THE OSPREY. 



51 



eye, oak and pine trees. In the hij^h tiiles 

 frinf^inj^ Laurel Dell Lake I found several nests 

 of the Western Yellow-throat, one containinj^' 

 four partly incubated ej^s's and near by a 

 Samuel's Sotiif Sparrow's nest with the same 

 complement. Six ej4"ffs of Allen's Hunimin<f- 

 bird were found on the lake shore within a ra- 

 dius of sixty feet, in laurel and buckeye trees. 

 IJesides the usual species a number of Green 

 Herons, Mockinfj^birds and Cormorants were 

 seeii. 



On our way home I discovered a nest of the 

 Am. Dipper on a ledi;;e of a cliff on Sulphur 



but seeing" us she left her perch and, after hover- 

 ing- over f)ur heads, sailed out of sig"ht. Leav- 

 ing my brother to "snap" the kite should she re- 

 turn, I ascended the tree. The lower limbs 

 were fairly strong- and it was an easy matter to 

 climb up fifty feet. Higher up, however, a large 

 limb snapped suddenly and the others became 

 so small and dead that it was dang-erous to 

 ascend further, and, althoug-h it was tantalizing- 

 to leave such an inviting- nest but forty feet 

 higher up. I descended. Happening- to camp 

 nearby, visions of richly marked egg-s again 

 brought us to the spot at dusk. The parent 



Nest of White-tailed KriK on Terminal Bough of Tall Dead Pine. 



Creek near the Geysers (Sonoma Co.). It was 

 necessary- to swim ag-ainst the current to reach 

 the nest which contained four half grown 

 young. Near Geyserville, a nest in a tall dead 

 pine on the hillside attracted our attention. 

 The day being ver\' warm, we left Pierce of our 

 party to drive the team in the shade, while my 

 brother and I, armed with a shot-g-un and kodak, 

 set forth up the canyon. Making our way 

 through the dense manzanita and other brush, 

 we finally reached a knoll opposite the tree. A 

 White-tailed Kite was on a limb below the nest, 



sailed oft" the nest on our approach, but staj-^ed 

 in the vicinity. Being deceived from a distance 

 by the height of the tree. Pierce volunteered to 

 bring- the treasures into camp. A short climb 

 on the dead limbs, however, cooled his ardor and 

 he also gave it up. 



Leaving next morning, we travelled all that 

 day, and the Kite's nest, clearU' outlined against 

 the blue sk^-, was left far to the north. Ari-iv- 

 ing in San Francisco on June 19, our 360 mile 

 trip to Lake and Mendocino Counties came to 

 an end. 



