The Season 



163 



ingof the fruit trees is from two to four weeks 

 late. 



While the average monthly temperature 

 for the season in Los Angeles has been but 

 one degree below the normal, to the average 

 citizen it has seemed very cold. To be exact, 

 I called upon the observer at the meteoro- 

 logical station this morning for data. The 

 station on Mount Wilson this morning, April 

 13, recorded a temperature of io° Fahr. The 

 rainfall for the season recorded there to date 

 has been 59.32 inches, which is three and one- 

 half times the amount that fell last year. In 

 Los Angeles the record to date is 19.06 inches, 

 five one-hundredths of an inch of which fell 

 yesterday, partly in the form of a snow -flurry 

 from the severe storm which prevailed in the 

 mountains. The prevailing low tempera- 

 tures are serving to hold the snow on the 

 mountains and while the streams are run- 

 ning bank-full there has been little flood 

 damage during the period covered by this 

 report, the rainfall for March having been 

 below normal. The winter land-birds are 

 still here in normal numbers. Band-tailed 

 Pigeons are reported from many localities in 

 flocks of considerable size. A resident of the 

 oak regions in the Santa Ana Mountains 

 reports a serious depletion of mast on which 

 he depends for forage for hogs in consequence 

 of the consumption of acorns by the hundreds 

 of Pigeons which have invaded the region. 

 Lewis's Woodpeckers were noted as recently 

 as April 12. Mountain Bluebirds and Slender- 

 billed Nuthatches have not been noted since 

 the middle of March. 



A Northern Flicker was a visitor at the 

 drinking-fountain in the garden of one of our 

 Pasadena members March 10. To this same 

 garden, during the last few days, have come 

 an Orange-crowned Warbler and a Calliope 

 Hummingbird. The Rufous Hummingbird 

 was first noted February 13, again on the 

 24th, and frequently since that date. Feb- 

 ruary 19, a small flock of Swallows was seen 

 flying high, unidentified. Violet-green Swal- 

 lows were recorded February 22. The 

 Lutescent Warbler was seen February 22 and 

 24, but did not become common until late 

 March. March 7, Lawrence's Goldfinch 

 appeared. March 15, many swallows in a 

 mixed flock, mainly the Violet-Green, passed 



northward over the San Gabriel River. 

 March 26, there was a large influx of Tree 

 Swallows with a few Barn and Rough- 

 winged. Purple Martins arrived March 17, 

 and Arizona Hooded Orioles March 15. 

 Kingbirds were first noted March 22, when 

 Western Vesper Sparrows were seen, and the 

 flight-song of the Horned Lark and the 

 Meadowlark noted. Bullock's Oriole was not 

 recorded until March 30. April 2, the Black- 

 headed Grosbeaks were seen in two different 

 localities, and during the succeeding week 

 arrived in numbers. The list of Warblers to 

 date includes only the Lutescent, Pileolated, 

 Black-throated Gray, and Calaveras; but 

 few individuals have been seen. Flycatchers 

 have also been scarce, only an occasional 

 Western, Traill's, and one Ash-throated 

 having been recorded. Warbling and Cassin's 

 Vireos have been noted occasionally. 



The lure of the desert, with its riot of bloom 

 following the unwonted abundance of mois- 

 ture, has drawn some of our group of bird 

 observers to Palm Springs where the Verdin 

 was found building, and to the Mohave where 

 the Desert Black-throated Sparrow oblig- 

 ingly perched upon the sagebrush while all 

 his points were observed. In the latter local- 

 ity the Sage Thrasher was also found. 



About the middle of February, large flights 

 of Wild Geese were noted and Ducks were 

 very numerous in the sloughs. Canvasback, 

 Pintail, Shoveller, Scaup, Redhead, Green- 

 winged, and Cinnamon Teal were noted. 

 March 12 and 18, Glaucous-winged and 

 California Gulls were leaving, Horned Grebes 

 and Egrets were last seen on the latter date 

 when both were showing signs of nuptial 

 plumes. On the same date occurred the first 

 recorded appearance of the Hudsonian Cur- 

 lew this season, two individuals. One Long- 

 billed Curlew, one Yellow-legs, and one Black- 

 necked Stilt were listed. 



March 26, about fifty Hudsonian Curlew 

 and a few Marbled Godwits had joined the 

 company, together with hordes of small 

 Sandpipers. March 15, a large flock of 

 White Pelicans was seen passing north- 

 ward. On March 19 and 26, large flights of 

 Little Brown Cranes were noted over Pasa- 

 dena. — Frances B. Schneider, Los Angeles, 

 Calif. 



