ORNITHOLOGY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY. 419 



ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. 



BY W. OTTO EMERSON. 



The months of January, February and March, 1884, found 

 me storm-bound on the Volcano Mou7itains, about seventy- 

 five miles northeast of San Diego. The intervals between 

 January 15-20 and between April 6-28 were spent in Poway 

 Valley, twenty-two miles north of San Diego. 



The Volcano Mountains seem to be a spur from the main 

 range, rising about 5,000 feet above sea level. Eastward 

 as far as the eye can see lies the so-called desert. West- 

 ward among the valleys and tablelands (mesas) the country 

 is sparsely settled. The western side of the range is well 

 timbered with several species of oaks, while towards the 

 north, dark, heavy belts of timber are seen. 



Poway Valley is surrounded by high rolling hills; these 

 in many places are bare and rocky; again, covered with 

 patches of cacti. Black and white sage is the principal veg- 

 etation covering the sides of the many ravines. Very few 

 trees of any kind are seen; these comprise oaks, elders, oc- 

 casional sycamores and clumps of willows. The elders grow 

 very large, the berries furnishing food for Robins, Mocking- 

 birds, Bluebirds, House Finches, and others. The sycamores 

 are the habitation of several species of rapacious birds. 

 Numerous kinds of cacti are found, the one known as cholla 

 being used by many birds to^build their nests in. 



In the present paper it is intended to show the relative 

 abundance of the various species found on the Volcano 

 Mountains in winter; also those of Poway Valley in winter, 

 and of the latter place after the spring migrants had begun 

 to arrive. The lists are somewhat incomplete, owing to my 

 ill health preventing observations during the severest 

 weather. The winter was an unusually severe one on the 



