April 1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



53 



The day proved to be a very bad one, for 

 about the time we roaehed the iniddh- of the 

 Santa Uarbara Channel, a gale spruno; up and 

 we were obliged to return and wait for about 

 two days until the storm was over. This time 

 we had a very line trip. We arrived at the north 

 end of the Island and anehoicd in a lilt Ic har- 

 bor Just after the <uri IkhI pn^^eil out of sight 

 beneath the oee.in. 



Few birds had been seen during tlie trip, only 

 a few Gulls and Cormorants, and tliey were 

 flying in the distanee. 



No sooner had the dawn of day appeared, 

 than I began to hear the sweet warbling note.s 

 of the House Fineh (C'lrpndacns mi-riramis 

 froitt(ilix), but as it became daylight, it eould 

 be seen that their habits difl"ered from those 

 found on the main land. .\t home they were 

 always seen hopping about the fruit trees and 

 on the ground, aeting like our most noted pest, 

 the English Sparrow. But here they were 

 hopping about the eaotns that found footing on 

 the sides of the steep clitts. 



We lowered our row boat and went ashore, 

 and followed up a steep, narrow canon at the 

 head of the bay. As we were hauling our boat 

 above high tide mark, a AVestern Gull came 

 flying over, and a .shot from the gun dio|)ped 

 him to the earth. I laid him near the boat. 

 We theti advanced about twenty yards fnrth(!r, 

 when a Northwest Crow alighted upon the Gull 

 and started in to make his breakfast. The re- 

 sult was, that the Crow managed to fly away, 

 but carried off a good many shot. 



Passing up the cation, specimens of the Santa 

 Cruz Jay {Aphelocoma hisnlaris). and a Red- 

 shafted Flicker (0'/?(//)«('.s cafer), made their ap- 

 DCarance. We then retraced onr steps to the 

 boat, iMit it afloat, and rowed down to the side 

 of the Island, within gunshot of the cliffs. We 

 soon got within range of a pair of American 

 Eared Grebes and .secured them both at a 

 single shot. The clitts at this point are made 

 up of volcanic rock and contain many large 

 caves, and are largely inhabited by the Sea 

 Birds. In these places they are free from their 

 worst enemy, which is that of a small fox that 

 abounds on all of the larger islands. 



I saw more specimens of the Helted Kingrtslier 

 {Cerijle alriion), flying from cave to cave, than 1 

 have ever seen at any other locality. Fish of 

 all size, plenty, and the rock bottom could be 

 seen with ease at a depth of forty feet or more. 

 We then followed down until we came to 

 another inlet with a canon at tin- head. We 

 again went ashore and I collected a specimen of 

 the Lutescent Warbler (i/. ceZ«<i lutcacenn), aUo 



a specimen of Towusend's .Sparrow (P. iliaca 

 unirlasclipusis). The following specimens were 

 identified for the balance of the day and the 

 morning of the next : 



Bald Eagle {Halimetus hincocephahcs), Fi.sh 

 Hawk (Pandion haUmetus Caroline nsis) , Western 

 Gull (LaiTus orcidentf(lis), Black Turnstoni> 

 (Arenaria melaniirephala) , Greater Yellow IjCgs 

 (Tdtanus inelanolenciis). Solitary Sandpiper 

 (Totanus soUtarius), Pigeon Guilemot (C^pphns 

 colnmba). Black Oyster-catcher (Hiemantopus 

 huchiaani). 



Several specimens of the two latter species 

 were taken. This was the end of collecting on 

 Santa Cruz, as the wind blew a terrible gale for 

 the next two days, and it was with the greatest 

 difiiculty that the schooner was kept adrift. 



The next trip made was a much more suc- 

 cessful and enjoyable one. It last twenty-five 

 days and was made ui)on San Miguel Island. 

 This islanil is situated at tlu' western entrance 

 of the Santa Barbara Channel. It is comprised 

 of about thirteen thousand acres, and the great- 

 er part is covered with drifting sand. The 

 balance is covered with tall grass, which forms 

 a hiding place for a gooil many small species of 

 birds. 



Outside of the main island, distant about a 

 mile, lie two islands. They rise above the sea 

 about two hundred feet, and each contain about 

 ten acres of land or more, probably rock. The 

 seal hunters have given the name of Gull and 

 Flee Islands to these small islets on the latter 

 island. 



I was first conveyed with a party of 

 seal hunters. Upon approaching, several acres 

 appeared one mass of living Gulls and Cormo- 

 rants. They were from all stages and sizes, 

 aud the noise they made was beyond compar- 

 ison. On examining the higher portion of the 

 Island, it was found to be the home of the Tufted 

 Puflin (Lunda cerrhata). Dozens of these pe- 

 culiar birds sat out upon the ledges of the 

 rocks, while others were flying about iu all di- 

 rections, and crevices in the rocks were filled 

 with eggs, but they were inaccessible, as they 

 were in the sides of the dills, and I was oliliged 

 to leave for the main Island after I had only 

 collected one egg. Where there was any soil, it 

 was full of burrows in every direction, made 

 by Cassen"s Anklet, and upon excavating a few 

 feet in several of these i)laces, I was rewarded 

 by finding three old bir<ls. and with each a 

 single egg. On this main ishiiid, the following 

 land birds \\ ere noted : 



Bald Eagle {Halhi'HuslcuciicjrplHdus), Prairie, 

 Falcon {Falcu yicxicaniit:), Western Meailovv 



