and black ; darker
through crown and middle of back ; wing-bar and entire under parts
white.
Adults in Winter: Upper parts ashy gray; bend of wing blackish;
under parts uniform clear white.
Young: Upper parts pale gray, spotted with black and white ; under
parts white.
Geographical Distribution: "Nearly cosmopolitan." In America a
few winter in Texas and California, and from there southward to
Patagonia.
Breeding Range : Arctic and subarctic regions.
Breeding Season: June 15 to July 15.
Nest : A slight depression in ground ; lined with grasses.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; greenish buffy, speckled with brown. Size 1.41 X 0.91.
THE Sanderling inhabits the entire American con-
tinent, and may be found during spring and fall mi-
grations picking up its food on nearly every salt-water
beach. It follows closely in the wake of each receding
wave, scampering out of the way of the returning water
with swiftness and dainty grace. This game of tag with
the ocean would seem to be as much for fun as for food,
for I have often watched them as they ran back and
forth after the waves for several minutes without pick-
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 69
Ing up anything. In California the Sanderling fre-
quently remains all winter and adds to the delights
248. SANDERLING.
"A game of tag with the ocean."
of a stroll along the beach. Not especially shy, it will
permit one to come within twenty feet of it, and it pays
no attention to any observer seated on the sand.
254. GREATER YELLOW-LEGS. Totanus melanoleucus.
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 12.00-15.00.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts black, streaked and spotted with white
and gray ; tail and upper tail-coverts white, barred with black ;
middle 'of belly white ; rest of under parts white, spotted or barred
with black ; throat streaked light and dark gray.
Adults in Winter: Similar, but upper parts dark gray, mottled with
white ; under parts white, finely speckled with gray on throat and
upper breast.
Young : Similar to winter adults, but white of plumage tinged with
buffy.
Geographical Distribution : North America ; south in winter to South
America.
Breeding Runge : From latitude 40 northward.
Nest : A shallow, grass-lined depression in the ground.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; muddy buff, marked with dark brown. Size 1.43 X 1.20.
THE Greater Yellow-legs is an abundant migrant
throughout California, some remaining in the southern
70 WATER BIRDS
portion near the coast throughout the winter, and, doubt-
less, a few breed in the more northern Sierra Nevada
district, though I am unable to find any authoritative
breeding record. My own record shows that none were
seen by me after May 9, although a search and lookout
were maintained. They are conspicuous birds, and not
easily mistaken for others of their family. The white
tail and rump are distinguishing marks, particularly in
flight. This bird is the sentinel of the game-birds,
giving warning of the approach of the hunter in loud,
whistling notes repeated rapidly ; hence its names " Tell-
tale " and " Long-legged Tattler." Mr. Chapman writes
of it delightfully as follows :
" Few birds are flying ; lulled by the lap, lap of the
water, I have almost fallen asleep, when from far up
in the gray sky comes a soft wheu, when, when. I
respond quickly, and lying on my back, look eagerly
upward. Not a bird can be seen, but the questioning
call grows stronger, and is repeated more frequently.
Finally I distinguish five or six black points sailing in
narrow circles so high that I can scarcely believe they
are the birds I hear. But no bar or shoal breaks the
sound-waves. The birds grow larger, and widening cir-
cles sweep earthward. Their soft whistle has a plaintive
tone ; their long bills turn inquiringly from side to side.
The stolid decoys give no response, they repel rather
than encourage ; but the whistling continues, and with
murmured notes of interrogation, the deluded birds wheel
over them, to find too late that they have blundered."
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 71
259. WANDERING TATTLER. Heteractitis incana.
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 10.50-11.50.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts uniform slate-color ; under parts barred
with dark gray and white ; throat white, spotted with dusky ; lower
belly white.
Adults in Winter : Upper parts, sides, and breast gray ; middle of belly
and throat white.
Young : Similar to winter adults, but feathers of wings and back marked
with pure white.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America from Alaska
to Lower California, west to Hawaiian Islands and Kamtchatka.
Breeding Range: From Vancouver Island northward to valley of Yukon
River.
" Nest, and Eggs apparently not recorded: but young birds taken by
Macoun on west coast of Vancouver Island " (F. M. Bailey).
THE Wandering Tattler is well named, for it remains
in one locality only during the nesting season, which is
from May 20 to July 1 in Alaska. Its food consists
of mollusks and crustaceans, and for that reason it is
seldom found at any great distance from the shore.
Its note is a clear, flute-like whistle, not unlike that
of the greater yellow-legs, and is translated by one ob-
server as " tu-tu-tu-tu." Like its larger relative, it is
a stately little bird, graceful whether on land or in the
air. It is said to give warning of the approach of dan-
ger by a shriller whistle than its customary sweet call,
and consequently is berated by sportsmen.
72 WATER BIRDS
263. SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Actitis macularia.
(Common names : Teeter ; Tip-up ; Sandlark.)
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 7.00-8.00.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts gray, with an olive or greenish bronze
sheen ; head and neck faintly streaked with black ; back barred with
black ; under parts white, spotted with black ; a white wing-bar con-
spicuous in flight.
Adults in Winter: Under parts uniform white, without spots or
markings..
Downy Young : Upper parts buffy gray, with black line from bill through
and down back, crossed transversely at shoulders by two short black
lines in form of Greek cross ; under parts white.
Young : Similar to winter adults, but finely mottled or barred with buff
on back.
Geographical Distribution : North America to Hudson Bay ; in winter
to South America.
Breeding Range : Breeds locally wherever found. In California breeds
on shores of lakes in the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest : A depression in the sand a little way back on a beach, usually
under a tuft of grass ; unlined, or scantily lined with dry grass.
Eggs : 4 ; light buff, thickly spotted with lilac, light brown, and umber.
Si/e 1.34 X 0.92.
FOUND along almost every beach and river and lake
of California, this small Sandpiper ia the most abundant
and most commonly observed of all our shore birds. Its
dainty, dipping motion while standing by the shore has
given it the nickname of " Teeter," and that name alone
would help to identify it. It is the only one of its
family that nests commonly in California, and is a mem-
ber well worth studying. It may be found in the same
locality day after day, picking up its food at the edge
of the water, or venturing out on the lily pads in search
of some particularly tempting morsel. The young leave
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 73
the nest as soon as the down is dry, but so protective is
their coloring that they might crouch unnoticed at your
feet. I have found them sleeping huddled together
at night in a hole made by a cow's foot in the grassy
meadow bordering a lake, and though they were so
openly exposed, I should never have discovered them
but for the anxiety of the parent birds. They are about
the size of a walnut, quaint little balls of down, perched
on toothpick-like legs, and have the same odd habit
of bobbing as the adults. Instead of opening their
mouths to be fed, after the manner of most young birds,
they will pick up the food found for them by the parents,
and in a day's time they have learned to hunt it along
the shore. They are independent youngsters, wise in
tricks of hiding motionless on the sand or in the grass,
and in keeping together. Their low, sweet, peeping
notes are like those of young chickens, and they seem
to care more for each other than for the brooding of the
parent birds. The call note of the adults is a sharp
" peet-weet " uttered on the wing.
264. LONG-BILLED CURLEW, OR SICKLE-BILLED
CURLEW. Numenius americanus.
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 20.00-26.00.
Adults : Head, neck, and upper parts streaked and mottled grayish buff
and black ; under parts brownish buff, more or less streaked and barred
with black; bill very long, slender, and curved.
Downy Young : Upper parts deep buff, mottled with black ; under parts
sulphur-yellow ; bill straight.
Geographical Distribution : Entire temperate North America ; south in
winter to West Indies.
74 WATER BIRDS
Breeding Range: North of latitude 35 to latitude 50. In California
breeds in northwestern portion of the State, in the Pitt River valley.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest. : A shallow depression in the ground ; lined with dry grasses ;
placed near water.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; buffy, spotted with purple and umber. Size 2.52 X 1.85.
THE Sickle-billed Curlew is a conspicuous bird wher-
ever it occurs on the beaches. In California it is common
on the coast and valleys west of the Sierra Nevada dur-
ing the winter mouths, appearing early in October and
remaining until the last of April or the middle of May.
These Curlews fly in wedge-shaped flocks of from fifty
to a hundred, the movement of migration being con-
tinuous when started, and mostly by daylight; they
rest and feed late in the afternoon. A flock of them
alighting is suggestive of a multitude of gigantic butter-
flies, as they touch the earth with feet down and wings
raised over their backs.
Their long bills are used to probe in the earth for
their food, which consists of worms, small snails, crabs,
crayfish, the larvse of beetles, and adult insects of all
kinds. Their note is a prolonged whistle as heard from
high in the air, or a clear rich call as you flush them
from the ground. If disturbed in their breeding ground,
they unite, as do the jays, to drive the intruder away
with harsh cries and a succession of shrill notes that one
observer calls laughter. Failing in this, they circle about
as near as they dare, and occasionally one, more daring
than the rest, comes too near for comfort. The mother,
finding defence useless, tries the old feint of a broken
wing, while the others watch her with anxious cries.
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 75
The young bird has a well-developed but straight bill
more than an inch long when hatched : he runs about on
strong legs within an hour of his emancipation from the
shell.
265. HUDSONIAN CURLEW, OR JACK CURLEW.
Numenius hudsonicus.
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 16.50-18.00.
Adults: Upper parts mottled and barred with pale
cinnamon-brown and blackish ; line through the
crown buffy, bordered with two brown stripes ; under
parts buff, narrowly streaked with blackish.
Downy Young: Buffy brown above, merging to lemon-
yellow below ; upper parts indistinctly mottled with dusky.
Geographical Distribution : Nearly the whole of North and
South America; south in winter.
Breeding Range : Arctic regions.
Breeding Season: June 15 to July 15.
Nest : A slight hollow, scantily lined with grasses.
Eggs : 4 ; pear-shaped, grayish yellow, coarsely scrawled
with chocolate and brown. Size 2.27 X 1.57.
265. HUDSONIAN
CURLEW.
" When alighting.' 11
of Alaska.
THE Hudsonian Curlew occurs
throughout North America, breed-
ing at the ponds and lakes of the
arctic regions and in all parts
In California it is abundant as
a spring and fall migrant, and is found
on the coast in company with the long-
billed curlew and the jack-snipe. Like
the others, it is a conspicuous bird on the beach or
flying in triangular flocks over the edge of the water ;
like the long-billed curlew, it drops its feet and raises
76 WATER BIRDS
its wings in a peculiar butterfly fashion when alighting.
It is not so commonly found in the interior as other
members of its family, and probes in the sand of the
beach for its food rather than in the salt meadows ; its
favorite food is small snails, water-spiders, and crayfish.
270 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. Squatarola
squatarola.
(Common names : Beetle-head ; Oxeye ; Whistling Field
Plover; Bull-head Plover; Swiss Plover.)
FAMILY : The Plovers.
Length: 11.00.
Adults in Summer: Sides of head and neck and under parts black ; lower
belly and under tail-coverts white; upper parts mottled black and
white ; tail white, barred with black.
Adults in Winter : Upper parts brownish gray, mottled with lighter,
and under parts white, streaked with gray.
Young : Similar to winter adults, but spotted on upper parts with buff.
Geographical Distribution : Nearly cosmopolitan.
Breeding Range : Arctic regions.
Breeding Season : July.
Nest : A mere depression in the soil, lined with dry grass.
Eggs: 4 ; light buffy olive, heavily marked with brown or black. Size
2.04 X 1.43.
THE Black-bellied, or Beetle-head Plover is a com-
mon migrant on the California coast. Each spring
and fall flocks may be seen flying in lines or wedge-
shaped ranks after the manner of geese, and their mellow
three-noted whistle sounds clearly above the roar of the
surf. These birds run along the beach at the edge of
the water, snatching up the sea food left by the receding
tide, and when the turn sets in they retreat to the higher
sand banks to be out of the way of a wetting. The
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 77
species is nearly cosmopolitan, being found in Asia,
Africa, Australia, the West Indies, North America,
Central America, and South America on migrations ; in
the breeding season it is found in Russia, Siberia, Alaska,
Franklin Bay, and the Barren Lands. In each locality
it has a different common name.
273. KILLDEER. Oxyechus vociferus.
FAMILY : The Plovers.
Length: 10.50.
Adults : Forehead, throat, collar, and under parts white ; front of the
crown, lores, ring around the neck, band on the breast, black ; back
olive-brown ; rump and sides of the tail dark buffy.
Downy Young: Upper parts olive-brown ; under parts white ; collar
and bands across the chest, and across lores black, like adults.
Geographical Distribution : North America ; south in winter from latitude
30 to South America.
Breeding Range : Breeds locally wherever found. In California breeds
throughout the State, but in large numbers at Lake Tahoe.
Breeding Season: May and June.
Nest : A slight depression in the earth ; unlined.
Eyys : 3 or 4 ; buffy, marked with dark brown and blackish. Size
1.50 X 1.10.
WHEREVER seen, this pretty plover announces its
name in plaintive cries of " kildee, kildee." Often in
the night, as if troubled by bad dreams, it sounds this
anxious cry. It is abundant everywhere, and is known
to every country boy. Its nest is on the bare ground in
the edge of an upland meadow ; but the eggs are so
protectively colored that you might pass it without
notice, did not the old bird by her great anxiety pro-
claim the hiding place. An hour later you may find
every shell broken and the little ones gone, for they run
about in the grass as soon as free. No other bird will
78 WATER BIRDS
make more frantic efforts than the Killdeer to lead you
away in order that the young may escape : she feigns
broken wings, falls over and over on the ground, moan-
ing as if with pain, and begging you to capture her. But
the whole performance is only a feint, for when you
come up to her, she will fly away on swift, strong wings.
The favorite nesting ground is more or less stony, and
the little Killdeers, crouching motionless to hide, so
resemble the stones as to render discovery difficult.
They are very like the adults in form and markings, the
characteristic black bands across the upper breast pro-
claiming the kinship were other sign wanting.
278. SNOWY PLOVER. Mgialitis nivosa.
FAMILY : The Plovers.
Length: 6.00-7.00.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts pale buff-gray; forehead, cheeks, and
under parts white ; bar across forehead, patch at back of cheeks, and
patch at the side of chest black.
Adults in Winter: Black, replaced by grayish.
Young: Like winter adults, but feathers of the upper parts distinctly
tipped with white.
Downy Young : Upper parts pale grayish buff, mottled with black ;
white collar across neck ; under parts white.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States ; south in winter to
Chili.
Breeding Range : Breeds wherever found in the United States ; through-
out California as far north as Pescadero.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest : A slight hollow in the sand ; unlined.
Eggs: 3 ; pale grayish buff, spotted with umber and black. Size
1.20 X 0.90.
THE Snowy Plover is resident all the year round in
the southern part of California near the coast, and occurs
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 79
as far north as Cape Mendocino. It is abundant at
Long Beach, San Pedro, and all along the sandy coast
near Los Angeles. These Plovers are pretty, plump
little birds, and trip unconcernedly at the water's edge,
picking up the food left by the retreating waves. If
one is disturbed, it crouches flat on the sand, in a hollow
if possible, trusting to protective coloring to escape
notice. A nest found near San Diego in April, con-
tained, when discovered, three clay-covered eggs. When
it was visited three hours later, two little ones had
broken the shell and were crouched down like small
gray stones. The third egg was sterile. The young
were about the size of large walnuts and were the
prettiest creatures imaginable. The next morning the
nest was deserted, only the particles of eggshells scat-
tered about told where it had been; but the mother
bird was discovered with both chicks hiding behind a
tuft of grass. No other nest was found nearer than
two hundred feet, and it is doubtful whether the one
found at that distance was really the nest of a Snowy
Plover.
This species has none of the dipping motions of the
sandpiper, and is much plumper-looking, though not
less trim than the sandpipers. Its call is a whistled
" pleep, pleep," somewhat between the note of a spotted
sandpiper and that of a golden plover.
80 WATER BIRDS
284. BLACK TURNSTONE. Arenaria mdanocephala.
FAMILY : The Surf Birds and Turnstones.
Length : 9.00.
Adults in Summer: Forehead, sides of. head, neck, throat, and chest
black, more or less spotted with white, a small white patch in front
of the eye ; crown and back iridescent greenish black ; belly and
sides white.
Adults in Winter : Similar, but without white spots on head and neck.
Young: Plumage like winter plumage of adults, but black is replaced by
grayish, and feathers of the upper parts are tipped with white or buff.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America, from Point
Barrow to Lower California.
Breeding Range : From British Columbia northward.
Breeding Season : June and July.
Nest : A slight depression in the ground, near beach.
Eggs: 4 ; grayish green, thickly spotted with brown. Size 1.62 X 1.12.
THE Black Turnstone is common along the coast dis-
trict of California throughout all the year. Mr. Grinnell
says that although a few individuals remain all summer,
they are not known to breed within the confines of the
State. They are seen most frequently along the exposed
ocean beaches, where their curious habit of poking under
small stones for food has given them their name. They
may be known by their short, sharp, tip-tilted bill, black
head, and white rump. There are but four species in
the family, three of which occur in the United States.
Of these the Black Turnstone is the only one met with
frequently in California, although the Ruddy Turnstone
occurs as a migrant throughout the coast district. All
the species are strictly maritime birds, living on the outer
beaches and shunning the interior.
BIRDS FOUND ALONG THE BEACHES 81
287. BLACK OYSTER-CATCHER. Hcematopus
bachmani.
FAMILY : The Oyster-catchers.
Length: 17.00.
Adults: Head and neck bluish black, rest of plumage rusty black ; bill
chisel-shaped and red ; feet and legs red.
Young: General color more brownish.
Dmony Young : Head, neck, and upper parts sooty brown ; the down
tipped with rusty ; under parts black.
Geographical Distribution ; Pacific coast of North America from Lower
California to the Aleutian Islands.
Breeding Range : Breeds nearly throughout its habitat.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest : The bare ground of the beach or the shale.
Eggs : 1 to 3 ; olive, spotted with umber and purplish gray. Size
'2.20 X 1.52.
THE Oyster-catcher family includes ten species, mostly
found in the tropics ; but three species are found in
North America, and two occur in California. While
found all along the coast of California, they are especially
partial to rocky portions and islands, and are not usually
seen on the sand beaches. Their feeding grounds are
the outer bars, beaches, and rocks, where they search for
clams, muscles, and oysters exposed by the fall of the
tide. The strong shells of these mollusks the birds pry
open with their bills. Oyster-catchers are abundant
along the rocky coast at La Jolla, but I have never
found any breeding there. Mr. Anthony found them
breeding on the rocky islands close to the coast, the
eggs having been laid on the bare rocks, usually but
a few feet above high water, and close to the edge. All
about them were empty shells of limpets brought there
6
82 WATER BIRDS
by the mate of the nesting bird. In no case was there
any attempt at nest-building.
When watching this bird stride over the rocks with a
queer stilted motion, one is impressed with the idea
that its odd gait is the effect of self-consciousness. So
shy is it that it keeps up a constant nervous turning of
its head in search of danger, and takes alarm at the least
unusual sight in the distance. The call note is a low,
rather musical whistle.
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS
AND MARSHES
1. WESTERN GREBE. Mchmophorus occidental.
FAMILY : The Grebes.
Length: 27.50.
Adult Plumage : Top of head and stripe down back of neck black ; rest
of upper parts brownish gray ; lower parts, including sides of head
and all of neck except stripe down back, glossy white ; bill long and
yellowish white, with black stripe down upper mandible from base
to tip.
Downy Young: Above uniform light brownish gray; under parts white.
Geographical Distribution : Western N orth America from Lower Cali-
fornia to British Columbia ; east to Manitoba.
Breeding Range: Breeds locally nearly throughout its habitat.
Breeding Season: Approximately, May 15 to July 1.
Nest : A mass of floating vegetation on the surface of the water in a slough
or marsh, and usually fastened to surrounding rushes.
Eggs: 2 to 5 ; soiled bluish green. Size 2.50 X 1.40.
s occidentals is the largest of all the
North American grebes, but not the most common. It is
found in the marshy portions of the inland lakes on the
Pacific coast and throughout the Western States. Gre-
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 83
garious, like all the grebes, it nests in colonies sometimes
numbering a hundred. A marshy place where there is
water from two to four feet deep is chosen, so that
safety from storm may be secured for the nest among
the strong rushes, and escape from pursuit may be found
for parent and young by diving directly from the nest
into the water. Knowing their helplessness on land,
the wise grebes avoid all travel on it for themselves
and their broods. The nest platform of rushes is made
by pulling the reeds down one by one until they lie
criss-cross on the surface of the water. Upon this
foundation is placed decaying vegetation of all sorts,
picked out of the water, apparently the wetter the
better. The eggs when first laid are a pale blue-green,
but soon become a dirty brownish color from contact
with the slime of the nest.
Naturalists assert that all grebes cover their eggs
during absence both for purposes of concealment and
to assist incubation. I believe, however, that this is
less the practice of Western Grebes than of any other
variety, for out of many nests t visited only one was
covered, while I have never found the nest of either
a pied-billed grebe or an American eared grebe where
there had not been at least an attempt at covering.
The eggs of the Western species also are invariably less
stained than those of either of the others, a fact which
may support the theory that they are not so fully covered.
Eggs of the American eared grebe are often found in
the nest of a Western Grebe, but never, to my knowl-
edge, vice versa. I believe this is to be accounted for
84 WATER BIRDS
by the more exposed position and looser construction of
the nests of the American eared grebe, which results in
their destruction by storm. When this occurs, the home-
less bird nearly always invades another nest, and usually
the better made one of his larger neighbor. Frequently,
this results in a battle to the death for the possession of
the nest, but never, so far as I have observed, in a vic-
tory for the smaller bird.
4. AMERICAN EARED GREBE. Colymbus nigricollis
californicus.
FAMILY : The Grebes.
Length: 13.00.
Adults in Nuptial Plumage : Head, neck, and chest black ; sides of
head behind eyes with tuft-like patches of small buffy brown
feathers ; under parts silky white, washed with dusky on sides ;
inner quills dusky ; eyes scarlet ; eyelids orange.
Downy Young: Top of head dusky, with white markings; upper parts
light brownish gray ; under parts white.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America from Guatemala to
Great Slave Lake. East to Mississippi valley.
Breeding Range : Locally throughout above territory.
Breeding Season : Approximately, May 15 to August 1.
Nest : A mass of floating vegetation more or less matted together and
woven to surrounding rushes ; in more open situations than that of
the western grebe.
Eggs : 3 to 7 ; elliptical in shape ; bluish white, more or less soiled by
dampness of nest. Size 1.75 X 1.19.
THIS little Grebe breeds commonly in the inland
lakes, grassy ponds, and sloughs of California, Wash-
ington, Oregon, and Lower Canada. Dr. Jeffries tells
me that it also breeds somewhat sparingly in the slough
across, the isthmus at Santa Catalina Islands, and I
found several individuals there, in nuptial plumage, in
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 85
May. This species follows the habits of all grebes in
covering the nest with wet vegetation and debris during
its absence, leaving the sun to continue the work of in-
cubation. Like other grebes also, it secures its food by
diving, and then pursuing its prey under the water.
Th. % Grebe babies are fat, roly-poly youngsters, who
tumble into the water almost from the egg-shell, div-
ing and swimming like experts when
a day old. They seem to pick up
their own food from the water,
1 x but the p arents also assist with
larvae of water-bugs and tiny min-
nows. The young Grebe
4. AMERICAN EARED GREBE.
" When tired, they are given a ride on the mother's back."
is seldom fed by having the food placed in its bill, but
by a curious wisdom he is taught to help himself.
Sometimes the bug is tossed into the group, and the
smartest youngster gets the prize. Oftener it is laid on
the water for a little one to pick up. The whole process
is very like the way a hen places food in front of her
chicks.
The mother's watchful eye detects the first sign of
weariness in the tiny swimmers, and gently diving be-
neath them she gathers them on her back.
86 WATER BIRDS
These habits in the care of the young characterize all
species of grebes, for in no birds are the family traits
more prominent than among these queer divers. To the
shame of all plumage-hunters be it said, the love of the
grebes for their young is one cause of the rapid diminu-
tion of their number, for so expert are the grebes in div-
ing at the flash of the gun that, but for the mother love
which impels them to protect their helpless little ones,
they could easily escape. But they are mercilessly shot
while defending their nests, and the young are left to
starve, while the silvery breast of the mother bird adorns
the hat of a thoughtless woman.
6. PIED-BILLED GREBE. Podilymbus podiceps.
(Common names : Hell Diver ; Water Witch ; Dabchick.)
FAMILY : The Grebes.
Length: 13.50.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts glossy blackish brown ; sides of head
and entire neck soft gray-brown ; throat black ; upper breast and
sides of belly light gray-brown, indistinctly mottled with dusky ;
belly and lower breast glossy white ; bill light, crossed by black
band.
Winter Plumage: Throat changed from black to dull white; head
browner ; lower parts whiter, with no dusky spots ; white bill
replaced by brown without black band.
Young: Similar to winter adults, but sides of head striped with brown.
Downy Young: Head aud neck black and white with rufous spot on
crown ; upper parts blackish, with stripes of white.
Geographical Distribution : The whole of North America from Mexico to
Hudson Bay.
Breeding Range: Breeds locally throughout its habitat.
Breeding Season: Approximately, May 15 to July 1.
Nest : A more or less solid structure of mud, marsh grass, and wet weeds ;
fastened to growing plants. Sometimes built entirely up from the
bottom of the slough, and sometimes laid on the rushes pulled over
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 87
to support it. It is fastened securely, and usually rises several inches
above the surface of the water.
Eggs: 5 to 10 ; soiled greenish white. Size 1.70 X 1.18.
THIS, the most abundant of the grebes, is the one
usually shot for its plumage. It breeds commonly in
Los Angeles County, California, and about San Fran-
cisco Bay. Its common names express well its mar-
vellous powers of diving and remaining for a long time
under water, where it swims easily and rapidly with just
the tip of its bill exposed. On land it is, like all grebes,
awkward and helpless, and, as one author says, looks
more like a tiny kangaroo than a bird. Possibly on
account of its helplessness when on the nest, it has
formed the habit of covering the eggs with decaying
vegetation during the daytime and leaving them to be
cherished by the artificial heat, and of returning to brood
them during the night. Certainly these little Grebes are
never found on their nests during sunny days, and in
California June days are always sunny. In Oregon, on
dark cold days, they are close sitters, and it is an odd
sight to see them jump into the water at any distance
and disappear with scarcely a ripple. They breed
abundantly throughout California in the more sheltered
ponds and inland lakes, requiring only that there shall
be tule, rushes, or flags to form a platform for the slimy
structure called a nest. The young Grebes attempt to
dive as soon as hatched, but rarely succeed in submerg-
ing their entire bodies at the first trial ; and their plumage,
like that of the adults, seems to be waterproof, for never
a wet feather do they show on emerging. The Pied-
billed Grebe is a much shyer bird than either the West-
88 WATER BIRDS
era or the eared grebe, and is less noisy, its call being
only a plaintive note quite in contrast to the hoarse croak-
ing cries of the larger species. It is also less gregarious ;
a pair may sometimes be found nesting in a marsh unfre-
quented by any other of their species.
187. WHITE-FACED GLOSSY IBIS. Plegadis guarauna.
FAMILY : The Ibises.
Length: 22.50.
Adults: Head, neck, and lower parts reddish brown; feathers around
base of bill white ; lores pink ; upper parts iridescent green and
purple.
Young : Upper parts as in adults, except head and neck streaked with
white and dark ashy gray ; under parts plain gray-brown.
Downy Young: Entirely black.
Geographical Distribution : Tropical America, south to Argentine Re-
- public and Chili ; north from Texas and Lower California to Oregon.
Breeding Range: Texas and the Gulf States, and, to a limited degree, in
the Ballona marshes, as well as various San Diegan points.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest, : Of reeds woven in among the rushes ; shaped similar to the red-
winged blackbird's nest, but much larger.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; deep bluish green. Size 1.95 X 1.35.
IN the wet meadows and marshes of California there
are frequently seen queer black birds which might be
taken for large crows but for their long legs and long,
curved, curlew-like bills. They wade about probing in
the mud for crayfish or snails, or stand motionless on
one leg in heronesque attitudes, watching for minnows
in the shallow water. In habits they seem to resemble
the bitterns, nesting in the rushes and feeding upon
frogs, fresh-water crustaceans, or small snakes, trusting
to protective coloring for safety except when forced to
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 89
take flight. At dusk and at dawn, large companies of
them may sometimes be seen circling slowly over a marsh
as if to find a suitable
ing in long lines as
after the nesting
become more sol-
less frequently
wing.
feeding ground, or fly-
do the pelicans. But
season is ended, they
itary and are
seen on the
Look for
them
]87. WHITE-FACED GLOSSY IBIS.
" Watching for minnows in the shallow
water."
of water birds. At night, ' *"^
roost in trees in certain
localities, returning to the ^
tree year after year,
is not often heard ; it has a ~
tural quality not unlike that of a
at that
time in the tall
tule marshes.
They are there,
though you
may not
find
them, for
they are the
shyest
they
7 chosen
^ s a m e
Their cry
peculiar gut-
bittern.
90 WATER BIRDS
190. AMERICAN BITTERN. Botaurus lentiginosus.
(Common names : Marsh Hen ; Stake-driver ; Thunder
Pump.)
FAMILY : The Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns.
Length: 29.00.
Adults: Crown and nape slate-color, more or less tinged with light brown ;
a black stripe on either side of the neck ; back irregularly mottled
chestnut, blackish, and light brown ; quills and coverts gray, tipped
with chestnut ; under parts light brown to pale buffy-white on throat,
striped with darker.
Young : Similar to adults.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate North America, south to Gua-
temala.
Breeding Range : From the Middle States northward. In California in
limited numbers.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: A loose mat of marsh vegetation or grasses; on the ground in
swampy places.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; light olive. Size 1.90 X 1.50.
THIS much-scorned bird, for whom neither sportsman
nor ornithologist has much regard, is common in nearly
every marsh and slough throughout the United States at
some season of the year. It is called " Fly up the creek,"
" Stake-driver," " Bog-bull," and other names too un-
pleasant to mention. Most of them bear some reference
to its peculiar love song, called commonly " pumping."
The sound is somewhat like the noise of a distant pile-
driver, and is at once recognized as soon as heard. The
birds may be both heard and seen in the marshes at
Alviso and in Los Angeles County, California. Only two
things are required by the observer, patience and
leisure. Twilight and dawn are the hours at which they
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 91
may be most frequently heard. They are solitary birds,
each pair nesting alone. Their food consists largely of
frogs and small fish, which they obtain by still fishing,
standing motionless for almost any length of time iti
shallow water among rushes.
The newly hatched Bitterns are particularly homely
nestlings, with their disproportionately long necks and
bills. They are fed by regurgitation for at least forty-
eight hours after hatching. The Bittern's attempts at
love-making and brooding are rendered pitifully grotesque
by the ungainly body of the bird and his queer contor-
tions. Even in flight he is slovenly and loose-jointed, as
if his legs were likely to be shaken off from the efforts
his wings are making. In fishing he sits motionless
for hours with head drawn back to the shoulders, the
very picture of discomfort. Tu fact, under no circum-
stances does he seem joyous or even moderately happy.
191. LEAST BITTERN. Ixobrychus exilis.
FAMILY : The Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns.
Length: 13.00.
Adult Male: Top of head, back, rump, and tail glossy black ; sides of
head and neck light buff, deepening to chestnut on nape ; throat and
fore-neck white, striped with pale straw-color. Under parts pale buff ;
a dark patch on either side of the breast.
Adult Female : Similar, with brown in place of black on upper parts.
Young : Similar to adult female, but coloring more buffy on upper parts.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate North America, north to the
British provinces, south to the West Indies and Brazil ; less common
west of the Rocky Mountains. On the Pacific coast north to Oregon.
Breeding Range : Breeds locally wherever found.
Breeding Season : May to August.
92 WATER BIRDS
Nest : A platform of marsh grass or rushes ; placed on a floating bog or
slough.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; light olive. Size 1.23 X 0.93.
THE Least Bittern, or Little Green Heron, as it is
sometimes called, is a smaller and much shyer bird than
the American bittern. It is found nesting in small
c;>lonk'S in the edge of swamps ; its nest is a mere
crushed-down platform of rushes, and itself so exact an
imitation of its surroundings as to be practically invisible
to t!e naked eye. On the approach of danger it becomes
rigid, with head and bill extended straight up, in mim-
icry of a reed, thus rendering its discovery much more
difficult. If discovered and flushed from the water-side,
it straddles off through the weeds by grasping them on
either side with its feet, producing a comical effect of
walking on stilts. It looks back often to see whether
it is being pursued. If approached from the land side,
it takes wing with loud squawks of terror, and flies low
but swiftly through the open channels of the marsh to a
tree if there be one near. It is frequently found roosting
in trees in the early morning or evening, in groups of
six or more, after the breeding season is over. During
the breeding season its call is a soft dove-like note ;
repeated over and over in a sort of undertone, as if it
were intended for the ear of its mate alone.
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 93
94 (part). TREGANZA BLUE HERON, OR BLUE
CRANE. Ardea kerodias treganzai.
FAMILY : The Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns.
Length: 45.50.
Adults: Crowii and throat white ; sides and back of head white ; feath-
ers lengthened to form a crest ; upper parts liluish gray ; under parts
broadly striped black and white ; legs and feet black.
Young: Top of head sooty slate ; throat white ; neck ashy, washed with
light brown ; under parts streaked buff, slate, and white, with some
black.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, south to western
Mexico.
Breeding Range ; Breeds locally in colonies wherever found.
Breeding Season : April and May. *
Nest, : A platform of coarse sticks ; placed high up in the tree ; always in
colonies.
'Eggs: 3 to 4 ; pale bluish gray. Size 2.50 X 1.50.
THE Great Blue Heron is a common species through-
out California, and nests in almost every locality where
it is found. At Muir Station, California, there is a large
heronry in sycamore trees on the property of Mr. John
Muir, and the noise of the young birds at feeding time
can be heard half a mile away. The birds return to
their heronry in February, and the young are hatched
in April, though fresh eggs have been found as late as
June 1. The young are fed by regurgitation, which in this
case is a more than usually ludicrous performance. So
violent is the shaking which each young heron undergoes
in the process of receiving his food that he seems in
imminent danger of being jerked out of the nest and
hurled to the ground fifty feet below.
These herons fly miles to obtain fish for food, and one
or the other parent is en route during all the daylight
94 WATER BIRDS
hours. After having been fed, the young heron draws back
his head until it lies upon his shoulders, and sits there a
sleepy, solemn-looking hunchback until next feeding-time.
196. AMERICAN EGRET. Casmerodius egretta.
FAMILY : The Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns.
Length: 39.00.
Adults in Nuptial Plumage: Snowy white; the interscapular plumes
straight, filamentous, very long, reaching below the end of the tail ;
head without crest ; bill yellow ; lores orange.
Young, and Adults after Breeding Season : Same, but lacking the inter-
scapular plunjage.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate and tropical America, on the
Pacific coast from Oregon to Patagonia.
Breeding Range : As far north as Oregon on the Pacific coast.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest : A loose platform of coarse twigs ; in colonies in trees near water.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; light bluish. Size 2.35 X 1.65.
THE story of the American Egret is one more tragedy
in the annals of ornithology, and is " a startling evidence
of man's power in the animal world. At his word a
species is almost immediately wiped out of existence."
These beautiful birds are exterminated in Florida, and
the devastation has begun on the Western coast ; already
they are listed as " rare " where they once bred in abun-
dance. The " nuptial plumage " only is salable, since
it alone contains the pretty " aigrette " plumes ; and so,
at a time when the true sportsman is bound by an
unwritten law to protect the nesting birds, the plume-
hunter shoots them mercilessly for commercial purposes.
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 95
197. SNOWY HERON. Egretta candidissima.
FAMILY ; The Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns.
Length: 23.50.
Adults : Plumage always pure white.
Nuptial Plumage: Pure white; " aigrette " plumes hang like a wh'ce
fringe from interscapular region to beyond the end of the tail ; simi-
lar plumes on lower neck and forming an occipital crest ; bill black,
yellow at base ; legs black ; feet yellow.
Young : Like adults after breeding season ; that is, white, with no inter-
scapular plumes.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate and tropical America ; on the
Pacific coast from Oregon to Buenos Ayres.
Breeding Range : As far north as Oregon.
Breeding Season: April 15 to June 15.
Nest : A loosely built platform of sticks ; placed in trees or bushes near
swamps.
Eggs: 2 to 5 ; light bluish. Size 1.80 X 1.20.
BEAUTY has proved a fatal dower to this exquisite
bird, which has become nearly extinct through the ravages
of the plume-hunters. " The delicate aigrettes which it
donned as a nuptial dress were its death warrant.
Woman demanded from the bird its wedding plumes,
and man has supplied the demand." The saddest part
of the whole sad story is the fact, not sentiment, that
the killing must be done during the nesting season ;
consequently the young, bereft of both parents, starve in
the nest. For every dainty aigrette in hair or bonnet,
a brood of baby herons has suffered excruciating, long-
continued torture, and death. In California this heron
is a summer visitant to the interior valleys, but is by no
means common at any season of the year.
96 WATER BIRDS
201 b. ANTHONY GREEN HERON. Butorides lirescens
anthonyi.
FAMILY : The Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns.
Length : 15.00-22.00.
Adults: Crown, crest, tail, and wings green ; sides of neck yellow-
brown ; belly light grayish brown.
Geographical Distribution : Southwestern United States ; south . in
winter.
Breeding Range : Breeds locally wherever found, along the rivers of the
interior.
Breeding Season : April.
Nest : On branches of trees and bushes ; a loose platform of sticks ; lined
with leaves.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; light greenish buff or olive.
THIS is a subspecies of the Green Heron, and is found
resident only in the southern part of California. Mr.
Grinnell lists it as a common migrant, and says it breeds
along the larger streams of the interior valleys. It is
largely nocturnal in habit, and not unlike the American
bittern in its guttural alarm note.
This species is found less often in the marshes, and
more often along the banks of shallow streams and small
lakes, where it sits for hours motionless in a dead tree
or concealed stump, seeming to doze through the day-
light hours. Early in the morning or late in the evening,
however, the heronry awakes to great activity ; for the
hungry young clamor harshly for food, and the adults
hurry to and fro in pursuit of it. This noise continues
far into the night and begins anew with daylight. Frogs,
small snakes, fish, and lizards are the prey this Heron
seeks, but it occasionally contents itself with insects and
field mice.
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 97
202. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. Nycticorax
nycticorax ncevius.
FAMILY : The Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns.
Length: 24.50.
Adults: Crown, scapulars, and back iridescent black, with greenish
reflections ; forehead, sides of head, throat, and under parts cream
white ; sides ashy ; sides and back of neck light brownish gray ;
wings, rump, and tail dusky brownish gray ; head ornamented with
a few very long, narrow, white occipital feathers.
Young: Upper parts grayish brown, each feather marked with a wedge-
shaped streak of white ; the quills with white at tips ; tail brownish
gray ; under parts striped dark ash-brown and white.
Geographical Distribution : Nearly all America, except the arctic regions.
Breeding Range : From Manitoba to South America.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest : A platform of sticks, bulky ; placed in high trees ; in colonies of
2 to 5 in a single tree, and thousands in the close vicinity.
Eggs: 4 to 6 ; pale greenish. Size 2.15 X 1.55.
THE Black-crowned Night Heron is an abundant resi-
dent in all parts of California, breeding in suitable locali-
ties. Although these herons prefer a nest in a tree, they
frequently build in tule swamps, following the habits of
the bitterns. They are gregarious at all times, nesting in
large colonies. Except when there are young in the
nest, these birds are nocturnal feeders, beginning at
dusk. Their food consists largely of frogs. During
i:icnbation, one bird remains on the nest constantly, and
is fed -by the other, who also shares in the sitting. As
soon as the young are hatched the fact is made known
by the constant foraging for food during the day and
carrying it to the nest. It is, however, partly digested
and fed to them by regurgitation until they are a week
or ten days old. I have never seen anything but frogs,
7
98 WATER BIRDS
minnows, and small snakes brought to the nest, and
these are carefully killed before being given to the young.
The cry of the Black-crowned Night Heron is a harsh
guttural squawk or croak, and the noise made when the
rookery is full of young birds screaming for food is inde-
scribable. Each brood discern their own parent flying
toward the nest, and, although the nestlings have sat in
unbroken silence until then, at sight of him the hungry
cries begin.
206. SANDHILL CRANE. Grus mexicana.
FAMILY : The Cranes.
Length: 44.00.
Adults: Bluish gray, varying to brownish gray; paler on throat and
sides of head, darker on primaries ; crown nearly bare, covered with
reddish membrane and a scant growth of black hairs.
Young : Crown feathered ; plumage rusty brown.
Geographical Distribution: United States from the Mississippi valley
west to Pacific coast, south to Mexico, east along the Gulf coast to
Florida.
Breeding Range : In mild localities throughout its habitat.
Breeding Season: February, March, and April.
Nest : A platform of weeds and grass, on the water line, in a marshy
lagoon.
Eggs : 2 ; grayish yellow, spotted with cinnamon and gray. Size
' 3.98 X 2.44.
THE habits of the Sandhill Crane and those of the
whooping crane are very similar. " During courtship
and the early breeding season their actions and antics at
times are ludicrous in the extreme, bowing and leaping
high in the air, hopping, skipping, and circling about,
with drooping wings and croaking whoop, an almost
indescribable dance and din, in which the females join,
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 99
all working themselves up into a fever of excitement
equalled only by an Indian war dance ; and, like the
same, it stops only when the last one is exhausted." 1
The alarm call of this species is a long clear note like
a bugle blast ; it may be heard nearly a mile away. It
is repeated over and over, as the birds fly in flocks, like
the honk of wild geese.
210. CALIFORNIA CLAPPER RAIL. Rallus obsoletus.
FAMILY : The Rails, Gallinules, and Coots.
Length: 17.50.
Adults: Upper parts greenish gray, indistinctly but broadly streaked
with blackish brown ; under parts red-brown, washed with .gray on
neck and sides.
Downy Young: Uniform black.
Geographical Distribution : Salt-water marshes of the Pacific coast from
Lower California to Oregon.
Breeding Range : In sloughs and salt-water marshes, throughout Cali-
fornia and Oregon.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest: A loose mat of dry grass ; placed among rushes in marsh.
Eggs: 8 ; buff, marked with cinnamon and lilac. Size 1.71 X 1-24.
THIS species is abundant on the salt-water marshes in
the vicinity of San Francisco and Oakland, and partic-
ularly in the south end of the bay near Alviso. They are
either tame or exceedingly stupid birds I believe the
latter, for they may be captured alive during the early
spring and late fall, as they trust to protective coloring
and do not try to escape until too late. During the
breeding season they are somewhat more shy, but even
then it is nearly impossible to flush them because they
i Goss.
100 WATER BIRDS
skulk or dive rather than fly, and refuse to desert the
nest. About the middle of April they commence to
make a nest of marsh grass on a tussock, and from that
time on are devoted to it. Eight or nine eggs are laid,
and incubation lasts nineteen to twenty-three days. The
young Rails run about within an hour after hatching, and
look much like tiny black chickens with overgrown legs
and bills. If discovered on a mud flat, they crouch
motionless like so many small black lumps of dirt or
stones, and though one may know where to search, it is
hard to find them. The immature rails are as stupid
as the adults, and will often allow themselves to be
picked up without trying to get away. Their food con-
sists largely of the larvae of marsh insects which they
pick up in the shallow water and along shore, and
mature insects of all sorts, as well as small crustaceans.
As is well known, certain varieties of marsh birds build
several nests, using but one. The " dummy " sometimes
serves as a shelter for the adult male ; sometimes the
making of it seems to have been a mere pastime ; and,
occasionally, as in the case of the clapper rail, it forms a
convenient platform or nursery on which the young can
scramble for a sun-bath when weary with their first
swimming lessons. These unused nests are commonly
placed close to the one occupied by the brood and closely
resemble it. My own observations in this matter, made
at Alviso, tally with those of Mr. Adams at San Fran-
cisco Bay and Mr. Shields at Los Angeles.
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 101
212. VIRGINIA RAIL. Rallus virginianus.
FAMILY: The Rails, Gallinules, and Coots.
Length: 9.30.
Adults : Upper parts brownish olive, striped with sooty ; breast
and wing-coverts light chestnut ; wings and tail dark olive-
brown ; cheeks gray ; throat white ; under parts light chest-
nut ; sides barred with white.
Downy Young : Uniform black.
Geographical Distribution : North America, from the British
provinces south to Guatemala.
Breeding Range : Wherever resident.
Breeding Season: April, May, and June.
Nest : A mat of grasses ; placed on a hummock in a marsh.
Eyys : 7 to 12 ; buffy, marked with chestnut. Size 1.24 X 0.94.
THE Virginia Rail, although more common east
of the Rockies, is by no means rare throughout
California. He is an odd-looking
bird with voice and manners in keep-
ing with his appearance. In
the early morning and at
twilight his call is a curi-
ous combination of grunt
and squeal. The love
song, however, is quite
different ; it is de-
scribed as " a guttural
cut, cutta-cutta-ciitta oft
repeated for hours in suc-
cession." You have only
to visit a marsh lake in
the afternoon or early in 212. VIRGINIA BAIL.
the morning and listen, " Picking AM way cautiously between the tules.*
102 WATER BIRDS
to discover whether or not he is nesting there. But the
marsh birds are shy and very wary, and the long marsh
grass guards them well. It is far easier to hear them
than to see them. If your patience endures long
enough, you. may catcli a glimpse of a Rail picking
his way cautiously between the tules, with a curious
bobbing motion. If you are so fortunate as to find a
mother bird on her eggs, she will become rigid with
terror, her red eye dilating and her long neck stretched
up not unlike a water snake. In this position you may
easily mistake her for a stick or a dry rush. If flushed,
her small powers of flight suffice to carry her only a short
distance, when she will disappear in the rushes and no
patient waiting will give you another glimpse of her.
My own experience goes to prove that the nest is always
deserted by her after the first forced flight from it.
Mr. Brewster says : " The female, when anxious about
her eggs or young, calls ki-ki-ki-ki in low tones, and
kiu much like a flicker. The young of both sexes in
autumn give, when startled, a short explosive kep or
kiky closely similar to that of the Carolina rail."
214. SORA, OR CAROLINA RAIL. Porzana Carolina.
FAMILY : The Rails, Gallinules, and Coots.
Length: 8.60.
Adults : Feathers about base of bill black ; a broad black line through
crown and extending down the back of the neck ; throat, breast, and
cheeks gray ; upper parts grayish brown, streaked with black and
white ; belly white ; flanks barred with blackish slate-color.
Young : Similar, but no black at base of bill ; upper parts darker.
Downy Young: Uniform black ; a tuft of orange-colored, hair-like
feathers on throat.
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 103
Geographical Distribution: North America ; south in winter to northern
parts of South America.
Breeding Range: Northern United States, northward, including Cali-
fornia and Oregon.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: Of grass ; on the ground, in a marshy place.
Eggs: 7 to 14 ; cream-color, marked with cinnamon and lilac. Size
1.26 X 0.90.
THE Sora Rail breeds commonly in California in
swamps about Los Angeles and other suitable localities.
Unlike the clapper rail, it prefers fresh-water sloughs,
where it hides among the tall rushes. The baby Rails
are fluffy little black chicks with absurdly large feet, and
necks too long for their fat little bodies. Almost as
soon as hatched they run about among the grass of the
drier parts, sometimes being taken away from the water
to an adjacent meadow, where they soon learn to snap
up bugs and small grasshoppers. Like all the rail
family, the Soras are most musical at dawn and dusk,
when their queer weird notes make the marshland seem
an uncanny spot. In the South this species is sold as a
game bird under the name of ortolan, and is much liked
by epicures, though its thin little body has, not without
reason, given rise to the saying " As thin as a rail." It
is abundant on migrations, flying at night and resting
wherever it happens to be during the day, even in the
noisy streets of Chicago. In these circumstances it
seems stupid and confused. I have captured it without
difficulty while it was resting, as it squats on the ground,
making absolutely no effort to escape.
Mr. Frank Chapman writes of this species: "The
Sora's summer home is in fresh-water marshes, where,
104 WATER BIRDS
if it were not for their notes, the reeds and grasses
would long keep the secret of their presence. . . . They
will greet you late in the afternoon with a clear whistled
keewee which soon comes from dozens of invisible birds
about you, and long after night has fallen it continues,
like a spring-time chorus of piping hylas. Now and
again it is interrupted by a high-voiced rolling whinny
which, like a call of alarm, is taken up and repeated by
different birds all over the marsh. They seem so ab-
sorbed in their musical devotions even when calling con-
tinuously, it requires endless patience and keen eyes to
see the dull-colored, motionless forms in places where
one would not suppose thjere was sufficient growth to
conceal them."
216.1. CALIFORNIA BLACK RAIL. Creciscus
jamaicensis coturn iculus.
FAMILY : The Rails, Gallinules, and Coots.
Length: 5.00-6.00.
Adults: Crown blackish slate; upper parts dark red-brown, speckled
with white ; under parts, neck, and sides of head slate-color ; belly
sooty brown.
Downy Young: Uniform black.
Geographical Distribution: Coast region of California ; probably south to
Lower California.
Breeding Range : For the Pacific slope, Oregon and California ; east of
the Rockies, through the United States.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest : Of grasses ; on ground ; in wet meadows or marshes.
Eggs : 7 to 10 ; white, thinly spotted with cinnamon. Size 1.05 X 0.80.
MOST of us are quite willing to agree with the man
who said that this bird is " about as difficult to observe
as a field mouse." It is its shyness and small size that
render it so little known to local ornithologists, who con-
tent themselves with pronouncing it rare. Its nest is a
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 105
cup-shaped depression lined with fine grasses, usually in
a wet meadow ; it may be mistaken for that of a meadow
lark, but is nearly an inch less in diameter and never
arched over.- The Black Rail nests in the marshes at
Alviso, California, 'and, I have no doubt, elsewhere
throughout the State. The young are tiny black bulls of
down, apparently less than one inch in diameter ; they
leave the nest the moment the down is dry, and run
about with the agility of sandpipers. Although so tiny,
they have the instinct of self-preservation to a marked
degree ; whenever danger threatens they stiffen into un-
winking puff-balls, with only their beady black eyes to
betray life.
219. FLORIDA GALLINULE, OR RED-BILLED
MUD-HEN. Gallinula galeata.
FAMILY : The Rails, Gallinules, and Coots.
Length: 13.25.
Adults: Dark slate-color, sometimes tinged with brown on back and
whitish on belly ; edge of wing and a patch on flank white ; bill and
frontal shield red, tipped with greenish ; legs and feet greenish.
Downy Young: Uniform black, a few white hairs among the down on
throat and cheeks.
Geographical Distribution : Tropical and temperate North America,
north to British provinces.
Breeding Range : For the Pacific slope, from Oregon southward.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest : A mat of rushes bent over and more or less woven together, over
water.
Eggs: 8 to 10 ; cream-buff, finely marked with reddish brown and
chocolate. Size 1.87 X 1.25.
IN form so like a sleek bantam hen, in habits so like
a coot, the Florida Gallinule is a most interesting study.
106 WATER BIRDS
It has a large vocabulary of calls ranging from harsh
squawks to pathetic complaining cries not unlike the skirl
of a bagpipe. It is a common resident on the fresh-
water marshes of California, where it can be heard much
oftener than seen ; for it is exceedingly shy, and its dusky
plumage renders it inconspicuous among the rushes. In
swimming it has a rather awkward way of sitting up
very straight and bobbing its head with every stroke of
its feet. Feeding on the mud-flats, it dips daintily, as it
picks its way through the tangled reeds after the manner
of the king rail. Its nest is of dried tule or marsh grass,
lined with softer grass of the meadow, the latter being
brought there from a distance. All about the rim of the
structure the rushes are broken to form a guard for
the eggs, for although usually about three inches deep
the nests are sometimes only a shallow platform. The
young run about like tiny black chicks, and pick up a
living from the water, almost as soon as they are hatched.
It would be impossible to distinguish them from young
clapper rails except for the sprinkling of white hairs
among the black down. They are quite unlike little
chickens in one thing : at the warning call of the parent
they disappear noiselessly, as if by magic, or are meta-
morphosed into dark stones ; feathered barnyard babies,
on the other hand, run to the mother with cries of fear.
BIRDS FOUND IN BAYOUS AND MARSHES 107
221. AMERICAN COOT. Fulica americana.
(Common names: Mud-hen; Blue Peter.)
FAMILY : The Rails, Gallinules, and Coots.
Length: 15.25.
Adults : Dark bluish slate, nearly black on head and neck ; under parts
paler ; edge of wing white ; bill white ; frontal plate, and spots on
bill near end, brown ; legs and feet greenish ; toes with scalloped flaps.
Downy Young : Upper parts rusty black ; under parts white ; head and
neck with orange-colored hair-like feathers, and upper parts with pale
yellow hair-like feathers among the down ; bill red, tipped with black.
Geographical Distribution : North America.
Breeding Range: Breeds locally through the United States, British
Columbia, and Canada.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest : Of grass and reeds ; among the flags or tall marsh grass.
Eggs: 8 to 16 ; cream-colored, speckled with dark chocolate. Size
1.89 X 1.42.
ALTHOUGH so closely resembling the Florida gallinule
in appearance, the Coots may be easily distinguished
from them by their white bills. They are much more
social and are better swimmers than the gallinules,
gathering in companies morning and evening in the
shallow water at the edge of a marsh, to feed upon the
larvae of water insects and small crustaceans, which they
obtain by diving. They like best, however, to pick up
their food from the slime at the border of a mud flat
or low marshy place, and here they take their newly
hatched bantlings. The young are covered with down
of a rusty black color above and white beneath, with
pale yellow hair-like feathers sprinkled through it. Their
bills, unlike those of the parents, are red. They some-
times stray near a farmyard and may be picked up easily,
as they seem stupefied with fear.
108 WATER BIRDS
The adult Coots are very noisy birds, constantly call-
ing, screaming, or complaining. Just after nightfall and
before dawn, most California marshes are vocal with
their varied cries. But, like the gallinules, they are
more easily heard than seen, for they are exceedfngly
shy. If surprised and forced to flight, they rise with
much splattering, fly rapidly a short distance, and fall
back into the marsh. They are worthless as game birds,
as their flesh is tough and rank in taste ; for this reason
the real sportsman shuns them.
PART II
LAND BIRDS
PART II
LAND BIRDS
I. UPLAND GAME BIRDS
230. WILSON SNIPE. Gallinago delicata.
(Common names : Jack Snipe ; English Snipe.)
FAMILY : The Snipes and Sandpipers.
Length: 10.85.
Adults: Crown buff ; upper parts black, bordered and mottled with buff ;
neck and breast mottled and streaked buffy and blackish brown ; sides
barred black and white ; belly white.
Downy Young : Upper parts dusky, more or less mottled with light
brown ; under parts whitish.
Geographical Distribution : North America ; south in winter to Brazil.
Breeding Range : From latitude 45 to the arctic circle. In California,
the valleys of the northern Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season: In California, June 15 to July 15.
Nest : A slight depression on open, marshy ground ; sometimes lined
with grass, usually unlined.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; olive, streaked with black and chocolate. Size 1.55 X
1.07.
THE species known as Jack Snipe, or English Snipe,
is a prime favorite with sportsmen and epicures. Breed-
ing so far north, they are commonly hunted as migrants,
and so are more or less protected during their nesting
112 LAND BIRDS
season. They usually migrate in small companies. Dur-
ing the breeding season solitary birds are frequently seen,
which spring from the marsh grass with a harsh cry and
zigzag swiftly out of sight in a way most tantalizing to
the sportsman. Only an expert can hope to bag them.
The Jack Snipe frequents low wet places, obtaining
food after the manner of a woodcock, by probing with
its long slender bill, which, although not prehensile to
the extent of a woodcock's, is yet very sensitive at the
tip, and readily detects the choice morsels of food down
in the damp earth.
Their capricious selection of feeding ground seems to
be governed by some occult knowledge as to the con-
ditions of the soil, for they are here to-day, gone to-
morrow, and often the only places which seem most
likely to be their haunt will not be visited by them
at all.
Mr. Bailey writes of the Jack Snipe : " He is a com-
mon bird wherever there are marshes to his taste. . . .
On warm summer evenings or cloudy days before a
storm, he mounts high in the air and with rapidly vi-
brating wings produces a prolonged whirr that increases
to a diminutive roar, and repeats it every two or three
minutes for sometimes half an hour. At other times he
flies low over the grass uttering a guttural chuck-chuck-
chuck-chuck-chuck, and then drops out of sight. His
common all-round-the-year note is a nasal squawk"
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 113
281. MOUNTAIN PLOVER. Podasocys montanus.
FAMILY : The Plovers.
Length: 8.00-9.00.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts grayish brown ; under parts buffy ; a
white baud across forehead and over the eye; front of crown and
lores black.
Adults in Winter: Without distinct black or white on head.
Young: Similar to winter adults, but general tone light yellowish
brown or buffy.
Geographical Distribution: United States bordering the Pacific; in
winter as far south as Santa Ana.
Breeding Range : Interior of the United States from Texas to Montana.
Breeding Season : June and July.
Nest : Anywhere on the open prairie ; a depression in the ground, thinly
lined with grass.
Eijgs: 3 ; light buffy olive, thickly speckled with lavender, brown, and
black. Size 1.45 X 1.11.
THROUGHOUT the interior plains of California west of
the Sierra Nevada the Mountain Plover is a common
winter resident. It can be easily recognized by its large
size, and by the absence of rings on throat and breast.
Mountain Plover is one of the many misnomers, for
although called by this name, the bird loves the prairies
and treeless plains, and is never found at great altitudes.
Unlike most plovers, it seems to shun the water ; even
in California it is not found along the beaches where
its relatives feed, but hunts grasshoppers and terrestrial
insects in the drier inland meadows. Its nest consists of
a few grasses scratched together in a spot exposed to
wind and weather ; and here the female broods for nine-
teen days. As soon as the down is dry on the chicks,
they scramble off at their mother's heels, and in twenty-
four hours are catching bugs for themselves.
H4 LAND BIRDS
292. MOUNTAIN PARTRIDGE. Oreortyx pictus.
FAMILY : The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, etc.
Length: 10.00-11.12.
Adult Male: Crest black ; back and upper parts olive-brown, striped
on sides of back with light brown ; top of head and entire breast
slate-color ; throat and sides dark red-brown ; sides barred with
black and white.
Adult Female : Crest shorter, otherwise like male.
Young : Upper parts grayish brown, speckled with white ; breast gray,
with wedge-shaped white spots ; a whitish line over the ear ; belly
white; sides washed with chestnut.
Geographical Distribution : Humid transition zone of Pacific coast region,
from about latitude 35 to Southern Washington.
Breeding Range : Nearly coincident with its habitat.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: A slight depression in the ground, lined sparingly with dry
leaves ; placed beside or under a fallen tree or a bush.
Eggs: 8 to 13 ; plain light buff. Size 1.36 X 1.02.
THE Mountain Partridge of the coast belt is so nearly
like the plumed partridge of the Sierra Nevada in habits
and coloring as scarcely to need a separate description.
Both are designated as " mountain quail " in the com-
mon parlance, and it is about as difficult to obtain a
satisfactory view of one as of the other. The plumed
partridge is said to measure a trifle less than this species,
but in the field the only distinguishing marks are the
grayer tone of the back and the bluish nape, all of which
makes it difficult to differentiate the species. The
Range is possibly the best guide for an amateur in iden-
tifying the species.
(For habits see " Plumed Quail.")
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 115
292 a. PLUMED PARTRIDGE. Oreortyx pictus
plumiferus.
FAMILY : The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, etc.
Length: 10.50-11.50.
Adult Male : Crest black ; forehead whitish ; upper parts grayish olive,
striped on sides of back with light brown ; top of head, hind-neck,
and breast bluish slate-color ; throat and sides dark red-brown ; sides
barred with black and white.
Adult Female : Crest shorter ; otherwise plumage the same.
Young : Upper parts grayish brown, speckled with white ; breast gray
with triangular white spots ; a whitish line over the ear ; belly
white; sides washed with chestnut.
Downy Young : Head and neck buffy ; broad chestnut stripe down the
middle of back and rnmp, bordered along each side by dusky ; breast
and belly dull whitish.
Geographical Distribution : Arid transition zone of Pacific coast district,
from Lower California northward through Oregon.
Breeding Range : Along both sides of the Sierra Nevada and the south-
ern ranges.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest : On the ground ; on bed of dead leaves ; concealed under a bush,
or weeds, or log.
Eggs: Usually 8 to 14 ; uniform buff. Size 1.36 X 1.02.
Food: Insects, berries, and bugs.
ONE bright morning in early June, on the way from
Fyffe to Slippery Ford on the Lake Tahoe stage route,
we flushed a Plumed Partridge from the roadside, and
my companion remarked that he had flushed a partridge
from that place two days before. A search for a nest
began among the manzanita bushes and " mountain
misery," which latter was thick, nearly ten inches high.
After a short hunt we discovered the treasure hidden
well at the base of a tall cedar and guarded by the
pretty white blossoms and green leaves of Chamsebatia.
116 LAND BIRDS
It was made of leaves and stems of this plant and lined
with feathers, and in it lay ten eggs of the Plumed
Partridge. They were nearly ready to hatch, how
ready I did not guess, and with a hope that no one
would molest them in the meantime, we departed, re-
solving to come back the next day. But I reckoned
without my host, for having eaten luncheon and rested,
I stole back alone for a last peep at them, and two had
pipped the shells while a third was cuddled down in
the split halves of his erstwhile covering. The distress
of the mother was pitiful, and I had not the heart to
torture the beautiful creature needlessly ; so going off a
little way, I lay down flat along the " misery," regardless
of the discomfort, -and awaited developments. Before I
could focus my glasses she was on the nest, her anxious
little eyes still regarding me suspiciously. In less time
than it takes to tell it, the two were out and the mother
cuddled them in her fluffed-out feathers. This was too
interesting to be left. Even at the risk of being too late
to reach my destination, I must see the outcome. Two
hours later every egg had hatched and a row of tiny
heads poked out from beneath the mother's breast. I
started toward her and she flew almost into my face, so
closely did she pass me. Then by many wiles she tried in
vain to coax me to go another way. I was curious and
therefore merciless. Moreover, I had come all the way
from the East for just such hours as this. But once more
a surprise awaited me. There was the nest, there were
the broken shells ; but where were the young partridges ?
Only one of all that ten could I find. For so closely did
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 117
they blend in coloring with the shadows on the pine
needles under the leaves of the " misery " that although I
knew they were there, and dared not step for fear of
crushing them, I was not sharp enough to discover them.
No doubt a thorough search would have been successful,
but this a dread of injuring them forbade me to make.
So picking up the one which had crouched motionless
beside a leaf and which was really not much larger than
my thumb, I contented myself with trying to solve the
mystery of how so much bird ever grew in that small
shell, half of which would scarcely cover his head.
Once fairly in my hand, he cuddled down perfectly con-
tented to let me fit the empty shell to his fat little body,
as if he knew he was out of that for good. He was a
funny little ball of fluffy down, with a dark stripe down
his back and a lesser one on each side of that. Mean-
while the adult bird had disappeared, and there was no
choice but to put the youngster back in the nest and go
on my way. But I had learned two tilings, that affairs
move rapidly in the partridge household, and that hu-
man eyes are seldom a match for a bird's instinct.
Most interesting of the many characteristics of the
Plumed Partridge is the habit of migration into the
valleys by the first of September each year, and back to
the elevations in the early spring. Scarcity of food does
not drive them to more fertile foraging grounds, for in
the spring they return while yet there is snow. Unlike
their relatives, these birds do not band together in large
flocks, and seldom more than two broods are to be found
in the same cover. Mr. Edwyu Sandys says : " The call
118 LAND BIRDS
of the male is suggestive of the crowing of a young ban-
tam, while the rallying cry of scattered birds is not unlike
the yelping of young wild turkeys."
294. CALIFORNIA PARTRIDGE. Lophorlyx
californicus.
FAMILY : The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, etc.
Length : 9.50.
Adult Male : Crest black ; nape dusky brown, bordered by black and
white Hues ; upper parts dusky brown, striped with chestnut along
the sides of the back ; throat black, bordered by white ; breast slate-
color; belly, except chestnut patch, scaled ; sides dusky brown,
streaked with white.
Adult Female: Head plain, with no black and white ; plumage uniform
dusky brown; belly scaled; no chestnut on under parts; sides
streaked with white.
Young : Upper parts gray-brown ; feathers of back and wing-coverts
edged with dark gray and white ; under parts white and gray.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast region from Monterey to Oregon.
Breeding Range : Nearly coincident with the Geographical Distribution.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: A hollow near a rock or at foot of a tree trunk; scantily lined
with grass ; sometimes under hedge, bush, or brush -heap.
Eggs: 8 to 10; buffy, thickly spotted with shades of brown. Size
1.33 X 0.97.
THE crest of the California Partridge is a little longer
than that of the valley partridge, and tips forward in the
same way.
This handsome little partridge is unfortunately a
favorite game bird, and, as such, has become not only
somewhat scarce but exceedingly shy. It haunts the
canons and slopes covered with underbrush, as well as
the sagebrush and stubble, and has learned to run to
cover rather than to flush when pursued. In this way
UPLAND GAME BIRDS
119
it offers a difficult mark for the true sportsman, and is
less in danger from him than from the pitiless trapper.
It differs from the valley partridge in being darker-
colored and of a more northern range, but is often mis-
taken for it, as the habits and call are exactly alike. It
is quite unlike the mountain partridge, an inch smaller,
and ! 1 with more of a blue tinge to the slate-color of
the ?<f plumage. Moreover the crest is shorter and tips
forward like a pompon,
while the mountain
partridge usually car-
ries his long
- crest float-
* " ing backward.
Unlike the nest of the
mountain partridge, too,
the nest of californicus is
rarely concealed, the eggs
being laid on a mat of leaves or grass on the open ground
beside a stump or under a bush, and they are sometimes
found in the nest of the Oregon towhee. Doubtless the
protective coloring helps to prevent their discovery dur-
ing the three weeks required for incubation. In this
task, unlike our Eastern " Bob White," the male does
not assist, but frequently stands guard at a short distance
and warns of danger by a sharp short call. The chicks
are out of the nest almost as soon as out of the shell,
and are as skilful as their parents at running to cover.
When a day or two old they learn to find their own food,
picking up the bugs and even jumping for them when
294. CALIFORNIA PARTRIDGE.
"/< haunts the canons and slopes."
120 LAND BIRDS
they themselves are not much larger than a good-sized
beetle. Although so capable and independent, they are
constantly attended by both parents until the down has
merged into fully developed feathers. Then the gregari-
ous habits- of the grouse blood assert themselves, and by
September 1 all the broods of that district band to-
gether to the number of several hundred individuals, and
remain so throughout the fall and winter. This is the
harvest time of the hunters and the season of unrest for
the birds. In the early autumn mornings in the stubble
of the field and the underbrush of the canons, you may
hear their plaintive whistle, " who-are-you," questioning
whether friend or foe is astir.
294 a. VALLEY PARTRIDGE. Lophortyx calif ornicus
vallicola.
FAMILY : The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, etc.
Length: 9.50.
Adults : Similar to the California partridge ; upper parts grayish ; sides
olive ; crest short and tipped forward.
Young: Breast gray, marked with wedge-shaped black spots; belly
faintly barred dark and light gray; upper parts striped brown and
white.
Downy Young : Upper parts white, washed with rusty and mottled with
dark brown ; under parts plain dull whitish.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast region from Southern California
to Oregon ; through upper and lower Sonoran zones.
Breeding Range : The interior valleys between the humid coast belt and
the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: A slight depression in ground, under hedge, bush, or brush-heap.
Eggs: Generally 10 to 12 ; bnffy, thickly spotted with shades of brown.
Size 1.23 X 0.94.
So closely allied are the California partridge and the
Valley Partridge that only by direct comparison of the
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 121
two species may the lighter coloring of the latter be dis-
tinguished. In habits they are alike, but in range they
differ, the former being a coast bird and found from
Monterey northward, while the latter occurs in the
interior and southern valleys. In spite of being dubbed
the Valley Partridge, it is found on the mountains of
Lower California sometimes at an elevation of eight
thousand feet.
It breeds throughout suitable localities in Southern
California, and is hunted wherever resident, though not
so extensively as formerly, when it was the favorite game
bird of that region.
The eggs are laid on a mat of leaves or grass, or on
the bare ground either in underbrush or in the farmer's
door-yard. Incubation requires three weeks, and usu-
ally the hen alone broods the eggs. After the young
are hatched they are kept in the underbrush or heavy
stubble and can rarely be discovered, so expert at hiding
are they. Like the California partridge they run to cover
rather than fly, and they are so swift-footed that it is
almost impossible to flush them. When the young are
feeding, the adult males constantly call them, either to
keep the covey together or to give warning of danger,
and they answer each call with a faint piping note. This
is not unlike the scatter call of the Eastern Bob White,
but consists of two syllables in one tone, or one longer
note. It is not unusual to come upon a covey of these
when driving through the foothills and valleys of South-
ern California, but the sensation is simply of something
scampering into the brush rather than a definite sight
122 LAND BIRDS
of any bird, unless the cock comes out into view for a
moment to sound his warning and draw your attention
from the brood to his handsome self.
295. GAMBEL PARTRIDGE. Lophortyx gambeli.
FAMILY : The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, etc.
Length: 9.00-10.00.
Adult Male : Crest black ; forehead and throat black, edged with white ;
crown chestnut ; upper parts slate-color ; breast gray ; belly buff,
with black patches ; sides bright chestnut, streaked with white lines.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but plainer; belly without black patches,
and sides without white stripes.
Young: Upper parts brownish gray, finely mottled black and white ;
belly uniform white ; breast gray, striped with white.
Geographical Distribution : Lower Sonoran zone from Western Texas to
Southeastern California, and from Southern Utah to Mexico.
Breeding Range : The desert region of California southeast of the Sierra
Nevada.
Breeding Season : April 15 to July 1.
Nest: A slight depression in the ground, under a bunch of tall grass ;
usually without lining.
Eggs: 10 to 12; buffy, marked with brown and blotched with light
purple. Size 1.27 X 0.98.
EARLY in the morning during the months of March
and April, the love note of the Gambel Partridge may be
heard from the underbrush of the valleys and foothills
of Southeastern California. So handsome, so confident
in his wooing is he that he sounds it over and over, alike
in the warm spring sunshine and the soft spring rain.
And it is always answered by a demure little hen that
comes stealing noiselessly through the mesquite to peep
coyly at her lordly wooer. She admires him. Who
would not, as he swells and struts before her, lowering
his pretty crest, assuming such loverlike airs ? And the
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 123
protection he seems to offer is not all a mockery, for,
although he scorns to take part in the feminine task of
brooding those buffy eggs, he will stand on guard ready
to warn, and will expose his trim body to the hunter for
the sake of his mate and young. The brooding time is
twenty-eight days, but the little brown mother has end-
less patience and cannot be induced to desert. If
meddled with, she will in some way remove the eggs to
another hollow in the ground, and brood as before.
This has been done in four instances that I have re-
corded, and however much it may be disputed, is true.
Most of the nests are hard to find, being usually well
concealed in a hollow under a log, or mesquite clump,
or cacti. The nestlings resemble those of the Bob White
in appearance as well as habit, only they are grayer and
with less white down on under parts. They run about
the moment the cracking of the shell sets them free, and
right spry little balls of down they are, hiding instantly
at their father's warning " quit," cuddling under their
mother each night, and snapping up bugs for their own
breakfasts each day. Fortunately for them, according to
Mr. Sandys, although so " beautiful, hardy, and prolific,"
they have some habits which lead a sportsman a hard, wild
chase if he gets them at all. They run rather than fly,
keeping under the thickest, thorniest cover ; they fly down
into canons only to climb up the other side among the
stiffest underbrush ; they lie low when the foe is searching
close beside them, and they " scoot " when least expected.
" Only a Christian of the sternest stripe is fit to be trusted
on the trail of this nimble-footed little rascal."
124 LAND BIRDS
297 c. SIERRA SOOTY GROUSE. Dendragapus
obscurus sierrae.
FAMILY : The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, etc.
Length: Adult male 20.00-23.00 ; adult female 16.00-19.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts blackish slate-color, finely mottled with gray
and browu ; tail black, with or without gray border on end ; under
parts very dark slate-color.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but much smaller ; upper parts washed
with dark rusty, and indistinctly barred with sooty brown.
Young: Upper parts rusty brown, mottled with sooty and buff; under
parts gray, more or less spotted with black.
Downy Young : Above, brown, white, and black mixed, forming irregu-
lar stripes on the back and head ; under parts grayish white or light
buffy gray.
Geographical Distribution : California in the timbered Transition and
Boreal zone, north to southern Oregon.
Breeding Raiuje : Nearly coincident with Geographical Distribution.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: A hollow under the side of a log or bush, scantily lined with grass.
Eggs : 7 to 10 ; cream, thickly spotted with shades of brown. Size
1.78 X 1.33.
THE Sooty Grouse is one of the largest and hand-
somest of its family. It haunts the coniferous forests of
the Sierra Nevada, and rears its brood in security in
timber too dense for the hunter. Well it knows that in
silence and statuesque rigidity lies its safety, and when
pursued it takes to a tree, where its sooty plumage
makes it seem like a bump on a branch, rather than a
bird. Let it guess, however, that its presence is dis-
covered and like a flash it is gone, cackling like a
frightened hen and "whirring" like a small cyclone,
down into the cover of the underbrush.
" The love-making of the male is marked by all the
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 125
pomp and vanity of the strutting gobbler ; indeed, in his
actions he might pass for a turkey bantam, but he has
one marked peculiarity. It is his habit to perch in some
thick-growing tree, and by filling the sacs upon his neck
with air and abruptly expelling it to produce a low boom-
ing whistle, which has an extraordinary carrying and
ventriloquial power. This booming, or 'booing' as
some Westerners term it, seldom fails to puzzle sorely a
tenderfoot, the baffling feature of it being that it does
not appear to gain volume or distinctness when the bird
is closely approached." 1
In May or June, according to location, the wooing
begins, and soon the mother is brooding on her eight
buflfy eggs in the shade of a fern tangle, near a log, or in
a clump of manzanita. No part does the father take in
the three weeks of patient incubation, but the mother
can seldom be surprised away from the nest. It would
be far easier to discover the eggs were she not covering
them, for so protective is her coloring that you may be
looking directly at her and never suspect it, although at
that very moment you are searching for a nest. Her
food is all about her, buds, berries, and insects. If
she leaves the eggs, it is only to stretch her tired little
legs and pick up a few dainties close by. But once the
little mottled puff-balls are out of the shell and dry,
away she goes, proud as a peacock, with them at her
heels. And now the father is introduced to family cares,
and he scratches for bugs, calling the young with impera-
tive little chucks to come. He is the drill-master of the
1 Upland Game Birds.
126 LAND BIRDS
little flock, teaching them with infinite patience all that
they need to know of wood lore. He stands on guard
at every suspicious noise, and whistles his warning when
danger threatens. When their wing-feathers have devel-
oped and they can flutter up to a low branch in the bush,
they roost there instead of cuddling under the mother's
broad wings at night. But they remain with the parents
and evidently under discipline throughout the first six
or eight months of their existence. In the wintry
weather, when their mountain homes are covered deep
with snow, they often sleep huddled together deep in a
drift, waking to feed upon the buds of the coniferous
trees, but seldom seeking a lower level. They arc the
hardy mountaineers, the children of the forest ranges.
300 c. OREGON RUFFED GROUSE. Bonasa
umbellus sabini.
FAMILY : The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, etc.
Length: 15.00-19.00.
Adult Male: Rough iridescent black, upper parts mottled dark brown
and black, tail rusty dark brown ; under parts heavily barred with
black and brown.
Adult Female: Similar to male, and with neck tufts less developed.
Young: Similar to adult female, but browner, and neck tufts entirely
wanting.
Downy Young : Upper parts chestnut-brown ; deeper on under wings and
rump ; under parts buff; a conspicuous black line from corner of eye
through ear tufts.
Geographical Distribution: Humid transition and boreal zones and the
coast ranges from Humboldt County, California, to the northern
limits of Washington.
California Breeding Range: The humid coast boreal from Cape Mendo-
cino northward.
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 127
Nest : On ground in the woods, usually under fallen trees.
Eggs : 6 to 12 ; buffy, sometimes slightly stained or speckled with brown.
Size 1.56 X 1.16.
THIS is a fairly common resident, in the coast district
of Northern California. Its habits of " drumming," etc.
are lilte those of the Eastern grouse. The cocks leave
their mates as soon as sitting begins, and do not usually
return until fall, when the broods get together for the
winter. The young are to be found with the mother in
the vicinity of the nesting place for ten days gr two
weeks, and then are taken to a thicket-bordered stream.
Their food consists of grasshoppers, insects, young leaves
of plants, berries, and a few varieties of seed, such as the
wild sunflower.
309. SAGE GROUSE. Centrocercus urophasianus.
FAMILY : The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, etc.
Length: Male 26.00-30.00 ; female 21.00-23.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts mottled and barred gray, buff, and black;
cheeks, chin, and throat spotted black and white ; a white crescent
on eacli side of throat reaching to eye ; fore-neck black, merging to
dull gray on the chest ; the feathers with very stiff black shafts ;
belly uniform black ; chest white after breeding season. In breeding
season, tufts of wiry black feathers mixed with white down on the
shoulders ; air sacs on sides of throat yellow.
Adult Female: Chin and throat white ; fore-neck speckled gray in ruffs ;
air sacs or shoulder plumes.
Young : Similar to female, but browner ; markings of lower parts
indistinct.
Dovmy Young : Tipper parts brownish gray mottled with blackish.
Geographical Distribution: Sagebrush plains of the Rocky Mountain
plateau, southwest to California, north to British Columbia.
Breeding Range: In California the arid Great Basin region, east of the
Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : April and May.
128 LAND BIRDS
Nest: A slight depression in the ground ; usually unlined, and under a
sagebush.
Eggs : 8 to 12 ; olive-yellow, spotted with dark brown. Size 2. 16 X 1.50.
As its name implies, the Sage Grouse loves the barren
alkali plains, " sun-parched in summer and swept by icy
blasts and wolf-voiced blizzards during the winter/' where
no green thing can grow save the sagebrush and the cacti.
Here, of necessity, his chief diet is sage leaves, insects,
and the pulp of the cactus fruit ; his drink the strong
alkali water of the desert. The storms of winter drive
him through the timber belt to the stunted vegetation
under the snow, and he lives for weeks at a time in the
warm shelter of a deep drift, eating the young green
shoots that he scratches from their wintry cover, five or
six feet below the level. With the spring comes a revival
of life to the big Grouse. A restless hunting for some-
thing takes possession of him, and he wanders through
the brush, fighting every male grouse that he meets. In
March he encounters his fate in the form of a tiny gray
hen, before whom he struts and salaams, sliding along
on his breast until he wears a bare place among his fine
feathers. What greater proof of his infatuation could
he give than this ? " Then the big air sacs are filled to
their fullest capacity, the spiny feathers about them
bristle out like thorns, the long tail is spread and the
wings trailed. One familiar with the noise of other
grouse naturally would expect from this great fellow a
thunderous booming, but the fact is the sounds produced
amount to nothing more than a broken, indistinct croak-
ing." It is all done with an air of desperate earnestness,
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 129
comical to a disinterested observer, but very pleasing to
madam, who, feigning indifference, is not too easily won.
Finally, when his much salaaming has scoured his breast
nearly bare, you may, if you are sharp enough, discover
a nest with greenish-buff eggs in it, hidden snugly under
a sagebush. When the mother is brooding, and during
the twenty-two days required for incubation she is rarely
away from the nest, you will find the search difficult if
not futile. So protective is her coloring, and so perfectly
does she blend with the alkali dust and the shadows of
the sage, that it is impossible to distinguish her so long as
she remains motionless. She will sit in unwinking still-
ness until you are about to step on her, and then, with a
blinding " whirr " she scoots through the brush, cackling
angrily, to return before you are fifty yards away.
When sitting begins, the erstwhile ardent wooer de-
serts his mate, and the entire care of the little ones
falls upon her. Like all grouse nestlings, they run about
as soon as the down is dry, which is about fifteen minutes
after the shell breaks. They pick up food at her scratch-
ing all day, and at night they nestle on the ground under
her wings, only a row of little heads being visible. As
soon as their own feathers are developed, they sleep every
night in a circle about her, each one with head pointed
to the outside as before, and always on the ground ; for
the Sage-Grouse never trees. It is not difficult to come
upon a brood sleeping this way on a moonlight night;
but the only satisfaction will be to hear the sharp alarm
of the mother, a whirr as she runs by you, and a knowl-
edge that though the young are hiding on the dust at
130 1.AND BIRDS
your feet, you could not find them were your eyes ten-
fold sharper. I have groped carefully on hands and
knees among them, and actually touched one before I saw
it at all. For the desert hides its secrets well, and the
little grouse have learned to trust to it for safety.
These broods unite with others in the same locality,
forming coveys of a hundred or more individuals, and as
cold weather advances, they retreat to their snow shel-
ters at the timber edge. This is the time the hunters
go forth to seek them, for the flesh of the young is not
yet tainted with the bitterness of sage diet, and in that
barren region game is scarce.
312. BAND-TAILED PIGEON. Columba fasciata.
FAMILY : The Pigeons, or Doves.
Length: 15.00-16.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts grayish brown, browner on the back, bluer on
the rump, high neck bronzy green, crossed by narrow collar of white ;
head and under parts metallic purplish, becoming pink on belly and
gray on the sides ; belly whitish ; end of tail crossed by broad band
of pearl-gray, bordered by black on the upper edge ; wing-coverts
narrowly edged with white.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but duller and grayer.
Young : Without white on nape ; upper parts paler ; under parts gray,
washed with brown.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States from Rocky Moun-
tains to the Pacific, south through Mexico to Guatemala, through
the Transition zone.
California Breeding Range : Mountains of Southern California.
Breeding Season : May, June, July, and August.
Nest : A thin platform of sticks, in trees or bushes near water ; some-
times on the ground.
Eggs: 2 ; white. Size 1.50 X 1.20.
THE Band-tailed, or White-collared, Pigeon is irregu-
larly distributed from the Rocky Mountains to the
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 131
Pacific. It breeds in small numbers at several points
in the Coast Range between Santa Cruz and San Diego,
laying its two white eggs on the ground near the bank
of a pond or river in some localities. In other places
it prefers to construct a shallow platform of twigs in a
tree or bush. Incubation lasts from fourteen to sixteen
days. In shape the newly hatched young are like minia-
ture geese, and their yellow skin is covered with the
sparse, cottony, white down. They are fed on a thin
milky fluid, by regurgitation, for twenty days. The
adult deserts its nest, eggs, or young on the slightest
provocation ; it is exceedingly timid, so that any attempt
to study its nesting habits, should one be so fortunate as
to discover a nest, would prove disastrous to the brood,
unless very cautiously done. They are said to have no
breeding season in California, but to raise their young
during any month except December. From April to
September is their usual time. Deep in the recesses of
a canon you may come upon a company of these gre-
garious birds in the tree-tops. Unless you see the bird,
you will fancy you have discovered a new owl, so hoot-
Jike is their " coo." It has been described as " a short,
hard hoot and a long coo." In the large aviary on the
grounds of Mrs. Sefton at San Diego, a pair of these
pigeons taken at Bear Valley have been kept some time ;
their note has become modified, I presume by confine-
ment with other birds, for it is much less expulsive and
more purring in quality than when heard in the moun-
tains. They breed in the aviary, laying their eggs on the
ground behind a bush in one corner and also in com-
132 LAND BIRDS
partments for the purpose, like domestic pigeons. The
eggs are glistering white, equally round at both ends and
very beautiful to look at. The birds themselves are
remarkably handsome, and seen coming like rockets
through the air down the side of the mountain, are
startling to the ear as well as to the eye. The noise is
produced by the rapid vibration of the wings, and re-
sembles the roar of escaping steam. In flying upward
or on a level, the sound is less loud but quite as char-
acteristic, and, when a large flock are startled into flight,
the vibratory effect is not unlike that of a small cyclone.
316. MOURNING' DOVE. Zenaidura macroura
carolinensis.
FAMILY : The Pigeons, or Doves.
Length: 11.00-13.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts soft brownish ; head and neck iridescent gray-
ish pink ; a black spot on sides of the head ; sides of neck, chest,
and breast changeable metallic purple-pink, changing to buff on the
belly.
Adult Female: Similar to male, but paler, and metallic gloss less
distinct.
Young: Duller than female, and without black spot on the head.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate North America, north to Canada,
south to Panama.
Breeding Range: Breeds throughout its habitat.
Breeding Season : March to October.
Nest: A platform of sticks, in a bush or tree.
Eggs: 2 ; white. Size LI 2 X 0.82.
FOR a land bird, the Mourning Dove is strikingly fond
of the water and usually tries to build within sight of it.
At intervals all day, the parent birds fly back and forth
between it and their nest, if brooding, and I have reason
to believe that the male brings the female water as well
UPLAND GAME BIRDS 133
as food in his own throat. Both adults feed their young
by regurgitation for twenty days, and undoubtedly give
them water in the same way until they learn to drink, in
true' pigeon fashion, by suction. The newly hatched
Mourning Doves are unique among young birds, for they
are daintily formed miniature goslings
with goose bill and all. This bill
in a pearly tip, and the young doves
are covered with short, cottony,
white down, through which
the yellow skin is ap-
parent. The
mother birds are
both shy and
stupid, for
they will i n-
variably betray their nest by
... . i / ji 316. MOURNING DOVE.
flying off when, if they re- A PW <****.
mained quiet, it might not be
noticed. I know of no birds who desert their eggs
and young so readily. The mother bird is also a slack
housekeeper, and so loosely is the nest built that the
eggs may nearly always be seen from below. In two
instances Mr. P. W. Smith, of Greenville, Illinois, found
these birds occupying old robins' nests, and once he
discovered two of their eggs in the home of a thrasher,
which also contained one thrasher egg.
In spite of these well-authenticated instances, and the
fact that I have found Mourning Doves brooding their
young in a kingbird's old nest thickly lined with sheep's
134 LAND BIRDS
wool, I believe such cases are uncommon ; the bird
usually builds her own home, and returns to it two years
in succession, if not molested.
II. BIRDS OF PREY
324. CALIFORNIA VULTURE, OR CONDOR.
Gymnogyps californianus.
FAMILY : The Vultures.
Length: 44.00-55.00 ; extent 8 feet to nearly 11 feet.
Adults: Head and neck covered with a warty orange skin ; bill pale
yellow ; plumage black ; wing-coverts tipped with white ; under
wing-coverts pure white.
Young : Like adults, but naked skin and bill black ; more or less cov-
ered with sooty gray down.
Downy Young : Covered with white cottony down ; bill yellow.
Geographical Distribution: Coast ranges of Southern California from
Monterey County to Mexico.
Breeding Range: Breeds in the mountainous distiicts throughout its
habitat.
Breeding Season : Eggs have been taken in April and May.
Nest: The bare floor of a cave or recess among the rocks, or in a hollow
stump.
Eggs : 1 or 2 ; plain grayish green or dull greenish white. Size
4.46 X 2.48.
THE California Condor is, so far as "known, the largest
bird that flies, except its cousin the Condor of the Andes,
and was formerly abundant throughout the coast ranges
of Southern California. It has become comparatively
rare through various causes, chief among them the feed-
ing upon poisoned flesh put out by stockmen to kill wild
animals. For a long time the species was on the verge
of extermination, but through the efforts of the Cooper
324. CALIFORNIA VULTURE, OR CONDOR
Oymnogyps californianus
BIRDS OF PREY 135
Club it has been protected, and according to latest
reports it is increasing in numbers.
On his first trip to California, the Eastern bird-lover
expects to see these birds soaring majestically over every
mountain, and is disappointed when he has remained a
year, or two, or three, with never a glimpse of one,
although right in the Condor range. The truth is the
Condors keep well back in the hidden and inaccessible
parts of the mountains, and if you would see one, you
must go where they are and see the sun rise, as they
do ; for the Condor seeks his prey as soon as the sunlight
has reached the valleys and before the world is fairly
astir. Then you may see him on glorious wings, circling,
circling, with scarcely a movement save of his head,
which, stretched out before him, turns this way and
that. He is magnificent to look at, nearly eleven feet
from tip of wing to tip of wing, but in some ways he
is very stupid. All vultures are stupid. Although so
keen of vision that you can never hope to conceal your
presence from him. yet he will betray his nest and make
no effort to lead you from it by the wise feints of smaller
birds. Thus in the animal world nature compensates
for great strength and ferocity by giving the quicker
instincts to the hunted, not to the hunters. The Condor's
senses are keen to show him where to obtain food, and
his wings are strong ; but, in danger from no creature,
he has not been trained to protect himself. He gorges,
is satisfied, and sleeps with no need of precaution for
self or young, because, unless his food be poisoned, what
has he to fear ? The young Condor reared by Mr.
136 LAND BIRDS
Holmes of Berryessa developed some remarkable habits,
but I believe these were due to artificial conditions.
Solomon puzzled over " the way of an eagle in the
air " and left the mystery unsolved, and bird-lovers have
been studying it ever since. When I have been able to
watch the nesting habits of the Condor, as I have done
those of some more accessible birds, I may recall the
epithet " stupid," for in the training of their young some
otherwise dull birds show wonderful sagacity. Whether
sagacious or stupid, the Condor is one of the glories of
a glorious State, and deserves the protection of all loyal
citizens.
325. TURKEY VULTURE. Cathartes aura septentrionalis.
FAMILY : The Vultures.
Length: 26.00-32.00.
Adults : Head covered with bare, red, warty skin ; bill white ; upper
parts iridescent black ; under parts dull black, shafts of chills and
tail-feathers dirty white.
Young : Similar to adults, but bill blackish and naked skin of head and
neck livid dusky.
Downy Young : Covered with a white cottony down, naked head cov-
ered with a sallow skin.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate North America.
Breeding Flange : North to latitude 40.
Breeding Season : April 1 to June 15.
Nest : Frequently built in a tree, or a slight depression under a ledge or
a cliff.
Eggs: 2 ; greenish buffy or white, more or less spotted with brown and
light purple. Size 2.73 X 1.87.
Food: Carrion.
THE Turkey Vulture, or Turkey Buzzard, is a com-
mon bird East and West, an industrious scavenger, and
a self-appointed " Board of Health." In the warmer
BIRDS OF PREY 137
portions of the United States its offices are necessary
and are valued greatly by the farmers and ranchmen.
Long before the owner has missed the sheep or known
that it is dead, the quick eye of the Vulture has discov-
ered the carrion and he has called his family to the
feast. Unlike most birds of prey, the Vulture feeds
upon the ground where the carcass is found, and for this
reason his foot has become modified for walking rather
than for grasping. He is usually silent, except for
hisses and guttural growls, uttered when feeding, which
remind one of a hyena. Recent successful attempts
have been made to prove that he discovers his food by
the sense of smell as well as by keen sight. Carrion
has been hidden under a dense growth of brush where it
could not be seen, and the Vultures have found it quite
as readily as when exposed to view.
The nesting season of this Vulture in California begins
about April 15, the eggs being laid in a depression in
the ground under a ledge, or on a steep hillside, or in
the cavity of a tall stump, or in a tree. The young are
fed by regurgitation, and remain in the nest nine weeks.
Except at nesting season, this Vulture is gregarious, fly-
ing and feeding in company and roosting in great num-
bers in favorite groves. On the wing it is graceful and
impressive, moving in great circles apparently without
effort and without fatigue. One can scarcely look up to
the hills without seeing it, and it comes to be as much
a part of California scenery as the mountains or the sea.
138 LAND BIRDS
328. WHITE-TAILED KITE. Elanus leucurus.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: 15.50-17.00.
Adults : Upper parts slate-color ; top of head and tail white ; a patch of
black on each shoulder and around each eye ; under parts uniform
pure white.
Young : Similar to adults, but tinged with rusty, and more or less
streaked with dark gray ; wing-feathers tipped with white ; under
parts streaked with yellow-brown ; tail with a dusky band.
Geographical Distribution : Tropical America north to San Francisco on
the Pacific coast ; on the Atlantic coast to latitude 37.
Breeding Range : The central portions of California, west of the Sierra
Nevada.
Breeding Season : April 1 to June 1.
Nest: Placed high in a tree ; a platform of sticks, lined with straw and
grasses.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; dull huffy white, spotted and tinged with chestnut over
the entire surface. Size 1.72 X 1.30.
THE White-tailed Kite is a fairly common resident of the
interior valleys of California west of the Sierra Nevada,
north to Red Bluff and south as far as Los Angeles. Its
nest is always placed just as far from the ground as pos-
sible, in a sycamore or oak or maple tree, and is a
loosely constructed platform of sticks, occasionally lined
with straw. In Santa Clara valley the birds are not at
all uncommon ; they nest in the oak groves from April 1
to May 1. They remain paired all the year, and may be
seen hunting together over the fresh and salt water
marshes. Mr. W. K. Fisher records them as preying
upon the field mice in the vicinity of San Francisco Bay.
They are common at Alviso in the early morning, hover-
ing, over the marshes, as kingfishers do over water, be-
fore plunging downward for a strike. Graceful and easy
BIRDS OF PREY
139
on the wing, they have a steadiness of flight unlike the
bullet-like dash of some of the hawks, and more closely
resembling the flight of the gulls.
Their call is a high-keyed whistle,
which falls three tones in a plaintive
minor key. Besides this, they utter a
sharp, short squeak when darting down
to seize their prey. Aside from the fact
of his beauty and grace, the food of
the White-tail is such as to -^
render him beneficial to farmers,
and he should be protected by
law fully as much as the game
and song birds. Lizards, frogs,
snakes, grasshoppers, and
beetles are his bill of fore, and
these he consumes in great num-
bers. Small birds do not fear
him as they do the bird-eating
species, and this alone is proof that he does not molest
them.
328. WHITE-TAILED KITE.
" Preying upon the field mice."
331. MARSH HAWK. Circus hudsonius.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: 19.50-24.00.
Adult Male : Slate-color streaked with white ; under parts and rump
pure white ; breast and sides lightly speckled with reddish brown ;
tail with alternate bands of brown and black, six or seven in number ;
tips of wings black.
Adult Female, and Young : Rusty, more or less streaked with black.
Downy Young : Rusty buff above, more or less washed with gray, and
merging to whitish on lower parts.
140 LAND BIRDS
Geographical Distribution: North America from southern border of
Alaska, south in winter from latitude 40 to Cuba.
Breeding Range: In California breeds on the interior marshes as far
south as San Diego and north to Oregon.
Breeding Season: April, May, and June.
Nest: On the ground, among the marsh grass ; made of grass and sticks,
and lined with leathers.
Eggs: 4 to 6; dull bluish white, sometimes spotted with light and dark
brown. Size 1.80 X 1.38.
To most bird-lovers the sight of an old gray Marsh
Hawk soaring gracefully over the broad stretch of wet
meadows in the early spring suggests but one thing,
an immediate tramp in his direction. All sorts of fasci-
nating things are hiding in that grass, and who knows it
so well as he ? A sudden swoop downward, a slow,
circling rise, with a small dark object in those strong
claws, and an alighting on the nearest tree to dine.
What is the menu? Perhaps a pretty field mouse that,
unconscious of the sharp eyes overhead, ran through his
burrow ; or a gopher, or possibly a lizard. He has little
choice between these and frogs, snakes, young ground-
squirrels, and insects. In that he never molests the
chicken yard but rids the meadow of insects and small
animals, he is the protege of the intelligent farmer. A
few there are to whom a hawk is simply a hawk, to be
destroyed without mercy or discrimination, but such per-
sons become fewer every year as the economic value of
certain varieties of these birds becomes better known.
In a clump of stiff marsh grass or a bunch of weeds,
you may find the nest of this " soft-winged still-hunter."
It is simply a thick mat of coarse sticks and straw, lined
slightly with feathers, and usually measuring about thir-
BIRDS OF PREY 141
teen to fifteen inches at its largest diameter. In it are
laid four or five dull light-green eggs, either plain or
sparsely spotted with brown. Here the adults brood by
turns, the free one bringing food in its claws and drop-
ping it from the air to its mate on the nest below, as if
by accident ; for these handsome Hawks are wise and
very, very wary. I have seen them bring sticks for nest-
ing materials and drop them in the same way to the
other bird in the grass. You will rarely discover the
nest by seeing them alight near it. When the time for
a change of labor has come, one of the birds circles over
and over, without dropping food, and finally alights in a
tree, if there be one there. Before you know it another
Hawk, his counterpart except for size, is circling in his
place while he still sits in the tree. By and by he is
gone from the tree, but in most instances you have not
seen him go, you have been so intently watching the
gyrations of his mate in the air.
In eighteen to twenty days the young Hawks break
their hard shells, one each day, and cuddle down among
the feathers and straw of the crude nest. From the day
the first little ball of down appears, one or the other
of the adults may be seen constantly on the wing over that
meadow. The same tactics are pursued as before, for
the food is dropped to the parent on the nest, who, after
the first few days, holds it fast in her beak while the
nestlings tear off bits from it for themselves.' In this
way the muscles of bill and neck are developed. Later
on the food is simply dropped to them, both parents
being off on the hunt, and the little fellows grasp it in
14,2 LAND BIRDS
their sharp claws and tear from it with a right good-will.
It is comparatively easy, with a large amount of patience,
a good blind, and a field glass, to watch the brood de-
velop day by day ; for although so wild, the Marsh
Hawks will not desert their nestlings, and if you can so
arrange as to be inconspicuous they have little fear of
you.
332 (part). WESTERN SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.
Accipiter velox pacificus.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 10.00-11.50 ; female 12.50-14.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts slate-color; under parts white, heavily barred
and spotted with chestnut; tail with three or four narrow black
bands and a white tip.
Adult Female: Similar, but with markings less pronounced.
Young : Dusky brown above, buffy below, striped with brown or dusky.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, south in winter to
southern Mexico.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Breeding Mange : Throughout the United States and north to Alaska.
Nest: Of small sticks, lined with fibre of leaves, placed from 10 feet to
60 feet high in a tree.
Eggs: 4 or 5; dull greenish white or grayish green, irregularly marked
with browji. Size 1.46 X 1.20.
EQUALLY at home in the dense shadows of the forest,
on the treeless plains, or on the pine-covered mountain
tops, the little Sharp-shinned Hawk requires but two
things, plenty of food and good water. Alas, that
the food should preferably be small song birds ! He is
a dainty eater, also, stripping all feathers from his victim
and refusing to swallow a bit of fur or a bone. This is
the only good thing which can be said of him, for a bird
more baleful to other feathered creatures, large and
small, can nowhere be found. All laws protecting native
BIRDS OF PREY 143
birds should offer a bounty on his head and that of his
relatives, the big Cooper hawk and the goshawk. For-
tunately the last two are not numerous in the Land of
Sunshine.
The Sharp-shinned is a fierce defender of his home in
the top of a pine or spruce. And this nest he has very
likely seized by force from its owners, the magpies or
squirrels or crows ; for might is always right in the forest
world, and whatever this brigand wants he takes. His
nestlings receive such constant care and strong food that,
by the time they are feathered and ready to leave the
nest, they are noticeably larger than the parents. It is
worth while to note, also, that the female is larger and
fiercer than the male, consequently more rapacious. The
note of the Sharp-shinned is in accord with his nature, a
high-keyed shrill whistle or shriek, and is uttered when
in triumph he dashes into a terrorized flock of small
birds or down into a barnyard full of poultry. For he
is no coward, and will attack a hen many times his own
weight even though she be surrounded by her kin. As
one writer says of him, " He is the boldest fellow for his
inches that wears feathers." Certainly he is the most
destructive desperado, without fear and without mercy.
333. COOPER HAWK. Accipiter cooperi.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 14.00-17.00 ; female 18.00-20.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts slate-color, top of head black; under parts
white, heavily barred with chestnut ; tail rounded at end, barred with
black, and tipped with white.
Adult Female : Upper parts duller, top of head rusty black.
144 LAND BIRDS
Young: Upper parts dark brown ; under parts streaked, not barred.
Downy Young : Uniform pure white.
Geographical Distribution: The entire United States and southern British
Provinces, south in winter to Mexico.
Breeding Range: Throughout California.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: Usually in high trees ; often a remodelled crow's nest.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; pale greenish white, plain or dimly marked with light
brown. Size 1.97 X 1.42.
LIKE the sharp-shinned, the Cooper Hawk is the bane
alike of the farmer and the bird-lover. He is known
throughout the United States by the name of Chicken
Hawk, and so daring is he that he will come down into
the farmyard for poultry in the face of the farmer.
There are several records of weasels that have been
seized by this hawk, sucking its blood at the throat and
causing its death. One skeleton specimen was found
with the teeth of the weasel so locked in the bone of the
hawk that it could not be removed. But unfortunately,
although chickens, weasels, snakes, lizards, and small
quadrupeds are doubtless upon his bill of fare, song birds
are too often his victims, and the ornithologist who is
patiently studying the development of some rare brood
has good cause to dislike him.
The nest of the Cooper Hawk is placed in tall trees,
and being added to and occupied year after year, it be-
comes an exceedingly bulky structure. April to May is
the usual date, in California, at which nesting begins,
and incubation lasts thirty-one days. The young remain
in the nest six to eight weeks, and are fed upon the
small live mammals, never upon dead flesh. Small won-
der they learn to pounce upon and tear anything that
moves in the grass or among the trees.
BIRDS OF PREY 145
355. PRAIRIE FALCON. Falco mexicanus.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.-
Length: Male 17.00-18.00 ; female 18.50-20.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts light yellow-brown ; indistinctly barred with
buffy on the head and neck, and with slate-color on lower back and
tail ; sides of the head with dark patches ; under parts and nuchal
collar white ; belly lightly streaked or spotted with dusky, and
flanks heavily spotted with same.
Adult Female: Upper parts same as male, but duller; palest toward
the tail ; tail tipped with white on the outer edges of the feathers.
Young: Upper parts grayish brown; under parts grayish butf with
broad dusky streaks.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States from the plains to
the Pacific.
Breeding Range : Throughout the United States.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest: Of sticks, with a lining of grasses ; usually on cliffs, sometimes in
cavities in trees, always in inaccessible places.
Eggs: 2 to 5 ; deep cream-buff, covered with fine specks of cinnamon,
rufous, and light chestnut. Size 2.10 X 1.64.
ALTHOUGH not a large hawk and apparently built for
swift flight rather than for strength, the trim Prairie Fal-
con has the courage of an eagle and does not hesitate to
attack prey of twice its own weight. Poultry it seizes
only when other food is scarce, but a good-sized jack-
rabbit is often a victim, and is carried to the nearest low
perch to be devoured ; this by a bird the size of the
American crow, but with sinews of steel and a heart that
absolutely knows no fear. With an audacity worthy of
a better cause it pursues rnarsh hawks, compelling them
to relinquish the fish they have caught ; and not even
the bald eagle can strike such terror to a flock of grouse.
Their eyrie is a crevice or ledge on the perpendicular
face of a cliff where none but the most daring can
10
146
LAND BIRDS
climb. Of one such exploit Mr.
ard writes in " The Con-
1902, as follows:
"April 18, I secured
dred feet of inch-and-
rope, and we again
way to the cliff. On
top of the ridge we
way down to the edge
where a bunch of oak
growing. We tied the
and I slid down it thirty
projection. I was then
the nesting cavity )
hung considerably,
side was a crevice in
rope over a point
down it, which I
nest. It was
I made my way
I held the rope
points of rock
using my feet
my hand-
enough to
and some-
the cavity
four feet
the solid
a few
0. W. How-
dor," May,
one hun-
a-quarter
made our
reaching the
made our
of the cliff
trees were
rope to oaks,
feet to a shelf-like
standing just above
where the cliff over-
About four feet to one
the rock, and by jerking the
above me I could let myself
did to a point opposite the
rather a risky undertaking as
along the face of the cliff, and
in one hand and the sharp
in the other, at the same time
to steady myself. By keeping
hold I could lean over just far
see that the nest contained eggs,
how managed to squeeze into
head first. The nest was about
from the entrance in a depression in
rock, with no nesting material except
feathers of the old bird and small
355. PRAIRIE FALCON.
"Not even the bald eagle
can strike such terror to a
flock of qrouse"
BIRDS OF PREY 147
bones and hair of the smaller quadrupeds ; also a number
of pellets ejected by the old birds. I am certain that
both birds occupy the nesting cavity at night, for there
was a depression in the end of the cavity which showed
signs of being occupied by one of the birds.
" The nest contained five eggs, rather light in color for
this species. They have a yellowish brown appearance,
the color being almost solid but darker about the larger
ends."
It is a matter of regret that Mr. Howard gives us no
record of how the adults conducted themselves during
the time they were being robbed ; also, that he did not
make a study of the feeding and nesting habits of the
birds with regard to incubation and care of the young,
as this is a field open for just such daring observers and
one where good work is needed.
337 b. WESTERN RED-TAILED HAWK. Buteo
borealis calurus.
FAMILY: The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 19.00-22.50 ; female 23.00-25.00.
Adults: Varying from light grayish brown to uniform dark sooty brown ;
under parts white or buffy, with broad brown streaks on throat, belly,
and sides ; tail bright reddish brown in any phase, crossed by one or
more black bars. In the dark extreme the entire plumage except the
red tail is a dark sooty brown.
Young: Darker throughout, and more heavily spotted; tail grayish
brown, barred with black bands.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America, east to Rocky
Mountains, south to Mexico.
Breeding Range : Almost throughout the State of California.
Breeding Season : March, April, and May.
148 LAND BIRDS
Nest: Of sticks; lined with roots or fibre, placed in trees or ledges of
cliffs from 25 to 50 feet high.
Eggs : 2 or 3 ; dull whitish, plain or marked with shades of brown.
Size 2.36 X 1.80.
THE Western Red-tail is common, though not very
abundant, throughout the wooded mountainous districts
of the central portion of the State. On the road from
Tallac to Lake Valley several were seen, and one nest
was found in a coniferous tree thirty feet from the
ground. The climber sent up to investigate shouted
back that there were four young nearly ready to fly.
Being told to bring one down, he picked one out of the
nest, but it bit his finger, and angrily he hurled it out
into the air. Fluttering, turning over and over, down it
came ; but the fall did not hurt it much, and as soon as
it could catch its breath it fought like a little fury. It
was a handsome bird, nearly feathered, and in a week
more would have flown of its own accord. It fluttered
about on the grass, and after resting a time managed to
scramble into a low bush, where it felt more secure
though it was really much more exposed. In the mean-
time the adults had circled wildly about with discordant
screams, and the mother still remained near. Curious to
see how she would manage to get that unlucky young-
ster back into his nest, we moved off fifty yards and
watched through the glasses. Both parents swooped
down and looked at him, from on the wing, again and
again, screaming when away, but silent whenever near
him or the nest. At length a more sudden swoop and
a momentary flutter, as a butterfly flutters over a flower.
Then she rose carefully and slowly, with the young in
BIRDS OF PREY 149
her claws, and carried him to the nest. It was impos-
sible to see whether she was holding him between them
or grasping him by them. Five days later the nest was
deserted and the young hawks were nowhere to be
found. The adults still appeared in the vicinity, but the
young were safely hidden from prying eyes in the heavy
foliage.
339 b. RED-BELLIED HAWK. Buteo lineatus elegans.
FAMILY : The Falcons,, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 17.00-19.00 ; female 18.50-21.00.
Adults: Upper parts dark brown, streaked with buffy or white ; shoulders
bright red-brown ; under parts chestnut, barred with white on belly
and sides ; wings and tail barred with white.
Young : Under parts dusky ; wing-quills spotted with buffy.
Downy Young : Dull grayish white.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of the United States, south to
Mexico, east to Texas.
Breeding Range: In California, chiefly in the interior valleys from lati-
tude 33 to 41.
Nest : Of twigs ; lined with vegetable fibre, feathers, and leaves ; on
limbs of trees, usually in the neighborhood of water.
Eggs : 2 to 5 ; grayish white, marked with brown and lilac. Size
2.40 X 1.77.
THIS is the Western race of the red-shouldered hawk.
It is one that should receive all protection from the law.
Mr. Lyman Beldings records a pair that for three sea-
sons nested near a poultry yard, and whose post mortem
proved their food to have been exclusively lizards, tree-
frogs, and insects. Mrs. Bailey says that their food is
" sometimes small birds," but this is doubtless in treeless
regions, where their favorite food is less easily obtained.
In most parts of California where they breed, the records
150 LAND BIRDS
show them to have eschewed everything with feathers,
and to have dined upon small snakes, lizards, frogs, in-
sects, and crawfish. Fur and feathers are caught only
as a last resort, when there are hungry young in the
nest.
The Red-bellied Hawk is exceptionally fond of bath-
ing, and in California it usually builds within a hun-
dred yards of water. Both adults indulge in a daily
bath, returning to the same place at about the same hour
for it. The nest is placed in a tree or giant cactus ; it
is composed of twigs with leaves and usually lined with
leaves and feathers. This hawk utters a shrill, high
scream when molested, but does not offer to fight unless
the intruder be a bird or snake. Incubation lasts thirty-
one days.
342. SWAINSON HAWK. Buteo swainsoni.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 12.50-20.00 ; female 21.00-22.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts dark grayish brown ; forehead, chin, throat,
and under parts white, except a sharply defined reddish brown chest
band ; belly often barred or spotted with brownish ; tail a brownish
gray, crossed by 9 or 10 narrow dusky bands.
Adult Female: Similar to male, but chest band grayish brown instead
of reddish brown.
Melanistic Phase: Both sexes uniform rusty black; many gradations
are found between this black phase and the normal plumage.
Young : Tail as in adult ; upper parts sooty brown, varied with yellow-
brown ; under parts and head streaked brown and black.
Geographical Distribution: From the arctic regions to South America,
from the Pacific to the Eastern States.
California Breeding Range : San Joaquiu and Sacramento valleys, and
the San Diegan district.
Breeding Season : May.
BIRDS OF PREY
151
Nest : Made of sticks, sagebrush, and leaves ; lined with green leaves
and plant fibre ; from 20 to 50 feet high in trees, sometimes in bushes,
sometimes on the ground, sometimes on ledges of rocky cliffs.
Eggs: 1 to 4 ; pale greenish huffy, lightly spotted with shades of brown.
Size 2.21 X 1.70.
THROUGHOUT the interior valleys of California, Swain-
son's Hawk is a common spring and summer visitant,
and one whose full value
known as it should be.
ground squirrels, insects,
hoppers are its sole diet in
trict, and no one can com-
pute the benefit that accrues
to the farmer from the breed-
ing of these hawks on or near
js not yet so well
Pocket gophers,
and grass-
tins dis-
their land. Par- ,,,- %
ticularly is this
true of a sandy
barren soil
where gopher
burrows are
numerous. Dozens of the
hawks fly down to the go-
pher colony, just at dusk,
and take up their stand at
the entrances of the bur-
rows, where they wait patiently and silently until the prey
appears. It never escapes them. If there are young hawks
in the nest, the victim will be carried to them ; if not, it
will usually be eaten at the perch nearest to the hunting
ground. In either case, back comes the hawk for a
342. SWAINSON HAWK.
Wail silently until the prey appe
152 LAND BIRDS
second and a third course in surprisingly few minutes.
Anyone who cares to watch will probably find that sixty
gophers to each dozen hawks each day, besides countless
insects and grasshoppers, is a fair estimate. Small birds
they do not harm. If any proof of this were needed, the
song birds themselves furnish it every season by building
their nests fearlessly in the same tree, and not seldom
within ten inches of that of the hawk. Arkansas king-
birds, shrikes, and bullock orioles have all been found, by
Captain Bendire, rearing their young close to the young
hawks, and a veritably happy family they are.
The hawk's nest is large and slovenly, a mere platform
of sticks, placed indiscriminately in a low bush or a tall
tree, and lined with green leaves and corn husks.
Equally indifferent is he as to the location ; for he is
content on a grassy prairie where there are few trees, or
in the timbered districts. The only requirements for his
home seem to be food and water, the last for bathing
as well as drinking, for, like all birds of prey, Swain-
son's Hawk is an enthusiastic splasher. Early every
morning he flies down to his favorite pond or stream, and
sends a shower of sparkling drops in every direction.
It is a very wet, bedraggled-looking bird that, a few
moments later, flies up to a sunny perch to shake him-
self and preen his feathers.
His hunting is mostly done on the ground ; after his
young are fledged, you may see them jumping with raised
wings through the grass in brisk pursuit of crickets and
grasshoppers. This they learn to do by imitating the par-
ent, and it is probably their first lesson in pursuing prey.
BIRDS OF PREY 153
In the nest, they are fed upon small mammals and, even
before their down has changed to feathers, they will tear
their food with all the ferocity of a young puppy.
The adults arrive from the South about the middle of
March ; by the middle of April they have constructed
their nest and are brooding their two or three eggs.
Incubation requires twenty to twenty-two days, and the
young remain in the nest from four to five weeks. One
authority says eight, but this is a longer time than any
of my own records show, and is, I believe, unusual.
In flight, swainsoni seems a trifle clumsy as he rises
from the ground with a good-sized gopher in his claws ;
but, as he swings into full headway, you realize that, like
all his family, he is both swift and graceful on the wing.
348. FERRUGINOUS ROUGH-LEG. Archibuteo
ferrugineus.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 22.50 ; female 24.00.
Adults, Normal Phase: Upper parts and flanks bright rufous; under
parts white, lightly streaked with brown ; tail white, tinged with
rufous and sometimes banded with dark.
Adult, Melanistic Phase : Upper parts dark brown marked with rusty;
under parts dull rufous.
Young: Upper parts grayish brown, feathers edged with rusty; tail
white at upper third ; rest brownish, banded with dark.
Geographical Distribution : From Dakota and Texas to Pacific.
Breeding Range: In California, the interior, west of the Sierra Nevada
from Sacramento to San Diego.
Breeding Season: April and May.
Nest : Of sticks ; lined with leaves, grass, and rootlets.
Eggs: 2 to 5 ; greenish buffy, marked with shades of brown and purple.
Size 2.43 X 1.91.
THIS species is variously known as "Rough-legged
Buzzard," " California Squirrel-Hawk," or " Prairie
154 LAND BIRDS
Eagle." It frequents the prairies and desert plains, and,
unlike others of its family, cares little to be near water.
Its food is small mammals and reptiles, seldom birds, and
it is one of the few species that the law should protect.
In hunting, it flies low over the fields, carrying its food
to a low perch to devour at its leisure. Late in the
afternoon it may be seen circling gracefully high in
tlie air; at such times it appeal's not unlike the
golden eagle, which doubtless accounts for its nickname,
Prairie Eagle. It makes no attempt to defend its nest
when molested by men, but flies away with scarcely a
protest.
Incubation is complete in twenty-eight days, the young
remaining in the nest six to eight weeks. This difference
in time is the difference between a cold and a warm
climate, the young of the former maturing less rapidly.
349. GOLDEN EAGLE. Aquila chrysdetos.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 30.00-35.00 ; female 35.00-40.00.
Adults : Entire plumage dark brown ; the lanceolate feathers of high
neck and the feathers of tarsus golden brown ; tail blackish, irregu-
larly barred with dark gray.
Young : Similar to adult, but upper half of the tail plain white.
Downy Young: Grayish white, grayer beneath.
Geographical Distribution : Northern portions of the northern hemi-
sphere, chiefly in mountainous regions.
Breeding Range: Throughout its habitat, the mountainous regions of
California.
Breeding Season : February, March, and April.
Nest : Bulky, sometimes 4 feet deep and 5 feet in diameter ; of sticks,
lined with straw, leaves, hair, or feathers ; usually placed in trees on
a steep mountain side.
BIRDS OF PREY 155
Eggs: 2 or 3 : whitish, marked with heavy blotches, spots, and specks
of brown, lilac, and gray, most abundant at the longer end. Size
2.96 X 2.27.
THE Golden Eagle is by no means a rare bird in Cal-
ifornia. He breeds in the mountains of Santa Cruz
County and at many other localities throughout the
State. Fortunately, the nest is usually placed in such
an inaccessible location as seldom to fall a victim to
collectors. It is a large structure, nearly five feet in
diameter and several feet deep, lined with stubble, grass,
and leafy twigs, and placed in the top of a sycamore,
pine, or oak, overhanging a rocky canon. The two eggs
vary from unmarked white to heavily marked with red,
brown, and purple. Three and a half weeks are required
for incubation, and the young remain in the nest nearly
six weeks after they are hatched, so that, although the
eggs may be laid in March, the first of June often finds
young in the nest. A pair whose record I have, began
sitting March 26, and the young were newly hatched
April 22. On June 14 they were still in the nest, but
June 16 both had left. This nest was in a live-oak on
the crest of a ridge in Santa Clara County, and had been
built new that year. Rabbits, grouse, and many small
quadrupeds were carried to the nest, as well as several
good-sized snakes. I saw no lambs, fawns, or fish, but
several times the male brought what looked to be young
foxes or coyotes. Meal-time came twice or three times
a day, never oftener. This pair hunted together, leaving
the young unguarded hour after hour, but I believe they
were always kept in range of the mother's keen eye,
however far away she seemed to be. Early in the morn-
156 LAND BIRDS
ing both plunged into the brook for a bath, and emerged
with every feather limp and dripping, to shake violently
and preen for half an hour. Then the plumage shone
with a tinge of tawny-gold in the sunlight, and the
glorious bird seemed worthy his name.
352. BALD EAGLE. Haliceetus leucocephalus.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 30.00-35.00 ; female 34.00-43.00 ; extent 7 feet.
Adults : Head, neck, rump, and tail white ; rest of plumage sooty
brown.
Young : First year, black ; second and third years, mixed black and
white, gray and brown ; head and neck black.
Downy Young: Uniform sooty gray.
Geographical Distribution : United States and Mexico.
California, Breeding Range: Among the Santa Barbara Islands and
locally along the coast.
Breeding Season : December to April.
Nest : Very bulky ; made of sticks and lined with rootlets, or rock
moss ; in trees from 20 to 90 feet up, or on cliffs. Same nest is occu-
pied year after year.
Eggs: 2 ; ivory white, unmarked except by nest stain. Size 2.51 X 1-94.
" ' HERE he is again. Here 's Old White-head robbing
the fish hawk.' I started from the fire and ran out to
look. The hawk had risen from the lake with a big
fish, and was doing his best to get away to his nest,
where his young ones were clamoring. Over him soared
the eagle, still as fate, and as sure, now dropping to
flap a wing in his face or touch him gently with his
great talons, as if to say, ' Do you feel that ? If I grip
once, it will be the end of you and your fish together.
Better drop him peacefully; you cau catch another.
BIRDS OF PREY 157
Drop him, I say ! ' Up to that moment the eagle had
merely bothered the big hawk's flight with a gentle
reminder that he wanted the fish, which he could not
catch himself. Now there was a change, a flash of the
kingly temper. With a roar of wings he whirled round
the hawk like a tempest. But the hawk knew when to
stop. With a cry of rage he dropped his fish. On the
instant the eagle whirled and bent his head sharply. I
had seen him fold wings and drop before, and had held
my breath at the speed. But dropping was of no use
now, for the fish fell faster. Instead, he swooped down-
ward, adding to the weight of his fall the push of his
strong wings, and glancing down like a bolt to catch
the fish ere it struck the water, then rising again in a
great curve up and away, steadily, evenly, as the king
should fly, to his own little ones far away on the moun-
tain. . . . One day, when I came to the little thicket on
the cliff where I used to lie and watch the nest through
my glass, I found that one of the young eaglets was gone.
The other stood on the edge of the nest, looking down
fearfully into the abyss whither, no doubt, his bolder
nest-mate had flown, and calling disconsolately from time
to time. His whole attitude showed plainly that he was
hungry, cross, and lonesome. Presently the mother
eagle came swiftly up from the valley, and there was
food in her talons. She came to the edge of the nest,
hovered over it a moment, so as to give the hungry eaglet
a sight and smell of food, then went slowly down to the
valley taking the food with her, telling the little one in
her own way to come and he should have it. He
158 LAND BIRDS
called after her loudly and spread his wings a dozen
times to follow. But the plunge was too awful; he
settled back in the nest, pulled his head down into his
shoulders, shut his eyes, and tried to forget he was
hungry. The meaning was plain enough. She was try-
ing to teach him to fly, but he was afraid." 1
356. DUCK HAWK. Falco peregrinus anatum.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 15.50-18.00; female 18.00-20.00.
Adults: Top of head sooty black, sides of head and neck blackish, in
sharp contrast to white throat ; rest of upper parts slate-color ;
lighter on the rump, dimly barred with blackish ; under parts except
throat and breast deep buff, spotted or barred with blackish ; tail
black, barred with light gray and tipped with white.
Young : Upper parts blackish, feathers edged with rusty ; under parts
chestnut, heavily streaked with dark.
Geographical Distribution : America, south to Chili. In California,
occurs coastwise.
California Breeding Range : Breeds locally in the mountainous regions
as far south as latitude 36.
Breeding Season : March and April.
Nest : On a narrow edge of a cliff ; a few cticks to keep the eggs from
rolling off.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; creamy, tinged with brown, spotted and blotched with
shades of brown. Size 2.10 X 1.68.
" THIS species," says Mr. F. M. Chapman, " is the
noble peregrine of falconry. It would be difficult to
imagine a bird more highly endowed with the qualities
which make the ideal bird of prey. Its strength of wing
and talon is equalled by its courage. No bird flies more
swiftly than the Duck Hawk. Even teal, those winged
bullets, cannot escape it. No bird is more daring. I
i W. J. Long in "School of the Woods."
BIRDS OF PREY 159
have had Duck Hawks dart down to rob me of wounded
snipe lying almost at my feet, nor did my ineffectual
shots prevent them from returning."
There is little to be said in favor of this relentless
persecutor of water-fowl, shore birds, and song birds.
Solitary in habit except at the breeding season, it fears
no bird of its kind except the marsh hawk and the prairie
falcon. These two wage unceasing warfare on it when
it becomes conspicuous about their hunting grounds,
which it never does willingly. Its nest is made on an
inaccessible cliff, or in a high tree away from all its kind.
From the hour they emerge from the shell, the young are
taught to devour anything in feathers brought to them ;
and when they hunt for themselves, feathered game is the
only food they know. When the first wave of migration
starts southward in the fall, the Duck Hawks are close
behind, easily overtaking any stragglers or weak ones,
and, if necessary, pursuing the swift, strong fliers of
twice their size and weight. So every flock of coastwise
migrating birds, particularly those classed as water-fowl,
lias one or more of these fierce birds of prey in its wake,
and its numbers are constantly decimated to furnish food
for its pursuers.
357. PIGEON HAWK. Falco columbaria.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Ler^gth: Male 10.00-11.00 ; female 12.50-13.25.
Adult Male: Upper parts slate-color, streaked with black; wing-quills
black, inner web spotted ; under parts and hind-neck buffy, nearly
white on throat ; streaked on breast, sides, and belly with dark ;
middle tail-feathers barred with blackish and light gray.
160 LAND BIRDS
Adult Female : Top and sides of the head streaked black and brown ;
back, wing, and tail brownish ; under parts whitish or buffy.
Young : Like female, but darker ; tail brown, with three or four white
Geographical Distribution : Whole of North America, chiefly north of the
United States ; south in winter to Northern South America.
Breeding Range : From Mackenzie River region down to Washington
and Oregon.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest : On ledges of cliffs or in hollow trees ; made of sticks or grass, and
lined with feathers.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; ground color cinnamon, covered with large indistinct
rust-colored blotches. Size 1.59 X 1.24.
THE Pigeon Hawk is one of the trimmest and hand-
somest of its family, and is tolerated in spite of its bird-
eating habits. It is not at all shy, and may be seen
feeding in the open country or on the edge of timber
land or along the shores. Its food consists of small
birds, pigeons, flickers, blackbirds, orioles, mice, and
gophers. Like the duck hawk, it follows birds in mi-
gration to eat stragglers. Its favorite victims are gallina-
ceous birds, but it also devours many of our familiar
friends among the song birds. This may be one cause
for the habit of migrating at night.
It nests largely north of latitude 40, and in Northern
California it begins to build early in April. The nest is
only a rude platform of sticks, scantily lined with feath-
ers, and placed in the crevices of a cliff, or in a hollow
tree, or high among branches of trees ; one observer has
found it occupying a space between the rafters of a de-
serted miner's cabin. It is most common throughout
California in the winter months, when it comes into the
interior valleys from the colder districts and remains
until the early spring.
BIRDS OF PREY 161
360 a DESERT SPARROW HAWK. Cerchneis sparveria
phalcena.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: Male 9.00-11.00 ; female 10.00-12.50.
Adults: Top of head pale grayish brown, usually with rufous crown-
patch ; back light reddish brown, with or without black spots ; wings
all grayish brown ; tail reddish brown, with dark band ; under parts
whitish to buff, with or without brownish spots.
Young : Similar to adults, but colors more blended.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States and British Columbia,
south to Guatemala.
Breeding Range: Wherever resident throughout the State of California.
Breeding Season : April.
Nest: In holes, usually in dead trees.
Eggs: 2 to 5 ; white, marked with shades of brown. Size 1.36 X 1.12.
NEXT to the marsh hawk, the handsome little Sparrow
Hawk is the one oftenest met with in California. From
his lookout on a dead tree at the edge of the meadow,
he watches for his prey. A slight movement in the
grass, and out he flies, poises over the spot like a king-
fisher over the water or a humming-bird at a flower
tube, then swiftly he drops with feet extended, strikes
the moving object, and rises with it in his talons. If he
has neither mate nor young in the nest, he carries the
tidbit to his dead-tree perch and eats it himself. But
when his home, in an old stump near by, is filled with
hungry nestlings, he flies directly to it with every morsel
he picks up. Sometimes it is a field mouse, sometimes
grasshoppers, lizards, or frogs, and sometimes, alas !
small birds.
Although so small, he has the courage of his race, and
often captures prey at least twice his own weight, man-
n
162 LAND BIRDS
aging in some way to convey it to a perch before eating.
Of man he has little fear, building his nest in a tree near
to human habitation, and paying little attention to any-
thing but his own hunting.
His call is a sharp, high " killy-killy-killy," uttered as
he flies over his prey, and has given him the nickname of
" Killy Hawk." He is also called " Mouse Hawk " in
some sections, from his habit of preying upon field mice.
Early in April the Sparrow Hawk looks about for a
place in which to set up housekeeping. Sometimes it is
an old magpie's nest that pleases him best, sometimes
a kingfisher's hole in the bank of a river, sometimes
a snug crevice in a wall of rock, but usually he chooses
the deserted excavation of a woodpecker, or a natural
cavity in a sycamore tree. No nest is made, but on the
unlined surface of the cavity the four or five speckled
eggs are laid. Incubation lasts twenty-three to twenty-
six days, and the young remain six weeks in the nest.
For the first week the nestlings are fed exclusively on
insects ; after that, insects predominate in the nursery
menu, although mice are brought several times a day.
After leaving the nest they are fed in the tree, for a
week or so, before they try to hunt for themselves. The
first lesson is very interesting to watch. One of the
adults brings a bit of food to the youngster, who is sit-
ting on the perch where for several days he has been
fed, and instead of giving it to him, lets it fall in full
view, at the same time calling " killy-killy-killy." In
nearly every case the young hawk springs after it with-
out hesitation the first time this is tried, and he often
BIRDS OF PREY 163
gets it. The mother is beside, over, and under him as
he drops for it, encouraging him with her calls, and he
soon responds with a little cry of unmistakable triumph.
But he is not allowed to eat it on the ground, as he
would like to do. An imperative call from the adult
makes the young hunter exert his strength and follow to
the nearest low perch before he tastes it. You watch and
wonder at the instinct that prompts such skilful training,
and the longer you watch the more there is to see.
364. FISH HAWK, OR AMERICAN OSPREY. Pandion
haliaetus carolinensis.
FAMILY : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc.
Length: 20.75-25.00.
Adult Male: Head, neck, and under parts white; a broad black line
from bill through eye ; top of head, and nape sometimes streaked with
blackish ; a few light brown spots on the breast ; back of wings and
tail dark gray-brown, the latter banded with black and tipped with
white.
Adult Female : Similar, but upper breast distinctly spotted with brown.
Young : Upper parts dusky brown, each feather tipped with white or
buffy ; rest of plumage like that of adults.
Downy Young : Dull sooty grayish above, with broad white stripe down
the middle of the back, and a dark stripe on the sides of the head ;
crown striped white and dark ; under parts whitish, washed with
brown on the chest.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate and tropical America, north to
Hudson Bay and Alaska.
Breeding Range : Santa Barbara Islands, and locally along the entire sea-
coast and on some of the inland lakes.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest . Bulky ; of sticks ; on trees near water.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; buffy white or deep buff, spotted with shades of brown
and purplish gray. Size 2.44 X 1.81.
WHEREVER there are fish there are pretty sure to be
fishermen and Fish Hawks. Right good comrades are
164 LAND BIRDS
these two, neither one grudging the other his fine catch,
and the more skilful the fishing the greater the admira-
tion for the fisher, be he man or bird. On bold, free
wings the Osprey comes swinging over the lake in the
cool of the morning, and his clear whistle gives you
"Good hunting" before he fairly conies into sight.
Down he dives with wings folded. There is a splash of
silver spray and he rises triumphant, with a fish held
lengthwise in his talons, and flies swiftly back to his
nest. It is quite likely to be in that tall tree across the
lake that has been his home for years. It is said that
each fall, before leaving it, he carefully repairs it with
fresh sticks, so that spring finds it ready for him. To
make it in the first place was an arduous task, for it is
a bulky platform of strong sticks, surmounted and inter-
woven with smaller ones and carefully lined with leaves,
moss, or soft vegetable fibre. Now the Osprey never
alights on the ground when it is possible to avoid doing
so ; his method of obtaining these sticks is similar, though
on a larger scale, to that by which the little chimney-
swift gets his, that is, by breaking them from the tree.
But the Osprey does this with his feet, while the swift
uses his bill. The former swoops down upon a dead
twig with such force as to snap it off, sometimes with
a loud crack, and flies with it to the chosen nesting-site.
Some of these twigs are four feet long, and several efforts
are necessary to break them. If he has the misfortune
to drop one en route, he will not pick it up again, but
with renewed energy will break off another. Hundreds
of these twigs must be brought to fashion his strong nest,
BIRDS OF PREY 165
and it is small wonder he uses it year after year. As
in the building of a home, so in the choice of a mate,
the Osprey acts once for all ; the pair remain together
throughout the years, together making the long trip
south, as do the loons. When the leaves on the trees
are the size of a mouse's ear, the Fish Hawk lays her
three characteristic eggs and begins to brood. In a
little more than two weeks downy nestlings stretch up
their pretty heads for food, and both parents are kept
busy supplying the demand. Small fish are carried con-
stantly to the nest, the heads, bones, and fins being
thrown to the ground and the soft parts given to the
young. As the young emerge from the downy state to
the dignity of feathers, they begin to sit up cautiously on
the edge of the nest arid call with short, sharp, impatient
whistles for their food. This the parent answers with
a clear, cheery whistle, as he rises from the water, and
when he nears the nest the calls of both grow very quick
and excited. It is a charming bit of home life, well
worth some discomfort to watch.
When the young are fully feathered and strong, at
about four weeks old, their training in fishing begins.
They are taken to the water and, by repeated trials, learn
to dive and strike their fish. Sometimes it is learned the
first day, and sometimes several lessons must be given,
but the end is the same, the nestling is forced to catcli
his own dinner, or go hungry.
Among the twigs of the large nest small birds fre-
quently make their home unmolested. I have known
wrens to do this, and there are other well-authenticated
166 LAND BIRDS
records of purple grackle, jays, and tree swallows nesting
beneath the bulky platform, thus attesting their faith in
the friendly attitude of their carnivorous neighbor.
365. AMERICAN BARN OWL. Aluco pratincola
FAMILY : The Barn Owls.
Length: 18.00.
Adults : Upper parts mottled gray and tawny, finely streaked with black
and white ; face white to light brown ; under parts white to tawny,
with triangular spots of black or dark brown ; wings and tail tawny,
barred with black.
Geographical Distribution: United States generally, south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range: Suitable localities in the latitude of the
State of Sonora, in the northwest of Mexico.
Breeding Season : April 1 to June 30.
Nest: In holes in the ground, holes in river banks, hollow trees, old
crow's nests, barns, belfry towers, .etc. The nests are scantily made,
with a few sticks, straw, bones, and other refuse.
Eggs : 5 to 8 ; plain, dead white. Size 1.72 X 1.35.
WHEN the sun sinks behind the oak trees and the
shadows creep over the valleys, the Barn Owl hurries to
the nearest meadow or marsh land on a hunting trip. If
it has young at home in the nest, its flight will be swift
and noiseless, as it crosses the intervening fields at short
intervals, carrying mice, gophers, and ground squirrels.
Nine mice form a meal for the brood, and sixteen mice
have been carried to the nest in twenty-five minutes,
besides three gophers, a squirrel, and a good-sized rat.
Early in April the Barn Owl begins its nesting, laying
one white egg every other day until there are from five
to ten or eleven hidden in an old crow's nest, or in a
hollow tree, or even in a hole in a bank. The cares of
incubation are shared by both birds, and last from three
BIRDS OF PREY 167
to three and a half weeks. Mr. Bendire says it is not
unusual for the last eggs to hatch two weeks after the
first. The young owls are covered with a whitish gray
or brown cottony down, and have the hooked bill and
talons of the adults. They stay in the nest until seven
weeks old. At four weeks old, a young Barn Owl will
tear a gopher as fiercely as an adult, swallowing it fur
and all. The noise of a family of these hungry young
birds in a tree can be compared to nothing, for it is like
nothing else. As soon as they discover, by some occult
sense, that the adult is on the way home with supper, the
hissing and shrieking begin, and are kept up all night
long.
When the nestlings are seven or eight weeks old, the
first lesson in hunting is given early in the evening, and
the young owls flit about with the adults on noiseless
wings like roly-poly bats.
They soon learn to imitate the ludicrous attitude of
the parent as, bolt upright, with half-closed eyelids, it
blinks at the daylight, looking as wise as a sage and as
comical as a monkey.
Except in the breeding season these owls are gre-
garious, and an old belfry is often the home of from ten
to twenty inhabitants. Besides its screech, the Barn
Owl has a nasal snore.
168 LAND BIRDS
366. AMERICAN LONG-EARED OWL. Asio
wilsonianus.
FAMILY : The Horned Owls and Hoot Owls.
Length: 14.80.
Adults : Conspicuous brown ear-tufts an inch or more in length ; face
tawny ; upper parts mottled tawny, black, and ashy ; wings and
tail barred ; under parts mottled buffy and white, the breast broadly
streaked, the sides and belly irregularly barred with brown ; flanks
tawny unspotted.
Geographical Distribution : Temperate North America.
California Breeding Range : Suitable localities in the interior valleys.
breeding Season: In California, from February 15 to May 15.
Nest : Occasionally an old magpie's nest ; sometimes in hollow trees,
cavities in rocks, old crow's or hawk's nests.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; white. Size 1.62 X 1.32.
THE American Long-eared Owl breeds in the interior
valleys and foot-hills, haunting the lower range of co-
niferous timber. Unlike the short-eared owl, it never
hunts in the daytime ; it is rarely found in the open, but
hides through the sunny hours in the shade of the thick
woods.
It is not shy, and trusts to protective coloring rather
than to flight. When discovered, " it sits upright, draws
the feathers close to the body, and erects the ear-tufts,
resembling in appearance a piece of weather-beaten bark
more than a bird." In flight it is swift and noiseless,
and flits about on moonlight nights like a huge black
shadow. It has a habit of always flying to the same tree
to devour its food, of taking a nap afterwards, and on
awakening, of ejecting the undigested portions of food in
little wads, which may be found in heaps under the tree.
This is a curious performance ; the bird yawns once or
BIRDS OF PREY 169
twice, and then shakes its head violently sidewise till the
pellet is dislodged from its throat.
During the nesting season the male bird is exceedingly
devoted to his mate, frequently occupying the nest with
her or sitting on a branch of the same tree in close prox-
imity. The incubation requires three weeks ; the young
stay in the nest about five weeks and afterwards hide in
the trees, not catching their own food until eight or nine
weeks old.
Major , Bendire describes the nest of a pair of these
owls less than two feet above an excavation occupied by
a family of flickers. The owls were late in nesting, it
being a second or third brood, and the families were
reared at the same time, neither apparently paying any
attention to the other. As the young of these owls keep
up a constant calling for food all night long, this brood
doubtless disturbed the slumbers of the young flickers.
Their note is a low, not unmusical, whistling call, but
during the breeding season they hoot like screech owls.
367. SHORT-EARED OWL. Asio flammeus.
FAMILY : The Horned Owls and Hoot Owls.
Length: 15.50.
Adults: Ear-tufts conspicuous ; a blackening around the eye, and con-
spicuous white eyebrow ; plumage tawny to buff, heavily streaked
with dark brown ; wings and tail broadly and irregularly barred with
dark brown and tawny.
Young: Above dark brown ; under parts grayish buffy ; face brownish
black.
Geographical Distribution: Western hemisphere ; common winter visit-
ant in California, some remaining through the summer.
Breeding Range: In California, breeds sparingly on certain coast
marshes.
170 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Season: March 15 to May 15.
Nest : A few sticks ; lined with grasses and feathers ; placed on the
ground in the long grass of the meadow, or at the foot of a bush, or
beside a log, or in a rabbit burrow.
Eggs: 4 to 6 ; white. Size 1.56 X 1.19.
THE habits of the Short-eared Owl differ so greatly
from those of the rest of its family that it is sometimes
called the Marsh Owl. It is rarely seen in a tree, and
never in the dense woods. On bright days it sits con-
cealed in the long grass of a marsh ; but at dusk or in
cloudy weather it can be found hunting its food over the
low, wet meadows. In California it breeds on the coast
marshes and islands, making its nest on the ground and
lining it with feathers from its own body. Incubation
lasts nearly four weeks.
The young are more fully feathered when hatched than
most young owls. They soon flutter about in the grass
with their parents, sitting patiently beside a marsh rat's
run, or chasing grasshoppers with awkward fluttering
hops. The adult, although it usually flies low over the
marshes, may be seen during the breeding season flying
quite high in the air and uttering a shrill, high, yelp-
ing call.
The food of these owls consists mostly of mice and
quadrupeds, but they are very fond of terns, which they
pursue through the open, and which, being the better
fliers, usually make good their escape. They are emi-
nently gregarious, remaining in flocks and colonies of
several hundred.
BIRDS OF PREY 171
373 c. CALIFORNIA SCREECH OWL. Otus asio
bendirei.
FAMILY : The Horned Owls and Hoot Owls.
Length: 10.00.
Adults : Ear-tufts conspicuous, about an inch in length ; upper parts
brownish gray, heavily streaked with black or dusky; under parts
grayish, with heavy streaks and indistinct cross lines of black.
Young: Plumage barred grayish and whitish.
Downy Young : Covered with a pure white cottony down.
Geographical Distribution : Throughout California.
Breeding Range : In wooded districts throughout the State.
Breeding Season : March to June.
Nest : A cavity in a tree, usually oak or cottonwood.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; white. Size 1.40 X 1.17.
THIS bird may be known by its small size and con-
spicuous ear-tufts. It breeds commonly throughout
California. On June 15 one was seen going into a
red-shafted flicker excavation, eighteen feet from the
ground, in an old stump near Santa Cruz. An investi-
gation showed five eggs, three of which were the flicker's.
The Owl had evidently driven off the flicker and taken
possession of the nest, and was brooding all the eggs
indiscriminately. Curious to know how it would come
out, I hired a boy to watch it. On June 17 the flicker
eggs evidently had hatched, for every trace of their con-
tents had disappeared, but the Owl's eggs were still there.
Seven days later they hatched, and two funny Owlets
thickly covered with white down were the result. In
order to look at them it was necessary to drive the
mother from the cavity by rapping on the tree with a
heavy rod, and even then she would not readily go. All
172 LAND BIRDS
the feeding of the young was done at night, and each
morning witnessed a fresh heap of debris under the nest-
hole, as well as in the nest itself. This habit of leaving
all the remains of undigested food heaped just outside
the burrow seems to me particularly stupid, but I have
found it the case with burrowing owls also. Most birds
are careful to remove all trace from the vicinity, in order
not to betray the nesting place, as well as for cleanliness.
The parent Owls were remarkably silent when at the
nest tree, uttering no sound beyond an occasional odd
chuck when one arrived with food for the young before
the other had left it. After careful observation, we
decided that the young were fed upon insects at first,
and afterwards upon mice. The adults came and went
every half-hour during the evening, and our presence so
near did not seem to bother them in the least. One of
them usually sat on the stump, pending the absence of
the other, but not infrequently both left at the same
time. The young Owls remained in the nest tree eight
weeks, and then, one day, were seen sitting side by side
among the thick foliage of a neighboring oak.
This species is strictly nocturnal in habits, and is one
of the most important aids to the farmer in ridding him
of mice and insects, though song birds and sparrows are
also among its victims. Like most birds of prey, it is
fond of bathing, and may be found just at dusk or dawn
in a quiet corner of a small brook or pond, splashing and
ducking energetically with evident enjoyment. I have
watched one shake himself after such a bath until his
mandibles rattled like castanets, and a funnier sight I
BIRDS OF PREY 173
never saw. Then every feather was carefully combed
out with the point of the bill until it felt comfortable and
lay well in its place. For birds so untidy in the care
of their nest, these Owls are surprisingly particular about
their own toilet.
375 d. PACIFIC HORNED OWL. Bubo virginianus
pacificus.
FAMILY : The Horned Owls and Hoot Owls.
Length : About 16.00 to 18.00.
Adults: Upper parts grayish, mottled with buff and darker; under
parts heavily mottled light and dark grayish.
Geographical Distribution : The wood regions east and south of the
humid coast belt, almost throughout the State.
Breeding Range : Same as Geographical Distribution.
Breeding Season : February, March, and April.
Nest : In hollow trees ; 30 to 50 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 3 ; white.
AMONG the tall redwood timber about Rowardennan,
the hooting of a chorus of Horned Owls at dusk is a
weird, ghostly sound. The theory has been advanced
that the call of the owl is a means of terrifying the small
animals, which, by their excitement, would reveal their
presence to the keen ears of the soft-winged hunter. But
this is not always the case, for those six or eight Horned
Owls which congregated each night in the trees close
together, and made the moonlight hours vocal with their
uncanny notes, evidently did so from the mere joy of
too-hooing. The effect in itself was bad enough, but
when one thought of the timid little wood creatures
trembling in their nests from terror at the sound, one
174 LAND BIRDS
longed to wring the necks of the ghostly choir and end
their music forever. Yet, when a friend offered the same
result with a gun, the relief was declined. The next
day when we found many despoiled nests and I was
told that these same Owls were the ravagers, I regretted
my clemency.
This species breeds more or less abundantly through-
out the redwood district and in most of the mountainous
regions of the State. So early in the year do they com-
mence their cares that January sometimes finds young in
the nest. The only pair with whose domestic arrange-
ments I ever attempted to interfere had domiciled
themselves in a hollow tree, where, although at a
distance of thirty or more feet from the ground, it was
accessible from a ledge near by. All dreams of watching
the young develop were rudely dispelled the first time an
attempt was made to pry into the nest hole. The prier
escaped with one finger badly damaged and nerves some-
what shaken, never again to meddle with that Bubo
household.
The incubation lasted four weeks, and then we knew
by the squeaking cries and hisses that issued from the
nest, as well as by seeing the adults carry food, that the
young were hatched. From that time on for nearly
eleven weeks the devoted parents foraged for the brood,
bringing food constantly, and never once did those small
Owls venture to peep out of the hole in the daytime.
Just at dusk we could hear them scrambling about and
practising little " too-hoos," and fancied that we could
see a head or two in the doorway. The adults roosted
BIRDS OF PREY 175
outside during the day, bringing food by sunshine or
moonlight as it happened.
In Santa Cruz County the food of this species consists,
I am sorry to say, oftener of poultry and song birds than
of mammals, though squirrels, chipmunks, and lizards
are among its victims. In other parts of the State, under
different conditions, it is said to prefer rodents and to be
of value to the farmers.
378. BURROWING OWL. Speotyto cunicularia hypogcea.
FAMILY : The Horned Owls and Hoot Owls.
Length: 9.00-11.00.
Adults : Upper parts brownish, mottled with white and tawny ; under
parts tawny to buff, barred with brown.
Young: Upper parts uniform brown, except darker bars on wing and
tail ; under parts plain tawny.
Geographical Distribution : From the Pacific, east to Dakota and Texas.
Breeding Range : Same as Geographical Distribution.
Breeding Season : In California, April to June.
Nest: In a burrow of prairie dog, or rabbit, or badger, or gopher.
Eggs: 6 to 11 ; glossy white. Size 1.24 X 1.03.
ONE of the commonest sights throughout California
is a pair of these little Owls sitting side by side at the
entrance to their burrow, sunning themselves, or perched
on a fence post or low stump, blinking wisely at the
passer-by. They are numerous on the drive from San
Diego to Tia Juana, and are scarcely less interesting to
the Easterner than is the far-famed road-runner. In
vicinities where the prairie dog abounds, many fairy
stories are told of how he shares his home with the owls
and with the rattlesnakes, but I believe there is no grain
176
LAND BIRDS
of truth in them. The owls hunt among the burrows
for young mammals, and the offspring of the " dogs " are
doubtless a choice tidbit ; the snakes crawl from hole to
hole for the same purpose, but include owl eggs and
nestlings in their menu. So far as I have been able to
observe, the " dogs " are in terror from both, but the
-&=*>.
378. BURROWING OWL.
" They converse in soft love notes."
sudden advent of a human intruder causes the three
enemies to pop suddenly down the same hole with
surprising unanimity.
Usually one may find the Owls sitting at the doorway
of their own nest-burrow, which may be the excavation
of some badger or prairie dog whose claim they have
"jumped." If the young Owls are old enough, they will
be there also in the family circle, but at sight of a
BIRDS OF PREY 177
human visitor they will scramble into the hole and hide,
leaving the adults to fool him by flying away. If, how-
ever, only the adult birds are outside and there are eggs
or young in the nest, the result is quite different. Their
antics as they watch a person approaching from a dis-
tance of, say, fifty yards, are comical enough. They
straighten up and duck excitedly, exactly as a tiny
chicken makes a show of his fighting powers, bending so
low that the head nearly touches the ground. Then
straightening up again, they turn their wise-looking
heads slowly from side to side, as if to see the effect,
and duck again. Finally one, presumably the male,
decides to fly and the other pops into the burrow. It
is of no use to try to coax or drive the mother out. She
will seize and bite a stick thrust into the nest, but out
she will not come, and the only way to see her is to dig
for her. All about the door are heaps of cow or horse
dung and wads of hair and bones, and I believe the same
usually continues to the end of the burrow. It did in
the only one I ever excavated.
Incubation begins any time in March, April, or May,
and lasts three weeks. Both parents assist, and fre-
quently both brood at the same time at the end of the
burrow, which is from four to ten feet long. Usually,
however, one acts as sentinel at the door.
While the courtship of these queer birds lacks the
grotesqueness of that of the sage grouse, it has some
features no less amusing ; after watching a pair, you will
conclude, as I did, that the sofa-pillow caricatures are
not far from the truth. Sitting as close together as
12
178 LAND BIRDS
possible on top of their chosen burrow, they converse
in soft love notes not unlike a far-away " kow-kow-kow "
of a cuckoo ; at the same time caressing with head rub-
bings and billings.
Although the Burrowing Owl is more or less shy, it
is not at all difficult to study its habits, and none of the
owls are better worth while. Only one thing is needful,
patience, patience to lie flat on your face in the broil-
ing sun with field glass glued to your eyes, hour after
hour, and, if you are a woman, thoughts of possible
lizards or rattlers tormenting your inner consciousness.
But the game is worth the candle, as always in nature
study. On the Tulare plains you may watch them at
any hour of the day hunting grasshoppers, crickets, mice,
gophers, squirrels, lizards, and shore larks. You may
even see them kill bull snakes that are crawling too near
their nest. This war they wage on bull snakes has
doubtless given them the reputation of killing rattlers,
but I know they are afraid of the latter and scramble
away with queer sidewise hops, breaking into flight at
the near approach of one.
379. PYGMY OWL. Glaucidium gnoma.
FAMILY : The Owls.
Length: 6.50-7.50.
Adults : Upper parts grayish brown or reddish brown or drab ; top of
head speckled with white ; under parts white, thickly streaked with
dark brown ; tail barred with white and blackish ; face encircled by a
dusky border.
Young: Similar, with head not speckled.
Downy Young : Gray, merging to white.
BIRDS OF PREY 179
Geographical Distribution : Western North America through the timbered
regions, from British Columbia to Mexico ; not in the humid coast
district.
Breeding Range: Throughout its habitat.
Breeding Season : April 20 to June 15.
Nest : In deserted woodpeckers' holes.
Eggs : 4 ; white.
THE Pygmy Owl is a tenant of old woodpeckers'
holes all through the San Bernardino Mountains. Early
in May it may be seen sitting close beside its mate near
the trunk of a pine tree, looking somewhat like a huge
pine cone wrong end up. It is a very love-sick wooer,
and the indifference of petite Madame Owl is, we are all
convinced, only feigned. All the soft, purring love notes
may come from the throat of the male, but after lying
concealed and listening for hours at different times, I
felt certain that it was a conversation in which both took
part. The home of this pair was in a charred tree-trunk
next to the pine in which they used to sit morning and
evening. They were so chubby that it seemed to me the
doorway must be too small ; but evidently it suited, for
on May 20 there were four white eggs in it, and from
that time on Madame Owl was a devoted mother. I
watched closely but never saw the male go to the nest
between 7 A.M. and 5 P.M. As soon as the sun's
brightest rays were gone, he would call softly from the
pine, and soon a small brown head appeared in the
round doorway. After a moment of sleepy winking and
blinking at the great sun sinking behind the trees, the
head would come farther out of the nest hole, followed
by the plump brown body, and the next instant there
were two in that old pine tree. It was comical to watch
180 LAND BIRDS
her stretch each little leg in its pantalette of feathers and
give a few preliminary wing flaps, as if so relieved to be
out of that dark hole and into the free air once more.
But she is hungry, and soon flits down through the low
shrubs to hunt grasshoppers or small lizards, while her
mate goes into the nest to brood. He does not always
do this, I am told, but in the case of one brood I watched
the male took his turn on the eggs each night and morn-
ing. I judged him to be a male bird from his trimmer
appearance and long absence from home during the day-
light hours, which he spent largely in eating. Often he
would perch on the top of the nest shrub and fluff* out
all his feathers in a sun-bath, until he looked like a minia-
ture porcupine. This was his favorite place to breakfast
also, but I never saw him eat there during the brightest
hours of the day. These he spent in the shady depths
of the old pine tree.
When the young were hatched, eighteen days after
the first eggs were laid, they were covered with a
cottony down of a soft mouse-color, merging to whitish
on under parts, the funniest little puff-ball nestlings
imaginable, in size not larger than a walnut. Grass-
hoppers and various kinds of insects were carried to
them by both parents throughout the day. At night the
mother remained in the nest while the male hid in the
thick foliage of the pine, but with the sun's first ray both
were astir hunting breakfast for the hungry babies.
385. ROAD-RUNNER
Geococcyx califoraianus
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 181
III. COMMON LAND BIRDS IN
COLOR GROUPS
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING IN PLUMAGE
385. ROAD-RUNNER. Geococcyx califomianus.
(Common names : Chaparral Cock ; Ground Cuckoo ; Liz-
ard Bird.)
FAMILY : The Road-runners, Anis, and Cuckoos.
Length: 20.00-24.00.
Adults : Upper parts iridescent blue-black oil head, neck, and shoulders ;
metallic greenish brown on lower back, tail, and wings ; feathers
broadly edged with white ; tail-feathers blue-black, broadly tipped
with white ; under parts whitish, and throat streaked dull buff and
blackish ; naked skin in front of the eye, blue and orange ; feathers
of the head and neck stiff and bristly ; tail long and graduated ; four
white thumb marks on the under tail-feathers.
Geographical Distribution : Texas, New Mexico, Southern California,
west through California, south into Mexico.
Breeding Range : Throughout its habitat.
Breeding Season: March 15 to July 1.
Nest : A platform of twigs ; lined with cowhair, leaves, or feathers, or
nearly unlined ; variously placed in bushes or trees, from 3 to 8 feet
from the ground.
Eggs : 2 to 12 ; buffy white. Size 1.56 X 1.23.
THE " Road-runner " is well named. No matter how
long one has lived in California or how familiar one may
be with Western birds, the novelty of seeing one of these
birds dart out of the chaparral and race down the road
ahead of one never loses its charm. " It takes a right
smart horse to keep up with him." Do not expect to
overtake him or to win the race. A brisk trot merely
keeps you the same distance behind him, and a faster
gait only sends him scudding along more rapidly. When
182 LAND BIRDS
tired, or if he sees that you are gaining on him, he
dodges into the roadside thicket, stopping so suddenly
as to go heels (or rather tail) over head. It is a unique
performance, and one never becomes quite used to it.
Few birds are more interesting to study, or better
repay observation. The Road-runners are common resi-
dents of the valleys and desert regions of California,
from the Mexican border north to Sacramento valley.
In the southern part of the State and in Mexico they
are occasionally found at an altitude of five thousand
feet, but they prefer the lower, range of the cactus-
covered plains and foot-hills.
Their food consists of insects, land Crustacea, small
reptiles of all varieties, young birds, and field-mice.
They are popularly believed to destroy rattlesnakes, but
Mr. Bendire denies this. At the same time he reports
having found a garter-snake twenty inches long in the
crop of one of them. A Road-runner killed by Mr.
Anthony had just swallowed a large lizard. Un-
doubtedly its fondness for lizard diet has given it one of
its many nicknames.
In habits, the Road-runners are shy, suspicious, and
unsocial. Except during the breeding season, I have
rarely seen more than one in a neighborhood. Just
before rearing their brood, and for some time after, they
feed and roost in pairs. In the choice of nesting site
and material they are capricious. Of several nests ex-
amined, no two were alike. One found in May was in
a manzanita bush about four feet from the ground, was
lined with rootlets and a few feathers, and contained
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 183
five eggs. Another in an oak, eight feet from the
ground, looked as if it might have been built originally
by a jay and relined with a few dried leaves. Several
were in clumps of cactus ; and one was within a foot of
the ground, on a broken part of a log, well sheltered by
bushes, the bird perhaps having fancied that the log
was part of the bush. This nest was quite elaborately
constructed of twigs and lined with cow-hair, snake-
skin, and feathers interwoven with rootlets. It con-
tained, June 3, five young birds, covered with quills.
Twenty-four hours later, every feather on three of them
had burst its sheath, and they were apparently ready for
their de"but ; but they clung desperately to the nest with
their strong feet when an attempt was made to lift them
from it. The noise made by the young resembled the
click of two pieces of wood not metal striking
sharply together, and did not fail to bring both parents
to the scene. They were very angry, and presented* a
ludicrous though more or less formidable defence, with
bills snapping sharply, wings and head bristling, and
long tail wagging. But they preferred discretion to
valor, and on being pursued slunk away swiftly after the
manner of cuckoos.
In Southern California the Road-runners begin nesting
in March, and eggs are found late in June ; hence we
may infer that in some instances even three broods are
raised in a single season. I believe, however, that this
is true only when an accident destroys the eggs or young
of the earlier broods. The Mexicans insist that the
pairs remain united throughout the entire year; but I
184 LAND BIRDS
doubt if there is good scientific authority for such a
statement, and, like the rattlesnake story, it should be
taken with a grain of allowance.
Although so shy, these birds are very inquisitive,
often coming close to human habitations for apparently
no other reason than to satisfy their curiosity. A
ranchman told me about a Road-runner that carried off
a bright red ribbon half a yard long, which he had
picked up in the road, running as fast as his swift legs
could carry him with the ribbon fluttering behind him
like a flag. Nor do I doubt this, after having seen a
very amusing comedy played by one of these birds. The
sole actor was a handsome cock, who was jumping back-
ward and forward over a clump of sagebrush at least
eight times in succession, each time leaping higher than
before. At first I thought it was some sort of love-
dance ; but no female was in sight. Then I fancied he
might be killing some enemy, he seemed so excited.
But the passage of a horseman startled him, and away
he ran on a merry race, with nothing in his beak. There
was no trace of anything on the ground by the time I
could cross the thirty yards' distance to investigate.
The usual note of the Road-runner is a modification of
the " kow-kow-kow " of the yellow-billed cuckoo into a
softer " coo-coo-coo," which some one has likened to the
" coo " of a mourning dove ; but this is varied by the
chuckling notes I have heard a crow utter when talking
to himself, and it occasionally degenerates into a cackle.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 185
387 a. CALIFORNIA CUCKOO. Coccyzus americanus
occidentalis.
FAMILY : The Road-runners and Cuckoos.
Length: 13.00.
Adults: Upper parts grayish brown, slightly glossed with greenish;
under parts white, tinged with gray on chest ; lower mandible yellow ;
tail with broad white thumb-marks on the tips ; middle tail-feathers
brown, tipped with black ; remainder iridescent blue-black.
Young : Similar to adults, but duller.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States and Lower California.
Breeding Range : In California the breeding range seems to be confined
to the willow bottoms.
Breeding Season : May, June, July, and August.
Nest : A loose platform of sticks ; sometimes lined with leaves and
catkins.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; glossy light bluish green ; paler in the incubated than in
the fresh laid. Size 1.27 X 0.89.
THE California Cuckoo, or Western Yellow-billed
Cuckoo, breeds extensively along the willow bottoms of
the interior valleys of the State. Mrs. Eckstrom says :
" As a nest-builder the cuckoo is no genius ; or, if a
genius, he belongs to the impressionist school. The
nest is but a raft of sticks flung into the fork of a
bough." Indeed so frail and so loosely put together is
it that one may see the eggs from underneath. Occa-
sionally an individual will be found who aims at better
things and has made some slight attempt to line her
cradle with grass. Most of these twig platforms are so
shallow that an effort to peep into them will result in
spilling the contents, and a windstorm often scatters the
eggs over the ground in spite of the mother's care.
When this happens, or when the eggs have been stolen,
186 LAND BIRDS
a second set is laid in another nest, and for this the
unfortunate bird sometimes occupies the abandoned
nests of other birds. There is no authentic record of
her having left her own eggs to be brooded by another,
however, and the accusation of parasitic parenthood is,
in her case, unjust. It belongs rather to the European
species.
Always shy haunters of the willow thickets, cuckoos
are most apt to be heard during the mating season,
which varies from May, in San Bernardino County,
where they are more or less scarce, to the last of August
in Sacramento valley, although a brood of the latter
date, as noted by Major Bendire, undoubtedly was a
belated one.
The only brood of the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo
that I have watched develop was housed in a willow
clump in Santa Clara valley. The last of three pale
green eggs was laid May 30, and incubation began the
next day. For eighteen days the slim brown mother
brooded ; and when, at the end of that time, three wrig-
gling, naked birdlings filled the nest, her watchful care
was doubled. Noiselessly as a shadow she would slip
through the low bushes with a cricket in her bill, and
during the early hours of the morning one or the other
of the parents was en route continually with food for the
hungry but silent nestlings. These were fed by regurgi-
tation at first, and they grew surprisingly as the days
went by. At the end of twenty days they were covered
with pinfeathers and looked. like tiny porcupines. Sud-
denly, on the twenty-first day, these sheaths burst, and
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 187
the young Cuckoos were arrayed
in all the glory of real plumage.
The next day the three left the
nest and I was unable to find
them again.
During this period of brood-
ing and caring for the young
the adult Cuckoos, though at
first suspicious, became some-
what reconciled to rny visits ;
at any rate, they neither moved
the eggs as cuckoos
have been thought to
do when d i s t u rb e d
nor deserted them. At
my approach the mother
would ruffle her feathers
until the usually sleek, slen-
der bird seemed to be bris-
tling with rage, her head
extended on a level with
her body and her long tail
slightly elevated. But
though her eye followed me with
unwinking intensity, she would
not desert her post, nor did I
ever force her to do so.
The clear " kow-kow-kow " of &.**
the father-bird could be heard 387 a. CALIFORNIA CUCKOO.
far into the night, if the moon
188 LAND BIRDS
lighted the lowlands, and during the day it floated
through the wood like a wandering voice. It was diffi-
cult to tell by the sound just how far away he was, but
I knew that he was busy feasting where the tent cater-
pillars nested. In my heart I blessed him for his choice
of food, for he is the only bird that will touch these
pests, and even he clips off the hairs before he swallows
the morsel.
413. RED-SHAFTED FLICKER. Colaptes cafer collaris.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 12.75-14.00.
Adult Male : General color of body and head brownish, becoming no-
ticeably grayer on back of neck ; rump white ; back narrowly barred
with black ; tail black ; nuchal band and mustache red ; a black
crescent on chest ; under side of wings and tail red ; under parts
thickly spotted with round black dots.
Adult Female : Like male, but malar stripe usually buffy.
Young : Like adults, but with no mustache.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States from Rocky Moun-
tains to" the Pacific coast ; north to Sitka, south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range : In suitable localities throughout the State.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Iii trees or stumps, from 2 to 70 feet from the ground ; and also
in sides of banks.
Eggs: 5 to 10 ; white. Size 1.12 X 0.86.
THE Eastern flicker, known as "yellow-hammer,"
" high-holer," or " golden-shafted woodpecker," is repre-
sented in California by the Red-shafted Flicker, a bird
similar in everything except his red malar stripe and the
under surface of the wing-quills and tail-feathers, which
in his case are rose-color or soft scarlet instead of yellow.
In call-notes, nesting habits, and food the Western is
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 189
identical with the Eastern species. The nest is a hole
eighteen or twenty inches deep and four inches wide at
the bottom, with an entrance two inches in diameter at
the top. It is made in old stumps or dead trees, gate-
posts, nooks and crannies in deserted buildings, and
sometimes in banks of earth. Both male and female
birds share in the excavation, working in turns of about
twenty minutes each. The site having been chosen, the
male clings to the surface and marks with his bill a more
or less regular circle in a series of dots, then begins ex-
cavating inside this area, using his bill, not with a side-
wise twist, as do many of the 'woodpecker family, but
striking downwards and prying off the chips as with
a pickaxe. When his mate has rested and wishes to
share in the labor, she calls from a near-by tree and he
instantly quits his task. In a few moments, before one
has realized how or whence she came, the female has
taken his place and the chips are flying merrily. As
a rule, the birds work only early in the morning and late
in the afternoon, taking from ten to fourteen days to
finish the excavation. By the middle of May there have
been laid seven or eight beautiful, glossy-white eggs,
having a pearly lustre, and so transparent that when
fresh the yolks show through the shell. As incubation
advances, the shells become more opaque, until, when
ready to hatch, they have a limy ring around the middle,
showing where the shell will part. In fifteen days
appear the most grotesque of all bird babies, unless it be
those of the pileated woodpecker or of the cormorant.
Their bodies are the shape, size, and color of a pink rub-
190 LAND BIRDS
her ball, such as children use for playing "jacks." Two
worm-like appendages, for embryo wings, dangle help-
lessly, and two long, sprawly, weak legs are set far back
on the ball-like body. An extremely long neck waves
aimlessly, ending in a camel-like head, the lower man-
dible of the wide mouth projecting beyond the upper ;
there are black, skinny knobs for eyes and curious, large
ear-holes. If placed on a level surface, these animated
balls roll about helplessly, the only way of steadying
themselves apparently being by bracing and pushing with
their heads. As they are fed by regurgitation they will
swallow two inches of one's finger and hold on so tightly
that they may be lifted up by it. Having been unable
to complete my observations at Lake Tahoe, I once took
two of these ungainly but interesting pets, when three
days old, from California to Chicago, on the " Overland,"
feeding them with hard-boiled yolk of egg mixed with
water, potato, and grated carrot. They were remark-
ably well behaved, and excepting an occasional clatter-
ing noise, somewhat between a mowing-machine and
a nestful of bees, they were silent and throve well. In
feeding, I first gave them the food and then allowed
them to suck a finger, shaking them by moving it, as I
had seen the parents do, as otherwise they would have
been unable to swallow. As they grew older they were
given mocking-bird food, composed largely of ants' eggs
and resembling their natural diet.
When left to the parent, however, they are brought up
in a much more hygienic fashion. For nearly three weeks
they are fed by regurgitation, and after that time the in-
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 191
sects brought are masticated by the parents. The adult,
coming with food, lights on the tree at one side of the
nest-hole, and instantly the small doorway blossoms with
two or three grotesque heads, mouths wide open and
ready. Meanwhile all the infants are joining in the
buzzing chorus that announces their hunger in language
plainer than speech. The parent inserts his bill into the
throat of each one in turn, shaking the nestling back and
forth vigorously. When all have been fed, he retires
behind the tree trunk out of sight, to wait until the hub-
bub subsides and to determine whether any of the young-
sters are still hungry or are only crying from habit.
After they are old enough to leave the nursery, they
follow their parents about for nearly two weeks, begging
to be fed and gradually learning to hunt for themselves.
This lesson is wisely taught by the parents, who place
the food under a crevice in the bark, in full sight of the
young, who must pick it out or go hungry. The baby
cocks his head wisely, looks at it, and proceeds to pull it
out and dine.
Flickers are essentially ant-eating woodpeckers, and
consequently are seen upon the ground oftener than any
other variety. They run their long bills down into the
ant-hills, and, extending their spiny, sticky tongues still
farther, withdraw them covered with eggs and larvae.
Their call-note is a shrill " wicker-wicker-wick-wick-
wick," and sometimes, when angry, a high, screaming
" hii-k-ha." The wooing of a pair of these birds is the
most ludicrous performance that can be imagined, and
well worth watching.
192 LAND BIRDS
418 b. DUSKY POORWILL, OR CALIFORNIA POOR-
WILL. Pkalcenoptilus nuttalli calif ornicus.
FAMILY : The Goatsuckers.
Length: 7.00-8.00.
Adult Male : Upper parts blackish or dark brown, with a velvety moth-
like surface, barred with finely mottled grayish brown and distinct
black arrow-shaped markings ; middle of crown black ; tail-feathers,
except the middle ones, tipped with white ; sides of head and chin
black ; white throat-patch bordered with black ; under-tail coverts
buffy; rest of under parts barred.
Adult Female : Like male, but tail-feathers tipped with' a narrower band
of white.
Young : Upper parts grayish, finely mixed with brown ; markings less
distinct.
Geographical Distribution : From the foot-hill regions west of the Sierra
Nevada to the coast and south to Lower California.
California Breeding Range : Latitude of Upper Sonora, west of the
Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest : No nest, eggs being laid on the ground.
Eggs : 2 ; glossy white, with a faint pinkish tint. Size 1.00 X 0.76.
THROUGHOUT the coast region of California I believe
the Dusky Poorwill is a rather common summer visitant,
if not a summer resident. It is a haunter of canons and
deep woody places, never of the open. I found the eggs
of a bird of this species on the bare ground at the foot of
a tree in Marin County. The mother was brooding ; she
flushed from literally under my feet, brushing me as
she took flight and hid in the deep wood, and I found
the eggs scarcely a foot from where I was standing.
Marking the tree and leaving for several hours, I re-
turned to find her on the eggs again, and this time
watched her through my glass, not going nearer than
fifteen feet. So far as I could judge in that way, she
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 193
corresponded perfectly to the mounted specimen of the
Dusky Poorwill which I had seen, but it was my first
experience with the live bird. Three days later, when I
went to the spot, there were two downy young ones in
the nest, looking so much like the shadows on the pine
needles that at first I could not see them and, but for
the mother's antics, would have given up the search.
She flopped about on the ground, feigning a broken
wing, wallowing among the leaves, and whining like a
young puppy. I picked up one of the fuzzy babies,
looked it over carefully, and replacing it, withdrew to
hide and watch. For two hours she did nothing but
brood them, but thereafter I was rewarded by seeing her
lug one off to a distance of half a rod and drop down
with it in a fern tangle. In a moment she came back
for the other and repeated the performance.
During the early evening hours of my watching she left
the nest and came again, but apparently brought nothing
in her bill, and if she fed them then it was by regurgita-
tion. In all this time I saw nothing of the other parent
either in the wood or near the nest, and do not think he
paid any attention to the cares of the family.
The Poorwills are nocturnal and crepuscular in habits,
feeding upon night-moths, beetles, grasshoppers, and
gnats, and ejecting the indigestible parts in the same
manner as do the owls. Like owls also, they are abso-
lutely noiseless and bat-like in flight. Their note is the
well-known soft, two-syllabled call, so imperfectly repre-
sented by letters, and rapidly repeated with scarcely
a pause for breath throughout the evening hours.
13
194 LAND BIRDS
Although it may never have been heard before by the
watcher, it may be instantly and instinctively recognized
as it floats out of the deep ravine or from the darkness
of the woods.
420 d. CALIFORNIA NIGHTHAWK. Chordeiles
virginianus hesperis.
(Common names : Bull Bat ; Mosquito Hawk ; Will-o'-
the-Wisp.)
FAMILY : The Goatsuckers.
Length: About 9.00.
Adult Male : Upper parts black, mottled with gray and buffy ; a white
or buffy patch on the wing ; tail, except the middle feathers, banded
with white near the tif> ; throat white ; chest black ; belly barred
black and white.
Adult Female : No white on tail ; otherwise like male.
Downy Young : Covered with thin yellowish brown down mottled with
darker.
Young : Markings less distinct than on adults.
Geographical Distribution : In California, the Transition and Boreal
zones of the northern end of the State, and south through the
Sierra Nevada; recorded during migration through the western
valleys; south in winter to the tropics.
California Breeding Range : Wooded districts of northern part of the
State.
Breeding Season : May 15 to June 15.
Nest : None ; eggs laid ou the bare ground.
Eggs: 2 ; vary from pale olive-buff to buffy and grayish white ; thickly
mottled and dashed with varied tints of darker gray, olive, or even
blackish, marbled, and clouded with lavender. Size 1.25 X 0.85.
WITH the exception of the Texan nighthawk the sub-
species of nighthawks occurring in California resemble
each other so closely that it is impossible to distinguish
them without shooting, and their ranges overlap in such
a way as to make locality an uncertain guide. Therefore
only one form, Chordeiles virginianus hesperis, without
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 195
the other subspecies, will be here recorded. The char-
acteristics of this race piay be regarded as belonging
to all.
Although called " Nighthawk," it really hunts almost
as much by day, and may be seen late in the afternoon or
early in the morning, skimming over the water or low
wet ground with graceful swallow-like flight. Its food
consists of the insects found in the air and near the
water, swarms of small gnats, small night-moths and
flies. These it catches in its capacious mouth in the
same manner that a fisherman uses a scoop net, the
" whiskers " helping to trap the prey. It may easily be
distinguished from the poorwill, which it closely resem-
bles, by the conspicuous white patches on its wings, which,
when seen from beneath in flight, look like holes. It is
known also by its diurnal habits, as it seldom flies after
the sun has set. The poorwill, on the contrary, unless
flushed, never flies by daylight, but hides through the
sunny hours in the shadows of the deep wood, usu-
ally crouching on the ground or on a well-shaded log.
Nighthawks spend the middle of the day squatting
lengthwise on a limb, their feet, like those of the poor-
wills, being too weak to perch. Here they sleep, trust-
ing for safety to protective coloring, and refuse to move
unless startled into flight.
They make no nest, but lay their two speckled eggs
on the bare ground usually in plain view of the passer-by,
and not infrequently on the flat gravel roofs of buildings.
Always a well-drained, rather sunny place is selected,
and the eggs are less frequently found than one would
196 LAND BIRDS
suppose, because their color usually blends so well with
that of their surroundings.
Incubation lasts sixteen days, and it is a question how
far the male shares in it. In some cases he does ; but
as a rule he prefers to watch from a limb overhead so
long as there are eggs only. So soon as these become
animated bits of bird life, his interest is aroused, and he
is quite as ready to guard them as is the mother. The
newly hatched young are little balls of rusty down,
mottled slightly with dusky, and have the characteristic
420. NlGHTHAWK.
" Crept back as often as she was driven away."
large head, wide mouth, and short thick neck of the
adults, so that you know at once to what family they
belong. They are carefully guarded by one of the
parents continually, and if molested they will likely be
removed to another hiding-place; but the nighthawks
remove their young less frequently than the poorwills.
The feeding of the nestlings is accomplished by a
modified regurgitation, the small insects being brought
iu the gular pouch or cheeks of the parent. A female
that we found on the nest would not leave the young
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 197
until flushed, and then she crept back as often as she
was driven away, all the time spitting like a cat and
ruffling her feathers like an angry owl. I believe this
was due to her courage in defending her young and not
to any stupidity. The next day she had removed them,
and we did not find them again. Other cases of as
great courage on the part of both adults of this species
I have noticed, and am sure that the Nighthawks are
more devoted to their nests and young than any other
birds I have studied.
On the wing, Nighthawks are very sociable, circling
in flocks and twittering after the manner of chimney-
swifts, to which they are closely related, and uttering
their characteristic " boom " which has given them the
name of " night jar." They seem always to be having a
good time together, a jolly good fellowship, as it were,
that fits in well with the joy of morning or the glory
of even in 2.
421. TEXAN NIGHTHAWK. Chordeiles acutipennis
texensis.
FAMILY : The Goatsuckers.
Length: 8.00-9.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts dull mottled gray, streaked with rusty black ;
chest and under parts barred black and light brown ; throat white ;
a white band-like patch crossing wing ; wing-coverts spotted and
mottled with brown.
Adult Female : Similar, but wing-patch buffy.
Young: Finely mottled above ; under parts washed with pale red-brown.
Geographical Distribution : Southern border of United States from Texas
to Southern California, north to Utah, south to Cape St. Lucas.
Breeding Range: In California, the southeastern portion of the State.
198 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest : None ; eggs laid on the bare ground.
Eggs: 2 ; clay-colored, dotted, mottled, or marbled with brown and
obscure lilac. Size 1.07 X 0.77.
MR. GRINNELL says the Texan Nighthawk is a common
summer visitant throughout the Lower Sonorau zone,
and occurs as far north as Stanislaus and San Benito
counties. Mr. Bendire records it at San Joaquin County,
and Mr. Merriam found it breeding in Inyo County.
It is the smallest of all the nighthawks found in the
United States. Like the other varieties, it is gregarious
while feeding ; it skims over the water like a swallow,
and scoops the tiny gnats in its wide mouth. It is said
not to make the peculiar booming of the Eastern night-
hawk, but to utter a peculiar humming sound while on
the wing.
Dr. Merrill writes of it: "The eggs are usually de-
posited in exposed situations, among sparse chaparral,
on ground baked almost as hard as brick by the intense
heat of the sun. One set of eggs was placed on a small
piece of tin within a foot or two of a frequented path.
The female sits close, and when flushed flies a few feet
and speedily returns to its eggs. They make no attempt
to drive an intruder away. I have ridden up to within
five feet of a female on her eggs, dismounted, tied my
horse and put my hand on the bird before she would
move. . . . The notes are a mewing call and a very
curious call that is with difficulty described. It is some-
what like the distant and very rapid tapping of a large
woodpecker, accompanied by a humming sound, and it is
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 199
almost impossible to tell in what direction or what dis-
tance the bird is that makes the noise. Both these
notes are uttered on the wing or on the ground, and by
both sexes.
457. SAY PHCEBE. Sayornis sayus.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 7.50-8.05.
Adult : Upper parts dark brownish gray ; tail black ; belly light cin-
namon, merging to light brownish gray on breast.
Young : Similar to adults, but wing-coverts tipped with brown.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States, north to arctic
circle, south to Mexico.
California breeding Range : East of the Sierra Nevada to Lower Cali-
fornia.
Breeding Season : March 10 'to June 20.
Nest : Of weed stems, dry grasses, moss, plant fibre, wool, spider webs,
hair, and sometimes of mud ; the lining generally composed of wool
or hair ; placed on projecting ledges, protected by overhanging walls,
in old tunnels, about barns, or under bridges.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; white. Size 0.75 X 0.61.
SOMEWHAT larger than the Eastern phoebe is the
Western representative of the family. It has a wide
geographical distribution, breeding from the arctic circle
to the southern limit of the United States. In habits
and general characteristics it resembles the Eastern
phoebe, returning among the earliest spring migrants
to its old home, whether that be just inside the borders
of Southern California or in frosty Alaska. For in
whatever spot the Say Phoebe has reared its first brood
it will continue to nest year after year.
This species is found in greatest numbers in- the open
country, seldom or never frequenting the deep forests.
200 LAND BIRDS
Originally, all phoebes built on sheltered ledges of cliffs,
or shelves in caves, or on any jutting bit of rock secured
from storm by an overhanging roof. But all this is
changed, now that men have conquered the wilderness
and caused it to blossom like the rose. These birds
were among the first to recognize the advantage of
human friendship and to seek its protection. Without
a question they preempted the beams of barns together
with the swallows, encroaching more and more upon the
new-found territory, until now they build their nests as
close to human dwellings as the owners will permit.
Beams of piazzas, window-ledges behind blinds, and
summer book-shelves nailed to the wall of the veranda
are among their chosen sites. Unlike her Eastern repre-
sentative, Sayomis saya rarely uses mud in the construc-
tion of her home, making quite a flat structure of weed
stems, dry grasses, moss, wool, hair, spider webs, and
silky material from cocoons or plant down. Usually it
is smoothly lined with this silky fibre or wool, or some-
times hair. Four or five pearly eggs are laid, one each
day, and the day after the set is completed the mother
begins her cares. Incubation lasts two weeks, and
although the male does not brood he sits all day long
on a lookout near by. The newly hatched young are
naked except for a slight gray fuzz on their saffron skin.
Until six days old their eyes are closed by a skinny
membrane, and during this time they are fed by regur-
gitation. They mature very rapidly, and in two weeks
have their feathers well in order for their first attempts
to fly. Up to this time the father bird has diligently
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING
201
fed and guarded both them and the mother, coming to
the nest . every two or three minutes with butterflies in
his bill. But as soon as they are ready to try their
wings, he assumes full charge, teaching them to fly and
to catch insects on the wing in true flycatcher fashion.
Two, and occasionally three, broods are raised in a
season. No sooner has the father fairly launched the
young on the world
than the industrious
little mother repairs
the nest, and in it
lays a second set of
pretty white eggs.
Again she broods for
fourteen days, now
seldom or never fed
by her mate; but,
since the days grow warmer,
leaving oftener and for longer
intervals to forage for her-
self. When the second
family is ready to fly, she
takes charge of it unless the
necessity of rearing a third brood should compel her to
desert them; and then, from somewhere, the hitherto
unnoticed male appears, to assume care of them. It is
a mooted question whether any bird rears three broods
in one year, and this is the only species for which I
make the claim. While the same pairs usually return
each year to the same locality to nest, some instances
457. SAY PHCEBE.
' The industrious little mother repairs
'.nest."
202 LAND BIRDS
of very unusual choice of sites have been recorded:
" in an old robin's nest placed in a bush four feet from
the ground " ; in old tunnels and mining shafts, in pros-
pect holes, in an old embankment, in burrows of the
bank swallows, etc. But always the nests are lined with
some soft warm material, such as wool or short hair.
The ordinary call-note of the Say.Phosbe is a plain-
tive "phee-er," always accompanied by a twitch of the
tail and the raising and lowering of the crest. Besides
this note, during the mating season it utters a short low
warble.
462. WESTERN WOOD PEWEE. Horizopus richardsoni.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 6.20-6.75.
Adults: Upper parts dark grayish brown ; under parts washed with dark
gray ; belly and under tail-coverts whitish or tinged with yellow.
Young : Similar to adults with brownish wing-bafs.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America, north to British
Columbia, east to Great Plains, south in winter to Mexico and South
America.
California Breeding Range : In Transition zone throughout the State.
Breeding Season: June and July.
Nest: Of plant fibre, rootlets, down, sage, and grass tops ; sometimes
covered with lichens or spider webs ; in trees, from 5 to 40 feet from
the ground.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; irregularly spotted with brown and purple afc the
larger end.
IN general characteristics the Western Wood Pewee
does not differ much from the common wood pewee of
the East. Its call-note is, however, harsher and more
emphatic, lacking the plaintive quality of the " peeah-
wee " heard morning and evening in the Eastern woods.
It is variously described as " pee-ee," " pee-eer," " pee-ah,"
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 203
" tweer," or " deer." It ranges from the valleys to the
higher Sierra Nevada, building its nest indiscriminately
in pine, cottonwood, aspen, oak, ash, or fruit trees, but
always near water. In habits it is essentially a fly-
catcher, darting out from a favorite perch to seize its
prey in the air. Mr. Lawrence advances the theory that
it feeds high among the tree-tops during the early morn-
ing and late evening, because the sunlight sets the insects
stirring there before it does those of the undergrowth.
The nests of this species are deeper and more solid
than those of the Eastern pewee, in whose shallow
structures the bare foundation branch sometimes shows
through the scanty lining. Fine dry grasses, vegetable
fibre, shredded inner bark and plant down, woven well
together and bound with web from spider or cocoon,
form the walls. A lining of softer material, with occa-
sionally a few feathers, completes the cradle which, about
the middle of June, will contain two or three small eggs.
Both parents share in the building of the home, though
the male usually prefers to bring the material and the
female to weave the walls to her own liking. She alone
broods on the nest, but her little lover sits on a twig
near by, calling her " dear " in sweetest tones, and if he
makes two syllables of it, the meaning is just as clear.
At the end of two weeks his cocky airs tell you there
are babies in the wee nest, and that upon him falls the
tremendous responsibility of guarding and feeding them.
Small butterflies, gnats, all sorts of small winged insects
are the orthodox food for infant flycatchers, and are
swallowed at the rate of one every two minutes. Nor
204 LAND BIRDS
does the supply ever quite equal the demand, for every
visit of the devoted father is welcomed with wide-open
mouths and quivering wings. At first all this feeding
must be by regurgitation, the adult swallowing the in-
sect first and partially digesting it in some cases, and in
others merely moistening it with the saliva. After four
or five days most of the food is given to the young in
a fresh state.
474 a. PALLID HORNED LARK, OR DESERT
HORNED LARK. Otocoris alpestris leucolcema.
FAMILY : The Larks.
length: Male 7.50-8.00.
Adult Male in Breeding Plumage: Fore part of crown, cheeks, horn-like
tufts, and patch on the breast black ; white stripe across forehead,
extending back over the eyes ; throat and sides of neck white, some-
times washed with yellow ; sides of breast, nape, and upper parts
pale cinnamon ; the back more or less distinctly streaked with darker ;
belly white.
Adult Male in Fall and Winter: Plumage generally softer and colors
more blended ; black markings more or less obscured ; chest often
streaked or washed with gray.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but decidedly smaller ; black on the
head replaced by brownish or buffy; the back reddish, and the
plumage streaked.
Young : Upper parts brownish, white parts washed with buffy ; throat
and sides of the head spotted.
Geographical Distribution ': Great Plains and Great Basin of the United
States ; migrating in winter to Mexico.
California Breeding Range: In deserts of southeastern region.
Breeding Season: May 16 to July 21.
Nest: On the ground; well built of grass, roots, and bark ; lined with
hair and old cocoons.
Eggs: 3 ,to 4; grayish, irregularly marked with brown. Size 0.86
X 0.60.
IN every suitable locality throughout the great State
of California some form of the Horned Lark is found.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 205
From the Sierra Nevada to the coast, and from San
Diego north to the vicinity of San Francisco, it is called
the " Mexican Horned Lark " ; in the upper Sacramento
valley we find the " Ruddy " and south through the in-
terior to San Jose" and Santa Barbara the " Streaked."
In the northeastern corner, east of the Sierra Nevada,
the species is known as the " Dusky," and that found
on Santa Barbara Island is designated as the "Island
Horned Lark." The distinction between these forms is
one of size and color of plumage rather than structure or.
habits ; and while all are listed for purposes of identifi-
cation, the description here given of the habits of the
" Pallid " or " Desert " Horned Lark is true of all.
This is an abundant resident in the deserts of South-
eastern California, east of the Sierra Nevada and through
the Great Plains and Great Basin of the United States.
It is characteristically terrestrial in all its ways, nesting
and feeding on the ground, and is never found in heavily
wooded districts. As its name implies, the arid, sandy
regions where only stunted growth is found are the
favorite haunts of this species. The others of its fam-
ily, while equally terrestrial, prefer fallow fields, prairies,
meadows, or edges of wet lowlands. The name of
Horned Lark has been given them on account of the
erectile tufts of black feathers on either side of the head,
which, in anger, surprise, or the ardor of wooing, stand
erect like tiny black horns. By this you may know
them at first sight and love them ever after. Except
during the breeding season, these birds are found in
flocks ; but as soon as the spring rains are over they
206 LAND BIRDS
separate, each pair preempting a quarter section of land
and setting up a homestead claim. Anywhere in the
open, sometimes close to a clump of sage, sometimes
almost in the travelled wagon road, the little nests are
made in a saucer-like hollow in the ground. The only
material used is dry buffalo grass or fine vegetation, a
small quantity of which usually lines the nest for the
earliest brood. In the second brood, however, whether
because of the warmer season or the carelessness of cus-
tom, the eggs are often laid on the bare ground, with
no attempt at nest-building.
While the mother prepares the cradle, the father
indulges in aerial concerts. You may hear the sweet,
tinkling music while yet he is a mere speck in the blue,
tumbling and turning with the rapture of his song. He
calls to his mate ; she hears, you may be sure, and in
a moment she too is frolicking through the sunny air
as if life held no such word as care. But when the
snug little nest holds eggs, she foregoes the fun of a chase
over the fields and sits patiently for nine days, in heat
so intense that she gasps with open bill. It has seemed
to me the eggs would be cooked if left too long exposed
to the hot desert sun, and that her brooding was fully as
much to shield them from his fiery rays as to preserve
them from the cool night air with her body. If sur-
prised on her eggs, the mother runs a few yards and
begins feeding as unconcernedly as possible ; but if there
are young in the nest, both parents exhibit great dis-
tress. Back and forth over the field they fly, crying
" tseet, tseet ! " in pitifully appealing tones, and trying
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 207
to muster courage sufficient to come down and defend
their little ones.
The young larks leave the nest usually on the ninth
day after hatching, although one brood certainly were
gone on the fourth day, and one remained until the
tenth. They are beautiful babies, of soft mottled light
and dark brown and cream buffy ; they are fed by both
parents until fairly well grown, when the male takes
entire charge, and the female scratches out another nest
in the stubbly grass or sand. The education of the
family thus depends entirely on the father bird, who
may be found any sunny afternoon, initiating them into
the mysteries of a dust bath, or standing beside them
under a sagebush, panting in the terrible heat that
beats down froni the cloudless sky and up from the
blistering sand. In the early morning you can watch
them feeding on the insects and seeds on the ground.
A little later in the season, if you are an early riser, you
may witness their first singing lesson. With wide-eyed
amazement and dawning envy they have watched their
father rise twittering through the clear air ; and, one by
one, they learn to do it too. The first I ever saw start
gave a little bound, uttered a weak " tweet, tweet,"
and fluttered up about ten feet only to sink back again.
But he was full of triumph and, unable to contain him-
self any longer, soon attempted a second flight. The
method is very like that of the bobolink, though the
result is for less brilliant. Yet so full of irrepressible
joy in living is the Horned Lark that as you listen you
are glad, like him, just to be alive.
LAND BIRDS
474 e. CALIFORNIA HORNED LARK. Otocoris
alpestris actia.
FAMILY : The Larks.
Length: Male 6.75-7.25 ; female 6.50-7.00.
Adults: Upper parts reddish, more brownish in female , nape, shoulders,
and rump light reddish brown, in contrast to back ; breast pure white
in both sexes.
Geographical Distribution: Coast district of California and south to
Lower California.
Breeding Range : West of Sierra Nevada from San Diego to Marin
County.
Breeding Season: April 15 to June 15.
Nest : On the ground ; of dried grasses ; similar to that of pallid horned
lark.
Eggs : 2 to 4 ; resemble those of the pallid horned lark. Size 0.82 X 0.60.
474 f. RUDDY HORNED LARK. Otocoris alpestris
rubea.
FAMILY : The Larks.
Length: Male 6.50-7.00 ; female 6.00-6.50.
Adults: Similar to the Mexican horned lark, but smaller and brighter
colored ; hind neck, shoulders, and rump tawny cinnamon ; forehead,
superciliary, and throat yellowish ; sides marked with reddish brown.
Geographical Distribution : California, in Sacramento and San Joaquin
valleys.
California Breeding Range : Upper Sacramento valley.
Breeding Season: May to June 10.
Nest : Usually placed in a depression on the ground under a small bush,
a tuft of grass, vines by the side of a clod of earth, or a small rock ;
sometimes in a cultivated field ; composed of fine straw and grasses ;
lined with horsehair.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; pale olive buff, finely sprinkled with rusty gray. Size
0.82 X 0.54.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING
474 g. STREAKED HORNED LARK. Otocoris alpestris
strigata.
FAMILY : The Larks.
Length: Male 6.75-7.25 ; female 6.25-6.50.
Adult Male: Upper parts dull olive-brown ; back broadly and conspicu-
ously streaked with black ; nape and rump ruddy ; under parts
generally pale yellow.
Adult Female : Similar, but upper parts more olivaceous and more dis-
tinctly streaked.
Geographical Distribution : Coast districts of Oregon, Washington, and
British Columbia, west of the Cascade Mountains, south in winter to
Southern California.
Breeding Range : Coast region of British Columbia, Washington, Ore-
gon, and possibly the northwestern corner of California.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest : On the ground, in a depression ; of grass stems, and lined with
cattle hair.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; grayish or pale greenish tint. Size 0.83 X 0.56.
524. GRAY-CROWNED LEUCOSTICTE. Leucosticte
tephrocotis,
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.75-6.85.
Adult Male : General plumage deep cinnamon-brown ; forehead and fore
part of crown black ; rest of head gray, but not spreading down over
ear-coverts ; bill black ; back, rump, and belly streaked with black-
ish ; upper tail-coverts, wings, and tail more or less tinged with pink ;
winter plumage edged with whitish ; black crown smaller ; bill yellow,
tipped with black.
Adult Female: Similar to male, but colors paler and duller; same
change in winter.
Young : General plumage brownish, without the characteristic markings
of the male.
Geographical Distribution : Along the crests of the Rocky Mountains and
the Sierra Nevada and the highest peaks of the Cascades, from
British America south to Mexico.
14
210
LAND BIRDS
California Breeding Range: Locally in the tipper Boreal along the
Sierra Nevada from Mt. Shasta south to Mt. Whitney.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest: Carelessly arranged on a ledge of a bluff, or in a small crevice ;
composed of wild parsnip stalks, coarse grass stems, and lined with
finer grasses.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; white. Size 0.97 X 0.67.
WHERE the range of the Pipilo ends that of the Leucos-
ticte begins. Far above the timber line, amid a wilder-
ness of snow-clad peaks these Alpine
dwellers have their home. Only the
severest storms of winter are able to
drive them to the shelter of the
forest. Flying high over the top-
most peak of the range, searching in
the snow for beetles and bugs that
a kind Providence sends there for
their special nourishment, they lead
charmed lives. Even bumblebees and
butterflies are on their menu, coming
as mysteriously as do the birds them-
selves. When storms swirl over the
summit, they crowd together in the shelter
of a rock or a snowbank. When the sun
comes out again, they are off for a frolic
over the chasms and gulches, or a dip in
the icy water of the glacial lake. They
are constantly in motion, and their
524 GRAY- ""**," V clear, low "churr" is the embodi-
CROWNED men t O f gayety. Somewhat shy
LEUCOSTICTE. J J J
"Searching inthe^ow^ during the breeding season, as soon
for beetles and bugs."
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 211
as the family cares are over they become as friendly as
possible with the few who invade their haunts.
The nest is snugly hidden in a cleft in the rock under-
neath a crag, where the fury of the storm will pass it by.
It is not an elaborate affair, but composed of weed stalks,
and lined with deer moss and occasionally a few feathers.
Late in June incubation begins, and it continues four-
teen days. The newly hatched young are only thinly
sprinkled with hair-like gray down and look not unlike
baby j uncos. They remain in the nest fully three weeks,
and by the middle of August are able to fly nearly as
well as the adults. In September the broods of the
vicinity unite in bands of one or two families, frolicking
and chattering about the summit as if it were mid-
summer, and braving the snowstorms until the cold
dark November days drive them to the firs for shelter
at night. Even then the adults fly back to the crests
during the sunny hours, as if homesick for the bare,
bleak crags and the broad vista of snowy peaks. By
December they are well within the forest, whirling from
place to place in masses like juncos, and sleeping huddled
together in the heavy firs, sometimes almost buried in
the snow but always sure of a joyous resurrection in the
morning.
533. PINE SISKIN, OR PINE FINCH. Spinus pinus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 4.50-5.25.
Adults: Upper parts grayish or brownish; under parts whitish ; whole
body finely streaked with brown ; sulphur-yellow patches on wings
and tail.
212 LAND BIRDS
Young: Upper parts bright greenish yellow, tinged with brownish
yellow ; feathers streaked, except on belly ; wing-bauds and patches
brown.
Geographical Distribution : Northern North America, west to the Pacific,
south in winter to Gulf States and Mexico.
California Breeding Range : In Boreal and Transition zones, along the
Sierra Nevada forests, south through the San Bernardino mountains ;
also in Santa Cruz mountains.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Usually a rather flat compact structure of fine twigs, pine needles,
grasses, rootlets, and plant fibres ; lined with line rootlets and hair ;
placed generally in pine or cedar trees, from 20 to 35 feet from the
ground.
Eggs; 3 or 4 ; pale greenish blue, spotted with various shades of brown,
especially at the larger end. Size 0.67 X 0.48.
HIGH up in the mountains the tramper will find these
fascinating little birds flitting through the pines, flashing
a glint of yellow from wings and tails as they dash from
tree to tree.
Wherever a pine cone offers its seeds, or a clump of
weeds hangs full of brown pods, a banquet is spread for
the Siskins. With a merry note, strikingly like the
" per-chic-o-ree " of the goldfinches, they settle down to
the feast, only to rise and fly farther on as the whim
seizes them. The flight also is of the graceful, undulat-
ing character, as the flight of the goldfinch, as if the
birds were playing with the air rather than trying to go
somewhere. Yet they can fly with speed and strength,
and in the breeding season they indulge in dizzy aerial
gymnastics, accompanied by their own merry music.
Their song is a wheezy little tune in the ascending scale,
a kind of crescendo, which sounds as if it were
produced by inhalation rather than by exhalation, but so
bubbling over with gladness as to be enchanting.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 213
The nest of these charming feathered romps is high in
a pine tree on the steep side of a canon, so inaccessible
that never have I looked into one. After the broods are
reared and able to look out for themselves, the Pine
Siskins band together in small flocks. So long as every
bit of food is not covered with snow too deep for shak-
ing off, they feast and frolic among the scrubby pines of
the mountains until storms drive them to the foot-hills.
540 a. WESTERN VESPER SPARROW. Poaxete*
gramineus conjinis.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.00-6.75.
Adults : Upper parts brownish gray, everywhere streaked with dusky ;
bend of wing reddish brown ; outer tail-feathers mostly white ; under
parts pale buffy white ; streaked along sides of throat and across
chest with dark grayish brown.
Young : Similar to adult, but markings less distinct.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America, north to British
America, east to Manitoba, south to Lower California and Mexico.
California Breeding Range : In the valleys east of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : On the ground ; of dried grass.
Eggs : 3 to 6 ; pale buffy, or dull whitish, often blotched and streaked
with reddish brown and lavender. Size 0.80 X 0.60.
THE hall marks of this dull-colored haunter of grassy
upland meadows and roadside thickets are its pale red-
brown shoulders and white outer tail-feathers, shown as
it flies low over the ground ahead of you. Rarely does
it venture higher than the top of a fence post, or the low
branch of a scrub pine, to sing its quaint melodious ves-
per hymn. As the sun sinks behind the dark trees it
214 LAND BIRDS
begins its chant, to end only when all the world is asleep,
and when its music alone breaks the silence of the
forest.
Hidden deep in the grass of the meadow is its nest,
woven of grass and rootlets, and roofed with leaning
green spears. Here, rendered doubly safe by her protec-
tive coloring, the pretty brown mother broods for twelve
days, and though you may locate the spot you will find
her difficult to discover. I have actually put my hand
down within a few inches of the nest without noticing it,
even when I was looking for it. The young are born
without feathers and are blind, like most young birds ;
but they soon don coats of soft brown, indistinctly
streaked with darker, and, did not their open mouths
stretched up for food betray them, they would, I am
sure, never be discovered. The feeding is by regurgita-
tion for the first four days. In eight to ten days they
are feathered, and leave the nest, though unable to fly.
Like the meadowlarks, they remain hidden in the long
grass, fed by both parents, and gradually becoming ex-
pert in picking up bugs for themselves.
In the fall the broods flock together in small com-
panies, and leaving the high altitude of the breeding
grounds, gradually work down to the brush-covered
foot-hills for winter food and shelter.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 215
542 b. WESTERN SAVANNA SPARROW. Passer-
culus sandrvichensis alaudinus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 4.75-5.90.
Adults : Upper parts brownish gray, streaked with black ; the streaks in
sharp contrast to feather-edgings of whitish, grayish, or buffy ; crown
stripe and superciliary usually yellow, sometimes white.
Young : Similar to adults, but light markings more buffy ; under parts
less distinctly marked ; superciliary stripe usually without yellow,
and finely streaked.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America, from Alaska south
in winter to Guatemala.
California Breeding Range : In valleys east of the Sierra Nevada re-
corded from Owens Lake.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : On the ground, in meadows or other grassy places.
Eggs : 3 to 6 ; pale brownish, varying to dull whitish or greenish white,
spotted with brown. Size 0.75 X 0.55.
WHEN on a tramp through salt marsh or upland
meadow you flush a sparrow-like bird, with more white
in its plumage than most sparrows, and with yellow
about the eye and on the band of the wing, you may
write it down tentatively as a Western Savanna Sparrow.
If, a little later, you find it swinging on a grass stem,
uttering its " weak little insect-like trill," you may be
sure of its identity. He is one of the hardest of all the
sparrow tribe to observe, and the one least apt to be dis-
covered by the bird-lover, because the moment he be-
comes aware of your presence he drops into the grass
and refuses to come into view. Even when flushed, his
flight is merely a short zigzag to the nearest cover. Yet
although you find so few, there are doubtless a large
216 LAND BIRDS
number hidden in the weed patches and nesting in the
wiry marsh grass. His song at best is so weak and low
as to seem like the note of an insect, to one who has
never heard it, and is not likely to attract attention
unless the listener is very near.
In nesting habits the Savanna resembles the field
sparrow described elsewhere.
542 c. BRYANT MARSH SPARROW. Passerculus
sandwichensis bryanti.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 4.78-5.30.
Adults: Similar to the Western savanna sparrow, but darker and
browner, with sides and breast usually more heavily streaked ; the
whole head often tinged with yellow.
Geographical Distribution : Salt marshes about San Francisco Bay, south
in winter along the coast to the San Diegari district.
California Breeding Range : On marshes of San Francisco and Monterey
Bays.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest : Placed on the ground, usually in a slight depression.
Eggs : 4 or 5 ; grayish white, irregularly blotched with shades of brown
and marked with light purple. Size 0.73 X 0.57.
AMONG the thick rushes of the San Francisco Bay
marshes the Bryant Marsh Sparrow makes its home.
There you may find it swinging on a tule or warbling a
short sweet song, as it flies out over the tangled sedges.
Its nest is made on the ground among the coarse
meadow grass at a safe distance from the edge of the
marsh, to escape high tides. Here in the thickest tus-
sock, or perhaps in a hollow in the soil, a thin mat of
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 217
grass is scratched together and serves as a nursery. It
is always more or less damp, but this does not to any
marked degree interfere with the hatching. When near
their nests these birds skulk through the rushes in the
same manner as a rail, straddling along with one foot on
one tule and the other on a second. In the shadow of
the rushes one might easily mistake them for little black
rails. After the four weeks of this constant brushing
through the rushes to and from the nest, both parents
present a decidedly threadbare appearance, and their
tails are often almost as stringy as a rat's. Incubation
lasts thirteen days, and the young remain in the nest
ten days longer. They are fed mostly upon insects
picked up in the damp grass or at the edge of the
water.
543. BELDING MARSH SPARROW. Passerculus
beldingi.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.00-5.25.
Adults : Upper parts olive-brown, with broad black streaks on back ;
superciliary and median crown-stripe very indistinct or wanting ; fore-
part of superciliary stripe greenish yellow ; sides of head and neck
darker ; under parts more thickly and heavily marked with black ;
under tail-coverts with concealed streaks.
Young : Similar to adults, but upper parts more buffy ; superciliary
finely streaked and usually without yellow ; under parts less dis-
tinctly streaked.
Geographical Distribution : Salt marshes of Southern California south to
Lower California and Todos Santos Island.
California Breeding Range : On southern coast marshes from Port Har-
ford to National City.
Breeding Season : May.
218 LAND BIRDS
Nest: Placed in salt marsh mud, raised about 6 inches from the
ground; made of weed stalks, grass, horsehair, or feathers.
Eggs : 3 ; light blue, marked with lavender specks ; reddish brown
blotches principally at the larger end. Size 0.78 X 0.58.
THE Belding Marsh Sparrow is abundant on the
salt marshes near the coast of Southern California from
Santa Barbara south to Lower California. It replaces
the Bryant marsh sparrow of the San Francisco Bay
region. Like the latter, its nest is a thin mat of grass
on the ground as near the edge of the marsh as the tide
will allow. In the vicinity of National City, San Diego
County, the nests outnumber those of any other sparrow.
Many of them are placed on tussocks of grass, which
raise them several inches above the ground. Even then
they are usually quite damp, and we might expect to
find the eggs addled, which they doubtless would be
were not the water salt. In May, or early June, the
newly hatched, naked, pinky grayish nestlings are to bo
found wriggling their wrinkled necks and opening their
tiny mouths for food. This consists of the insects picked
up from the wet vegetation, and the seeds of marsh
plants given at first by regurgitation. By June 20 the
young sparrows are looking out for themselves, secure
in their protective coloring in the long grass.
544. LARGE-BILLED SPARROW. Passerculus
rostratus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.30.
Adults: Upper parts light grayish brown, indistinctly streaked with
darker : under parts streaked with rusty brown : bill long and
swollen and regularly curved from the base.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING
219
Geographical Distribution: Coast of Southern and Lower California;
south in winter to Cape St. Lucas and Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Along the salt marshes of the coast from
the San Diegan district north to Santa Barbara.
Nest and Eggs : Similar to those of the Beldiug f J\'
marsh sparrow.
THE Large-billed Sparrow is found
in the winter along the seacoast of
Southern California from Santa
Barbara to San Diego, usually
close to the water ; at San
Pedro it might be
called the Harbor
Sparrow,, as, according to '*=
Mr. Grinnell, it frequents
the decks of vessels and haunts
the wharves and breakwaters. Its
breeding habits are so similar to those
of the fielding marsh sparrow that no
separate description is necessary. It
may be known from all its kinsfolk
by its large bill and the uniform pale
brown of its upper parts.
544. LARGE-BILLED
SPARROW.
" It haunts the wharves
<md breakwaters."
546 a. WESTERN GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. Am-
modramus savannarum bimaculaiiis.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.00-5.50.
Adults: Upper parts reddish brown, black, gray, and buff'y ; feathers of
back spotted with black and brown ; median crown-stripe buffy,
bordered on each side with blackish stripes ; nuchal patch dull gray,
220 LAND BIRDS
marked with reddish brown ; edge of wings yellow ; under parts
plain buffy on throat and sides ; belly white.
Young : Similar to adults, but with little or no reddish brown on upper
parts, feathers being more conspicuously bordered with pale buffy
and whitish ; median crown-stripe more ashy ; under parts dull huffy -
whitish ; chest distinctly streaked with dusky.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States east to Great Plains,
from British Columbia to Southern California and Arizona.
California Breeding Range : West of the Sierra Nevada, in valleys north
to Sacramento, south to San Diego.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest : On ground ; rather bulky and deep ; sometimes partially arched
over ; made of dried grasses.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; white, spotted with reddish brown, mixed with a few
markings of black and lilac, mostly at the larger end. Size 0.75 X
0.57.
As its name implies, this tiny brown bird hides away
in the grass and low shrubbery, like a wee brown mouse
or a big brown grasshopper. Its weak, shrill " zee-
ee-ee," so like the song of an insect, is readily passed by
as belonging to such in the medley of meadow music,
unless the listener is close to the little musician. It is
even better known as the " Yellow-winged Sparrow " on
account of the bright lemon-color at the bend of the
wing. It is so shy that one seldom catches a glimpse of
it, and " none but the grazing cattle know how many
nests and birds are hidden in their pastures." Instead
of flying up when alarmed, it runs deeper into the grass,
and is seldom flushed. If driven to desperation by close
quarters it may dart out in a short zigzag flight of a few
yards and seek the first concealment that offers. Unlike
most sparrows, it feeds mostly upon insects, and is of
incalculable benefit to the farmer. Its nest is hidden in
the meadow grass, and differs from that of most other
ground birds in being deep and arched over.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 221
552 a. W T ESTERN LARK SPARROW. Chondestes
grammacus strigatus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.50-7.25.
Adults : Upper parts brown-
ish or brownish gray, the
back streaked with blackish ; crown and
ear-coverts chestnut with median stripe
white or buffy ; black and white streaks
on side of head, bordering the chestnut
patch, also a black streak along each side
of throat ; a small black spot on middle
of chest ; tail dark brown, all but middle
feathers tipped with white ; under parts
white, with a small black spot on breast.
Young : Upper parts buffy ; head without
chestnut crown or patches or black and white stre
chest streaked with dusky.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States east to
Great Plains and Middle Texas, south to Mexico, north to
British Columbia.
California Breeding Range: Upper Sonoran zone, chiefly in
interior valleys west of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season: May and June.
Nest : Of dried grasses, plant stems, and fibres ; placed on the
ground, or in bushes and trees.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; white or pale bluish or brownish, speckled and
lined, chiefly on the larger end, with black and brown. ? ^r
Size 0.50 X 0.60.
THE Lark Sparrow is one of the sweetest
singers, as well as one of the most abundant of
the Western sparrows. Walking along the *
country roadside at any hour of the day during
April, May, or June, one is likely to hear " a
gush of silvery notes accompanied by a metallic
tremolo," and find the singer swinging on a weed
552 a. WESTERN
LAIIK SPARROW.
" The singer."
222 LAND BIRDS
stalk or on a low bush, ruffling his little throat with a
continuous flow of music. Or he may be caught dancing
before his demure brown sweetheart, ecstatically pouring
out melody. It is difficult to go anywhere in the inte-
rior valleys of California and not see him. His striped
head and white-bordered tail and sweet song are the
characteristics by which you may identify him.
His nest is usually well hidden, either on the ground
or in low bushes, and in going to it he skulks through
the intervening foliage in a secretive fashion hard to
follow. The young are like those of his kind, naked,
except for thin down, and blind for the first few days,
during which they are fed by regurgitation. They are
well feathered on the tenth day, and at this stage scram-
ble out of the nest at the approach of danger. Like
young meadowlarks they spend their babyhood days in
the concealment afforded by the grass and thickets, and
not until able to fly do they follow the adults to the
more conspicuous feeding grounds.
554. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. Zonotrichia
leucophrys.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.50-7.50.
Adults: Upper parts grayish brown, back streaked with brown or black ;
crown with median white stripe, having lateral deep black stripe ; a
broad white superciliary stripe, below which is a narrower black
stripe behind the eye ; edge of wing white ; under parts plain gray.
Young : Similar to adults, but head striped brown and buffy instead of
black and white ; under parts very light brown ; breast, sides of
throat, and sides of belly streaked.
Geographical Distribution: United States and Canada, north to Lab-
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 223
rador ; in winter migrates stragglingly over the whole of the United
States and south into Mexico.
California Breeding Range : In the higher Sierra Nevada as far south
as Mt. Whitney.
Breeding Season : June and July.
Nest : Composed of fine twigs, weed stalks, and coarse material ; lined
with fine grasses and hair ; placed on the ground or in low bushes.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; pale greenish blue, speckled with light reddish brown,
more thickly at the large end. Size 0.89 X 0.63.
As the snow disappears from the sides of the Sierra
Nevada, the White-crowned Sparrow follows in its wake,
higher and higher, until it reaches the extreme limit of
the willows. Among the dense thickets that border the
upper edge of the timber line it is most abundant, and
during June, July, and August its song rings constantly,
fine and clear. During the breeding season it haunts the
willows along the mountain meadows, placing its nest
on the ground, or, more commonly, in the lower branches.
Its nest and young can with difficulty be told from those
of the song sparrow ; and as it scratches among the dry
leaves of the underbrush for insects with which to feed
the nestlings, its manner distinctly suggests the latter.
But here the resemblance ends ; the White-crowned
Sparrow is distinguished by its white crown and plain
gray breast, as well as by its large handsome form.
When there are eggs or young in the nest, the male
sings early and late, often piping his clear whistle when
all the world is silent. I have heard him at intervals
until long past midnight, as if the joy of parenthood
forced him to waken and give to his sleepy mate and
little brood below the assurance that u All 's well." Evi-
dently the singer needs little rest, for with the earliest
224 LAND BIRDS
dawn the whole thicket rings with his melody, rousing
the more drowsy willow-dwellers to rejoice with him.
" The ballad singer of the mountains," some one has
called him.
His is a vertical as well as longitudinal migration, for
when the September snow-flurries threaten, the various
broods form a straggling flock that retreat slowly before
the cold, until in October they have reached the valleys
of Southern California, and pass on farther south.
554 a. GAMBEL SPARROW, OR INTERMEDIATE
SPARROW. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.75-6.75.
Adults: Similar to the white-crowned sparrow, but edge of wing pale
yellow instead of white, and lores white or buffy instead of black,
and white superciliary stripe extending to bill.
Geographical Distribution : Coast ranges of California and north to
British Columbia, straggling east as far as Iowa, and south to
Mexico.
Breeding Range : From Alaska and Montana to Eastern Oregon.
Breeding Season: June 15 to July 15.
Nest: Similar to that of the white-crowned sparrow, but placed in
bushes, trees, and thick clumps of weeds.
Eggs: Similar to those of the white-crowned sparrow, but tinged with
rusty brown.
IN form, coloring, and habits the Gambel Sparrow,
or Intermediate Sparrow, closely resembles the white-
crowned, of which it is a subspecies. It breeds in the
far north, returning to California in October, and is an
abundant winter visitant throughout the State. For
nesting habits, see " White-crowned Sparrow."
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 225
554 b. NUTTALL SPARROW. Zonotrichia leucophrys
nuttalli.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.00-7.00.
Adults: Like the white-crowned sparrow, but white superciliary stripe
extending to bill ; lores white, and general coloration brown.
Geographical Distribution: British Columbia to Southern California,
south in winter to Lower California.
California Breeding Range: Humid coast belt from Oregon south to
Point Sur.
Breeding Season: March 15 to May 1.
Nest : Bulky ; of weed stems, and lined with grasses ; placed in thick
clumps of weeds or low trees or bushes.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; pale greenish blue, spotted with pale rusty. Size 0.87 X
0.64.
LIKE the intermediate sparrow, the Nuttall Sparrow is
also a subspecies of the white-crowned, and similar in
habits. It is a resident of the coast belt in the vicinity
of Santa Cruz, and straggles as far south as Los Angeles
in winter.
557. GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. Zonotrichia
coronata.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 7.00-8.00.
Adults: Upper parts olive-brown, streaked on the back with rusty
black ; two white wing-bars ; middle of crown yellow, between two
black lines, the yellow merging to gray for the last third ; under
parts gray, tinged with brown on sides.
Young : Similar, with forehead suffused with yellow, and black crown-
stripes streaked with brown ; under parts soiled white.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific Coast, Southern California to Alaska,
straggling to the Rocky Mountains and Wisconsin,
Breeding Range. : Alaska.
Breeding Season : June.
15
LAND BIRDS
Nest : Of weed steins ; lined with grasses ; placed in alder inches.
Eggs: 4 to 5 ; pale greenish blue, heavily spotted with pale reddish
brown. Size 0.90 X 0.66.
LIKE the Gambel sparrow, the Golden-crowned Spar-
row is found in California during the winter months
only. He occurs at
this season through-
out the length of the
State west of the
Sierra Nevada, and
is oftenest found near
the haunts of men.
City parks and door-
yards are not infre-
557. GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW.
"Their food ii chiefly weed seeds and winter berries."
quently his banquet hall, and he regards
human friends almost as trustfully as do his
less welcome English cousins in the East.
Along the foot-hills the Golden-crowned fre-
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 227
quents the thickets, keeping on rather than in the bushes.
Other varieties, especially white crowned and gambeli, are
often found in a flock of the Goldens, and are evidently
received into the freemasonry of good-fellowship. Their
food is chiefly weed seeds and winter berries, but insects
are also eaten, and occasionally caterpillars.
560 a. WESTERN CHIPPING SPARROW. Spizella
passerina arizonce.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.00-6.00.
Adults: Back light brown, narrowly streaked with black; rump and
tail gray ; top of head reddish brown, sometimes streaked with ashy
and dark ; forehead black, with short white median line ; super-
ciliary line white ; narrow line through the eye black ; sides of head
gray ; under parts gray, whiter on chest, and throat uustreaked ; bill
black.
Young : Top of head streaked brown and black ; breast streaked.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America, east to Rocky
Mountains, north to beyond latitude 60 in summer ; south in winter
to Southern Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Upper Souoran to Boreal zone, nearly
throughout the State.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Of fine grasses ; lined smoothly with horsehair ; placed in bushes
or small trees.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; light greenish blue, speckled around the larger end with
black and brown.
THE Chipping Sparrow, or Hair Bird, is the universal
favorite of the sparrow family. No other is so confiding,
so trustful, building his nest in the fruit tree near the
dooryard, or in the evergreen on the lawn, or even in
a large rosebush. I have found him weaving his dainty
hair-lined cradle in the same bush in which a thrasher
was rearing his brood. The wee sparrow mother had
228 LAND BIRDS
dauntless courage, and allowed me to touch her before
she could be induced to leave her nest, when the speckled
eggs were laid. She was a fluffy, fascinating bit of soft
grayish brown and bufly, with sparkling eyes that flashed
indignant protest at my intrusion. After ten days, when
those small eggs had hatched into nestlings, the life of
both parents was full of care. The nestlings were fed
by regurgitation for the first few days. After that in-
sects of many sorts, and seed, were brought to the nest
at surprisingly short intervals, yet those young Chippies
were never satisfied; and long after they were well
feathered and out of the nest they followed the parents
about, begging constantly for food. They were exquis-
itely proportioned little creatures, from the time the thin
fuzz began to show on their bald heads until they were
clothed in soft brown feathers, like the adults.
The call note of this bird is a thin, shrill " chip, chip,"
which has given it its name. The fact that, wherever
placed, the nest is always beautifully lined with horse-
hair, has won for it the nickname of " Hair Bird " in the
East, and this name is equally applicable to the Western
variety, though less frequently applied to it.
562. BREWER SPARROW. Spizella breweri.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.00-5.60.
Adults: Entire upper parts grayish brown, streaked with blackish, less
distinct on head and ear-coverts ; under parts soiled grayish"; winter
plumage more buffy.
Young: Similar to adult, but chest and sides streaked with dusky;
upper parts less distinctly streaked ; wings with two distinct bands.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 229
Geographical Distribution : Western United States east to Rocky Moun-
tains, south to Mexico, north to British Columbia.
California Breeding Range : Arid foot-hill regions of the interior, chiefly
along the southern Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season: May and June.
Nest : Of dry grasses and rootlets ; lined with hair ; placed generally in
sagebushes a few feet from the ground.
Eggs: Usually 4; light greenish blue, with reddish brown markings,
chiefly at the larger end. Size 0.69 X 0.53.
WHEREVER in California there is sagebrush there are
Brewer Sparrows, be it in the arid deserts of the south-
ern district, or among the foot-hills, or on the mountains.
As Mrs. Bailey says, 8,400 feet high on the snowy crests
of the sierras, " morning and evening the curious little
tinkling song comes up from all over the brush, and it
seems as if we had come upon a marsh full of singing
though subdued, marsh wrens."
In appearance this sparrow is much like the clay-
colored sparrow, but is paler and duller, being almost
ashy on the under parts, and harmonizing well with the
tones of its arid nesting ground. The nests are usually
in sagebushes a foot or two from the ground, and, unlike
those of most sparrows, are lined with hair. In this
and in other habits it resembles the chipping sparrow,
and the eggs are so like those of the latter as to be dis-
tinguishable from them with difficulty. It is sometimes
called the "Sagebrush Chippie." The newly hatched
young complete the family resemblance, being the same
daintily proportioned little creatures that we find in the
nests of the Eastern chipping sparrow or hair bird. As
soon as they are able to fly, they care for themselves, and
the parents turn their attention to another brood. In
230 LAND BIRDS
the winter these birds wander to the coast and the San
Diegan district and south through the table-lands of
Mexico.
565. BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW. Spizella
atrogularis.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.50-5.75.
Adults : Upper parts rusty browiiisb, narrowly streaked with black ;
head, neck, and under parts gray, becoming white on belly and under
tail-coverts ; chin and upper throat black ; bill-pinkish.
Young: Similar to adults, but chin and throat gray instead of black ;
chest indistinctly streaked.
Geographical Distribution : Arizona south to the southern border of the
United States and Lower California.
California Breeding Range : Arid foot-hill regions of the southern Sierra
Nevada and desert ranges.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: Of grasses, on a foundation of leaves; lined with hair; usually
placed in low bushes.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; light greenish blue. Size 0.68 X 0.50.
THE Black-chinned is a common summer visitant in
the foot-hills of Southern California, and occasionally
wanders as far as Alameda and Monterey counties. It
haunts the grassy fields and low thickets on the edges of
meadows, where the clear, low trill is heard through
sunny hours. The nest is very like that of the Eastern
field sparrow in construction, but is placed in bushes
rather than on the ground.
Incubation lasts twelve days, and the young remain in
the nest ten days longer, being fed by one parent while
the other anxiously tries to attract the attention of the
intruder to himself. Rather than betray the hiding place
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 231
of the little brood, the adult will flit restlessly about for
an hour with a bug in his bill, which he himself abso-
lutely refuses to eat. Finally he compromises by alight-
ing in the grass at some distance from the nest, and
running under cover to the bush where it is located.
This species has the red bill of the field sparrow and
is said to resemble it in song.
567c. THURBER JUNCO, OR SIERRA JUNCO.
Junco oreganus thurberi.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.60-6.20.
Adults: Similar to the Oregon junco, but wings and tail longer ; head,
throat, and breast black, sharply defined against light brown of back
and white of under parts ; sides buffy.
Young: Similar to the young of the Oregon junco, only upper parts
lighter.
Geographical Distribution : Sierra Nevada, the desert, and the southern
coast ranges of California from Oregon to latitude 32.
California Breeding Range : Transition and Boreal zones along the whole
length of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : April to July 23.
Nest: Of dry grasses and bits of moss ; lined with finer materials of the
same ; placed on the ground, usually under a bush.
Eggs : 4 or 5 ; bluish white, spotted with chestnut, red, and lavender,
forming a ring around the larger end ; a few spots scattered over the
smaller end. Size 0.71 X 0.58.
BEFORE the snows had left the sides of Mt. Tallac, I
found a nest of the Thurber Junco among the pines at
its foot. Hidden snugly under the edge of a log and
close by a clump of' scarlet snowflower, it might have
been secure from all detection had not the calls of the
parents attracted my eager prying eyes. When I peeped
in, the four nestlings were cuddled down on a bed of
red-brown pine needles, so exactly matching their own
LAND BIRDS
striped plumage that at first I saw nothing. They were
too old to be fooled into opening their bills for food, but
crouched flat in fear, only their beady eyes telling me
they were alive. As I put down my
hand to take one, the four popped out
of the nest with one accord so swiftly
that I could not see what hap-
pened. Then ensued a search,
long and painstaking, before I
found even one. During all
this time the
excited father
mother were fol-
lowing me just over-
head in the lowest
/ " branches, the " seep, seep "
seeming to my strained
imagination like " Don't,
don't," but not once had
they come to the ground.
The instant I espied the
youngster sitting placidly
on the ground, they seemed
intuitively to know it.
With redoubled cries they
flew down to him, evidently coaxing him to make
some effort to escape. And he did try, but I had never
photographed a Junco baby and this chance was too
good to lose, so I caught him. Soon after I found
two of the others. Once caught, they seemed to lose
3.7.
567 c. THTJRBER JUNCO.
" They protested icith plaintive
calls."
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 233
fear and ate readily while sitting contentedly on my
hand. There was no difficulty in inducing them to sit
for their pictures, nor did the parents interfere. From
a near perch they protested with plaintive calls, but
ceased to fly down as they had done when the little
ones were first discovered.
.On the same day that this brood were found, I flushed
a mother from her nest on the lawn of the Hotel Tallac,
not a hundred feet from the main entrance. In this case
the nest was a little hollow in the ground, lined with
dried grasses and entirely concealed by the green grass
of the lawn. It was not near any tree or other protec-
tion, and, when built, must have been quite exposed to
view before the grass had grown tall enough to cover it.
Four eggs nearly ready to hatch were its precious con-
tents, which I left as speedily as possible, trusting that
no careless foot or knife of the mower would ruin the
pretty home. Before I was twenty feet away the mother
had returned to them and the father had ceased his
anxious cries.
In this and subsequent broods in the same locality I
noticed the same fondness for bathing as in the case of
the Point Pinos j uncos at Monterey. No water was too
icy for their plunge, but they usually chose an hour soon
after noon when the sun was high, and sat in his rays to
preen their little brown coats.
Their food was whatever could be picked up, whether
crumbs scattered for them or weed seeds or fruit, and
quite as often insects caught by hopping up from the
grass or gathered from the trees. The green worms
234 LAND BIRDS
found on evergreen trees they ate with impunity, though
I feel certain the same variety has killed other birds in
the East.
567 d. POINT PINOS JUXCO. Junco oregaiws pinosus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.25-5.75.
Adults : Similar to the Thurber Junco, but the black on sides of head
and throat replaced by slaty.
Young : Similar to the young of the Thurber Junco, but under parts
more strongly tinged with buff.
Geographical Distribution : Vicinity of Monterey, California, north
through San Mateo County, east through Santa Clara County, south
to Point Sur.
Calif orn,ia Breeding Range: Santa Cruz district south to Point Sur,
north as far as King Mountain.
Breeding Season : May to August.
Nest : Of leaves ; lined with dead grasses and hair ; placed in a hollow
at a clump of grass.
WHETHER seen in the beautiful grounds of Del Monte
or in the pine forests of the Sierra Nevada, the Juncos
are the same friendly little birds that we have known
and loved as the " snow-birds " of the East. Some one
has called them gray-robed monks and nun's, and the
description fits them well. During the fall, winter, and
early spring they are found in flocks of from -ten to
twenty, feeding on the ground, flying up at the approach
of an intruder, only to alight again farther on. If you
sit quietly they will hop quite near you, particularly the
Point Pinos Juncos found at Monterey, who are accus-
tomed to the presence of strangers in their haunts and
have become as fearless as the English sparrows of the
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 235
East, hopping close to the benches and picking up food
at your feet. They have a not unmusical call-note and a
soft, sweet, twittering song. When the birds are about
to begin housekeeping in the spring, this musical effort
is heard at intervals all day long and is very pleasing.
Both sexes cooperate at the preparation of the nest,
which they build in a hollow under the roots of a tree,
or, at Del Monte, under the heavy evergreens and low-
growing shrubbery. It is a simple affair of pine needles
or fine grass, and so nearly matches the bird in coloring
as to render her practically invisible when sitting. The
little Juncos, although born naked, soon don a pretty
habit of striped light and dark brown, and are even more
invisible than the adults among the reddish pine needles.
They remain in the nest about ten days, when they are
fully feathered and able to fly. They are fed by regurgi-
tation for several days, and then with raw insects brought
by both parents. For some time after making their de'but
from the nest, the hungry youngsters follow the adults
about, begging with quivering wings for food.
They are fond of bathing, and run into the spray of
the lawn hose or splatter in the puddles made by it with
utter disregard of the presence of gardener or guest. I
have seen them pick up crumbs scattered for them by
a Chinese helper within two feet of where he lay under
a tree eating his own dinner. Evidently the most per-
fect camaraderie existed between the man and the birds,
for when the feast- was spread he called them by a pecu-
liar squeaking noise and was instantly surrounded by
several pairs. This was late in May, and they were
236 LAND BIRDS
housekeeping ; but both male and female responded to
the call, leaving the nest unguarded.
All these Juncos found at Del Monte or Monterey
and vicinity are of the variety known as Point Pinos,
a subspecies of the gray-headed or common junco of the
Eastern States. In habits and song the species are
closely identified.
574. BELL SPARROW. Amphispiza belli.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.50-5.75.
Adults : Upper parts brownish gray, grayer on head and neck ; the back
generally without distinct streaks ; orbital ring, spot over the eye,
broad malar stripe, chin, throat, and under parts white ; black spot
on middle of chest ; throat marked on sides with a continuous stripe
of blackish ; wing-coverts edged with buffy ; edge of wing yellowish ;
tail-feathers black, indistinctly marked with lighter.
Young : Upper parts light grayish brown, streaked with dusky ; under
parts buffy ; chest distinctly streaked with dark gray ; wings with
two rather distinct pale buff bands.
Geographical Distribution : West of the Sierra Nevada and San Bernar-
dino mountains from Marin County to Lower California.
California Breeding Range : In upper Sonoran zone locally, west of the
Sierra Nevada from latitude 38 southward.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Of grass stems and vegetable fibre ; lined with hair ; placed in
low bushes.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; pale greenish blue, finely dotted and speckled with dark
reddish brown. Size 0.74 X 0.60.
THE Bell Sparrow is abundant on the bush-covered
plains of Southern California as well as in the foot-hills.
It is a thicket-dweller, darting from the cover of one
clump to another with rapid flight as if uneasy in the
open. Its nest is in the thickest of the bushes, but
the anxious chirp of the male sparrow is sure to reveal
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 237
his secret to the intruder. His song is a clear, monot-
onous twitter, not unmusical and full of enthusiasm.
Only early in the breeding season does he attempt as
much as this, usually preferring to flit silently through
the thick foliage. His food consists of both insects and
seeds, the latter predominating.
574.1. SAGE SPARROW. Amphispiza nevadensis.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.00-7.00.
Adults: Upper parts light ashy brown, tinged with ash-gray, the back
usually distinctly streaked with dusky ; sides of throat marked with
a series of narrow blackish streaks ; under parts whitish, with black
spot on chest ; sides and flanks faintly tinged with light brown ;
outer web of lateral tail-feather white.
Young : Similar to adults, but upper parts and chest streaked ; wings
with two buffy bands.
Geographical Distribution : Sagebrush region of Western United States,
north to Southern Idaho and Montana, east to Colorado and New
Mexico, south to interior of Southern California and Western Mexico,
west to Los Angeles.
California Breeding Flange : In arid upper Sonoran and Transition zones,
east of the Sierra Nevada. Arid desert region of Southeastern Cali-
fornia.
Breeding Season: April and May.
Nest : Of shredded sagebrush bark, dry grasses, etc. ; in a hollow in the
ground, or lower branches of the sage or other bushes.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; light greenish or dull grayish white, speckled all over
with reddish brown and a few blotches of darker brown at the larger
end. Size 0.80 X 0.60.
TRULY well named is the little gray bird called the
Sage Sparrow. Everywhere in the sagebrush district
his metallic call may be heard ; and during the sunny
spring days when the enthusiasm of nesting time in-
spires him to music, his sweet, ringing song is a delight
to the ear. Little cares he for that. Swinging care-
238
LAND BIRDS
lessly on the highest twig of the nest bush, he sings to
his mate, not to you ; and, the song finished, he disap-
pears earthward in the gray-green foliage.
His nest is either hidden in a low crotch of a bush
or on the ground underneath it, and so formed of sage-
bark and leaves and dried grasses
as to seem a part of its surround-
ings. U n le s s the nestlings are
hungry and stretch
up wide-open bills
for food, you will
be almost certain to
overlook the nest.
When on it the
mother bird becomes
practically invisible,
so well does her soft
coloring blend with
the lights and shadows of the
earth and leaves.
The buds of the sage-
brush form at least a
part of their diet, but I
am inclined to believe that insects form the larger
half.
Mrs. Bailey says : " The absence of a continuous stripe
on the side of the throat is enough to distinguish the
Sage Sparrow from the Bell," and " his long black tail
and its gently tilting motion are good long-range recog-
nition marks."
574 a. SAGE SPARROW.
1 He sings to his mate, not to you.' 1
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 239
580. RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW. Aimophila
ruficeps.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.50-5.75.
Adults: Upper parts grayish or grayish brown ; back broadly streaked
with reddish- brown ; crown reddish brown ; under parts light brown,
palest on throat and belly ; a distinct black stripe on each side of
throat ; a rusty streak extending back from eye ; edge of wing dull
white or grayish.
Young: Similar to adults, but upper parts dull brownish; streaked
with deeper ; under parts dull buffy, chest and sides streaked with
dusky.
Geographical Distribution: California coast from about latitude 40,
south to Cape St. Lucas.
California Breeding Range : In upper Sonoran zone west of the Sierra
Nevada from San Diego to Marin County.
Breeding Season : April to August.
Nest : Of coarse grass and weed stalks ; lined with a few hairs ; placed
on the ground in a hollow.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; plain white or bluish white. Size 0.89 X 0.65.
BRUSH-COVERED hillsides are the favorite haunts of
the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Here, on the ground
under thick low bushes, its nest is hidden so securely
that only accidental discovery is possible.
The only way possible to observe these birds is to sit
motionless among the sparse growth of bushes on the
side of a hill and wait their coming with endless patience.
Their bright chestnut upper parts will serve to identify
them. A short, rather sweet song is sung morning and
evening during the nesting season, and occasionally in
their winter haunts in the interior valleys. Their food
is mainly seeds and fleshy seed-pods, such as haws.
240 LAND BIRDS
581 a. DESERT SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia
fallow.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.10-6.50.
Adults: Upper parts light gray; back streaked with rusty, usually
without blackish shaft-line ; uncler parts brownish buffy ; chest
streaked with chestnut.
Young : Upper parts dull brown ; back streaked with, brown ; under
parts buH'y white ; chest streaked.
Geographical Distribution : New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Nevada,
Utah, Southern and Lower California.
California Breeding Range: In extreme southeastern portion, along the
lower Colorado River.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: Of grasses, weeds, and leaves ; lined with fine grass stems, roots,
and sometimes hair ; placed in low bushes, or in tufts of grass on the
ground.
Eggs : 4 ; light greenish or bluish white, more or less spotted with
brown. Size 0.75 X 0.55.
THE Song Sparrow is a bird with a name that fits.
Every day in the month, every month in the year, you
may hear his ecstatic song. In rain or shine, in heat or
cold, whether in Maine or California, he is the same
jolly fellow, singing his glad little roundelay, a " plain,
every-day home song with the -heart left in." And he
may be found everywhere. No State in the Union lacks
the cheer of his sunny presence. To be sure, he has
various prefixes to his name, as in California he is
dubbed " Desert Song Sparrow," " Mountain Song Spar-
row," " Heerman Song Sparrow," " Samuels," " Rusty,"
" Santa Barbara," " San Clementa," and " Merrill " Song
Sparrow, each name indicating some variation of plu-
mage due to environment. In the extreme northern por-
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING
241
tions he wears dark brown, while on the sands of the
extreme south border he is almost clay-color. But the
habits and song remain unchanged. Thoreau declares
the Massachusetts maidens hear him say, " Maids, maids,
maids, hang on your tea-kettle, tea-kettle, ettle-ettle,"
and this is exactly the advice he
gives to campers in the sierras
when the first rays of the sun
strike the tops of the
pine trees. Day has be-
gun for bird and bird-
lover. Then if you rise
quickly and steal down
to the edge of a moun-
tain brook you may catch
him at his bath. What-
ever the locality or the
subspecies, do not ex-
pect to see him at any
great distance from
water, for he is an in-
veterate splasher. I
have seen him dip into
a puddle whose edges
were crusted with ice
and apparently enjoy it as well as a bath in the heat
of a July day.
When alarmed, his first impulse is to dart downward
into the friendly shelter of bushes, pumping his expres-
sive tail vigorously as he flies. But in rising from the
16
581 a. DESERT SONG SPARROW.
" In rain or shine, he is the same jolly
fellow."
242 LAND BIRDS
ground he hops from twig to twig and seldom, if ever,
flies in any direction but downward or straight ahead.
Unlike some of the sparrow family, these birds do not
travel in compact flocks. If several individuals are to-
gether, they are usually part of a scattered band that is
working its way to or from the nesting ground.
The nests and nesting habits of all the various sub-
species are so alike that one description will apply to
all. The structure is usually near the ground, and often
on it, with very little effort at concealment. Incubation
lasts twelve days, and is shared by the male to a limited
extent ; but as soon as the little ones emerge from the
shell the greater part of the labor of caring for them falls
upon him. In ten days they are fully feathered and
ready to leave the home shelter and follow him. As soon
as this family are launched into the green forest, the
busy mother prepares a new nest for a second brood.
The male soon leaves the first to shift for themselves,
and returns valiantly to his post of duty, guarding and
feeding the next instalment with the same zealous care
he had given the first.
581 b. MOUNTAIN SONG SPARROW. Melospiza
melodia montana.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.25-7.00.
Adults : Upper parts grayish, with narrow streaks of black and brown ;
wings and tail brown ; under parts white ; chest and sides streaked
with brown.
: Similar to adults, but upper parts paler and less tawny ; under
parts whitish and streaks narrower.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 243
Geographical Distribution: Rocky Mountain district, west to Nevada,
Oregon, and Washington, and extending to Western Texas.
California Breeding Range : Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada from
Mt. Shasta to Mono Lake.
Breeding Season: May and June.
Nest and Eggs : Similar to those of the desert song sparrow.
581 c. HEERMAN SONG SPARROW. Melospiza
mclodia heermanni.
FAMILY: The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.25-6.50.
Adults: Plumage brown or olive; upper and under parts streaked;
flanks light grayish brown ; spots on chest separate and distinct from
one another.
Young : Similar to adults, but under parts tinged with brownish buff,
having broad streaks.
Geographical Distribution : Interior districts of California, including
eastern side of Sierra Nevada.
California Breeding Range : Along streams of the San Joaquin-Sacra-
mento basin.
Breeding Season : March, April, and May.
Nest : Of grasses, weeds, and leaves ; lined with finer grasses and some-
times hair ; placed in bushes from 2 to 6 feet from the ground.
Eggs : Usually 4 ; bluish gray, spotted and blotched over most of the
surface, with dark brown, the spots becoming more confluent at the
larger end. Size 0.87 X 0.64.
581 d. SAMUELS SONG SPARROW. Melospiza
melodia samuelis.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 4.70-5.75.
Adults : Very similar to the Heerman song sparrow, only smaller.
Geographical Distribution : Coast of California.
California Breeding Range : Along the coast belt from Santa Cruz north
to latitude 40.
Breeding Season : March to June.
Nest : Of coarse dry grasses and weed stems ; lined with finer kinds of
244 LAND BIRDS
the same ; placed on the ground beneath tufts of grass, in salt weeds,
or low shrubs on the sand drifts.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; bluish gray, spotted and blotched over the entire surface
with reddish brown. Size 0.75 X 0.59.
581 e. RUSTY SONG SPARROW. Melotpisa melodia
morphna.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.00-7.00.
Adults: Upper parts rusty brown, almost obscuring the black streaks;
chest with heavy dark brown markings ; flanks greenish olive.
Young : Upper parts dark brown, back streaked with blackish ; under
parts buffy grayish ; chest and sides light brown, streaked with
darker brown.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast district, Washington, Oregon,
and Alaska ; south in winter to Southern California.
Breeding Range : Pacific coast region, from Northern California north-
ward through Washington and Oregon.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest and Eggs : Very similar to those of the desert sparrow.
583. LINCOLN SPARROW. Melospiza lincolni.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.25-6.00.
Adults: Upper parts dark brown and olive, sharply streaked with
black ; crown sharply streaked with black and divided by a median
grayish line ; malar stripe, chest, and sides buffy ; sides and chest
narrowly streaked with black.
Young: Similar to adults, but colors and streaks less sharply defined.
Geographical Distribution: Whole of North America south of Hudson
Bay region.
California Breeding Range : Breeds sparingly along the high Sierra
Nevada from Mt. Shasta south to near Mt. Whitney.
Breeding Season : June and July.
Nest : Of grasses ; placed on the ground.
Eggs : 3 ; light greenish white, heavily marked with chestnut and
lavender gray, chiefly at the larger end. Size 0.79 X 0.58.
A SHY bird, skulking through the tangle of grass and
bushes in the swampy borders of a marsh, is the Lin-
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 245
coin Sparrow. About the edges of a mountain meadow
as well as in the wet lowlands, he flits in and out of the
willows, giving the observer as little opportunity to see
him as he can, and never so absorbed in his insect-
hunting as to forget the presence of a stranger. His
song is rarely heard, yet he has a happy little lay not
unlike that of a song sparrow but inferior in quality.
His nest is deftly concealed on the ground, and he
approaches it by a circuitous route, dodging through the
grass and never by any chance revealing its whereabouts.
Only by catching a glimpse of him with food in his bill
one may be able to guess at its location, and that there
are young to be fed.
585 a. TOWNSEND SPARROW. Passerella iliaca
townsendi.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 7.00-7.50.
Adults: Upper parts bright chestnut, mixed with gray; wings, upper
tail-coverts, and tail rusty brownish ; under parts white, with dark
brown markings on chest.
Young : Similar to adults.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast region from Alaska south in
winter to California.
Breeding Range : From British Columbia north through Alaska.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: Of grasses, moss, and vegetable fibres, closely woven together;
placed near the ground, in dense thickets.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; pale bluish green, spotted and blotched with reddish
brown and lilac. Size 0.90 X 0.66.
THE Townsend Sparrow is one of the largest and red-
dest of all our fox sparrows, and in his musical efforts is
246
LAND BIRDS
surpassed by few of that family. In the quiet woodlands
of his summer home, he sits on the topmost bough of the
dusky thicket and pours out his joy in a song of exquisite
melody, clear and pure as that of a thrush, yet lacking
the spiritual quality of the latter. The song has a w r on-
derful carrying power withal, that renders it peculiarly
attractive.
But it is as a scratcher that he excels all his kind.
Among the dead leaves under a thicket, he may be
heard rivalling a
towhee in the vigor
with which he
makes the dirt fly.
A few steps for-
ward, and a sud-
den kick out with
585 a. TOWNSEND SPARROW. both feet, then a
" The way he digs for his supper." thorough Searching
of the ground laid bare, is the way he digs for his supper.
With the same energy that characterizes his scratching,
he wooes his chestnut mate by alternate scoldings and
songs, treating her with the lordly airs of a successful
suitor, and fairly compelling her to accept him. To his
credit be it said that he does his share of the nest build-
ing, such as it is, and though a tyrant, he is a brave
guardian of his brood. When, after twelve days of
patient brooding, the eggs are transformed into naked
nestlings, he is ready to scratch enthusiastically all day
for their sustenance. And this is really just what he is
compelled to do so long as they remain in the nest and
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 247
for at least two weeks afterwards. Then his fine song
is hushed and only the metallic " tseep " of his call note
is heard. Until the nestlings are three or four days old
they are fed by regurgitation, and after that upon insect
food.
Usually the Townsend Sparrows fly and feed in small
flocks, often along the roadside thickets, and occasion-
ally they stray into the city parks in the winter season.
In the great State* of California, with its varied climate,
which produces variations of form and coloring, the
fox sparrows have been divided into several subspecies.
These are all so much alike in habits that the descrip-
tion of one applies to all, with a few modifications to be
noted in the different subspecies.
585 b. THICK-BILLED SPARROW. Passerella iliaca
megarhyncha.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 7.00-7.75.
Adults : Bill thick ; upper parts plain brownish gray, becoming rusty
brownish on wings, upper tail-coverts, and tail ; under parts white,
with small dark brown spots on chest.
Young : Similar to adults.
Geographical Distribution: Mountains of California, including eastern
slope of the Sierra Nevada. South in winter to Los Angeles County.
California Breeding Range : From Mt. Shasta south to Mt. Whitney, in
Boreal and Transition zones.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest : Of plant fibre and willow bark ; lined with grasses and horsehair ;
placed on or near the ground, in thickets.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; pale bluish green, spotted with dark brown. Size
0.86 X 0.64.
THE Thick-billed Sparrow inhabits the forests of the
Transition and Boreal zones, breeding among the ever-
248 LAND BIRDS
greens. His big bill serves to identify him, and during
the warm June days his loud clear song rings out from
all the thickets early and late. In the winter this sub-
species migrates southward to the San Diegan district.
585 d. STEPHENS SPARROW. Passerella iliaca
stephensi.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 7.10-7.90.
Adults: Similar to thick -billed sparrow, but averaging somewhat larger,
with much larger bill.
Geographical Distribution : Mountains of California.
California Breeding Range: In Boreal zone on southern Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season: April and May.
Nest and Eygs: Similar to those of the thick-billed sparrow.
591 b. CALIFORNIAN TOWHEE. Hortulanusfuscus
crissalis.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 8.50-9.00.
Adults : Upper parts uniform grayish brown, darker on head ; throat
pale rusty, marked with dusky ; belly whitish, washed on sides with
grayish brown.
Young : Similar to adults, but browner ; under parts buffy white ; throat
and belly rusty ; throat streaked with darker.
Geographical Distribution : California, west of the Sierra Nevada from
Shasta County, south to Santa Barbara County.
California Breeding Range : Upper Sonoran zone, west of the Sierra
Nevada, south to latitude 35, north to Shasta valley.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest : In trees or bushes, usually from 3 to 5 feet from the ground ;
occasionally in hollow trunks of trees, or in crevices of vine-covered
rocks of canons ; made of twigs, bark, and grass ; lined with rootlets.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; bluish, marked with various shades of dark and light
purple and black. Size 0.92 X 0.73.
THE Califoruian Towhee is the brown chippie, or long-
tailed chippie, of common parlance throughout most of
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 249
California west of the Sierra Nevada. Unlike the shy
chewink of the Eastern States, it comes to village door-
yards not only in winter but often to rear its brood.
Mr. Grinnell called my attention to a nest in a bush not
twenty feet from the house at Palo Alto, and remarked
that at Pasadena the Towhees usually nested upon the
ground, while at Palo Alto they were oftener found in
bushes. Mr. Shields records nests of the California!!
Towhee in crevices of vine-covered rocks, in hollow
trunks of trees, and in thickets five feet from the ground.
These Towhees are most devoted parents, resembling the
catbird in their piteous protests against any molesting
of their treasures. Early and late they scratch under the
dead leaves or in the rich garden soil for insects, or pick
up scattered grain in the barnyard, or crumbs at the
door. I have seen bits of muffin fed to the nestlings
with impunity, but their orthodox diet is small insects
and seeds, the former predominating while the parents
feed them. They are fed by regurgitation at first, but in
a few days they receive fresh food. As soon as able to
fly well, they take to the trees and spend only enough
time on the ground to satisfy their hunger.
The characteristic song, like the tinkle of a silver bell,
is heard oftenest at this time when, late in the after-
noon, the little brood are safely housed in the sheltering
branches of an oak tree, and in the earliest dawn the
same clear notes come up from the copse on the edge
of the brook. For, unlike most birds, the Towhee sings
after his family cares are over as joyously as he did in
the full tide of his wooing. Mr. Frank Chapman's
250 LAND BIRDS
happy description of some characteristics of the Eastern
variety is applicable also to that called the California!!.
He says :
"There is a vigorousness about the Towhee's notes
and actions which suggests both a bursting, energetic
disposition and a good constitution. He entirely dom-
inates the thicket or bushy undergrowth in which he
makes his home. The dead leaves fly before his attack ;
his white-tipped tail-feathers flash in the gloom of his
haunts. He greets all passers with a brisk, inquiring
chewink, towhee ; and, if you pause to reply, with a
fl u ff> fl u ff f hi g short, rounded wings he flies to a
near-by limb better to inspect you.
" It is only when singing that the Towhee is fully at
rest. Then a change comes over him ; he is in love,
and, mounting a low branch, he gives voice to his passion
in song. I have long tried to express the Towhee song
in words, but never succeeded as well as Ernest Thomp-
son when he wrote it chuck-burr, pill-a-willa-will-a."
591 c. ANTHONY TOWHEE. Hortulanusfuscus senicula.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 8.20-8.30.
Adults : Similar to Californian towhee, but smaller, darker, and grayer.
Geographical Distribution : Southern California.
California Breeding Range : Below Transition zone in the San Diegan
district.
Breeding Season : March, April, and May.
Nest and Eggs: Similar to those of the Californian towhee.
THE Anthony Towhee chooses more southern breed-
ing grounds than any of its Californian kinsfolk. This is
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 251
the species commonly met with in the San Diegan dis-
trict, and from there north to the valleys about Pasa-
dena. Unless you have the two birds in hand, you are
likely to mistake it for the Californian towhee, so similar
is it in form and habits.
The song of the Anthony Towhee is less liquid and
more metallic in quality. It is most effective in the
twilight, when one singer after another takes up the
short refrain, tossing it from bush to bush like the echo
of fairy bells.
592.1. GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. Oreospiza
chlorura.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.35-7.20.
Adults : down bright chestnut ; upper parts grayish olive, merging to
bright olive-green on wings and tail ; throat, malar stripe, and middle
of belly white ; edge of wing and under wing-coverts yellow.
Young: Grayish olive above, streaked with dark gray ; under parts
whitish, streaked with dark.
Geographical Distribution : Rocky Mountains to the coast, north to
Mt. Shasta, south to Lower California.
California Breeding Range : Higher Sierra Nevada and desert ranges from
Mt. Shasta to San Bernardino mountains.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest: On or near the ground, in cactus, sagebrush, or chaparral; of
twigs and weed stems ; lined with grass.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; whitish, speckled with chestnut.
IN the higher Sierra Nevada, where the solitaire and
leucosticte form the mountain chorus, look for the Green-
tailed Towhee. Among all the mountain songsters he
has few rivals. Whether perched on top of a clump
of chaparral pouring out his rich bell-like music in
the half-light of evening, or dodging among the dense
252
LAND BIRDS
brush, or running swiftly across the open spaces from
bush to bush on the arid mountain sides, the Green-
tailed Towhee has a manner distinctly his own. You
may know him by his semi-erectile chestnut
crown, white throat, and green tail.
His alarm note is a cat-like mew, lacking
the harshness of the note of the catbird, and
the insistent force of that of the spurred
townee. It is a polite protest against
your intrusion. His song
has somewhat of a thrush-
like quality, but is more varied, possessing
a vigor and enthusiasm not found in that
of the more quiet singer.
His nest is hidden in, or under, one of the
stunted bushes with which the rocky ground
F is covered, and, brooding there day after day,
his olive mate is safe in her protective coloring.
Newly hatched Towhees are the same naked
nestlings, whether cuddled in a chaparral-
sheltered nest of the mountains or rocked in
a garden rosebush ; dark bluish gray in color,
with yellow bills, they are covered with a thin
whitish down. They feather rapidly, and leave
592.1. GREEN- t h e nest when f rom ten to twelve days
TAILED TOWHEE.
old, those of the warmer localities ma-
" A manner distinctly
his own." turing somewhat sooner than those born
on the edge of the Boreal zone. They follow' the adults
for several weeks, learning to jump forward and kick
out backward, in scratching for their food, just as the
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 253
parents do. But this is only a small part of the hunt-
ing, for the Green-tail uses his bill more and his heels
less in procuring his food than do others of his kind.
Insects and seeds of ail sorts are his chief diet.
596. BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. Zamelodia
melanocephala.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 7.50-8.90.
Adult Male: Upper parts mostly black ; rump and collar light chest-
nut ; wings and tail black ; two white wing-bars ; under parts buffy
cinnamon, changing to lemon-yellow on belly and under wing-
coverts.
Adult Female: Upper parts blackish brown, streaked with buffy ; collar
and under parts buffy ; sides streaked ; belly pale yellowish ; under
wing-coverts lemon-yellow.
Young : Similar to adult female, but without yellow on belly ; and back
mottled, not streaked.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States, east to Great Plains,
south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Upper Sonoran and Transition zones through-
out the State.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest: In trees or bushes, usually 5 to 20 feet from the ground ; made of
twigs, weed stems, grass, and rootlets.
Eggs: 2 or 3 ; bluish white, speckled and blotched with rusty brown.
Size 0.92 X 0.69.
AMONG the alders that border small streams in the
valley, in the cherry orchards at cherry time, in the
potato field when bugs are rife, in the oaks and ever-
greens of the lower Sierra Nevada, one may hear the
metallic " eek, eek," of the Black-headed Grosbeak. But
do not judge his vocal powers by this squeaky call-note,
for he is a delightful musician. Unlike most woodland
singers, he chooses the sunny hours of the midday for
254
LAND BIRDS
than
his best efforts. Then from high in an oak or pine
he will whistle a rhapsody, so tender, so pure, so full
of joy that it seems a floodtide of
love let loose in music. But alas for
sentiment ! No sooner is one round fin-
the singer turns his atten-
tion to feeding on the
young buds nearest to him,
sometimes even interrupt-
ing his song to seize an
especially tempting morsel.
And so it is through-
out the long bright
day, he stops eat-
ing to break into singing, and pauses
in his finest carol to finish a meal, flit-
ting from tree to tree and daintily feasting
upon the tender terminal buds. No doubt
this may be a disadvantage to the tree, but
when we see him industriously clearing a
potato field of the pest known as " potato
bug," and singing gayly as he works, we
forgive him all the harm he has done to
our pet fruit tree. It is impossible to
watch him for one hour without becoming
\A his loyal defender. Although a rather
clumsy looking bird, his attitudes are always
596. BLACK-HEADED pleasing. He leans forward to reach
GROSBEAK. . .
a sprig beneath him much as a cross-
" His little brown throat
bill feeds on a cone, or he stands erect
swelling with music."
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 265
with the sunlight bringing out the strong contrasts in his
plumage, and his little brown throat swelling with music ;
or, in masculine awkwardness, he tries to cover the eggs
while his mate is enjoying a vacation. Nearly half of the
daylight hours he takes her place, but at night it is the
mother who broods. Often when the female has been
gone a long time he calls her, coaxingly, querulously, and
at last imperatively, but I have never seen him leave until
she had returned. This constant care enables the Gros-
beaks to defend their brood from the feathered kidnap-
pers ; and it is very necessary, for the nests are exposed
to view from above. After a rest, when the mother has
come to the nest again and settled herself comfortably
with much turning and fluffing of feathers, she often
indulges in a sweet, warbling soliloquy, a faint imita-
tion of her mate's brilliant song, but so low as to be
inaudible at any great distance from the tree.
The little Grosbeaks look like over-sized sparrow babies,
covered at first only with a sparse hair-like down on
crown and shoulders and afterwards feathering out in soft
shades of brown. The bill is wide, rather than swollen,
and both it and the tottery legs are pale straw color.
From watching the adults gather insects for the young,
I am confident that so long as they remain in the nest,
they are fed upon an animal diet, and for the first few
days by regurgitation. In a little less than two weeks
they hop out onto the small branches, and by instinct are
soon pecking at every green thing in sight. For some
time they seem to keep with the adults, being fed and
guarded tenderly by them.
256 LAND BIRDS
Notwithstanding the assertion sometimes made that
young birds do not sing, I know positively that young
Grosbeaks sing when eight weeks old, though, of course,
their song is only a low warble as compared with the
finished song of the adult.
612. CLIFF SWALLOW. Petrochelidon lunifrons.
FAMILY : The Swallows.
Length: 5.00-6.00.
Adults: Forehead white or brown ; crown, back, and patch on chest
glossy blue-black ; rump cinnamon-buff ; throat and collar chestnut ;
sides and flanks brown ; remainder of under parts white.
Young : Similar to adults, but colors duller and not sharply outlined ;
chin and throat and often other parts of the head spotted with white ;
tertials and tail-coverts margined with brown ; chestnut of head
partly or wholly wanting ; upper parts dull blackish.
Geographical Distribution : Whole of North America ; migrating in
winter to Central and South America.
California Breeding Range : Locally throughout the State.
Breeding Season : June and July.
Nest : Generally a round or retort-shaped structure, made of pellets of
mud mixed with a few straws ; lined with feathers ; attached to cliffs
or buildings.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; white, speckled or spotted with brown and lilac. Size
0.82 X 0.56.
CLIFF SWALLOWS present a curious example of the
adaptation of a species to its environment. Formerly
these little masons were all cliff-dwellers, their adobe
nests being hung on the side of a cliff; but the advent
of man into the wilderness has brought many changes,
and now it is not unusual to find a colony snugly en-
sconced beneath the eaves of the farmer's barn.
In 1902 these birds were nesting under the projecting
tiles of the roofs covering one side of the quadrangle
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 257
of Leland Stanford University. Students passed con-
stantly just below them, but they showed no fear.
Unlike the retort-shaped nests of most Cliff Swallows,
the majority of these nests were open at the top like a wall
pocket. The material was sticky clay, and was gathered
outside the quadrangle. The Swallows flew down to
this in small companies, and there were always one or
two on the way going or coming. They seemed to pick
up as much as their mouths would hold, but whether
they also filled their throats, as some aver, seemed
doubtful. The only support I have found for this view
is the shape and size of each pellet as seen in an old
nest. Also, some of the nests were so much harder
than others that it would seem there might have been
a difference in the saliva of the builders.
In the case of these nests, the foundations were laid
in a semi-circle, and on this were placed the pellets of
mud, like bricks on a wall, thus building out and up at
the same time. No straw or hair or other material than
clay was used in the walls of these nests, but after they
were completed a lining of feathers and fine grass was
placed in them. We also found these Swallows building
in the ruins of the patio of the old mission of San Juan
Capistrano. Upon the quaint fresco designs of the
chapel, the nests were plastered as abundantly as under
the eaves of a barn. " Yesterday a great mission ;
to-day a nesting place for owls and swallows." Here,
as at Palo Alto, in some of the nests housekeeping had
begun, and the pretty head of the mother bird peered
over the adobe rim when we rapped on the wall.
17
258 LAND BIRDS
The young or Cliff Swallows are fed by regurgitation
of small insects. These are caught, scoop-net fashion,
by the adults in flying through swarms of the gnats and
other small winged insects that hover in the air morning
and evening, or that dance in the sunshine of mid-day.
Once every ten or fifteen minutes is the usual time for
a meal, but the intervals are shorter early in the morning
after the night's fast, and late in the afternoon.
617. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. Stelgidopteryx
serripennis.
FAMILY : The Swallows.
Length: 5.00-5.75.
Adults : Upper parts dull grayish brown, darker on wings and tail ; ter-
tials usually margined with grayish ; under parts plain brownish
gray ; belly and under tail-coverts white.
Young: Similar to adults, but plumage more or less tinged with brown ;
wings with broad cinnamon tips and margins.
Geographical Distribution : United States, from Atlantic to Pacific, and
adjoining Biitish Provinces ; migrates to Guatemala.
California Breeding 'Range : Below Transition zone, east and south of
humid coast belt.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: In crevices of stone walls and bridges, and in holes in banks ;
made of grasses and straws ; lined with a few feathers.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; white. Size 0.75 X 0.53.
ALTHOUGH sometimes confounded with the bank
swallow, the Rough-winged is slightly larger, lacks the
sooty chest-band and clear white under parts, and has
in addition the distinguishing serrated outer web of the
outer primary. Both this variety and the bank swallow
differ from the other members of their family in their
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 259
lustreless sooty-gray plumage and entire absence of
metallic coloring.
In habits the two are very much alike, nesting in
banks and congregating in flocks for migration. The
Rough-winged are, however, found in small colonies,
seldom more than two or three pairs in a bank, and
are more apt to choose a gravelly soil than are the bank
swallows. They are somewhat less timid also, and
sometimes make their nests about buildings. The one
essential seems to be running water, and crevices in the
abutments of bridges are often filled with their nests.
The hooked edge of the wings, which has given them
their name, seems to be slightly less prominent in the
present species than in specimens collected fifty years
ago, and it is possible that this characteristic will become
modified as their environment changes.
619. CEDAR WAXWING. Bombycilla cedrorum.
FAMILY : The Waxwings and Phai'nopeplas.
Length: 6.50-7.50.
Adults : Crest, head, and under parts soft fawn-color, changing to olive-
yellow on flanks ; streak through eye velvety black ; upper parts
plain olive-gray, becoming blackish on wing-quills and tail ; the latter
tipped with yellow ; both tail and wings sometimes tipped with red
wax-like appendages.
Young : Similar, but colors duller, and under parts strongly, upper parts
lightly, streaked.
Geographical Distribution : Whole temperate North America, from
Atlantic to Pacific; south in winter to Guatemala and West
Indies.
Pacific Coast Breeding Range : In the humid Transition zone of Oregon,
Washington, and British Columbia. No breeding record for Califor-
nia (Grinnell).
Breeding Season : June, July, and August.
260 LAND BIRDS
Nest: Rather bulky ; composed of bark, leaves, roots, twigs, weeds,
paper, etc. ; lined with finer grasses, hair, and wool ; placed usually
in cedar bushes or orchard trees, from 4 to 18 feet from the ground.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; bluish or light slate-color, tinged with olive, spotted with
brown aud dark purple. Size 0.84 X 0.61
THE Cedar Waxwiug has kept his individuality so
unchanged in the transit from east to west that the
California ornithologists have not been able to make a
Western subspecies of him. In the coniferous forests of
the Sierra Nevada they are the same handsome, gentle
birds that we have known and loved in other parts of
the United States. When other birds are absorbed with
the cares of nest building, the Waxwings are leisurely
flying in small companies low over the level tree-tops,
or sunning themselves on the highest twig of the pines.
After most of the forest nestlings are out of their cradles
and foraging for themselves, the quiet Waxwings look
about for a nesting site and commence building. Only
the goldfinches are late enough to keep them company.
Both male and female Waxwings bring material and
fashion the nest, though the former does most of the
work. It is a coarse affair to be the home of such
dainty, satiny birds, and is often in or near a tree bear-
ing berries or small fruit. Both sexes share in the
incubation also, brooding by turns of from thirty to sixty
minutes at a time ; but it is the mother who sleeps there
at night while the father perches in the same tree.
When large enough to leave the nest, the young
Waxwings look like their parents, but lack the red waxy
tips on the wing-feathers. They are very confiding little
creatures, and I have repeatedly called them to me in
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 261
the wood, when they would answer every call, coining
nearer and nearer until they lit on a branch of hawthorn
berries I was carrying and began to eat as I walked
along. I know of no other birds who will endure so
much meddling with their domestic affairs with no show
of resentment or deserting the nest. They will suffer all
sorts of indignities and disturbance of nesting site and
environment without seeming to be disconcerted. This
is due to the remarkable devotion of the adults to their
brood, which induces them to care for the young at what-
ever cost to themselves. Most of the feeding is done
by regurgitation, and often the gular pouches of the
adult will be noticeably swollen as he comes to the nest
with it full of food, which he transfers to the throats of
his brood. It is less easy to tell what that food is by
looking at the crops of young birds fed by regurgitation
than of those fed with the raw food, yet it is often quite
possible to do so with unfeathered nestlings. In the
case of the young Waxwings the remains of insects were
plainly visible through the semi-transparent skin ; and
about as soon as the feathers appeared the regurgitation
was supplanted by feeding at first hand with large in-
sects. The food of the adults consists of insects, seeds,
berries of trees, and any small fruits except strawberries.
The Cedar Waxwings have no varied song, but they
have a soft, conversational, whistling chirp and a plain-
tive call-note like " pee-eet, pee-eet " which they keep
up most of the time.
They occur in California during the fall, winter, and
spring, departing in June for their northern breeding
grounds.
262 LAND BIRDS
697. AMERICAN PIPIT. Anthus rubesceas.
FAMILY : The WagtaUs.
Length: 6.00-7.00.
Adults in Summer : Upper parts brownish gray, more or less indistinctly
streaked ; wings dusky, with two buffy wing-bars and light edgings ;
tail dusky ; inner web of outside feathers white, second feather buffy ;
chin light cream-buff; under parts buff, streaked with dusky on
chest
Adults in Winter: Upper parts decidedly browner; under parts lighter,
streaks on breast usually broader.
Young : Upper parts dull brownish gray ; under parts dull brownish
white ; chest spotted or broadly streaked with blackish.
Geographical Distribution : Whole of North America ; migrates in winter
to Gulf States and California.
Breeding Range : From about the timber line in the Colorado mountains,
north to the Arctic coast.
Nest : Bulky and rather compact ; composed of dried mosses, grasses,
etc. ; lined with hair, feathers, etc. ; placed on the ground.
Eggs: 4 to 6 ; dark chocolate-color, surface nearly covered with grayish
brown specks and streaks. Size 0.76 X 0.56.
DURING migration and in the winter the American
Pipit occurs in flocks on the large open stretches of
country along the coast and interior valleys of California.
Wherever fire has swept over the grass, or the plough-
man has turned the sod, these dull-colored little birds
alight in numbers and walk about picking up food with
dainty teetering of head and tail. If alarmed, they rise
with one accord high into the air, but, instead of flying
away to another meadow, they usually come back to
finish their feast as if it were only a foolish fright after
all. Their plaintive note is a softer edition of the loud
"kill-dee" of the plover, and is uttered constantly as
the birds circle over their feeding ground or fly from
one locality to another.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING
Early in the spring the Pipits start on their journey
to the Boreal zone, either in the far north or above the
timber line in the mountains.
Up to the very highest peaks they wander, where
snow reigns forever and the fierce heat of the lowlands
never comes, there to build
" half-way houses on the road to
heaven." And although un-
musical in the lowlands, as soon
as he reaches the solitude of
the silent mountains the
Pipit rises on graceful
wings, a hundred feet in
the air, and breaks into song
with a melodious crescendo,
ending the flight and the
song in a precipitous drop
back to earth.
In form, color, and tail-wag-
ging, the Pipit is so like the water
thrush as to be readily confused with
it but for one thing, the thrush is
found alone, or in pairs, and dodges
about among the alders low over the
surface of a brook ; while the Pipit
flies high in the air, in flocks, for a
short distance, wheeling like the killdeer and alighting
near the starting point. This species is a common winter
visitant and migrant throughout Southern California,
while the water thrush is listed by Mr. Grinnell as rare.
697. AMERICAN
PIPIT.
" Up to the very
highest peaks they
wander."
264 LAND BIRDS
701. WATER OUZEL, OR AMERICAN DIPPER.
Cinclus mexicanus unicolor.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc,
Length: 7.00-8.50.
Adults in Summer : Entire plumage uniform slate-gray, more brownish
on head and neck ; bill black.
Adults in fainter : Similar, with feathers of wings and under parts tipped
with white.
Young : Plumage similar to that of adults in winter, but under parts
more or less mixed with white and tinged with rusty.
Geographical Distribution : Mountainous districts of Western North
America, north to Alaska.
California Breeding Range : Along mountain streams throughout the
State.
Breeding Season : May to June 15.
Nest : A very bulky, oven-shaped structure ; composed of green mosses ;
the entrance on one side; lined with fine rootlets ; placed among
rocks, close to running water or behind a waterfall.
Eggs: 3 to 5; white. Size 1.01 X 0.70.
" AMONG all the countless waterfalls in the Sierra
Nevada, whether of the icy peaks or warm foot-hills, or in
the profound Yosemitic canons of the middle region, not
one was found without its Ouzel. No canon is too cold
for this little bird, none too lonely, provided it be rich in
falling water.
" During the golden days of Indian summer, after
most of the snow has been melted, and the mountain
streams have become feeble, then the song of the
Ouzel is at its lowest ebb. But as soon as the winter
clouds have bloomed and the mountain treasuries are
once more replenished with snow, the voices of the
streams and of the Ouzels increase in strength and
701. WATER OUZEL, OR AMERICAN DIPPI
Cinclus mexicanus unicolor
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 265
richness until the flood season of the early summer.
Then the torrents chant their noblest anthems, and then
is the flood-tide of our songster's melody. As for weather,
dark days and sun days are alike to him. No need of
spring sunshine to thaw his song, for it never freezes.
Never shall you hear anything wintry from his warm
breast, no pinched cheeping, no wavering notes between
sorrow and joy ; his mellow fluty voice is ever tuned to
downright gladness, as free from dejection ' as cock-
crowing. . . . The more striking strains are perfect ara-
besques of melody, composed of a few full, round, mellow
notes, embroidered with delicate trills which fade and
melt in long slender cadences. In a general way his
music is that of the streams refined and spiritualized.
The deep booming notes of the falls are in it, the trills
of rapids, the gurgling of margin eddies, the low whis-
pering of level reaches and the sweet tinkle of separate
drops oozing from the ends of mosses and falling into
tranquil pools." 1
After this exquisite description gleaned from Mr. Muir's
essay on the Water Ouzel, one scarcely dares attempt
anything original on the subject. And yet the thrill of
discovering my first Ouzel's nest will never be forgotten.
Often had I watched the bird fly through the waterfalls,
dart into the swirling rapids, or courtesy daintily on a rock
that rose in the middle of a white torrent ; often heard
his clear song rising above the wild tumult of the water ;
often seen the ball of moss on a slender shelf of rock
wet by the spray, and been told that it was the nest
1 John Muir, in "The Mountains of California."
266 LAND BIRDS
of a Water Ouzel. But to find one in the middle of a
pine-fringed mountain stream, where it seemed to be-
long just to the bird and me, ah, that was a different
matter.
It was located on a smooth granite boulder that rose
from the white foam of the American River in the Sierra
Nevada. Resting half on the rock and half in the
stream was a fallen tree trunk, and under the shelter
of this on the slippery rock the Ouzel had woven his
little moss nest, kept fresh and green by the spray that
dashed over it. As the mother approached the nest,
she paused just a breath on a projecting point of the
old trunk, and I distinctly saw that she carried the
larva of some water insect in her beak. The babies in
the nest knew it also, and the small doorway, where a
dainty fern nodded its green plumes, instantly blossomed
with four little heads. Four hungry mouths opened
wide to receive the morsel. How would she apportion
it among so many ? After a moment of indecision, she
tucked it deftly into one of the four gaping yellow bills ;
then, as if afraid of a wail of protest from those still
unfilled, she darted hastily into the water and was lost
to view. In exactly three minutes she appeared on the
tree trunk again with another of the queer-looking larvae,
and again the four nestlings stretched hungry little beaks
to be filled. This time she was joined by the male, who,
though he came last, managed to deliver his load first,
and perching on a smaller stone near by, where the spray
dashed over him as he sang, he poured out his joy in
sweetest music. How I longed to have the river keep
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 267
silence for one moment that I might hear the wonderful
song ! The twitter of the young was clearly audible
from where I sat, twenty feet away, and the melody of
the father bird's rhapsody rang clearly over the noise
of the rapids, but there must have been half tones lost
in the tumult that were even sweeter than the notes
that reached my ears. His song ended, into the water
he plunged where the current was swiftest and where a
strong man could not venture and live. Yet the bird
flew upstream against it as easily as if in the air
alone.
In feeding the young, both adults hovered just below
the entrance to the nest, as a humming-bird beneath a
flower, darting up with a little bound to deliver the
food. The queer-looking larvae were evidently picked
up on the bottom of the river, but did not, I am sure,
belong to any species of mosquito, for each was an inch
and a half long and seemed to have many legs, like
a scorpion. These constituted fully half of the food
brought, and the rest was too small to be accurately
identified. One or the other of the adults came to the
nest as often as every ten minutes during the week that
I watched them, and at times the intervals were much
shorter. They invariably approached the nest in the
same way, alighting first on a smaller rock whose top
just broke the surface into foam, dipping and winking
awhile on it, and hopping to the projecting splinter on
the trunk, whence, after more dipping and winking, they
fluttered over to the nest. The little Ouzels never ap-
peared in the doorway until the parent had come to the
268 LAND BIRDS
tree trunk, and I think some signal note was uttered by
the latter which told the nestlings that dinner was ready.
Later on, in another locality, I witnessed the d^but
of one of these interesting water-babies. He was a
comical counterpart of the adults, wink and all, except
for the touch of white on his feathers and his absurdly
short tail, rendered more absurd by his continual bob-
bing dip. This dipping on the part of young and old
Water Ouzels is a distressingly undecided performance,
as if the bird could not quite make up his mind whether
or not to sit down, and stood continually in the valley
of indecision. This young Ouzel remained all day on a
ledge at the foot of the wall of rock which held his
former nursery, and was fed by the male as devotedly
as though still in the nest. So long as it was light
enough to see, he was there, and at my last glimpse of
'him he stood winking and dipping in the same funny
way. The other nestlings were still in the oven-like
ball of green moss wherein they had been hatched, and
their heads filled the doorway in eager petitioning for
food. It never came often enough or in sufficient quan-
tities to satisfy them, and one could only wonder when
the overworked parents found time to supply their own
702. SAGE THRASHER. Oroscoptes montanus.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length : 8.00-9.00.
Adults: Upper parts brownish gray, indistinctly streaked; two narrow
white wing-bars ; inner webs of two to four outer tail-feathers broadly
tipped with white ; under parts whitish, tinged with buffy on flanks
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 269
and under tail-coverts ; the chest, breast, and sides thickly marked
with wedge-shaped longitudinal spots and streaks of dusky.
Young: Similar to adult, but upper parts indistinctly streaked with
darker, and streaks on under parts less sharply defined.
Geographical Distribution : Sagebrush plains of Western United States,
from Montana sputh in winter to Mexico.
California Breeding Mange: In upper Sonoran zone southeast of the
Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : March to July.
Nest: A loose, bulky structure ; made of bark strips, small twigs, dry
sage shreds ; lined with fine stems and rootlets, and sometimes hair ;
placed generally in sagebrush from 10 inches to 3 feet from the ground.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; rich greenish blue, spotted with bright reddish brown.
Size 0.95 X 0.70.
EVEN amid the sands and barrenness of the sage-
brush district, you may hear the full, sweet song of the
Thrasher and dream that you are in a shady nook of
New England with a babbling brook at your feet and
the thick green canopy of vines overhead, that is, if
you close your eyes and forget the glare of the desert
sunshine. What a medley of music he pours from that
full throat ! It is a sort of " rag-time," and uncon-
sciously you interpret it in words as mixed as the tune.
Who else can do it but the brown thrasher of the East ?
It is somewhat of a shock to open your eyes and see
the grayish bird singing in the top of the low sage-
bush with, maybe, not a tree in sight. But his droop-
ing tail and raised bill proclaim him a true thrasher for
all his queer environment. Somewhere in the sage-
brush his mate is patiently brooding on the four or five
blue eggs. For fourteen days she keeps to her appointed
task, and then her busy life begins anew. There are
naked nestlings to be fed, and all the food must be
swallowed by the adult before the delicate baby throats
270 LAND BIRDS
can receive it. At first the young Thrashers seem to be
all legs and bills, but on the second day the down grows
more perceptible on head and back. On the fifth day
the eyes are open, the feathers show well, and the food
is given to them in a fresh state. Worms and insects
of all sorts form the Thrasher's menu, and these he ob-
tains mostly on the ground under the bushes, working
hard early and late to supply the hungry brood with
food. It is not an easy task to raise nestlings in such
surroundings. In some localities lizards and snakes rifle
the nests of eggs and young, while in others hungry
owls make havoc. My observations go to prove that
the destruction from various causes outside of human
agency is greater among Thrashers than among almost
any other wild birds.
710. CALIFORNIAN THRASHER. Toxostoma
redivivum.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 11.50-13.00.
Adults : Upper parts deep grayish brown, the tail darker and browner ;
under parts dull buffy, darker on chest ; under tail-coverts tawny ;
ear-coverts dusky, with distinct whitish shaft-streaks.
Geographical Distribution : Coast district of California, south to Lower
California (F. M. Bailey).
California Breeding Range: Coast region of California north of lat-
itude 35.
Breeding Season : March to August.
Nest : A coarse, rudely constructed platform of sticky, coarse grass and
mosses ; placed in bushes.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; light greenish blue, spotted with chestnut. Size 1.18 X
0.85.
To the bird-loving tourist or new-comer, accustomed
to the one brown thrasher of the East, the five or six
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 271
species of thrasher found in California are a little puz-
zling. Of them all, the Californian Thrasher is the most
widely distributed and best known. In form, habit, and
song he is very like the Eastern bird, except that his
tones have a metallic quality entirely lacking in that of
the brown thrasher.
The young Thrashers leave the nest when twelve to
fourteen days old, but are fed by the adults for some
time after. I have found the male caring for a fully
fledged brood, while his mate was sitting on a nestful
of eggs ; and after this second series were hatched, he at
once began to feed them as faithfully as he had fed the
first. Even with all this, he one day managed to sing a
very short, low monologue which had in it the sugges-
tion of all his old-time ardor.
Both sexes assist in the construction of the bulky
nest, and both brood on the eggs. In fourteen days the
naked pink young emerge from the shells and are fed
by regurgitation for four days, or until their eyes open.
By regurgitation, in such cases, I mean that the food is
swallowed by the adults first, though it may or may
not be partially digested by them. I believe it is not
digested, but is swallowed for the purpose of softening
and moistening it. After the fourth or fifth day, how-
ever, large insects are given to the young, having been
first carefully denuded of wings, legs, etc. Young
Thrashers, while less voracious than young robins, yet
require their meals at short intervals, and long after they
are out of the nest the overgrown fledglings follow the
adults about begging for food. But they soon learn to
272 LAND BIRDS
swing their long bills sickle-fashion through the dead
leaves, and to pick up the insects uncovered by it or to
probe in the soft mould for worms.
In describing the song of the Californian Thrasher
Mr. Williams says that mingled with its own peculiar
notes are various imitative sounds, as the " quare, quare,
quare " of the jay, the " kwee-kwee-kuk " of the Western
robin, the piping call of the valley quail, and the harsh
cackle of the flicker.
710 a. PASADENA THRASHER. Toxostoma redivivum
pasadenense.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: About 12.00.
Adults : Similar to the Californian thrasher, but colors duller, chest-band
darker ; throat white.
Geographical Distribution : Interior of Southern California.
California Breeding Range : Below Transition zone iu the San Diegan
district.
Breeding Season : December to May.
THE Pasadena Thrasher is a local subspecies of the
Californian thrasher. There is one authentic record of
eggs laid by this bird on December 16, and from this a
very pretty story, entitled "A California Christmas
Carol," has been woven in "The Sunset," January, 1903,
which describes the affair as if it were the ordinary habit
of this bird to rear his brood at Christmas tide. The
usual nesting season begins late in January and extends
to the middle of May, though nests have occasionally
been found later.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 273
The song of the Pasadena Thrasher is at its best
during the late winter, and is a jolly rollicking rounde-
lay, as full of fun and mimicry as that of the California!!.
The nesting habits are very similar, modified only by its
more southern range.
711 LECONTE THRASHER. Toxostoma lecontei.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 10.50-11.00.
Adults: Upper parts light grayish brown ; tail dusky and tipped with
lighter ; under parts dove-color, becoming white on throat and belly ;
the under tail-coverts bright tawny buff, in marked contrast ; ear-
coverts light brownish gray ; a distinct malar stripe of whitish,
narrowly barred with dusky ; a distinct dusky streak along each side
of throat.
Young : Similar to adults, but upper tail-coverts more rusty, and under
tail-coverts paler.
Geographical Distribution: Lower Sonoran zone in the desert region
from Southwestern Utah to Southern California and south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Desert region of Southeastern California.
Breeding Season : February to May.
Nest : Large and bulky ; made of twigs, grasses, and weeds ; lined with
feathers ; placed in cactus bushes or mesquite trees from 1 to 7
feet from the ground.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; pale bluish green, faintly speckled, chiefly at the larger
end, with yellowish brown and lavender. Size 1.07 X 0.76.
THE Leconte Thrasher loves the barren desert as a
petrel loves the sea ; and so many generations have its
hot suns beaten down upon his race that the character-
istic light brown of the family has faded to dull grayish
tinged with brown, and his breast has taken on the ashy
hues of the alkali dust. Wastes of sand with sparse
patches of sagebrush, cactus, and perhaps mesquite are
18
274
LAND BIRDS
his favorite haunts, and from the top of this stunted,
grayish green vegetation,
he peals out the earliest
greeting to the day. So
r-~?r- loud and so enthusi-
astic is his song that
it can be heard nearly
^ half a mile away. As
the sun rises and the air
grows hotter his music
ceases, and he skulks
among the sagebrush
until evening, when he
sings again, sometimes far
into the night. If you
have camped in this
dreary waste with the marvel-
lously bright stars overhead
and the silence of the desert
around you like a tomb, the
song of the Leconte Thrasher,
breaking the mysterious still-
ness, has seemed the sweet-
est music ever heard by mortal ears.
711. LECONTE THRASHER.
"He loves the barrenness of the
desert."
712. CRISSAL THRASHER. Toxostoma crissale.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 11.40-12.60.
Adults: Bill long, sharply curved; upper parts plain grayish brown,
the tail darker and faintly tipped with rufous ; under parts dark fawn
or grayish; the chin and throat nearly white; under tail-coverts
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 275
chestnut ; malar stripe white, with dusky streak under same on each
side of throat.
Young : Similar to adults, but more rusty on upper parts, especially on
rump and tips of tail-feathers ; lower parts more fulvous.
Geographical Distribution : Southern California and Northern Lower
California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, east to Western Texas.
California Breeding Range : Locally in desert regions along lower Colo-
rado River, from Fort Yuma, northwest to Palrn Springs.
Breeding Season : February to July.
Nest: Large and conspicuous; made of coarse twigs ; lined with strips
of plant bark ; placed in bushes.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; pale greenish blue. Size 1.08 X 0.75.
LOOK for the Crissal Thrasher in the low, bushy un-
derbrush of the valleys where a clear brook winds its
way or a pond hides in a fringe of alders. Rarely will
you find him nesting at any great distance from water,
and one of the first lessons he gives his brood is to take
a morning splash. It is well worth while rising at four
A. M. to see him plunge so eagerly into the cold water and
splash it in a shower of sparkling drops. The bath over,
he flies up to the top of a tall bush to preen his wet
feathers and fill the air with melody. His song is un-
like that of any other thrasher in its smoothness of exe-
cution and richness of tone. Every note is sweet, true,
and perfect, but the whole lacks the spasmodic brilliancy
we are accustomed to expect in his family. It has a
more spiritual quality but less dash. From February
until late in April this Thrasher sings his sweetest, for
then is his springtime of love and joy. From that time
on through July, when the second brood is fledged, he
sings less enthusiastically, and soon he ceases altogether.
Late in the autumn he sometimes is heard again in the
valleys, but the full sweetness is withheld until the
mating season comes again, in February.
276 LAND BIRDS
After the breeding season, and often for his second
brood, the Crissal Thrasher ranges high up into the oak-
covered foot-hills, returning to the valleys with the first
fall days.
The young Thrashers hatch in fourteen days. They are
naked, except for the faintest suggestion of down on
head and back, and are fed by regurgitatiou until four
days old. On the ninth day the young are feathered all
but the wings and tail, which still wear their sheaths,
and the featherless tracts which are on all young birds.
The iris of the eye is white at this time, but gradually
becomes straw-color like that of the adult.
Unless startled into an earlier exit, the Thrasher nest-
lings do not leave the cradle until eleven or twelve days
old, and aven then they hide in the bushes for many en-
suing days, helplessly waiting to be fed by the adult.
Mr. Mearns tells in " The Auk " of shooting a female
Crissal Thrasher and, on going back the next day after
the nest, he found the male patiently brooding on the
two eggs. Surely such devotion in a bird deserves a
better end than the collector's basket.
713. CACTUS WREN. Heleodijtes brunneicapillus couesl
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 8.00-8.75.
Adults : Upper parts brown, back streaked with white and black ; wings
spotted with pale grayish brown and whitish on a dusky ground ; tail
black, except for brownish gray middle feathers, which are spotted
with black, and the outside feathers barred with white ; conspicuous
white superciliary stripe, bordered beneath by a dusky line; throat
and chest white, heavily spotted with black, in contrast to buffy
brown belly, which is sparsely marked with brown.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 277
Young : Similar to adults, but streaks on back less distinct, spots on
under parts smaller, and colors more suffused.
Geographical Distribution : Southwestern border of United States from
Southern Texas to coast of Southern California, south into Mexico,
north to Utah.
California Breeding Range : Lower Sonoran zone in Southern California,
on both sides of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : April 15 to August 1.
Nest: Placed in cactus or thorny bushes; flask-shaped, with an entrance
at one end ; made of little twigs and grasses ; lined with feathers.
Eggs: 4 to 7 ; white or creamy white, thickly covered with reddish
brown spots. Size 0.97 X 0.65.
UNLESS you have heard the Cactus Wren sing, you
will wonder at the science that classes him with the
wrens. But when you listen to the rich, ringing, wren-
like song, and come upon the singer sitting on a thorny
twig in the exact attitude of the thrashers, with lifted
bill and tail curved downward, you are satisfied to leave
his name among the wren family. He sings constantly
as well as sweetly. His clear notes are the first to
waken the weary camper in the morning, and oftentimes
they alone break the death-like hush of evening. The
Leconte thrasher runs him a close race in this, but, I
believe, is always a little short of winning. A spirit
brave enough to sing in all the dreary waste and scorch-
ing heat wins your honest admiration, and you try to
imagine what the parched and silent desert would be
without these two birds.
In places it seems as if every other cactus contained a
nest of this species, so common is it. A long, purse-
shaped affair, it is laid flat in the fork of a cactus and
having a doorway at the small end whereby the busy
brown mother may enter. Another wren-like trait of this
278 LAND BIRDS
bird is the building of dummy nests. I can find no au-
thority for this statement other than my own observation,
but am positive investigation will prove it to be true.
The male sometimes, if not invariably, sleeps in one of
these " dummies. "
By cutting a slit in the roof of a nest containing
young, it was possible to watch the brood develop.
713. CACTUS WREN.
" A long, purse-shaped affair."
This slit was closed and fastened after each examina-
tion. At first they were the usual naked, pinkish nest-
lings, with a sparse sprinkling of whitish down on crown
and back, but they soon took on the soft brown and
white plumage of young wrens, and were remarkably en-
terprising. While very young they were fed by regurgi-
tation, but on the fifth day, when their eyes had opened,
the parents carried insects in their beaks when they entered
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 279
the nest, and then the crops of the young plainly indicated
a stronger diet. By regurgitation in a case like this, I
mean that the adults masticated the food and carried it
in their own gular pouch, or crop, to the young. During
the last few days that the young Wrens spent in the nest
the doorway was full of little brown heads most of the
time, and the mother no longer went inside to feed them.
She still slept in the nest with them, however, and each
night there was a struggle for supremacy between the
nestlings who wished to look out and the mother who
tried to get in. Finally, one morning when she emerged,
it seemed as if the cork had popped from a bottle allow-
ing the contents to escape, for two of the youngsters
darted out close behind her, and two more peeped from
the doorway. Except for smaller, plumper form and
softer coloring, they were exact counterparts of the
adults, and they possessed the nervous activity of their
family.
715. ROCK WREN. Salpinctes obsoletus.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 5.12-6.35.
Adults: Upper parts grayish brown, more or less speckled with dusky
and white dots ; rump light brown ; tail tipped with buffy brown and
with subterminal band of black ; middle dusky ; under parts dull
whitish ; flank tinged with pale cinnamon ; chest usually finely
speckled ; under tail-coverts barred with blackish.
Young: Upper parts plain rusty -gray ; under parts whitish on throat and
breast, brownish on flanks and under tail-coverts.
Geographical Distribution : Arid regions of Western United States, east
to the Great Plains, south to Mexico, north to British Columbia.
California Breeding Range : Locally throughout the State, chiefly east
of the humid coast belt. Recorded from the Farallones.
280 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Season : March and April.
Nest : Usually placed in a rift of rocks or on the ground under a project-
ing rock, sometimes in hollow stumps or about buildings ; composed
of sticks, bark strips, weeds, grasses, moss, etc.
Eggs: 7 to 9 ; pure glossy white, finely speckled with a few reddish
brown spots, chiefly at the larger end. Size 0.72 X 0.54.
AFTER finding this Wren, the only land bird among
the thousands of sea fowl on the Farallone Islands, one
is inclined to believe that he is well named, since all he
asks for in a home are bare bleak rocks in which to
hide.
In the deserted rocky canons, where even sparse vege-
tation refuses to grow, he may be seen busily hunting
insects in the crevices of the rocks, dodging in and out
among the boulders, picking up spiders and worms, and
uttering his crisp, loud note. If you startle him he will
fly a few feet to the top of a small rock and, facing you,
sway from side to side, scolding and bobbing in comical
excitement. It may be that his nest is close by in one
of the dark crannies, but, as a rule, only the master and
mistress of the household can pass through the narrow
doorway. About the entrance is a curious conglomera-
tion of treasures, evidently carried there by the bird.
Bits of glass, pebbles, shells, and anything else that
strikes his fancy, are carefully collected in his dooryard.
On the Farallones, mussel shells, small bones, and small
pieces of coal form the usual collection. The nest itself
is lined with feathers and hair or wool, or any available
soft substance. While you are searching for it, the gay
little Rock Wren is doing his best to lead you astray.
As Mr. Keyser so aptly says, " He will leap upon a rock
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 281
and send forth his bell-like peal as if he were saying
' Right here, right here, here is our nest,' but when you
go to the spot he flits off to another rock and sounds the
same challenge." If perchance you find the treasure, the
anxiety of the tiny brown householder manifests itself
in ludicrous tail-waggings and excited bobbings, together
with energetic scolding protests. The half-fledged nest-
lings are soft brown balls of feathers with only a promise
of the perky little tail of the adults. Apparently they
have all the nervous activity of their race, for even
in the nest they wriggle and fuss.
The Rock Wren's song, which Mrs. Bailey calls the
" most unbird-like of machine-made tinklings," is peculiar
to himself, and once heard will be recognized instantly
ever afterwards.
717 a. CANON WREN. Catherpes mexicanus conspersus.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 5.50-5.75.
Adults: Plumage conspicuously brown, except for white throat and
breast ; upper parts varying from dull brown to cinnamon-grayish
and speckled with white and blackish ; the wings cinnamon-rusty
and barred with dusky tail light reddish brown with narrow black
bars ; belly dull reddish brown.
Young: Similar to adults, but without white spots on upper and poste-
rior under parts, which are instead mottled more or less with dusky.
Geographical Distribution : Southwestern United States, north to Wyo-
ming, east to Texas and Rocky Mountains, south to Lower California
and Mexico.
California Breeding Range: Desert ranges southeast of the Sierra
Nevada.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest: Generally placed in some deserted tunnel or cave, or in holes in
282 LAND BIRDS
bluffs or about buildings ; made of twigs, stalks, bits of leaves ;
covered with moss, and lined with down and feathers.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; speckled chiefly at the larger end with reddish brown and
lavender gray. Size 0.72 X 0.53.
THE Canon Wren is found in the southeastern portion
of California among the mountains of the desert range.
In habits he is like the dotted canon wren, though
much less often seen than the latter, because less com-
mon. Wherever he occurs in California he is a resident,
remaining practically in the same portion of the same
canon all his life.
717 b. DOTTED CANON WREN. Caf herpes mexicanus
punctulatus.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Similar to canon wren (C. m. conspersus), but smaller, bill shorter, and
spots on back more numerous and more conspicuous.
Geographical Distribution : Oregon and California west of the Cascades
and Sierra Nevada, as far south as Lower California.
California Breeding Range : Local in Transition zone on west slope of
the Sierra Nevada. Rarely in Coast Range north to Mt. St. Helen's.
Breeding Season : April.
Nest: In crevices of rocks or on ledges of cliffs ; made of green moss.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; white, speckled with rusty-brown and purple.
THE Dotted Canon Wren is a fairly common resident
in certain parts of the Sierra Nevada, chiefly along the
west slope. He may be seen darting in and out on the
steep sides of rocky canons, and, but for his white throat,
looking much like a big brown bug. A nearer view
with field glasses reveals the tiny black and white polka-
dots of his brown coat. He is a handsome little fellow
and a fine singer, making the cool depths of the canon
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 283
ring with his jubilant song. "The Bugler" some one
has called him, and one thinks of the name whenever
listening to the song. He is a rather shy bird, creeping
in and out among the rocks, pausing a moment to eye
the intruder curiously, tilt his tail, and scurry off again.
The busy search in every crack of the hard stone for
possible insects so absorbs him that he has no time to
speculate on what business the intruder may have there.
Enough for him if he can place a boulder between him-
self and observing eyes while he gathers food for his
mate or his brood. His long bill probes every moss-
covered crevice and tiny hole, and often you may see
him jerk a worm out of its hiding place and scramble up
the canon wall to his nest with it. A tiny hole is the
entrance to his nesting site, sometimes under a boulder,
sometimes far up the face of a cliff. He will fly down
from it, or rather drop down with closed wings like a
stone, but I have never seen him fly all the way up to
it. Sometimes he ascends by a series of short flights, but
oftener by hops and fluttering scrambles. He loves those
bare bleak rocks and sits upon them to sing, rather than
upon any vegetation there may be, hiding behind them
or on them, much as the lizards do.
The only nest of this variety I have ever seen re-
sembled that of a pewee in material and construction,
but was much larger and more loosely put together.
The moss of the outside was fresh and green, in ex-
quisite contrast with the lining of silver plant-down
and with the gray stone cliff. In it were five diminu-
tive Wrens, the brightest, perkiest bird-babies imaginable.
284 LAND BIRDS
The effect was irresistibly funny when one ventured out
to the edge of the nest and tilted its comically small tail
in exact imitation of its elders. Unfortunately, as soon
as our presence was discovered, fear spoiled the picture,
for the nestling crouched a moment and then scampered
back into the dark nesting place. As the nest was dis-
covered on a one day's trip, I do not know how old
the nestlings were nor how much longer they remained
in the nest. At this stage they were fully feathered,
but the dots were much less distinct, shading into the
general coloring. Otherwise they were like the adults.
The coloring was so exactly in harmony with the rocks
in which the nest was placed that the young birds were
practically invisible at a distance of ten feet.
719 a. VIGORS WREN. Thryomanes betvtcki spilurus.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 5.00-5.50.
Adults: Upper parts dark brown, with a conspicuous white superciliary
stripe ; middle tail-feathers more grayish brown and barred ; outer
feathers blackish, spotted and barred ; under parts gray, flanks
brownish.
Young : Similar to adults.
Geographical Distribution : California west of the Sierra Nevada to the
coast.
California Breeding Range : Humid coast belt from Monterey to Men-
docino County, including San Francisco Bay region.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest : Placed in boxes, holes, fence posts, brush heaps, stumps, etc. ;
made largely of sticks and grasses ; lined with feathers.
Eggs : 5 to 7 ; white, finely speckled with reddish brown and lilac. Size
0.64 X 0.50.
THE Vigors Wren is a subspecies of the Bewick wren of
the Central United States, and combines the characters-
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 285
tics of this species with those of the Pacific house wren.
In the neighborhood of towns this bird prefers to nest
about houses, choosing all sorts of queer places in which
to rear its brood ; but throughout Western California, in
open districts as far south as Pasadena (although there
Mr. Grinnell calls it the San Joaquin Wren), it is found
building among brush heaps and in hollow trees. For
breeding habits see Parkman Wren, also called Pacific
House Wren.
721 a. PARKMAN WREN, OR PACIFIC HOUSE
WREN. Troglodytes aedon parkmani.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 4.25-5.20.
Upper parts grayish brown barred with blackish, except head ; tail
barred with black and" pale ashy ; under parts indistinctly barred
with ashy and brownish.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific Coast from British Columbia south to
California.
California Breeding Range : West of the Sierra Nevada nearly through-
out the State.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest : In cavities in trees, or about buildings ; of twigs ; lined with mass
of feathers.
Eggs : 5 to 7 ; flesh-color, thickly speckled with pale brownish purple and
rusty.
THE Parkman Wren is the house wren of the Pacific
Coast and is a common summer visitant west of the
Sierra Nevada. His gay canary-like song rings from barn,
house, or cabin, wherever there is a crevice for him to
nest in. From morning until night the bubbling notes
" tumble over each other, they are poured out so fast,"
and you wonder when he takes any breath, yet he is as
286 LAND BIRDS
full of enthusiasm at the day's close as he was at its be-
ginning. He is very friendly and sociable, allowing you
to watch him, and watching you with equal interest.
When nest-building commences it absorbs the atten-
tion of both sexes, though the master of the household
still sings between loads. Such a mass of material they
manage to gather ! Shreds of bark, twigs, feathers
galore, straw, and often bits of plant-down, such as cotton.
The cavity is stuffed to its fullest capacity, and in the top
of the mass madam shapes a shallow cup to hold the
eggs. But these Wrens are capricious folk, and after the
nest is all ready they will often take a vacation and pay
no further attention to it for several days, or even a week.
Then, one day, you may see the female slipping slyly into
the nest hole while her mate sings louder than ever near
by, and you conclude rightly that the first egg has been
laid. She may lay another the next day or she may wait
a day or two, but as soon as there are five or six, she will
commence to brood. Fourteen days are necessary for
the incubation of those small eggs, and, at the end of that
time, a peep into the nest will reveal tiny, naked nest-
lings, a trifle less than one inch long, with knobs for eyes
and little more than mere slits for beaks. Their wing-
bones are about one-sixth of an inch in length, and their
legs are not much longer. But they double their weight
every twenty-four hours, and at the end of four days they
have down on heads and along the feather tracts, and
look much more like birds. The beak also has taken
shape and is more or less firmly cartilaginous. On the fifth
day the eyes open. Up to this time they have been fed
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 287
by regurgitation (see Foreword) at intervals averaging
every half-hour throughout the day, the periods being
longer from 8 to 10 A.M. and 12 to 3 P.M., but now
fresh food is given them. The young Wrens feather more
slowly than some young birds, and usually remain in the
nest until sixteen days old ; one brood could neither be
coaxed nor starved into flying until the twenty-first day.
The location of the nest seems to affect the time of their
departure, and, in cases where it is high up, with no near
perch, the little ones seem to be afraid to venture. For
some time after leaving home they are fed by both adults,
and sometimes return to the nest at night either alone
or with the mother bird.
722 a. WESTERN WINTER WREN. Nanmu
hiemalis paci/i'cus.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 3.60-4.25.
Adults: Tail very short ; upper parts dark cinnamon-brown, brightest
' on rump ; wings, tail, and sometimes back finely barred with black ;
line over eye, throat, and breast rust color ; rest of under parts darker
and barred with dark.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast from Alaska to Southern Califor-
nia ; south in winter to Mexico.
California Breeding Range: In the humid coast belt (Transition), south
to Point Sur.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: In crevices of stumps or logs ; a mass of moss, with hollow lined
with feathers.
Eggs: 5 to 7 ; cream-white, thinly speckled with rusty. Size 0.60 X
0.48.
J. N. BOWLES says of this bird : " The stillness was
suddenly broken by the beautiful bell-like warble of the
288 LAND BIRDS
Western Winter Wren, and I knew that within half a
mile must be his nest. I walked to the edge of the
brook, and after travelling a short distance along it, the
way was blocked by a giant fir that, in falling years
before, had split in the middle. From deep in this
split appeared suspicious looking twigs, but past expe-
rience had taught me not to expect the real nest
within a hundred yards of a singing Winter Wren. Nor
was I mistaken, for it proved to be nothing more than a
well-built decoy, about which the bird had made a very
natural 'bluff' of anxiety. ... I continued up the
brook, finding two more decoy nests of the Wrens in the
roots of fallen trees. ... A half-uprooted fir tree, some
two hundred yards from where the Wren was heard
singing, gave me a thrill of interest. The opening under
the roots extended in about ten feet, and was only three
feet high at the entrance, so there was nothing for
it but to imitate the serpent. The Wren had left me
long since, and nothing stirred when I shook the roots,
therefore my hopes were high, as these Wrens are never
seen near their eggs. After crawling in as far as pos-
sible, I turned over on my back and waited for my eyes
to become accustomed to the darkness. As things
gradually took shape, almost the first thing I saw was
the much-hoped-for nest, all of twigs and green moss,
directly over my head. It was wedged in among the
earth and roots, and a feather protruding from the
entrance told rne that my search had revealed a satis-
factory end the decoy nests are never lined. The set
consisted of six partially incubated eggs, and only one
725a. T0LE WREN
Tclmatodytes palustris paludicola
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 289
more decoy was found a short distance further on in a
long-deserted placer mine."
Unfortunately Mr. Bowles's excellent description a
part of which I have quoted here from "The Condor,"
Vol. III. No. 1 does not record the rearing of the
brood or the manner of feeding the young, and these I
supply from my own notebook.
One particular pair which my notes record nested in
the crevice of an old stump, which, when the young
were five days old, I broke open slightly to obtain a
better view. This did not in the least deter the daunt-
less parents from caring for the nestlings, though it
doubtless caused them much anxiety. The young of
this Wren resemble the young of tule wrens when first
hatched, and are rather slow in feathering. They are
fed by regurgitation for several days after hatching, the
menu being chiefly small grubs which the busy little
parents pick out of the bark of the coniferous trees.
They are fed on insects and worms also. After the
sixth day the food is mostly given in the fresh condition.
The Wren nestlings leave the nest between the seven-
teenth and twenty-first days.
725 a. TULE WREN. Telmatodytes palustris paludicola.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 4.50-5.75.
Top of head black ; crown brown ; middle of back with triangular
black patch, streaked with white ; rest of upper parts buffy brown ;
tail-coverts and middle-tail feathers barred with black ; under parts
buffy white, browner on sides.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast from British Columbia to
Mexico.
290 LAND BIRDS
California Breeding Range: West of the Sierra Nevada, in suitable
localities.
Breeding Season : June and July.
Nest: Large oval ball, attached to tule stems ; composed of wet tules,
marsh grass, and pond weed matted together ; lined with tule pith and
dry algae. Entrance at one side.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; pinkish brown, clouded with darker.
To know the Tule Wren you must go to the tall reeds
of a lowland marsh and live for hours each day with him.
He will protest with all the force of his little throat
against your intrusion and will call all his neighbors to
the scene. Clinging to the slender tule, with much tail-
bobbing and attitudinizing, he challenges you angrily and,
were he as big as he is brave, you would never venture
further. His nests are many, all dummy save one, but
you will not be able to guess which that one may be. I
have examined thirty in one day and found but one occu-
pied, and that was the oldest, most tumble-down of the
lot. With undiminished vigor he sings and works, car-
rying wet marsh vegetation and weaving it among the
rushes into a ball many times the size of his industrious
little self. His mate is already brooding in one of those
nests which he made last year, but that is no reason,
according to his way of thinking, why he should not
keep busy making more. So, resting only long enough
to satisfy his hunger, he keeps on with his self-appointed
task from morning until night, singing as he goes the
merriest, maddest medley of banjo-like notes.
Each nest is lined with pith of the tules, which is
exactly like cat-tail down of the East, but the one con-
taining the purplish brown eggs is padded very carefully
with this material. These nests are conspicuous objects
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 291
among the thin-stemmed tule-rushes, and on this account
are much more easily watched than are the nests of the
long-billed marsh wrens, which live in heavier marshes.
It is steaming hot inside the thick-walled ball, and the
eggs feel like little hot pebbles to your fingers. Twelve
days are required for incubation, and even during this
short period the mother is not a close sitter. I have
known her to leave the nest for two hours in the middle
of the day, trusting to the intense heat of the sun to per-
form her task for her ; and but for the thick, moist walls
of the cradle, this same sun would have been fatal to the
bird life within the shells.
As soon as the eggs hatched in the nest I was watch-
ing, I cut a slit in the top of it to look at the young.
They were naked, light pink in color, with tiny heads,
mere knobs for eyes and buds for wings ; each nestling
measured one inch in length. After this examination I
tied up the slit, and before I was a yard away the mother
entered the nest again. Four days later the eyes of the
young Wrens had begun to open, and looked like tiny
slits, while a thin buffy down covered the top of their
heads and was scattered sparsely over their bodies. As
in the young of the long-billed marsh wrens, the ear
openings were conspicuously large. Bill and legs had
changed from pink to light burnt-orange in color. They
were fed by regurgitation for the first four days and
doubled in weight every twenty-four hours. (See Fore-
word.) When a week old they were commencing to
feather, and in three days more were nearly ready to leave
the nest. They were now fed on larvae of water insects,
292 LAND BIRDS
slugs, and dragonflies, besides other insects, and meals
were served four times an hour during most of the day.
When the young Wrens were twelve days old, my at-
tempt to peep into the nest for the last time resulted in
a sudden discharge of all its contents, one by one, into
the green rushes, where they sat breathless clinging to
the thin stems in desperate efforts to keep right side up.
They were entirely feathered and able to pick up food
for themselves, but for two weeks more their pretty coax-
ing chirps induced the adult Wrens to supply them with
marsh tidbits even more frequently than before they left
the nest.
725 c. INTERIOR TULE WREN, OR WESTERN
MARSH WREN. Telmatodytes palnstris plesius.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: About 4.50-5.75.
Top of head and patch dark brown ; middle of crown light brown ;
upper parts buffy brown ; tail heavily and sharply barred with dark ;
under parts pale ashy gray.
Geographical Distribution: From British Columbia south to Mexico,
from east side of the Sierra Nevada to Rocky Mountains.
California Breeding Range: East of the Sierra Nevada at various lo-
calities. Mr. Grinnell mentions Eagle Lake.
Nest and fJggs: Like those of tule wren (C. p. paludicola).
THE Western Marsh Wren is the Western representa-
tive of the long-billed marsh wren of the East, and is iden-
tical in habits with that bird. (See " Nestlings of Forest
and Marsh.")
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 293
726 c. CALIFORNIAN CREEPER. Certhia familiaris
occidentalis.
FAMILY : The Creepers.
Length: About 5.00 or 6.00.
Upper parts bright brown, reddest on rump ; line over eye, streaks
on head, and back yellowish brown.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America from Alaska
to Santa Cruz mountains, California.
California Breeding Range: Humid coast of Transition zone, south as far
as Santa Cruz mountains.
Preeding Season: May.
Nest ; Under loosened bark of redwood or cedar, within 5 feet of ground ;
made of finely shredded cedar bark ; lined with plant down or
feathers.
THE California!! Creeper is the Western representative
of the brown creeper. It is so like the sierra creeper in
form and habits that no separate description is necessary.
Its shrill, wiry note is heard in the redwoods of the humid
coast district, but the bird itself is so protectively col-
ored as to look like a large brown bug against the red-
brown trunks. Only a few nests have been recorded from
the Santa Cruz mountains, but the Creeper undoubtedly
breeds there quite commonly.
726 d. SIERRA CREEPER. Certhia familiaris zelotes.
FAMILY : The Creepers.
Length: About 5.00 or 6.00.
Adults: Upper parts dark grayish brown, becoming tawny brown on
rump ; line over eye, streaks on shoulders, and spot on wing white ;
under parts white, washed with brown on sides.
Geographical Distribution: Cascade Mountains of Oregon and the
Sierra Nevada, west to valleys in winter.
294 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Range : Transition and lower Boreal zones along whole length
of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest : Described by Mr. Barlow as under the bark of dead pines, about
20 feet up ; made of cedar bark and a few feathers.
Eggs : 5 ; white, spotted and blotched with reddish brown and pale
lavender.
THE quaint little bird called the Sierra Creeper is a
summer resident of the pine forests, and so perfectly
does his striped brown back blend with the bark that
he becomes practically invisible the moment he alights
on it. His habits are so exactly like those of the brown
creeper of the East that Mr. Chapman's delightful de-
scription of that bird fits him perfectly. He says :
" The facts in the case will doubtless show that the
patient plodding brown creeper is searching for the
insects, eggs, and larvae which are hidden in crevices
in the bark ; but after watching him for several minutes
one becomes impressed with the thought that he has
lost the only thing in the world he cared for, and that
his one object in life is to find it. Ignoring you com-
pletely, with scarcely a pause, he finds his way in a
preoccupied, near-sighted manner up a tree trunk. Hav-
ing finally reached the top of his spiral staircase, one
might suppose he would rest long enough to survey his
surroundings, but like a bit of loosened bark he drops
off to the base of the nearest tree and resumes his never-
ending task. He has no time to waste in words, but
occasionally, without stopping in his rounds, he utters a
few sweeping squeaky notes, which are about as likely
to attract attention as he is himself. As for song, one
would say it was quite out of the question ; but in its
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING
295
summer home among the northern spruces and firs it
has an exquisitely pure, tender song of four notes, dy-
ing away in an indescribably plaintive cadence, like
the soft sigh of the wind among the pine boughs.'
At all times an unsocial bird, the Creeper
is seldom, even at nesting time, seen in com-
pany with another of his kind either male or
female. Apparently too busy for any lover's
nonsense, he yet does indulge in it upon oc-
casion and, like all drudges, when he wishes
to be sentimental he succeeds only in being
serio-comic. With utmost gravity he offers
his sweetheart a fat grub, cocking his head
sidewise as he sees it disappear down her
throat. She puts up her bill for more,
which he pretends to give, necessarily at
long range on account of the slender curve
of his beak. Then he goes on with
his task of hunting, while she tags close
behind teasing for more after
the manner of a hungry nest-
ling. This does not last long.
The business of house-build-
ing begins. His little home
is hidden snugly behind the
bark of a dead pine tree high
up from the ground, but higher
still from the same tree he warbles his queer little love
song, when the glorious dawn of a June morning moves
even his plodding soul to music.
SIERRA CREEPER,
" He offers his sweetheart a fat
grub."
296 LAND BIRDS
Only nine days are required to hatch the small eggs,
and the naked nestlings squirm and wriggle like so
many pink mice in the cosy nest. They are slow in
feathering, not being fully covered until fifteen days old,
and even then the down shows through the feathers
in hair-like patches. According to the best of my ob-
servations with a powerful field glass, they are fed by
regurgitation until four days old. After that a visible
supply of insect food is given them. Their first journey
from home is a creeping about on the bark of the nest
tree, to which they cling desperately, aided by their
sharp little tails. Instinctively they pick at every crevice
in the bark, and soon become so business-like about it
that they are quite independent of the adults and of
each other.
742. PALLID WREN-TIT. Chamea fasciata.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: About 6.00-6.50.
Adults: Upper parts gray, washed with olive on rump and tail; tail
' long ; under parts fawn-color, indistinctly streaked with dusky.
Geographical Distribution : California, from Shasta County southward to
San Diego.
California Breeding Range: Upper Sonoran zone, west of the Sierra
Nevada, except humid coast belt, from San Diego northward to lower
McCloud River.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: In thickets or low bushes ; compactly made of twigs, bark strips,
and grasses ; lined with feathers and cow hair.
Eggs: 2 to 5 ; uniform turquoise blue. Size 0.73 X 0.56.
SOME California birds, such as the phainopepla, wren-
tit, and others, are like the California big trees, sui
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 297
generis. There is nothing like them east of the one-
hundredth meridian and they are well worth a long
journey to study.
The Wren-tit is a unique combination, as his name
implies. Exceedingly difficult to watch, he slips along
the ground under the chaparral and through fields of
dead mustard stalks, eluding observation as well as
pursuit by scooting into the thickest patches of weeds,
until the patience of the student is exhausted and he
drops down to rest in a shady corner. This is really
the best thing to do, for if one keeps still long enough
the bird is sure to come into view, and often, impelled
by curiosity, will approach within a watchable distance.
With tail atilt over its back, like a wren, it sidles up the
dry stalks, searching diligently for insects, but with one
eye on its visitor. A slight movement on your part
will send it diving into the thick tangle out of sight
again, and only its harsh, scolding notes will betray its
whereabouts. Its long tail is the Wren-tit's most
expressive feature, for it wags up and down in excite-
ment or anger, and it shakes when the bird sings, as if
it had some part in helping on the music. The song
is described as a " clear ringing voice running down
the scale slowly, distinctly, 'keep, keep, keep, keep-it,
keep-it,' ending in a trill." At other times it is a
slow, monotonous singing note like " pee-pee-pee-peep,"
and again a varied succession of whistles. In the early
spring the Wren-tits wander in pairs, keeping up a
constant call and answer, somewhat like a quick " pit-
pit, prrrrt."
298 LAND BIRDS
Mrs. Bailey accuses this bird of breaking up the nest
of a pair of gnatcatchers and one of lazuli buntings, al-
though both parents were present. It is probably the
habit of Wren-tits to steal eggs or nestlings ; for, wherever
found, they seem to be a terror to smaller birds, and
their approach is attended with as much consternation
as that of a shrike.
743 a. CALIFORNIAN BUSH-TIT. Psaltnparus
minimus californicus.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 4.00-4.50.
Adults: Top of head light brown; upper parts ashy gray ; under parts
dull brownish gray.
Geographical Distribution : California, except northern coast district.
California Breeding Range : Oak regions below Boreal zone, west of the
Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: Bulky; pensile; gourd-shaped; entrance a small hole near the
top ; made of moss, fibre, plant down, oak blossoms, and lichens ;
lined with feathers.
Eggs: 5 to 9 ; plain white. Size 0.34 X 0.42.
THROUGHOUT California west of the Sierra Nevada,
the tiny gray birds known as Bush-tits are numerous,
though so small are they and so protectively colored,
one may easily overlook them. At Elysian Park, Los
Angeles, they build each year in the circle of evergreens
near the pool, and usually there are several nests in the
live-oak at the foot of the slope near by. One busy
pair were finishing their nest when I discovered them,
May 2. They were belated, for in the next tree swung
743a. CALIFORNIA* BUSH-TIT
PtaMriparui minimus californicut
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 299
another gray pocket containing young nearly ready to
fly. The pair which were building worked together,
bringing moss, tiny leaves, lichens, and bits of paper,
which they tucked dexterously into the outer walls. At
first one could see through the structure, so loosely was
it woven, but little by little the weaving and lining filled
the interstices until it was of the proper solidity and
thickness. Then began the carrying of feathers to the
pretty cradle, and for a whole day one or the other of
the wee builders, neither one of which was larger than a
man's thumb, brought feathers. Often, with his bill so
full of these that the bird was very little larger than his
load, the tiny male would dart in through the little round
doorway, followed closely by the female with her portion ;
and both would fly out again almost instantly. Usually,
however, only one feather at a time was carried. The
nearest chicken yard was at least one hundred yards dis-
tant, and from the frequency of the trips to the nest and
the distance the feathers were brought, the birds must
have been constantly on the wing.
When all was finished to their satisfaction, the female
disappeared into the depths of the swinging cradle and
was seen by me no more for twelve days. Her mate
brought her food at short intervals during the warm
hours of the day, always alighting near and calling
before he ventured to the nest. He never went inside
while I was watching, but leaned down to her until
only the tip of his tail could be seen in the doorway.
On the fourteenth day after incubation had begun, a slit
300 LAND BIRDS
was carefully cut in one side of the nest and a cautious
peep taken. A wriggling mass of pinkish heads, wings,
and legs lay cuddled in the downiest of feather beds.
They seemed even smaller than the young humming-
birds, and were certainly less than an inch long. Each
little head was triangular in shape, with a mere yellow
ridge at the point for a bill, and skin-covered knobs for
eyes. The slit in the nest we carefully sewed shut
again. Before we had gone three yards the parents
were there, and the male had gone inside to the nest-
lings. A careful watch proved that for the first four
days neither of the parents brought visible food in the
bill, and it is fair to record them as feeding by regurgita-
tion for that length of time at least. (See Foreword.)
On the sixth day the young Bush-tits were covered
with a hairlike grayish white down, and had quadrupled
in size. This was the last observation of that family
I was able to make. Meanwhile several other broods of
Bush-tits had flown and were being cared for in the
neighboring shrubbery by the adults, although seem-
ing well able to feed themselves. An old nest that
I secured measured ten inches in length, four and a
half in diameter at the bottom, and the doorway was
just the size of a dime; a nickle was too large to pass
through it.
The call-note of the Bush-tit is commonly described as
"scritt, scritt," very weak and thin. Aside from this,
the male gives voice to a conversational warble, quite
in keeping with the diminutive size of the bird. This
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 301
species, like the other Bush-tits found in California, are
of untold benefit in destroying eggs, grubs, and adult
insects injurious to the trees, especially black scales and
caterpillars.
741. CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE. Penlhestes
rufescens.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 4.50-5.00.
Adults : Throat blackish brown ; crown and nape clear brown ; sides of
head white ; line over eye black j back reddish brown ; under parts
white ; sides chestnut.
Young: Crown, nape, and throat dark brown ; back olive-brown.
Geographical Distribution : Alaska to California ( Mt. Shasta).
California breeding Range : Northern humid coast belt in Del Norte,
Humboldt, and Mendocino counties.
Breeding Season : April.
Nest: 12 to 40 feet from ground, in dead trees, either in natural cavities
or old woodpeckers' holes ; materials cattle hair, fur, wool, feathers, or
moss.
Eggs : 5 to 7 ; white, sometimes finely speckled with rusty brown. Size
0.64 X 0.47.
IN the northern humid coast belt along the most
northern edge of California the Chestnut-backed Chicka-
dee is a common resident. He keeps to the more open
woods along the roadways, and is even more fearless
than the common chickadee of the Eastern States.
Hanging head downward over a slender twig, searching
for bugs under the young leaves, swinging in happy-
go-lucky fashion from the tip of a branch, scampering in
flocks through the tall trees, he is a most fascinating
302 LAND BIRDS
little chap. His nestlings are handsome fluffy counter-
parts of their parents, and present an appealing picture
of innocence as they sit on a concealed perch waiting
to be fed.
After the breeding season these birds unite in flocks,
often in company with the golden-crowned kinglets and
Oregon chickadees.
742 a. COAST WREN-TIT. Chamea fasciata phcea.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: Wing 2.37, tail 3.41, bill 0.42.
Upper parts sooty brown, darkest on head; under parts chestnut
streaked with dusky. Eye pale yellow.
Geographical Distribution : Humid coast region of Oregon and California.
California Breeding Range: Transition zone of the coast region from
Carmel River, Monterey County, northward through the State, east
through the San Francisco Bay region.
LIKE the pallid wren-tit, this species belongs exclu-
sively to the Pacific slope and is a characteristic bird
of California. It is a common resident of the humid
coast belt, and its clear ringing song is one of the usual
sounds in a quiet tramp along the San Francisco Bay
meadows. That it is much more frequently heard than
seen is due to the shy dodging and persistent hiding
among the low bushes.
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 303
754. TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE. Myadestes tonmsendi.
FAMILY : The Thrushes, Solitaires, Bluebirds, etc.
Length: 7.80-9.50.
Adults: Upper parts brownish gray, under parts lighter ; two white bars
on wing ; tail-feathers edged with white on outer web and across end ;
bill short, flattened at base ; legs weak.
Young : Plumage, except wings and tail, spotted with buff; wings and
tail brownish gray, marked like those of the adults.
Geographical Distribution : From British Columbia to Mexico and from
the Black Hills to the Paciflc, chiefly along highest altitudes. South
in winter to Southern United States.
California Breeding Range : Local in the high Sierra Nevada from Mt.
Shasta to San Bernardino mountains.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest: Bulky ; of twigs, pine needles, and grass or moss ; on the ground,
under roots of overturned trees, in crevices, in banks, or among rocks
near water.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; pale ashy or whitish, spotted with rusty. Size 0.93 X
0.67.
AMONG all the forest singers of California, the Town-
send Solitaire is without a rival ; and were he as easily
heard as is the mockingbird or the thrush, he, and not
they, would be the theme of the poet's verse. Only in
the majestic solitude of rugged mountains, when all the
world is silent, will he pour out his soul in music ; and
to hear him at his best' requires hard climbing and long,
patient waiting. In the highest Sierra Nevada his song
rings clear morning and evening ; and on a tall, dead
tree, sharply outlined against the sky, you may discover
the happy singer. As you watch, suddenly, without
pausing in his burst of melody, he flies outward and up-
ward, higher, higher, singing as he goes, until the silver
notes fall like a shower of music which the listening
304
LAND BIRDS
earth drinks eagerly. His song ended, he floats down
again, alighting with the easy grace of a mocker, and is
at rest all but his quivering wings. He seems to squat
rather than perch and is happiest when flying.
It was rare good luck that showed me the only Soli-
taire's nest I ever found. A rolling stone and a mis-
step landed me flat on my back directly
in front of it and within a foot of the
water's edge. At first I did not realize
my good fortune, because I
did not recognize the nest
or the young. It was a
bulky affair, under a huge
boulder which lay in such a
position that only two inches
intervened between the earth
and the overhanging stone ;
and in this low-roofed crev-
ice the Solitaire had gath-
ered more than a quart of
grass, weed stems, shredded
bark, pine needles, rootlets,
and dead leaves. These
seemed to lie in a thick mat as if driven there by the
wind, and, but for the hasty exit of a bird, I should
never have looked at them.
Examination revealed a foundation of larger weed
stems and a neatly moulded inner nest. In it were five
feathered nestlings. They were much browner in tone
than the adults and were beautifully mottled on the
754. TOWNSEND
SOLITAIRE.
" Remained there singing
when the shadows of evening
closed over the scene."
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 305
breast with light brown. At first they crouched fur back
in terror, but when I put in my hand to pick up one the
others popped out faster than I could catch them. This
unexpected d^but startled me and called the adult male,
who had evidently lingered in the neighborhood. He
was naturally much distressed and, without coming
nearer than fifty feet, lit on a conspicuous perch with
many restless turnings and fluttering^. Finding that this
did not win me from my unfortunate proximity to his
brood, he slipped out of sight and began calling to the
young in a loud, liquid note more imperative than plain-
tive. I sat immovable as the rock behind me, and in
half an hour was rewarded by seeing both Solitaires
come near enough to be recognized without a glass and
feed a nestling who was crouching in a heap of stones,
thirty feet from the nest site. As the parents were so
much alike in form and color, I could not tell which one
came to him. The other disappeared behind the stones
and probably found the rest of the young to care for.
So long as I sat there neither of the adults came into
sight again ; and, putting back into the nest the young
Solitaire I had caught, I withdrew to a distance and hid.
More than two hours elapsed before either adult returned
to the locality, and then the female was seen slipping
silently to the nest. Her mate took up his guard on a
high bare tree and after a time tried to sing, but the
song lacked the joyous spontaneity of his usual outburst
and, cutting it short, he flew down near the old nesting
site. In a few moments he reappeared on the bare tree
and remained there singing when the shadows of evening
20
306 LAND BIRDS
closed over the scene, but the next morning the entire
family of Solitaires had vanished utterly from the vicin-
ity, so far as any trace of them could be found.
758. RUSSET-BACKED THRUSH. Hylocichla ustulata.
FAMILY : The Thrushes, Solitaires, Bluebirds., etc.
Length: 6.70-7.50.
Adults : Upper parts olive-brown, brownest on tail ; conspicuous light
yellow eye-ring ; sides of head washed with reddish brown ; chest pale
buff, with wedge-shaped spots of dark brown ; belly white, washed
with olive on sides.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast from California north through
British Columbia ; south in winter to Lower California, Mexico, and
Guatemala.
Breeding Range : From Northern California to Alaska, chiefly in Boreal
zone.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: Compact and bulky; of plant fibre, shreds of bark, and moss;
placed in saplings or bushes.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; pale turquoise blue. Size 0.94 X 0.65.
THE Russet-backed Thrush is a common species along
the Pacific coast from latitude 37 northward, remaining
through the summer in the foot-hills and lower moun-
tains, and occurring southward during migration. It is
a lover of dense thickets, retiring and unsociable, protest-
ing against intrusion with a sharp "chuck, chuck," and
dodging into impenetrable tangles when aware that it is
discovered. Only at twilight and in the earliest dawn
may one hear the rich sweet song of this shy singer. As
the first full notes float out from the quiet woodland, the
bird-lover knows that a thrush and no other is the song-
ster. The music is less spirituelle in quality than the
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 307
song of the wood thrush, but instantly suggests the
latter. A nest of the Russet-backed that was built in a
roadside thicket between San Jose"
and Alum Rock Canon contained,
May 20, three young Thrushes evi-
dently about a week old.
They were sparsely covered
with brownish gray down,
and pinfeathers were just
showing along the feather
tracts. Both parents dis-
appeared, and did not come
back so long as we re-
mained in the vicinity.
Fearing lest any attempt
to study the development
of the brood at close range
would result in their being deserted by the parents, we
allowed the opportunity to pass by and did not visit
them again.
758. RUSSET-BACKED THRUSH.
singer "
*59 e. SIERRA HERMIT THRUSH. Hylocichla guttata
sequoiensis.
FAMILY : The Thrushes, Solitaires, Bluebirds, etc.
Length: 7.50-8.25.
Adulte : Upper parts light brownish gray ; tail rufous ; chest thickly
marked with broad, wedge-shaped spots.
Geographical Distribution : Cascade and Sierra Nevada Ranges, north to
the Yukon valley ; in migration east to Wyoming and Texas, and
south into Mexico.
308 LAND BIRDS
California Breeding Range : Breeds sparingly and locally in the Boreal
zone of the Sierra Nevada, from Mt. Shasta south to Owen's Lake.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Composed of twigs, straws, rootlets, coarse grass, and moss ;
placed in bushes.
Eggs: Usually 4 ; greenish blue. Size 0.86 X 0.64.
OF the Sierra Hermit Thrush, Mr. Lyman Belding,
who first discovered the subspecies and named it, writes :
" It is the finest song bird of the Pacific Coast, breed-
ing in many localities in the sierras on both slopes,
usually choosing damp, densely wooded localities for a
summer home. It begins to sing about the middle of
May at 5,000 feet altitude, below which it is seldom
found in summer, and sings until about the first of Sep-
tember, when it leaves for warmer regions. Altogether
I have found seven nests of this bird ; all of them were
within a few feet of paths. They were mostly well
concealed, but one was the reverse, having been saddled
on a fallen, dead, barkless fir sapling, with nothing to
hide it except a few dead and leafless twigs. This nest
contained four young, which were quite fit to leave the
nest about the middle of June. Three of the nests were
in yew trees, one was in a hazel bush, and two were in
deer brush. The highest was about ten feet from the
ground and the lowest about three feet. There was
more or less moss used in all, though the materials
used in them varied considerably."
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 309
759 c. DWARF HERMIT THRUSH. Hylocichla guttata
FAMILY : The Thrushes, Solitaires,, Bluebirds,, etc.
Length: 6.00-7.00.
Adults: Upper parts rich olive-brown, brownest on crown and rump,
dullest on tail ; under parts buffy, spotted on chest with wedge-shaped
marks of brown.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific slope, north to British Columbia,
south to California.
Breeding Range : Breeds on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Col-
umbia, and southern Alaska.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest : In a bush, near the ground.
Eggs: Lighter than a robin's, and unmarked. Size 0.83 X 0.63.
(Young Ornithologist, Vol. I. p. 149.)
THIS is an abundant winter visitant to California, oc-
curring in almost all localities west of the Sierra Ne-
vada, but there is only one record of its nest being found
within the State. Mr. C. N. Comstock, of Oakland, took
a nest of this species containing two eggs, in June, 1883,
at the Calaveras Big Trees.
761 a. WESTERN ROBIN. Planesticus migralorius
propinquus.
FAMILY : The Thrushes, Solitaires, Bluebirds, etc.
Length: 10.00-11.00.
Adults : Head, wings, and tail brownish black ; back brownish gray ;
throat streaked black and white ; breast and belly bright red-brown ;
under tail-coverts white.
Young: Under parts yellowish, spotted with brown ; upper parts gray-
ish brown, streaked with light.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States from Kocky Moun-
tains to Pacific.
California Breeding Range: Along the higher Sierra Nevada south as
far as the San Bernardino mountains.
310 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Season : May to August.
Nest: In low trees and bushes, sometimes near or on the ground ; made
of grasses, moss, and rootlets ; plastered with mud, and lined with
fine grass.
Eggs : 4 ; turquoise blue.
THE Western Robin, although like his Eastern repre-
sentative in coloring, is quite unlike him in habits.
Instead of building his nest near the homes of men, he
goes up into the lonely Sierra Nevada forests ; there I
have found it containing two blue eggs, when snow four
feet deep lay a hundred yards away.
All through the spring and summer he remains in the
high altitudes of the Sierra Nevada, breeding along the
crest of this range as far south as the San Bernardino
mountains, but with the cold days of the fall he starts
on his vertical migration to the lowlands. In the win-
ter this species occurs nearly throughout the State ; but,
as all birds sing best at the mating season, he is almost
silent when in the valleys, and seems quite a different
bird from the cheery " Robin Redbreast " who picks up
crumbs in our dooryards.
The nests also of the Western Robins that I have
found have been somewhat different from those of the
Eastern bird and very much prettier, being decorated
with moss woven in the mud instead of straw, and care-
fully lined with moss. It is really a beautiful structure,
with the mud practically concealed from view. The
eggs of the two species are alike, and the newly hatched
young are the same naked, wriggling, skinny nestlings
in both cases. In both cases, also, I affirm that they are
fed by regurgitation for the first four days, the adult
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 311
swallowing the food before he gives it to the young.
By the fifth day earthworms are giveu the nestlings
after being broken into small mouthfuls, and, as the days
go by, these worms as well as large insects are given
whole. The young Robins are voracious eaters, each one
consuming, one authority says, sixty-seven earthworms
daily. Certain it is that they double in weight every
twenty-four hours at first, and at the end of sixteen
days are nearly as heavy as the adults. Usually the
eighteenth day witnesses their first flight, but it is a
long time after that before they learn to forage for
themselves.
All efforts to find a " Robin Roost " in California, such
as is common among the Eastern species, have failed and
I can obtain no definite information on this subject. It
may be this is one of the habits abandoned with their
entrance into the Land of Perpetual Summer.
763. VARIED THRUSH. Lwreus nonius.
FAMILY : The Thrushes, Solitaires, Bluebirds, etc.
Length: 9.00-10.00.
Adult Male: Upper parts dark slate-color, feathers edged with light
gray ; wings banded with dark brown ; side of head black, bordered
above with brown line ; under parts light red-brown ; breast verging
to orange, and divided from throat by a black necklace.
Adult Female: Similar to male, but much duller in coloring.
Young: Like female, but duller and more or less spotted with light
brown.
Geographical Distribution : Along Pacific from Alaska to Northern Cali-
fornia, south in winter as far as Lower California.
Breeding Range : Recorded at Humboldt, California, during the summer,
and may breed there. Breeds northward to Behring Sea.
Breeding Season : July.
312
LAND BIRDS
Nest : Bulky ; in bushes and low trees.
Eggs: 4 ; pale greenish blue, sparsely marked with brown. Size 1.13
X 0.80.
FROM November to March the Varied Thrush, or
Varied Robin, as he is sometimes called, ranges locally
throughout the western part of California and is one
of the handsomest of our win-
ter visitants. Wherever there
are holly berries, manzanita, or
mistletoe there are sure to be
flocks of. these gayly
colored birds. Silent
and shy, they take
alarm at first sight of
an intruder and fly up
the canon, lighting
here and there, but
keeping well ahead of
the observer. They
are often found, too,
along salt-water
beaches, sometimes in
company with the
Western robin, sometimes alone, but under all circum-
stances as silent as if they never sang, contenting them-
selves now and then with a rare chirp that is without
the faintest suggestion of their glorious summer music.
When the first sunny spring days come, the Varied
Thrush starts on his trip northward, taking it by easy
stages, and en route he sometimes breaks into a sweet
768. VARIED THRUSH.
"Silent and shy."
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 313
call-note, but is for the most part as silent as in the win-
ter. By short stages he reaches his nesting ground, in the
dark spruce forests from the northern limit of California
to Alaska, and here only may one hear him sing. Even
here he is the shyest of woodland choristers, seldom
seen, though his weird music floats through the silent
forest at twilight and dawn like the voice of a spirit
bird. It consists of five or six notes in a minor key,
each one uttered with a peculiar crescendo of its own,
complete and perfect in itself, yet in perfect harmony
with the others. In July, when his mate is brooding
somewhere among the dense spruces, he chants his
evening hyrnn as full of holy transport as that of the
hermit thrush of the Adirondacks, or from the top of
some tall pine at daybreak he carols a matin. Never
does he seem either enthusiastic or hurried. His spirit is
as full of peace as the forest in which he makes his nest.
WITH DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE- COLORED PLUMAGE
390. BELTED KINGFISHER. Ceryle alcyan.
FAMILY : The Kingfishers.
Length: 11.00-14.50.
Head with occipital crest ; bill heavy and longer than head ; wings
longer than tail.
Adult Male: Upper parts, crest, and belt across the breast bluish slate-
color ; under parts and collar white; .wing-quills black, marked with
white ; middle tail-feathers slate-color ; other tail-feathers black,
spotted with white.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but belly partially banded, and sides
washed with rufous.
Geographical Distribution : North America.
Breeding Range : United States and British Columbia.
314 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Season : In California, April and May.
Nest: An excavation 6 to 12 feet long, in a bank, usually over water.
Eggs: 4 to 8 ; white. Size 1.35 X 1.08.
ALONG the streams of the interior valleys of California
the Belted Kingfisher lives, the only requisite for his
happiness being sufficient water to furnish his necessary
supply of small fish. No fresh- water pond or brook is
complete without him. Unsocial and even quarrelsome,
he is usually seen sitting alone on a low perch over-
hanging the water, waiting in silence for the gleam of a
fin. Suddenly out he dashes, hovers above the waves
a moment, then plunges down to reappear with a strug-
gling fish in his bill and fly to a different perch to de-
vour it. Should he wait long with no success, he flies
to another fishing ground a few yards away, uttering his
harsh rattle ; for he is angry, and wants the world to
know it. This cry of anger rings loud and clear when
he sees you watching him, and all the woodfolk take
warning at it. A deer will stop drinking instantly on
hearing it and break for cover, although you have not
moved an eyelash. Even more than the jay, is the King-
fisher the sentinel of the wooded lakes, and woe to the
luck of the hunter whom his keen eye detects in a
blind.
His nesting place is a steep bank where he can ex-
cavate for himself a burrow from six to twelve feet long,
rising at a gentle incline and ending in a dome-shaped
cavity from eight to ten inches in diameter. It usually
takes from one to two weeks of labor to prepare this
subterranean home. In digging, the bird uses his heavy
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 315
bill and queer toes with their shovel-shaped nails, two
of which have become united half their length through
constant service of this sort. His method of starting the
hole is similar to that of the bank swallow. Hovering
in front of the bank, he
strikes again and again
as a hummingbird drives
his bill into a flower tube,
until a small break has *-
been made in the clay or
sand of the bank. This
is enlarged with bill and
claws until he gradually
disappears in it, only a
shower of sand occasion-
ally testifying to his prog-
ress. As in the case of
the flickers, both male
and female work at the exca-
vating, changing about every
twenty minutes. The one who
has been* resting returns to a
perch near by, uttering the
characteristic cry, this time
not expressing anger, and almost instantly the mate
leaves the hole and flies off to his or her fishing,
taking no notice of the relief guard, who promptly
enters the burrow and resumes work. When the
nest is completed and the first one of the six or seven
white eggs has been laid, the mother bird broods con-
390. BELTED KINGFISHER.
" He strikes again and again."
316 LAND BIRDS
stantly by day, leaving only early in the morning and
late at night.
If she sees her nest being examined she returns at
once, uttering her hoarse rattling cry in great excitement,
and if possible enters it. The male guards the nest and
brings food, rarely if ever brooding the eggs. He some-
times prepares a second and shorter burrow as a sleeping
place for himself at a little distance from the original
nest.
The Kingfisher's habit of commencing incubation as
soon as the first egg is laid causes a great discrepancy in
the size of the nestlings, which is doubtless increased by
the greater attention paid to the stronger ones, who
crowd to the front to be fed. The young are absolutely
naked when born, and present a ludicrously top-heavy
appearance. Nevertheless, to the eyes of their fond
parents they are beauties, and are valiantly defended.
I have known the mother to allow herself to be pulled
entirely out of the burrow by her hold on a stick thrust
in, and then turn back into it, showing fight all the way.
The male, meanwhile, was administering a series of well-
deserved swooping strikes with his bill on the cap of
the tormentor.
Unless disturbed, the pair will occupy the same nest
year after year ; and if a new one must be excavated, it
is usually in the same bank. According to the King-
fisher code of ethics, only one pair can fish in a stream
or pond, and their rights are usually respected by all
the others.
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 317
424. VAUX SWIFT. Chcetura vauxi.
FAMILY : The Swifts.
Length: 4.15-4.50.
Adults: Upper parts dusky brown, lighter on rump; under parts gray,
merging to whitish on throat ; tail spined.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast region, from British Columbia
to Mexico ; east casually to Montana and Arizona. Migrates to Cen-
tral America.
California, Breeding Range : From the Santa Cruz mountains northward
through humid coast belt.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Of small twigs glued together in the shape of a half saucer, and
fastened to the inside walls of hollow trees.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; white. Size 0.72 X 0.50.
THE Vaux Swift, while not very abundant anywhere
in California, is found as a migrant in all parts of the
State, and breeds in suitable localities from Santa Cruz
northward. In a hollow cotton wood tree near the river,
and a short distance from the town of Santa Cruz, a
colony of several pairs of these small Swifts nest every
year. On the fifteenth of June three of the nests con-
tained eggs, and the others were empty but would
doubtless be used later. Early every morning, four to
five o'clock, the adults could be seen skimming over the
river quite near the surface, every now and then darting
down as if to sip, and instantly rising again. One that
we found on the ground, apparently injured, had very
large liquid eyes like the chimney swift and was most
appealingly confiding. It was either too stunned or too
courageous to be afraid, for it rested contentedly in my
318 LAND BIRDS
hand, making no effort to escape, not even closing its
eyes as do some birds to feign death. The birds nesting
in the tree were exceedingly timid, and disappeared as
soon as the tree was touched at the base.
447. ARKANSAS KINGBIRD. Tyrannus verticalis.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 8.00-9.50.
Adult Male : Concealed red crown patch ; head, neck, breast, and upper
parts light ashy gray ; throat whitish ; belly lemon-yellow ; wings
brown ; tail black, with inner web of outer feathers white.
Adult Female : Similar, but crown patch smaller.
Young : Like adults, but crown patch wanting, and wing-coverts edged
with buff.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America, south in winter to
Guatemala.
California Breeding Range : Transition and lower Sonoran zones.
Breeding Season : May 1 to June 25.
Nest : In trees, not far from the ground ; woven of twigs, weed stems,
rootlets, hair, string, paper ; lined with wool or hair, and decorated
with feathers.
Eggs: 4 ; creamy pinkish, marked with brown and purple irregularly
over entire surface. .Size 0.94 X 0.65.
LOOK for the Arkansas Kingbird in the open country
about the river valleys, rather than in the forests or
mountains ; wherever water and willows are found
throughout the Northwest, you will be sure to find him.
A week or so before their mates come in the early spring,
you may see a company of these gay bachelors in the
tree tops singing with more energy than melody, a queer
conglomeration of the notes of blackbird, blue jay, and
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 319
chimney swift, with the cry of a kitten. Far into the
night you may hear a soloist, but the chorus is silent
after the sun has set. With the earliest peep of dawn
they are astir again, down to the water for a bath ; and
such a splatter ! Half a dozen in a place like urchins
in a swimming pool, and each one trying to make the
greatest splashing ! Heads down, tails up ! Heads up,
tails down ! Twisting
and wriggling, until every
little feather stands for
itself and the bare skin
is plainly visible between
them. A shake, a shower
of pearly drops flashing
in the sunlight, and a
very porcupine-like little bird flies
up to a sunny perch to preen and
shake and preen again. Before his
long performance is finished, a 447 - ARKANSAS KINGBIRD.
lovely golden butterfly flutters by, #%?!%?, wM a great ihow
and, regardless of wet wings, out
dashes the hungry little bird after him. Ten to one he
gets him, comes back to the perch to breakfast, and
flies down to a weed stalk below to hunt for crickets or
grasshoppers. After his appetite is appeased he is ready
for a scrimmage, and very shortly you may see him tum-
bling about in midair, the pursued or pursuer of half a
dozen of his kind in mock combat.
As soon as the demure gray dames arrive from the
South, a change comes over the spirit of the bachelor,
320 LAND BIRDS
a change of degree rather than kind. He becomes more
noisy, and the combat with his former comrades is no
longer for mere fun but for a lady's favor. If it must
be won by war, he is ready ; if not well, he has
already selected a snug spot in an oak tree, protected
from wind and weather by a broad trunk and heavy foli-
age, a charming place for a nest. Will Madam look
at it ? A few days later both are seen bringing twigs,
rootlets, paper, rags, anything in fact that she fancies
and can carry and weave into the characteristic structure.
Around the top, on the outside, she will, if possible,
weave dull-colored but never black feathers in an upright
position curving inward over the cradle. Now, it may
be that these are intended for ornament; but as they
wave rakishly in the wind, they serve the double pur-
pose of somewhat protecting the eggs and young and
rendering it almost impossible for an observer to tell
from below whether or not the mother is brooding. So
whenever there is a chicken yard within a hundred yards
of the nest tree, feathers will adorn the nest. Inside it
is lined with a felted mat of cow hair, wool, or some
warm material or vegetable fibre. In a week it is com-
pleted, and an egg is laid each day thereafter until there
are four. By this time the gay bachelor has become a
model benedict, bringing the little mother moths, dragon-
flies, ants, caterpillars, big black crickets without num-
ber, and bees, the drones, rarely the workers. When
she leaves home for a short outing, he sits near the nest
watching with a great show of alertness, but not daring
in his masculine awkwardness to brood those precious
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 321
eggs. Even when on guard duty his sex asserts itself,
and the sight of a fat moth tempts him to forsake his
post long enough to snap it up.
When the mother bird returns, she alights near, preens
her feathers carefully, answers his note with a twittering
chirp, turns the eggs, and settles herself on the nest with
many little fussings to make herself comfortable.
For thirteen days the mother broods while the father
bird watches, and then the wonderful bits of bird life in
the nest bring another change. Now the male is ever on
the wing, catching and bringing food to those hungry
pink mouths. At first they are fed by regurgitation, but
after the third day large insects are torn apart and given
fresh. Fourteen crickets in ten minutes was the record
of one busy forager. The watchful male no longer tucks
his head under his wings at night, but sleeps with it
drawn back between his shoulders, at his post a few feet
from the nest. If danger threatens, not only he and the
mother bird will defend the nestlings, but their calls will
often bring every Kingbird of the neighborhood to the
rescue.
In two weeks the babies have grown so that they
overflow the nest, and one balances himself outside.
And now his lessons begin. As soon as he has learned
to use his wings he is taught to catch his food in the
same way in which he must obtain it all his life. I have
seen the parent bring a dragonfly or other insect, alight
with it opposite above the young bird, and call his atten-
tion to it in a peculiar low twitter. Then, when quite
ready, he releases the prey, which half falls, half flutters,
21
322 LAND BIRDS
downward. Nearly always the nestling is out after it
and back with it in his beak before you can realize how
it is done. Many times have we watched them, and the
lesson is always given in this way, and always repeated
until there can be no fear of missing. Then the young
are taken to the meadow and taught to dart down after
butterflies or grasshoppers. In some way they learn that
the worker bees have stings and must not be caught, but
that the drones are delicious morsels. So even at the
bee-hive they are a benefit to the farmer, while among
the fruit trees and meadows their value can scarcely be
overestimated ; and the stigma of " Bee-bird," so long
unjustly borne by them, is fast becoming a word of praise
among intelligent people.
448. CASSIN KINGBIRD. Tyrannus vociferans.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 8.00-9.00.
Adults : Grown with concealed red patch ; upper parts and breast dark
gray ; belly lemon-color ; chin white ; tail black, tipped with
grayish.
Young : Duller ; wing-coverts margined with buffy, and no crown patch.
Geographical Distribution : From eastern slope of Rocky Mountains to
Southern Wyoming, Western Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona ; from
Oregon to Lower California.
California Breeding Range : Chiefly in upper and lower Sonoran zones
throughout the State ; south into Lower California.
Breeding Season : May 27 to July 30.
Nest : Similar to that of the Arkansas kingbird.
Eggs: 2 to 5 ; similar in color and markings to the Arkansas kingbird's.
Size 0.99 X 0.76.
UNLIKE the Arkansas kingbird, the Cassin loves the
mountains and the coast. His nest has been taken at
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 323
an altitude of twelve thousand feet, yet he is by no
means rare along the lowlands. Pine, oak, cottonwood,
walnut, hick berry, and sycamore trees are his chosen
nesting sites, and on the horizontal limbs of these the
bulky cradle is constructed. Twigs, rootlets, weed stalks,
string, rags, and plant fibre form its walls, grotesquely
decorated with feathers, like those of the Arkansas king-
bird. These last, waving rakishly in the wind, are quite
in keeping with the character of the bird. From two
to five eggs are laid, and incubation lasts fourteen days,
the female alone brooding on the nest, although the
male is always near to defend. The courage of Cassin
Kingbirds cannot be doubted ; and though they are far
less quarrelsome than the Arkansas, they are not a whit
less brave in defence. In some instances their pluckiness
exceeds that of their relatives, for while the latter are
content to live at peace with hawks and crows, Cassin
Kingbirds drive both these from their neighborhood by
an onslaught both fierce and speedy. For this they
have good cause, for crows are thieves and cannibals,
feasting on the eggs and young of smaller birds.
The young Kingbirds, although born naked, soon
develop feathers. They stay in the nest about two
weeks, and are taught to fly and hunt in the same
manner as are the little Arkansas nestlings, and as also
are the young of the Eastern kingbird, called the tyrant.
Of the many broods of the latter that I have watched,
the process has ever been the same. Nor do they differ
greatly in any of their habits. The Cassin, sitting on a
fence or a weed stalk, flying out after a passing insect,
324 LAND BIRDS
chasing a crow, or perched on a dead twig all fluffed
out for a sun-bath, shows the same characteristic traits
that amuse us in his relatives, and we welcome the sight
as of an old friend. His food consists of large insects
and caterpillars, with possibly a peck at the farmer's
fruit. His call is the shrill note of his family, somewhat
modulated.
454. ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER. Myiarchus
cinerascens.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 8.00-8.50.
Adults : Throat and chest light gray, merging to white on the throat ;
belly sulphur-yellow ; upper parts grayish brown ; two white wing-
bars ; tertials edged with white ; outer tail-feathers with outer webs
distinctly white.
Young : Similar to adults, but tail-feathers rufous.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States from Northern Oregon
south to Mexico, east to Colorado, south in winter to Guatemala.
California Breeding Range : Below Transition zone, nearly throughout
the State.
Breeding Season : May 5 to June 24.
Nest: In knot-holes of trees or giant cactuses or in woodpeckers' holes,
and sometimes behind pieces of bark ; lined with hair, snake skin,
grass, and rootlets.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; buffy, covered with longitudinal scrawls of purple. Size
0.88 x 0.65.
QUITE different from the noisy kingbirds are these
demure, dignified Flycatchers. Even in Southern Cali-
fornia they are only summer residents, going south to
Guatemala in the winter. They nest indiscriminately in
the dense thickets of the river bottoms or in the oak
groves of the foot-hills, in the canons or on the desert
plains, where the cactus and the mesquite are the only
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 325
green things. The call may be mistaken for that of the
phainopepla, but never were birds more unlike in ap-
pearance or habits. This species, more than any other
of the flycatcher family, deserves the name of " tyrant "
which has been given to its Eastern relative. Not only
will it drive all other birds, large or small, away from its
nest tree but, it has the reputation of being a " claim-
jumper." It has been caught nesting in newly formed
cavities prepared by both the Texas and Gairdner wood-
peckers, and in one case at least I know the woodpeckers
were at work on the hole when driven away by usurpers.
The battle raged vigorously at intervals for a whole day.
No sooner had the Flycatchers settled the affair and
begun to line the nest with rabbit fur, than the wood-
peckers returned to the fray ; during the temporary ab-
sence of the bandits they scratched out every bit of the
unwelcome material, and prepared to reoccupy their
home themselves. But as always, the fiercer temper of
the Flycatchers prevailed over the brave resistance of
the woodpeckers, and after repeated defeats they sur-
rendered. Afterwards under the tree was found one
broken egg of the little woodpeckers, probably scratched
out of the nest cavity in their energetic endeavors to get
rid of the rabbit fur, and telling more pathetically than
any words the story of their ruined hopes.
This family of Ash-throats were wonderful uphol-
sterers, for the cavity was thickly padded on sides and
bottom with short hairs and rabbit fur, until there was
little space left. In this were laid three small eggs, and
on June 9 incubation began. During the fifteen days
326 LAND BIRDS
following I did not once see the male enter the nest or
bring food to the female. She seemed a careless mother,
leaving the eggs nearly every day for several hours at a
time. At least once during these absences she had en-
joyed a bath, for her feathers seemed quite wet when
she came to the tree. After a short preening she slipped
inside. I presume this was a daily occurrence. When
the nestlings finally broke the shell, it was not necessary
to climb to the nest to discover the fact, for the changed
behavior of the male told the secret. He was all fussi-
ness, and instead of dozing in the sun on an exposed
perch, he came every five minutes or so with bugs for
those small naked babies. At first he swallowed these
and flew almost immediately to feed the young by regur-
gitation, but as they grew older he carried raw food to
the nest. Often he alighted on the tree near the tiny
doorway and by pulling off the wings and legs prepared
the soft parts of the insect to be eaten by his nestlings.
From the amount of food consumed one would imagine
nothing smaller than young owls inhabited the nursery.
Twenty-two grasshoppers were taken in less than half an
hour, making more than seven apiece. The nestlings
being so small, this seems an appalling amount to be
crammed into those tiny throats ; but it evidently agreed
with them, for they grew at a surprising pace, and on the
sixteenth day they were well prepared for their de"but.
The first flight was no farther than a sheltering branch
of the same tree, and there the plump little fellows sat
all one day looking out over the green forest world with
wondering baby eyes. On the fourth day, in a lower
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLA IE-COLORED 327
tree, the mother gave them a lesson in catching insects.
She brought a small butterfly and lit a little above and
in front of one of the young. She fluttered out toward
him holding the insect in her bill, then she released the
latter so that it flew lamely down just in front of the
eager baby. He almost lost his balance in his swift
darting down after it, and was obliged to alight upon a
lower perch to eat it, instead of returning in true fly-
catcher fashion to the one just left. This did not suit
his fastidious drillmaster, whether because of the low
perch or lack of obedience to rules is unknown. She
fluttered, scolded, and coaxed ; but he finished his meal,
shut his eyes tightly after the manner of nestlings, and
rested where he was. Later on she had persuaded him
to come up higher, and the lesson was repeated with
variations at intervals all day. Three days after this he
was catching flies for himself, although still following
the mother about and begging with quivering wings for
the larger insects he saw her seize, and too often getting
them.
485. OREGON JAY. Pensorem obscurus.
FAMILY : The Crows, .lays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 9.50-11.00.
Adults: Forehead and nasal tufts white ; top of head and back of neck
sooty black ; back, scapulars, wings, and tail brownish gray ; tail
slightly tipped with white ; feathers with white shaft-streaks ; under
parts white.
Young: Dull sooty-brown, darkest on head ; under parts brownish.
Geographical Distribution : Northern California, Oregon, and Washing-
ton to British Columbia.
LAND BIRDS
California Breeding Range : Higher mountains of Northern California.
Breeding Season: March 15 to May 15.
Neat: Compactly built of fine twigs, interlaced with dry grass, moss,
and plant fibre ; lined with fine tree moss ; placed usually high up
in fir trees.
Eggs : 4 or 5 ; pearl or greenish gray, spotted and flecked quite evenly
with lavender and gray. Size 1.04 X 0.79.
WE are accustomed to think of jays as mostly blue, or,
at least, having some blue in their plumage, but here is
a variety that has not a single blue feather.
From the tip of his crestless head -;.<<?" J^ to the
tip of his long
tail he is sober
black, white, and
brownish gray,
and elegant in
are his relatives,
fronted, and Cali-
s o m e one has
much more like
chickadee.
Like the chickadee also, he is easily tamed, coming
to house or camp for food and becoming so familiar as to
be a source of great amusement. It is only necessary
to settle oneself quietly and feed him to be overwhelmed
with his attentions. Mr. Anthony tells of a funny ex-
perience with these birds. He says : " While dressing
deer in the thick timber I have been almost covered with
485. OREGON JAY.
' Xot a single blue feather.'
Nor is he smooth
appearance, as
the coast, blue-
fornia jays. As
said, he looks
an overgrown
491. CLARKE NUTCRACKER
Nucifraga columbiana
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 329
Jays flying down from the neighboring trees. They
would settle on my back, head, or shoulders, tugging and
pulling at each loose shred of my coat, until one would
think that their only object was to help me in all ways
possible. At such times their note was a low plain-
tive cry."
The nest-building commences early in March, and a
site upon the horizontal branches high up in a fir tree is
commonly chosen. Both birds bring material, twigs
and moss from the sides of the trees, and bits of bark,
and both work at shaping the nest. At least two weeks
are occupied in this work and two more in incubation.
On account of the high altitude chosen for residence and
the lofty site of the nest itself, the breeding habits of
these Jays are less frequently observed than those of the
jays of the valleys and foot-hills. In California this
species occurs only in the northwestern corner and as far
south as Mendocino County.
491. CLARKE NUTCRACKER. Nucifraga columbiana.
FAMILY : The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 12.00-13.00.
Adults: Bill cylindrical ; wings long and pointed; uniform light gray,
becoming whitish on forehead and chin ; wings and middle tail-
feathers glossy black ; a patch on wings and outer tail-feathers
white.
Young : Similar to adult, but upper parts shaded with brown, and under
parts more or less barred with brown.
Geographical Distribution : Higher coniferous forest of Western North
America.
Breeding Range: In California the pine regions of the Sierra Nevada
from Mt. Shasta to the San Bernardino mountains.
Breeding Season: March 15 to May 15.
330 LAND BIRDS
Nest : Bulky ; of twigs ; lined with shredded bark, grasses, and pine
needles ; placed in coniferous trees, 8 to 40 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; light green, irregularly marked with brown, gray, and
light purple. Size 1.22 X 0.95.
" As black as a crow " loses its significance when one
looks at the soft gray plumage of the Clarke Crow, or
Nutcracker, of the California mountains. In coloring he
is much more like our common shrikes than like the
family with which his structure classes him. And with
the change in plumage we find a change of heart, for the
Nutcracker has few of the reprehensible traits of his kin.
True, if nuts and insects were scarce and eggs or young
birds plentiful, his menu would doubtless include the
latter; but his choice is always for vegetable or insect
food. Grasshoppers and the big wingless black crickets
he devours in untold numbers, and grows fat on the diet.
Butterflies he catches on the wing in flycatcher fashion ;
grubs he picks from the bark, clinging to the side of the
tree trunks and hammering like a woodpecker; like a
crossbill, he hangs to the under side of a pine cone and
probes for seeds ; meat or fish he will steal, if he can,
from the camper, after the manner of the Oregon jays.
He shares with this bird the epithet of " camp robber."
His migrations are always vertical and for the purpose of
food supplies. Breeding commonly in the spruce belt
in September when the pinon nuts are ripening, he
comes down the mountains in flocks to feast upon them.
Farther north, the deep snows drive him toward the
valleys until he finds some snow-bound ranchman's or
miner's camp, where scraps of the refuse will provide his
daily meals.. In the silence and desolation of the winter
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 331
forest, he is hailed as a welcome bit of life and fed until
he becomes very tame and very saucy.
It is on the crests of the Sierra Nevada that these
birds are found most abundantly. Here they sun them-
selves on the highest peaks, frolicking noisily in the clear,
bracing air. When hungry or thirsty, out they dart from
their lofty perches and, with wings folded, hurl them-
selves down the canon with the speed of a bullet. Just
as you are sure they will be dashed to pieces, their wings
open with an explosive noise and the headlong fall is
checked in a moment. Sometimes the descent is finished
as lightly as the fall of a bit of thistle down ; sometimes
by another series of swift flights ; often by one rocket-
like plunge. At the foot a mountain brook furnishes
food and drink. As the shadows creep up the sides of
the canon, the Nutcrackers follow the receding sunlight
to the summit again, mounting by very short flights from
tree to tree, in the same way that a jay climbs to the top
of a tree by hopping from one branch to another.
My own records of the nesting habits of this bird as
studied in the San Bernardino mountains differ some-
what from those made by observers in more northern
regions. The nests were all rather bulky, composed first
of a platform of twigs, each one nearly a foot in length,
so interlaced that to pull one was to disarrange the mass.
Upon this, and held in place by the twigs at the sides,
was the nest proper, a soft, warm hemisphere of fine
strips of bark, matted with grasses and pine needles
until it was almost like felt. This is stiffened, bound,
and made firmer by coarse strips of bark around the out-
332 LAND BIRDS
side, these also binding it to the twigs and helping to
hold it on the limb. So firmly is the whole put together
and fastened to the branch that no storm can move it
from its foundations. None of the nests were higher
than twelve feet from the ground, and one was only eight
feet up. They were in neighboring trees only about fifty
yards apart.
On the tenth of March three nests contained two
and three eggs respectively ; incubation had begun, and
silence reigned in Nutcracker Camp. Whichever bird
happened to be on the nest was fed by the other, and in
one instance I am positive that it was the female who
brought food to her mate. I judged this because of her
more fluffy, worn plumage and heavier build. Incuba-
tion lasted eighteen days. The newly hatched young in
these nests were naked and very dark bluish gray. I think
those recorded by another observer as " pied black and
white " must have been taken at a later date. When
two weeks old they do look somewhat mottled, though
I should describe it as light and dark dusky rather than
black and white ; or possibly whitish and dark gray
would hit it nearer. They were fed on pinon nuts,
which were carried to the nest and hulled by the adult
while perched just outside on the branch. I could not
discover that any other food was brought them. At first
this was given by regurgitation, but when the young
were a few days old the food was supplied to them
direct.
As soon as they were ready to leave the nest they
were coaxed by short flights to the nut pines, and readily
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 333
learned to shell the nuts and provide for themselves.
Then it would seem a complete change of diet was
necessary; for they disappeared from these regions en-
tirely, flocking to a locality where berries, fish, and in-
sects abound. By the middle of June not one was left
in the old breeding grounds. We missed their harsh
" jar-jaar," the flash of their bluck and white wings in
the summer sunlight, and the woods seemed strangely
silent bereft of their gay company.
567 a. OREGON JUNCO. Junco oreganus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.00-6.50.
Adult Male : Head, neck, and chest black or dark slate-color ; the chest
line being convex instead of straight against the white under parts ;
middle of back dark brown ; sides deep pinkish brown ; three onter
tail-feathers white ; outside pair entirely white.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but slate-color in place of black; crown
and hind-neck washed with brown, remainder of upper parts brown-
ish ; sides and flank dull pinkish brown.
Young : Upper parts brown and streaked ; under parts buffy.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast, Alaska to British Columbia ;
south in winter to California, east to Eastern Oregon and Nevada.
Breeding Range : From British Columbia northward.
Breeding Season : April to July.
Nest : Of dry grasses loosely put together ; lined with cow hair ; placed
generally on or near the ground, in holes among the roots of bushes
and trees, and often under wood piles.
Eggs : 4 or 5 ; whitish or greenish white, more or less specked with red-
dish brown. Size 0.77 X 0.56.
334 LAND BIRDS
616. BANK SWALLOW. Riparia riparia.
FAMILY : The Swallows.
Length: 4.75-5.50.
Adults: Upper parts grayish brown or sooty, darker on head and wings,
paler on rump and upjier tail-coverts ; under parts white, with abroad
band of sooty across chest and sides ; usually a sooty spot on breast.
Young: Similar to adults, but feathers of wings and rump with bufly or
whitish edgings.
Geographical Distribution : Northern hemisphere in general ; in America
migrating south in winter to Cuba and Jamaica, Central and North-
ern South America.
California Breeding Range: In suitable localities throughout the State.
Breeding Season: June and July.
Nest: In horizontal holes or burrows excavated in sand banks and banks
of streams ; thinly lined with fine twigs, grasses, and feathers.
Eggs: 3 to 6; white. Size 0.72 X 0.50,
AMONG the birds that I have watched, few have been
more timid and more difficult to study than the dull-
colored Bank Swallows. Unless you have seen them,
as with wings fluttering they strike the first blow into
the hard sand or clay of the nesting site, you will be
puzzled as to how it is done. Feet and bill divide the
toil, and but for the wings you might suppose a small
gray mouse at work. The soil must be stiffer than light
sand in order to prevent a "cave in," and not infre-
quently clay or mixed gravel and sand are chosen.
These offer a discouraging resistance to the delicate
beak and claws, but the persistent little miners keep
bravely at work in spite of obstacles, so long as human
intruders are out of sight. An attempt to investigate
their work or study them at close range, if persisted in,
usually results in abandonment of the site.
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 335
Like all swallows, these birds are eminently gregarious,
nesting in colonies of hundreds. The old birds come
back to the same nest year after year, and the young of
the colony make homes for themselves near by, until the
bank looks as if riddled by cannon balls. The nests are
rudely excavated tunnels about two feet long and a little
larger at the inner end. In this the Swallows place a
lining of grass and feathers. In such a nest we found
in one instance six small white eggs resembling those of
a chimney swift, but less transparent. In another, lay
the naked, newly hatched young, so small and pink that
they looked like tiny new-born mice. In another nest
there were, on June 2, four fully fledged young, who
popped out at the first disturbance. One flew into my
hand and died instantly from fright.
Watch from a distance a colony of these Bank Swal-
lows during the morning or evening feeding-time. Every
little doorway is filled with eager heads on the qui vive
for the coming meal. As the adult birds alight at their
own nest, the nestlings of the neighborhood whose sup-
per is belated stretch their little necks and watch the
feeding with mingled curiosity and longing. A step
overhead or a sudden shadow, as of a hawk across the
sun, and, as if by magic, the yellow bank presents only
rows of empty black holes.
336 LAND BIRDS
622 a. WHITE-RUMPED SHRIKE. Lanius ludovicianus
excubitorides.
FAMILY : The Shrikes.
Length: 8.00-10.00.
Adult: Upper parts pale bluish gray ; bill, lores, and nasal tufts black ;
rump whitish, under parts pure white, sometimes very lightly marked.
Young : Similar, but colors less strongly contrasted, tinged with brown
and narrowly barred ; wing-coverts tipped with dull light buffy.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America from eastern border
of the plains to Lower California, and from Manitoba to Mexico.
California Breeding Range : East side of the Sierra Nevada from Shasta
valley, south to Lower California, chiefly below Transition zone.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: Placed in hedges, scrubby, isolated little trees, thorn trees,
thickets. The nest is large, loose, and bulky ; composed of weed
stems, grasses, cornstalks, rootlets, paper, etc. ; thickly lined with
chicken feathers.
Eggs: 4 to 6 ; grayish or yellowish white, marked and spotted with pur-
ple, light brown, or olive. Size 0.97 X 0.73.
IT is not easy, at a distance, to distinguish the White-
ruinped from the more familiar California shrike ; but
while the former has pure white under parts, the entire
plumage of the latter is tinged more or less with brown-
ish, and the under parts are quite dingy, being covered
with wavy hair-lines of brown. The range is different,
but the two are likely to overlap somewhat in spite of
the dividing line of the Sierra Nevada.
Both species indulge in the much censured habit of im-
paling their prey on thorns or on the barbs of a wire fence ;
but this is largely from necessity when the catch is either
mice or small birds, as the habits of the Shrikes in cap-
tivity have proved that they must have some such way
of fastening raw meat before they can tear it.
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 337
He does destroy numbers of small birds each year, and
for this we condemn him ; but, on the other hand, the
good he does may outweigh the
evil. Jerusalem crickets, grass-
hoppers, field mice, and lizards
form the largest part of his diet,
and it would be difficult to com-
pute his value to the farmer.
Except for the difference in
environment, the nesting habits
of the White-rumped closely re-
semble those of the California
Shrike. In fact, but for location,
an expert can scarcely distinguish 62 2 a . WHITE-
the nest and eggs of the one RUMPED SHRIKE '
from those of the other, and the "^^^^
sets of different pairs of birds often differ as much as
those of the two species.
622 b. CALIFORNIA SHRIKE. Lanius ludovicianus
gambeli.
FAMILY : The Shrikes.
Length: 8.00-10.00.
Adults: Upper parts slate-gray, tinged with brownish ; upper tail-cov-
erts sometimes abruptly light grayish, or even white, same as the
white-rumped shrike ; under parts dull white or grayish, darker on
sides ; breast usually distinctly undulated or narrowly barred with
grayish, and sometimes tinged with pale brown.
Young: Similar to adults, but colors less distinctly contrasted.
Geographical Distribution : California, especially the coast district.
California Breeding Range : Coast region from Red Bluff to San Diego.
338 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest : Usually in a scrubby tree ; from 5 to 30 feet from the ground ;
bulky; made of coarse twigs, straws, grass, feathers, cotton, and
wool.
Eggs: 4 to 7 ; gray, marked and spotted with purple, light brown, and
olive. Size 0.97 X 0.73.
IN a scrubby tree or thorny bush the California Shrike
builds her nest of whatever materials may strike her
fancy. Usually the bulk of it consists of weed stems
and rootlets ; but an astonishing amount of trash, such
as string, bits of lace, black ribbon, and feathers, were
woven into one that especially interested me. The lace
was recognized as belonging nearly half a mile away, and
had probably been carried by the bird all that distance.
Feathers which waved rakishly on the rim of the struc-
ture came from the chicken yard of the same ranch where
the lace was originally owned. In place of the usual
tough rootlets, palm fibre and yucca thread had been
used with a large proportion of shredded bark and
weed steins. The whole was lined with a felted mat of
cow hair nicely padded into place on sides and bottom.
Inasmuch as the bird was seen to bring this hair in
small bunches and all this felting was done by him, the
result was surprisingly smooth and compact. Both sexes
worked busily at the building, being frequently at the
nest together.
On May 17 the first egg was laid, and one each day
thereafter until there were five. Twelve days were re-
quired for incubation, and on June 3 five naked nest-
lings were cuddled in a tangled mass in the soft cup.
And now we had a fine opportunity to watch the hunt-
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 339
ing of the so-called " Butcher bird." The favorite perch
was a telegraph wire, and from there swoops were made
downward into the grass with startling swiftness. Not
a movement in the meadow escaped him, not a cricket
could jump but he saw it, even fifty feet away, and
caught it at the first trial. For the first week the food
was swallowed by the adults and given to the young in
a partially digested form by regurgitation. Then came
an intermediate stage in which they received fresh food
bitten up by the adult. After the nestlings were strong
enough to help themselves at all, the insects were held
firmly in the beak of the adult and pulled off, a bit at a
time by the young bird. No food was hung up in the
nest tree.
When the young Shrikes were fully fledged and had
left the nest tree, they still followed the parents about
with open mouths and quivering wings, begging for food
until they were nearly five weeks old. They still tore
bits from insects held in the beak of the adult or im-
paled on a barbed-wire fence, which was their favorite
perch. When six weeks old, one of the young birds man-
aged to capture a grasshopper, and I saw him trying to
impale it on the fastening of a telegraph wire insulator,
watched by an adult Shrike two feet away.
Although usually silent except for a harsh note of
alarm, both the California and the white-rumped shrike
have a love song strikingly at variance with their repu-
tation for wanton butchery. One can scarcely credit
the shrike with the tenderness expressed by the sweet
warble that comes from the nest tree when the satiny
340 LAND BIRDS
gray mother bird is brooding the eggs. The harsh voices
of both sexes soften to musical gurgles when they are
near the young in the nest, and the cruel, bloodthirsty
villain of popular bird lore loses the fierceness he is sup-
posed to possess. The young Shrikes inherit the family
traits of patience and silence, and even when hungry,
cuddle down in unwinking stillness, evidently having
fullest confidence that somehow their wants will be
relieved.
703 a. WESTERN MOCKINGBIRD. Mimus polyglottos
leucopterus.
FAMILY : The Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
Length: 9.00-11.00.
Adults : Upper parts plain gray ; wings and tail blackish ; wings with
white patch at base of primaries ; wing- bars, white-tipped wing-quills,
and tertials with whitish edgings ; under parts white, tinged with
grayish, more brownish in autumn.
Young: Upper parts more brownish, back indistinctly streaked or
spotted with darker ; breast spotted with dusky.
Geographical Distribution: United States (rare north of latitude 38),
from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific coast, and in Lower California.
California Breeding Range : Chiefly in the San Diegan district, but also
throughout the lower Sonoran zone to San Joaquin valley.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest: Of small twigs and weeds ; lined with finer material and some-
times horsehair and cotton ; placed from 6 inches to 50 feet high, in
thick bushes, hedges, vines, and trees.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; pale bluish or greenish, spotted with reddish brown.
Size 0.94 X 0.71.
THE Western Mockingbird is to Southern California
what the American robin is to the Eastern States, the
friendly dweller near the homes of men. From the fruit
trees in the orchard, from the shrubs on the lawn, from
the tops of the house chimneys, he pours " such a flood
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 341
of delirious music that the woods and the streams stand
silent to listen." No bird has been oftener written
about. It would be difficult to say anything original
concerning him, but Mrs. Bailey's inimitable description
is worth quoting :
"The Mocker almost sings with his wings. He has a
pretty trick of lifting them as his song -waxes, a gesture
that not only serves to show off the white wing-patches,
but gives a charming touch of vivacity, an airy, almost
sublimated fervor to his love song. His fine frenzies
often carry him quite off his feet. From his chimney-top
perch he tosses himself up in the air and dances and
pirouettes as he sings, till he drops back, it would seem
from sheer lack of breath. He sings all day, and often
if we would believe his audiences he sings down
the chimney all night, and when camping in Mockerland
in the full of the moon, you can almost credit the con-
tention. A Mocker in one tree pipes up, and that wakes
his brother Mockers in other trees, and when they have
all done their parts every other sleepy little songster in
the neighborhood be he sparrow or wren rouses
enough to give a line of his song."
His nest, placed often in the hedgerows bordering the
lawn, is presided over by his more quiet mate, who
broods for fourteen days on the mottled blue eggs.
There is no need to peek into the nest to ascertain
whether those eggs have hatched, for his fussiness pro-
claims the event to all who care to know. And now
come busy days. Both male and female Mockers flit
through the green like silent shadows hunting insects
342 LAND BIRDS
under the leaves, earthworms on the ground, or berries
in the garden. These are all swallowed first and de-
livered to the infant Mockers by regurgitation for the
first few days, or until the babies' eyes open. After that,
the number of earthworms, butterflies, etc. devoured by
those nestlings rivals the story of the young robins who
in twelve hours ate forty per cent more than their own
weight. There seems to be no limit to their appetite and
scarcely any to their capacity. Even after they leave the
nest and are nearly as large as the adults, they follow the
overworked father about, begging with quivering wings.
They are remarkably handsome youngsters, with their
soft brownish coats and spotted breasts, well deserving
the care and pride their fond parents bestow upon them.
727 a. SLENDER-BILLED NUTHATCH. Sitta
carolinensis aculeata.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 5.00-6.10.
Adult Male : Top of head and nape blue-black ; sides of head and under
parts white ; back bluish slate-color ; wings and tail marked with
black and white.
Adult Female : Top of head bluish gray ; otherwise like male.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America east through the
Rockies, south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range: Transition zone, except in humid coast belt.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: In natural cavities of oak trees or old woodpecker holes; lined
with moss, short hair, and feathers, sometimes grass.
Eggs : 5 to 7 ; buffy white, thinly speckled with rusty and purple.
Size 0.74 X 0.53.
PART way up the mountain-sides, on the clearings
sparsely covered with large oak trees and surrounded by
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 343
heavy timber, the Slender-billed Nuthatch makes his
home through the long summer days. When the winter
storms threaten and food becomes scarce, he sometimes
works his way leisurely down to a lower altitude where
insect life is more easily found, but usually he remains
all the year in the same locality. So protective is the
coloring of these slate-colored birds that, but for their
nasal " yang, zang, henk-ah, henk-ah " (described by
Mrs. Bailey), they might pass unnoticed by the casual
observer. They travel head downward round and round
the trunks of the oaks, hunting in every crevice for larvae
and clinging to the under side of the large limbs as easily
as if right side up.
The pairs remain together all the year round, and their
housekeeping commences early in the spring with none
of the grotesque demonstration so usual among birds.
Quietly a cavity in an oak or a dead pine is selected and
filled almost to the brim with feathers, fur, short hair,
and moss by the united efforts of both busy workers.
By May 1 the nest is complete and the mother bird has
begun her cares. She is a close sitter, seldom leaving
the nest for food, but depending on the supply brought
by her mate and only indulging herself in a wing-stretch-
ing once or twice a day. The male is very attentive,
going to the nest so often that one wonders when his
own meals are eaten. As soon as the young are hatched,
which is twelve days after sitting begins, the female
assists in the search for food and comes to the nest quite
as often as the male. For the first few days the feeding
is by regurgitation.
344 LAND BIRDS
728. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH. Sitta canadensis.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 4.12-4.75.
Adult Male :. Top of head black ; a white line over the eye and black
Hue through the eye ; upper parts bluish slate-color ; tail with white
patches on outer feathers ; under parts whitish, washed heavily with
bright red-brown.
Adult Female : Entire upper parts bluish slate-color ; under parts paler
and duller than male.
Young: Similar to female, but duller.
Geographical Distribution : Mountains of North America, south in win-
ter to Southern United States.
California Breeding Range : Breeds irregularly along the higher Sierra
Nevada in the middle and northern parts of the State.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : In an old stub, usually within 6 feet of the ground ; lined with
shredded inner bark and vegetable fibre.
Eggs : 4 to 8 ; grayish white, sparsely speckled with red-brown. Size
0.60 X 0.50.
THE Red-breasted Nuthatch is the same familiar slate-
gray bird iu California that lie is in the oak groves of
Illinois or the forests of Maine. In California he follows
the footsteps of spring up into the mountains, and makes
his nest in the natural cavities of dead trees, coming
down to milder levels when the snow flies. Yet he is a
hardy little fellow and loves the cold, and only the de-
crease of insect life induces him to seek a fatter larder
elsewhere. The nesting habits of this species are essen-
tially like those of the slender-billed nuthatch.
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 345
730. PYGMY NUTHATCH. Sifta pygmcea.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 3.80-4.50.
Adults : Top of head olive-gray ; nape and chin white ; line through eye
black ; upper parts bluish slate-color ; under parts pale grayish buffy,
nearly white on upper breast.
Young: Similar, but wing-coverts edged with buff.
Geographical Distribution : Mountainous regions from British Columbia
south to Mt. Orizaba, Mexico ; from the Kockies to the Pacific.
California Breeding Range: Local in Transition zone, chiefly in the
southern Sierra Nevada and in the Santa Cruz district.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest: In holes in trees, from 10 to 40 feet up ; lined with wool, cattle
hair, and feathers.
Efjgs: 6 to 9; white, speckled with reddish. Size 0.54 X 0.44.
ABOUT Tallac on Lake Tahoe, as at most points in the
Sierra Nevada, these mites in gray scamper up and down
tlie tall pine trees, upside down or right side up, as the
case may be, it is all one to them. In August and
September, when the clans gather after nesting time, the
trees seem to be literally alive with them. Their shrill
" wit-wit " is varied by a whistled trill, and when all the
flock is calling at once the combined noise resembles that
of a brood of young chickens. They move in crowds
from tree to tree, running over the trunks and branches,
searching every smallest crevice for bugs, and twittering
a low sweet monologue. The flocks keep together all
winter, and move down into the valleys as the cold
weather comes on and the food supply grows smaller.
In March the upward migration is begun again ; but
346 LAND BIRDS
now the flocks separate, numbers dropping out on the
way to nest in lower altitudes, and by the time the
timber line is reached the birds are scattered into small
companies of three or four. By June, nesting sites are
chosen, if, indeed, the same ones are not used each
year, and each little pair is well settled in housekeep-
ing. At Lake Tahoe a hollow post several feet out in
the water held a nest of these gray midgets, the entrance
being a crevice scarcely large enough for a mouse. Both
birds worked busily carrying feathers into this crevice
until it seemed there must be at least a peck of them
tucked away inside. Although I stood in a boat with
hand resting on the post not a foot from their doorway,
they came and went as unconcernedly as if no one
were within miles of them ; and when the young were
hatched, the same winsome trust was displayed when
an intruder visited the nest.
Another nest found, June 1 4, ten feet from the ground
in a dead pine was also entered through a crevice ; the
birds displayed the same fearlessness, going inside with
food, while the bird-lover stood on her horse's back
and tried to make the opening large enough to admit a
friendly though curious hand. The brave little bird
would light on the trunk just above the nest hole, and,
running quickly down, dodge in when the fingers of the
investigator were pulling at the crevice. Under such
circumstances only a hard-hearted collector would per-
sist in bothering the courageous parents. So, with-
drawing to a short distance, she kept watch to
learn what food was brought and how often. Both
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 347
male and female were busy hunting
some sort of white larvae that they
obtained from an old stump. The adults
did not swallow these, but carried them
in their bills, which convinced me that
the nestlings were at least five days old.
For my own observation proves that the
young of perching birds (as well as
Macrochires and most Pici) are fed by
regurgitation for four or five days, the
length of time varying in different spe-
cies and depending on the kind of food
brought. Birds eating large insects are
fed on raw food sooner than those
feeding upon minute insect life, such as
ant eggs, gnats, etc., and seed-eaters last
of all.
In the case of the Nuthatches the
entire brood left the nest,
June 16, so that they must
have been two weeks old
when discovered. They
were fed by the parents
for some time after their
debut, and most of the
time were kept well up in
the thick branches of a live pine
tree, where we could hear but
could not see them.
730. PYGMY NUTHATCH.
Both birds worked busily carrying feathers."
348 LAND BIEDS
733. PLAIN TITMOUSE. Bceolophus inornaius.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 5.00-5.60.
Adults: Upper parts olive-gray, becoming lighter and grayer on under
parts ; belly nearly white.
Young: Upper parts tinged with rusty brown ; under parts whitish.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast west of the Sierra Js evada,
through California and Oregon.
California Breeding Range: Oak regions of upper Sonoran zone west
of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : March and April.
Nest : In natural cavities of dead trees, or sometimes in old woodpeckers'
holes ; lined with rabbit fur or feathers.
Eggs: 6 or 8 ; plain white. Size 0.64 X 0.49.
THE tufted titmouse of the Eastern United States finds
its California counterpart in the Plain Titmouse, an inde-
pendent, aggressive little bird found among the live oaks
of the foot-hills. He seldom enters the pine forests,
but loves the sunny open slopes, where he wanders
with small flocks of others of his species, searching for
insect life in a very businesslike way through' the tall
bushes and oak trees. His common note of " tsee-day-
day " is not unlike that of the mountain chickadee, and
occasionally he indulges in a whistled " peto, peto " that
reminds one of his pretty Eastern cousin. But these are
only two of a variety of notes the bird utters under vari-
ous conditions.
The nest of this species is usually in a cavity of an
oak tree limb, the entrance being through a knot hole
well sheltered from the rain. To watch the develop-
ment of the brood it is usually necessary to mutilate the
tree, and so I have contented myself with observations
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 349
made outside the nest. Both sexes share in the fun of
nest-building, busily carrying short hair, feathers, and
wool, and staying inside long enough to settle a much
larger house. They work industri-
ously for five or six days, until it
seems as though at least a peck of
trash had been tucked into the old
oak tree. Then, after a day or so of
play, the mother settles down
to fourteen days of brooding
in the dark nest hole. In a
case which I recorded she
was fed by her mate at short
intervals during all this long
incubation, and many were
the worms 1 saw him carry to
her. He never entered the
nest without first calling from
outside, when she would an-
swer and often come up to
the door to be fed. We knew
at once when the young had
come out of the shells, for
his exaggerated anxiety and
733. PLAIN TITMOUSE.
. ' Busily carrying short hair, feathers,
comical airs of business told and wool."
his secret. A listening at the doorway further confirmed
this three days later. He now scolded at any approach to
the nest and tried to win our attention to himself, while
the female slipped in and out with food. My theory that
most young birds are fed by regurgitation at first was
350 LAND BIRDS
confirmed in this case by the fact that, although I was
within twelve feet of the nest whenever either bird
entered it during that first day, not once was any food
visible in the beak of cither. After the fourth day
the worms and insects carried were frequently projecting
on each side of the small beak, but up to that time there
had been none seen, though a careful watch was kept
with both opera glasses and naked eyes. On the six-
teenth day one of the young appeared in the doorway,
but dodged back when I advanced a cautious hand. He
was very like the adults, but somewhat browner on his
head, and the under parts were clouded with light and
dark gray. The crest was developing finely, and gave
him a pompous look in funny contrast to his timid man-
ner, as he raised it in surprise just before leaving the
doorway. As my hand approached, the crest flattened
and the little fellow seemed to crouch and slide down
backward into the darkness.
738. MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE. Penthestex gambeli.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 5.00-5.75.
Adults: Throat and top of head black ; white line over eye, black line
through eye ; sides of head white ; upper parts gray ; under parts
grayish white, becoming dark gray on sides, washed with rusty.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States in Boreal and Tran-
sition zones from the Rockies to the Pacific coast, and from British
Columbia to Lower California.
California Breeding Range: In Transition zone along the whole length
of the Sierra Net^da.
Breeding Season : June.
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 351
Nest: In an old woodpecker hole or natural cavity, 2 to 17 feet from
the ground ; lined with cattle hair," fur, or wool.
Eggs : 5 to 9 ; white, sometimes spotted with rusty around the larger
end. Size 0.60 X 0.41.
" IT was a cheery chick-a-dee-dee that gave me my first
introduction to this vivacious bird in the sierra, and
when I later discovered a nest hidden securely in an old
pine stub deep in the forest, I could not resist the
impression that here indeed was contentment. Here,
far from the habitations of man, and beside an aban-
doned trail which had long since ceased to re-echo human
footsteps, had settled a pair of Mountain Chickadees.
No matter how fared their neighbors, and with no
time to gossip with the shy warblers of their domain,
these little birds seemed unconscious of all else save
their piny mansion.
" True, they were not fastidious, and had taken up
housekeeping in old quarters ; and their particular stub,
with its deep-creased bark and rotten foundation, did
not differ from a thousand other stubs which dotted the
forest. But this stump, still capped by the winter's
snow, was destined to become the arena of intense
activity with the advent of spring.
"My first nest was found on June 11, 1898, as Mr.
L. E. Taylor and I were walking along the stage road.
An old spruce stub, about three feet high and nine
inches through, stood near the road, and a two-inch hole
in its top led down into the darkness. On scraping the
stub a series of hisses came forth denoting young. We
tore open one side of the stub and beheld a nest of nine
young Chickadees ready to fly. They scrambled up the
352
LAND BIRDS
side of the rough wall and three escaped into the brush.
In plumage the young birds were counterparts of the
adults. The male bird was calling near by , so we
patched up the stub and continued on our way. " l
The above is the first
part of an excellent
article on the Chick-
adee, too long to be
quoted entirely.
The location of the
nest of this species is
usually less than four
feet up ; but one en-
terprising pair that I
myself watched at Mt.
Tallac had chosen a deserted wood-
pecker excavation in a dead tree,
nearly forty feet from the ground. The
location was that of the chest-
738. MOUSTAW CHICK- nut . backed chickadee, but I am
"The birds u-er every fear- aS P os ^ive about the identification
as one can be without a gun. In
the same grove another pair occupied a hollow stub only
two feet up, and so frail that a touch broke open the side.
There were three eggs in the nest when discovered, and one
was added each day until there were seven, when sitting
began. In fourteen days the seven small Chickadees had
broken the shells, and lay a wriggling mass of naked bird
1 Chester A. Barlow, in " The Condor, ' 1901.
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 353
life. We left the side partly open to watch the brood.
The birds were very fearless, and allowed me to sit within
a few feet of the nest while the young were fed. This
enabled me to discover that the nestlings were fed by re-
gurgitation until four days old, when fresh food was given.
Whether or not the adult digested the food I do not
know ; but in every feeding for the first four days the
insects were carried to the young in the throat of the
adult, and forced up when needed, accompanied by a
large amount of saliva.
The young Chickadees were slow in feathering, and
remained in the stub nearly three weeks ; then a sponta-
neous exit occurred early one June morning. For fully
two weeks longer the young were seen begging to be
fed by their indulgent parents, and showed little dispo-
sition to become self-supporting. Their plaintive "dec-
dee, dee-dee " was uttered continuously when they were
not asleep.
741 a. CALIFORNIAN CHICKADEE. Penthesles
rufescens neglectus.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 4.50-5.00.
Adults: Similar to chestnut- backed chickadee, but sides and flanks pale
ashy gray, faintly washed with brownish.
Geographical Distribution: Coast region of California from Sur River
northward.
Breeding Range : In redwood belt of coast district, from Monterey to
Marin County.
Breeding Season : April.
354 LAND BIRDS
Nest : In deserted woodpecker hole, or in natural cavity in stub, from 2
to 10 feet from the ground ; lined with cow hair, rabbit fur, wool, or
moss.
Eggs: 5 to 9 ; white, sparsely specked with rusty. Size 0.63 X 0.47.
THE California!! Chickadee is confined to the coast
region of California, and, Mr. Otto Emerson says, can
always be found in the redwood belt. In habits it is
similar to the chestnut-backed chickadee, nesting rather
higher up in the trees than the mountain variety.
744. LEAD-COLORED BUSH-TIT. Psaltriparus
plumbeus.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 4.12-4.60.
Adults: Upper parts bluish gray; sides of head brown ; under parts
gray, merging to white on middle of breast ; belly washed with light
grayish brown.
Geographical Distribution: Rocky Mountain district west to the Sierra
Nevada, south to New Mexico and Arizona.
California Breeding Range : Desert ranges southeast of the Sierra
Nevada.
Breeding Season : April.
Nest : Pensile ; gourdlike in form ; of plant down, white sage leaves,
spider webs, small bits of lichens and moss ; the whole carefully lined
with small feathers. Entrance, small round hole in wall of nest near
the top. Walls 1 inches thick at bottom, but | inch thick at top.
Nest placed in low oaks and nut pines, 12 to 15 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 4 ; 'white. Size 0.53 X 0.40.
THE Lead-colored Bush-tit is a common resident of
the desert ranges southeast of the Sierra Nevada, feeding
in the junipers and nut pines, and usually to be seen in
flocks.
Their constant twittering, though so faint, reminds
one of the chatter of a flock of English sparrows, and
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 355
the birds themselves, although so small, have all the
independent airs of that pest. Some one has very aptly
described them as " balls of gray down with a tail stuck
in." Fascinatingly fluffy mites they are, busy all day
long with their own affairs, ridding the trees of scales,
insect eggs, bark lice, and many other injurious forms of
insect life. They are constantly in motion, hanging head
down under the slender twigs, chickadee-fashion, picking
at every crevice in the bark and every fold of a leaf-bud,
if perchance a bug lie hidden there, and many a tree
owes its good condition to their industry.
The nesting habits of this species are very like those of
the California!! bush-tit. Among the underbrush of dry
watercourses or on oak-covered hillsides you will find
their gourd-like nests, usually pensile but often nestled
among the thick twigs of a bunch of mistletoe. Wild
blackberry vines, also, are favorite nesting sites. Wher-
ever the pinkish gray cradle may swing, the jolly little
housekeepers are friendly and fearless. You may watch
them at a distance of three or four yards without pro-
ducing the slightest interruption in their work. When
the young are out of the nest and sitting like wee gray
puff-balls in unwinking silence in the bushes, the adult
will feed them when you are only two feet away ; and
fully fledged young may,* with infinite patience, be coaxed
to perch on twigs held in your hand.
These queer little gray elves endure cold that would
kill many a larger bird, and are as lively in the winter as
in the summer. Almost as soon as the last brood is
reared, they join the flocks of their neighbors and forage
356 LAND BIRDS
fearlessly through the fall woods, until the spring calls
them to commence nest-building again.
751 a. WESTERN GNATCATCHER. Polioptila cceruka
obscura.
FAMILY : The Kinglets, Gnatcatchers, etc.
Length: 4.00-5.50.
Adult Male: Upper parts dark bluish slate-color, lightest on rump,
bluest on crown. A blackish line over eye ; tail black, outer feathers
edged with white ; under parts grayish white.
Adult. Female, and Young : Similar to male, but grayer ; no black o.ver
eye; upper parts of young tinged with brownish.
Geographical Distribution: Western Texas, west through Arizona to
California and Lower California, south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Locally through the Sonorau zone, except
tlie-huniid coast belt.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest: In bushes, 3 or 4 feet from the ground ; made of shreds of bark ;
lined with plant fibre and feathers, and covered with lichen.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; whitish, wreathed and speckled with rusty brown and
purplish gray. Size 0.57 X 0.42.
THE Western Gnatcatcher is a common resident of
the lower mountain altitudes throughout California, a
part of those found here in the winter migrating to more
northerly parts in the summer and the rest remaining to
breed. Mr. Chamberlin writes of this species in " The
Condor," March, 1901, as follows: "The name Gnat-
catcher is misleading as regards the diet of this species,
for I have repeatedly seen one tackle a butterfly almost
as large as himself, and bag his game too. I think,
however, his food is largely made up of the eggs and
larvae of insects which are found on the under side of
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 357
leaves and in the crevices of bark. Of the first few
nests I saw being built none were finally occupied on
their original sites. One pair near my camping place
moved their nest and made it over three times before
being satisfied to deposit eggs in it. Each time that
the nest was nearly complete, the birds would discover
a more suitable site, and then the work of tearing down
would begin, and it would be moved piecemeal to the
new place. Very thin strips of vegetable vellum and
rotten bark-fibre made up the bulk of the nest. The
edges at the top were drawn in, making the diameter of
the opening less than that of the centre of the cavity.
The outside was laced over with cobwebs and spangled
over with lichens from the oaks, which were bound on
with webs also. The selection of lichens varied consid-
erably with the pairs of birds, some choosing dark brown
ones with black backs, while others were paler or brighter,
the usual nest being pale green or silver-gray in color."
Mr. Chamberlin does not record the incubation or de-
velopment of the broods, so I turn to my own records
and find that a nest discovered in a low tree near San
Jose, California, contained four eggs on May 3. The
mother was observed on the nest at every visit, and the
male near by the tree. She was fearless and let me ap-
proach very near, almost near enough to put my hand on
her. On May 10 the eggs had hatched and four skinny
pink nestlings, no larger than small grasshoppers, lay in
the nest, a helpless mass of wriggling legs, wings, and
necks, ending in funny knoblike heads. They were fed
by regurgitation until the feathers were well started, and
358 LAND BIRDS
even then the food was often chewed by the adult before
it was given to the young.
The nest itself was a fairylike structure, not much
larger than that of the hummingbird. When not busy
hunting insects for his brood, the father flitted through
the trees with a happy little song. It was a silvery
warble, eminently in keeping with the tiny singer. His
note of protest was a shrill " tzee, tzee, tzee," very like
the call of the golden-crowned kinglet.
753. BLACK-TAILED GXATCATCHER. Polioptila
californica.
FAMILY : The Kinglets, Gnatcatchers, etc.
Length: 4.1,5-4.50.
Adult Male : Crown black ; upper parts dark slate-color ; tail black ;
outer tail-feathers edged with white ; under parts gray ; belly washed
with rusty. .
Adult Female : Upper parts slate-color, merging to black on tail ; under
parts gray.
Young: Like female, but tinged with brown.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of Southern and Lower Cali-
fornia.
California Breeding Range : Local in the San Diegan district, northwest
to Ventura.
Breeding Season: March, April, and May.
Nest: A compact, cup-shaped structure ; of vegetable fibre, sage leaves,
plant down, and spider webs, lined with plant down and feathers.
Placed near the ground in weeds, low bushes, or cactuses.
Eggs: 4; pale pea-green, thickly speckled with brownish red or rnsty.
Size 0.50 X 0.45.
ALTHOUGH this Gnatcatcher is a common resident in
most parts of Southern California, its nesting habits are
more or less difficult to observe. Only one nest of this
species has ever come under my observation, and that
DUSKY, GRAY, AND SLATE-COLORED 359
was snugly woven in a low bush at San Diego. At first
view it was difficult not to believe it the nest of the
American redstart of the Eastern States, but closer exam-
ination revealed a wideness at the base and ornamentation
of tiny curled sage-leaves and bits of lichen bound on
with spider webs. It contained, May 10, four nestlings
so nearly ready to fly that
an attempt to investigate
resulted in the sudden de-
parture of the four in dif-
ferent directions. Although
the flight of each was
short, quick, and flutter-
ing, every one of them
succeeded in getting out
of sight among the thick
green, and search re-
vealed but one of the
four. He was a bewitching
little gray ball of feathers,
with just a promise of the 753. BLACK-TAILEP GNATCATCHER.
tail that should give him ^He was a twitching little gray ball of
his name. During the hour
that we were able to watch him, he was fed seven times
by the male, the food brought being small flies and green
worms. The female was evidently with the rest of the
brood, for she did not appear. The male seemed to have
no fear of us, and came each time with a little challeng-
ing note as if he were tempted to drive us away. A mock-
ingbird, who came near by to drink, was fiercely attacked
and driven away by the plucky mite, single-handed.
360 LAND BIRDS
PLUMAGE CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND "WHITE
393 e. HARRIS WOODPECKER. Drgobates villosus
karrisi.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 9.00-10.00.
Adult Male : Nape scarlet ; tipper parts black, white stripe down the
middle of the back ; wing-coverts lightly spotted with white ; outer
primaries with white spots ; outer tail-feathers white ; under parts
uniform gray, or pale grayish brown.
Adult Female : Similar, but with no scarlet.
Young: lake adult, but forehead spotted with white, and crown scarlet.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast from Alaska south in winter as
far as Monterey.
Breeding Range : In California, only the extreme northern part of the
humid coast belt.
Breeding Sen son: April 15 to June 15.
Nest : An excavation in a dead tree.
E-JIJS: 4 to 5 ; glossy white. Size 0.98 X 0.70.
THE breeding range of this species, according to Major
Bendire, is very limited and is co-extensive with its geo-
graphical distribution. It is a bird of the humid coast,
Transition, and Canadian zones, only remaining resident
in the northern part of California as far south as Huiu-
boldt Bay. In winter it wanders to Monterey along the
humid coast belt. It corresponds in general habits to
the hairy woodpecker of the north and east, which rids
our orchards and forests of innumerable injurious larvse,
such as those of the boring beetle, etc. The food of the
Harris consists of spiders, ants, other insects, and cocoons,
besides larvse, and sometimes acorns and seeds.
It is one of the earliest of the woodpeckers to breed,
the nest being completed in an old stump or dead tree
as early as April. The nesting habits are described as
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 361
identical with those of the hairy woodpecker ; in the
case of the latter, incubation lasts two weeks, the young
remaining in the nest three to four weeks. Like all
young woodpeckers, the nestlings are fed by regurgita-
tion while in the nest, and are dependent on the parents
for several weeks after leaving it.
393 d. CABANIS WOODPECKER. Dryobates villosus
hyloscopus.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Somewhat smaller than the Harris woodpecker, and under parts white
instead of gray ; otherwise exactly like the Harris.
Geographical .Distribution : Southwestern United States.
Breeding Range: In California in suitable localities almost throughout
the State, but chiefly south and east of the north humid coast belt.
Breeding Season : March, April, and May.
Nest: An excavation in a tree, usually 12 to 18 feet from the ground.
Egtjs: 3 to 6; glossy white. Size 0.96 X 0.70.
IT would be easy for a beginner to confuse this species
with the Harris, and especial care must be taken in
noting size, under parts, and range, for the Cabanis is
rarely met with in the humid coast district.
Breeding in the mountains south and east of the coast
belt, it occasionally wanders down to the valleys in mid-
winter, probably seeking better food supplies. It is one
of the earliest to commence nesting, fresh eggs having
been taken near San Bernardino late in March. The
long breeding season recorded in one locality indicates
that two broods are raised. When brooding, it is rather
fearless, devoted to nest and young, and refusing to leave
until driven away. Then both adults remain near the
362
LAND BIRDS
collector, uttering cries of distress, scolding, and doing all
that helpless birds can do for the protection of their
young.
Like the Harris, the Cabanis is noisy, particularly dur-
ing the mating season, when its loud drumming and its
" kick-kick, whitoo, whitoo,
wit-wi-wi " may be heard all
day long in the deep pine
woods.
Both sexes share
the labors of excavat-
ing, brooding the
eggs, and feeding the
young. Incubation
lasts about fifteen days, and
the young remain nearly
four weeks in the nest, be-
ing fed most of that time
by regurgitation. After
leaving they are fed by the
parents for at least two
weeks, and usually return
to the nest at night to
393d. CABANIS
WOODPECKER.
\
"Both sexes share the
labors of excavating."
Although the usual height
of the excavation is from twelve to eighteen feet from
the ground, Major Bendire records one as low as three
feet and another as high as fifty feet.
The food of the Cabanis woodpeckers consists of larvae
and eggs of insects, berries, seeds, pinon nuts, pine seeds,
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 363
and acorns. Major Bendire says he has often seen them
pecking at haunches of venison hung in the open air, and
picking up bits of fat around slaughter houses.
394 a. GAIRDNER WOODPECKER. Dryobates
pubescens gairdneri.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 6.00-7.00.
Adult Male : Forehead and stripe down the back white ; nape scarlet ;
upper parts black ; wing-coverts lightly spotted with white ; outer
tail-feathers white, barred with black ; under parts gray.
Adult Female : Like male, but no scarlet on nape.
Young : Like male, but crown scarlet.
Geographical Distribution : From British Columbia to Southern Califor-
nia, east beyond the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Range : Suitable localities as far south as Santa Cruz.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: From 4 to 20 feet above the ground, in old stumps and dead trees.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; glossy white. Size 0.77 X 0.58.
THE Gairdner Woodpecker is the Western representa-
tive of the downy woodpecker of the Eastern States.
An attempt has been made to divide this subspecies,
restricting the California range of the Gairdner to Del
Norte and Siskiyou counties, and calling the species
" Willow Woodpecker " south of that locality. But in
accordance with Mrs. Bailey's " Hand Book," we shall
consider the Gairdner Woodpecker to have a range
" from British Columbia to Southern California." The
willow woodpecker differs from the Gairdner in being a
trifle smaller, with lighter under parts and spotted ter-
tials. (See Handbook of Birds of Western United
States.)
364 LAND BIRDS
It is usually resident and probably breeds wher-
ever found, although not very numerous in any one
locality. Its nesting site is usually in deciduous trees,
at a distance from four to twenty feet from the ground.
The entrance hole is round, about an inch and a half in
diameter ; and the cavity excavated is from six to nine
inches deep. Both male and female share in the work of
excavating, and after the nest is finished, the male some-
times prepares a shallower one for himself in the same
tree. Nesting begins as early as the middle of April in
Southern California, and four weeks later in Sacramento
County. Four to five glossy white eggs are laid, and
for fourteen days both male and female share the cares
of incubation. After the young are grown, they separate
from the parents as soon as they can feed themselves,
preparing shallow excavations for their own shelter in
dead trees or rotting fence posts. Here they spend not
only the nights but the stormy days of winter as well,
feeding upon the larvae of insects in the bark.
The call-notes of the Gairdner vary, being a low
" pshir, pshir," when searching for food ; a " tchee-tchee-
tchee," rapidly repeated, which is its commonest call ;
and a soft "kick-kick" uttered in the mating season.
397. NUTTALL WOODPECKER. Dryobates nuttalli.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 7.00.
Adult Male: Crown black, sometimes streaked with white ; occiput scar-
let ; hind-neck white ; upper parts barred black and white ; middle
tail-feathers black ; outer tail-feathers barred black and white ; under
parts white, spotted with black on sides.
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 365
Adult Female: Like male, but with no scarlet on head.
Young : Like male, but nape black and crown red ; under parts barred
with black.
Geographical Distribution: Southern Oregon and California in Upper
Sonoran zone, west of the Sierra Nevada and east of the humid coast
belt.
breeding Range : Same as Geographical Distribution.
Breeding Season: April and May.
Nest : In dead branches or beneath the bark of stumps.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; white. Size 0.94 X 0.69.
THE Nuttall Woodpecker breeds west of the Sierra
Nevada throughout the greater portion of California,
being most abundant in the southern part of its range.
In nesting it prefers the oak trees, digging a cavity eight
inches deep, about twenty feet from the ground. Mr.
Beck, of Berryessa, California, records it as breeding in
the mountains east of Santa Clara County, and in one
instance occupying a limb in a sycamore tree where a
pair of red-shafted flickers had their nest. Occasionally
it chooses elders, willows, and giant cactuses. Nesting
commences early in April, and after the pearly white eggs
are laid both adults share in the incubation, which lasts
fourteen days. The young remain in the nest three to
four weeks, and after leaving return each night to sleep
in it. Both parents defend their nest and young with
great courage, the mother sometimes allowing herself to
be taken on the nest rather than leave it. Their food
consists of insects, larvae, berries, and fruit.
The call of the Nuttall Woodpecker is described as a
series of loud rattling notes entirely unlike those of any
other woodpecker. In habits it resembles Gardner's
woodpecker ; but its choice of locality is quite different,
as it prefers a higher altitude and is seldom found along
streams.
LAND BIRDS
399. WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER. Xenopicus
albolarvatus.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 8.90-9.40.
Adult Male : Head, neck, upper part of chest, and patch on the wing,
white ; nape bright scarlet ; rest of plumage black.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but with no scarlet.
Young : Similar to male, but scarlet on crown instead of on nape.
Geographical Distribution: Mountains of the Pacific coast, including
both slopes of the Sierra Nevada, from Washington to Southern
California.
Breeding Range : The Sierra Nevada and Cuyamaca mountains to lit.
Shasta.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest: 4 to 18 feet from the ground, in stumps.
Eggs: 4 to 7 ; crystalline white. Size 0.96 X 0.75.
THE range of the White-headed Woodpecker in Cali-
fornia is restricted to higher mountain ranges from Ore-
gon to Southern California. It is common in the fir
forests of the Sierra Nevada from four thousand feet
nearly to the summit, seldom descending to a lower
altitude than three thousand feet. His conspicuous
white head makes him recognized by the veriest tyro
in bird lore. One would suppose this feature would
make him an easy mark for hunters, but in reality
there is an effect of protective coloring in the very
sharpness of the contrasting black and white, the
one standing out so strongly in the light as to make
the other seem part of the shadow and not of the bird.
This is emphatically a silent bird, particularly in the
winter. Even during the breeding season in the Sierra
Nevada, I have never heard it utter more than a sharp
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 367
" hitt-hitt " as it chases its mate through the wood. The
nest is usually in a dead pine or fir, seldom higher than
twelve feet from the ground. The entrance is round,
about one and a half inches in diameter,
and the interior is from eight to thirteen
inches deep. From four to seven white
eggs are laid on a thin lining of sawdust
made by the excavating. Both
male and female brood during the
fourteen days required for incuba-
tion. The young are fed by re-
gurgitation at first, and afterwards
upon the large black ants so nu-
merous in all the dead pine stumps.
They remain in the nest nearly
four weeks and, for at least ten
days after leaving it, are fed and
cared for by both parents, returning
to the old nursery to sleep at night
while the adults remain on guard
outside.
Dr. Merrill, U. S. A., has studied
the habits of this bird thoroughly,
and written of it as follows : " I have
rarely heard this Woodpecker ham-
mer, and even tapping is rather un-
common. So far as I have observed,
and during the winter I watched it carefully, its
principal supply of food is obtained in the bark, most of the
pines having a very rough bark, scaly and deeply fissured.
399. WHITE-HEADED
WOODPECKER.
" Where the bark -is thick-
est and roughest."
S68 LAND BIRDS
The bird uses its bill as a crowbar, rather than as a hammer
or chisel, prying off the successive scales and layers of bark
in a very characteristic way. This explains the fact of
its being such a quiet worker, and, as would be expected,
it is most often seen near the base of the tree, where the
bark is thickest and roughest. It must destroy immense
numbers of Scaly tidce, whose larvae tunnel the bark so
extensively, and of other insects that crawl beneath the
scales of bark for shelter."
400. ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER.
Picoides arcticus.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 9.00-10.00.
Foot with three toes, two pointing forward and one backward.
Adult Male: Crown patch yellow ; upper parts iridescent bluish black ;
wings finely spotted with white ; outer tail-feathers white ; under
parts white; sides barred with black; forehead and sides of he id
black and white.
Adult Female: Like male, but without yellow on crown.
Young: Like adult, but crown patch smaller; under parts brownish;
upper parts dull black.
Geographical Distribution : Northern North America from the arctic
regions through the Northern United States.
California Breeding Range : In the Sierra Nevada as far south as Lake
Tahoe.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Usually in dead trees, 8 to 10 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 3 to 4 ; white. Size 0.95 X 0.71.
" THE Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker is essentially a
bird of the pine, spruce, fir, and tamarack forests, and
is rarely seen in other localities. It is generally a resi-
dent, rarely migrating to any distance, and probably
breeds wherever found. ... Its sharp shrill ' chirk, chirk '
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 369
can be heard in all directions. It seems to feed entirely
on such wood worms as attack spruce, pine, and other
soft-wood timber that has been fire-killed. It never
attacks a healthy tree, and is far more beneficial than
harmful. . . . Like the hairy woodpecker, they are per-
sistent drummers, rattling away for minutes at a time on
some dead limb, and are especially active during the
mating season in April. I have located more than one
specimen by following the sound when it was half a
mile away. . . . May 10 I found a male busily at work
on a pine stump only two and a half feet high and
eighteen inches in diameter, standing within a few feet
of the road, and close to a charcoal-burner's camp. On
May 25 the cavity was found to be eighteen inches deep
and was gradually enlarged toward the bottom. The
four eggs it contained had been incubated four days.
The female was on the nest, and uttered a hissing sound
as she left it, and might easily have been caught, as she
remained in the hole until the stump was struck with
a hatchet." 1
Incubation lasts two weeks, and the young remain in
the nest four to five weeks according to early or late
hatching. They are fed by regurgitation for the first
nine days and possibly longer, but adults have been seen
carrying insects to the nest on the fifteenth day. When
alighting with food the adult gives a low cooing call and
is answered by a hissing clatter from the young that can
be heard at some distance from the nest tree.
Where this bird occurs in California the local orni-
1 Bendire.
24
370 LAND BIRDS
thologists have made it a subspecies of the Arctic Three-
toed and call it Picoides arcticus tenuirostris, or Sierra
Three-toed Woodpecker. It is like the Arctic in color
and habits, but has a more slender bill. It is found in
the northern Sierra Nevada as far south as Lake Tahoe.
404. WILLIAMSON SAPSUCKER. Sphyrapicus
thyroideus.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 9.00-9.75.
Adult Male: Upper parts, throat, and breast black ; throat with a me-
dian stripe of bright red ; rump and patch on wing-coverts white ;
quills finely spotted with white ; sides of head striped with white ;
belly yellow.
Adult Female: Body barred with brown or black and white; rump
white ; head plain brown ; chest with black patch ; middle of belly
yellow.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, from the Rocky
Mountains to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada ; winters in
Southern California.
California Breeding Range: Along the Sierra Nevada from Shasta to
the San Jacinto mountains.
Breeding Season: May 15 to July 1.
Nest : In large dead pines, 5 to 60 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 5 or 6 ; pure white. Size 0.97 X 0.67.
So unlike are the male and the female of this Wood
pecker that for a long time they were listed as different
species by ornithologists. The general effect of the
male's coloring is black, that of the female brown ; and
unless one is forewarned or experienced, he is apt even
now to look for another name when he first sees the
female.
They nest commonly in the Sierra Nevada near Lake
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 371
Tahoe and are not at all difficult to watch. The site
chosen for a nest is oftenest in the sheltered woods,
'where they excavate in the trunk of a dead tree. One
that I watched was situated about ten feet from the
ground; standing on my saddled horse, I could reach
into it but for one obstacle, the relative size of the
door and my hand. I was unwilling to cut away the
wood about the door, so contented myself with observ-
ing from a distance of fifteen feet. The father bird was
especially fearless, and sat most of the time on the top of
the nest tree, where he drummed occasionally to reassure
his mate in the nest. When I tried to put my hand into
the cavity, both birds came within six feet of me, utter-
ing low angry calls, and before I had fairly reseated my-
self in the saddle, the male had entered the nest. I
could hear him reassuring the young, which all this time
had kept up a tremendous hissing, after the manner of
all birds born in hollow trees. As I sat there just far
enough away to see well what was going on, both
parents brought insects to the nestlings every ten min-
utes. These were usually butterflies, grasshoppers, or
dragonflies ; but the male frequently picked up the large
ants that swarmed over a log I had broken open, and
carried them to the nest. He was much more fearless
than the female, a trait so rare among birds that it
deserves especial mention.
In the same tree with this nest of the Williamson
Sapsuckers there were a nest of the pygmy nuthatches
on the other side of the tree and another of a bluebird
a little lower down. The nuthatches were, if possible,
372 LAND BIRDS
even more courageous than the Sapsuckers, but the blue-
birds flew far away.
The young Sapsuckers must have been fledged when
I discovered the nest, June 10 ; for on the twelfth they
came out of the nursery and flew away with their brown
mother and black and white father into the deeper woods,
where I lost sight of them. A plummet dropped into
the nest hole told me it was nine inches deep. It was
on the sunny south side of the tree, and several degrees
hotter inside than the surrounding atmosphere. As is
always the case with woodpeckers, every bit of excre-
ment had been carried away while fresh by the parent,
and the nest was as clean as if freshly excavated.
405 a. NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER.
Phlacotomtis pileatus abieticola.
(Common Names : Cock of the Woods ; Log Cock.)
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 16.00-19.00.
Adult Male: Head conspicuously crested ; bill longer than head; top of
head, crest, and malar stri[>e scarlet ; chin and side of head pale
lemon-color or white ; a white patch on the wings ; under wing-
coverts white ; rest of plumage dull brownish black ; feathers of
belly tipped with ashy.
Adult Female : Like male, but crown and malar stripe brown instead
of red.
Young : Crest salmon-colored, otherwise like female.
Geographical Distribution : Heavily wooded districts of North America,
from the Southern Allcghanies north to latitude 63, west to the
Pacific (Bailey).
California Breeding Range : Timbered areas in the northern part of the
Sierra Nevada as far south as King's River Canon and Eel River.
Breeding Season : May and Juue.
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 373
Nist : Hole excavated in the trunk of a large dead tree, from 20 to 75
feet from the ground.
E<jgs: 3 to 5 ; white. Size 1.40 X 0.99.
THROUGHOUT the northern part of California in the
forests of the Sierra Nevada, the handsome Pileated
Woodpecker may be frequently heard, occasionally seen,
but never watched unless you are going to live in his
haunts months at a time for the especial purpose of mak-
ing friends with him. But in the Yosemite Valley he is
the most conspicuous of all the birds, as well as one of
the least shy. With slight trouble you may find the
location of his nest in a tall live cedar fifty feet from the
ground, and watch the pair as they care for their young.
Here the mating season commences about the first of
May, incubation lasts eighteen days, and the young re-
main in the nest nearly six weeks. It is not uncommon
to find these nestlings still in the nursery the first week
in July in the Yosemite forests. The parents are very
devoted to their treasures whether they be eggs or in-
fant Woodpeckers, and the male rarely fails to stand on
guard on a high perch ready to warn and defend should
possible danger threaten. The method of feeding is like
that of the flickers, by regurgitation for the first two
weeks or longer. The adult comes with gular pouch
full of food and alights at one side of the nest hole to
rest a moment. Though he may have come noiselessly
and from the other side of the tree, yet his approach is
always heralded by a mowing-machine chorus from the
young, plainly heard some yards away. If old enough,
the queer-looking little heads are thrust out of the door-
374
LAND BIRDS
way, and the parent, inserting his long bill into the open
mouth of a youngling, shakes it vigorously, thereby emp-
tying the food from his throat into that of his offspring.
Each in turn is fed in this odd fashion.
The newly hatched Pileated Woodpeckers are even
homelier than young flickers. They have the same ball-
shaped body with long, help-
lessly weak legs set very far
back on it, and two long
appendages that look like fat
earthworms rather than
like wings. Their in-
405 a. NORTHERN
PILEATED WOOD-
PECKER.
"After a few trials he
learns to hammer right
merrily."
ordinately
long necks
end in a giraffe-
like head with
sightless eyes,
large ear-holes,
and a grotesque bill in which the lower mandible pro-
jects beyond the upper. They roll helplessly about,
unable to squat on account of their round bodies, and
unable to steady themselves with either their legs or
wings ; their chief means of support being the neck,
which braces itself by the head as well as it may.
If a finger be offered to their open mouths, they swal-
low two inches of it, eagerly sucking on it with surprising
strength.
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 375
While you have been examining the young, which,
if you are a woman, must be lowered to you, the
parents have ceased to protest and are watching you in
silence from behind a tree trunk a hundred feet or so
away. After you have replaced the nestlings and left
the immediate vicinity, the adult birds will wait an
hour or more before they come back to investigate the
damage, and then it is the mother who finally ventures
into the molested home to brood again, while the " Cock
of the Woods " watches, as before, from a neighboring
tree.
For a week or two after the young have left the nest,
they follow their parents begging for food with ludicrous
eagerness ; at this time the provender brought them con-
sists of nuts, berries, ants, and the larvae of beetles.
These, especially the nuts, are often placed in a crevice
of the bark, and the youngster is compelled to pick
them out. After a few trials he learns to hammer right
merrily and is ready to forage for himself. Unlike other
woodpeckers, but like the flickers again, the Pileated is
often seen eating ants on the ground or on a log ; hence
his name of " Log Cock."
The call-notes of the Pileated Woodpecker are very
like those of the flicker, but louder and flatter in tone,
" kac-kac-kac-kac " and " wucker-wucker-wucker " being
the most common. When the bird is much excited, the
note is a modification of both a loud and harsh " hiker-
hiker " rapidly repeated. As it excavates a new nest every
year, there are often fresh chips at the foot of the nest
tree to the amount of two or three quarts. The cavity
376 LAND BIRDS
is from seven to thirty inches deep and about six inches
wide at the bottom, unlined save for a small amount of
chip-like sawdust. Like that of the flicker's nest, the
doorway is quite as apt to be oval as round, and is from
three to four inches in diameter. The eggs are from
three to five, glossy, transparent white, and become
opaque as incubation advances.
407 a. CALIFORNIAN WOODPECKER. Melanerpes
formicivorus bairdi.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 8.50-9.50.
Adult Male: Upper parts, sides of head and chest iridescent black ;
chest streaked with white ; crown red ; feathers around base of bill
black, bordered by band of white or yellow ; rump, wing-patch, and
belly white.
Adult Female : Like male, but with red crown separated from the white
or yellow forehead by a black band.
Young: Like adults, but colors duller.
Geographical Distribution : Mexico and western border of United States
from Western Texas to California, and north along Pacific coast to
Southern Oregon ; south to Lower California.
California Breeding Range : Suitable localities in lower Transition zone
west of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season: April 15 to July 15.
Nest: Cavity or excavation in trees, from 20 to 50 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; glossy white. Size 1.00 X 0.75.
THIS is the Woodpecker most uniquely Western in all
his ways. He belongs exclusively to the oak belt and
can be found only where these trees are abundant. Not
at all shy, he seems to the Eastern bird-lover to replace
the redhead of the home forests, and his gay " wake-up,
wake-up," is a .welcome greeting from an old friend.
Like the redhead, he is very emphatic in his manner of
407a. CALIFOKXIAN WOODPI-XKKR
Mclanerpcs fonnicivorus bairdi
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 377
speech, emphasizing his conversation with ludicrous con-
tortions of his body.
But his uniqueness lies in his habit of storing up food
for the winter, according to the advice of King Solomon,
food in this instance meaning the cartridge-like acorns
of the live oaks. For each one of these he chisels out
a hole which is so exact a fit that once the nut is in,
man requires a tool to get it out. Round and round a
tree he goes, filling it as full of these acorns as the law-
allows, and not sparing the limbs until it is honeycombed
from top to bottom. In front of the residence of Dr.
David Starr Jordan at Palo Alto, stands one of these
trees, a living monument to the industry of Melanerpes
formicivorus bairdi.
Like the redhead again, he is a valiant defender of his
property, be it acorns, eggs, or nestlings. He is uni-
versally lord of all he surveys, fearing no bird of his own
size and no quadruped of any size. He will fly furiously
at a squirrel, and set upon a cat without the least
hesitation, aiming directly for its eyes, provided puss is
dangerously near his young. Though I have never found
him quarrelsome or tyrannical, I have frequently noticed
that smaller birds scatter when he alights in their
vicinity.
His nest is excavated in a live oak tree, usually on
the under side of a large branch at some distance from
the trunk, and from fifteen to twenty-five feet from the
ground. Both male and female share in the labor of
excavating the nest and in the incubation of the eggs.
The cavity is usually about eighteen inches deep, five
378 LAND BIRDS
inches wide at the bottom, and one and three-fourths
inches in diameter at' the entrance. Incubation lasts
seventeen days, and the young remain in the nest about
three and a half weeks. They are fed upon the larvae of
black beetles, grasshoppers, ants, and fruit. At certain
seasons of the year this species is almost exclusively a
fruit-eater, and at all times it prefers vegetable to animal
food. Its call is a loud, clear two-syllable note, which
it usually utters when perched on top of a stump, where
it loves to sit and drum. It returns to the same nest
tree year after year, but usually excavates a new cavity,
frequently utilizing the old one as a shelter for the male
on stormy nights.
411. GILA WOODPECKER. Melanerpes uropygialis.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length : About 10.00.
Adult Male: Head, neck, and under parts light grayish brown ; middle
of crown red ; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts barred with black
and white ; middle of belly yellowish ; middle and outer tail-feathers
marked with white.
Adult Female : Like male, but no red on crown.
Young: Like adults, with colors duller and markings less distinct.
Geographical Distribution : Southeastern California, southern part of
Arizona and New Mexico, south through Lower California.
California Breeding Range : Around the Lower Colorado River, near Fort
Yuma,
Breeding Season : May.
Nest: In excavations in trees or in giant cacti.
Eggs: 3 to 5; white. Size 0.96 X 0.71.
THE range of the Gila Woodpecker in California is
restricted to the southeastern corner, bordering on the
Lower Colorado River, in the vicinity of Fort Yuma.
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 379
Here it breeds in small numbers, making its nest in
cottonwoods, sycamores, and wherever possible in the
giant cactus. In fact, Mr. Anthony asserts that its range
is governed by the presence or absence of the giant
cactus, in which it nests, and on the fruit of which it
feeds.
In general habits it is like the Californian wood-
pecker, talkative, noisy, and restless. " When flying
from one point to another it usually utters a sharp shrill
' hiut ' two or three times, resembling the common call
of the phainopepla, and which may readily be mistaken
for it. It is also more or less addicted to drumming on
the dead tops of cottonwood, sycamore, and mesquite
trees. Its flight, like that of most woodpeckers, is
undulating rather than swift" (Bendire).
The food of the Gila Woodpecker consists of larvae,
grasshoppers, ants, beetles, the fruit of the giant cactus,
and the berries of that species of mistletoe found on
oaks and mesquite trees in that region. The same nest
excavation is used several years in succession. Major
Bendire says that incubation lasts about two weeks,
and that both sexes assist in preparing the nest and
brooding the eggs.
425. WHITE-THROATED SWIFT. Aeronautes
melanoleucus.
FAMILY : The Swifts.
Length: 6.00-7.00.
Adults: Tail about half as long as wing, with stiff narrow feathers;
upper parts "blackish ; throat, breast, wing-patch, and rump white ;
sides dusky or black.
380
LAND BIRDS
Geographical Distribution : Western United States, from the Pacific east
to Western Nebraska ; from Washington to Lower California.
California Breeding Itange: Among the mountainous regions east of the
humid coast belt, and along the coast southward from Santa Cruz.
Breeding Season : June and July.
Nest: Glued to crevices of cliffs or walls of caves ; mnde of short twigs
and weed stems and soft vegetable matter ; lined with a few feathers.
4 or 5 ; white. Size 0.88 X 0.53.
THE White-throated Swift is an
abundant resident of Southern Cali-
fornia, and may
be seen in num-
bers in the vicin-
ity of the Old
Mission at San
Juan Capistrano, as well as in Los
Angeles County and other localities. Its
nesting site is the most inaccessible cliff
of the regions where it is resident ; con-
sequently only a few nests have been in-
vestigated. The best account of one is
given by Mr. W. B. Judson, of Los
Angeles, where the nest was found. " It
was situated about eighty feet from the
top of a cliff and one hundred and twenty-
five feet from the ground, in a cave about
seven feet high, ten feet wide, and ex-
tending some seven feet in the face of
the cliff. The nest was placed in a small
hole in the roof of the cave,
425. WHITE-THROATED almost too small to get my hand in
SWIFT.
"its nesting site is the without enlarging it, extending
most inaccessible cliff."
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 381
about a foot up in the rock, and then there was a small
cleft in which it was placed. It was so firmly glued to
the rock that it could not be pulled off' without tearing
it to pieces. The materials of winch it was constructed
felt soft and spongy ; there were no sticks or twigs in
it, and it was lined with a few feathers. Evidently it
had been in use during more than one season, as the
vegetable matter was quite disintegrated."
458 a. WESTERN BLACK PHCEBE. Sayornis nigri-
cans semiatra.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 6.25-7.00.
Adults : Entire plumage slate-black, except for white bell}' ; outer web
of tail-feathers and under tail-coverts white.
Young: Similar to adults, but wing-coverts tipped with light rust}'.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast from Mexico to Oregon ; east-
ward nearly to Southern Texas.
California Breeding Mange : In lower Sonoran zone from latitude 28
northward.
Breeding Season: April 15 to June 15.
Nest : A compact though bulky mass of mud mixed with dried grass,
weed fibre, and hair ; lined with soft feathers ; attached to rocks,
beams of buildings, or bridges.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; white, sometimes finely speckled with reddish brown
around the larger end.
THE Black Phoebe resembles the Eastern phoebe even
more than does the Say. It builds about human habita-
tions near water, and uses mud in the construction of
its nest, which is on the same plan, though lacking the
beauty, of that of the Eastern variety. Like the latter, it is
greatly attached to a locality once used as a nesting site,
and returns to it year after year, repairing the old nest
382 LAND BIRDS
or building a new one. The exterior of these nests is
made of mud mixed with scraps of vegetable fibre and
hair. Inside, it is lined with fine roots, strips of bark,
hair, wool, and feathers. For some unexplained reason
the nest of this species, like that of Say phoebe and the
Eastern phcebe, is infested with innumerable insects,
which frequently cause the death of the young. This
seems strange in the case of birds that splash in the water
so much as do these. One of the first lessons taught
the young is the delight of a bath in an irrigation ditch ;
to this wholesome recreation they are initiated when
about five weeks old.
The food habits are those of all flycatchers, a restless
darting out into the air after a passing butterfly, or down
for a grasshopper, and always back to the same perch.
Nearly every insect with wings is seized by them with
equal alacrity, and their capacity for eating is out of all
proportion to their size. Especially is this true of the
nestlings, to whom food is brought every two or three
minutes and eagerly swallowed with no indications of
surfeit. Possibly it is on account of this they develop
so rapidly, for in fourteen days the weak naked babies
become fully fledged Phoebes, with a pretty call, not
unlike that of their parents, but which, to imaginative
ears, suggests " feed me, feed me ! " And I may add
that this is the interpretation put upon it by the father
bird. At first the feeding is done by regurgitation, but
when five days old the nestlings are fed on fresh insects.
As soon as they are ready to fly the male takes entire
care of them, leaving the patient mother to repair the
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 383
old nest and undertake the bringing up of a second
family. He teaches the young to catch food on the
wing, just as the Arkansas and Cassin kingbirds teach
theirs, and as I believe all flycatchers do, by releasing
a maimed insect in the air just in front of the hungry
little one, who, forgetting fear, instinctively darts out to
catch it. At this the father gives a cheery note of tri-
umph, which the nestling soon imitates and unconsciously
begins to utter whenever he is successful in seizing his
small prey. This and a low twitter during the mating
season, and the conventional announcement of his name
in a plaintive tone, are all the songs he ever sings.
475. BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. Pica pica hudsonia.
FAMILY : The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 17.40-21.75.
Adults: General plumage iridescent black, except belly and wing-
patches white ; bill and naked skin of orbital regions black ; tail
loug and graduated.
Young: Head, neck, etc. dull black, without iridescence on crown.
Geographical Distribution : Middle and Western North America, Alaska
and Hudson Bay to Northern Arizona and New Mexico ; east to
Eastern Colorado.
Breeding Range : East of the Sierra Nevada, north to Shasta valley,
south to Mono Lake.
Breeding Season: April 20 to July 1.
Nest : Globular ; 2 feet in diameter and 3 feet high ; made of sticks,
inner walls of mud, lining of fine rootlets ; entrance hole on one side ;
placed in small oaks, cottonwoods, and pines, 3 to 20 feet from the
ground.
Eggs: 7; grayish, heavily and regularly blotched with brown. Size
1.37 X 0.89.
To the tourist or sojourner from the East, the Magpie
is one of the most interesting features of Western fauna,
384 LAND BIRDS
ranking with burrowing owls and prairie dogs. From
the time one first catches a glimpse of these Magpies until
one's face is set homeward, they are a fascinating study.
Much handsomer and more intelligent than crows, they
are comparatively less known. The average Westerner
regards them as a nuisance, and I suspect he is not far
wrong in this estimate, but, like their relatives the jays,
they yet have something to commend them.
About Lake Tahoe the Black-billed Magpies abound ;
they build their nests in the young oaks as close to the
dooryards as they are allowed. One pair that I watched
had nested for six years in the same tree ten feet from a
dwelling, and were almost as tame as chickens. They
were tolerated on the ground that small rodents will not
come where they are. While this theory is not entirely
borne out by the facts, there is a grain of truth in it, for
a magpie will watch the burrow of a ground squirrel
like a terrier at a rat hole and pounce as swiftly on his
victim. His curiosity knows no bounds, and any un-
usual appearance of the neighborhood he must investi-
gate and talk over. An experiment of hanging bits of
black, white, red, and yellow cloth on the bushes near
the abode of magpies resulted in a curious selection of
the yellow and white first and an apparent terror of the
red. Repeated experiments seemed to prove that this
color was repulsive to the birds, and for a long time I
could not guess why, knowing that raw red meat was
a favorite dainty. Finally, noticing how excited both
birds became at the approach of some little Indian girls
who lived in the fishing village and who were dressed in
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 385
red calico gowns, I was forced to conclude that in some
way the wise old birds associated that color with perse-
cution by the children. It seems that the latter had
played the old cross-string trick with red flannel, which
had been promptly seized again and again by the birds,
greatly to the delight of the tricksters, to whom the
temptation to snare by this means became too great to
be resisted. The feathered playmates learned to shun
both the color and the children.
The nest in the oak tree was very bulky, and bore
evidence of having been used for several broods. On or
in a platform of sticks was a bowl of mud, lined with
cattle hair and roofed with a dome-shaped mass of sticks.
On opposite sides were entrance and exit, and through
the former the tail of the brooding bird usually extended
when she was on the nest. For eighteen days her beady
black eyes could be seen at the exit, for scarcely ever
was she absent, except when she went down to bathe,
which was always once and sometimes twice a day.
The male fed her devotedly on a great variety of dainties,
crayfish, dead minnows, young squirrels, small snakes
or lizards, big black crickets, and, alas ! eggs and young
of swallows. The latter were nesting in numbers in
hollow piles of an abandoned pier near by, and wher-
ever the opening was large enough the Magpie helped
himself. Young chickens were also his victims.
On the day the young Magpies emerged from their
shells, the mother joined her mate in stealthy journeys
to and from the nest. Silently they slipped through the
trees, but at the doorway of their home never failed to
25
386 LAND BIRDS
" talk " in low, gurgling tones as they fed and cared for
the little cues. It was wonderful how those harsh
voices became modulated for baby ears. Any approach
to the nest on my part was received with a chorus of
shrieks from both parents, defiant threats directed toward
my eyes, and other unpleasantness ; but, fortunately, it
being only eleven feet from the ground no great climb-
ing was necessary. Surely such homely babies needed
no violent defence from kidnapping ! They were naked,
dark greenish purple, with sightless knobs for eyes and
long necks on which the dark skin hung in loose wrinkles.
But to the doting parents none were ever more beauti-
ful and none were more closely guarded. Crickets, other
insects, and larvae were crammed down their throats at
the rate of forty-three in thirty minutes, not much for
them, but a goodly amount for the hard-working pro-
viders to catch and bring. Each one was carefully
crushed, the crickets being deprived of their wings and
legs before being given to the nestling. To watch these
industrious hunters pursue their game in the wet grass
near the lake or the dryer wood lots where near the
rotting logs they found the huge black crickets, was
fully as interesting as to see them feed the young.
Though so dignified and stately when walking leisurely
on the ground, they became ludicrously excited when in
a hurry, and with long tail elevated swooped down
upon the unfortunate insect with the air of one doing
great deeds.
At the end of two weeks the nestlings were covered
with the iridescent sheen of the adults, but their tails
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 387
were as yet only promises. These developed with sur-
prising rapidity, and when the mature age of three weeks
was reached, were as long as babies could manage. For
several days there had been restless little heads pok-
ing out of the doorways, and on the twenty-second day
one youngster, assisted by much clamor on the part of
the excited parents, hopped out and sat on a branch. I
came too near for his comfort, and away he flew or blew,
for his long tail refused to conduct itself in proper mag-
pie fashion and filled with wind like a sail, pushing him
helplessly before it One parent followed his adven-
tures, while the other remained to guard the three left
in the nest. These were looking out with longing eyes.
Thinking four babies too much for one mother to care
for, I resolved to appropriate one of them. It proved
a very amusing pet, crossing the continent with me,
and eventually became one of the magpie colony at
Lincoln Park, Chicago, where it still exists. While
with us it learned to say a number of words quite dis-
tinctly, as well as to mimic the bark of a dog, the whine
of a puppy, and the mew of a kitten ; it was far more
intelligent than my pet crow and no more mischievous
than my blue jay. Family characteristics are prominent
in the three.
476. YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE. Pica nuttalli.
FAMILY: The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 16.00-18.00.
Adults: Similar to black-billed magpie, but smaller and with bill and
naked skin of orbital region bright yellow.
388 LAND BIRDS
Geographical Distribution: California west of the Sierra Nevada, from
Sacramento south to Los Angeles.
Breeding Range : In the Sonoran zone west of the Sierra Nevada moun-
tains, north to Red Bluff, south to Santa Paula.
Breeding Season: April, May, and June.
Nest : Similar to that of the black-billed magpie ; placed in oaks, syca-
mores, and willows, from 25 to 50 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 7 ; greenish gray, more or less marked with brown over the whole
surface. Size 1.25 X 0.86.
THE Yellow-billed Magpie is identical with the pre-
ceding species except in the color of the bill, which is
yellow, varying from bright straw-color in birds found in
central California to dull grayish buff in those inhabit-
ing the northeastern portion. He is nearly two inches
shorter than the black-billed, and smaller in proportion.
His call-note also is less harsh and loud, being somewhat
like " quee-quee-quee " instead of " chack-chack " or
" quat-quat " of the larger species. The breeding habits
are identical ; a full description will be found under the
preceding species. Much persecution is rapidly decimat-
ing this variety, and where it was abundant twenty years
ago it is now scarce. Although much more restricted
in its range than that of the black-billed, it is found
in more thickly populated portions of the State about
Sacramento valley and is a better known bird. It is
this species that first arrests the attention of the tourist
as the Eastern train pulls slowly into Sacramento.
Eminently social, like all their family, these birds have
a certain esprit de corps which leads them to forage in
bands, making common cause against an enemy or plot-
ting wickedness together, talking incessantly as only
they can do.
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 389
487. WHITE-NECKED RAVEN. Corvus cryptoleuctis.
FAMILY : The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 18.75-21.00.
Adults: Entire plumage iridescent black, with purplish lights, except
the feathers of neck, which are white at base.
Geographical Distribution: Southwestern United States, principally in
the lower Sonoran zone, from Texas to Southern California and from
Southern Colorado south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Southern part of the State in lower Sonoran
zone.
Breeding Season : May 6 to July 1 .
Nest : Poorly constructed and somewhat larger than those of our common
crow ; made of thorny twigs ; lined with cattle hair, rabbit fur, bark,
grass, and moss ; placed from 7 to 20 feet from the ground.
Eggs : 3 to 8 ; pale green, with longitudinal streaks and blotches of gray,
brown, and lavender, extending from end to end of the egg, and par-
tially hidden by spots and blotches of brown. Size 1.74 X 1.19.
To the careless observer the White-necked Raven
differs from the American raven only in being more
slender and slightly smaller, the white of the neck being
at the base of the feathers and not conspicuous. In
appearance and voice as well as size, they resemble
closely the common crows, though more than an inch
longer. Their nests are placed in giant yucca, cactus,
mesquite, or other low bushes, and occasionally in oaks
or willows. In structure they resemble the nest of a
crow, being loosely thrown together of twigs and lined
with hair from cattle. Old nests are repaired and used
year after year, until they become exceedingly offensive
from filth.
Incubation begins after the set of eggs is completed,
and lasts twenty-one days, only one brood being raised
each season.
390 LAND BIRDS
Like the crows, these Ravens feed upon insects and
animal food as well as grain, coming close to the abodes
of men in their search for it. When their appetite has
been appeased, they will hide the remainder of the feast
under a stone or a piece of bark, in a hole or in the
ground, as do squirrels. By vigorous excavating with
their bills a pit is dug, into which the superfluous
dainties are tucked, and the whole is again covered with
dirt, which looks as if it had never been disturbed. In
some occult way the bird remembers just where each
bit is hidden, and never fails to return for it.
Like the crows, also, they are found in large flocks ;
even at breeding season they are somewhat gregarious ;
but they are totally unlike the American ravens, in being
easily tamed and in preferring the lowland deserts to
the cliffs. In California they are found only in the
southern and southeastern portions, and are nowhere
very abundant.
494. BOBOLINK. Dolichonyx oryzivorus.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: 7.00-8.00.
Adult Male in Spring: General plumage black; patch on hind-neck
cream or buff ; wing and fore part of back lightly streaked ; scapulars
grayish ; rump and upper tail-coverts white.
Adult Female : General plumage yellowish brown, under parts paler ;
upper parts and flanks streaked with blackish ; crown divided by a
median buffy stripe.
Adult Male in Winter : Similar to adult female, but streaks on upper
parts blacker.
Young: Similar to adult female, but more buffy, with necklace of faint
dusky spots ; flanks not streaked.
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 391
Geographical Distribution: Generally throughout North America, and
seems to be gradually reaching the Pacific coast, migrating to the
West Indies and the valley of the Amazon.
Breeding Range : In Transition zone in open prairies locally, throughout
its habitat.
Breeding Season: May 15 to July 1.
Nest ; Of dried weeds and grasses ; hidden on the ground among tall
grasses or concealed in a depression.
Eggs : 5 to 7 ; dull or grayish white to reddish brown, irregularly spotted
and blotched with browns and purples. Size 0.85 X 0.64.
ALTHOUGH at present only a rare fall visitant in Cali-
fornia, there are evidences that the Bobolink of the East
is moving westward with the great tide of civilization,
and gradually forsaking the Atlantic coast to become a
permanent resident of the Pacific States. There is no
other bird quite like him or that can take his place in
the heart of one who has heard his tinkling banjo-like
song in the meadows east of the Mississippi,
" The rollicking, jubilant whistle,
That flows like a brooklet along."
While his demure brown sweetheart listens in the long
meadow grass, Robert of Lincoln flies upward on quiver-
ing wings, exploding with melody, and the higher he
flies the more joyously he sings. It is a rhapsody on
the glory of the June morning and the joy of loving.
His nest is securely hidden in the tangle of clover or
wild grass, often placed in the hollow made by a cow's
foot, sometimes woven among the clover stems and al-
most impossible to find. The mother bird broods alone
for thirteen days, while Robert frolics gayly over the fields
with others of his sex, always within call, but seldom or
never feeding her. When the young are hatched, how-
392
LAND BIRDS
ever, he takes charge of them, and I have found him
alone with a brood of seven nestlings huddled in a fence
corner in Michigan. The young are born naked except
for a scanty sprinkling of down, through which their
skin is conspicuously visible. When feathered, they re-
semble the females, and by August first, when even
Robert has doffed his gay suit, it is difficult to tell one
member of the family from the
others. This is their travelling
costume, and they start at once
on their long journey south to
494. BOBOLINK. ^r nil winter on the
While his demure sweetheart listens" ' | AnUlZOll River.
En route they are known as rice birds, and make havoc of
the rice fields of the Southern States, so that farmers and
sportsmen alike make war upon them, selling them as
" ortolans " in Southern markets. In the spring they
come north again, reaching the rice fields in April, when
the tender shoots are a few inches high, and stop there a
few days to pull them up before coming farther to their
breeding grounds. At this season Robert has on his
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 393
bright new wedding suit of buff, black, and white, and
is called the " reed bird."
588 a. SPURRED TOWHEE. Hortulanus macidatus
montanus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 8.50-8.90.
Adult Male: Head, neck, chest, and upper parts except rump black ;
rump grayish ; white patch on outer tail-feathers ; small white
patches on wings ; belly white ; flanks chestnut.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but brown in place of black ; back in-
distinctly streaked.
Young : Upper parts streaked black and brown ; under parts rusty.
Geographical Distribution : Rocky Mountains, west to interior of Cali-
fornia ; north through Washington ; south to Lower California and
Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Upper Sonoran and Transition zones, east
and south of the humid coast belt nearly throughout the State.
Breeding Season : June 1 to' July 10.
Nest : Of bark, leaves, and small sticks ; lined with grass ; placed on or
near the ground in bushes.
Eggs : 4 or 5 ; pale greenish, finely speckled at the larger end. Size
0.88 X 0.70.
Remark: The San Diego towhee, P. m. atratus, is very similar to the
Spurred Towhee, but darker and with white markings more restricted.
THE Spurred Towhee is very like the common towhee
or chewink of the Eastern United States in coloring,
except for the white mixed with the black of his back and
wings. He is a common bird in the dense woods of the
lower Sierra Nevada mountains, breeding in the edge of
the clearings, either on the ground or a few feet up, in
cedar saplings and manzanita bushes. Often as I have
seen them in a morning's tramp the Spurred Towhee
greatly outnumbered other birds, particularly if my way
lay through the heavy timber.
394 LAND BIRDS
His vocal efforts are somewhat different from the bell-
like notes of the Eastern species, and have been so well
described by Mr. Keyser in " Birds of the Rockies " that
I quote his words rather than attempt a description of
my own :
" It is a cross between the song of the chewink and
that of dickcissel. The opening syllabication is like
dickcissel's ; then follows a trill of no specially definable
character. There are times when he sings with more
than his wonted force, and it is then that his tune bears
the strongest likeness to the Eastern towhee's. But his
alarm call! It is no 'chewink' at all, but almost as
close a reproduction of a cat's mew as is the catbird's
well known call. Such crosses and anomalies does this
country produce !
" On the arid mountain sides among the stunted bushes,
cactus plants, sand, and rocks, this quaint bird makes his
home, coming down into the valleys to drink at the tink-
ling brooks and trill his roundelays. Many, many times
as I was following a deep fissure in the mountains, his
ditty came dripping down to me from a spot far up the
steep mountain-side a little cascade of song mingling
with the cascades of the brooks."
OREGON TOVVHEE. Hortulanus maculatus
oregonus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 8.00-8.60.
Adult Mode: Upper parts black, with white streaks on back concealed,
and all white markings much restricted ; small white round spots
at tips of wing-coverts ; white patches on outer tail-feathers less than
an inch in length ; sides dark reddish brown.
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 395
Adult Female : Similar to male, but dark sooty brown in place of black
on head, neck, cbest, and upper parts ; sides deep reddish brown.
Young : Upper parts almost uniform dark brown ; throat and chest
dusky ; neck streaked ; under parts dark buffy.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast, from Southern California to
British Columbia.
California Breeding Range: Humid coast belt as far south as San
Francisco.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest: Of grasses and leaves; lined with finer grasses; placed on the
ground or in bushes and stumps.
Eggs: 4 or 5; pinkish white or pale greenish, thickly speckled with
cinnamon-brown. Size 0.94 X 0.70.
THE Oregon Towhee which, south of Mendocino
County, Mr. Grinnell has listed as the San Francisco
Towhee, differs only slightly from the latter, but has a
more restricted range in California. In habits it re-
sembles the common towhee.
The usual nesting site of this species is on the ground,
in a tangle of ferns or grasses well shaded under low
bushes ; when, however, the proximity of enemies renders
a ground nest dangerous, the birds wisely choose the top
of a stump hidden among vines, or the thick branches of
bushes. The same locality is sought by them year after
year.
In the deep woods where the California partridge
nests, it is not unusual to find the eggs of that game bird
in the nest of the Oregon Towhee. Mr. Cohen, of Ala-
meda, records one Towhee nest four feet from the ground
on a live-oak stub and containing four Towhee eggs and
fifteen eggs of the partridge. Another recorded by him
was on the ground, and contained three eggs of the
Towhee and eighteen of the partridge. The Towhee
abandoned the nest after six partridge eggs were laid,
396 LAND BIRDS
leaving the partridge to rear the brood. Inasmuch as the
Towhee eggs hatch in two weeks, the young being very
dark colored and naked, while the partridge eggs require
three weeks and the young are lively little balls of down
able to run about as soon as dry, the sacrifice of the
Towhee's brood is inevitable whenever the two are
deposited in the same nest.
Mr. Anthony records finding an egg of this Towhee in
the nest of a rusty song sparrow.
605. LARK BUNTING. Calamospiza melanocorys.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.12-7.50.
Adult Male in Summer : Entire plumage black or slaty, except for white
patch on wings, and sometimes white marks on tail-feathers. Winter
adult similar to summer female, except chin, wings, and tail black.
Adult Female: Upper parts brownish gray streaked with dusky;
white wing-patch smaller and tinged with buffy ; tail, except mid-
dle feathers, spotted with white ; under parts white, streaked on
breast and sides.
Young: Similar to adult female, but m^re buffy ; feathers of upper
parts bordered with buffy white ; streaks on lower parts narrower.
Geographical Distribution : Plains of Dakota and Kansas, west to
Rocky Mountains, north to United States boundary, south in winter
to Lower California and New Mexico ; occasional west of Rocky
Mountains. Irregular in Southern California.
California Breeding Range : In San Diegan district. (Very rare.)
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest : Of grass and fine rootlets ; lined with finer grasses and vegetable
down ; sunk in the ground, or placed under a tuft of grass or weeds.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; plain pale blue. Size 0.85 X 0.65.
THE Lark Bunting, in form, size, and general habits of
song and nesting, resembles the bobolink of the Eastern
United States in such a way as to be frequently mistaken
for that bird by careless observers. The dark plumage
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 397
of the male, with his conspicuous white wing-patches
and occasional white outlines on the tail, renders him a
striking object as he shoots up from the grass like a
rocket and whistles his merry song. This he does in
true bobolink fashion, never pausing to catch his breath
until, sliding downward through the air, he alights
within twenty feet of his starting point and finishes the
trilling begun in midair. Over and over, all day long,
during the nesting time, he repeats this double aerial
feat of flight and song. It is as if a sudden explosion of
joy within him sent him skyward on wings of music. Its
force spent, he flutters down to the quiet gladness of
earth once more and soliloquizes sweetly on the wonder
of it, as he swings on a low perch.
Like the bobolink, too, he changes his summer plu-
mage to a less striking suit of brown like that of his mate,
before he starts on his fall trip to the plateaus of Mexico.
His nest is deftly hidden in the weed clumps of a moun-
tain meadow, and neither he nor the demure little mother
bird will reveal its whereabouts. In this trait also he
resembles the bobolink, for, instead of rising from the
nest as the meadowlarks and some sparrows are apt to
do, the Lark Bunting slips through the weeds for some
distance before reaching her grass-lined cradle.
The baby Buntings are fed exclusively upon insect
diet as long as they remain in the nest, and for some
time after leaving it. They hide in the cover of the
grass and weeds until able to fly well, and at night they
cuddle into the thick underbrush, like little quail, with
both parents on guard. Even after the first real flight it
398 LAND BIRDS
is not uncommon to find the family keeping together, and
by September they have joined bands flitting southward
for the winter.
The call-note of this species is a clear, sweet whistle
like an interrogative " who-ee ? " and is heard oftenest
during spring and fall, when the migrating flocks are
feeding along the way. In quality it is not unlike the
fall call of the bob-white, but much thinner in tone.
620. PHAINOPEPLA. Pkainopepla nitons.
FAMILY : The Waxwings and Phainopeplas.
Length: 7.00-7.75.
Adult Male: Plumage uniform glossy blue-black, except for white
patch on inner webs of primaries ; a long thin crest on crown. Winter
plumage similar, but many feathers bordered with white.
Adult Female, and Young : Brownish gray, rather pale on under parts.
Geographical Distribution : Arid region of Mexico and contiguous parts of
United States from Western Texas to Southern California.
California Breeding Range: Arid lower Sonoran zone.
Breeding Season: May to July.
Nest: Saucer-shaped, rather .com pact ; of plant fibres, weed stems, twigs,
and plant down ; usually in pepper or oak trees, or bunches of
mistletoe.
Eggs: 2 or 3; dull grayish white, thickly spotted with a neutral tint,
dark brown and purple. Size 0.89 X 0.69.
IF, when driving through the streets of Redlands or
Riverside, you see a slender bird of iridescent black plu-
mage with a striking black crest, feasting on the rose-
colored berries of the pepper trees, or sailing through
the air, his conspicuous white wing-patches standing
out like sails, be sure that it is the wonderful Phaino-
pepla, one of the most interesting of Western birds. It
is a common resident throughout Southern California, and
620. PHAINOPEPLA
Phainopepla nitens
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 399
may be studied in almost any locality from Pasadena to
Sun Diego and eastward. Stragglers have been ob-
served as far north as San Jose", Chico, and Marysville,
but their usual haunts are the warmer regions of the
southeastern part of the State. Here they nest in the
oaks and mesquites, building a loose flat structure which
once seen will ever afterward be easily identified. I be-
lieve that these birds, like the cedar waxwings, usually
remain mated for life, but when the sunny May days
come the male performs wonderful aerial gymnastics to
win the admiration of the demure brown female. With
a not unmusical prelude he springs into the air, performs
a somersault much like a long-tailed chat, and comes
tumbling back to his perch, where he alights easily and
gracefully, not- having ceased his song for a moment.
The only notice his quiet mate takes of this is a slight
elevating of her crest, as a haughty lady might raise her
eyebrows. The male's fine crest is constantly erect,
cockatoo fashion, as he continues his adulation. In fact,
the only time I ever saw it lowered was when one of
these handsome birds seemed to be scolding a female,
whether his mate or not I do not know. He stood be-
fore her with crest down and head stretched out on a
level with his body, wings tight to his sides, uttering
harsh notes and swaying from side to side in anger. As
soon as she flew away he resumed his eating.
One pair which nested in an oak tree near Pasadena
appeared suddenly in the neighborhood on the morning
of May 16, and a few days later were discovered at work
on a nest. A watch was kept from a distance with field
400 LAND BIRDS
glasses, and while it was impossible to see how the weav-
ing was done on account of the thick foliage, it was easy
to ascertain that the male bird was the architect. Only
once did the female drop down to the nest, and then she
remained so long as to make it seem certain an egg was
laid. However, the next day she was flying away over
the valley with apparently no thought of family cares,
and was not observed near the nest tree again until the
third day after. Two days later sitting began. In this
the male shared to a limited extent only. At least he
remained at the nest, but whether or not he actually
brooded the eggs I do not know, because a fear of caus-
ing the birds to desert prevented a watch at close range.
On the fourteenth day the male was observed visiting
the nest very frequently, and an examination revealed two
pinkish bits of bird life, naked except for a sprinkling of
thin gray down on top of heads and shoulders. There was
nothing in their appearance to suggest the elegant form
of their parents, and they might as well have been young
sparrows. From that time on we obtained an intimate
knowledge of their development by keeping watch under
the tree. The intervals of feeding varied with the time
of day. From four to six A. M. the shortest wait was five
minutes and the longest seventeen. During the day as
long as one hour sometimes intervened between the meals.
Insects and berries were swallowed by the adults, who
fed the young by regurgitation. In the case of the wax-
wings and Phainopeplas the process of regurgitation
lacks the usual violent pumping motion, but consists of a
quick eructation of the food from the throat into the bill.
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 401
In twelve days the nestlings were growing quite a
respectable coat of brownish gray like that of the female,
and could be seen stretching their wings in the saucer-
shaped nest so near the edge that they were in imminent
danger of falling off. Their call was exactly like that of
the young cedar waxwings, a prolonged " pee-eet," sweet
and plaintive. The song of the adult is more remark-
able for enthusiasm than musical quality, and his call-
note is a shrill two-syllabled utterance in the harsh tones
of a blue jay. Besides this he has a variety of conversa-
tional tones which remind one somewhat of the gentle
waxwings.
In some localities the Phainopepla is called the black
mockingbird, but he has not a single characteristic of
the mockingbird family, and certainly his vocal powers
do not put him in that list. *
665. BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER.
Dendroica nigrescens.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 470-5.40.
Adult Male in Spring and Summer: Head, throat, and chest black,
except for broad white stripe above ear-coverts, broad white malar
stripe, and a yellow spot over lores ; upper parts bluish gray, the back
and sides streaked with black ; breast and belly pure white ; two
white wing-bars ; tail with inner web of two outer feathers white.
Adult Female in Spring and Summer: Similar to male, but colors
duller ; crown usually grayish, often streaked with black.
Adult Male in Fall and Winter: Similar to summer male, but gray of
upper parts tinged with brown, and black markings restricted, some-
times nearly obsolete.
Adult Female in Fall and Winter: Similar to summer female, but plu-
mage softer and streaks on back and upper tail-coverts wanting.
26
402 LAND BIRDS
Young Male: Similar to adult winter male, but upper parts browner,
crown brownish gray, except iu frout and sides ; streaks ou back
and upper tail-coverts concealed ; black of throat with white tips to
feathers ; under parts yellowish.
Young Female: Entire upper parts brownish gray, crown bordered with
dusky ; under parts brownish.
Geographical Distribution: In mountainous parts of Western United
States, from Rockies to Pacific ; north as far as British Columbia ;
south in winter to Mexico.
California, Breeding Range : Along the Sierra Nevada from San Bernar-
dino mountains to Shasta County.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: Compact and cup-shaped ; built of gray plant fibres ; lined with
hair or feathers ; placed in thickets or scrub oaks, or in pines, from 4
to 20 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; white, dotted with reddish brown and purple, chiefly at
the larger end. Size 0.66 X 0.52.
AMONG the junipers of the San Bernardino mountains
the Black-throated Gray Warbler makes his summer
home. The green caterpillars, which some birds refuse
and which on some trees seem to be poisonous, are his
favorite food. His simple, rather thin little song comes
from the sparse stunted growth of the foot-hills where he
is busily at work hunting for his dinner, but the bird
himself keeps behind the foliage and will not make
friends. He seems to be more indifferent than shy. and
to prefer the quiet of the thicket rather than gay dashes
out into the sunlight. You may know him by the yellow
spot in front of and just above the eye. Farther north
this species is found frequenting the oak trees almost
exclusively, though the nest is usually in a manzanita or
hazel bush. In the spring these oaks are particularly
infested with the green caterpillars, and the Warblers
never seem to tire of devouring the pests. They lean
away over to peer under every leaf, or reach up to the
CONSPICUOUSLY BLACK AND WHITE 403
twigs overhead, never missing one. Twenty of these
worms is an average meal for a Black-throated Gray
Warbler, and the total for a day must reach into the
hundreds. When several of these busy workers hunt
through a tree together, we may feel sure that it must be
clean by the time they finish the task.
665. BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER.
" They lean away over to peer under every leaf."
Their common note is a sharp " chip," and their song
is rich and very strong during the nesting season. One
remarkable trait of these birds is the philosophical calm-
ness which they exhibit over any domestic catastrophe.
When their nest is destroyed by jays or other enemies,
there is a quiet consulting together over the misfortune,
404 LAND BIRDS
and a beginning again in another bush. A very interest-
ing description of the habits of this species has been
given by Mr. Bowles in "The Condor" for July, 1902.
The nesting habits resemble those of the yellow warblers.
PLUMAGE BLACK OB IRIDESCENT BLACK
422. BLACK SWIFT. Cypseloides niger borealis.
FAMILY : The Swifts.
Length: 7.00-7.50.
Adults: Tail slightly forked ; entire plumage dusky, and grayish on head
and neck ; a black patch in front of the eye.
Young : Similar, but feathers tipped with whitish.
Geographical Distribution : From the Rocky Mountains west to the Pa-
cific, and from British Columbia south to Lower California.
California Breeding Range: Irregular and local.
Breeding Season: June 15 to August 1.
Nest : On inaccessible cliffs ; made of straw, chips, and horsehair ; lined
with green leaves and paper.
Eggs: 5 ; white.
THE exact range of the Black Swift, or Cloud
Swift, is not definitely known. It is found
breeding in various localities
in California, but never
in places accessible
to anything not pro-
vided with wings. In
the Sierra Nevada and the Coast
Range of California it occurs
through the air,
BLACK OR IRIDESCENT BLACK 405
locally in small numbers, nesting in colonies on the
high perpendicular cliffs. Dr. Merriam reports it from
Inyo County, California, and Dr. A. K. Fisher writes of it
in the " Ornithology of the Death Valley Expedition " as
follows : " The Black Swift was first observed at Owens
Lake near Keeler, California, where a number were seen
flying back and forth over the salt meadows. . . . When
the flock left the marsh it rose high in the air and went
in the direction of the cliffs in the Inyo Mountains,
where a colony was evidently breeding."
In flight this species are even more rapid and graceful
than the chimney swifts, rarely if ever alighting on the
ground or in trees.
Their food consists of small insects caught in their
large mouths while flying swiftly through the air.
486. AMERICAN RAVEN. Carmu corax sinuatus.
FAMILY : The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 21.50-26.00.
Adults: Entire plumage iridescent black, with purple and green lights ;
leathers of the throat lanceolate, distinct from one another ; feathers
of the neck dull gray at the base.
Geographical Distribution : From the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific ;
from Canada to Guatemala.
Breeding Range: Southern California and islands adjacent. Recorded
north to Red Bluff and Humboldt Bay.
Breeding Season : March 15 to June 1.
Nest : Bulky structure ; of coarse sticks ; lined with bark, wool, or goats'
hair ; placed in trees or on cliffs according to locality, which is always
inaccessible.
Eggs: 5 to 7 ; thickly spotted with brown, purple, and gray. Size 1.92
X 1.27.
THROUGHOUT the coast district of California, " wher-
ever tall bare cliffs rise from the valleys and deep, steep-
406 LAND BIRDS
walled canons cut into the mountain ranges, the hoarse
croaking of the Raven echoes back from cliff and wall."
You may watch him soaring through the canons or over
the barren valleys with his mate, but to study his nest-
ing habits at close range would require the cunning of a
Mephistopheles. Two or three hundred feet above the
valley, and from thirty to fifty below the top of the cliff,
on a narrow ledge of rock, sheltered by the overhanging
mass, is the place he has chosen to build his nest and
rear his young. More inaccessible than an eagle's eyrie,
few care to investigate it. Thus secure from human
interference, year after year the pair return to it when
the winter rains have given way to spring sunshine and
all the birds of the air are seeking their mates. But the
Raven, having chosen once, remains mated for life ; and
the nest, once built, serves for all his broods. A few
more sticks to strengthen it, a little fresh wool or hair
to line it, some strong new rootlets to keep the inner
cup in shape, and the cradle is ready. In it are laid
five, six, or seven large eggs, greenish, mottled with
shades of brown, purple, and pinkish ; and both the birds
brood alternately until, in twenty-one days, the nestlings
emerge from the shells. They are not handsome babies,
being naked and of a sickly greenish hue, as if they had
been long dead and had become mummified, but they
are the objects of great devotion on the part of both
parents. One or the other is constantly near them, on
the lookout for danger, and ready to act as a decoy
to any aspiring investigator. Meanwhile the other has
slipped down to the valley or beach for food. It may
BLACK OR IRIDESCENT BLACK 407
be dead fish, or snakes, or lizards, or small mammals.
Or it may be the eggs or nestlings of other birds ; for
the Raven is a cannibal as well as a thief. Young
chickens from the farmyard, young quails from the
valleys, or young gulls from the cliff are equally prized
in the Raven menu. His appearance in any neighbor-
hood creates as much consternation among the feathered
folk as does a hawk, and with even more reason.
In about four weeks the young are ready for flight,
and their depredations begin under the training of the
adults. They learn to sit in watchful silence on the
rock where the cormorant has her nest and at the first
opportunity snatch the eggs or newly hatched young ; to
pick up clams and drop them from a height on the
stones, in order to break the hard shells ; to trace dead
flesh by a sixth sense, and call their brothers to the
banquet. They also learn to splash in the clear, cold
water of the mountain stream or lake until every black
feather stands out for itself like a quill. When they rise
so wet and shiny from this bath in the early morning
sunlight, they look like white birds, and they have fooled
me more than once, until their loud, hoarse croak from
the far distance betrayed them.
Soon after the young are able to forage for themselves,
the family usually disappears from the breeding locality
to some valley where food is more easily obtainable.
Here, after a few weeks, they separate, the youngsters
going about alone and the adult pair remaining together.
Throughout the winter and early spring they haunt the
ranches of the more southern regions and interior valleys,
408 LAND BIRDS
walking with comical dignity over the ground, chasing
each other merrily through the air, tumbling, somersault-
ing, and even trying to fly on their backs, according to
Major Bendire. Their ordinary call is a loud " craack-
craack " or a deep grunting " koerr-koerr." Occasionally
during the early spring they attempt to sing in low
gurgling notes a sort of monologue in monotone, as it
were, but evidently expressive of their undying affection,
and well understood by the mate for whose ears alone it
is intended.
48a WESTERN CROW. Corvus brachyrkynchos hcspcris.
FAMILY : The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 17.00-21.00.
Adulti: Entire plumage glossy black, with purple lights.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America, north to British
Columbia, except coast of Washington.
Breeding Range : In California, interior valleys, also coastwise locally.
Breeding Season : February 20 to June 1 .
Xest : In trees, from 6 to 40 feet from the ground ; bulky ; composed of
sticks and other coarse material ; lined with fibre, grass, leaves, or
hair, the lining being well quilted together.
Eggs: 4 to 8 ; olive-green, irregularly marked with spots and blotches of
brown and gray and sometimes lavender. Size 1.65 X 1.15.
NORTH, south, east, or west, wherever found, the
Crow is the same jolly black rascal. He may vary some-
what in size ; his plumage may be duller, as claimed, on
the Pacific Coast ; he may forsake the tall trees and
build on the ground, as he is said to do in British Colum-
bia ; but his well-known "caw, caw," has the same
derisive inflection, and rooks present the same weird
combination of black forms silhouetted against the
BLACK OR IRIDESCENT BLACK 409
evening sky. From these roosts at daylight each morn-
ing the entire company scatter over the country in
search of food, undoubtedly covering many miles in their
flight, but each one finding his way back to spend the
hours of darkness in the additional safety that community
gives.
As to the economic value of the Crow opinions differ.
In California, acorns, beechnuts, berries of various
shrubs and trees, seeds and all kinds of fruit, with in-
sects such as locusts, black beetles, crickets, grasshoppers,
spiders, cutworms, angleworms, and injurious larvso form
a large part of his daily menu. In addition small mam-
mals and snakes, frogs, lizards, snails, crawfish, fish, all
kinds of dead flesh, and the eggs or nestlings of other
birds are his victims. It is very disheartening to become
interested in watching some brood of song birds develop,
and then to find some morning that the crow has made
a breakfast on them. And the farmer who finds his
cornfield ravaged or his young chicks devoured by a
flock of the thieves feels a righteous anger in his heart
against the spoilers. The fact that all feathered crea-
tures are arrayed against him is proof to me that, from
the bird-lover's standpoint, he does more harm than
good.
The California species is said to build much nearer the
ground than his Eastern relative, his nest being rarely
over twenty feet up and from that down to five or six
feet. My own records are, however, that nests lower
than thirty feet are rare even in the West. The struc-
ture itself is identical with that of the Eastern crow, and
410 LAND BIRDS
is always surprisingly well lined and deeper than would
naturally be judged from the side view. Eggs are laid
in April most frequently, and, since incubation lasts nine-
teen or twenty days, the young usually make their ap-
pearance about the first of May. They are naked and
blind, of an ugly greenish hue, and very repulsive to
look at. Only one brood is raised in a season, and the
remaining summer months are devoted to the training of
these nestlings. At the end of two weeks they appear
at the edge of the nest, looking out over the sunny
slopes with unwinking blue eyes. From this time until
they leave, when three and a half weeks old, they are
very restless. Little wings are constantly stretched and
flapped, uncertain little legs are trained to balance the
heavy body, bills grow strong by tearing the food, and
before the day for venturing out into the great unfriendly
world has come, they have learned much. What yet
remains for them to learn the adults will teach them day
by day. Instinct plays a far smaller part in their cun-
ning than we have long been taught to believe, and even
in crow education it is the example of the adults that
teaches the helpless young what to do and how to do it.
Let anyone who doubts this course of training, or is in-
clined to consider that this opinion is founded on senti-
ment and not on science, watch the development of a
family of young crows.
BLACK OR IRIDESCENT BLACK 411
495. COWBIRD. Molothrus ater.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: Male 7.75-8.25 ; female 7.25-7.75.
Adult Male: Head, neck, and chest uniform brownish ; rest of plumage
glossy black, with a greenish reflection, changing to purplish on back.
Adult Female: Plumage plain brownish gray, darker on upper parts,
paler on chin and throat.
Young: Upper parts dull brownish gray, feathers bordered with pale
buffy ; under parts dull light buffy, broadly streaked with grayish
brown.
Geographical Distribution : United States and more southern British
Provinces ; south in winter to Southern Mexico. Irregular winter
visitant in California.
Eggs: 8 to 12. Deposited in nests of other birds ; whitish, whole sur-
face covered with brown specks and blotches, usually heaviest at the
larger end. Size 0.88 X 0.64.
AMONG the great herds on the plains of the Middle
West Cowbirds are found in great abundance. Perched
on the backs of cattle, they search industriously for
insects, and in the waterless regions may prove a great
blessing to the poor creatures tormented with heat
and flies. If so, it is the one thing to be said in com-
mendation of a bird universally despised. Unmusical,
its only note is a screeching call. It is the sneak of the
feathered world and hated by all the rest. Too lazy to
build for herself, the female lays her eggs in the most
convenient nest whose owners happen to be away. Her
ugly nestling is larger and grows faster than his adoptive
brothers, and soon succeeds either in hoisting them out
of the nest, smothering them in it, or starving them by
seizing all the food in spite of the parents' efforts to
divide evenly. For every Cowbird reared a brood of
412 LAND BIRDS
song birds or insect-eating birds has been sacrificed, and
Californians are to be congratulated that as yet the
Cowbird is only an irregular winter visitant to the south-
eastern corner of their State.
510. BREWER BLACKBIRD. Euphagus
cijanocephalus.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: 8.75-10.25.
Adult Male: Uniform glossy greenish black; head and neck purplish
black.
Adult Female : Upper parts brownish slate; head and neck brownish
gray, faintly glossed with purple ; wings and tail glossed with metal-
lic bluish green ; under parts brownish gray faintly glossed with green.
Young: Similar to female, but paler and without gloss.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America, north to British
Columbia ; east to Minnesota and Nebraska ; south to Lower Cali-
fornia.
California Breeding Range : Below Boreal zone, nearly throughout the
State.
Breeding Season: April 15 to July 1.
Nest: Placed in low trees or bushes, not over 8 feet from the ground ;
rather bulky ; made of sticks, plant stalks, grass, shreds of bark, dry
grass, and moss, generally cemented with earth or manure ; lined
with fine rootlets, horsehair, and dry grass.
Eggs : 4 to 6 ; pale gray or greenish white, profusely blotched, marbled,
streaked, and spotted with irregularly shaped markings of brown and
lavender. Size 0.96 X 0.71.
THE purple grackle of the East is replaced throughout
California by the Brewer Blackbird, which closely resem-
bles the Eastern species. It is a trifle smaller, with
blue rather than purple iridescence on its black plumage,
especially about the head and throat, but has the same
conspicuous yellow iris as its kinsfolk. In habits these
BLACK OR IRIDESCENT BLACK 413
birds differ from the other California blackbirds in being
found less often in the lowland marshes or tule swamps.
Abundant throughout the State, they breed chiefly be-
tween the highest altitudes and three thousand feet
above sea level. Their choice of a building site is varied.
In Lower California they have been found nesting in
pine ; in western Oregon they sometimes choose an old
woodpecker's hole one hundred feet from the ground ;
while in the same State nests have been found on the
ground, the rim being flush with the surface. At Del
Monte a colony nested in the top of a group of tree
yuccas, and at Tallac, on Lake Tahoe, I found them nest-
ing on the rotten piles of an abandoned pier. In com-
pany with them were tree swallows ; and one pair of
fearless feathered mites, known as pygmy nuthatches,
had excavated a home in a leaning pile that towered
above the rest. In a low, broken post that raised its
crumbling top scarcely two feet from the water a mother
Blackbird brooded day after day, entirely exposed to
view, close to a pier where children played. Strangest
of all, the post was the customary mooring place of a
rowboat, the loop of rope being removed and replaced
several times daily, and always rubbing the nest as it was
passed over. Yet the mother bird refused to leave it,
and only flattened her body and crouched in terror as
the rope was lifted. After the little ones were hatched,
June 8, her distress increased, for now a careless move
of the boatman might easily overthrow them into the
water. One or other of the anxious parents sat on a
splintered point of the post just over the nest and
414 LAND BIRDS
scolded from morning until night in loud "chacks,"
watching all who came and went in the vicinity.
Worms, slugs, black beetles, wingless crickets, grass-
hoppers, and dragonflies were given to the young at the
rate of sixteen in twenty minutes, distributed among the
four, not so large an average as in the case of most
young birds, but there was but one parent to forage.
For the first three days, at least, the food was first
swallowed by the adult and afterwards given to the
young by regurgitation, but after that they were fed on
the fresh insects.
The nestlings were a soft pinky gray when they first
broke their shells, and the second day developed thin
mouse-colored down on head and back. In five days
their eyes opened, and the lines of submerged pinfeathers
were plainly visible. On the twelfth day the little
feathered ends had burst through the sheaths. And
now began an alarming process of stretching and pecking
and wriggling, alarming because in this case it seemed
as though the nestlings must be crowded out into the
cold water below. But none of them ever was so
crowded, and after nearly three weeks in the nest they
flew out into some low bushes on the shore. Here they
were fed by both parents for some days longer, being
coaxed into the woods near by and cared for devotedly
until they had learned to forage for themselves.
As soon as the young are able to take the trip the
flocks of Brewer Blackbirds pass on to other feeding
grounds. In August and September they are found in
the high Sierra Nevada mountains and also on the ocean
BLACK OR IRIDESCENT BLACK 415
beach, so it seems to be a mere matter of caprice whether
they go to the mountains or the seashore for the hot
weather. Later they congregate for the winter in the
interior valleys near the farms and stockyards, where
they pick up food like so many sparrows. In the spring
they forage at the heels of the ploughman or among the
herds.
Throughout the summer, fall, and winter their call-
note has been a typical Blackbird " tchaak," uttered with
a flirt of the tail plainly showing displeasure. But when
the rains cease and spring calls them to woo and win
their mates, their little black throats ruffle with song.
More energetic than musical, it may be ; but heard as a
chorus it is so full of enthusiasm as to make one forget
its lack of harmony. The epithet of " wheelbarrow
chorus," applied by Mr. Burroughs to the song of its
Eastern kin, is just as appropriate west of the Rockies
and fits the case exactly.
611 a. WESTERN MARTIN. Progne subis hesperia.
FAMILY : The Swallows.
Length: 7.25-8.50.
Adult Male : Entire plumage uniform glossy blue-black ; wings and tail
black ; tail decidedly forked.
Adult Female: Upper parts duller and color less continuous ; forehead
and crown light gray ; feathers of back and rump conspicuously edged
with grayish or pale brown ; bend of wing and under coverts mottled
profusely with whitish ; anterior under parts and nuchal collar gray-
ish white ; belly and under tail-coverts white.
Young: Similar to adult female.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast region, from Oregon south
through California and Arizona to Lower California.
416 LAND BIRDS
California Breeding Range: Chiefly in Transition zone, from latitude 40
southward.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest: Generally placed in eaves and cornices of buildings, or in boxes
specially prepared for them; composed of a large variety of materials,
leaves, twigs, straws, string, rags, etc.
Eggs: 4 to 5 ; pure glossy white. Size 0.98 X 0.73.
THE Western Martin is in some ways less progressive
than his Eastern relative, the purple martin, for he still
builds largely in hollow trees. Instead of the familiar
friend we know as circling over our lawns, nesting in
bird boxes, or in holes under the house cornice, and so
tame that we may lift the mother from her nestlings
without frightening hei> we find in the Western species
a forest-loving bird. Occasionally these Martins are
abundant about a town or farm building, but it is usually
because some especial pains have been taken to attract
them, and often because the first pair of birds were
taken when young and have become domesticated. They
are the same care-free, merry chatterers as the purple
martin, circling on tireless wings throughout the swarms
of insects in the air, turning, darting, and rising with
marvellous grace and swiftness.
Besides small insects they are fond of beetles and
butterflies, and doubtless they rid the farmer of many
injurious pests wherever the birds can be induced to
colonize. Under whatever circumstances they are found
they are sociable little birds among themselves, never
nesting in single pairs, and when together keeping up a
sweet twittering song.
One looks at the nestling and at the egg in amaze-
ment that so much bird could ever have come from so
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 417
small a shell. During the first week they double iu
weight every twenty-four hours, and at the end of four
days, although still blind and naked, weigh as much as
a canary. Most of the food is given them by regurgita-
tion so long as they remain in the nest. They are
slow in developing, and do not fly until nearly four
weeks old.
PLUMAGE GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE
429. BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD. ArcUlochm
alexandri.
FAMILY : The Hummingbirds.
Lcnyth: Male 3.30-3.75 ; female 3.90-4.10.
Adult Male : Upper parts metallic greenish ; under parts whitish, washed
with green on the sides ; chin and throat velvety black, bordered be-
low by a broad band, metallic purple, green, and blue.
Adult Female: Upper parts bronzy; under parts light grayish; tail
much rounded, with middle feathers green, next two tipped with
black, next three tipped with white.
Young: Similar to adult female, but feathers of the upper parts mar-
gined with buffy.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, east to Rocky
Mountains, south over" table-lands of Mexico.
Breeding Range: From British Columbia south to Lower California, and
from the Pacific to the Eocky Mountains, chiefly in the upper Sonoran .
zone.
Breeding Season: May 1 to August 15.
Nest : In trees or bushes, 4 to 7 feet from the ground ; of buffy plant
down covered with spider's web.
Eggs: 2 or 3 ; white. Size 0.50 X 0.32.
IN some localities the Black-chinned Hummingbird is
known as the Purple-throated Hummer, and this seems
to describe him about as well as his more common name,
for just below the black chin is a band of iridescent
418
LAND BIRDS
purple that at once attracts attention as he sits sunning
himself on a low twig. He is abundant throughout
Southern California, but especially so at Tia Juana on
the Mexican border and from there to San Diego, among
the hills back from the coast. No very definite breeding
range can be given him, for he is a capricious little
creature, abundant in one locality and rare or unknown
in another that seems in climate and surroundings to be
identical with the
one he has chosen.
Whether in the low
hot valleys about
the Colorado Des-
ert, or in the Se-
quoia National Park
at an altitude of
nine thousand feet,
he builds his home
and rears his young
in gay indifference to climatic conditions. Nor does he
seem to have any especial favorites among the flowers ;
and this, I believe, is because his food is so largely insects.
I have found him hovering over the bells of the Yucca
more frequently than anywhere else, though at Tia
Juana he was darting into the blossoms of the species
of cactus so commonly domesticated by the Mexicans
and used to brew a native drink. On one of these low
plants a pair had built their nest in a crotch of the
prickly leaves. It was composed of buify plant down
and covered with webs and something that looked like
429. BLACK-CHINNED
HUMMINGBIRD.
" Lit daintily a few inches
away."
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 419
the thread of the Yucca. The mother was sitting ; the
nest was inside the garden fence ; a fierce dog guarded
the premises, and the Mexican family were away cele-
brating a church holiday. I could only admire from a
distance, and, being unable to drive the mother from her
post, did not ascertain whether eggs or young were the
objects of her care. There was no question of identi-
fication, though Costa's hummingbird is more apt to
build on cactus than this species. Another nest, found
in the alders of a dry river bed, was quite unlike the
first, and but for the father, who, contrary to humming-
bird etiquette, sat within two feet of the brooding
mother, I would not have attributed it to this species.
The male was discovered first, and allowed me to walk
up close to him before he took flight. In turning to
follow him, I brushed against the branch on which the
nest clung, and the female flew off just above my eyes.
There were in the nest two newly hatched young, less
than an inch long, and a third egg, probably a runt.
The tiny cradle was woven of a pithy dark buff material
that looked like the punk used by dentists, and was
ornamented on the outside with willow buds. The
question at once arose as to why this bird, building
among the alders, had not used the willow down for its
nest, as had the one who built in the cactus. A diligent
search failed to reveal the source of the building material,
and although I have since found several nests composed
of it, I do not know where it is obtained.
Like that of his Eastern cousin, the ruby-throated, as
well as four varieties of California hummers, the wooing
420 LAND BIRDS
of the alexandri is well worth watching. Should you
spy a male, swinging sidewise back and forth through
the air, pendulum, fashion, look for the dainty little lady
on a twig about three feet in front of and a little above
him. So absorbed is she in watching and he in perform-
ing this curious aerial dance, that neither will notice
you. Sometimes at its finish he will drop exhausted on
any perch near and pay no further attention to her, but
oftener I have seen her dart out into the sunlight as
a signal for him to follow, and a merry chase through
the blossoms followed. Once, as he sat resting after his
graceful and apparently effortless swinging, the female
flew toward him, lit daintily a few inches away, and
quivered her iridescent wings. Instantly both birds
were in the air apparently engaged in a mortal combat,
and then he was back upon the perch like a flash of
light, while she had disappeared. I have never seen the
male Hummer assist at the nest building, and believe all
the family cares are left to the female. She is larger
and better equipped for labor than the brilliant little
sprite who wooes her.
430. COSTA HUMMINGBIRD. Calypte costce.
FAMILY : The Hummingbirds.
Length: Male 2.75-3.20 ; female 3.55-3.70.
Adult Male: Head and flaring ruff brilliantly burnished metallic ame-
thyst violet, changing to blue and green ; rest of upper parts bronze-
green ; under parts whitish ; belly washed with green.
Adult Female: Upper parts bronzy green ; under parts whitish; throat
spotted with metallic purple.
Young: Similar to female, but duller and with feathers of the upper
parts margined with buffy.
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 421
Geographical Distribution: Lower California, Southern California, Ari-
zona, and Western Mexico.
Breeding Range: In southern part of California, both east and west of
the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : On desert side of mountains, breeds in February ; on
the coast side, in May.
Nest: Of plant down or fine shreds of vegetable fibre; lined with
feathers, and covered with lichen, bark, and leaves ; fastened in
place by spider web. On bushes, 1 to 6 feet from ground.
Eggs: 2; white. Size 0.48 X 0.31.
THE Costa Hummingbird is a haunter of the desert
plains and barren mountain ranges of Southeastern Cali-
fornia, where it nests in the branching cactus. On May
16 a nest containing one egg was discovered on a low
branch of a willow five feet from the ground. The
mother was brooding, and refused to leave until forced
to do so. The next morning there were two tiny white
eggs. Incubation lasted thirteen days, the young emerg-
ing from the shell on the twenty-ninth. At first they
were very tiny, naked, grayish bits of bird life with black
skinny knobs for eyes, more like worms than humming-
birds ; but they grew surprisingly fast, and at the end
of the fourth day were covered with yellowish white
down on their backs and tops of their heads. By the
sixth day this had spread to the wings and rump, the
edges of the former began to show dark lines of needle-
like points where the pinfeathers were coming through.
On the eighth day they had more than quadrupled in
size, were darker in color, and were commencing to push
pinfeathers through the down. On the twelfth day they
seemed like miniature adults, for they were covered with
greenish feathers, the hair-like down still sticking out in
spots on the crown and back, but the plumage showing
422 LAND BIRDS
some glints of the metallic lustre of the adults. They
began to sit up, preen their feathers, and stretch their
ludicrously small wings. On the seventeenth day one
perched on the edge of the nest an hour, and that night
the mother did not attempt to brood them, but clung
meekly to the edge as close as they would allow her to
come. Evidently they " resented being sat upon," like
the ruby-throat described by Mrs. Olive Thome Miller.
They were fed entirely by regurgitation.
During this time the father bird had not once come
near the nest, but on the seventeenth day an -adult male
hovered in the close vicinity and was repeatedly driven
off by the mother. Within a week after that both
youngsters had flown, but for many days thereafter
were often found perching on small twigs in the sun-
shine, motionless, an hour at a time.
The nest was found to be much flattened from con-
stant perching upon the edges, but was as clean as when
newly built. The materials used were plant down orna-
mented on the outside with tiny bits of gray lichen and
small dry leaves, bound with silk from cocoons. Inside
it was lined with a few tiny feathers. It measured one
and five-eighths inches across the top and three-quarters
of an inch deep on the outside, but less than three-
eighths on the inside. This was after the brood had
flown and, as mentioned before, it was much flattened.
As we had not seen it built, we were unable to judge
whether or not the male assists in the construction, but
he certainly does not share in the incubation or care of
the young.
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 423
431. ANNA HUMMINGBIRD. Calypte annae.
FAMILY : The Hummingbirds.
Length: Male 3.40-3.60 ; female 3.80-4.15.
Adult Male : Top of head, throat, and ruff metallic pink, bronze, and
green ; upper parts and middle tail-feathers iridescent green ; tail
forked ; under parts white, washed with green.
Adult Female: Head green, like upper parts ; throat spotted with pink.
Young: Similar to female, but tinged with brownish on upper parts.
Geographical Distribution: Central and Southern California, chiefly west
of the mountains, Arizona, and Lower California. North as far as
Yrcka and Mt. Shasta.
California Breeding Range: Upper Sonoran zone west of the Sierra
Nevada.
Breeding Season: January to June.
Nest: From 8 to 30 feet from the ground ; of thistledown and willow
cotton ; lined with a few small feathers ; covered on the outside with
moss, well covered with spider webs, with here and there pieces of
lichens.
Eggs: 2 ; white. Size 0.50 X 0.32.
A HUMMINGBIRD with a song would be somewhat of
a novelty in the East, but in California it is so commonly
met with that one soon forgets to wonder. The first
time I heard the male Anna Hummingbird sing, he was
perched upon a wire clothes-line and squeaking right
merrily, " Te-nit, te-nit, te-wieu, wieu, wieu," repeating
it over and over again. This charming performance
lasted most of one bright May morning in San Jose*,
and when later I discovered a little mate brooding on a
nest in a climbing rose, I could but fancy the song was
for her benefit. One thing I know, he was " on guard,"
for whenever I ventured near the rose tree, he flew at
me with a harsh little screech, sometimes right into my
face. When I found him away from the vicinity of the
424 LAND BIRDS
nest he would allow me to come very close to him, so
that I could almost touch him while he sat in unwinking
silence like a bud on the moss rose, or a dead bird on a
hat. The tiny green mother was no less courageous, and
brooded unmoved while I watched not five feet away.
When the little ones appeared they were very like all
the small hummingbirds I had ever seen naked except
for thin down on back, about three-fourths of an inch
long and with very short bills. I think our ruby-throat
of the East could have mistaken them for her own but
431. ANNA HUMMINGBIRD.
" Upon a wire clothes-line, and squeaking right merrily."
for the slightly lighter gray hue of the skin. They were
fed each hour, and oftener, by regurgitation ; the food
given was small gnats and spiders.
It was astonishing how those babies grew ! In two
days they had doubled, and in four days trebled their
original size. Dark, hair-like down began to show on
crown, spine, and shoulders. In twelve days feathers
were beginning to replace the down. In twenty-one
days, just as the wing-stretching and restless wriggling
threatened to upset the wee cradle, they popped out of
the nest one day into the rosebush, sat there an hour
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 425
or two. and ventured farther into the world of flowers.
The mother still fed them, but now they seemed to help
themselves from her bill rather than to have the food
pumped or shaken into their throats. They now called
in the squeaky tones of a young mouse, and the appeal
never failed to bring the mother instantly to their side.
Although I have been interested in several broods from
start to finish, I have never seen one of the eggs hatch
and certainly never incubated one. Mr. A. W. Anthony
has done both, and has described the process so well that
I quote it entire :
" A nest of this species [Anna Hummingbird] was
found and transferred, eggs and all, to my game bag.
An hour later I was somewhat disgusted to find one of
the eggs pipped, and was about to throw it away, when
a movement on the part of the tiny creature in the shell
suggested that I hatch the egg and find out how baby
hummingbirds come into the world. So far there was but
a pin point broken, and it was several minutes before the
warmth of my hand produced another movement on
the part of the prospective hummer. First a squirm and
the point of the bill came into view and was withdrawn ;
after a moment's rest there, a new system was adopted
which consisted of a turning in the shell from right to
left, and cutting a clean, smooth opening with the sharp
horny tip on the upper mandible. This was hard work
and required all the strength of the little mite., and fre-
quent rests were necessary to recruit. The cutting was
all done in the same direction, and after about ten minutes
I was obliged to turn the egg over in my hand in order
426 LAND BIRDS
to watch the proceeding, as by that time the opening
had been cut about half-way around, bringing the chick's
bill directly underneath and in the palm of my hand.
When the shell had been cut four-fifths around, the chick
succeeded in getting one claw hooked over the edge of
the break, and, by one or two vigorous pushes, broke
the remaining space, leaving in my hand two nearly equal
parts of what had been a hummingbird's egg, and a
squirming something that bore no resemblance whatever
to one of the peerless members of the genus Calypte.
The entire operation of hatching consumed about fifteen
minutes."
433. RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD. Selaspkorus rufus,
FAMILY : The Hummingbirds.
Length: Male 3.25-3.70 ; female 3.50-3.90.
Adult Male: Gorget intensely brilliant flame-color, with orange and
green lights; rest of plumage reddish brown, with bronze-green iri-
descence on crown ; a light band across the breast just below the
gorget ; tail-feathers rufous, with dusky mesial streaks.
Adult Female: Upper parts reddish brown arid bronze: under parts
whitish, washed with red brown on the sides ; tail-feathers reddish
brown for basal half; middle pair green extending nearly to base ; the
three outer feathers tipped with white-, and banded with blackish ;
belly white ; flanks and under tail-coverts light reddish brown.
Young Male : Similar to adult female, but upper parts light reddish
brown and darker on rump ; throat with a few bright metallic red
feathers.
Young Female: Similar to young male, but rump green and throat dull
green.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America, north to Alaska,
east to Rocky Mountains, south through Mexico.
California Breeding Range : The Boreal zone of the central and northern
Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : March to August.
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 427
Nest : In ferns, bushes, and vines, overhanging embankments, and some-
times in trees ; made of plant down, covered with mosses and lichens.
Eggs: 2 ; white. Size 0.50 X 0.33.
THE Rufous Hummingbird, also known as Cinnamon,
Nootka, and Rufous-backed, is the most widely distrib-
uted of all the family in North America. It is found
among the summer flowers of Alaska, and is common
even above the timber line in the southern Sierra Nevada.
Longitudinally it ranges from the east slope of the Rock-
ies to the interior valleys of the sierras and in some places
to the coast.
In Central California nesting begins in March, and the
dainty structure of plant down, lined with cotton down
and decorated profusely with fine mosses and bits of
lichen, is placed on the horizontal limb of a tree or low
bush. Farther north, Mr. Anthony has found it tucked
away in unique places, on dry roots of upturned trees ;
on the end of a tall fern leaf where other leaves, drop-
ping over it, effectually hid it ; in the long trailing vines
overhanging embankments ; on the sunny side of rail-
road cuts ; and one little cradle had been built on top
of a last year's nest, " a mere rim being built to raise the
sides, and a flooring being added to cover up a large peb-
ble that could be plainly felt under the cotton lining."
Three years ago this species was not definitely re-
corded as nesting within the borders of California, but
Mr. Grinnell now gives it as breeding in the Boreal zone
of the central and northern Sierra Nevada mountains. I
have found it in June at Lake Tahoe when there could
be no mistake in identification, as both male and female
428 LAND BIRDS
were frequently seen in motion and at rest. A unique
courtship that I saw was even more ardent than that of
the Anna hummer. Like a brilliantly polished bronze
pendulum, the gallant little lover swung in an arc of two
yards' extent back and forth for fully three minutes be-
fore his coquettish sweetheart. Before he had ceased
she darted out from her perch, and bill to bill they
whirled far up in the air until they looked like big
beetles. I think the flight must have taken them sixty
feet straight up. Then back they came and alighted two
feet apart on the same slender dead twigs. Four days
after this, the nest was discovered on the branch of a
low shrub in a very marshy place. It contained one egg
June 11, and the little bronze mother had begun to brood.
Her favorite feeding ground was twenty feet out on the
marsh, where it was too wet for me to follow, but she
seemed to be licking insects from a small whitish flower
among the reeds. Both sexes were astonishingly fear-
less, following a little, four-year-old Indian girl back and
forth, and evidently taking her red-gowned figure for an
animated blossom.
Although so tiny, the male courageously attacked and
drove away a Brewer blackbird that had chanced to
alight in the bush containing the wee nest. This black-
bird was nesting in a hollow post which stood in four
feet of water fifty feet from the bush. His usual course
in leaving his nest was over the hummer's bush, and the
male seldom failed to dart out at him from his watch
tower near by ; but whether from natural pugnacity or
from a genuine regard for the safety of his own treasures,
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 429
I could not decide. The blackbird did not resent the
assault, but seemed to endure it complacently, as the big
man did his small wife's beating. Unfortunately I was
not able to see the end of the matter, as I left the lo-
cality on June 16, while the mother was still brooding.
This pair of hummingbirds did what I have seen no
others do, either they really bathed, or, going down to
the surface of the water for small insects, they seemed to
be bathing. There was no splashing, but they hovered
a moment on the surface with rapidly beating wings,
wetting their feet and bellies ; then they flew away and
lit on a sunny perch to preen.
434. ALLEN HUMMINGBIRD. Selasphorus alleni.
FAMILY : The Hummingbirds.
Length: Male 3.25-3.30 ; female 3.40.
Adult Male : Back and crown bright bronzy green ; under parts reddish
brown, lightest next to gorget ; gorget brilliant flame-color, changing
to orange and green.
Adult Female: Similar to female rufous..
Geographical Distribution : Coast belt from Monterey northward to Brit-
ish Columbia ; migrant through Southern California ; permanent resi-
dent on Santa Catalina Island.
California Breeding Range: In the humid coast region from Monterey
north through the San Francisco Bay district ; also on Santa Catalina.
Breeding Season : February to August.
Nest : Cup-shaped, small in diameter and deep ; made of plant down ;
covered with spider webs and bits of moss ; placed on small twigs,
weed stalks, and often on the seed pods of the fine-leaved eucalyptus.
Eggs: 2; white. Size 0.55 X 0.35.
THE Allen Hummingbird is only a summer resident
of the United States, spending the winter months over
the table-lands of Mexico. It breeds wherever resident,
and in California is found oftenest along the coast from
430 LAND BIRDS
Monterey northward. So far as I can ascertain, it is the
only hummingbird resident on Santa Catalina Island, and
it was the only species I found there. A nest of this spe-
cies that I saw was built on the pendent twigs of the fine-
leaved eucalyptus. It was placed on top of a bunch of
the seed pods and woven to them with fine spider web
and silk from cocoons. Deeper and smaller around than
any other I have seen, it measured a trifle less than one
and a half inches in diameter and the same in outside
depth. Inside, the cup was nearly an inch in depth.
There was no lining, but the fibre of the white and buffy
plant down composing it was more apparent and less
compact than is usual in hummingbirds' nests. Outside,
it was covered with bits of blossoms and strips of bark
of hair-like fineness, making it so nearly the color of the
grayish green seed pods that only an accidental discovery
was possible.
These hummingbirds are nervous, pugnacious little
mites, not tolerating any other species near them, and
more or less quarrelsome among themselves; nor will
the female allow her mate to come near the nest or feed
at the same flower patch where she is feasting. They
may be distinguished from the rufous by the bright
metallic green of the back as well as by the difference in
their breeding range.
Mr. Charles A. Allen, who discovered this species and
in whose honor it has been named, writes of it : " Their
courage is beyond question. I once saw two of these
warriors start after a Western red-tailed hawk, and they
attacked it so vigorously that the hawk was glad to get
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 431
out of their way. And these little scamps were not
satisfied even then, but helped him long after he had
decided to go. Each male seems to claim a particular
range which he occupies for feeding and breeding pur-
poses, and every other bird seen by him encroaching on
his preserve is at once determinedly set upon, and is
only too glad to beat a hasty retreat. During their
quarrels these birds keep up an incessant sharp chirping
and a harsh rasping buzzing with their wings, which
sounds very different from the low, soft humming they
make with these while feeding. . . . During the breed-
ing season the male frequently shoots straight up into
the air and nearly out of sight, only to turn suddenly
and rush headlong down until within a few feet of the
ground. The wings during the downward rushes cut
the air and cause a sharp whistling screech as they
descend with frightful rapidity, and should they strike
anything on their downward course, I believe they would
be instantly killed."
436. CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD. Stellula calliope.
FAMILY : The Hummingbirds.
Length: Male 3.00 ; female 3.50.
Adult Male: Gorget pinkish purple, streaked with white; upper parts
iridescent green ; under parts white, washed with brown and green on
the sides ; tail-feathers dusky.
Adult Female : Upper parts bronzy green ; tail rounded ; tail-feathers,
except the middle pair, tipped with white and banded with black ;
throat whitish, sometimes spotted centrally with dull metallic purple.
Young : Similar, but under parts washed with reddish brown and throat
speckled with darkish.
Geographical Distribution : Mountainous regions of Western North Amer-
ica, east to Rocky Mountains ; south through California, Arizona, and
New Mexico to Mexico.
432
LAND BIRDS
California Breeding Range : In Transition zone along the whole length of
the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : May to August.
Nest : Willow down, covered with bits of bark, fastened securely with
cobwebs ; built against a dried pine cone.
Eggs: 2 ; white. Size 0.46 X 0.31.
CALIFORNIA is the land of hum-
mingbirds. Six varieties nest with-
in her borders, and two
others are recorded as mi-
grants ; while only one spe-
cies, the ruby-throated, is
found anywhere in the East.
Of,the eight varieties reg-
istered from California the
smallest is the Calliope,
which is a common summer
visitant in the whole length
of the Sierra Nevada, breed-
ing in the higher altitudes
of the range, rarely below
four thousand feet. It
loves the mountain meadows and
woodlands, where it feeds upon
the painted cups, columbine, wild
hyacinths, gooseberries, and wild
currants. The nests are usually
saddled among the small cones of a
pine tree and are woven closely
436. CALLIOPE HUMMING- to the coneS) ftnd ^ covem j ^
"it feed, upon the painted bite of bark and cone as to re-
cup*."
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 433
semble one closely. In fact, unless the bird be seen to fly
off the nest or to it, the discovery of one of these dainty
homes is almost impossible. One nest, now in the col-
lection of Mr. William Brewster, at Cambridge, Mass.,
is composed of fine moss and willow down, decorated
with tiny shreds of bark, flakes of wood, and flakes of
whitewash fastened securely with cobwebs ; it was placed
on a knot in a rope hanging from the roof of a wood-
shed. The construction and materials mimicked the
rope and knot on which it was placed. Mr. Bryant
records another, built on a projecting splinter of a wood-
pile at a height of two feet. Here, as seemingly under
all circumstances, the bird had tried to imitate the sur-
roundings, and to so place its home that it would be
more or less protected by an overhanging branch, leaf,
or some other object.
459. OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. Nuttallornis
borealis.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 7.10-7.90.
Adults: Upper parts dark-brownish x slate, with darker shaft streaks on
some of the feathers ; conspicuous tuft of white cottony feathers
on each side of rump (generally concealed by wings) ; under parts
white through the middle from chin to crissum ; the sides dark and
somewhat streaked.
Young: Like adults, but wing-coverts tipped with brownish instead of
white.
Geographical Distribution: Through the mountainous regions of North
America west of Rocky Mountains to Pacific Coast ; north to Hudson
Bay ; south in winter as far as Peru.
California Breeding Range: In Transition and lower Boreal zones
throughout the State.
Breeding Season : June 1 to August 1 .
434 LAND BIRDS
Nest : Saucer-shaped ; of wiry materials ; fastened to horizontal branches
of coniferous trees, 40 to 60 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 3 ; creamy, spotted at large end with brown and lavender. Size
0.90 X 0.65.
ALTHOUGH nowhere very numerous, the Olive-sided
Flycatcher is found throughout the forest and moun-
tainous regions of California. It prefers the edge of the
timber to the dense wood, and stays along the course of
streams or around small lakes in the higher altitudes.
Like all flycatchers, it feeds on winged insects caught in
the air, moths,, butterflies, dragonflies, June bugs, and
beetles. Perched upon a dead branch, one of these
birds will catch two dozen insects in as many swift
dartings out into the air, always returning to the same
lookout to eat them.
About the middle of May the females arrive from the
South, and then the call-notes grow louder and merrier.
Heard through the quiet hours of dusk or in the silence
of a moonlight night, they are singularly like the plain-
tive notes of our wood pewee. But this is not all the
song the little lover can sing, for when he goes a-wooing
in the fresh coolness of the morning he trills a right
merry lay. What though it be short and of limited
range, the glory of the sunrise and the joy of love are in
it. It is a beautiful world ! He is glad to be in it, and
as you listen you are glad to be in it too. When you
hear this warble, you may know that somewhere in the
top of a tall spruce tree a wee nest is being woven of
fine hair-like rootlets, small twigs, and long green moss.
Outside it will likely be covered with lichens, and inside
lined with moss. So securely will it be woven to the
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 435
horizontal limb on which it is saddled that, a hard shake
will not loosen it. You cannot see it from below, but
the nervous little builders are sure to betray its location
if you venture near. With tails wagging excitedly and
bills snapping with sharp clicks, all the while uttering a
shrill "pip-pip-pip," they protest against your presence
in their wood. About the middle of June, were you so
unmindful of their wishes as to persist in climbing sixty
feet to see, you would find three creamy eggs beautifully
wreathed with brownish spots in the pretty green nest ;
but you would meet a warm reception from the furious
parents. Were they half as dangerous as they are bold,
you would never climb to a second nest.
They are equally intolerant of feathered intruders, espe-
cially if they be of their own species. Each pair seems to
preempt a certain range from a fourth to a half mile in
extent near the shore of a lake or along a stream, and
on these preserves they allow no poaching. I believe
they confine all their excursions to this territory so long
as they remain in the same region. Only two things
seem to be required in their breeding-ground, conifer-
ous trees and water. They are extravagantly fond of
their morning bath, and are at it when the water is cold
almost to freezing. To witness this one must rise with,
if not ahead of the sun, for it is the first act of their
waking hours. The young also are taught to enjoy a
splash almost as soon as they learn to fly.
Only one brood is reared in a season, for they come
north very late and leave again by the last of August
to winter in the tropics. Incubation lasts about fourteen
436 LAND BIRDS
days, and the young remain in the nest two weeks
longer, and in the same tree nearly a week after leaving
the nursery. They are faithfully fed by both parents
and taught to seize their food in the air, as do all fly-
catchers; and before the time comes when they must
forage for themselves, they have learned the lessons
necessary for their safety in the great forest.
464. WESTERN FLYCATCHER. Empidonax difficilis.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 5.50-6.00.
Adults: Upper part grayish olive (more brownish in winter) ; wing-bars
buffy; under parts yellowish, becoming bright sulphur-yellow on
belly and under tail-coverts, and shaded with grayish brown across
the breast.
Young : Similar, but upper parts browner, with wing- bars rusty buff, the
sulphur-yellow of belly replaced by dull white.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States, north to Alaska ;
south in winter to Mexico ; east to the east slope of the Rockies ; west
to the Pacific.
California Breeding Range: In Transition and upper Sonoran zones
throughout the State.
Breeding Season : May 1 to July 1 5.
Nest : In trees, under banks, in natural cavities, or about buildings, usu-
ally near water ; made of rootlets, leaves, and moss ; lined with moss
and feathers.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; white, marked with brown and pale salmon. Size 0.69
' X 0.51.
THE breeding range of the Western Yellow-bellied
Flycatcher known also as the Baird Flycatcher, or
simply Western Flycatcher extends through a wide
latitude, from Alaska to Lower California. Eastward,
it is found through the interior and southwest to the
Rockies, but it is most common west of the Sierra
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 437
Nevada in California. Throughout this extensive range
the breeding season occurs some time between the first
of May and the last week in July ; and within that
period each pair sometimes, but not usually, raises two
broods. My own observations lead me to believe that
in the same 1 zone there is, in the case of all birds, a
difference of about five days in nesting for every degree
of latitude. This would make the season north of San
Francisco from three to four weeks latej* than in the
San Diegan district.
The Western Flycatcher is even less restricted in his
selection of a building site than in choice of climate.
On the ground among the roots of trees, up high on a
tree branch, in the bottom of a deserted flicker's hole, on
a ledge of rock, he seems to follow no law but his own
sweet will or that of his wee mate.
The notes on this Flycatcher by Mr. Charles A. Allen,
of Nicasio, California, seem to me well worth quoting.
He says : " It is a very widely distributed species
throughout this part of the State, both among the forests
on the highest hills, where there is not a drop of water
for long distances, and along the banks of brooks and
streams in the lowlands ; I have found its nests in all
sorts of situations, sometimes in a small tree, placed
in the upright forks of the main stem ; again, on the
side of the stem where a small stub of a limb or some
sprouts grew out ; or in a cavity in a tree trunk ; against
an old stump, or a root which had been washed down
during a flood in the middle of a stream ; among curled-
1 See map of life zones, p. xvi.
438 LAND BIRDS
up roots near the water, etc. I have found a number of
nests, when fishing for trout, by flushing the bird from
under a bank ; and on stooping down and looking, I
found the nest nicely concealed by the deep green moss,
such as covered the surrounding stones. They always
use this particular kind of moss, no matter where the
nest is built. Occasionally they nest in deserted wood-
cutters' huts, on outbuildings near cover, and a friend
of mine has some large water-tanks in the woods back
of his house, where for nineteen consecutive years these
birds have built under the covered roofs of these tanks.
I know of no place in this locality where they do not
breed, excepting in very open country. Its song consists
of a soft, low note. It shows much distress when its
nest is taken, uttering then a low wailing note, like
'pee-eu, pee-eu,' and frequently flutters about the per-
son taking it, snapping its mandibles together."
Mr. H. P. Lawrence gives the call-note as " weet-weet"
or " per-teet-weet " uttered in jerky, spiteful accents.
My own observations give still a third, " weet-weet-
weeter-eet," neither "spiteful" nor "plaintive," but a
happy little love song sung early in the morning. The
male is remarkably devoted to his mate, feeding her
while she is brooding, and caring for her with the same
devotion that he afterwards displays for his nestlings.
And she receives this with the same pretty coaxing of
wings by which the little ones beg for food. After the
little ones are hatched, however, she works as hard as
he to fill the ever-hungry mouths. Small insects, par-
ticularly water insects, are a favorite food, and one writer
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 439
accuses them of eating newly hatched fish. The food is
swallowed by the adults and afterwards given to the
young by regurgitation until they are four or five days
old.
466. TRAILL FLYCATCHER. Empidonax trailli.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 5.80-6.25.
Adults: Upper parts olive, darkest on head; wing-bars varying from
brownish gray to white ; eye-ring white ; under parts white, shaded
with olive grayish on breast, and tinged with bright yellow on poste-
rior parts ; under wing-coverts pale yellowish.
Young : Similar to adults, but upper parts browner ; under parts more
distinctly tinged with yellow ; wing- bars yellowish brown.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America, from the Missis-
sippi valley to the Pacific ; south in winter to Mexico.
California breeding Range : In interior valleys, to Sacramento and
Honey Lake.
Breeding Season: May 15 to July 15.
Nest: Deep, cup-shaped, bulky ; usually built between forks of an up-
right branch in bushes, near water, 1 to 18 feet from the ground ;
made of plant down, dry grasses, shreds of bark, etc. ; lined with
fibre, fur, down, and horsehair.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; white or pinkish, spotted mostly at larger end with light
brown. Size 0.73 X 0.53.
THE Traill Flycatcher is a common summer resident
in all suitable localities throughout the United States,
but is distinctly a bird of the open country along the
alder thickets of the river lauds. It is restless and ener-
getic, flitting about among the bushes but keeping out
of sight except when a too enthusiastic sally after a pass-
ing insect betrays its whereabouts. But for this and a
habit it has of calling out in a fretful tone at the approach
of any person, it would never be noticed, so small is it
and so well concealed by the waving leaves. Its notes
440 LAND BIRDS
are variously rendered as " pree-pee-deer " and " whuish,
whuish," or " huip, huip."
Although so busy, this Flycatcher is never so occupied
as to miss a chance of driving another bird, great or small,
away from the special clump of alders which the pug-
nacious mite has preempted for his own. When there
is no one else within scrapping distance, he contents him-
self with scolding his mate on the nest. Apparently
nothing suits him from the time the nest site is chosen
until the brood is reared. Capricious and variable, Jie
places his nest anywhere that strikes his fancy, whether
high up in the crotch of a sapling or close to the ground
among heavy weed stalks. The materials used are fine,
dry grasses, pine needles, plant down ; and for lining,
down and horsehair. About the middle of June both
sexes may be seen bringing material to the chosen site,
and too often one insists on scratching out the founda-
tions laid by the other, until in this way a week is often
consumed before the structure is complete. Only the
mother bird broods in the beautiful nest ; the male simply
straddling the edge in masculine helplessness when left
in charge, looking very wise but really quite useless so
for as keeping the eggs warm is concerned. In twelve
days queer naked bits of bird life fill the cradle, and
now the small brown master is full of importance. They
are hungry ; away he darts for food, but the demand is
ever greater than the supply. To satisfy those four open
mouths means a trip every two minutes or oftener. No
time has he now for scrapping or bullying his little wife.
From early morn he must hustle, snatching time for a
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 441
hastily swallowed bug en route if he can, going hungry
if he must. Small wonder that he forgets to sing or
even to scold, but becomes for the time a silent, self-
absorbed drudge in the workaday world.
468. HAMMOND FLYCATCHER. Empidonax
kammondi.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 5.50-5.75.
Adults: Upper parts olive, grayer anteriorly ; wing-bars light grayish or
tinged with yellow ; outer tail-feathers edged with whitish ; throat
grayish ; breast strongly shaded with olive ; belly and under tail-
coverts yellowish.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America, east to the Rocky
Mountains ; north to the interior of Alaska ; south in winter to
Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Through Transition and lower Boreal zones
from Mt. Shasta to San Jacinto mountains.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest : On a horizontal limb of a tree, 2 to 50 feet from the ground ; made
of old weed stems, plant fibres, shreds of bark, plant down ; lined with
grass, shreds of bark, plant down, hair, and a few feathers.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; creamy white, sometimes lightly spotted with brown at
the larger end. Size 0.70 X 0.53.
THE Hammond Flycatcher is the Western representa-
tive of the Chebec of the East. Unlike the latter,
however, it is a shy dweller of the mountains, nesting
oftenest, in the higher altitudes, from five thousand to
ten thousand feet.
Instead of the merry little note which has given the
Eastern species its nickname, the Hammond Flycatcher
gives only a low, indistinct whistle and a soft " peet."
Building in the higher branches of the coniferous trees,
442 LAND BIRDS
it is a most difficult bird to observe during the nesting
season.
The food of hammondi consists of insects, which it
catches by darting from its perch. In sharp contrast to
the restless energy so characteristic of its family, it will
sit motionless for a long time upon this perch, Micawber-
like, waiting for something to turn up. It is compara-
tively little observed, and is accounted rare, but I believe
this is due more to its retiring habits and silence than to
any special scarcity of individuals. It is certainly not
uncommon in the higher valleys of the Sierra Nevada in
June, and would, I believe^ allow some investigation of
the nesting habits without deserting the brood, for the
parents are very devoted.
469. WRIGHT FLYCATCHER. Empidonax ivrighti,
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 5.75-6.40.
Adults: Similar to Hammond flycatcher, but upper parts grayer ; under
parts whiter ; throat often whitish ; outer web of outer tail-feathers
abruptly paler than inner web.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States, east to the east slope
of the Rocky Mountains ; south to New Mexico ; migrates to Lower
California and Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Along the Sierra Nevada, south to Mt.
Whitney.
Breeding Season: June 15 to July 15.
Nest : Shaped like an inverted cone ; in hazel, dogwood, or other shrubs ;
fastened to the twigs or against the trunk of bush or sapling, 2 to 18
feet from the ground ; made of plant fibre and strips of bark ; lined
with feathers and hair.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; dull white, unspotted. Size 0.65 X.0.50.
AMONG the pines and aspens that fringe the mountain
brooks, this dull-colored Flycatcher hides its nest. As
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 443
soon as spring fever stirs in his veins, he seeks his
favorite haunts and flits about, a gay bachelor, among
the buckbush and willows for a week or so before his
sweetheart appears on the scene. After her arrival fully
two weeks are squandered in the frivolities of courting
before the more serious business of housekeeping is be-
gun, but you may be sure he has had his eye on a special
cosy fork of a branch, and that he will not allow any
other householder to "jump his claim." Then one
sunny day about the tenth of June, you will see him
bring a bunch of plant fibre and, placing it in the chosen
crotch, jump on it and pack it into place with feet and
bill. He has worked hard to get it, tugging with all
his little strength to loosen some of it, which is the in-
ner bark of the willows, and chewing it back and forth
in his beak to render it fine and pliable. After the first
bit has been put in place the female does the shaping
and weaving, while the male brings the material. When
the foundations and walls are completed, a warm lining
of feathers is tucked and wadded carefully inside the
small structure, and the cradle is ready. The thickness
of this lining varies with the altitude and location, being
thicker in higher or more exposed localities, while in
some instances I have found nests with scarcely any
lining and comparatively thin walls, on the sunny side of
a canon. These thinly built nests were invariably in
pines and close to the trunk, and further from the ground
than the heavier ones. Of the latter, several particularly
warm ones were in willows and aspens and were lined
with both wool and short hair from cattle or deer. Of
444 LAND BIRDS
four nests in one locality, one was two and a half feet
from the ground in a manzanita bush, one four feet in
a very exposed crotch of an aspen sapling at the edge of
a grove, one was nicely hidden about five feet up in a
young pine, and one was eleven feet from the ground,
also in a pine tree. All were commenced at about the
same time, and the first egg was laid in two of them the
same day. In one of the others incubation had begun
on the day on which the second egg was laid in the
other two. The higher nest was watched less closely,
but the brood of two nestlings were seen on the edge of
the nest at the same time that those in the lower nest
had made up their minds to fly ; so there was not more
than three or four days' difference in the ages of the four
broods. The nests were all within a radius of a quarter
of a mile or less, and were similar in material and con-
struction ; but those in the pines were almost an inch
shallower than those in the bushes.
During incubation, which lasted thirteen or fourteen
days in two cases, the male was frequently found on the
nest, not merely guarding but brooding. When not thus
occupied, he flitted restlessly through the bushes, bring-
ing insects to his mate, not spending one moment in
idleness except to take a sunbath, and his cheery twitter
could be heard all day above the music of his more am-
bitious neighbors. As soon as the young Flycatchers
were out of the shell, he redoubled his efforts and seemed
to do much more than half the feeding. For the first
few days this was by regurgitation, but later fresh food
was given to them. Small wonder that with four such
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 445
voracious appetites to satisfy he came and went in pre-
occupied silence. In two weeks the babies had filled
the nest to overflowing and were fairly crowded out of
it. Then the trials of the father bird really began, for
they tagged him from twig to twig with open mouths
and quivering wings. In vain he tried to swallow a bite
himself. Often he seemed to hesitate between the de-
mands of his own hunger and the entreaties of his already
too full fledglings, but he usually sacrificed himself to
them. In every instance the mother helped faithfully,
and in one case she alone fed a nestling almost as large
as herself, at the rate of six bugs in three minutes. Some-
times she liberated one in front of him, in an effort to
teach him to hunt for himself, but he was the only young
Flycatcher I have ever seen refuse to try to catch an in-
sect ; he would not budge. This little comedy was
played all one day, and early the next morning the worn
and weary little mother was seen alone, no trace of the
overgrown youngster could be found, nor did she seem
to care. She called restlessly awhile, but about noon
began to enjoy life with the rest of her kin and to forget
the cares of yesterday. t
615. NORTHERN VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW.
Tachycineta thalassina lepida.
FAMILY : The Swallows.
Length: 4.75-5.50.
Adult Male : Top of head, hind-neck, back, and scapulars rich green,
either the head, neck, or dorsal region, or both, usually tinged with
bronze or purple ; rump and upper tail-coverts violet, shaded with
purple ; wiug-coverts violet, edged with green ; a white patch on each
446
LAND BIRDS
side of rump, often close enough to form a band ; under parts \vlute ;
ear-coverts and line above posterior half of eye pure white.
Adult Female: Similar to male, but smaller and duller; ear-coverts and
hiiid-neck dull grayish.
Young: Upper parts entirely dull brownish slate; feathers of under
parts grayish beneath the surface.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, east to the Rocky
Mountains, south in winter to Costa Rica, north to Alaska.
California breeding Range: In Transition zone nearly throughout the
State.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : In cliffs, hollow trees, under eaves of houses, etc.; made of dry
grasses ; lined with feathers.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; pure white. Size 0.74 X 0.52.
THE Violet-green Swallow is a
strikingly beautiful bird both in form
and coloring. Although its plumage
lacks somewhat of the lustre of
the other swallows, the bright
green-and-violet effects of the
upper parts render it
unique among its kind.
It is a lover of pine
woods and mountain for-
ests, but where these
are scarce, it makes its
home among the bare
cliffs, nesting in crev-
ices in the rocks. In
California all of the nests
I have found have been in de-
615. NORTHERN VIOLET- serted woodpecker excavations
GREEN SWALLOW. , . .. . .. .. ,
which the Swallows had filled
"It is a lover of pine woods
and mountain forests." 1 With feathers and bits of graSS.
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 447
The young are naked when hatched, but feather into
a soft mottled gray with glints of blue and green on
the upper parts and the under parts nearly white.
They are fed on small insects by regurgitation.
627 a. WESTERN WARBLING VIREO. Vireo syha
gilva swainsoni.
FAMILY : The Vireos.
Length: 5.00-5.50.
Adults : Upper parts olive grayish ; top of head dull ash-gray ; rurnp
and upper tail-coverts pale olive-green ; white streaks through eye ;
wings and tail plain dusky brown ; sides of head pale brownish ; under
parts dull white, tinged with olive yellow.
Young: Top of head and hind-neck very pale grayish buff; lores and
superciliary region white ; rest of upper parts buffy, wings with huffy
bars ; under parts pure white, except for yellowish under tail-coverts.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America from Great Slave
Lake to Mexico.
California Breeding Range: Through upper Sonoran and Transition
zones.
Breeding Season: May and June.
Nest: A strong, durable basket, made of bark strips and fine grasses on
the inside ; suspended by the brim from forks of horizontal branches.
Eijgs : 4 or 5 ; white, spotted, with reddish brown and lilac around the
larger end. Size 0.70 X 0.55.
THE soft green plumage, unstreaked above and merg-
ing to greenish white below, is so characteristic of the
Vireo family as to win for them the name of Greenlets,
which to the non-scientific observer seems quite as ap-
propriate as Vireo. They are small birds, so nearly the
color of the leaves as to be observed with difficulty, ex-
cept for their friendly habit of stopping to chat with you
awhile at close range. Each different species has a dif-
ferent remark to make, but whatever is said you are sure
448 LAND BIRDS
to understand and translate into human speech. Mrs.
Eckstrom says : " Few birds are easier to tell by their
music and harder to tell without it than the Vireos. By
all means put their song into words." The song of the
Warbling Vireo is a quaint, cheery melody whistled all
day long until chill autumn rains drive him to a warmer
climate. He is a mountain-lover, choosing the aspens
and oaks of the Sierra Nevada rather than the lowland
thickets. If he condescends to build in a city park, his
nest will swing as near the top of the tallest tree as he
can find suitable twigs to hold it. Usually it will be at
the edge of a stream or near an open space. In the full
this bird becomes very friendly, coining into the orchards
and gardens to hunt busily among the leaves for small
caterpillars. At this time he is fond of the cornel ber-
ries that grow along mountain brooks, and occasionally
condescends to eat mistletoe, though he prefers insect
food.
629 a. CASSIN VIREO. Lanivireo solitarius cussini.
FAMILY : The Vireos.
Length: 5.00-5.60.
Adults: Top and sides of head dark gray, blending to white on the
throat ; clearly defined white eye-ring and loral streaks ; back dull
olive-green ; wings with two clear white bands ; under parts clear
white, tinged with yellow and olive on sides and flanks.
Young : Upper parts dull grayish brown ; under parts dull buffy.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States, chiefly on the Pacific
coast in summer ; east to New Mexico, and south to Mexico in winter.
California Breeding Range : Along the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : May, June, and July.
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 449
Nest : Made of dry leaves, cocoons, and spider webs ; lined with grass and
bark ; hung in thickets, bushes, oaks, and alders.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; white, sparsely speckled with burnt umber. Size 0.80 X
0.58.
THE Cassin Vireo is more common along the Sierra
Nevada than through the valleys, and is most abundant
in the coniferous forests half-way up the mountains.
Here its characteristic song, " Mary, Mary, Mary I look
up here ! " bears so close a resemblance to that of the
yellow-throated vireo of the Eastern States as to make
it seem like the same bird.
His beautiful basket nest will be swung from the
branches of an oak or spruce, and, so long as the little
green mother is brooding, his happy warble will ring
from the nest tree begging her in tenderest tones to
" look up here ! " At Slippery Ford on the Lake
Tahoe road, one of these little singers followed me from
tree to tree, whenever I was within fifty feet of his nest,
singing from the lowest twigs a foot or two above my
head and peering down at me curiously as he repeated
his quaint invitation. His nest was only six feet from
the ground and, June 3, contained four eggs. Sitting
began that day, and two days later both nest and con-
tents had disappeared and, with them, the happy singer
and his mate, probably into a collecting basket. I
searched for them day after day, but found no trace of
them in the neighborhood. Another pair of the same
species were finishing their nest in a tree not far from
the hotel, and it, like the first, was decorated with white
cocoons until it looked almost like a hornet's nest among
the green leaves. These birds, although building nearer
29
450 LAND BIRDS
a dwelling, were less confiding than the first pair, and
the male tried many little wiles to coax intruders away
from his nest, though there were as yet no eggs in it.
The nest-making of the yellow-throated vireo has
been so finely described by Mr. Hutchins in " Bird Lore,"
August, 1902, and so exactly resembles that of the
Cassin Vireo, that I quote from it:
"The birds built the rim of their nest stout and
strong, twisting the web about the twigs over and over
upon itself where it stretched from twig to twig, till I
wondered at their patience and ingenuity. Inside and
outside the little heads would reach, with the prettiest
turns and curvetings imaginable, till, as the nest grew
deeper, the work was done more and more from the
inside. Then it was gathered together at the bottom
with side joined to side. When this part of the work
first took place, the nest seemed to be strangely lacking
in depth, and had an unshapely look altogether. But
this was the point where the full revelation came to me
of how the deepest part is shaped. I saw the bird at
this stage inside the nest raise her wings against the
upper rim and the twigs which held it, and strain with
her wings upward and her feet downward till the nest
grew so thin I could see through it in places. Then
they began weaving in more material to thicken and
strengthen sides and bottom where these had become
thin and weak through stretching. This was done
many times until proper depth and thickness were both
secured."
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 451
632. HUTTON VIREO. Fireo kuttoni.
FAMILY : The Vireos.
Length: 4.25-4.75.
Adults : Lores and eye-ring dull whitish ; upper parts plain olive-brown ;
green on rump, wings, and tail ; narrow white wing-bars ; under parts
dull whitish, tinged on sides with olive-yellow.
Young: Similar, but upper parts lighter brown, sides of head buffy
brown ; under parts paler.
Geographical Distribution : California.
California Breeding Range : West of the Sierra Nevada in upper Sono-
ran and Transition zones.
Breeding Season : March to June.
Nest : Neat, compact structure ; made of fine vegetable fibres, bits of
paper, and grasses ; covered on the outside with moss, and lined with
grasses ; placed in trees, from 8 to 10 feet from the ground.
Eggs : 4 ; white, finely dotted with reddish brown, especially at the
larger 'end. Size 0.69 X 0.51.
IN the valleys and foot-hills of California the Hutton
Vireo builds its nest among the branches of the scrub
oaks. In the materials used it is quite unlike any vireo
nest found in the East, for moss forms a large part of its
composition. Sometimes the external adornment alone
consists of bits of moss woven in with shreds of spider
web ; but occasionally the entire nest will be so draped
as to look like a bunch of moss tangled at the fork of a
light branch, and will deceive the eyes of an expert
collector. But the bird himself has no talent for mis-
leading you. His clear, emphatic warble tells you where
he is and what he is doing ; for, in the tenderest phras-
ing of it, there comes an undertone of business, and sure
enough he is prosaically hunting his dinner while sing-
ing between mouthfuls. Under every one of the green
452 LAND BIRDS
leaves he peers with unabated interest, searching care-
fully for the small worms of which he is so fond. His
slender bill, with the hook at the end and bristles at the
base, reminds one of the flycatchers, but surely this
phlegmatic plodder could never belong to the restless,
darting, nervous flycatcher family.
Both the male and the female work busily at the
building of the nest. Beginning at the top, they weave
moss and fibre over and around the supporting twigs,
leaving loose ends to be caught into the walls and
bottom of the structure. The work is all done from the
inside until the walls are firm, and then bits of the
external decoration are carefully tucked on.
The brooding is all done by the female, while the de-
voted master of the household sings early and late from
a perch in the same tree. This habit of singing so near
the nest is characteristic of all the vireos, but is rare
among other birds. He also feeds her very often during
the day, and, as soon as the young appear, takes more
than his share of the labor of caring for them.
Only ten days are required to incubate the eggs of the
vireos, and one of my own records says seven for Button
Vireo. All vireo nestlings are born naked except for
the hair-like down that waves thinly on head and back.
In this bird family it is even less perceptible than in
most young birds, almost requiring a microscope to dis-
cover it. They are fed by regurgitation for five days
and, after that, the food is usually reduced to pulp
before being given to them. It consists almost entirely
of small tree-worms, green and white, the latter some-
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 453
times seeming, by their whiteness, to be fruit worms.
The intervals between feeding are unusually short, rang-
ing from three minutes to half an hour.
633.1. LEAST VIREO. Vireo belli pusillm.
FAMILY : The Vireos.
Length: 4.80-5.25.
Adults : Upper parts plain gray, tinged with olive-green on rump, wings,
and tail ; wings with one or two narrow bars ; lores gray and white ;
under parts white ; sides tinged with olive-gray and pale yellow.
Young : Lores entirely white ; top of head and hind-neck pale brown ;
back dull green.
Geographical Distribution : Southern and Central California, Lower Cali-
fornia, and Arizona.
California Breeding Range: Northern San Joar[uin-Sacramento valley
to Sacramento.
Breeding Season : April and May.
Nest: In bushes and thickets ; made similar to that of the other vireos.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; lightly dotted with brown, especially at the larger end.
Size 0.69 X 0.48.
THE Least Vireo is a bird of the warm valleys and
foot-hills, frequenting the alder thickets along the wet
bottom lands and following the spring into the foot-hills
or more northern valleys to nest. It is a tiny mite in
grayish green, and scarcely distinguishable from the
foliage as it hunts through the bush for insects. Its
semi-pensile nest is fastened to the slender twigs of the
willows as close to water as it can get. This is not
because of its fondness for bathing, but because of the
abundant insect life found in wet places. While not
a great musician, the Least Vireo calls enthusiastically
early and late from the cover of the bushes, showing at
times decidedly imitative qualities not possessed by any
of its family except the white-eyed vireo.
454
LAND BIRDS
634. GRAY VIREO. Vireo vicinior.
FAMILY : The Vireos.
Length: 5.60-5.75.
Adults: Similar to least vireo, but lores and eye-ring entirely white ;
wings brownish, with wing-band indistinct or wanting.
Young: Similar to adults, but upper parts with brownish tinge and
wing-bar buflfy white.
Geographical Distribution : Southern California, Arizona,
New Mexico, Western Texas, and Mexico.
California Breeding Eange :
Southern California along
the San Bernardino moun-
tains.
Breeding Season: March to
June.
Nest: Made of coarse dry
grasses and shreds of bark ;
lined with finer grasses ;
placed in thorny bushes or
trees, 4 to 6 feet from the
ground.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; white, thinly
spotted with reddish brown,
chiefly at the larger end.
Size 0.72 X 0.53.
THE level mesas and
the wide canons of
Southern California are the haunts of
the Gray Vireo. Lacking the calm
patience of its family, this species hunts
nervously among the scant foliage for
food, flying restlessly from one clump
of the sparse growth of brush to an-
634. GRAY VIREO. ^^ ^ s j ng j ng its quamt rou ndelay
" The best songster of all . , , . j
he vireos." whenever it stops long enough to do
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 455
so. It is much the best songster of all the vireos, and
its melody has a clear, liquid quality, at times melting
with a tenderness strangely in contrast with its abrupt
motions. Rarely does it wander higher than the tops
of the scrubby growth of the rocky hillsides, and it
comes fearlessly into view. The basket-shaped nest is
swung from a mesquite or thorn -bush usually within
five feet of the ground, and, except for the overhanging
leaves that shelter it from the sun, there is nothing to
conceal it from the observation of every passer.
646 a. LUTESCENT WARBLER. Vermwora
celata lutescens.
FAMILY: The Wood Warblers.
Length: 4.20-4.45.
Adult Male: Upper parts bright olive-green, brighter on rump; some-
times tinged with gray, especially on head ; orange crown patch
concealed by grayish olive tips of feathers, except in midsummer
plumage ; eye-ring and superciliary yellow ; under parts bright green-
ish yellow, streaked with dull olive.
Adult Female: Crown patch duller and sometimes obsolete.
Young: In first plumage; upper parts olive-green; wing-bars paler or
buffy ; under parts buffy, shaded with olive on chest, sides, and flanks.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast from Alaska to the mountains
of Lower California and Western Mexico in winter; migrates east-
ward to Colorado, Arizona, etc.
California Breeding Flange : Southward along the Pacific Coast Range to
the mountains of Southern California.
Breeding Season: May 15 to June 15.
Nest : On the ground, often concealed by tall grass or bushes ; composed
of drv grasses, rootlets, and moss ; lined with a few horsehairs and
fine fibres.
Eggs : 4 or 5 ; white or creamy, finely speckled with purplish gray and
cinnamon-brown, chiefly at the larger end. Size 0.65 X 0.46.
WITH the spring sunshine comes the Lutescent War-
bler on his way from the south to the mountain ranges
456 LAND BIRDS
of California, where he will spend the summer ; and as
he loiters along the way hunting for insects among the
golden tassels of the oaks, we are charmed with his
dainty grace and soft sweet twitter.
All day long he flits about through the oak trees, lean-
ing away over the tips of the boughs to investigate a
spray of leaves, or stretching up his pretty head to reach
a blossom just above him; now clinging head downward
underneath a spray, or hovering under the yellow tassels
as a bee hovers beneath a flower. But the everlast-
ing hills are calling him, and day by day lie goes nearer
to them, higher and higher up the range until his own
particular thicket is reached, where he can hide his pretty
nest and rear his young. And now, from swinging in the
tops of the oak trees, he comes down to a snug corner
under the thick shrubbery and weaves a cradle of weeds,
bark, moss, and grass, lining it with hairs and rootlets.
Each one of these rootlets must be pulled off separately,
a task as great for his small strength as the uprooting of
a sapling would be for a man, yet the average nest re-
quires very many of them. A nest found near Rowar-
dennan, May 26, contained three nearly fledged young
and two infertile eggs. It was a typical nest, except
that a large amount of moss was used in its construction
and only a few rootlets. The location was also some-
what singular, it being squeezed between a stone and a
clump of weeds and lying partly under the overhanging
stone. There was, of course, no way of determining the
age of these nestlings, but the under parts were still
somewhat bare when they scrambled out of the nest the
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 457
next day. Another nest in the locality, half a mile from
the first, contained four fresh eggs. This was a foot
from the ground, in a bush, and, but for the unmistak-
able identification, would never have been placed in the
same list as the first nest, for there was not a spear of
moss in it and it was lined entirely with rootlets. After
accidental discovery it was found to be in plain sight
from the path.
646 b. DUSKY WARBLER. Vermwora celata
sordida.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 4.70.
Adults: Similar to the lutescent warbler, but colors much darker.
Geographical Distribution: Santa Barbara Islands, California, and the
mainland after the breeding season.
California Breeding Range: San Clemente, Santa Catalina, and other
Santa Barbara Islands.
Breeding Season : About June 1.
Nest and Eggs: Similar to those of the lutescent warbler.
THE Dusky Warbler seems to be an island form of the
lutescent warbler. It is a common resident of Santa
Catalina Island and others of the Santa Barbara group,
breeding in the sparse growth of brush on the steep sides
of the mountains. On Santa Catalina the nests are com-
monly on the ground at the foot of a weed stalk, but one
was found in a crevice of the cavity left by a small land-
slide of the preceding winter. They are especially abun-
dant in the vicinity of the Isthmus. Early in the fall
flocks of these Warblers fly eastward to the mainland,
striking it a little south of San Pedro and continuing
458 LAND BIRDS
east as far as Sail Bernardino. They are abundant at
Los Angeles in August, but disappear entirely in the fall
and do not reappear until the next year.
748 a. WESTERN GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.
Regulus satrapa olimceus.
FAMILY : The Kinglets, Gnatcatchers, etc.
Length: 3.15-4.55.
Adult Male: Crown orange, surrounded with yellow and edged on front
and sides with black lines ; upper parts olive, greenest on the rump ;
two whitish wing-bars ; under parts buffy whitish.
Adult Female: Similar, but crown lemon-yellow.
Young: No yellow ou crown ; under parts tinged with pale brownish
gray.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of North America, from Califor-
nia northward ; south in winter to Guatemala.
Breeding Range: Breeds sparingly on the high Sierra Nevada south-
ward nearly to Mt. Whitney.
Breeding Season : July.
Nest : A ball of green tree moss ; fastened to end of pine branch ; lined
with feathers and short hair.
Eggs: 5 to 10 ; pale buffy, speckled with buff. Size 0.56 X 0.44.
THE Western Golden-crowned Kinglet is a common
winter bird in the coast regions and elsewhere in Cali-
fornia west of the Sierra Nevada. He is such a fearless,
happy little chap, with his crown of bright orange and
his plump green body, that one is instinctively drawn
to him and conies to regard his merry " zee-zee-zee " as an
attractive sound in the woodland chorus. He will allow
you to come within a few feet of him and meets all
your friendly advances with charming trustfulness. This
sociability is only for the winter, however, when he has the
companionship of his fellow-kinglets for moral support
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 459
and frolics through the oaks in flocks, busily search-
ing under every leaf for insect food. It is quite a dif-
ferent matter in the high forests of the Sierra Nevada
where he goes to rear his brood. There he is shyest of
the shy, keeping mysteriously in the tops of the tall firs
and giving you only a tantalizing glimpse now and then.
One female that I watched, or tried to watch, was evi-
dently constructing a nest, for she could be seen flutter-
ing about with her bill filled with nesting material of
some sort, and carrying it always to the same tall spruce
with a comical air of business. On all these trips she
was accompanied by the male, who came and went with
her, but never, that I could see, brought any load him-
self. Whenever she dropped down to where she was
building her nest among the thick branches, her mate
perched higher in the same tree and warbled in con-
tinuous low, sweet song, every now and then dart-
ing out, flycatcher fashion, after an insect which he
greedily ate. The song opened with a high-keyed, clear
crescendo in tone and volume, diminishing rapidly as it
ran down the scale, and was repeated over and over
without much variation, like the song of a canary.
749 (part). WESTERN RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET.
Regains calendula dneraceus.
FAMILY : The Kinglets, Gnatcatchers, etc.
Length: 4.00-5.00.
Adult Male: Bright crimson crown patch, more or less concealed ; upper
parts grayish olive, greener on rump ; two narrow white wing-bars ;
under parts grayish white, sometimes tinged with greenish.
Adult Female, and Young: Similar, but lacking the crimson crown
patch.
460 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Range: Boreal zone of United States and Northern Mexico,
in Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and mountains of Arizona.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Bulky ; semi-pensile ; woven of shreds of bark and moss ; lined
with hair and feathers ; placed in pine or spruce tree, 15 or 20 feet
from ground.
Eggs : 5 or 6 ; buffy, lightly spotted around larger end with pale brown.
ALTHOUGH Mr. Grinnell states that the Ruby-crowned
Kinglet breeds "in the Boreal on the sierras south to
San Jacinto mountains," he does not say, as he might
with truth, that it is rare and very hard to find. The
nest is hung so high, usually in the branches of a tall
spruce, that only an expert climber can hope to peep
into one. Such was Mr. H. F. Bailey, of Santa Cruz,
who, May 15, 1901, discovered a Kinglet carrying nest-
ing material and watched her, although he could not at
first see the nest. June 6, three weeks later, he climbed
the tree in which he had seen the bird at work, and
found the nest thirty feet up and only six or eight feet
from the apex. " It was beautifully made, pyriform in
shape, with the small end downward, about six inches
long, and five inches through at the thickest part. The
cup was very deep and the rim very much contracted,
inclosing a spherical space with a small opening at the
top. The material used in construction was moss, fur,
and silky, fibrous substances woven compactly together.
The lining was of hair and feathers. Some of these
latter were woven into the rim, the stems firmly secured
and the free tips curling inward until they met, thus
forming a curtain over the contracted opening and com-
pletely inclosing the interior. A very warm house was
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND. OLIVE 461
the result. The number of eggs was seven, incubation
slightly advanced, ground color light buff almost white
with numerous
fine, pale, brown
spots, so pale as
to be indistinguish-
able, thickest near
the larger end. The
effect is as if a fine
layer of dust had
settled on the
eggs."
The usual call of
a Ruby-crowned is
a sharp thin whistle,
unmistakable when
once heard. On
migrations this is
his only note, but at
nesting time he has a
twittering warble of three
notes repeated over and
over. This cannot be
heard so far as his
whistle, but is soft and
sweet. It is occasionally heard late at night when the
wind sweeps through the pine boughs and rouses the
little sleepers.
749. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET.
" Only an expert climber can hope to peep
into one,"
462 LAND BIRDS
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE
403. RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER. Sphyrapicus
ruber.
FAMILY : The Woodpeckers.
Length: 8.50-9.25.
Adults: Entire head, neck, and upper breast red, sometimes lightly
striped on sides of head with black and white ; rest of upper parts
black, barred with white ; under parts dark gray or yellow.
Young: Duller, head and breast purplish brown instead of red.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast district north to Alaska, south
to San Bernardino mountains.
Breeding Range : The Transition and Boreal zones throughout its Cali-
fornia range.
Breeding Season : May 15 to June 15.
Nest; A gourd-shaped cavity, from 6 to 10 inches deep ; in a live aspeu
tree, 15 to 25 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 5 or 6 : white. Size 0.91 X 0.71.
THE Red-breasted Sapsucker is a common summer
resident in the Sierra Nevada from Mount Shasta to the
San Bernardino mountains. When the cold of winter
drives it from the higher altitudes, it migrates irregularly
westward through the valleys to the coast.
Among the fir forests of the Sierra Nevada it is con-
spicuous and frequently met with, and may be heard at
a distance of two hundred yards, beating its rattling tat-
too for hours at a time. When alone, it is very noisy, but
as soon as it suspects your presence, it becomes silent
and dodges behind the tree trunk, slipping away as soon
as you look in another direction. In the vicinity of Lake
Tahoe the mating was arranged and excavation for the
nest was begun by May 23. When first observed,
the cavity seemed to be about four inches deep, below
the first limb of the live aspen tree they had selected for
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 463
a home, and in six days it was complete. It was, as. I
afterwards ascertained, nine and a half inches in depth.
This pair were not so shy
as most of those I had
watched; after the exca-
vation was partly accom-
plished, they kept on at
their work when I was
in full view, though dis-
creetly keeping my dis-
tance. The male was
advisory counsel and de-
fender, but candor com-
pels me to admit that he
allowed Madam to do
more than her share of
the hard work. He was
always near, keeping an
eye on me and look-
ing into the small door-
way 'to note progress
when his mate had
flown away for food,
but only three times did I
catch him making the chips
fly himself.
I thought sometimes he
seemed stupefied with the 403 KED . BREASTED SAPSUCKEH.
sap he had been drinking. <. The mot f, er watched the attempt to
,, . . drink the sweet syrup."
This is not an uncommon
464 LAND BIRDS
occurrence with his Eastern cousin, the yellow-bellied
sapsucker, who sometimes becomes so intoxicated on the
sap of the mountain ash that he will allow himself to be
picked up by the hand of a quiet observer. But the
Red-breasted is more cautious, and knew instinctively
just when my glasses were turned toward him or when
I moved hand or foot. I say " instinctively," for often-
times I knew he was behind the trunk where he could
not see me, and yet the most noiseless movement brought
him inquisitively into view. So long as he was on guard
the female worked without fear, but when he left on a
foraging expedition, she usually became restless and
shortly afterwards flew away also.
Incubation began May 30, and lasted fifteen days.
The young were fed by regurgitation for the first two
weeks. As in the case of most other woodpeckers ex-
cept the flicker, I know this by closely watching the
adults as they come to the nest. As soon as the bottle
period is over, the food can be seen in their bills. After
the first week, some few species, like the flicker, feed by
regurgitation, from the doorway, in full view of the world.
The young Sapsuckers left the nest on the seventh of
July, and clung to the nest tree for three days. Here they
were initiated by both parents into the mysteries of sap-
sucking. A hole having been bored in front of each, with
grotesque earnestness the mother watched the attempt
to drink the sweet syrup. During this time both insects
and berries were brought to them by the adults, in one
hour one youngster devouring twelve insects that looked
like dragonflies.
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 465
This species is said never to girdle the trees as does
the Eastern variety, and to be far less harmful.
408. LEWIS WOODPECKER. Asyndesmus leirisi.
FAMILY: The Woodpeckers.
Length: 10.50-11.50.
Adults: Upper parts, lower tail-coverts and thighs uniform dark me-
tallic greenish ; face dark crimson ; chest and collar round back of
neck grayish ; under parts, sides, and flanks pinkish red, with plu-
mage coarse and hair-like.
Young : Like adults, but without red on head and without collar ; under
parts more grayish than pinkish.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, from the Black Hills
and Rocky Mountains to the Pacific.
California Breeding Range : Along the Sierra Nevada south to Fort
Tejon ; also in the valleys of the Salinas and the San Benito.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: Excavations made mostly in pines and dead stumps, from 8 to 100
feet from the ground.
Eggs: 5 to 9 ; white. Size 1.03 X 0.80.
THE Lewis Woodpecker, although so handsome, is the
most silent and stupid of all its race. Making no at-
tempt to defend its nest, it will sit on a limb of the tree
and look on while its home is rifled, uttering no sound
and seeming not to care. It uses the same excavation
year after year, and will sometimes lay a second set of
eggs in the same hole from which the last has just been
stolen. The nest is usually high in a tree, and is some-
times thirty inches deep with an entrance two and a half
inches in diameter. In summer this Woodpecker is resi-
dent in certain localities along the Sierra" Nevada south
to Fort Tejon, and breeds in the open country along this
range. In the winter it may be found nearly throughout
the State.
466 LAND BIRDS
In the summer its food consists of grasshoppers, large
black crickets, wood ants, larvae, wild strawberries and
raspberries, cherries, acorns, pine seeds and juniper ber-
ries. Where grasshoppers and Mayflies abound, it will
gather these insects and stick them into cracks in the
bark to be eaten later.
Unlike most woodpeckers, this species have the habits
of the flycatcher, darting out to catch an insect on the
wing and returning to the perch on the top of a dead
pine tree. The young remain in the nest three to four
weeks, and are fed upon insects and fruit by the parents
for some time after leaving.
After the breeding season is over the Lewis gradually
makes his way with his young into the higher moun-
tain forests, where they remain in flocks until the cold
weather of late September sends them toward the
valleys.
471. VERMILION FLYCATCHER. Pyrocephalux
rubinus mexicanus.
FAMILY : The Flycatchers.
Length: 5.50-6.25.
Adult Male: Head of male with crest ; upper parts, except top of head,
brownish gray, darker on wings and tail ; crown and under parts
bright scarlet.
Adult Female: Upper-parts brownish gray ; under parts whitish ; breast
streaked with grayish ; belly tinged with pale red or salmon.
Young: Upper parts grayish, feathers edged with whitish; under parts
whitish, streaked across the breast.
Geographical Distribution: Mexico, Southern and Lower California to
Central America, north to Southwestern Utah and Nevada.
Breeding Range: If at all in California, this flycatcher breeds in the
vicinity of the Colorado River near Fort Yuma. Breeds in Utah,
Arizona, New Mexico, and Southwestern Texas.
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE
467
Breeding Season : April to July 16.
Nest: Shallow and loosely constructed ; saddled on a horizontal fork 6
to 50 feet from the ground ; made of twigs, small weed tops, plant
fibre, empty cocoons, spider webs, and plant down ; lined with
feathers, hair, wool, fur, and plant down.
Eggs: 2 to 3 ; cream or buff, marked most heavily about the larger end
with irregular blotches of brown, drab, and lavender gray. Size 0.71
X 0.53.
IT is most unfortunate that this brilliant bit of bird
life occurs in California only as a winter visitor. During
the weeks from November to March it is more or less
common throughout the southern part of the State, espe-
cially that portion along
the Lower Colorado
River, but it is neither
so jubilant nor so fasci-
nating as when in its
own chosen haunts it
wooes its pretty mate.
One must cross to the
Arizona side of the
river and ride some
miles eastward, to
find it really abun-
dant, but the enthu-
siast will be well
repaid. Here, among the mesquite trees, like scarlet
blossoms suddenly taken wings, the dashing males chase
each other and engage in brilliant combats.
These feathered warriors have tempers as fiery as their
breasts. Early in March they arrive from the south or
west, and a week later are joined by the females. So
471. VERMILION FLYCATCHER.
" Pouring out his joy."
468 LAND BIRDS
slyly, so quietly do these demure brown ladies slip into
the gay company that, but for the curious antics of their
ardent swains, you might not notice their advent. The
little cavalier can no longer contain his delight. From
a branch where he has been sitting, one will shoot sud-
denly straight upward, like a fiery spark against the
evening sky. There, high in the air, he poises on vibrat-
ing wing, with every feather fluffed out, crest raised,
and tail quirked up over his back, all the time pouring
out his joy in bubbling music. Just as you are sure he
will explode with the rapture of it, down he comes,
lightly as an autumn leaf. It is his wooing, and
somewhere among the green leaves his sweetheart is
watching.
One such aerial serenade had quite an unlooked-for
ending. Evidently the performer had chosen his arena
without properly surveying the neighborhood ; for, as he
hovered in the air only four feet away from an oak tree
limb where sat an Arkansas kingbird, the latter, con-
ceiving this to be a direct challenge and ever ready for
a scrap, darted out at him with indescribable fury.
The result was a kaleidoscopic mingling of yellow, red,
and brown tumbling earthward, the birds fighting as
they fell. The Vermilion had been taken by surprise,
and was no match for his antagonist, but he fought
gallantly. As he landed on his back on the ground,
with feet and bill still eager to finish, the kingbird rose
a few feet above him, poised over him as a hawk over
a field mouse lair, hesitated, and for some occult reason
flew back to his own perch. His honor had been vin-
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 469
dicated, his rights enforced, there was no fun in scrap-
ping with a vanquished foe; so magnanimously he
withdrew from the field. Left alone, the little Vermilion
wriggled over right side up, and sat panting but still
full of fight. Evidently he did not know when he was
beaten. His beady eyes flashed fire, his crest quivered,
his wings were spread and his tail raised, while every
individual feather bristled with impotent rage. A small
brown bird, evidently his mate, flew down near him
uttering low chirps. With the unreasonableness of his
sex, he turned like a flash upon her and angrily drove
her away. After a few moments of rest he was ap-
parently as gay as ever, and was off again on his wooing,
no whit less ardent for his defeat.
His nest was discovered in process of construction
nine feet from the ground in the mesquite in which his
mate had been hiding. It was a shallow affair of small
twigs, fine grasses, vegetable fibre, plant down, and web-
like stuff probably from a spider's nest or a cocoon.
Inside a thin lining of plant down was matted neatly
about. On April 24 the first egg was laid, and one each
day thereafter until there were three. Twelve and a
half days were required for incubation, and during this
time I never saw the male nearer to the nest than six
feet. The almost naked nestlings were salmon-pinkish ;
and, as in the case of most newly hatched birds, the eyes
were covered with a membrane. On the fourth day
this parted in a slit, giving them a comical, half-awake
look, while grayish down stood out thickly on the crown
and along the back. On the tenth day they were fairly
470 LAND BIRDS
feathered, but remained in the nest until the fourteenth
and sixteenth days, when one and two, respectively,
fluttered out on untried wings. The father took charge
of the one that left home first, while the patient mother
fed and coaxed the lazy ones. These were finally started
into flight by a little judicious jiggling of the nest branch
on the part of a less patient observer.
The call of the Vermilion is a characteristic loud and
constantly repeated " peet, peet," or " peet-ter-weet."
The song is a clear twittering remarkable only for its
joyous enthusiasm.
498 e. SAN DIEGO RED- WINGED BLACKBIRD.
Agelaius pkceniceus neutralis.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: 7.85-9.00.
Adults: Similar to Sonoran red-winged, hut smaller; female darker,
with upper parts less conspicuously streaked, while under parts are
more so.
Geographical Distribution : Great Basin district of United States, south
through Southern California.
California Breeding Range : Locally in the interior and southern part of
the State, chiefly in San Diegan district.
Breeding Season: April 15 to May 25.
Nest and Eggs : Similar to those of the Sonoran red-wing.
THE Red-winged Blackbird of the East is, in Cali-
fornia, divided into three subspecies, the Sonoran,
which occurs only along the Colorado River in the extreme
southeastern corner of the State ; the San Diego, which
is common locally throughout the interior and southern
districts, breeding wherever found, but most abundant
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 471
in the San Diegan district ; and the Northwestern, found
in the northern counties. The habits of the species are
identical, for all are marsh-loving birds, building their
nests among the rushes or bushes along the edge of the
water. All the summer, fall, and winter the San Diego
Red-wings frolic and feed in large flocks, wandering over
the farm lands of the valleys and piping their gay " kon-
karee " from all the fruit trees. At this time their food
consists of insects that are injurious to fruit trees and
the farmers' crops, for they glean alike in the orchard and
behind the plough, picking up not only adult insects, but
the larvae and eggs. Grains of all sorts and seeds are
also part of their diet, yet the small harm they do is
greatly overbalanced by the good they accomplish. When
nesting time comes they are off to the marshes and
sloughs. Here they nest in large colonies, sometimes
numbering hundreds, the nests so close together that the
young birds can almost hop from one to the next. After
the manner of the yellow-heads, the male Red-wings
take small share in nest building or brooding. In the
East this bird is not infrequently a victim of the para-
sitic cowbird egg, and when this happens the brood is
abandoned or a second nest is constructed on top of the
old one. Occasionally these double-decker affairs are a
foot high with one half-incubated brood walled securely
into the lower part and a second reared above it. Nests
built on the edges of the marsh or near the open water
are always much deeper and more securely fastened to
the rushes than those placed in more sheltered locations,
as if the wise little architects knew the greater strength
472
LAND BIRDS
necessary to resist the force of wind and wave. The
newly hatched young Red-wings are just the color of a
ripe apricot, and entirely naked. In a few days dark
lines of embryonic pinfeathers show along each side of
the spine and the edge of the
wings ; then a soft grayish down
covers throat, breast, and top of
head. By and by brown
feathers push out through
the quills, and the promise
of a tail appears. The eyes
open, the skin grows darker, chang- .
to greenish gray on the fore-
head, which remains entirely bare
even after they are fully feathered.
When twelve days old the nest-
lings begin to stand up after the
manner of young birds, stretch legs
and wings, and tease for food with coaxing
chirps. And now the father, who has been
a proud spectator of their progress
as well as a constant attendant on
their wants, has to work harder
than ever. Water bugs of all
sorts, especially the tiny black beetles that squirm by
hundreds on the surface, dragonflies and butterflies, hair-
less caterpillars and fat slugs are popped into the ever-
open mouths of those hungry nestlings. The feeding
by regurgitation ceases when the young are four days
old.
498 e. SAN DIEGO RED-
WINGED BLACKBIRD.
" A spirit of recklets daring."
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 473
There is a spirit of reckless daring inherent in every
young blackbird, and the Red-wings are no exception.
One of these bald-headed babies balancing himself gin-
gerly on the edge of the swaying nest is a comical sight
on a calm day, but funnier still when the wind blows.
How tightly his tiny claws grasp the stout rushes, as he
bobs this way and that in a desperate struggle to keep
right side up ! How curiously those in the nest watch
his gyrations ! Occasionally a second and a third will
climb out beside him, and that means that something
is sure to happen. Too often it is a tumble for all three
back into the nest, or a less lucky tip out into the rushes.
As soon as their wings are strong enough for short
flights, the wise parents coax them back to the safer
feeding ground of the orchard or farm, where day after
day they pick up bugs, and night after night roost side
by side with hundreds of other Red-wings in the shelter
of the trees.
498 a. SONORAN RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.
Agelaius phoeniceus sonoriensis.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: Male 8.15-9.35 ; female 6.80-7.86.
Adult Male : Uniform black, except for red and buffy or whitish shoulder
patches.
Adult Female: Plumage not so glossy as the male's ; upper parts more
or less streaked with dusky ; top of head and fore part of back dark
brown, with buffy median crown stripe and superciliary ; shoulders
faintly tinged with red ; under parts broadly streaked with dusky
and whitish ; chin and throat more or less tinged with buffy or
pinkish.
Geographical Distribution : From the Lower Colorado valley in Southern
California and Arizona south to Mexico.
474 LAND BIRDS
Breeding Range : Southeastern portion of State along Lower Colorado
River.
Breeding Season : April to June.
Nest: Usually built in reeds or bushes, near the ground, and sometimes
in a clump of grass ; made of rushes or sedges ; lined with finer grass.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; light blue, marbled, blotched, and clouded with light and
dark purple and black. Size 1.00 X 0.75.
499. BICOLORED BLACKBIRD. Agelaius gubernator
californicus.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length : Male 7.80-8.60 ; female 6.90-7.50.
Adult Male: Plumage black, red shoulder patch; middle wing-coverts
butfy or brownish at the base, but concealed by black tips.
Adult Female: Nearly uniform dusky and streaked ; chin and throat
pale buffy or pinkish, the latter marked with triangular spots of
dusky.
Geographical Distribution: Valleys of California and "Western Oregon,
south into Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Locally in the interior valleys west of the
Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : April to July.
A'cst : Placed on tufts of marsh grass or weeds, from 1 to 3 feet above
the water ; made of grasses and strips of bark ; lined with grass and
sometimes horsehair.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; light bluish green, generally marbled, spotted and streaked
with brown, black, and purple. Size 1.00 X 0.68.
THE Bicolored Blackbird is similar in all his habits
to the red-winged. His nest differs only in the bark
and horsehair used in construction, and the shallower
cup. Like all blackbirds, he loves wet meadows and
marshes near open water, and during the breeding sea-
son is found in these localities. For the rest of the year
he roves in company with the Brewer blackbirds over
the valleys of the interior west of the Sierra Nevada
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 475
mountains. His call-note is a loud metallic " konkaree "
that can scarcely be distinguished from that of the red-
wing.
500. TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD. Agelaius tricolor.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: Male 8.00-9.05 ; female 7.10-7.85.
Adult Male: Glossy blue-black with silky plumage; shoulder patches
dark red, bordered with white (tinged with buff' in winter).
Adult Female : Plumage silky texture ; upper parts dusky, with green-
ish lustre ; crown streaked ; scapulars and interscapulars with grayish
edgings ; wings with grayish and white bands ; throat and chest
streaked ; remainder of under parts dusky.
Young : Similar to female, but browner, and under parts finely streaked ;
wings with two bands.
Geographical Distribution : Valleys of the Pacific coast from Southern
California to Western Oregon.
California Breeding Range : Locally in the interior valleys west of the
Sierra Nevada, from Mt. Shasta to San Diego ; east to Lake Tahoe.
Breeding Season : May to July.
Nest and Eggs : Similar to those of the Sonoran red-wing.
THE Tricolored Blackbird is. a common resident of
the interior valleys west of the Sierra Nevada from
Mount Shasta to San Diego. In the vicinity of Lake
Tahoe these birds stray across the crest, but not in the
numbers in which they are found westward.
They breed in large colonies in the tule marshes and
wet meadows, oftentimes placing the nests in trees or
bushes after the manner of the red-wing. " Mr. Hen-
shaw found a colony of these birds nesting in a dry
pasture in a patch of nettles and briars covering between
three and four acres in the Santa Clara valley, Cali-
fornia. The nettles grew so dense and high (twelve feet)
that he found it almost impossible to force his way into
476 LAND BIRDS
their midst. Two hundred pair were here congregated
to rear their young, and the odor could only be com-
pared to that of a cormorant rookery. Nearly every
bush had several nests." 1 This was in 1875. I doubt
whether such a patch of wilderness could be found
in Santa Clara County at present, but the birds still
nest there in smaller numbers. I have never found
more than from ten to twenty nests in one place.
The nests can be told from those of the red-wings
only by their looser construction and their shallowness.
The newly hatched nestlings are exactly like those of
the red-wings and are fed and cared for in the same
manner; even when a month old they can scarcely be
distinguished from their more common Eastern relatives.
515 b. CALIFORNIA PINE GROSBEAK. Pinicola
enucleator californica.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: Male 7.75 ; female 7.40-7.95.
Adult Male: Upper parts pale vermilion ; head tinged with pinkish and
yellow ; scapulars light gray ; wings and tail dusky ; feathers tipped
with whitish ; under parts light gray ; entire plumage gray beneath
the surface.
Adult Female : General plumage light gray ; top and sides of head, back
of neck, and middle of breast bright tan-color ; upper tail-coverts
tinged with light yellow.
Young : Similar to female, but brownish gray, with brownish and gray-
ish edgings to wings and tail.
Geographical Distribution : Boreal zone on the central Sierra Nevada ;
north to Placer County ; south to Fresno County.
Breeding Range : Coextensive with its habitat.
1 Bendire's "Life Histories," p. 457.
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 477
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Flat, thin structure composed of rootlets and twigs, lined with
finer roots, usually placed in coniferous trees.
HIGH in the Sierra Nevada range where, all the year
long, the crevices and sunless nooks hold patches of
snow, where the dark hemlock forests cover the moun-
tain sides with their shad-
ows, the Pine Grosbeak
finds temperature, food,
and breeding grounds ex-
actly to his liking. Nor
when the storms of winter
howl through the pines
does he go far to seek a
warmer climate. He seems
fairly to revel in the swirling
clouds of snow, and, until
driven by hunger to seek food
lower down the mountain,
he will stay in his favorite .
haunts. On the edge of a
snowdrift you may see him 515b ' A 1>IKK
picking up the wind-blown He seems f<lirly to revel in the
j IP -IT swirling clouds of mow."
seeds and frozen insecs life
that come there no man knows how. When the summer
suns have warmed the mountains, he whistles most
musical love songs as he frolics through the trees with
his mate. At all times, except the few weeks of the
breeding season, he is found in company with others
of his kind, both male and female. Early in May the
478 LAND BIRDS
flocks separate, each pair going to its chosen nesting site
in the furry hemlocks, and house-building begins. Both
sexes -carry material and weave the walls of the home,
which is well hidden and securely fastened among the
thick branches. It is very difficult to discover even when
you have located the tree, and the birds themselves, al-
though not shy, are wary about disclosing this secret.
So the bird-lover must be content with lying under the
hemlocks and watching the pretty rose-colored male carry-
ing food to his mate through the days of incubation ; and
listening to his liquid trilling, as the setting sun tinges
his breast with a deeper rose, or as at four A. M. he greets
another blue day. He makes a welcome bit of color in
the sombre woods, and delicious music in their silence.
Unless you hear his rival, the Townsend solitaire, who
frequents much the same haunts, you are quite ready to
call him the musician of the mountain tops.
517 a. CALIFORNIA PURPLE FINCH. Carpodacus
purpureus californicus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.50-6.25.
Adult Male: Upper parts dark madder-pink, clear on rump, deeper and
brighter on top of head ; back streaked with dusky ; middle of belly
and lower tail-coverts white ; remainder of under parts light rose-
pink with sides and flanks strongly tinged with brownish and streaked
with darker.
Adult Female: Upper parts grayish olive, heavily streaked with brown ;
under parts ashy white, finely streaked ; sides of head with two dis-
tinct brownish stripes, one on ear-coverts, the other on each side of
throat, the two separated by a whitish stripe.
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 479
Young: Similar to adult female, but colors duller, markings less dis-
tinct, and edgings of wing-feathers more buffy.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of United States, from Southern
California to British Columbia.
California Breeding Range : Upper Sonoran and Transition zones west
of the Sierra Nevada range.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : A flat thin structure ; made of fine rootlets and grasses ; placed on
the horizontal limbs of trees.
Eggs : 2 to 4 ; greenish blue, finely speckled on large end with dark
brown and black. Size 0.75 X 0.55.
THE California Purple Finch is one of those species
which indulge in a semi-annual vertical migration.
Spending the winter among the lowlands, feeding
through the valleys in small flocks, as soon as the snow
begins to melt in the mountains, they work their way
slowly to the higher levels. And the fruit-growers are
not sorry to see them go, for during their brief stay
through the winter months they have eaten the buds of
the deciduous trees, doing incalculable harm to the
crops.
Half-way up the mountains, at an altitude of from
three thousand to five thousand feet, they find suitable
breeding grounds in the yellow pines, oaks, and red-
woods. The nest is built usually on a horizontal branch,
and is composed of wiry grass and fine rootlets woven
into a shallow cup and lined witli wool or horsehair.
Incubation lasts thirteen days ; and, o far as I have
observed, the male does not brood upon the eggs, al-
though he does take charge during the absence of the
female.
The song of the Purple Finch is a pleasing warble
kept up during most of his waking hours in the breeding
480 LAND BIRDS
season. The call-note is a chirp not unlike that of the
English sparrow, but somewhat softer.
518. CASSIN PURPLE FINCH. Carpodacns cassini.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.50-6.95.
Adult Male : Upper parts pinkish brown, clearly streaked with dark
brown ; top of head bright crimson ; rump subdued rose-pink ; throat
and breast pale rose-pink ; belly white ; sides tinged with pinkish ;
lower tail-coverts conspicuously streaked with dusky ; wing-feathers
edged with reddish.
Adult Female : Upper parts olive-gray j under parts white ; entire plu-
mage conspicuously streaked with dusky.
Young: Similar to adult female, but streaks on lower parts narrower and
less conspicuous, and wing-edgings more tawny butt'.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, north to British
Columbia, east to Rocky Mountains, south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Lower Boreal zone from Mt. Shasta to Los
Angeles County ; also Inyo Mountains and White Mountains.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Flat and thin ; composed mostly of rootlets and grasses ; lined
with moss and cotton ; placed near the tops of young pines, on hori-
zontal branches.
Eggs : 2 to 4 ; light bluish green, dotted around the larger end with
slate, lilac, and dark brown. Size 0.84 X 0.62.
FLOCKS of Cassin Purple Finches are met with along
the entire high Sierra Nevada from Mount Shasta south-
ward. The winter storms only drive them a little lower
down to the shelter of the brush, or in severe seasons
to the foot-hills ; but even then it is not uncommon to
find a small flock huddled under a fallen tree for shelter
and trying to brave it out in the snow. With the re-
turning spring the flocks go back to their pine-covered
haunts in the higher altitudes.
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 481
The saucer-shaped nest of this species is placed in
the top of a tall fir and is nearly always inaccessible.
Twelve days are required for incubation, and as soon as
the young are able to care for themselves the brood and
adults move higher up the mountain in the wake of
summer.
The song of the Cassin Finch is rich and melodious,
of a softer quality than that of the California purple
finch, but less varied. Its call-note is a clear " cheep."
519. HOUSE FINCH, OR LINNET. Carpodacus
mexicanus frontalis.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows^ etc.
Length: 5.75-6.25.
Adult Male: Upper parts brownish gray, tinged with carmine; back
faintly streaked ; forehead, superciliary, and rump rose-pink or car-
mine ; throat and breast reddish ; belly whitish, sharply streaked
with brown.
Adult Female: Upper parts grayish brown, faintly streaked ; under
parts white, broadly streaked.
Young: Similar to female ; upper parts more distinctly streaked ; under
parts less distinctly streaked ; wing-coverts tipped with butty.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States from Rocky Moun-
tains to Pacific coast ; from Oregon to Mexico.
California Breeding Range: Chiefly below Transition zone, in suitable
localities throughout the State.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest: A compactly woven cup ; composed of grass and vegetable fibre ;
placed in evergreens, palms, and other trees and shrubs about the
house.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; pale blue, nearly white, thinly speckled with black. Size
0.80 X 0.55.
THE House Finch is popularly known throughout
California as the Linnet, and is one bird for whom the
31
482 LAND BIRDS
residents have little praise. So numerous are these
birds and so destructive to fruit that a continual warfare
is waged against them by poison and by gun. Hun-
dreds are sold in the bird-stores annually, sometimes
at the low price of twenty-five cents each. But to
the newcomer and the tourist the pretty pink-breasted
songsters are one of the attractive features of the garden,
where they take the place of the robin of the East. No
bird is more tame or more confiding. In the rose that
clambers over your window, or the evergreens on the
lawn, he will build his nest, absolutely refusing to believe
that he is not wanted. His happy song wakens you in
the morning and is the last to cease at night, and when
his pretty brown sweetheart is listening, his little pink
throat ruffles and swells with the torrent of music.
Then he sings on the wing in rocket-like bursts of melody,
and executes wonderful gyrations for her sole benefit.
A moment later they are off together over the roses
looking for a place to hide the tiny home. The choice
is varied. A palm tree, a vine at the kitchen door, a
nook in the chicken yard, the top of an open-air pantry,
the inside of a hat put up* for a scarecrow, or a shoe
flung into a tree in childish sport, are each and all eligible
building sites. After weaving the nest out of grasses
usually mixed with pine needles and a few feathers, the
little brown mother broods for thirteen days, assisted
by her mate at long intervals. The babies are naked,
except for a scant bit of down on head and back, and
are of a pinkish gray color. Like most young birds, they
are born blind and do not open their eyes until the
RED CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 483
fourth or fifth day. They feather very rapidly, and on
the fifteenth day are on the edge of the nest ready for
their de"but. It is at this time that the domestic cat
and the small boy collecting for the bird-store get in
their deadly work. Were the robins of the East no
better protected than are these feathered citizens of
California, they would soon become only a legend to
tell our grandchildren.
I have watched the Finches feed their young, by
regurgitation at first and later with fresh food, and very
rarely do they bring fruit to the nest. Seeds of various
weeds and small green caterpillars formed the larger
part of the diet, at least of the nestlings. In spite of
their bad name, I believe they will some day be proved
to have accomplished a fair amount of good to offset
the evil charged against them, if in no greater way than
by eating the seeds of injurious weeds.
521 (part). BENDIRE CROSSBILL. Loxia curviroslra
bendirei.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 6.80-7.25.
Adult Male: Plumage dull red ; brighter on rump ; wings and tail uni-
form dusky ; feathers of back indistinctly streaked.
Adult Female : Plumage olive, varying in shade from a grayish to a yel-
lowish cast.
Young: Plumage light olive; under parts lighter, streaked all over,
except on wings and tail, with dusky.
Geographical Distribution: In the mountainous parts of the Southwest-
ern United States from Western Kansas, Colorado, and Arizona, south
through highlands of Mexico.
California Breeding Range: Locally in the central Sierra Nevada.
484
LAND BIRDS
Breeding Season : March and April.
Nest: Of spruce twigs, shreds of soft bark, etc.; lined with horsehair,
fine rootlets, etc.; rather flat ; placed in coniferous trees.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; pale greenish, spotted and dotted about the larger end
with shades of brown and lavender. Size 0.75 X 0.57.
WHEREVER in the Sierra Nevada you find pine cones
in plenty, look for the Crossbills. From Placer County
to Mount Whitney they are more or less common dur-
ing the summer. We use this
phrase advisedly, for never were
birds more capricious in the
choice of feeding and nesting
grounds. If here one season,
as likely as not next year will
find them miles away. But because you
may not have seen them, do not decide
that they are not near. One hundred
feet away a flock of twenty to fifty may
be feasting in the tree tops and not one
elsewhere. Or you may have them as
neighbors to-day, and to-morrow find no
trace of one. In the winter this is even
more true, for they straggle irregularly
over the central part of the State even
as far south as Pasadena. At Mon-
terey they are irregular summer visitants ; and since
they are without established laws as to breeding
range, they may even be found breeding there. The
nest is placed on the horizontal branch of a coniferous
tree, usually about twenty feet from the ground, and
both sexes assist in its construction. From the curi-
521 a. MEXICAN
CROSSBILL.
, chick-
adeefashi
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 485
ously twisted shape of the bill one would expect them
to have some trouble in carrying twigs to it, but they
manage very well. Instead of picking up from the
ground the twigs needed, they wisely prefer to pull them
from the tree, selecting brittle, dead limbs. In procur-
ing the fine rootlets with which the nest is made, their
awkward bill is an advantage. It is a great advantage,
also, in prying open the pine cones and dexterously ex-
tracting the seeds. In doing this they frequently hang,
head down, chickadee fashion, or climb over the cones
by means of beak and claws. It has been a question
how and on what the very young Crossbills are fed. Re-
gurgitation would seem to be impossible in their case.
Fortune has never favored me in watching a brood de-
velop, for in every instance the eggs were " collected,"
either by a small boy or a squirrel, before they hatched.
The only sounds I have ever heard a Crossbill utter are
the " kimp, kimp," always described in connection with
them, which sounds like the crackling of the cones, and
a twittering conversation early in the morning when the
mate is on the nest. They are fond of water, and bathe
early and late.
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE
478 e. GRINNELL JAY. Cyanocitta stelleri carbenacea.
FAMILY : The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 12.00-13.00.
Adults : Head (including conspicuous crest), neck, and back dull bl'ack ;
wings and tail purplish blue, barred with black ; under parts blue.
Young: Similar to adults, but with duller and less conspicuous
markings.
486 LAND BIRDS
Geographical Distribution: Coast of California, from Monterey to the
Columbia River east in Oregon to the Cascades.
Breeding Range : Transition zone south through humid coast belt to
Monterey.
Breeding Season: April and May (a few rare records in March).
Nest: Usually placed in fir trees 30 to 55 feet from the ground, some-
times in other trees or vines ; made of twigs, moss, and dry grass,
well cemented with mud ; lined with fine roots.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; dull, pale, bluish green, spotted and blotched over the
entire surface with brown and lavender. Size 1.24 X 0.92.
" THERE are many handsome blue jays, but the stelleri
in its numerous forms, with its blue body and high crest,
is one of the lords of the race, fittingly associated with
the noblest forests of the West " (Mrs. Bailey).
The Steller Jay is variously subdivided in California.
The form known as the Coast Jay is usually resident
wherever found, and is common in California along the
coast from Oregon as far as the southern boundary of
Monterey County. In the vicinity of Monterey and
Pacific Grove these Jays are very abundant. Some one
has called them the " policemen of the woods," but brig-
ands would be a much more fitting cognomen. Flying in
bands with jolly good fellowship, they are the torment
of the more peaceful woodland dwellers. Nowhere are
they welcome. The appearance of one is the signal for
the more fearless of the small birds to sally out en masse
and drive them away ; for right well these helpless wood-
folk know that here is a monster who will, if he can,
devour both their eggs and their nestlings. His mim-
icry of the notes of various birds of prey strikes terror to
the mother birds brooding the young and to the father
on guard near by. Small wonder he is hated.
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE
487
And yet a Blue Jay can be gentle, and few birds are
so devoted to mates or young. Two robins may quarrel,
two orioles often do, but Blue Jays never. If a young
Jay is taken from one nest and placed in another, he re-
ceives the same treatment from his foster parents that
their own young do ; but these same Blue Jays will
bring the nestlings of other birds for him to eat.
Their ordinary call-note is very discordant, but I have
heard them sing their love songs at four A. M., when
no one was supposed to hear
but the mother bird on the
nest in the tall pine tree.
Those critics who write learn-
edly of bird songs, putting
them into notes on a scale,
may not speak of this clear,
low conversational
warbling as " music,"
but it is the outpour-
ing of a great joy, bless-
,., ., .
ing alike the singer and
the one who hears.
In the vicinity of Monterey, nest-building usually be-
gins early in April, and for ten days the male brings
twigs, rootlets, moss, and grass, with mud enough to
cement them well together. These the female weaves
into a cup-shaped affair quite unlike the flat platform of
twigs made by our Eastern jays. It is oftenest lined
with pine needles or rootlets, but occasionally short hair
from cattle or deer is found in it. Incubation lasts six-
478 ' STELLER JAY "
are, they
488 LAND BIRDS
teen days, and during this time, although the male is fre-
quently left in charge of the nest, I have never seen him
attempt to brood the eggs, as the mother does. He will
perch on the side of the nest, look at the contents with
head cocked sidewise in a comical mixture of pride and
masculine helplessness in the care of infants. He knows
something is necessary to keep the wonderful treasure
warm, but just how to go about it is a puzzle. But
when those four dull eggs have become a nest full of
queer-looking babies, he knows exactly what to do.
They are hungry, and who can feed them so deftly as he ?
So, from dawn to dusk, he is hustling in true Western
fashion for bugs of all sorts and varieties, for fruit and
berries. Later he will show these same nestlings how
to extract an acorn from the store of the California wood-
pecker, how to crack a pine nut, how to hold a piece of
meat in their strong claws and tear off bits of it, how
to dash into the ice-cold water and enjoy the morning
plunge, how to shake each little feather and dry and
comb it into place again, how to frolic among the tall
pine trees or over the sand dunes following the leader,
how to hide motionless in the shadows when the hawk
flies by, and, alas ! how to wait until helpless nest-
lings are left alone and then sneak up and steal one.
All this and more will they learn of the lore of the
woods, which every wild creature must know if he would
live. That most of these habits are acquired only by
imitation is thoroughly proven by the helplessness of
those birds which have been taken from the nest when
young and raised in captivity. Although liberated as
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 489
soon as they are fully fledged, they seldom learn to hunt
their food until taught patiently and slowly by their cap-
tors ; and they never acquire the caution necessary for
their self-preservation in a wild life.
478 a. BLUE-FRONTED JAY. Cyanocitta stelleri
frontalis.
FAMILY : The Crows,, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 11.75-13.00.
Adults: Head, neck, and back brownish slate; crest blue; forehead
streaked with blue ; wings and tail dark blue, and barred ; rump and
under parts dull turquoise.
Geographical Distribution : Both slopes of the Sierra Nevada, from Fort
Crook south to Lower California. Westward to the interior valleys
in winter.
California Breeding Range : Southern coast ranges and Sierra Nevada
from Mt. Shasta to Lower California.
Breeding Season: April 20 to July 10.
Nest: Usually in a fir tree, from 6 to 50 feet above the ground, some-
times placed in natural cavities of trees and shrubs ; made loosely of
sticks or stems of weeds ; lined with fine roots and grasses.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; like those of the Steller jay.
THE Blue-fronted Jay'constitutes one of the subdivis-
ions of the Steller jay. Along the Sierra Nevada from
Mount Shasta south it breeds more or less abundantly,
wandering irregularly to the coast in the winter. In
general habits it is like the coast jay, and the description
of nesting habits will be found under that species. In
some localities, however, it is found nesting in cavities
in trees. At Julian, California, Colonel Goss obtained a
number of nests from hollow trees at a distance from
the ground of four to fifty feet. It also builds in snow-
sheds of the Canadian Pacific Railroad in the Sierra
490 LAND BIRDS
Nevada. As in the case of the coast jay, eggs and young
of other birds form a part of the menu of the Blue-
fronted, together with acorns, pinon nuts, insects, and
fruit.
481. CALIFORNIA JAY. Aphelocoma California.
FAMILY : The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 11.50-12.25.
Adults: Upper parts blue ; back and scapulars brownish gray ; sides of
head grayish black ; under parts white, washed with bright blue on
sides of chest, middle portion being streaked with blue and brown ;
white superciliary stripe very distinct.
Young: Nearly uniform rusty black; head tinged with blue; throat
white, unstreaked ; chest brownish gray ; belly white.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast of United States, from northern
Oregon to Lower California ; east to Western Nevada.
California Breeding Range : Upper Sonoran zone, west of Sierra Nevada,
south to Lower California.
Breeding Season: April to June 15.
Nest : Usually found in low bushes or thickets, though sometimes in a
tree, from 3 to 30 feet from the ground ; a platform of interlaced
twigs, moss, and dry grass supports the nest proper, which is made of
rootlets mixed with horsehair.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; buffy or green, varying -in shade, blotched with brown.
Size 1.08 X 0.80.
To one accustomed to the handsome blue jay of the
East or the still more splendid Steller jay of the
West, the " flat-headed " California Jay presents a
far less attractive appearance. Nor does he improve
upon acquaintance ; for, as one becomes aware of all his
iniquities, his crestless head seems the typical low fore-
head of a villain. He is one of the greatest trials a
bird-lover must encounter, and I know no reason why
the law should protect him to the destruction of our
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE
491
beloved birds of song and beauty. Were he of benefit
to the farmer or the fruit-grower, no word of dispraise
would I offer ; but he not only robs them, but also
destroys annually hundreds of feathered creatures which,
living upon the harmful insects, would be of great assist-
ance in preserving the crops. No hawk is more de-
structive to small
birds than is he.
Ruthlessly he
robs every nest
in his vicinity
that is left un-
guarded long
enough for him
to carry off eggs
or young. Not
content with this,
he pulls down
and breaks up the nest itself. f WH 1
Usually he prefers the newly
hatched babies to the raw 48L CALIFORNIA JAY.
albumen, and waits for the " The colder the better "
incubation to be finished. I have seen him sneaking
around the nest of a pewee day after day until the
eggs hatched, when he at once made a breakfast on
the nestlings, in this case calmly disregarding the
frantic cries of the poor little mother. When, how-
ever, he must ravage the home of a bird of his own
size, he either calls all his kin to help, or comes, like
the villain he is, when both the parents are away.
492 LAND BIRDS
About the farms and henhouses he is even a greater
pest, eating the eggs and occasionally killing the newly
hatched chicks. Foraging in bands, these Jays destroy
quantities of fruit of every variety and pull up the young
sprouts of wheat. In short, there seems to be no limit
to the Jay's mischief, and nothing too bad to say of him.
In addition to all this, every bird-student sooner or later
comes to feel a personal grievance against him, for
seldom or never does one of these pests fail to discover
your presence in a wood and to give warning of it far
and wide to everything that flies. As long as you stay,
so long will he, perched on the tallest tree-top, sit
screaming, " Here she is ! here ! here ! " in open defiance
of your wish for quiet or concealment. Every bird in
the forest knows and hides. Observation is impossible,
and with unspoken maledictions on his little flat blue
head you sadly trudge on to another wood. Fortunate
indeed are you if he does not collect a band of his fellows
and follow you.
There is another side of this story. In spite of our-
selves we are forced to admire his dashing courage and
gay nonchalance, his devotion to his kind, and his care
for his young. There is something uncanny in the
wisdom with which these Jays band together for defence
or offence. Although so quarrelsome with other birds,
they never molest each other, nor do they kill an injured
one of their kind, as robins do.
Their nests are placed in low bushes or thickets, or on
the horizontal branch of an oak, seldom more than ten
feet from the ground, and usually near water. This last
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 493
requisite seems to be necessary for their existence in
other ways than for drinking. Early every morning
every adult Jay takes a cold bath, the colder the better ;
but the water must be clear. A tremendous splashing
is followed by a long, careful preening of the feathers,
which frequently occupies fifteen minutes or longer.
Long, close watching has led me to believe that, except
where there are young in the nest to be fed, this toilet is
made before any hunting is done for breakfast.
The male assists in the nest-building, but not in
the incubation. The latter requires fourteen days. The
mother during the brooding time plunges down to the
water once or twice a day, returning to her eggs with
feathers still damp, fusses about as if turning them before
settling down upon them, and in a moment rises up and
fusses again. This may be only for her own greater
comfort, but I have wondered whether the moisture was
necessary for the eggs. As soon as they hatch she ceases
to bathe in this way, and, devoting her time to obtaining
food, becomes dishevelled and rusty-looking.
One of the first lessons the young Jays learn is to love
the water. It requires some coaxing for the first splash,
but they seem to take to their bath as do little ducks,
and to find it just as necessary as food.
492. PINON JAY. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus.
FAMILY : The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc.
Length: 10.00-11.75.
Adults : Entire plumage grayish blue, brighter on head ; throat bright
blue, with white streaks ; head not crested ; bill cylindrical.
494- LAND BIRDS
Young : Uniform dull grayish blue, lighter beneath.
Geographical Distribution : Plateau regions of Western North America,
from the Rocky Mountains west to the Pacific coast ranges, north to
British Columbia, south to Lower California, Texas, and Mexico.
California Breeding Range : In the pinon belt of the desert ranges,
southeast of the Sierra Nevada and locally along the whole length
of the Sierra Nevada from Mt. Shasta to the San Bernardino
mountains.
Breeding Season : March 15 to May 15.
Nest: 5 to 12 feet from the ground; deep, bulky and compact; com-
posed of pinon, sagebrush, shreds of bark ; lined with fibre, rootlets,
and dry grasses thoroughly woven together.
Eggs: 3 to 5; bluish white, entirely covered with fine specks of brown.
and sometimes with larger spots and blotches at the larger end. Size
1.19 X 0.87.
THE Pinon Jay is also called Nutcracker, Blue Crow,
and Pinario by the Mexicans, in reference to its fondness
for the nuts of the variety known as pinon. It is a
haunter of the pinon-covered foot-hills, and scarcely ever
roves into the higher coniferous forests. Eminently
social at all times, it is found in flocks of hundreds
feeding upon the ground after the fashion of blackbirds,
and like them constantly in motion, those in the rear
flying over those feeding ahead of them and alighting in
front of the flock. In this way they progress from place
to place, and collectors who know this peculiarity hide
along the route to wait for a good shot. Their constant
chatter can be heard a long distance, and betrays their
approach. They are occasionally seen in company with
Clarke nutcrackers in the pinon groves ; but, although
they are great rangers, here to-day and gone to-morrow,
they do not follow the latter in their vertical migration
to the high altitudes, nor are they commonly found
north of latitude 40.
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 495
In the summer grasshoppers, insects caught on the
wing, and fruit form their bill of fare. They seem to
lack the cannibalistic tendencies of their family, and do
not, so far as I have observed or can learn, meddle with
the broods of other birds.
The call-notes of the Pinon Jay are as varied as those
of the Eastern jay and very like them in character. A
harsh "j-a-a-h," a guttural chuck, and some soft, low
notes uttered at the nest to mate or young are the
sounds most characteristic.
Late in March or early in April they commence to
build their bulky nests in full view, on the horizontal
limbs of a nut pine or a juniper tree, usually within ten
feet of the ground. The framework consists of twigs of
juniper, nut pine, or sagebrush, and is lined with fine
rootlets, bark shredded very fine, and moss or grass.
Both sexes share in the incubation, which lasts sixteen
days. In devotion to mate and young they rival the
nutcrackers, and feed the nestlings long after they are
able to provide for themselves. Like young nutcrackers,
they are born naked, but are greener in hue. They re-
main about the same length of time (twenty-two days)
in the nest, and learn to extract the sweet kernels of the
pinon mits before they leave it. They are also fed quite
as fully on grasshoppers from which legs and wings have
been carefully removed. As soon as able to fly they unite
with other families in large flocks, and forage from place
to place with the roving habits of their species.
496 LAND BIRDS
597 a. WESTERN BLUE GROSBEAK. Guiraca
ccerulea lazula.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 7.00-8.00.
Adult Male: Plumage plain bright blue, with two brownish wing-
bands; under tail-coverts with white borders.
AdiM Female: Plumage grayish brown, tinged with blue.
Young: Similar to adult female.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, north to Colorado,
California, etc. ; south throughout Mexico.
California Breeding Range : In lower and possibly upper Sonoran zone,
recorded from Owens valley, through the San Joaquin-Sacramento
basin, to Marysville.
Breeding Season: May 15 to July 15.
Nest : A deep, cup-shaped structure ; compactly built of dried grasses,
plant fibre, etc. ; placed in bushes and tall weeds.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; plain pale greenish blue or bluish white. Size 0.87
X 0.63.
THE Western Blue Grosbeak is a more difficult bird
to observe than either the black-headed or the rose-
breasted Grosbeak. He loves the thickets and brush of
the valleys, seldom going higher than the foot-hills.
The male, in plain winter garb, has been mistaken for
a female cowbird by amateurs, but one glance at the bill
should correct such a mistake. In the glory of his sum-
mer blue he is instantly recognized. His song is some-
what misleading, for although the same sweetly whistled
turns so characteristic of the Grosbeak song abound in
it, the tone quality is thinner and less mellow than that
of the black-headed. Nor does he sing so continuously
as the latter ; perhaps because the days are shorter in
the canons, where he loves to stay, and he must put in
more time eating.
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 497
But if not so fine a singer, the Blue Grosbeak is a
much better nest-builder than any other member of his
family. And this work is well worth patient watching.
After much consulting together, the pair agree upon a
site, and the foundation of heavy grasses and weed stalks
are scratched into place. A pair that I watched, after
trying one crotch, deliberately selected another, and re-
moved the material to the new site. Nor could I find
out what influenced the choice, unless there was some-
thing in the shape that was not quite comfortable to the
little mother. Both male and female carried material,
and moulded it into form by turning about in it and
tucking the unruly ends in with their bills. At the end
of the fifth day the compact, rather deep affair, lined
with plant fibre and fine grasses, was ready for use ; and
on the seventh day it contained one egg. An egg was
laid each day until there were four ; then incubation
began.
The Blue-headed Grosbeak is a model father. Day
after day found him on the nest. By some mysterious
signal he knew when Madam was ready to leave, and
never failed to appear just as she flew off, though my
dull ears caught no signal between them. Then, paus-
ing a moment on the edge of the nest, he would survey
the treasures with a comical air of wisdom. Having sat-
isfied himself that all was as it should be, he settled
down, rather awkwardly, but with less fuss than the
female ever could succeed in doing.
After fourteen days of waiting, four wriggling, naked
nestlings filled the cradle and ate as surely no other
498 LAND BIRDS
young birds ever have done. There was scarcely a mo-
ment when one or the other of the parents was not
bending over the nest offering food to the wide-open
yellow mouths of the offspring. For several days this
was given entirely by regurgitation. The adults had a
habit of flying down the canon to their feeding grounds,
about a hundred yards away, and I never succeeded in
finding out what they brought back. Oftentimes what
looked to be the gauzy wings of a dragonfly stuck out
on one side of the bill ; at other times the food looked
like grasshoppers or crickets, but I cannot be sure what
it was. When ten days old, the young were feathered
in soft tints of grayish brown, with a hint of blue on
head and shoulders. But the constant surveillance had
made them uneasy ; as soon as possible they escaped
from it by disappearing from the locality the same day
that the little ones flew from the nest, and a diligent
search failed to discover their whereabouts.
599. LAZULI BUNTING. Passerina amvna.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 5.00-6.25.
Adult Male: Head, neck, and upper parts turquoise blue; the back
darker and duller ; wings with two white bars ; breast and sometimes
sides washed with brownish ; remainder of under parts white.
Adult Female: Upper parts grayish brown, with blue on rump; back
more or less streaked ; wing-bars dull whitish ; lower parts pale dull
buffy, deeper on chest, and fading to white on belly and lower tail-
coverts.
Young: Similar to adult female, but without blue tinge on rump; chest
and sides streaked.
Geographical Dis'ribution : Western United States, east to Great Plains
and Kansas ; south in winter to Western Mexico.
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 499
California Breeding Range : Below Boreal zone, nearly throughout the.
State.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: Of fine strips of bark, small twigs, grasses; lined with hair;
placed in trees or bushes a few feet from the ground.
Eggs: 3 or 4 ; plain bluish white or light bluish green. Size 0.75 X
0.58.
ALTHOUGH the Lazuli Bunting is found on the higher
Sierra Nevada, his best loved haunts are the lower moun-
tain thickets and the chaparral-covered foot-hills. While
the showily plumaged male flies through the open, from
tree-top to tree-top, his little brown mate keeps well
within the cover of the bushes, zigzagging her way
through the chaparral like a shy sparrow. From the
plains to the Pacific this species replaces the indigo
bunting of the East.
The song of the Lazuli is loud, sweet, and merry, but
is chiefly remarkable for the fine enthusiasm of the
singer. Long after the other birds, worn out by family
cares, have ceased their music, this blithe " little boy
blue" carols his jolly roundelay from the top of a tall
tree as gayly as though there were no such thing as
work in the world. For this we love him. Yet snugly
hidden among the bushes is the cup-shaped nest, where
in the June days his mate brooded over the pretty nest-
lings, and where he was kept busy hunting bugs for the
hungry mouths; and there may have been a second
brood to be looked after, as there often is in the Bunt-
ing family. At any rate, he has had his full share of
labor in nest-building, incubating, guarding, and feeding,
and has come out of it without losing one iota of en-
thusiasm in the joy of living.
500 LAND BIRDS
Baby Buntings are very like their newly hatched
sparrow cousins. The thin hair-like down on their heads
and shoulders is soon replaced by soft brownish feathers ;
the broad flat bills take form and comeliness; their
funny little elbows become hidden in the wing plumage,
and every day sees them stretching up to fly. They
usually leave the nest when fifteen days old unless the
de*but is hastened by meddlesome fingers. Up to this
time they have been fed on insects, by regurgitation
at first, then fresh food is given them, the frequency of
meals depending somewhat on the location and the time
of day. Early in the morning, after a night of fasting,
all young birds are fed as frequently as it is possible for
the parents to bring the food ; and young reared upon
insect diet seem to require more frequent meals than
those whose bill of fare consists of seeds. In the case
of one brood of young Buntings, the meals were brought
every eight minutes from four to five A. M., until their
little crops swelled out like marbles. Through the semi-
transparent skin I could see enough of the contents to
be sure of their menu after they were five days old.
613. BARN SWALLOW. Hirundo erythrogastra.
FAMILY. The Swallows.
Length: 5.75-7.75.
Adults: Tail forked for about half its length, outside feather tapered to
point. Upper parts glossy metallic blue ; forehead dark brown ; wings
and tail changeable purple and green ; outer two tail-feathers, marked
with large whitish spots ; under parts rusty brown, darkest on throat.
Young: Fork of tail shorter; upper parts lighter in color; under parts
dull brownish buffy.
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 501
Geographical Distribution : Whole of North America, migrating to Cen-
tnil and South America.
California Breeding Range : Chiefly coastwise in more northern portions,
but local elsewhere throughout the State.
Breeding Season May and June.
Nest : A cup or bowl-shaped structure ; made of pellets of mud mixed
with straws, etc. ; lined with feathers ; attached to the side or roof of
a cave, or to timbers in barns or other buildings.
Eggs: 3 to 4 ; speckled with brown and lavender. Size 0.68 X 0.50.
ALTHOUGH choosing to live in a stable loft, the Barn
Swallow is an aristocratic-looking bird, his long forked
tail giving him an air of elegance unrivalled by any of his
comely relatives. Among a family remarkable for their
swift, graceful flight he has no superior. Circling low
over the earth in search of the insects that live in moist
places, or fluttering like a huge butterfly at the edge of
a puddle as he gathers mud for his little nest, his is
indeed the " poetry of motion."
Oil the inside of the barn, among the rafters of the
roof, is his cup-shaped nest made of alternate layers of
mud-pellets and hay. Once during the long afternoons
of late spring time I watched these little masons build.
Male and female brought mud in their beaks and plas-
tered it to the rough boards. Then long wisps of hay
and bits of hair were carried and tucked into place with
much poking and patting of the bill. Feathers of all
sorts were stuck in promiscuously, until the whole looked
as much like a ruffled, headless, Shanghai chicken as
like a nest. Some naturalists assert that saliva is mixed
with the mud to make it sticky, and it seems to me this
must be, for the nest is much firmer than that of the
eave swallow and can be taken down intact.
502 LAND BIRDS
In several nests, May 20, when the watch began, the
young were nearly ready to fly, and their little heads
were stretched over the edge as if they were trying to
gather up courage to make the dive. In other cases the
broods were much later. Incubation required twelve
days, and in this the male shared equally with the
female, seeming fully as much at home on the nest as
did she. It was delightful to see them sit side by side
on the edge, turning- their little blue heads sidewise as
they peeked into the cradle and talked it all over to-
gether in low sweet twitters. And when the nestlings
were finally hatched, one need not climb to discover the
fact, for the busy importance of the happy housekeepers
told all who had eyes to see. The young were fed by
regurgitation until two weeks old, and then the diet
was varied by an occasional large insect that looked like
a bluebottle fly.
614. WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW, OR TREE
SWALLOW. Tackycineta bicolor.
FAMILY. The Swallows.
Length: 5.00-6.25.
Adult Male : Upper parts iridescent steel blue ; lores deep black ; wings
and tail blackish, slightly tinged with greenish ; under parts pure
white.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but upper parts duller.
Young: Upper parts dull brownish slate.
Geographical Distribution : Whole of North America, migrating in winter
to the Gulf States and West Indies.
California Breeding Range: Chiefly in upper Sonoran zone, west of the
Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : May, June, and July.
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 503
Nest: In holes, excavations, natural cavities, etc.; made of grasses and
straw ; thickly lined with feathers.
Eggs: 4 to 7 ; pure white. Size 0.75 X 0.53.
EARLY in July the Tree Swallows begin to gather in
flocks ; and, from that time until they start on their
southern migration, innumerable multitudes of them are
to be seen flying over the open country. They sit in
crowds on telegraph wires or any available perch, gather-
ing late in the afternoon and, when near water, circling
over it in an endless game of " Follow the Leader."
They dip daintily, each one in turn, rise, circle, and dip
again, just brushing the surface with a light splashing,
until the shadows of evening fall and it is too dark to
watch them longer. In almost any section of the United
States they are the swallows best known, at least to
city folk, and are, I believe, the ones whose return
migration has been celebrated in the old song.
They still adhere to the old habits of nesting in hollow
trees, only a small portion having been induced to try
the boxes put up for them by bird-lovers. Undoubtedly
they will in time accept this substitute and become as
changed in their environment as are the eave and barn
swallows ; but no one can wonder that they love the
forest best and are loath to leave it. At Lake Tahoe we
found them nesting in the old piles of the deserted pier,
in company with the Brewer blackbirds. They entered
the nesting cavities, which were usually two to five feet
above the water, by a knot-hole or crevice in the wood.
One nest whose brood I watched develop was so filled
with feathers that they waved in the doorway, calling
504 LAND BIRDS
the attention of all passers-by. Near this nest a pair
of pygmy nuthatches were occupying a small hollow
near the top of a pile, entering by a knot-hole too small
for a mouse. Both they and the swallows were re-
markably fearless.
The incubation of the swallow's eggs lasted thirteen
days, both sexes sharing alike in it. We knew this
because one would fly in as soon as the other left ; but
they looked so exactly alike that it was impossible to
distinguish one from the other. The newly hatched
nestlings were naked, pink, and not unlike a tangle of
earthworms. In ten days they were feathered. At this
time so fearless were the parents that they did not leave
the nest at our approach and, on the last visit, one of
the parents allowed herself to be lifted from her brood
rather than desert them. This was remarkable in con-
trast to bank swallows, which are excessively timid;
but it was very like the brave little eave swallows and
the martins.
For the first ten days of their existence the young
Tree Swallows were fed by regurgitation, at intervals
varying from five to thirty minutes according to the
time of day. During the early morning hours from
four to six the meals were most frequent. At this
sunrise time, also, the adults frolicked over the water,
catching insects, skimming the lightest spray of the
waves with a splash in the sparkling ripples, and twitter-
ing merry greetings as they passed each other.
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 505
767. WESTERN BLUEBIRD. Sialia mexicana
occidenta/is.
FAMILY : The Thrushes, Solitaires, etc.
Length: 6.50-7.12.
Adult Male : Upper parts dark blue and brown ; throat purplish blue ;
breast bright chestnut ; under parts brown, washed with purplish
blue.
Adult Female : Upper parts brownish gray ; blue on rump and tail.
Young: Gray, mottled and streaked with white, darkest on upper parts.
Geographical Distribution : Transition zone of Pacific coast from British
Columbia south to central California, east to Western Montana.
California Breeding Range : Local in upper Souoran zone and through-
out Transition zone.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest: In old woodpecker holes or in cavities of pine trees, usually
rather high.
Eggs: 6 ; light blue. Size 0.81 X 0.67.
IN coloring, the Western Bluebird is the counterpart
of the bluebird of the East, but he is much more shy,
seldom coming close to houses or nesting near the homes
of men. He is a resident throughout the foot-hills and
lower mountains, coming down to the valleys in winter.
I have found him oftenest along country roadsides or in
the edge of the woods, and have seldom seen him within
the borders of a town even in the winter. This Blue-
bird, like the mountain species, has the flycatcher habit
of darting down from a perch for insects, and often
hunting through the grass for them and flying back to
the perch to eat. Crickets, moths, grasshoppers, cater-
pillars, ants, and weevils form the large part of his diet,
varied with fruits.
His song is clear and mellow, three notes repeated
506 LAND BIRDS
over and over while perching, never on the wing. Ex-
cept in the location of the nest, this bird is like the
mountain bluebird in breeding habits, which have been
fully described under that head.
768. MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD. Sialia currucoides.
FAMILY : The Thrushes, Solitaires, etc.
Length: 6.50-7.90.
Adult Male : Upper parts brilliant light-blue ; under parts pale tur-
quoise blue. Winter plumage slightly duller.
Adult Female: Upper parts gray, wings and tail bright turquoise blue ;
under parts soft light-brown, washed with blue.
Young: Grayish, indistinctly streaked or mottled with white ; wings
and tail blue.
Geographical Distribution : From Great Slave Lake south to Xew
Mexico, and from the Plains to the Pacific.
California Breeding Range: On the higher Sierra Nevada, from Mt.
Shasta to the San Bernardino mountains.
Breeding Season : May, June, and July.
Nest : In old woodpecker holes or in natural cavities of dead trees.
Eggs: 5 to 7 ; pale turquoise blue. Size 0.85 X 0.63.
THE exquisite coloring of the Mountain Bluebird ren-
ders him easily the most beautiful of all California!!
birds. No words can describe his brilliancy in the breed-
ing season, as he flies through the sunny clearings of the
higher Sierra Nevada, or sits like a bright blue flower
against the dark green of the pines. In the winter the
brilliant blue of his plumage is dulled by brownish, but
even then he is glorious. All through the State east
of the humid coast belt these birds wander during the
winter in small flocks, looking like big blue butterflies,
as they hover fifty feet above the earth. At this time
they have all the habits of flycatchers ; I have seen them
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 507
at San Diego flying out after insects, or skimming the
air like swallows, and hovering like hummingbirds.
They have a pretty fashion of quivering their wings a
moment as if loath to close them.
Their song is a sweet clear " trually, tru-al-ly," like
that of the Eastern species, and a mellow warble. High
up in the mountain meadows, where these bits of azure
nest, they are usually seen only in pairs, and are fre-
quently the only pair in the neighborhood, and here their
feeding habits are those of the thrushes once more.
Both male and female carry material to the old tree
which they have selected for a home. Usually the
cavity chosen is one excavated the previous year by a
woodpecker, but sometimes a natural hole in a dead tree
or a crevice about a house is selected. In any case it is
nearly filled with dried grass and feathers. Fourteen
days are required for incubation, and in this the male
often, but not always, shares. When not on the nest
himself he brings food to his mate, calling to her in
sweetest tones from the outside before entering the door-
way. The newly hatched young are of the usual naked
pinkish gray type, looking as like tiny new-born mice as
birds. On the second day down begins to appear in
thin hairs on head and back ; on the fourth or fifth day
the eyes show signs of opening ; on the sixth day they
open, and the down is well spread over the bodies.
Up to this time they have been fed by regurgitation,
the adult swallowing each bit first to moisten or crush
it ; but from the fourth day on fresh food is given occa-
sionally, and from the sixth or seventh day all the food
508 LAND BIRDS
given is in the fresh state, not regurgitated. Crickets,
grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies, and worms are their
menu, with a few berries. The young Bluebirds double
in weight every twenty-four hours for the first week, and
in twelve days are growing a respectable crop of feathers,
though the bare skin is still distressingly visible. Their
breasts gradually take on the soft, mottled light and
dark, and the upper parts have a hint of blue among the
grayish brown on the wings and tail. One would sup-
pose this blue on the upper parts would be too conspic-
uous, but when the youngsters leave the nest and perch
on the soft gray of the dead trees, they become almost
invisible in the strong sunlight.
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE
497. YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length : Male 8.60-10.10 ; Female 7.50-8.30.
Adult Male in Summer: Plumage uniform black, except yellow or
orange head, neck, and chest, and white patch on wings.
Adult Male in Winter: Similar, but yellow feathers on top of head
tipped with brown.
Adult Female: Dark grayish brown, throat and chest dull yellow ;
breast mixed with white.
Young Male in First Winter : Similar to female, but larger, and deeper
colored.
Young: (Nestling) General color pinkish brown ; upper parts indis-
tinctly streaked with lighter beneath ; wings and tail blackish.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America from British Colinn-
1-ia south to Mexican table-lands ; east to Wisconsin, Indiana, and
Texas.
California Breeding Range: Interior valleys, east of the humid coast
belt.
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 509
Breeding Season: May 15 to July 1.
Nest: Like an inverted cone in shape ; fastened to the upright tules,
from 1 to 2 feet above the surface of the water ; the outside is com-
posed of coarse marsh -grass and fine tules woven together ; lined with
fine grass and pond weeds and occasionally plant down.
Eygs : 3 to 5 ; greenish white, evenly blotched and speckled with browns
and gray. Size 0.71 X 0.53.
IN suitable localities throughout California, as else-
where in the United States, the Yellow-headed Black-
bird breeds abundantly. The interior valleys east of the
Coast Range are his favorite haunts ; there, except dur-
ing the nesting season, he may be found picking up insect
food in the newly harrowed ground. Grasshoppers, big
black wingless crickets, all sorts of marsh insects, and
the larva) and eggs of beetles form his bill of fare ; and
much does the farmer owe to his good services. When
the winter rains have ceased and the warm spring sun-
shine floods the valleys, the large flocks of these hand-
some birds leaving the farms and fruit ranches betake
themselves to the tule marshes, where their noisy wooing
can be heard far and wide. While the male rocks and
sings on the tall reeds, the soberly gowned female is
busy building a nest among the swaying rushes. First
she brings heavy, wet pond-weed and marsh-grass, and
with it winds several of these together, weaving it in
and out and making a firm support for the superstruc-
ture. Bits of dried rushes and last year's tule are
twisted in to form the walls, which are then warmly
lined with the finer marsh-grass and pond-weed. No
feathers or other animal matter are used in it, but occa-
sionally a little plant down, as if the blossom had ripened
after having been caught accidentally in the weaving.
510
LAND BIRDS
No help has the mother bird had from her mate in this
labor, except the encouragement of his cheery song as he
swung always in sight of her, ready to join her the mo-
ment she left her work. In a few rare instances I have
known him to make a pretence of
nest-building a few feet away from
the real cradle, either to amuse him-
self or deceive me, for the loosely
woven affair was never regarded
seriously by the female. She some-
times perched near it, regarding with
amusement the masculine attempt
at housekeeping, and with a scornful
flirt of her tail went back to her
own cosey nest. It was often a
week or two after the latter was
entirely finished before the first egg
was laid. For fourteen days the female
brooded, hidden by the green tules, hear-
ing only the gay banjo-like song of her
mate, the hoarse croaking of the frogs, the
" chaacks " of her yellow-head neighbors,
and the grunts of the rails. Never,
by any chance, does the gay lord of
that small household assist her un-
til the wonderful transformation has
come, and hungry nestlings are stretching their open
mouths beseechingly from the green cradle. Then his
paternal instinct awakes, and he hustles for food to fill
them,
497. YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD.
"Beseech
cradle."
igly from the
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 511
From the very first they are fascinating, pinkish salmon
babies, without feathers or down, except a very little
patch on the head and shoulders, and a thin dark strip
on either side of the back. Developing very rapidly on
the diet of water-snails, slugs, and slimy water larvae of
all sorts, on which they are fed by regurgitation at first,
they, soon become handsome enough in their soft brown
coats to delight any father's eyes. Their bills change
from buff to black, and the inside of the throat becomes
an exquisite rose-pink. Nor are their heads bare, as is
the case with young red-wings. In two weeks or sixteen
days after hatching they are ready to leave the nest, and
now it is the father who coaxes them step by step back
through the rushes to the safer meadow and teaches
them how to find their own food. As soon as they learn
this they become very independent and, leaving their
parents, join flocks of other young Yellow-heads, who,
with a few adults; keep together the rest of the sum-
mer and through the fall and winter. They scatter over
the valleys, wherever the food supply tempts, chatter-
ing, frolicking, and gradually donning adult plumage
until, when spring calls again, they are off en masse to
marshland.
501 b. WESTERN MEADOWLARK. Sturndla
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: Male 8.31-10.14 ; Female 7-74-9.00.
Adult Male : Upper parts grayish brown, streaked and barred with bufiy,
white, and black ; crowu with median buffy white stripe ; lores yel-
512 LAND BIRDS
low ; superciliary buff ; middle of tail heavily marked with black ;
tertials, rump, and tail heavily barred; outer tail-feathers white;
under parts bright yellow, with black crescent on breast and black
spots on sides; flanks and lower tail-coverts white.
Adult Female : Similar, but lighter colored.
Young : Colors much duller, with less distinct markings ; crescent on
chest faintly marked.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, from Wisconsin,
Illinois, and Texas to the Pacific ; north to British Columbia ; south
to Lower California and Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Suitable localities throughout the State.
Breeding Season : April.
Nest : On the ground, usually at the foot of a bunch of grass ; made of
grass, loosely covered over.
Eggs : 3 to 7 ; white, spotted irregularly over the entire surface with
brown and purple. Size 1.10 X 0.90.
THE Western Meadowlark differs from the Eastern
species chiefly in the quality of its song, in which it
greatly excels the latter. The wild sweet notes have
a carrying quality, and at the same time a liquid mellow-
ness that is peculiarly in harmony with the wind-swept
prairies of the West. It is also longer, more varied, and
more sustained than the song of the Eastern species.
Major Bendire compares it to the " matchless, clear,
tinkling utterances of the finest of our Western song-
sters, Townsend's solitaire." Its alarm notes differ some-
what also, being less harsh, more a remonstrance than a
scold.
Of a somewhat paler plumage than the lark of the
East, it is closely allied in habits, living in the open
meadows and clearings along streams. Down among
the tangled grass of the lowland prairie it builds its
nest, a snug little hollow in the soil, lined with dried
grass and often roofed with the same. Both male and
female assist in moulding the nest and in the cares of
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 513
incubation. This lasts thirteen days, and the young re-
main in the nursery twelve days longer, leaving it before
they are able either to fly or to perch. Yet so protec-
tive is their coloring and so jealously does the long grass
guard its secret that, search as you may within a circle
where you know they are hidden, you will not find one
of them. For two weeks longer they remain with their
parents, learning to hunt grasshoppers, beetles, and
crickets, to hide in the shadow of a green tuft, to bathe
in the shallows at the brook's edge, and last of all, to
perch in low bushes at night with others of their kind.
As soon as they have mastered these things, they are
able to provide for themselves and are abandoned by
the parents. I have a theory that the young of
each year go some distance south in companies guided
by one or two adults, returning either the next spring
or the second season. Some species of birds do not
mature fully until two years old, and this seems to be
true of Meadowlarks.
Meanwhile the parents have begun preparations for
rearing another brood in the same meadow, but not the
same nest. The sun being hotter, this second cradle is
more carefully sheltered from its rays by the pulling over
of the surrounding grass, and sometimes a runway is
made to it, extending four or five feet away. By this
the old birds enter and leave the nest proper.
Dr. Coues, in "Birds of the Northwest," writes of
some peculiar habits of the Western Meadowlark as
follows :
38
514 LAND BIRDS
" In April before pairing, hundreds used to frequent
daily the parade ground of Fort Randall, where, as the
grass was yet scarcely sprouted, good opportunity was
offered of observing their characteristic habit -* one not
so generally known as it should be, since it is related to
the peculiar shape of the bill. The birds may be seen
scattered all over the ground, busily tugging at some~
thing; and on walking over the scene of their opera-
tions, the ground, newly softened by the spring thaw, is
seen to be riddled with thousands of little holes, which
the birds make in search of food. The holes are quite
smooth, not a turning over of the surface of the
ground, but clean borings like those made by sinking in
the end of a light walking stick, just as if the birds had
inserted their bills, and then worked them about till the
holes were of sufficient size. Whether they bored at
random or were guided by some sense in finding their
prey, and what particular object they were searching for,
I did not ascertain ; but the habit was so fixed and so
continually persevered in as to attract general attention."
To this Major Bendire adds his opinion, based on
close observation, that they were feeding upon the eggs
of the locust, which are deposited just below the surface
of the ground.
504. SCOTT ORIOLE. Icterus parisorum.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: 7.70-8.50.
Adult Male : Uniform black, except white and yellow markings on wings
and tail, and bright yellow belly, shoulders, and posterior parts of
back ; the rump and upper tail-coverts, usually tinged with olive.
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 515
Adult Female : Upper parts olive-green, yellow on rump and outer tail-
feathers ; two white wing-bars ; under parts greenish yellow.
Young : Similar to adult female, but under parts less yellow, and breast
brownish ; wing-bar yellow, and all wing-feathers tipped with white ;
tail tipped with yellow.
Geographical Distribution : Western Texas to California, and from south-
ern parts of Utah and Nevada south to Lower California.
California breeding Range: In desert regions southeast of the Sierra
Nevada.
Breeding Season : May to June 15.
Nest : A pouch-shaped affair ; woven of string, grass, and yucca fibre ;
hung under yucca leaves or in other low trees.
Eggs: 2 to 4 ; light blue, marked with brown and gray. Size 0.96 X
0.68.
WHERE the tree yuccas grow, the Scott Oriole makes
his home. His brilliant lemon and black plumage and
merry song are a welcome bit of life in the arid desert
regions of Southeastern California. There, in the cool
of the morning, or when the intense heat of noonday
beats down from the cloudless sky and up from blister-
ing sand, and all the other birds are still, he pipes his
clear, sweet roundelay. Even when worn with the cares
of a family of two he sings less often perhaps and less
rapturously than when the spring called him to woo his
mate, but still with a bubbling overflow of joy. A little
way up the valley is his nest, swung under the sword-
like leaves of the yucca and securely fastened with its
coarse, thread-like fibre. Here, concealed by the dead
leaves, the mother bird sits all day long for two weeks,
and keeps the eggs warm, often singing softly to herself
the same sweet lullaby. Her devoted mate feeds her
and stands guard on a near-by tree, but I have never
seen him attempt to get into the nest to take her place
when she is absent. He will peer into it with ludicrous
516
LAND BIRDS
earnestness, evidently not daring to attempt the danger-
ous task of brooding, lest his bungling should be dis-
astrous. As soon as the naked pink
nestlings have emerged from the
shells and opened their wide bills
for food, his cares begin. And they
know no end until four
weeks later, when all have
learned to care for them-
selves. Oriole nestlings in
general are proverbial cry-
babies, and Scott Orioles are
no exception. Insects of
all sorts in all stages of
development, fruit, and ber-
ries are served to them in
such quick succession as to leave
small time for the parent to hunt
any for himself. At first the feed-
ing is by regurgitation, but on the
fourth or fifth day this method gives
place to the more commonly ob-
served one. After this brood is reared, with com-
mendable patience, he is ready to care for another, for
which a new nest in a new tree must be made.
504. SCOTT ORIOLE.
" He will peer into it with
ludicrous earnestness."
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 517
505 a. ARIZONA HOODED ORIOLE. Icterus
cucullatus nelsoni.
FAMILY : The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: Male 6.90-7.80 ; female 6.90-7.30.
Adult Male : General plumage saffron-yellow ; black patch on throat,
extending in front and under the eyes ; a band across the fore part of
back ; tail and win'gs black, the latter with two white bars and white
edgings ; tail tipped with white.
Adult Female: Upper parts olive-green, slightly tinged with gray on
back ; wings olive-brown, with two white bands ; under parts plain
dull yellow.
Young: Similar to female, but with throat patch as in the male.
Geographical Distribution : Western Mexico and Lower California, north
to New Mexico, Arizona, and west of the Sierra Nevada in Southern
California ; north to Santa Barbara.
Breeding Range: Coast district of Southern California, north as far as
Santa Barbara.
Breeding Season : April 20 to July 1.
Nest : Basket-shaped ; of green wiry grass and sometimes dry yucca
fibres ; occasionally lined with willow down, wool, or horsehair ; se-
curely fastened with twigs and semi-pensile, at various heights from
12 to 40 feet from the ground.
Eggs: 3 to 5; speckled with brown, and having zigzag markings. Size
0.88 X 0.62.
DODGING about among the dull green, the Arizona
Hooded Oriole makes a gay bit of color, like a brilliant
blossom in the acres of chaparral that abound in the San
Diegan district. His orange breast rivals the poppies
in its gorgeous hue, and his song fills the air with music.
In all his ways he is much more like the orchard oriole
of the East than like any of the Western species. His
protest is the same harsh " scraack." His call-note is
the same clear whistle, and his song has the same joyous
sweetness. Like the orchard oriole, he haunts the heavy
518 LAND BIRDS
foliage, flitting through the open only en route to a fresh
pasture. Restless, shy, ever on the move, searching for
caterpillars on the under sides of the leaves chickadee
fashion, picking in the crevices for larvae like a nut-
hatch, and snapping up grasshoppers with a little jump
as do young meadovvlarks, he is usually to be found
within twelve feet of the ground.
His wooing is as ardent as the brilliant plumage would
typify. Rivals not a few he fights, and to the victor
belongs the spoil, whether she will or no. With song or
with harsh scolding note he wooes or threatens, giving
her no peace until his suit is accepted. Then both
gather material for the characteristic nest, which the
female weaves. It is hung on the under side of a fan-
palm leaf or in low trees or bushes, sometimes in a
bunch of mistletoe, sometimes in willow or gum trees,
and in one instance, at Monrovia, California, it was hung
to a banana leaf. In material used it differs radically
from all the other oriole nests in California, for instead
of gray or brown plant fibre, horsehair, string, shavings,
and other grotesque accessories, it is built of green grass
and the moss from the trees. It is sometimes stiffened
with yucca fibre, but the prevailing color is invariably
green, as in the nest of the orchard oriole ; hence it is
exceedingly difficult to discover among the green leaves.
By the time it has turned yellow the brood has flown.
Not so deep nor so pensile as that of the other Cali-
fornian varieties, it swings like a little basket from the
slender support, or is secured by upright twigs to which
its walls are fastened. In Texas the bird often hollows
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 519
out a snug nursery for itself in a ball of the tree moss.
In this case, or when fastened to the under side of a
palm leaf, a small opening is left as an entrance for the
female.
Incubation lasts thirteen days, and in this the male
takes no part. His duty is to sing from a concealed
perch near by and bring tidbits to the mother bird as
she broods. If you listen closely and patiently, you may
hear her imitate his song in low tones of sweet soliloquy.
The young Orioles are born naked except for flecks of
down on the crown and along the back. They are fed
by regurgitation for four or five days. The eyes open on
the fourth day, and pinfeathers soon begin to darken the
skin. In two weeks' time the nestlings are fully fledged,
looking much like the mother, and are ready for their
ddbut. Nevertheless they are very helpless, and are fed
and cared for by both parents for some time after leaving
the nest. The food of this species consists almost en-
tirely of insects, and great is the debt of the farmers to
their good services.
508. BULLOCK ORIOLE. Icterus bullocki.
FAMILY. The Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.
Length: 7.50-8.60.
Adult Male: Under parts, sides of neck, whole malar region, forehead,
and distinct superciliary stripe yellow or orange ; narrow throat
patch, crown, back of neck, back, and stripe through the eye black ;
wings with white patch and edgings; tail mostly yellow, but the
middle feathers and the tips of others black.
Adult Female : Upper parts olive grayish, streaked with black on back,
but changing to live yellow on rump and tail ; top of head and hind-
520 LAND BIRDS
neck yellowish olive, becoming brighter yellow on forehead and super-
ciliary region ; wings with white bands ; under parts lemon-yellow,
fading to gray on belly ; throat usually with more or less of black.
Young: Similar to female, but colors duller; no black oil throat, and
yellow sometimes almost wanting.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America, north to British
Columbia, east to and including the Rocky Mountains ; south in
winter to Mexico.
California Breediny Range: Chiefly in the upper Sonoran zone through-
out the State.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest: Fastened at sides and rim to branches of the birch, alder, cotton-
wood, poplar, and often to bunches of mistletoe growing on cotton-
wood trees ; placed from 6 to 40 feet from the ground ; made of
vegetable fibres, horsehair, and inner bark woven together ; lined
with horsehair, down, and wool.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; grayish or bluish white, or pale bulFy, marked with irreg-
ular fine hair lines. Size 0.89 X 0.64.
THE handsome Bullock Oriole fills the same niche in
the country west of the Rocky Mountains that the
equally handsome Baltimore oriole occupies in the
Eastern States. Like the other two species found in Cali-
fornia, it is only a summer visitant, arriving in March and
going back to its winter haunts in late September. Like
the Baltimore oriole, it loves the open country of the
interior valleys, and the margins of streams fringed with
alder ; it is never found in the deep forests or the higher
altitudes, and seldom or never strays across the Coast
Range into the humid coast region.
Its call-notes and song resemble those of the Baltimore,
but have less sweetness and variety. Where the latter
whistles half a dozen variations on his original theme of
five notes, the Bullock is content to repeat the same
phrase with few modifications. Nor have I ever heard
him give the love song that is poured out by the Balti-
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 521
more with such tenderness just at dawn when his mate
is on the nest.
In nesting habits it resembles its Eastern relative,
weaving a pensile bag-like affair of wild flax and plant
fibre stiffened with horsehair and lined with plant down
and fine moss. This is a typical nest, but string, bits of
rag, and colored wool are often used also. The whole
is fastened securely around the rim to the finer twigs of
alder, eucalyptus, oak, juniper, or pepper. About San
Jose", California, I have found it oftenest in pepper trees.
In Texas and elsewhere it is said to hang its cradle in the
bunches of mistletoe ; it may do this among the foot-
hills, also, but it does not choose this site by preference.
Most of the nests hang within fifteen feet of the ground,
but I have found them forty feet up from the base of a
tree on a steep slope. Although this species less fre-
quently use the nest a second season than do the Balti-
mores, they have a curious habit of building a second
close beside the first and often fastened to it. There is
no way of ascertaining whether or not it is the same pair
who come back to their favorite location and build this
addition to their old home, and in bird lore it is never safe
to hazard a guess. Never having seen a male oriole of
any species attempt to brood either the eggs or the
young, I am convinced that in every case the fourteen
days of incubation of this species is the task of the female
alone. Her mate is always within calling distance, keep-
ing a vigilant watch for squirrels, crows, and jays ; and
should any one of these enemies appear, not only he but
the mother bird, joined by all the orioles and blackbirds
522 LAND BIRDS
within hearing, will fly at the intruder and effectually
banish him from the vicinity. When newly hatched; the
young orioles are naked, pink babies with little tufts of
thin white down on head and back. For nearly a week
after they are feathered the down waves rakishly on
either side of the crown and about the shoulders, gradu-
ally wearing off as they brush about through the bushes.
Like all oriole babies, these demand the constant
attention of both parents, crying loudly for more the
moment their mouths are emptied of the last mouthful,
not in the least trying to help themselves, but following
the adults about for a week or two after leaving the nest.
No wonder that, worn out by unremitting care of this
first brood, the parents have neither the strength nor the
time to undertake a second in the same season. I
believe the families usually keep together until late in
August, when the males join flocks of their own sex for
the September migration southward.
In " The Condor " for July, 1901, the following state-
ment with regard to the food habits of this Oriole is
worthy of special note : " The chief food of the Orioles
consists of insects and injurious caterpillars. . . . They
are particularly fond of a small green caterpillar that
destroyed the foliage of the prune trees a few years ago.
The Orioles are often seen in the berry patches, but they
are usually in search of insects, as is proven by an ex-
amination of a great number of stomachs." These facts
regarding the food habits of our song birds are of great
value to the bird-lover, but even more so to the farmer.
Naturally he will protect any species which is proven
beneficial to his crops.
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 523
514 a. WESTERN EVENING GROSBEAK. Hcsper-
iphona vespertina montana.
FAMILY: The Finches, Sparrows,. etc,
Length: Male 6.70-7.30 ; female 6.50-7.30.
Bill : Large and heavy.
Adult Male: Upper parts yellowish olive, shading to yellow on rump;
forehead and superciliary bright yellow ; crown, tail, and wings
black, the latter with large white patches ; under parts greenish
yellow, shading to lemon-yellow on under wing and tail-coverts.
Adult Female : General plumage yellowish or yellowish brown ; throat
bordered on each side by a dusky streak ; whitish patches on wings ;
under parts light gray.
Young: Similar to female, but color duller and more brownish, with
markings less sharply defined.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America, from the Pacific
coast eastward to the Rocky Mountains ; south to Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Local in the high Sierra Nevada from Mt.
Shasta to the Yosemite valle'y.
Breeding Season: May 1 to June 15.
Nest : A comparatively slight structure ; composed of small sticks, roots,
and sometimes lichens ; lined with finer roots ; placed in coniferous
or willow trees, from 12 to 50 feet from the ground.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; green, blotched with light brown.
LINED against the dark green of the pine tree in the
golden glow of sunset, as lie .settles for his night's rest,
the Evening Grosbeak is a bird of striking beauty.
Seen flying across the open when the first rays of the
rising sun flash on the yellow of his breast, brightening
and deepening its pale lemon to a color like gold, while
his clear whistle calls through the dewy air, he is a joy
forever. Daintily eating the maple buds or the young
shoots of the juniper tree, stopping ever and anon to pipe
his wild, free song that has in it the breath of the pine
524 LAND BIRDS
woods and the silver cadence of the mountain brook, he
is " an April poem that God has dowered with wings."
He is seldom or never alone, but travels with a merry
band of his fellows, from the southern valleys where he
feeds in winter to the northern mountain heights. There
among the pine forests where the yellow lichen clings
to the rugged trunks, he will build his nest and rear
his brood. And now you discover the reason for his
greenish yellow coloring ; for, as he flits here and
there among the lichen tufts, picking up bits to line or
decorate his nest, you are struck with the way in which
he becomes invisible. So, in cases where the lichens
are used in the nest-building, it is difficult to tell whether
or not the bird is brooding. The lichens are seldom
used, however, unless the nest is placed in a fir or
pine tree. When built in a willow, rootlets and finely
shredded strips of bark take its place. Whether this
material is chosen because of convenience or with an
eye to protective coloring no one may say, but I believe
it is only a matter of whatever is most easily obtained.
Both sexes assist in the nest-building and in gathering
material, which is moulded into shape by a turning
about of the bird's body after the manner of the black-
headed grosbeak. The only nest I have ever seen was
entirely inaccessible, in the top of a fir tree at least
thirty-five feet from the ground. The tree stood on the
side of a canon, and it was possible from a point above
it and a hundred feet away, by means of field glasses, to
watch the birds at work. But at this distance one
could only observe in a very unsatisfactory degree and
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 525
could gain few facts that are sufficiently definite to be
recorded. I know that the female was on the nest and
the male always somewhere in the vicinity every time
I looked during a watch of fifteen days. After that,
both flew back and forth with food, but I was entirely
unable to tell what the menu might be, except in one
case, where the male alighted a moment near me with
a caterpillar (not the hairy kind) in his beak, and thei*
flew straight to the nest.
On the fifteenth day after I first observed the parents
carrying food, the nest-tree was deserted and not a
glimpse could I catch of young or old. This was at a
height of seven thousand feet in the Sierra Nevada, and
I fancied they had gone to the lower altitudes to feed
upon the buds of the deciduous trees and in the fruit
ranches of the foot-hills. With the solitude of the
forests the Grosbeak leaves his quaint, sweet song.
Henceforth, until spring calls him back to the breeding
grounds, he will utter only the single whistled note, and
no one who hears shall guess that he can sing.
529 b. WILLOW GOLDFINCH. Astmgplinus tristis
salicamans.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 4.08-4.82.
Adult Male : General body plumage yellow, in sharp contrast to black
forehead, crown, lores, wings, and tail ; wings with faint white edg-
ings ; tail-feathers with white patches.
Adult Female : Upper parts dark olive-brown, sometimes tinged with
olive greenish ; wings and tail dull blackish browu, with markings
similar to male ; throat dull greenish yellow, remainder of under parts
dull grayish, more or less tinged with yellow.
526 LAND BIRDS
Young: Plumage darker in tone than that of the adult.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast from Washington to Lower
California.
California Breeding Range : Chiefly in the upper Sonoran zone, from
Shasta valley to San Diego.
Breeding Season : May to July.
Nest : A compactly woven cup-shaped structure ; composed of plant
fibre ; lined with down and other soft materials ; placed in tall
bushes or low trees.
Eggs: 3 to 5 ; bluish white. Size 0.65 X 0.52.
THE Willow Goldfinch of California is in form, color,
and habits so exactly like the goldfinch or " thistle-bird "
of the East that one wonders why Western ornitholo-
gists have made a subspecies of him. His shorter wings
and tail and his smaller black cap are the only points of
difference. Although he is resident wherever found, he
changes his bright yellow and black plumage in the fall
to a more sober garb of dark olive and black, and in his
new suit is not always recognized as an old friend. In
the spring, likewise, when the olive has given place to
the gold, you hear it said, " The wild canaries have come
back again," when they have really been there all the
time. His happy call has been interpreted as "per-
chic-o-ree, per-chic-o-ree," and fits well with the gay
undulating flight of the little songster. In addition to
this he has a merry twitter that might be called a song.
When the thistles bloom, he commences his housekeep-
ing, building an exquisite cup-shaped nest in the fork
of a willow, so low that one may with small exertion
peep into it. It is beautifully lined with a compact
felting of thistle-down and moulded smoothly on the
edges with wonderful skill. The two pale blue eggs
are brooded by the mother for ten days, and then the
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 527
naked pinky nestlings require all the care of both
parents. They are beauties, to the eyes of one who
loves bird babies, being perfect in form although so
tiny. Their eyes open in a few days, and feathers begin
to show along each side of the back and on the edges
of the elbows. In ten days they have begun to look
charmingly like their devoted mother, with coats of soft
olive and brown. It is exactly the right color for nest-
lings, and when they have left the cradle and sit motion-
less for hours among the green leaves, they are invisible
to all eyes but those of the parents.
Like the young of all seed-eating birds, they learn to
forage for themselves much sooner than do those whose
food requires skill to catch. Almost as soon as they
can balance themselves the Goldfinch babies cling to the
top of a thistle or a bunch of goldenrod, helping them-
selves to the seed as independently as any of the adults.
But when father or mother alights near, the little wings
begin to quiver and the bill opens expectantly, even
though the little crop be too full to hold more.
Goldfinch nestlings, like very many others hitherto un-
suspected, are fed by regurgitation. The adult comes to
the nest with his crop conspicuously loaded, and soon
transfers the contents to the empty crops of the young,
which at once show the change. The food brought is
thistle seed from which the down has been carefully
plucked, leaving only the small brown part. When full
of this the naked crops are distressingly suggestive of a
flaxseed poultice.
528 LAND BIRDS
530. CALIFORNIA GOLDFINCH. Astragalinus
psaltria hesperophilus.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 4.00-4.50.
Adult Male: Upper parts olive-green ; crown, wings, and tail black,
with inner webs of tail-feathers white; under parts entirely deep
lemon-yellow.
Adult Female: Upper parts grayish oli ve- green ; under parts light
greenish yellow ; wings and tail dull black.
Young: Similar to female, but tinged with buffy, and wing-coverts
tipped with buff.
Geographical Distribution: Southwestern United States, north to Oregon,
east as far as Utah, south to Lower California, and Southwestern New
Mexico and Northern Sonora, Mexico. In winter to Cape St. Lucas.
California Breeding Mange : Chiefly below Transition zone nearly
through the State.
Breeding Season : May to August.
Nest: A small, compact felted mass of vegetable fibre, moss, grasses,
leaves, and fine bark ; lined with plant down and sometimes with
thistle-down ; placed in trees and bushes, from 3 to 40 feet from the
ground.
Eggs: 5 to 6 ; pale bluish or greenish white. Size 0.63 X 0.45.
THE Arkansas Goldfinch differs from the " willow "
chiefly in its habitat, being a bird of the orchard and
garden as well as of the wooded highway. It is found
in the mountains along the edges of clearings to a height
of six thousand feet. In breeding habits it resembles
the willow, commencing its nest when the thistle-down
is at hand for lining and the seeds for food for the nest-
lings. Except in the breeding season, it is found in small
flocks, feeding upon the seeds of weeds or plants, and to a
limited extent upon berries and haws. Along the edge
of a country road in the fall, the weed tops blossom with
these merry songsters, who fly up as you come near, only
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 529
to alight again a few feet farther on, singing the same gay
" perchicoree, per-chic-o-ree" as do their Eastern kinsfolk.
531. LAWRENCE GOLDFINCH. Aslragalinus
lawrencei.
FAMILY : The Finches, Sparrows, etc.
Length: 4.50-4.70.
Adult Male: Upper parts brownish gray (the back sometimes tinged
with olive-green), changing to bright greenish yellow on rump and
wings ; crown, face, and throat black ; median under parts yellow ;
lateral under parts light brownish-gray, becoming white on tail-
coverts and middle of be.lly.
Adult Female: Similar to male, but colors duller, and without black on
head or throat.
Young: Similar to female, but duller and lower parts indistinctly
streaked.
Geographical Distribution : California west of the Sierra Nevada ; south-
eastward in winter to Arizona.
California Breeding Range: Local in upper and lower Sonoran zones
west of the Sierra Nevada, as far north as Chico. Recorded from
Ventura County and San Gorgonia Pass.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest : Composed of wool, fine grasses, down, and feathers, closely woven
together ; lined with long hair ; placed on extreme end of the limb
of a live oak tree. Sometimes the nest is composed entirely of
grasses.
Eggs: 4 or 5 ; pure white. Size 0.62 X 0.44.
THE Lawrence Goldfinch is a haunter of the canons
and the lower range of pine forests. Like the Arkansas
and willow goldfinches, it is found in small flocks feed-
ing on the seeds of weeds and flitting from one foraging
ground to another in the winter days. Early in April it
seeks its breeding places in the foot-hills, where, securely
hidden from prying eyes in the unfrequented canons, it
34
530 LAND BIRDS
rears its brood. By November it comes down to the
lowlands, driven probably by lack of food supplies fully
as much as by the cold weather.
607. LOUISIANA TANAGER, OR WESTERN
TAN ACER. Piranga ludovidana.
FAMILY : The Tanagers.
Length: 6.75-7.75.
Adult Male: Head and neck red, brightest on crown ; back, scapulars,
wings, and tail black; the wings with two broad yellow bands; rump,
upper tail-coverts, and under parts bright yellow. Winter plumage
like female.
Adult Female: Upper parts olive-green ; back and scapulars grayish;
wing-bars dull light yellow ; under parts pale grayish yellow, becom-
ing bright yellow under tail-coverts.
Young : Similar to adult female, but paler beneath ; upper and lower
parts indistinctly streaked with dusky.
Geographical Distribution : Western United States ; straggles eastward
in migration to the Atlantic States.
California Breeding llange : Chiefly in Transition zone along the entire
length of the Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : April to July.
Nest: Thin, saucer-shaped structure; made of bark strips and grass
stems ; lined with rootlets and horsehair ; usually placed on the
horizontal limb of a tree, preferably an evergreen, about 15 to 30 feet
from the ground.
Eggs: 3. to 5; light bluish green, lightly speckled with browns and
purples, chiefly at the larger end. Size 0.95 X 0.65.
WHEN Louisiana stretched across the continent from
the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean and north to
British America, the most beautiful bird within its bor-
ders became known as the Louisiana Tanager. This ap-
pellation has long since ceased to be appropriate, for the
bird is only a rare migrant in the State whose name it
bears, and its centre of abundance is in the Rocky Moun-
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 531
tains. Here and in all the Western mountains it breeds
in the coniferous forests. In the Sierra Nevada the
Tanagers are among the birds most commonly observed,
and in May the buffalo berries near Pyramid Lake fairly
blossom with them. Early in the morning the rather
monotonous song rings clearly from the top of the tall
pines, and a dash of yellow tipped with red and black
appears against the dark green of the trees or the blue of
the sky. The song is very like that of the Eastern tan-
agers, but less musical, having a shrillness and flatness
of tone that are iiot pleasing to the ear. Its call-note
is short and incisive and has been rendered as " pitic,
pitictic."
The nest of this brilliantly plumaged bird is commonly
placed on a horizontal branch of a fir or pine, and is so
concealed by the foliage as to be practically invisible
from below. Unlike the scarlet tanager of the East, it
constructs a carelessly woven saucer-shaped affair, so
shallow in some instances that a hard wind storm would
throw the contents out were not the mother brooding
over them.
Incubation lasts thirteen days, and is performed by the
mother bird alone, the male rarely if ever going to the
nest until the brood are hatched. As soon as the nest-
lings are out of the shell, however, he assumes his full
share of the labor of feeding them. In the case of one
brood at Slippery Ford in the Sierra Nevada, the male
brought fifteen large insects and countless smaller ones
in the half hour between half-past four and five one
June morning. During most of the day the trips to the
532
LAND BIRDS
nest with food averaged ten minutes apart. The longest
period of fasting was twenty-three minutes, and the short-
est one and one-half minutes. Usually one can tell what
food a nestling has swallowed by looking closely at its
distended crop, as the contents are visible through the
nearly transparent skin. But
these young Tanagers were
twenty feet from the ground in
a slender fir, and I could not
examine them ; consequently I
could judge of the menu
only by the foraging of the
adult, and by what I saw
sticking out of his bill.
When he darted out into
the air and back again in fly-
catcher fashion, I knew he was
after a small insect. When he
came from the bushes with a
bunch on either side of his beak,
I was sure he had picked up a
caterpillar ; when wings of gauzy
texture projected on one side of
the mandibles and a long black
body on the other, I made a Yankee guess that a dragon-
fly had been captured for breakfast.
As soon as the nestlings were able to fly they came
down to the cover of the lower brush and fed in com-
pany with their parents. We knew this by the anxiety
of the adults and by their efforts to lead us away from
607. LOUISIANA TANAGER.
" A dragonfly had been cap-
hired for breakfast."
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 533
the immediate vicinity when we stumbled into it, but long
and patient search revealed only one of the young birds.
He was sitting on a low bush, looking as solemn as a
young owl, and allowed us to go close to him. Except
for size he looked like a goldfinch nestling and was no
more timid than the latter. The adults moved anxiously
through the branches over our heads uttering plaintive
calls of fear and low purring notes of remonstrance with
us or of reassurance to the young. I am convinced that
but for their excitement he would have known no fear.
Later, in August, small flocks of young Tanagers were
seen, in company with vireos, feeding among the pine
trees and evidently gathering for the fall migration.
They were following the flycatcher fashion of catching
insects on the wing, beginning when the sun touched
the tops of the trees and moving downward as the day
advanced and the insect life nearer the ground awoke to
activity. In like manner they retreated to fhe tree tops
as the shadows fell in the afternoon.
645 a. CALAVERAS WARBLER. Vermivora
rubricapilla gutturalis.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 4.75.
Adult Male : Top of head gray, with chestnut crown patch ; white eye-
ring; back olive-green, more yellowish on rump and upper tail-
coverts ; under parts rich bright yellow.
Adult Female : Similar, but duller ; little or no chestnut on crown.
Young: Upper parts brownish gray ; rump greenish gray ; under parts
dull yellow, becoming buffy brown on belly.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States from Pacific coast
to Rocky Mountains ; south in winter to Mexico.
534 LAND BIRDS
California Breeding Range : Along the Sierra Nevada from Mt. Shasta
south to Mt. Whitney.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : On the ground ; composed of leaves, bark strips, and weed steins ;
lined with finer materials of the same kinds.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; white, spotted with reddish brown and lavender, in a
wreath around the larger end. Size 0.64 X 0.45.
THE Calaveras Warbler may be said to correspond to
the Nashville warbler of the Eastern States. In Cali-
fornia it is a haunter of the brush-covered hillsides, hid-
ing shyly in the scrubby undergrowth and singing from
the concealment of the deer brush and chaparral. Mr.
Chester A. Barlow writes briefly in "The Condor,"
November, 1901, of its occurrence in the Sierra Nevada:
" Although the species is far from rare in numbers, it
appears that but comparatively few of its nests have
been taken; but this is not strange when we consider
the nature and extent of the country selected for nesting
sites. It is usually by the merest chance that a nest is
discovered, as successful a method as any being to beat
through the ' mountain misery ' in the vicinity of where
the male bird is found singing. On June 9, 1899, I
flushed a Calaveras Warbler from her nest in tarweed
beneath a small cedar at Fyffe, California, at which date
the nest held five half-grown young. On June 10, 1901,
at Slippery Ford, California, a nest was found built
among an accumulation of dry black oak leaves beneath
a deer brush on the side of a gulch. It contained five
eggs, two-thirds advanced in incubation."
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 535
652 c. CALIFORNIA YELLOW WARBLER. Dendroica
cestiva bretvsteri.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 4.50-5.25.
Adult Male: Upper parts bright yellowish olive-green, brightest on
rump ; forehead bright yellow ; front of crown sometimes tinged
with orange ; wing-feathers edged with yellow ; under parts yellow ;
breast and belly streaked with rufous.
Adult Female : Upper parts yellowish green, darker than in the male ;
lighter on forehead and rump ; under parts pale and duller, usually
unstreaked.
Young: Similar to adult female.
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast region, from Lower California
north to Washington. Possibly farther south in winter.
California Breeding Range : In upper Sonoran zone chiefly, and else-
where throughout the State.
Breeding Season : April, May, and June.
Nest : Compact cup-shaped structure ; made of grayish plant-fibre, spider
webs, etc. ; lined with down and feathers ; placed in bushes or trees.
Eggs: 2 to 6 ; bluish white, spotted usually in wreath around the larger
end, with brown, black, and lilac gray. Size 0.66 X 0.48.
THE Yellow Warbler of California is the yellow war-
bler of the East, the " summer yellow bird " of the Mas-
sachusetts farmers, sometimes erroneously called the wild
canary, and its " wee-chee-chee-chee-cher-wee " rings as
joyously from the chaparral as from the wild rose and
the blackberries. Next to the robin aud the bluebird, it
is the bird best known to the country children, who find
its nest in the hazel bushes on the way to school. In
California it is somewhat more shy and less apt to come
into view from every roadside thicket.
The nest is an exquisitely moulded cup lined with
plant down that has been felted until it is like shining
white satin ; even the rim presenting a smoothly rolled
536 LAND BIRDS
appearance. It is placed in an upright crotch of a low
bush with little attempt at concealment. One little nest
that we found had two of the leaves fastened down over
it in the weaving, probably by accident, and they formed
a complete shelter and protection from the wind. The
female flew in at one side and usually sat facing the
opening, perfectly concealed, yet seeing all that occurred
around. But the typical Yellow Warbler nest is built
with an eye to sunshine and fresh air and recklessly ex-
posed to the gaze of every passer-by.
The small bluish eggs, wreathed with minute brown
spots at the larger end, are very like the eggs of the
German canaries, and I have placed them under a sit-
ting canary hen for hatching. The only drawback was
that they hatched in twelve days, which was two days
sooner than those of their adoptive mother, and caused
her to throw them out of the nest and go on sitting on
her own eggs. Under normal conditions they hatch
under their own mother in twelve days, and sitting is
never begun until the full complement is laid, so that
the whole brood emerge from the shell on the same day.
At first, like most young birds, they are naked except for
sparse down on the head, but at the end of a week they
have pinfeathers on wings and tail and thin down on the
other parts of the body. In another week the feathers
have burst their sheaths, and the nestlings are the pret-
tiest things in the wood. They are fed upon insects by
regurgitation for the first few days, and later upon the
fresh food.
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 537
655. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, OR MYRTLE
WARBLER. Dendroica coronata.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 5.65.
Adult Male in Spring and Summer: A yellow patch ou the crown,
rump, and either side of the breast ; upper parts bluish gray, streaked
with black ; two white wing-bars ; tail black, with gray edgings ;
outer pair of tail-feathers with large spots of white ; throat white ;
breast and upper belly heavily marked with black ; lower belly
white.
Adult Female in Spring and Summer : Similar, but smaller, and colors
duller ; upper parts browner ; breast simply streaked with black.
Adult Male in Fall and ff inter : Upper parts grayish brown, streaked
with black on back and scapulars ; yellow crown patch concealed by
brown tips of feathers ; throat and chest buffy brown ; chest streaked
with black ; yellow patches obscured ; black patches with white edges
to feathers.
Adult Female in Fall and Winter : Similar to winter male, but smaller ;
upper parts browner, yellow crown patch restricted or obsolete ; under
parts pale buff-brown in front and on sides ; centre of breast and
belly yellowish white ; yellow breast patches indistinct.
Young : Similar to adults, but no yellow anywhere except sometimes on
rump ; whole plumage thickly streaked above and below.
Geographical Distribution: North America, chiefly east and north of
Rocky Mountains ; rare west, except along the Pacific coast ; south
in winter to Middle States, West Indies, and Panama.
Breeding Range : British Columbia and Alaska.
Breeding Season: June 15 to July 15.
Nest : Of vegetable fibres ; lined with mosses, feathers, and hair ; placed
in coniferous trees, 5 to 1 feet from the ground.
Eggs : 3 to 6 ; white, spotted chiefly around larger end with brown and
lilac. Size 0.70 X 0.52.
THE Yellow-rumped Warbler differs from the Audubou
warbler in having a white throat. Both species are very
like the Myrtle Warbler of the East, and Mr. Grinnell
lists the Yellow-rumped in California as the " Alaska
Myrtle Warbler," while Mrs. Bailey calls it "the Eastern
538 LAND BIRDS
representative of the Audubon warbler " because its range
is extended eastward to the Rocky Mountains. But it
certainly seems more like a Western representative of the
Myrtle Warbler, with its white throat and its early mi-
gration. East and West it is one of the first of its family
to start for the breeding grounds in the spring.
656. AUDUBON WARBLER. Dendroica auduboni.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 5.12-6.00.
Adult Mal,e in Spring and Summer : Throat and rump yellow ; upper
parts bluish slate, streaked with black ; large white patches on wing-
coverts ; tail black, with patch of white ; under parts with patches of
white, yellow, and black.
Adult Female in Spring and Summer: Similar, but colors duller, and
with less black on under parts ; upper parts tinged with brown ;
yellow crown patch restricted and partly tipped with brownish gray ;
wing-bands narrower ; chest and sides grayish, marked with black ;
color-patches restricted.
Adult Male in Fall and Winter : Duller and browner than summer
males.
Adult Female in Fall and Winter : Similar to winter male, hut smaller
and duller.
Young : Upper parts streaked dark and light brownish gray ; under
parts light and streaked.
Geographical Distribution: Western Nortk America, north as far as
British Columbia ; east to eastern base of Rocky Mountains ; winters
in valleys of Western United States, and south to Guatemala.
California Breeding Range : In Transition zone along the Sierra Nevada
from the San Bernardino mountains to Shasta County.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : Usually in pines or spruces, 4 to 5 feet from the ground ; com-
posed of shreds of bark, pine needles, and fine rootlets ; lined with
hair and feathers.
Eggs : 4 or 5 ; greenish, speckled with black, brown, and purple. Size
0.67 X 0.52.
MRS. BAILEY calls this bird " the whirligig of perpetual
motion/' and the name fits. A flash of yellow, black,
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 539
and white flits through the clearings in the Sierra Nevada
and you are conscious that an Audubon Warbler has
flown by. He has all the tricks and manners of a fly-
catcher, darting out after insects or dodging about among
the tree tops, always in a hurry, always in a mad chase
for something to eat.
Unless you go to his
summer haunts in the
Sierra Nevada you will
not see him at his best,
for the " winter visitant "
of the valleys wears a
more sober plumage of
dull brown streaked with
black and only a little
yellow visible. In his
breeding grounds among
the pines and spruces of
the mountains he is a
brilliant, happy-go-lucky
little chap, not at all shy,
but is so absorbed in his
own busy life as to care
little who watches him.
The four nests I have
found were all near Tallac on Lake Tahoe, and were all in
young spruce trees, within five feet of the ground, along
a frequented path. On June 15 one contained young
a week old, and three held eggs in various stages of in-
cubation. The pair whose young had hatched so early
" Alway,
to eat."
656. AUDUBON WAIIBLER.
nad chase for something
540 LAND BIRDS
were very friendly, feeding them without much fear
while I sat within three or four feet of the nest and on
a level with it. They usually came with nothing to be
seen in their beaks, but the insect food they had gleaned
and carried in their own throats was regurgitated into
the throats of the young. When the latter were five
days old the mother bird, for the first time, brought an
insect large enough to be seen, and crammed it into the
open bill of one of the nestlings, and from that time on
most of the food brought was eaten by the young while
fresh.
In the brood whose incubation was closely watched,
I found that twelve days elapsed between the laying of
the last egg and the advent of the young. The female
did most of the brooding ; the male was found on the
nest only once, but was usually perched on a neighbor-
ing tree warbling his enthusiastic little song, " cheree-
cheree-cheree-cheree." After the young were feathered
enough to leave the nest, which occurred when they
were two weeks old, the male forgot to sing and
became a veritable family drudge with the brood ever at
his heels clamoring for food.
668. TOWNSEND WARBLER. Dendroica totmsendi.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 4.90-5.30.
Adult Male in Spring and Summer: Head and throat black, with bright
yellow superciliary and malar stripes ; breast bright yellow ; belly
and under tail-coverts white ; the latter, also sides and flanks, broadly
streaked with black ; back bright olive-green, with black arrow-point
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 541
streaks ; wings and tail blackish ; two white wing-bars, tail with
small white spots at end of lateral feathers.
Adult Female in Spring and Summer : Similar to winter male, but
black streaking of upper parts and sides restricted or obsolete ; crown
sometimes blackish ; throat often blotched with black.
Adult Male in Fall and Winter : Similar to summer male, but black
obscured ; crown and hind-neck with olive-green edges to feathers ;
cheek patch with olive-green tips to feathers ; throat lemon-yellow ;
chest and sides spotted with black.
Adult Female in Fall and Winter : Similar to summer female, but upper
parts, sides, and flanks brownish, with streaks of upper parts
indistinct.
Young Male : Similar to adult winter male, but streaks on crown and
back obsolete, and yellow of throat paler.
Young Female : Similar to adult winter female, but yellow paler and
markings less distinct.
Geographical Distribution: Western North America, chiefly near the
Pacific coast, north to Alaska ; migrating east to Rocky Mountains.
and south in winter to Guatemala.
Breeding Range : In the pine forests, from Oregon to Sitka.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest: Compact, cup-shaped; made of gray plant fibres; lined with
feathers, placed in bushes or trees.
Eggs ;3 or 4 ; white, spotted mainly about the larger end with brown
and lavender. Size 0.64 X 0.53.
MR. GRINNELL says : " The Townsend Warbler occurs
in California as a winter visitant in the Santa Cruz, and
sparingly elsewhere west of the Sierra Ne\ f ada ; occurs
more widely during migration."
It is one of those tantalizing Warblers who persist in
staying in the tops of tall trees, where they dodge in
and out among the foliage in a most exasperating way.
But, in spite of all difficulties, if the " Warbler mad-
ness " has taken possession of you, a day of neck-breaking
study will count for "nothing as against the possibility of
identifying a species unknown to you, and townsendi
offers unparalleled opportunities in this line.
542 LAND BIRDS
The common note of this species is a high-keyed
" tseep." The song is very short, and heard from below
is scarcely more musical than that of a grasshopper
sparrow.
669. HERMIT WARBLER. Dendroica occidentalis.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 4.70-5.25.
Adult Male in Spring and Summer : Top and sides of head bright yellow,
the occiput, and sometimes the crown, spotted with black ; throat
black ; under parts white, sometimes streaked on sides ; nape olive-
green streaked with black ; rest of upper parts gray, washed with
olive-green and streaked with black ; wings and tail black ; two white
wing-bands ; tail with the two outer feathers on each side mostly
white.
Adult Female in Spring and Summer : Similar to winter male, but fore-
head and crown more or less mixed with yellow ; body more olive ;
dusky patch on throat and chest.
Adult Hale in Fall and Winter : Similar to summer male, but the yel-
low of crown and occiput more or less obscured ; black streaks of back
mixed with gray, and black throat patch specked with white.
Adult Female in Fall and Winter : Upper parts olive-gray ; crown with
traces of yellow ; under parts brownish white.
Young: Upper parts plain ash-gray ; iinder parts brownish gray, except
that the belly and under tail-coverts are white.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, chiefly near Pacific
coast ; migrating east to Rocky Mountains, and south in winter to
Guatemala.
California Breeding Range : In Transition zone along the Sierra Nevada
from Mt. Shasta to Mt. Whitney.
Breeding Season : June.
Nest: Of fibrous stalks of plants, fine dead twigs, lichens, and pine
needles, bound with cobwebs, and woolly materials ; lined with soft
inner bark and hair ; placed in coniferous trees, from 25 to 40 feet
from the ground.
Eggs: 3 ; dull white or grayish green, spotted or blotched with lilac,
gray, or brown, chiefly around larger end. ' Size 0.67 X 0.47.
WHILE a fairly common bird along the lower Sierra
Nevada from Mount Shasta southward, the Hermit
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 543
Warbler is comparatively little known. Its shyness and
its quiet way of slipping from tree to tree, keeping well
out of reach in the conifers, makes any extensive obser-
vation of its habits diffi-
cult. On the Placer-
ville-Tahoe stage route,
I heard this bird sing
and caught tantaliz-
ing glimpses of him
in the tops of the
nianzanita and deer
brush along the road-
side ; but, seeming
to know intuitively
whenever we made
a stop to study him, he would instantly end his thin
little song and vanish among the green leaves.
669. HERMIT WARBLER.
" With her beak full of cobwebs."
544 LAND BIRDS
On June 8, after quiet hiding and patient watching,
\ve saw a female of this species fly away with her beak
full of cobwebs which trailed nearly two inches, and
alight on a tall cedar not ten feet from the travelled
stage road ; but the tree was so difficult to climb that
we could not investigate it. In a moment she flew out
of it, empty-mouthed, and further waiting for her second
visit was fruitless. Meanwhile her mate had devoted
himself to hunting for insects under the leaves of the
deer brush, and seemed equally oblivious to her presence
and her absence. I fancied him a self-centred mite
because, when she alighted beside him, coaxing with
a pretty chirp as nestlings do, he fed her in a matter-of-
fact fashion and resumed his own meal. Long, careful
searching in this and other places failed to reveal any
nest, although it is certain there was one in process of
construction near by. Mr. Barlow found one, and, after
" collecting " the female, discovered there were young
in the cradle. These were promptly cared for by the
male, who fed and brooded them.
Mr. Bowles describes the song of this bird as " zeegle-
zeegle-zeegle-zeek," but to me it sounded more like
"jiggle-jiggle-jiggle-jig." Although not loud, it has a
carrying quality which at once arrests attention. The
call-note is a sharp " tseet."
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 545
680. MACGILLIVRAY WARBLER. Oporornis tolmiei.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 5.00-5.75.
Adult Male : Head, throat, and breast slate-gray ; throat feathers mar-
gined with gray ; rest of under parts yellow ; lores black ; a distinct
white spot on each eyelid ; back olive-green, sometimes merging to
grayish olive.
Adult Female : Similar to male, but crown, hind-neck, and sides of head
and neck mouse-gray, fading to grayish white on throat and breast.
Young : Similar to adults, but plumage softer ; throat, chest, and spots
on eyelids yellowish ; streak over lores pale yellow.
Geographical Distribution : In the mountainous regions of Western North
America, from the east slope of the Rockies to the Pacific, north
to British Columbia, south in winter to Panama.
California Breeding Range : Through Transition zone along the Sierra
Nevada from Mt. Shasta to the San Bernardino mountains.
Breeding Season: May 15 to June 15.
Nest : Of dried grasses ; lined with finer grasses and horsehair ; placed
in weeds, bushes, or low shrubs, 1 to 6 feet from the ground.
Eggs : 3 to 5 ; creamy white, marked near the larger end with spots and
pen lines of dark brown and lilac gray. Size 0.72 X 0.52.
IN the chaparral and underbrush ; . in ravines where
small brooks wind in and out, their borders fringed
with thick bracken ; on the scrubby hillsides, the
Macgillivray Warbler hides shyly among the low foliage,
or sings an odd little trill as you pass. These are his
chosen haunts, and here among the ferns he will build
a dainty nest so carefully hidden and so closely guarded
that only by accident can you discover it. And if you
do chance to locate it and part the ferns the least bit to
peer into it, unless the eggs are nearly ready to hatch
they will be abandoned by the timid Warblers and your
opportunity to see a brood develop will be lost. Under
these circumstances it is small wonder that little is
35
546 LAND BIRDS
known concerning the nesting habits of this species, so
far as the time of incubation and the rearing of the
young are concerned. One nest, found near San Jose,
June 2, and containing young about six days old, was
visited daily with no disastrous results, but this is only
a partial success among a long list of failures. In this
case the parents were so shy that they refused to go to
the nest with food while an observer was in sight, and
the field glasses could reveal nothing sufficiently accurate
to be recorded. The nest was nicely hidden in a clump
of weeds on the edge of a small brook and within five
inches of the ground. A jump across the brook almost
into it resulted in its discovery. When watched, the
adults alighted at some distance from it and dodged
from clump to clump and through the weeds until they
reached the spot where it lay. Close observation failed
to record accurately how often they went with food, so
slyly did they slip % through tangles and open like small
gray mice ; the crops of the nestlings, examined immedi-
ately after feeding, bulged with insect food dark in color.
They left the nest after four days' watching, and were
probably less than ten days old.
681 c. PACIFIC YELLOW-THROAT. Geothlypis
trichas arizela.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 4.70-5.75.
Adult Male : Forehead and sides of head black, bordered above with
white, sometimes tinged with yellow ; rest of upper parts plain olive-
green ; under parts yellow. In winter washed with brown.
Adult Female : Upper parts olive-brown, without black, ashy, or white ;
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 547
crown sometimes washed with reddish brown, tail with greenish;
under parts yellowish white.
Young : Similar to adult male, Gut black mask less distinct.
Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast from British Columbia to Lower
California; east to the Cascades and Sierra Nevada ; south in winter
through Lower California and Mexico.
California Breeding Range : In the San Diegan district, northwest to
Santa Barbara, and possibly northward.
Breeding Season : May and June.
Nest : On or near the ground, among weed stalks ; cup-shaped ; of grass.
Eggs : 4 ; white, finely speckled with brown.
MINGLING with the song of the yellow-headed black-
birds and the tinkling music of the marsh wrens, the
clear "wichity, wichity, wichity," of the Yellow-throat
rings from lowland marsh in the warm May sunshine,
telling the world that spring and nesting time have
come. If you follow the song to its source, you may
catch a glimpse of a black-masked little head, flanked by
bright yellow, peeking at you with bewitching curiosity,
curiosity mixed with fear, however ; for, as soon as
discovered, the head is quickly withdrawn, and only a
moving of the leaves tells where the singer has hidden
himself. But you have seen enough to make you curious
in your turn, and to induce you to attempt to pursue the
fascinating flash of yellow and green. In a moment more
you see him again, a small greenish bird scrambling for
dear life through the tules or underbrush, turning his odd
little face constantly to keep watch of you, or flying over
a small open space to dive hurriedly into the shelter of
the thicket. From clump to clump he flits until, when
he has led you far enough from his nest, he dodges down
to the thickest tangle of marsh grass and hunts for his
dinner of insects while you hunt in vain for him. With
548 LAND BIRDS
all this hiding he is not particularly shy, and you feel in-
clined to set him down as a clever little tease who has
purposely led you a chase for his own amusement.
Throughout the long summer days his cheery, energetic
song floats over the wet meadows and out from the
blackberry tangles or the tule swamp. Neither the heat
nor the cares of a family diminish his ardor one whit.
He even springs into the air in the exuberance of joy,
performing chatlike gymnastics to his own merry music.
On the bulky nest, snugly hidden low in the bushes or
long marsh grass, his plain little mate sits brooding for
twelve days, unrelieved by the dapper singer. It is
possible that he may feed her, but I have never been able
to catch him at it. The female slips noiselessly, without
protest, away through the underbrush at the first approach
to her nest, and scolds at you from a safe distance, while
the male, bold enough when danger threatens, comes
nearer, calling, " quit, quit, quit."
You are certain to know when the eggs have hatched
by the storm of " quits " that greets your approach, for
the Yellow-throat is a devoted parent. Tirelessly he
hunts through the wet sedge for insects, swallowing them
himself first, and feeding the nestlings with the partly
digested food until they are able to take it fresh from
the field. And long after the young are feathered and
out of the nest, they follow the adult about, refusing to
help themselves, coaxing to be fed, until you wonder he
has any strength left to sing. The female takes a full
share of this labor, but is less often seen because more
shy.
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 549
683 a. LONG-TAILED CHAT. Icteria virens longicauda.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 7.00-8.00.
Adults: Upper parts olive-gray ; superciliary, eye-ring, and malar stripe
white ; lores and line under eye deep black ; throat and breast bright
yellow ; belly and under tail-coverts white.
Young : Upper parts plain dull olive-gray ; lores gray ; throat whitish ;
chest, sides, and Hanks grayish ; rest of under parts white.
Geographical Distribution: Western United States, east to Great Plains ;
south into Mexico.
California Breeding Range : Chiefly in upper Sonoran zone, west of the
Sierra Nevada.
Breeding Season : May.
Nest : Of dry leaves, grasses, and strips of bark ; lined
with finer grasses ; placed in thickets and brambles
of low undergrowth, from 2 to 5 feet above the
ground.
Eggs : 3 or 4 ; glossy white or pinkish,
speckled and spotted with shades
of brown, which are heaviest at the
larger end. Size 0.92 X 0.70.
" Is the odd jumble of
whistle, chucks, and caws ut-
tered by one bird in that
copse yonder, or by half a
dozen birds in as many places ?
Approach cautiously and per-
haps you may see him in the
air, a bunch of feathers
twitched downward by queer,
jerky notes which animate it.
One might suppose so peculiar
a performance would occupy
his entire attention, but never- j rom d awn untu dark
683 a. LONG-TAILED CHAT.
Where, he whistled and sang
550 LAND BIRDS
theless he has seen you. In an instant his manner
changes, and the happy-go-lucky clown, who a moment
before was turning aerial somersaults, has become a shy,
suspicious haunter of the depth of the thicket, whence
will come his querulous ' chut, chut' as long as your
presence annoys him." l
This perfect description of the tricks and manners of
the chat is the best means of identifying the species.
Birds with olive-green backs and yellow under parts are
common enough, but one that combines the qualities of
a Punchinello with the grace of a professional gymnast is
rare. To the chat, life is one long joke.
" His coming in the spring is like the arrival of a brass
band. . . . When not whistling, or scolding like an
oriole, calling like a cuckoo, or piping like a shrill-voiced
rock squirrel, he will bark like a dog." 2
It is hard to believe this of a bird not much larger
than a sparrow and belonging to the family of warblers.
But no words can describe his antics, though nearly
every writer on birds has tried. Mr. Bradford Torrey
and Mrs. Bailey have succeeded better than any others
in interpreting this eccentric clown of the bird world.
Most of his aerial gymnastics are for the benefit of his
demure sweetheart, who rarely indulges in such foolish-
ness herself. He is like the small boy who must turn
handsprings to show off.
One of these birds that built his nest in a willow
thicket near Pasadena took his full share of nest-building,
and would bring the material soberly enough, give it to
1 Chapman. Bailey.
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 551
the female, who seemed to do all the weaving, start
out for more, and " straightway forgetting what manner
of man he was," end in one of these curious song
flights. Usually, however, he came with strips of bark
or leaves and looked on with conversational chucks that
I guessed rather than heard, as most of my observing of
him was done through the field glass. After the begin-
ning of incubation, which lasted fourteen days, he paid
little attention to either the mate or the nest during the
middle of the day, but frequented a thicket fifty yards
away, where he whistled and sang from dawn until dark,
but as soon as the eggs had hatched he was all devotion.
At this time it was possible to watch from a concealed
position, and to keep a record of his visits to the nest
with food. On one day, which seemed to be a fair
average, when the young were eight days old, they were
fed twenty times between five and six A. M., eight times
between nine and ten A.M., eleven times between
three and four p. M., and seventeen times between five
and six P.M. For the first four days there was no
visible food in the bill of the adult, and the feeding
seemed to be by regurgitation. After that, parts of
insects could be seen protruding from his bill, and were
given to the young in a fresh state. Beetles, grass-
hoppers, and butterflies were all in the dietary, and were
brought indiscriminately ; but hairless caterpillars seemed
to be the favorite food. The adults are said to eat
berries, but I saw none brought to the nest for the
young.
552 LAND BIRDS
685 b. GOLDEN PILEOLATED WARBLER. Wilsonia
pusilla chryseola.
FAMILY : The Wood Warblers.
Length: 4.25-5.10.
Adult Male: Upper parts bright yellowish olive-green ; crown glossy
blue-black; under 'parts bright yellow; forehead sometimes orange-
yellow.
Adult Female: Similar to male, but back of crown usually indistinct,
being concealed by olive wash.
Geographical Distribution : Western North America, chiefly along or
near the Pacific coast ; north to Southern British Columbia ; south
in winter to Northwestern Mexico.
Breeding Season: April 15 to July 2.
Nest : Of leaves, bark strips, weed stems, vegetable fibres, and rootlets ;
lined with finer grasses ; placed in thickets and blackberry vines, on
or near the ground.
Eggs: 2 to 4; white or creamy white, speckled with reddish brown and
lilac gray, often in the form of a wreath around the larger end. Size
0.60 X 0.48.
IN the warm spring days comes the handsome little
Pileolated Warbler, with his long title of Western
Black-capped Flycatching Warbler. He is a common
migrant throughout the valleys of California, and flits
over the underbrush like a big yellow butterfly ; but, as
nesting time approaches, he withdraws to the mountains,
and is seen on the lowlands no more until fall. Not
shy, he watches you with quite as much interest as you
observe him, calling saucily from his low perch, and
readily answering to an imitation of his " seep see." If
you are motionless and coax long enough, he will even
alight on a spray of chaparral held in the hand. In
movements he is an odd little mixture of flycatcher and
hummingbird, darting out for a passing insect, or hover-
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 553
ing on whirring wings to pick one from the under side of
a leaf so swiftly the eye can scarcely follow him. His
song reminds one of the tinkle of a brooklet in its merry,
rather metallic melody, and is a distinct note in the med-
ley of spring music.
Like his Eastern relative, the Wilson warbler, the
Pileolated builds his nest close to the ground in a
swampy willow thicket,
and is not infrequently a
victim to the marsh rats
and snakes. The first
brood is usually hatched
early in May, and is fed
by regurgitation by both
parents until four or five
days old, when the usual
food of small insects and
little green
worms is given
to them in the
fresh state. As
soon as their
nursery days are
over, the male
takes entire charge of the nestlings, feeding them for ten
days or two weeks longer.
For the second brood a locality slightly higher up the
mountain may be chosen, but oftener the little mother
builds her second nest within a hundred yards of the
first, commencing it alone, while the male is still occu-
685 a. PILEOLATED WARBLER.
1 Hi* song reminds one of the tinkle of a brooklet."
554 LAND BIRDS
pied with the first series. Incubation lasts twelve days,
and is, I think, attended to solely by the female, although
the male is frequently at the nest both to feed her and
to watch over but not brood the eggs.
746. VERDIN. Auriparus flaviceps.
FAMILY : The Nuthatches and Tits.
Length: 4.00-4.60.
Adult Male : Crown bright olive ; forehead sometimes orange ; rest of
head , neck, and breast yellow ; upper parts gray, with red-brown
patch on shoulders ; under parts whitish.
Adult Female: Similar to male, but coloring duller.
Young : Upper parts gray, tinged with brownish ; no yellow, and no
chestnut shoulder patches ; under parts white.
Geographical Distribution: From Southern Texas to the Pacific, and
from latitude 38 to Mexico and Lower California.
California Breeding Range: Local in the desert regions of Southeastern
California along the Colorado River district.
Nest : Large, retort-shaped or globular ; composed externally of thorny
twigs and stems interwoven ; thickly lined with weed steins and
feathers ; a small round entrance at one side ; placed in bushes or
low trees.
Eggs: 3 to 6 ; pale bluish white, speckled with red-brown. Size 0.59
X 0.43.
THE Yellow-headed Bush-tit, or Verdin, occurs most
abundantly in California at the extreme southeastern
corner bordering on the Colorado River. He is a tiny
mite, not so large as the Rivoli hummingbird, which
lives in the same district, across the river, in Arizona.
But although so small a bird, the Verdin has most re-
markable traits, and is the most fascinating of all the
California birds. From his wee yellow throat he pours
such a flood of music that you search eagerly for the
singer, and can hardly credit your senses when you find
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 555
him scarcely bigger than your thumb ; you have been
looking for something the size of an oriole at least. But
there he sits, as perky as if he were of respectable size,
and sings the ditty over again to prove that he can do it.
And when you first find his nest, the
wonder grows. Surely such a mite
will build a dainty house like that of
the hummingbird. But not so ! A
retort-shaped affair, ludicrously out of
proportion to the
diminutive archi-
tect, is woven of
twigs and stems,
each one a heavy
load for the little
builders, and lined
to bursting with
feathers and flower-
stems. It is at least
twenty times the
size of the mother bird who broods
in it, and we do not wonder that it
is used summer and winter so long
as the walls remain firm. One would
suppose this one nest were large
enough to hold both master and mistress of the house-
hold ; but, as if his industry knew no bounds, the male
constructs his own apartment in the same neighbor-
hood and occupies it all winter alone. I believe that
the female constructs her own winter nest, and also
746. VERDIN.
{ A retort-shaped affair." 1
556 LAND BIRDS
the breeding nest in cases where the winter nest is not
used for that purpose. The architecture of the two is
somewhat different in those I have observed, the nest
built by the female being larger, more carefully lined,
and with a decided hollow in the centre of the bedding
material as if to keep the babies from rolling out. The
nest of the male was simply a hollow gourd-shaped affair
with little or no lining, and might pass for a dummy nest
such as there is reason to believe he does occasionally
build. Every nest found had a neck-like entrance ex-
tending downward and ending in a round hole. They
were all located in mesquite thickets within six feet of
the ground, and most of them were easy to watch. In
ten days after the last bluish white egg was laid, there
were three infinitesimal bits of naked bird life, huddled
tightly together in the middle of the feather-lined hol-
low. A slit carefully cut at this time and fastened shut
after each observation enabled me to keep an exact
record of the development of the brood. Although I
could not watch the mother feeding the young, I am
positive it was done by regurgitation, for she would eat
as unconcernedly as if merely occupied with her own
dinner, and fly at once with apparently empty mouth
into the nest, emerging shortly to repeat the perform-
ance. During the first five days the male was not seen
to go into the nest, but sang right merrily near by.
After that time the young began to make themselves
heard in hungry cries, and he began to carry food to
them, which we could see in his bill. This food con-
sisted almost exclusively of small green worms, and eggs
YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 557
and larvae of insects. The young Verdins remained in
the nest quite three weeks, and long after their de*but
they returned to the nursery every night to sleep. The
usual note of the adult Verdins is a chickadee-like " tsee-
tu-tu " uttered while hunting, chickadee fashion, among
the terminal buds and under the leaves for their insect
food, and this the nestlings mimic in twp syllables as
soon as they leave the nest, " tsee-tee, tsee-tee." It is
a cry of hunger, and never fails to bring the parent with
food.
SUPPLEMENTARY LIST OF
CALIFORNIA BIRDS
CORRECTED TO JANUARY 1, 1909, BY
HARRY C. OBERHOLSER
The following list contains all additional species and subspecies which occur, even
accidentally, in California, and has been compiled from all available sources.
2. HOLBCELL GREBE. Colymbus holbcelli. Rare midwinter vis-
itant coastwise.
3. HORNED GREBE. Colymbus auritus. Rare midwinter visi-
tant along the coast and on inland lakes.
17. PAROQUET AUKLET. Phaleris psittacula. One record of
five specimens.
35. SKUA. Megalestris skua. One record by G. N. Lawrence.
36. POMARINE JAEGER. Stercorarius pomarinus. Migrant coast-
wise.
38. LONG-TAILED JAEGER. Stercorarius longicaudus. One. record
by L. M. Loomis.
40 a. PACIFIC KITTIWAKE. Bissa tridactyla pollicaris. Rare win-
ter visitant coastwise.
42. GLAUCOUS GULL. Larus hyperboreus. Rare winter visitant
along the coast.
55. SHORT-BILLED GULL. Larus brachyrhynchus. Winter vis-
itant coastwise.
56. MEW GULL. Larus canus. Winter visitant coastwise.
62. SABINE GULL. Xema sabini. Rare migrant.
64. CASPIAN TERN. Hydroprocne caspia. Rare winter visitant
along the coast.
66. ELEGANT TERN. Sterna elegans. Fall and winter visitant.
71. ARCTIC TERN. Sterna paradiscea. Rare migrant.
91. PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER. Puffinus creatopus. Summer
and fall visitant along the coast.
560 SUPPLEMENTARY LIST
96. SLENDER-BILLED SHEARWATER. Puffinus tenuirostris. Mid-
winter visitant.
96.2. NEW ZEALAND SHEARWATER. Puffinus bulkri. One
record by L. M, Looinis.
97. BLACK-TAILED SHEARWATER. Priofinus cinereus. One
record by G. N. Lawrence.
102. PINTADO PETREL. Daption capensis. One record by G. N.
Lawrence.
105. FORK-TAILED PETREL. Oceanodroma furcata. Irregular
visitant.
108.1. SOCORRO PETREL. Oceanodroma socorroensis. Vicinity of
San Diego in summer.
129- AMERICAN MERGANSER. Mergus americanus. Fairly com-
mon locally in summer.
130. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. Mergus serrator. Common
winter visitant coastwise.
131. HOODED MERGANSER. Lophodytes cucullatus. Fairly com-
mon fall and winter visitant in the interior.
132. MALLARD. Boschas platyrhynchos. Common resident
locally.
135. GADWALL. Chaulelasmus streperus. Fairly common resi-
dent.
136. WIDGEON. Mareca penelope. Recorded from Eureka.
137. BALDPATE. Mareca americana. Abundant winter visitant
locally.
138. EUROPEAN TEAL. Nettion crecca. Recorded by J. G.
Cooper only.
139. GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Nettion carolinense. Abundant
winter visitant locally.
140. BLUE- WINGED TEAL. Querquedula discors. Rare.
141. CINNAMON TEAL. Querquedula cyanoptera. Summer
visitant.
142. SHOVELLER. Anas clypeata. Winter visitant.
143. PINTAIL. Dafila acuta. Abundant winter visitant, a few
remaining to breed.
144. WOOD DUCK. Aix sponsa. Common resident.
146. REDHEAD. Nyroca americana. Common resident locally.
147. CANVAS-BACK. Aristonetta valisineria. Common winter
visitant locally.
148. SCAUP DUCK. Mania, marila. Fairly common winter
visitant.
SUPPLEMENTARY LIST 561
149. LESSER SCAUP DUCK. Marila affinis. Common winter
visitant coastwise.
150. RING-NECKED DUCK. Nyroca collaris. Rare.
151. AMERICAN GOLDEN-EYE. Clangula clangula americana.
Winter visitant coastwise.
152. BARROW GOLDEN-EYE. Clangula islandica. Rare.
153. BUFFLE-HEAD. Charitonetta albeola. Winter visitant.
154. OLD-SQUAW. Harelda hyemalis. Rare.
155. HARLEQUIN DUCK. Histrionicus histrionicus. Fairly com-
mon summer resident.
162. KING EIDER. Somateria spectabilis. One record by H. W.
Henshaw.
163. AMERICAN SCOTER. Oidemia americana. Rare.
165. WHITE-WINGED SCOTER. Oidemia deglandi. Winter
visitant.
166. SURF SCOTER. Oidemia perspicillata. Common winter
visitant.
167. RUDDY DUCK. Erismatura jamaicensis. Common resi-
dent locally in the interior.
169. LESSER SNOW GOOSE. Chen hyperborea hyperborea. Com-
mon winter visitant.
169.1. BLUE GOOSE. Chen ccerulescens. One record by Belding.
170. Ross SNOW GOOSE. Exanthemops rossi. Fairly common
winter visitant.
171 a. AMERICAN WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. Anser albifrom
gambeli. Common winter visitant.
172. CANADA GOOSE. Branta canadensis canadensis. Fairly
common midwinter visitant.
172 a. HUTCHINS GOOSE. Branta canadensis hutchinsi. Winter
visitant.
172&. WHITE-CHEEKED GOOSE. Branta canadensis occidentalis.
Winter visitant, breeding northeast of the Sierras.
172 c. CACKLING GOOSK. Branta canadensis minima. Winter
visitant.
174. BLACK BRANT. Branta nigricans. Midwinter visitant
coastwise.
176. EMPEROR GOOSE. Philacte canagica. Rare.
178. FULVOUS TREE DUCK. Dendrocygna bicolor. Common
summer resident in the San Joaquin-Sacramento valley.
188. WOOD IBIS. Mycteria americana. Irregular visitant.
210 (part). SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CLAPPER RAIL. Rallus
levipes. Resident throughout Southern California.
562 SUPPLEMENTARY LIST
215. YELLOW RAIL. Coturnicops noveboracensis. Rare visitant.
222. RED PHALAROPE. Phalaropus fulicarius. Migrant coast-
wise.
223. NORTHERN PHALAROPE. Lobipes lobatus. Migrant coast-
wise.
234. KNOT. Tringa canutus. Casual migrant.
239. PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Pisobia maculata. One record by
J. G. Cooper.
240. WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. Pisobia fuscicollis. One
record by W. E. Bryant.
241. BAIRD SANDPIPER. Pisobia bairdi. One record by
J. Mailliard.
249. MARBLED GODWIT. Limosa fedoa. Migrant coastwise.
255. YELLOW LEGS. Totanus flavipes. Two records.
256 a. WESTERN SOLITARY SANDPIPER. Helodromas snlita-
rius cinnamomeus. Migrant.
258 a. WESTERN WILLET. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus crassi-
rostris. Migrant coastwise; occasional winter visitant.
272. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER. Charadrius dominicus. Rare
migrant.
274. SEMIPALMATED PLOVER. JEgialem semipalmatus. Mi-
grant coastwise.
276. LITTLE RING PLOVER. Mgialitis dubia. One record by
R. Ridgway.
280. WILSON PLOVER. Ochthodromus wilsonius. One record by
A. M. Ingersoll.
282. SURF BIRD. Aphriza. virgata. Rare migrant.
283. TURNSTONE. Arenaria interpres interpres. Migrant along
the coast.
283.1. RUDDY TURNSTONE. Arenaria interpres morinella. Mi-
grant coastwise.
286.1. FRAZAR OYSTER-CATCHER. Hwmatopus frazari. Rare.
292 b. SAN PEDRO PARTRIDGE. Oreortyx pictus confinis. Ex-
treme southwestern part of State.
300 c. OREGON RUFFED GROUSE. Bonasa umbellus sabini.
Resident from Cape Mendocirio northward.
308 a. COLUMBIAN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE. Pedicecetes phasia-
nellus columbianus. Resident in the northeastern corner of the
State.
319. WHITE-WINGED DOVE. Melopelia asiatica. Rare visitant
to southeastern portion of California.
SUPPLEMENTARY LIST 563
320 a. MEXICAN GROUND DOVE. Ghcemepelia passerina pal-
lescens. Rare.
334 a. WESTERN GOSHAWK. Astur atricapillus striatulus. Rare
resident in northern part of State.
340. ZONE-TAILED HAWK, Buteo abbreviatus. One record by
J. G. Cooper.
347 a. AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Archibuteo lagopus
sanctijohannis. Rare winter visitant.
357 a. BLACK MERLIN. Falco columbarius suckleyi. Rare win-
ter visitant to northern portion of State.
358. RICHARDSON MERLIN. Falco columbarius richardsoni. One
record by H. W. Henshaw.
369. SPOTTED OWL. Syrnium occidental. Fairly common resi-
dent of the San Diegan district.
370. GREAT GRAY OWL. Scotiaptex nebulosa. Rare winter visi-
tant in northern part of State.
372. SAW-WHET OWL. Glaux acadica acadica. Eleven records
as winter visitant.
374. FLAMMULATED SCREECH OWL. Otus flammeolus flamme-
olus. Two records.
374 a. DWARF SCREECH OWL. Otus flammeolus idahoensis.
Several records.
375 a. PALLID HORNED OWL. Bubo virginianus pallescens.
Desert region of the southeastern part of the State.
375 c (part). CALIFORNIA HORNED OWL. Bubo virginianus
icelus. Fairly common resident of the humid coast belt from
Santa Barbara north to San Francisco Bay.
376. SNOWY OWL. Nyctea nyctea. Rare winter visitant.
379 a. CALIFORNIA PYGMY OWL. Glaucidium gnoma californi.
cum. Coast region south to Monterey.
381. ELF OWL. Micropallas whitneyi. One record by R. Ridg-
way and one by L. M, Loomis.
394 b. BATCHELDER WOODPECKER. Dryobates pubescens leu-
curus. Rare ; possibly only a winter visitant.
394 e. WILLOW WOODPECKER. Dryobates pubescens turati. Resi-
dent in Upper Sonoran and Transition zones in most localities.
396. TEXAS WOODPECKER. Dryobates scalaris bairdi. Fairly
common in desert region southeast of the Sierras.
396 a. SAINT LUCAS WOODPECKER. Dryobates scalaris lucasanus.
Recorded from western Riverside County.
564 SUPPLEMENTARY LIST
402 a. RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis.
Winter visitant to southern part of State.
403 a. NORTHERN SAPSUCKER. Sphyrapicus ruber notkensis.
Coast belt to Monterey in winter.
412 a. NORTHERN FLICKER. Colaptes auratus luteus. Occa-
sional winter visitant.
413 a. NORTHWESTERN FLICKER. Colaptes cafer saturatior.
Winter visitant in north end of State.
418 a. POORWILL. Phalcenoptiliis nuttalli. Resident in desert
regions of southeastern portion.
420 a. WESTERN NIGHTHAWK. Chordeiles virginianus henryi.
Summer visitant in desert regions.
444. COMMON KINGBIRD. Tyrannus tyrannus. Rare summer
visitant.
456. PH<EBE. Sayornis phcebe. One record by H. S. Swarth.
464.1. SAINT LUCAS FLYCATCHER. Empidonax difficilis cineri-
tius. Summer resident in San Diego County.
469.1. GRAY FLYCATCHER. Empidonax griseus. Summer resi-
dent in central portion of State along Boreal Zone ; winters in San
Diegan district.
474 e (part). CALIFORNIA HORNED LARK. Otocoris alpestris
ammophila. Deserts of southeastern California.
474 i. DUSKY HORNED LARK. Otocoris alpestris merrilli. North-
eastern part of State.
474^' (part). YUMA HORNED LARK. Otocoris alpestris leucan-
siptila. Extreme southeastern corner of State.
474 m. ISLAND HORNED LARK. Otocoris alpestris insularis.
Common resident on the Santa Barbara Islands.
480. WOODHOUSE JAY. Aphelocoma woodhousei. Resident along
the desert ranges east of the Sierra Nevada.
481 b. BELDING JAY. Aphelocoma californica obscura. Southern
coast district.
481.1. SANTA CRUZ ISLAND JAY. Aphelocoma insularis. Resi-
dent on Santa Cruz Island.
485 a. GRAY JAY. Perisoreus obscurus griseus. Northern Sierra
Nevada.
498 /. NORTHWESTERN RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. Agelaius phce-
niceus caurinus. Recorded by R. Rulgway from Mendocino County
in May.
519 c. SAN CLEMENTE HOUSE FINCH. Carpodacus mexicanus
dementis. Resident on all the Santa Barbara Islands.
SUPPLEMENTARY LIST 665
528. REDPOLL. Mgiofhm Unarm linaria. One record by J. M.
Willard.
5406. OREGON VESPER SPARROW. Pooscetes gramineus affinis.
Winter visitant.
542. SANDWICH SPARROW. Passerculus sandwichensis sandwi-
chensis. Rare visitant.
549.1. NELSON SPARROW. Ammospiza caudacuta nelsoni. Two
records.
553. HARRIS SPARROW. Zonotrichia querula. One record by
W. 0. Emerson.
558. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Zonotrichia albicollis. Rare
visitant.
559 a. WESTERN TREE SPARROW. Spizella monticola ochracea.
One record by Feilner.
567. SLATE-COLORED JDNCO. Junco hyemalis hyemalis. Rare
winter visitant.
567 b. SHUFELDT JUNCO. Junco oreganus shufeldti. Winter
visitant.
569. GRAY-HEADED JUNCO. Junco caniceps. One record by
W. B. Judson.
573 a. DESERT BLACK-THROATED SPARROW. Amphispiza bili-
neata deserticola. Summer visitant.
574.1 b. CALIFORNIA SAGE SPARROW. Amphispiza nevadensis
canescens. Desert region of southeastern part of State.
581 d (part). MENDOCINO SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia
cleonensis. Resident in north humid coast belt.
581 d (part). SANTA CRUZ SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia
santcecrucis. Resident in the Santa Cruz district.
581 e (part). OREGON SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia phcea.
Winter visitant.
581 h. SANTA BARBARA SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia gra-
minea. Resident on Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz Islands.
581 i. SAN CLEMENTE SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia ele-
mental. Resident on San Clemen te, San Miguel,' and Santa Rosa
Islands.
581 k. MERRILL SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia merrilli.
Winter visitant; also breeds in Shasta County.
581 1. SALT-MARSH SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia pusil.
lula. Resident in the San Francisco Bay region.
581 m. SAN DIEGO SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia cooperi.
Resident in the San Diegan district.
583 a. FORBUSH SPARROW. Melospiza lincolni gracilis. Winter
visitant.
566 SUPPLEMENTARY LIST
585. Fox SPARROW. Passerclla iliaca iliaca. Rare visitant.
585 a (part). SHUMAGIN Fox SPARROW. Passerella iliaca una-
laschcensis. Rare winter visitant.
585 a (part). KADIAK Fox SPARROW. Passerella iliaca insularis.
Winter visitant.
585 a (part). YAKUTAT Fox SPARROW. Passerella iliaca meru-
loides. Winter visitant.
585 a (part). SOOTY Fox SPARROW. Passerella iliaca fuliginosa.
Winter visitant as far south as San Francisco.
585 c. SLATE-COLORED SPARROW. Passerella iliaca schistacea.
Summer resident.
5886 (part). SAN FRANCISCO TOWHEE. Hortulanus maculatus
falcifer. Coast belt south to Monterey County.
588 c. SAN CLEMENTE TOWHEE. Hortulanus maculatus dementce.
Resident on San Clemente and other Santa Barbara Islands.
588 d. SAN DIEGO TOWHEE. Hortulanus maculatus megalonyx.
Coast district of Southern California.
592. ABERT TOWHEE. Hortulanus aberti. Southeastern corner
of State.
594. ARIZONA PYRRHULOXIA. Pyrrhuloxia sinuata sinuata.
Recorded only at Fort Yuma.
595. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. Hedymeles ludovicianus. Two
records.
618. BOHEMIAN WAXWING. Sombycilla garrula. Recorded from
Lassen, Plumas, and San Bernardino Counties.
621. NORTHERN SHRIKE. Lanius borealis. Midwinter visitant
in northern part of State.
622 c. ISLAND SHRIKE. Lanius ludovicianus anthonyi. Resi-
dent on Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz Islands.
622 d. SAN CLEMENTE SHRIKE. Lanius ludovicianus mearnsi.
San Clemente Island.
625. YELLOW-GREEN VIREO. Vireosylva flavoviridis. One rec-
ord by W. W. Price.
629 b. PLUMBEOUS VIREO. Lanivireo solitarius plumbeus. One
record by H. W. Henshaw.
632 (part). OBERHOLSER VIREO. Vireohuttonioberholseri. West-
ern San Diego County, north in the interior to the San Joaquin
valley.
636. BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. Mniotilta varia. Rare
migrant.
646. WESTERN ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. Vermivora celata
orestera. Rare migrant.
SUPPLEMENTARY LIST 567
647. TENNESSEE WARBLER. Vermivora peregrina. One record
by J. Grinnell.
6526. ALASKA YELLOW WARBLER. Dendroica cestiva rubigi-
nosa. Migrant.
654. BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. Dendroica ccerulescens
ccerulescens. One record by W. E. Bryant.
657. MAGNOLIA WARBLER. Dendroica magnolia. Rare migrant.
672. PALM WARBLER. Dendroica palmarum palmarum. One
record by W. O. Emerson.
675 a. GRINNELL WATER THRUSH. Seiurus noveboracensis nota-
bilis. One record by L. Belding.
681 a. WESTERN YELLOWTHROAT. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis.
Summer visitant.
681 c (part). SAN DIEGO YELLOWTHROAT. Geothlypis trichas
scirpicola. Extreme southern coast district.
681 'e. SALT-MARSH YELLOWTHROAT. Geothlypis trichas sinuosa.
Resident at San Francisco Bay.
687. AMERICAN REDSTART. Setophaga ruticilla. Two records
by W. O. Emerson and L. Belding respectively.
704. CATBIRD. Dumetella carolinensis. One record by C. H.
Town send.
708. BENDIRE THRASHER. Toxostoma bendirei. Occurs only in
desert regions of southeastern California.
715 (part). SAN NICOLAS ROCK WREN. Salpinctes obsoletus
pulverius. San Nicolas Island.
719 a (part). SAN JOAQUIN WREN. Thryomanes bewicki dry-
mcecus. Resident in central part of State.
7 19 a (part). SANTA CRUZ ISLAND WREN. Thryomanes be-
wicki nesophilus. Resident on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands.
719 b. DESERT WREN. Thryomanes bewicki eremophilus. Resi-
dent along desert ranges in southeastern part of State.
719 d. SAN DIEGO WREN. Thryomanes bewicki charienturus.
Resident in San Diegan district.
719.1. SAN CLEMENTS WREN. Thryomanes bewicki leucophrys.
Resident on San Clemente Island.
733 (part). SAN DrEGO TITMOUSE. Bceolophus inornatus mu-
rinus. Southern California.
733 a. GRAY TITMOUSE. Bceolophus inornatus griseus. Resident
along the desert ranges.
738 a. SAN DIEGO CHICKADEE. Penthestes gambeli baileyce.
Southern part of State.
568 SUPPLEMENTARY LIST
741 b. BARLOW CHICKADEE. Penthestes rufescens barlmvi. Coast
range of Central California.
742 a. PALLID WREN-TIT. Chamcea fasciata henshawi. Interior
districts of California.
742 b. RUDDY WREN-TIT. Chamcea fasciata rufula. Central
coast districts of California.
743. BUSH-TIT. Psaltriparus minimus minimus. Entire coast
district.
749 (part). RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. Regulus calendula calen-
dula. Winter visitor ; perhaps resident in northern coast region.
749 a. SITKA KINGLET. Regulus calendula grinnelli. Winter
visitant.
752. PLUMBEOUS GNATCATCHER. Polioptila plumbea. Resident
locally in the desert region of southeastern part of State.
758 a. OLIVE-BACK THRUSH. Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni.
Rare transient.
759. DWARF HERMIT THRUSH. Hylocichla guttata guttata.
Winter visitant.
759 (part). MONTEREY HERMIT THRUSH. Hylocichla guttata
slevini. Central coast district in summer.
763 a. ALASKA VARIED THRUSH. Ixoreus ncevius meruloides.
Winter visitor.
767 b. SAN PEDRO BLUEBIRD. Sialia mexicana anabelae. The
entire State, except northern coast region.
INDEX
ACCIPITER cooperi, 143
velox, 142
Actitis macularia, 72
^Echmophorus occidentalis, 82
JEgialitis montana, 113
nivosa, 78
vocifera, 77
Aeronautes melanoleucus, 379
Agelaius gubernator californicus, 474
phceniceus neutralis, 470
sonoriensis, 473
tricolor, 475
Aimophila ruficeps, 239
Albatross, Black-footed, 17
Short-tailed, 18
Allen Hummingbird, 429
American Avocet, 60
Barn Owl, 166
Bittern, 90
Black Tern, 46
Coot, 107
Crow, 408
Dipper, 264
E:ired Grebe, 84
Egret, 94
Long-eared Owl, 1G8
Osprey, 163
Pipit, "262
Raven, 405
White Pelican, 53
Ammodramus beldingi, 217
rostratus, 218
sandwichensis alaudinus, 215
bryanti, 216
savannarum bimaculatus, 219
Ampelis cedrorum, 259
Amphispiza belli, 236
nevadensis, 237
Ancient Murrelet, 7
Anna Hummingbird, 423
Anthony Green Heron, 96
Townee, 250
Anthus pensilvanicus, 262
Aphelocoma calif ornica, 490
Aquila chrysaetos, 154
Archibuteo ferugineus, 153
Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker,
Ardea candidissima, 95
egretta, 94
herodias, 93
virescens anthonyi, 96
Ardetta exilis, 91
Arenaria melanot-ephala, 80
Arizona Hooded Oriole, 517
Arkansas Goldfinch, 528
Kingbird, 318
Ash-throated Flycatcher, 324
Ashy Petrel, 24"
Asio accipitrinus, 169
wilsonianiis, 168
Astragalinus lawrencei, 529
psaltria, 528
tristis salicamans, 525
Audubon Hermit Thrush, 307
Warbler, 538
Auklet, Cassin, 6
Rhinoceros, 5
Auriparus flaviceps, 554
Avocet, American, 60
BAIRD Cormorant, 52
Bald Eagle, 156
Band-tailed Pigeon, 130
Bank Swallow, 334
Barn Swallow, 500
Belding Marsh Sparrow, 217
Bell Sparrow, 236
Belted Kingfisher, 313
570
INDEX
Bicolored Blackbird, 474
Bittern, American, 90
Least, 91
Black-bellied Plover, 76
-billed Magpie, 383
-chinned Hummingbird, 417
Sparrow, 230
-crowned Night Heron, 97
-footed Albatross, 17
-headed Grosbeak, 253
-necked Stilt, 62
Oyster-catcher, 81
Petrel, 23
Rail, 104
Swift, 404
-tailed Gnatcatcher, 358
-throated Gray Warbler, 401
Turnstone, 80
-vented Shearwater, 20
Blackbird, Bicolored, 474
Brewer, 412
San Diego Red-winged, 470
Sonoran -Red-winged, 473
Tricolored, 475
Yellow-headed, 508
Blue Crane, 93
-fronted Jay, 489
Bluebird, Mountain, 506
Western, 505
Bobolink, 390
Bonaparte Gull, 42
Bonasa umbellus sabini, 126
Botaurus lentiginosus, 90
Brachyramphus hypoleucus, 11
marmoratus, 10
Brandt Cormorant, 50
Brewer Blackbird, 412
Sparrow, 228
Bryant Marsh Sparrow, 216
Bubo virginianus pacificus, 173
Bullock Oriole, 519
Bunting, Lark, 396
Lazuli, 498
Burrowing Owl, 175
Bush-tit, Californian, 298
Lead-colored, 354
Buteo borealis calurus, 147
lineatus elegans, 149
swainsoni, 150
CABANIS Woodpecker, 361
Cactus Wren, 276
Calamospiza melanoc.orys, 398
Calaveras Warbler, 533"
Calidris arenaria, 68
California Brown Pelican, 55
Clapper Rail, 99
Cuckoo, 185
Gull, 39
Jay, 490
Murre, 13
Partridge, 118
Pine Grosbeak, 476
Poorwill, 192
Purple Finch, 478
Screech Owl, 171
Shrike, 337
Vulture, 134
Californian Bush-tit, 298
Chickadee, 353
Creeper, 293
Thrasher, 270
Towhee, 248
Woodpecker, 376
Calliope Hummingbird, 431
Calypte anna, 423
"costae, 420
Canon Wren, 281
Carolina Rail, 102
Carpodacus cassini, 480
mexicanus frontalis, 481
purpureus californicus, 478
Cassin Auklet, 6
Kingbird, 322
Purple Finch, 480
Vireo, 448
'athartes aura, 136
Catherpes mexicanus conspersus, 281
punctulatus, 282
Cedar Waxwing, 259
Centrocercus urophasianus, 127
Ceophloeus pileatus abieticola, 372
Cepphus columba, 12
Cerorhinca monocerata, 5
Certhia familiaris occidentalis, 293
zelotes, 293
Ceryle alcyon, 313
Ctueton vauxii, 317
Chamaea fasciata, 296
INDEX
571
Chamam fasciata phsea, 302
Chat, Long-tailed, 549
Chestnut-backed Chickadee, 301
Chickadee, Californian, 353
Chestnut-backed, 301
Mountain, 350
Chondestes grammacus strigatus, 221
Chordeiles acutipennis texensis, 197
virginianus, 194
Cinclus mexicanus, 264
Circus hudsonius, 139
Cistothorus palustris paludicola, 289
plesius, 292
Clarke Nutcracker, 329
Cliff Swallow, 256
Coast Wren-tit, 302
Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus,
523
Coccyzus americanus occidentalis, 185
Colaptes cafer collaris, 188
Columba fasciata, 130
Colymbus nigricollis californicus, 84
Condor, 134
Contopus borealis, 433
ricliardsoiiii, 202
Cooper Hawk, 143
Coot, American, 107
Cormorant, Baird, 52
Brandt, 50
Farallone, 48
Corvus americanus, 408
corax sinuatus, 405
cryptoleucus, 389
Costa Hummingbird, 420
Cowbird, 411
Crane, Blue, 93
Sandhill, 98
Creeper, Californian, 293
Sierra, 293
Crissal Thrasher, 274
Crossbill, Mexican, 483
Crow, American, 408
Cuckoo, California, 185
Curlew, Hudsonian, 75
Jack, 75
Long-billed, 73
Sickle-billed, 73
Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus, 493
Cyanocitta stelleri, 485
Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis, 489
Cyanospiza amceua, 498
Cypseloides niger borealis, 404
DARK-BODIED Shearwater, 21
Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus, 124
Dendroica aestiva, 535
auduboni, 538
coronata, 537
nigrescens, 401
occidentalis, 542
townsendi, 540
Desert Horned Lark, 204
Song Sparrow, 240
Sparrow Hawk, 161
Diomedea albatrus, 18
nigripes, 17
Dipper, American, 264
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 390
Dotted Canon Wren, 282
Dove, Mourning, 132
Dowitcher, Long-billed, 63
Dryobates nuttallii, 364
pubescens gairdnerii, 363
villosus harrisii, 360
hyloscopus, 361
Duck Hawk, 158
Dusky Poorwill, 192
Warbler, 457
Dwarf Hermit Thrush, 309
EAGLE, Bald, 156
Golden, 154
Egret, American, 94
Elanus leucurus, 138
Empidonax difficilis, 436
hammondi, 441
traillii, 439
wrightii, 442
Ereunetes occidentalis, 67
FALCO columbarius, 159
mexicanus, 145
peregrinus anatum, 158
sparverius deserticola, 161
falcon, Prairie, 145
7 arallone Cormorant, 48
Ferruginous Rough-leg, 153
'inch, California Purple, 478
Cassia Purple, 480
572
INDEX
Finch, House, 481
Grosbeak, California Pine, 476
Pine, 211
Western Blue, 496
Fish Hawk, 163
Western Evening, 523
Flicker, Red-shafted, 188
Grouse, Oregon Ruffed, 126
Florida Gallinule, 105
Sage, 127
Flycatcher, Ash-throated, 324
Sooty, 124
Hammond, 441
Grus mexicana, 98
Olive-sided, 433
Guillemot, Pigeon, 12
Traill, 439
Guiraca caerulea lazula, 496
Vermilion, 466
Gull, Bonaparte, 42
Western, 436
California, 39
Wright, 442
Glaucous-winged, 32
Forster Tern, 44
Heermann, 41
Fregata aquila, 26
Herring, 37
Fulica americana, 107
Ring-billed, 40
Fulmar, Pacific, 19
Western, 34
Fulmarus glacialis glupischa, 19
Gj'mnogyps californianus, 134
GAIRDNER Woodpecker, 363
H^MATOPUS bachmani, 81
Gallinago delicata, 111
Haliasetus leucocephalus, 156
Gallinula galeata, 105
Hammond Flycatcher, 441
Gallinule, Florida, 105
Harris Woodpecker, 360
Gam be! Partridge, 122
Hawk, Cooper, 143
Sparrow, 224
Desert Sparrow, 161
Gavia i in her, 27
Duck, 158
lumine, 31
Fish, 163
pacifica, 30
Marsh, 139
Geococcyx californiamis 181
Pigeon, 159
Geothlypis tolmiei, 545
Red-bellied, 149
trichas arizela, 546
Sharp-shinned, 142
Gila Woodpecker, 378
Swainson, 150
Glaucidium gnoma, 178
Heerman Song Sparrow, 243
Glaucous-winged Gull, 32
Heermann Gull, 41
Gnatcatcher, Black-tailed, 358
Heleodytes brunneicapillus, 276
Western, 356
Helminthophila celata lutescens. 455
Golden-crowned Sparrow, 225
sordida, 457
Eagle, 154
rubricapilla gutturalis, 533
Goldfinch. Arkansas, 528
Hermit Warbler, 542
Lawrence, 529
Heron, Anthony Green, 96
Willow, 525
Black-crowned Night, 97
Grav-crowned Leucosticte, 209
Great Blue, 93
' Vireo, 454
Snowy, 95
Great Blue Heron, 93
Herring Gull, 37
Greater Yellow-legs, 69
Heteractitis incanus, 71
Grebe, American Eared, 84
Himantopus mexicanus, 62
Pied-billed, 86
Hiruiido erythrogastra, 500
Western, 82
House Finch, 481
Green-tailed Towhee, 251
Hudsonian Curlew, 75
Grosbeak, Black-headed, 253
Hummingbird, Allen, 429
INDEX
573
Hummingbird, Anna. 423
Lark, Desert Horned, 204
Black-chinned, 417
Mexican Horned, 208
Calliope, 431
Pallid Horned, 204
Costa, 420
Ruddy Horned, 208
Rufous, 426
Streaked Horned, 209
Hutton Vireo, 451
Sparrow, Western, 221
Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis. 46
Larus argentatus, 37
Hylocichla guttata auduboni, 307
californicus, 39
naua. 309
delawarensis, 40
ustulata, 306
glaucescens, 32
heermanni, 41
{BIS, White-faced Glossy. 88
occidentalis, 34
Icteria virens longicauda, 549
Philadelphia, 42
Icterus bullocki, 519
Lawrence Goldfinch, 529
cucullatus nelsoni, 517
Lazuli Bunting, 498
parisorum, 514
Lead-colored Bush-tit, 354
Interior Tule Wren, 292
Least Bittern, 91
Intermediate Sparrow, 224
Sandpiper, 65
Ixoreus nsevius, 311
Tern, 45
Vireo, 453
JACK Curlew, 75
Leconte Thrasher, 273
Jaeger, Parasitic, 16
Leucosticte, Gray-crowned, 209
Jay, Blue-fronted, 489
tephrocotis, 209
California, 490
Lewis Woodpecker, 465
Oregon, 327
Lincoln Sparrow, 244
Pinon, 493
Linnet, 481
Steller, 485
Long-billed Curlew, 73
Junco hyemalis oregonus, 333
Dowitcher, 63
pinosus, 234
-tailed Chat, 549
thurberi, 231
Loon, 27
Oregon, 333
Pacific, 30
Point Pinos, 234
Red-throated, 31
Sierra, 231
Lophortyx californicus, 118
Thurber, 231
vallicola, 120
gambeli, 122
KAEDING Petrel, 22
Louisiana Tanager, 530
Killdeer, 77
Loxia curvirostra stricklandi, 483
Kingbird, Arkansas, 318
Lunda cirrhata, 3
Cassin, 322
Lutescent Warbler, 455
Kingfisher, Belted, 313
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned, 459
MACGILLIVRAY Warbler, 545
Western Golden-crowned, 458
Macrorhamphus scolopaceus, 63
Kite, White-tailed, 138
Magpie, Black-billed, 383
Yellow-billed, 387
LANIUS ludovicianus excubitorides,
Man-o'-War Bird, 26
336
Marbled Murrelet, 10
gambeli, 337
Marsh Hawk, 139
Large-billed Sparrow, 218
Martin, Western, 415
Lark Bunting, 396
Meadow Oxeye, 65
574
INDEX
Meadowlark, Western, 511
Megascops asio bendirei, 171
Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi, 376
torquatus, 465
uropygialis, 378
Melospiza lincolnii, 244
melodia fallax, 240
heermanni, 243
montana, 242
morphna, 244
samuelis, 243
Merula migratoria propinqua, 309
Mexican Crossbill, 483
Horned Lark, 208
Mimus polyglottos leucopterus, 340
Mockingbird, Western, 340
Molothrus ater, 411
Mountain Bluebird, 506
Chickadee, 350
Partridge, 114
Plover, 113
Song Sparrow, 242
Mourning Dove, 132
Mud-hen, Red-billed, 105
Murre, California, 13
Murrelet, Ancient, 7
Marbled, 10
Xantus, 11
Myadestes, townsendii, 303
Myiarchus cinerascens, 324
Myrtle Warbler, 537
NlGHTHAWK, 194
Texan, 197
Northern Pileated Woodpecker, 372
Violet-green Swallow, 445
Nucifraga columbiana, 329
Numenius hudsonicus, 75
longirostris, 73
Nutcracker, Clarke, 329
Nuthatch, Pygmy, 345
Red-breasted, 344
Slender-billed, 342
Nuttall Sparrow, 225
Woodpecker, 364
Nycticorax nycticorax naevius, 97
OCEANODROMA homochroa, 24
Kaedingi, 22
melania, 23
Olbiorchilus hiemalis pacificus, 287
Olive-sided Flycatcher, 433
Olor buccinator, 57
columbianus, 56
Oregon Jay, 327
Junco, 333
Ruffed Grouse, 126
Towhee, 394
Oreortyx pictus, 114
plumiferus, 115
Oreospiza chlorura, 251
Oriole, Arizona Hooded, 517
Bullock, 519
Scott, 514
Oroscoptes montanus, 268
Osprey, American, 163
Otocoris alpestns chrysolsema, 208
leucolaema, 204
rubea, 208
strigata, 209
Ouzel, Water, 264
Owl, American Barn, 166
Long-eared, 168
Burrowing, 175
California Screech, 171
Pacific Horned, 173
Pygmy, 178
Short4ared, 169
Ox Bird, 66
Oxeye, Meadow, 65
Oyster-catcher, Black, 81
PACIFIC Fulmar, 19
Horned Owl, 173
House Wren, 285
Loon, 30
Yellow-throat, 546
Pallid Horned Lark, 204
Wren-tit, 296
Pandion haliaetus carolinensis, 163
Parasitic Jaeger, 16
Parkman Wren, 285
Partridge, California, 118
Gambel, 122
Mountain, 114
Plumed, 115
Valley, 120
Parus gambeli, 350
inornatus, 348
INDEX
575
Parus rufescens, 301
neglectus, 353
Passadena Thrasher, 272
Passerella iliaca megarhyncha, 247
Stephens!, 248
unalaschcensis, 245
Pelecanus californicus, 55
erythrorhynchos, 53
Pelican, American White, 53
California Brown, 55
Perisoreus obscurus, 327
Petrel, Ashv, 24
Black, 23
Kaeding, 22
Petrochelidon lunifrons, 256
Pewee, Western Wood, 202
Phainopepla, 398
nitens, 398
Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus,
48
pelagicus resplendens, 52
penieillatus, 50
Phaisenoptilus nuttalli californicus,
192
Phalarope, Wilson, 58
Phoebe, Say, 199
Western Black, 381
Pica nuttalli, 387
pica hudsonica, 383
Picoides arcticus, 368
Pied-billed Grebe, 86
Pigeon, Band-tailed, 130
Guillemot. 12
Hawk, 159
Pileolated Warbler, 552
Pine Finch, 211
Siskin, 211
Pinicola enucleator californica, 476
Pifion Jay, 493
Pipilo fuscus crissalis, 248
senicula, 250
maculatus megalonyx, 393
oregonus, 394
Pipit, American, 262
Piranga ludoviciana, 530
Plain Titmouse, 348
Plegadis guarauna, 88
Plover, Black-bellied, 76
Mountain, 113
Plover, Snowy, 78
Plumed Partridge, 115
Podilymbus podiceps, 86
Point Pinos Junco, 234
Polioptila caerulea obscura, 356
californica, 358
Pocecetes gramineus confinis, 213
Poorwill, California, 192
Dusky, 192
Porzana Carolina, 102
jamaicensis, 104
Prairie Falcon, 145
Progne subis hesperia, 415
Psaltriparus minimus californicus, 298
plumbeus, 354
Ptychoramphus aleuticus, 6
Puffin, Tufted, 3
Puffinus griseus, 21
opisthomelas, 20
Pvgmy Nuthatch, 345
Owl, 178
Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicai^us,
466
RAIL, Black, 104
California Clapper, 99
Carolina, 102
Virginia, 101
Rallus obsoletus, 99
virginianus, 101
Raven, American, 405
White-necked, 389
Recurvirostra americana, 60
Red-backed Sandpiper, 66
-bellied Hawk, 149
-billed Mud-hen, 105
-breasted Nuthatch, 344
Sapsucker, 462
-shafted Flicker, 188
-tailed Hawk, Western, 147
-throated Loon, 31
Regulus calendula, 459
satrapa olivaceus, 458
Rhinoceros Auklet, 5
Ring-billed Gull, 40
Riparia riparia. 334
Road-runner, 181
Robin, Western, 309
Rock Wren, 279
576
INDEX
Rough-leg, Ferruginous, 153
-winged Swallow, 258
Royal Tern, 43
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 459
Ruddy Horned Lark, 208
Rufous -crowned Sparrow, 239
Hummingbird, 426
Russet-backed Thrush, 306
Rusty Song Sparrow, 244
SAGE Grouse, 127
Sparrow, 237
Thrasher, 268
Salpinctes obsoletus, 279
Samuels Song Sparrow, 243
San Diego Red-winged Blackbird, 470
Sanderling, 68
Sandhill Crane, 98
Sandpiper, Least, 65
Red-backed, 66
Spotted, 72
Western, 67
Sapsucker, Red-breasted, 462
Williamson, 370
Say Phoebe, 199
Sayornis nigricans semiatra, 381
" saya, 199
Scolecopliagus cyanocephalus, 412
Scott Oriole, 514
Selasphorus alleni, 429
rufus, 426
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 142
Shearwater, Black-vented, 20
Dark-bodied, 21
Short-eared Owl, 169
-tailed Albatross, 18
Shrike, California, 337
White-rnmped, 336
Sialia arctica, 506
mexicana occidental is, 505
Sickle-billed Curlew, 73
Sierra Creeper, 293
Hermit Thrush, 307
Junco, 231
Siskin, Pine, 211
Sitta canadensis, 344
carolinensis aculeata, 342
pygmsea, 345
Slender-billed Nuthatch, 342
Snipe, Wilson, 111
Snowy Heron, 95
Plover, 78
Solitaire, Townsend, 303
Sonoran Red-winged Blackbird. 473
Sooty Grouse, 124
Sora, 102
Sparrow, Belding Marsh, 217
Bell, 236
Black-chinned, 230
Brewer, 228
Bryant Marsh, 216
Desert Song, 240
Gambel, 224
Golden-crowned, 225
Heerman Song, 243
Intermediate, 224
Large billed, 218
Lincoln, 244
Mountain Song, 242
Nuttall, 225
Rufous-crowned, 239
Rusty Song, 244
Sage, 237
Samuels Song, 243
Stephens, 248
Thick-billed, 247
Townsend, 245
Western Chipping, 227
Grasshopper, 219
Lark, 221
Savanna, 215
Vesper, 213
White-crowned, 222
Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea, 175
Sphyrapicus ruber, 462
thyroideus, 370
Spinus pinus, 211
Spizella atrigularis, 230
breweri, 228
socialis arizonse, 227
Spotted Sandpiper, 72
Spurred Towhee, 393
Squatarola, 76
Steganopus tricolor, 58
Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 258
Steller Jay 485
Stellula calliope, 431
Stephens Spai row, 248
INDEX
577
Stercorarius parnsiticus, 16
Towhee, Californian, 248
Sterna antillarum, 45
Green-tailed, 251
forsteri, 44
Oregon, 394
maxima, 43
Spurred, 393
Stilt', Black-necked, 62
Townsend Sparrow, 245
Streaked Horned Lark, 209
Solitaire, 303
Strix pratincola, 166
Warbler, 540
Sturnella magna neglecta, 511
Toxostoma crissalis, 274
Swainson Hawk, 150
lecontei, 273
Swallow, Bank, 334
redivivum, 270
Barn, 500
pasadenense, 272
Cliff, 256
Traill Flycatcher, 439
Northern Violet-green, 445
Tree Swallow, 502
Rough-winged, 258
Tricolored Blackbird, 475
Tree, 502
Tringa alpina pacifica, 66
White-bellied, 502
minutilla, 65
Swan, Trumpeter, 57
Trochilus alexandri, 417
Whistling, 56
Troglodytes aedon parkmanii, 285
Stvift, Black, 404
Trumpeter Swan, 57
Vaux, 317
Tufted Puffin, 3
White-throated, 379
Tule Wren, 289
Synthliboramphus antiquus, 7
Turkey Vulture, 136
Turnstone, Black, 80
TACHYCIXKTA bicolor, 502
Tyrannus verticalis, 318
thalassina lepida, 445
vociferans, 322
Tanager, Louisiana, 530
Western, 530
URIA troile Californica, 13
Tattler, Wandering, 71
VALLEY Partridge, 120
Tern, American Black, 46
Varied Thrush, 311
Forster, 44
Vaux Swift, 317
Least, 45
Verdin, 554
Royal, 43
Vermilion Fh catcher, 466
Texan Nighthawk, 197
Vigors Wren, 284
Thick-billed Sparrow, 247
Vireo, Cassin, 448
Thrasher, Californian, 270
gilvus, 447
Crissal, 274
Gray, 454
Leconte, 273
Hutton, 451
Pasadena, 272
huttoni, 451
Sage, 268
Least, 453
Thrush, Audubon Hermit, 307
Dwarf Hermit, 309
pusillus, 453
solitarius cassinii, 448
Russet-backed, 306
vicinior, 454
Sierra Hermit, 307
Varied, 311
Thryomanes bewickii spilurus, 284
Thurber Junco, 231
Titmouse, Plain, 348
Warbling, 447
Virginia Rail, 101
Vulture, California, 134
Turkey, 136
Totanus melanoleucus, 69
WANDERING Tattler, 71
Towhee, Anthony. 250
Warbler, Audubon, 538
37
578
INDEX
Warbler, Black-throated Gray, 401
Williamson Sapsucker, 370
Calaveras, 533
Willow Goldfinch, 525
Duskv, 457
Wilson Phalarope, 58
Hermit, 542
Snipe, 111
Lutescent, 455
Wilsonia pusilla pileolata, 552
Macgillivray, 545
Woodpecker, Arctic Three-toed, 368
Myrtle, 537
Cabanis, 361
Pileolated, 552
Californian, 376
Townsend, 540
Gairdner, 363
Yellow, 535
Gila, 378
Yellow-rumped, 537
Harris, 360
Warbling Vireo, 447
Lewis, 465
Water Ouzel, 264
Northern Pileated, 372
Waxwing, Cedar, 259
Nuttall, 364
Western Black Phoebe, 381
White-headed, 366
Blue Grosbeak, 496
Wren, Cactus, 276
Bluebird, 505
Canon, 281
Chipping Sparrow, 227
Dotted Canon, 282
Evening Grosbeak, 523
Interior Tule, 292
Flycatcher, 436
Pacific House, 285
Gnatcatcher, 356
Parkman, 285
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 458
Rock, 279
Grasshopper Sparrow, 219
Tule, 289
Grebe, 82
Vigors, 284
Gull, 34
Western Marsh, 292
Lark Sparrow, 221
Western Winter, 287
Marsh Wren, 292
Wren-tit, Coast, 302
Martin, 415
Pallid, 296
Meadowlark, 511
Wright Flycatcher, 442
Mockingbird, 340
Red-tailed Hawk, 147
XANTHOCEPHALUS xanthocephalu
Robin, 309
508
Sandpiper, 67
Xantus Murrelet, 11
Savanna Sparrow, 215
Xenopicus albolarvatus, 366
Tanager, 530
Vesper Sparrow, 213
YELLOW-BILLED Magpie, 387
-headed Blackbird, 508
Winter Wren, 287
Wood Pewee, 202
Whistling Swan, 56
White-bellied Swallow, 502 -
-legs, Greater, 69
-rumped Warbler, 537
-throat, Pacific, 546
Warbler, 535
-crowned Sparrow, 222
-faced Glossy Ibis, 88
ZAMELODIA melanocephala, 253
-headed Woodpecker, 366
Zenaidura macroura, 132
-necked Raven. 389
Zonotrichia coronata, 225
-rumped Shrike, 336
leucophrys, 222
-tailed Kite, 138
gam belli, 224
-throated Swift, 379
nuttalli, 225
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