THE CONDOR I Vol. IV

a few bicolored blackbirds, and fed in flocks. Occasionally they rested from their labors in Sheperdia bushes and conversed in wheezy tones, suggesting rusty weather-vanes. Killdeer were abundant and always screamed at the wrong moment. Here [ made an unsuccessful attempt upon the life of what I took to be a duck havk, seated on a faded piece of driftwood, making eyes at a squadron of grebes that were drawing too near. I secured a Sabine gull from one of the little fresh-water ponds where it seemed busy eating something. Doubtless a boat and plenty of ammunition would have brought to light several other gulls, besides terns and numerous ducks. Our grove of buffalo-berry trees was the rendezvous of a small flock of valley quail, besides Wright flycatchers, linnets, white-crowned sparrows, mountain song-sparrows, Audubon warblers and mountain chickadees. One of my favorite trips was to start about daybreak and walk cautiously along the beach. Grebes and ducks could be seen feeding in numbers, teal, shovellers and redheads mingling together on the water, but when started the green-wings would separate from the rest and return, if no further disturbance was offered. Avocets were frequently seen wading for Branchipus, and of course the omnipre- sent northern phalarope; which in early morning frequently associated with the least'sandpipers. Occasionally a young black-crowned night heron was aroused from a puddle edge and took refuge among the sage-brush. I am unable to say jusl what these birds found palatable, for the stomach of one I shot was perfectly empty. I was surprised on one of these trips to come across a small company of bobolinks which were seated on the tops of sage-brush bushes. They seenled curiously out of place in this region among sage thrashers and Brewer sparrows. So continuing along the beach I could see numberless birds at their early morn- ing tasks, and hear their comfortable peeps and quacks from far across the glassy water, varied now and then by a distant splash-sphsh of some startled duck. Soon, however the early sun would creep over the hills and flood the chilly shore with cheer and warmth. Birds began in real earnest the serious task of preening. It was always about this time too that I sought the thin blue column of Goldman's welcome campfire and his more welcome flapjacks. So long as memory is green may I never forget them, in their warm pan, on a a bed of glowing coals! The following is a list of birds collected or observed at Mono Lake between '.. Sptember2 and 2, x9o. Identifications which are doubtful have been queried. lchmophorus occidentalis Colymbus auritus Larus californicus Xema sabinei Arias boschas Nettion carolinensis Spatula clypeata Aythya americana [Ardea egretta: plumes] Nyctic0rax nyctic0rax nmvius Phalar0pus 10batus Tringa minutilla _gialitis v0cifera Recurvir0stra americana Oreortyx pictus plumiferus L0ph0rtyx calif0rnicus vallic01us identified from [Centrocercus urophasianus: ported] Zenaidura macr0ura Circus huds0nius Accipiter ve10x Buteo b0realis calurus Bute0 swains0ni (?) Falc0 peregrinus ariaturn (?) Falc0 mexicanus Falc0 sparverius desertic01us Asi0 accipitrinus Ceryle alcy0n Dryobates vil10sus hy10sc0pus C01aptes cafer c0Ilaris Phalanoptilus nuttalli Chordeiles virginianus henryi Tyrannus verticalis

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