286 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



gnarled root about three feet from the ground, their heads 

 within a foot of each other. Suddenly the male, who had 

 been sitting motionless before the female, began a some- 

 what grotesque performance, which consisted in a rapid 

 bobbing of his head. In this he was immediately followed 

 by the female. This spasmodic bobbing and bowing they 

 repeated alternately a few times, when both stojDped as sud- 

 denly as they had commenced. After an interval of a few 

 seconds the male began again and was joined by the female. 

 The movement resembled more an upward jerk of the head 

 than a Ijow. 



Approaching on my hands and knees to get a closer view, 

 I could hear a low chuckling sound while these strange ac- 

 tions were in progress. What the outcome of this love- 

 making — for such I regarded it — would have been I did not 

 ascertain. The fear of losing the specimens — almost the 

 first I had seen — prompted me to fire. The first shot 

 brought down the female. At the report away flew the 

 male, followed by another male, which, unseen by me, had 

 been quite near, on the ground. They returned while I was 

 still holding the female, and thus gave me an opportunity 

 of securing them both. Their evident lack of timidity per- 

 mitted me to draw near enough to plainly distinguish the 

 characteristic bright red cheek -patches. In February I 

 saw a repetition of the action above noted, tJie birds being 

 in a cypress tree above me. They were very tame, espe- 

 cially the female, who came quite near as I lay upon the 

 ground, whistling "qiiit-tu," "quit-tu," and w^atching her 

 puzzled actions. In a half-dead cypress this pair had par- 

 tially pecked a cavity for a nest. 



Id addition to the familiar scythe-whetting notes they 

 have the peculiar "wake -up" call and its rapid prelude of 

 monosyllables. By imitating this call I decoyed a distant 

 female to within short range, the bird coming through the 

 thickest of the cypress grove, stopping at short intervals to 

 call and listen for a reply. 



