VOL. L.] Ornithological Observations. 23 
A cow in a pasture near by came to the gate and lowed, as was 
her habit at milking-time, four hours later. 
1:55—The first sunbeams were welcomed by the chirps of 
Audubon’s warbler, then the notes, but not songs, of robins, and 
a sudden disturbance in the tree-tops as the apparently alarmed 
birds broke out in slight notes of their calls. 
2:00—The metallic notes of the ruby-crowned wren ( Regulus 
calendula) were heard, andeincreased noise from the robins. 
2:05—A flock of eight mourning doves (Zenaidura macroura) 
flew past. The birds acted very much as on dark, cloudy days, 
but did not seem to be feeding. The cow returned to pasture. 
2:10—Blackbirds were observed feeding. 
2:15—The sun was about half obscured ; nothing unusual could 
be detected in the behavior of the birds unless that they did not 
recommence their songs. 
2:20—Vigorous crowing of roosters and increased screaming of 
robins. 
2:25—A light breeze sprang up, and a normal condition of life 
among the birds was noticed, all again feeding and calling, but the 
songs had ended for the day with the exception of a few robins 
which sang in the oaks. 
Summing up the general behavior of the birds during the event, 
- the peculiarities which cannot well be defined in writing, were all, it 
seemed, due to a sense of terror from circumstances which were 
appalling inasmuch as they were unknown and unexpected. 
In the Sacramento valley, I am told, the wild geese which were 
in flocks of hundreds were very noisy previous to the eclipse, but 
when darkness came on they became quieter, and many took wing, 
probably to the night resting grounds. 
. Since this paper was written I have received a letter from Mr. 
Chas. A. Keeler of Berkeley who was at San Rafael, Marin county, 
on the day of the eclipse. At that place it was not total, but his 
observations seem to coincide with mine, that the actions of the 
birds were caused by fright. He writes: “ Until the eclipse neared 
totality the birds acted in a perfectly normal manner. When nearly 
total all bird notes were hushed. The sharp metallic note of the 
California brown towhee.( Pipilo fuscus crissalis) was no longer 
heard, and the same. was the case with the Arkansas goldfinch 
(Spinus psaitria) which was also common. A number of Anna's 
