BKEWSTER: birds of the cape region, lower CALIFORNIA. 11 



leads down an arroyo to the sea beach. Along this it continues for a 

 distance of about ten miles and then turns inland, crossing a broad 

 table-land to another arroyo, up which it runs to Santiago and thence 

 across a second table-land to Miraflores, situated on still a third arroyo 

 which the road follows for tlie remainder of the way to San Jose. Mr. 

 Frazar spent the latter part of August, the entire months of September 

 and October and the first twelve days of November, at this place, making 

 daily excursions about its outskirts or to the neighboring sea-coast. 

 His note-books and collections, as well as the published accounts relat- 

 ing to the experiences of Mr. Xantus, Mr. Belding, and Mr. Bryant, 

 show that the locality is one of the most interesting and productive, 

 ornithologically, of any in the Cape region of which we have definite 

 knowledge. 



San Jose is situated about one and one-half miles from the Gulf 

 coast, on the edge of the arroyo, which, at this point, is upwards of two 

 miles wide and almost perfectly level. Through it winds a good-sized 

 brook, which rises among the mountains, and not far from their bases 

 disappears beneath the ground, reappearing again some eight miles 

 above the town and flowing past it over a broad, sandy bed on its way 

 to the sea. Although at the time of Mr. Frazar's visit, there had been 

 no rain for upwards of two years, this stream carried a considerable 

 volume of water, much of which, however, was diverted from its natural 

 channel to irrigate the bordering bottom lands. These are divided into 

 gardens and yield good crops of sugar-cane, cotton, and oranges besides 

 corn, beans, sweet potatoes ^ and such other vegetables as the inhabi- 

 tants of the neighboring region require. 



The banks of the stream, as well as those of the irrigating ditches 

 are fringed in places with wild canes and dense bushes. " There are 

 also a few trees, such as willows, palms, and a kind of poplar." About a 

 mile below the town, the water forms numerous small pools filled with 

 cat-o'-niue tails and floating vegetation, and just before reaching the 

 ocean it spreads out into a shallow lagoon of about eight acres in 

 extent which lies immediately behind the beach ridge. Its outlet was 

 repeatedly closed, during Mr. Frazar's visit, by sand thrown up by the 

 surf at high tide, but the water, after rising several feet above its normal 

 level, would eventually burst through the temporary barrier and 

 escape, sometimes by a new opening. From this point smooth sea- 



1 " Bananas do well at San Jose, but apples and potatoes they cannot raise, 

 althou^li the latter are grown successfully at Aqua Caliente." Bryant, Zoe, II. 

 1891, 195. 



