THE OSPREV 





are always on the lookout for any food that is thrown 

 out. They are quite destructive to the smaller fruits 

 of the mountain ranches. It is an easy matter for 

 them to swallow a cherr\' whole and 1 have often 

 seen them lea\ing the orchards with a plum in their 

 beak. 



The White-headed Woodpecker is quite common 

 all the year, although the\- seem more abundant in 

 the fall. I have found several nests of young during 

 Jul)-. The nests were all in dead trees or stumps 

 and from eight to fifteen feet from the ground. The 

 young were almost full fledged when found. This 

 Woodpecker feeds largeh- upon wood-boring insects 

 and hardly ever on nuts. 



Nuttall's and Cabanis' Woodpeckers are plentiful 

 here although the latter is more abundant. Both 

 breed. I have taken full grown young of both 

 species in early July. These also breed in the can- 

 yons of the lower mountains, where they are found 

 quite plentiful during the summer. There are two 

 Sapsuckers found here, Williamson's and Red- 

 breasted, but neither is very plentiful at any time. 

 I took full grown young of both species about the 

 middle of July 1897. Williamson's is quite shy, 

 generally found in shaded places such as clumps of 

 trees or deep canyons. I have never seen more than 

 one of this species in a place. They are not known 

 to visit the orchards or do any damage whatever to 

 the mountain ranches. This cannot be said of the 

 Red-breasted, for he drills so many small round holes 

 through the bark of the apple trees that serious dam- 

 age often results from loss of sap. 



So far I have not spoken of the smaller birds 

 which abound in this region. The Mountain Chica- 

 dee with its mournful note is heard on e\ery side. 

 They remain throughout the year. A bird that re- 

 sembles them very much in habit and general ap- 

 pearance is the Slender-billed Nuthatch. They are 

 quite often found in company with the Chickadees. 

 There are seldom more than two or three found in a 

 place. The I'sgmy Nuthatches on the other hand 



are generally found in flocks of thirty or forty among 

 the taller pines. I found one such flock on the very 

 top of the mountains in November 'gf>. The wind 

 was very cold and the place so desolate that other 

 birds had retreated down the side of the mountain to 

 sheltered nooks. The California Brown Creeper is 

 quite rare though one can be found now and then 

 throughout the year. This Creeper is .so near the 

 color of the pine bark that it is quite difficult to see, 

 even at close range. 



The Pine Siskin is common in flocks during the 

 winter. I have never taken them in summer how- 

 ever. Brobably they breed in some other locality. 

 The .Me.xican Bluebirds are abundant all the year, 

 even w hen the snow is four feet deep on the ground. 

 They breed in the old woodpecker holes in the dead 

 pines. They often go into these holes in winter for 

 shelter. The Western Robin is also quite common, 

 breeding in oak and maple trees. The Varied 

 Thrush was plentiful in November 'g6 but they are 

 not known to breed here. 



The (jreen-tailed Towhee is abundant during the 

 summer. They breed and I have taken young in 

 July with all grades of plumage. They frequent 

 brushy places such as clumps of buck-thorn and 

 scrub-oak. Townsend's Sparrow is found throughout 

 the year, frequently in company with the Green- 

 tailed Towhees. I took full fledged young the latter 

 part of July '97 but have never found them abundant 

 at any time. Of the Flycatchers, there are three 

 species which are common in summer, the OIi\e- 

 sided. Western and Say's. They all breed here and 

 go down the mountain as winter comes on. 



Several varieties of Warblers visit the pines during 

 the breeding season but leave the mountains before 

 the cold weather comes on. I have taken .Vudubon's, 

 Calaveras, Lutescent, Sonora Yellow, Black-throated 

 Gray, Hermit and Macgillivray's. They mingle to- 

 gether in the trees and within an hour I have taken 

 specimens of each of the above from a single oak 

 tree. 



THE RUBY KINGLET'S CROWN. 



PROK. F. E. S.ANFORD. I. .A <;R.ANr,E, ILL. 



THK Ruby-crowned Kinglet was a puzzle to me 

 for some time. According to the l)ooks, the 

 male's crown has a partly concealed crest of 

 bright scarlet feathers; the female has "none." It 

 seemed impossible that all the Kuby Kinglets, which 

 are fairly abundant here in October and April, should 

 be females. Yet I had not seen the scarlet crest more 

 than half a dozen times, altogether. 



Last spring the mystery was cleared. .\ Ruby 

 was feeding in a pine tree near my window ; I 

 watched it attentively for some time, and as usual 

 could not see even the suggestion of a scarlet crest. 

 Suddenly another Ruby flew into the same tree. In 

 a moment a narrow line of fiery red appeared in the 



middle of the first Ruby's crown. It widened : and, 

 as the other bird, which was also a male, came up to 

 settle by show of encounter the question of rights in 

 that tree, the broad red stripe straightened up into 

 an almost perfect imitation of an Indian brave s crest 

 of feather.s. In this position the "white base" of 

 each feather was distinctly visible, looking almost 

 like a white skull within the circular rim of flame. 

 Rubies were unusuallv plentiful last spring, and I 

 saw this transformation several times. From m\- 

 observation before and since this incident. I have 

 concluded that the Ruby's crest, unlike the Golden- 

 crown's, is reser\ed frir exhibitions of war and 

 lo\-e. 



