82 



OENITIIOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-No. 6 



aocoinit ot it being at tlie extremities of the 

 limlis. 



The Corniorautsuests were smaller and with 

 a deep depression in the centre, while the 

 Herons' nests were after the usual style, al- 

 most flat on top. The Cormorants' nests also 

 ditt'ered from those of tlie Herons, by having a 

 lining of rushes. 



The rain of the morning made the trees ex- 

 tremely slippery as well as dangerous to ascend, 

 which could only be done with the use of a 

 strap. The average number of eggs in the 

 Herons' nests was live, most of which were 

 slightly incubated ; while those of the Cormo- 

 rants contained five also, which were fresh, 

 however, being a complete set I believe. 



Wlieu up in the top of the highest tree, a 

 grand sight presented itself, as bunches of 

 big blue eggs were scattered arouud every- 

 where, with an occasional nest full of young 

 birds, and hundreds ot birds were i)crched 

 around in tree tops and on the edges of their 

 nests. 



A peculiarity of these birds is that they oc- 

 cupy but that one island, and not a solitary nest 

 can be found on any of the other numerous is- 

 lands or on the shore. 



Late in the afteruoon, we left the island with 

 as many eggs as we could use, and well pleased 

 with our trip we returned home the next morn- 

 ing. 



Ill the suiuiuer of 1886, I was living at the 

 lake, and I improved the opportunity by pay- 

 ing another visit to the island in the latter part 

 of August. The scene was entirely changed, 

 the weeds had grown taller than a man's head, 

 and the ground was strewn with egg shells, and 

 the squawking of the young birds was almost 

 deafening. The trees and spots under the nests 

 were literally whitewashed « itli the excrements 

 of the birds, and it is needless to say that the 

 atmosphere was \evy foul. 



The young birds presented an odd appear- 

 ance, the Herons sitting in rings around their 

 nest waiting for the return of their parents, 

 but the Cormorants arranged themselves in 

 rows along the long dead limbs. Upon throw- 

 ing a stone among them, they would hastily 

 clamber back into their nest, but a young 

 Heron, braver than the rest, tried his wings 

 probably for the lirst time, in attempting to 

 fly across to the mainland, but it was a failure, 

 as he fell into the water when about a hundred 

 feet from the island, but he turned himself 

 right side up and looked very comical indeed, 

 sitting in the water like a duck, with his long 

 neck towering above him. 



As we left the island we rowed over to where 

 he was, and caught him and took him home, 

 hoping to make a pet of it, but he would eat 

 nothing, and soon starved to death. 



Turkey Buzzards {Cathartes aura), are con- 

 tinually seen sailing about the island during 

 the summer. This was pretty far north for 

 such birds, but they are Buzzards, nevertheless, 

 as I shot one and identified it. 



Albinos. 



IIY W. OTTO EMEUSON, HAYWAIiUS, CAI 



One of the most interesting freaks of nature, 

 it we can so call it, is tiie Albinoism in quadru- 

 ped or bird, in some cases very beautiful. A 

 number of specimens have come under my ob- 

 servation in the Fauna of California bird life, 

 audi will try and give the O. &. O. readers 

 full benefit of them. 



Bank Swallow (Clivicola riparia). This Al- 

 bino Swallow was first seen by a friend of 

 mine, flying with a number of others, near 

 their nesting site, the rough face of a high 

 gravelly hill, that had becu washed down for 

 years by the process of hydraulicing for gold, 

 near Placerville (known as Ilangtown in early 

 days). El Dorado County, 1878. On the third 

 day it was seen, the swallows commenced an at- 

 tack on their wliite mate, and did not stop until 

 they had killed it, its white coat standing it as 

 no truce ot peace. The gentleman saw it drop af- 

 ter the hard struggle for life, picked it up and 

 brought it into town, as a great curiosity, and 

 so it proved. I had a good chance to examine 

 the swallow, which proved to have been a 

 young bird, well feathered, and of a dull ashy 

 or rusty white color all over. 



Western Meadow Lark (jS^. manna neglccta), 

 was shot in Haywards, spring of 1878, a year 

 after my taking up my residence here. This 

 bird I did not have a chance to see, but the 

 young fellow who shot it told me it was almost 

 jiure white, the regular markings of the Lark 

 could be seen but of a dull color, no tinge of 

 the yellow on the breast showed. It was sent 

 over to Woodward's Garden, San Francisco, 

 Cal. In the city named, for some months could 

 be seen a pair of mounted California Partridges 

 {('allipcpla Calif iirnka), they were as hand- 

 some a pair of Albinos as I ever beheld. A 

 light creamy gray mantle seemed to veil the 

 wliole bird, with the peculiar shell-like mark- 

 ings of the flanks and belly showing out dark- 

 er than the others over the Partridge. The 



