272 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



in dry years as food for the goats, who numbered, I 

 should judge, about two thousand. In the large cypress 

 grove I saw scarcely a tree that did not bear the marks of 

 their teeth. 



The climate of Guadalupe was, at that season of the year, 

 quite cool, in fact the nights were so cold that ice occasion- 

 ally formed, while frost was of common occurrence. To- 

 wards spring the weather moderated considerably, and 

 in the summer, I am told, it is very warm. During many 

 days the north -westers blew keenly, rising at times almost 

 to a gale. The fogs were very dense, and, driven by 

 high winds, swept over the island, saturating it like rain. 

 Although the. rains were at no time very heavy, the slop- 

 ing and rocky formation of the land allows most of it to 

 flow off, so that a few hours of rain would send small tor- 

 rents rushing down the arroyos. 



The work of preparing specimens was beset with many 

 difficulties. On some days the large blow-flies that swarmed 

 about camp compelled me to prepare and pack in a green 

 condition the specimens as soon as brought in. But more 

 trouble was caused by the dense fogs that often enveloped 

 the camp and so relaxed skins that wore not tightly boxed, 

 as to render it necessary to reset them. The accommoda- 

 tions, moreover, were not the most suitable, nor were the 

 comforts of life in excess of the demand for them. As a 

 result of three and a half months' sojourn on the island, 

 the number of known species has been increased by twenty- 

 seven, making a total of thirty-six known to the island. 



Four of the straggling species, viz.: — Mountain Bluebird, 

 Varied Thrush, Townsend's Sparrow and Golden-crowned 

 Sparrow, are recorded for the first time from so southern a 

 latitude as Guadalupe Island, while their presence so far off 

 shore, is of scarcely less interest. It is shown quite con- 

 clusively that the four species (certainly three of them) that 

 were noted, but not taken in 1875, are not new to science. 

 The very natural supposition to the contrary held by many, 

 served to attract me to the island. 



