THE OSPREY. 



55 



remarkable, all males. In counting- sexes, 

 fifteen proved to be males and seven fe- 

 males, and only one male and three fe- 

 males were last year's birds. Only one 

 of the twenty-tv/o was young- enoug-h to 

 be under size. 



Two seasons ag-o a family of Black- 

 headed Grosbeaks, the parents and three 

 young-, came reg-ularly into m}' g-arden, 

 several times a day, consecutively for 

 about a month, to feed upon sunflower 

 seeds. The old birds plucked the ripe 

 seeds, cracked the hulls and fed the 

 meats, one at a time, to the young-. 

 These young- vagrants appeared fully two 

 months old by the first of September, yet 

 clamored for food, with outstretched 

 necks and open mouths, shaking- wings 

 and petulant cries. House Finches, Cal- 

 ifornia Purple Finches, and a few Plain 

 Titmice were regular visitors to the sun- 

 flower patch. 



Flocks of Semi-palmated Sandpipers and 

 several other small waders, as well as a 

 few White-winged Scoters and quite a 

 number of Surf Scoters remain about San 

 Francisco Bay all summer. These are 

 known to breed only far to north of here, 

 and since there has been no evidence of 

 their breeding- here, and they have not 

 been wounded and oblig-ed to remain, the 

 question naturally sug-g-ests itself, "have 

 they missed a season?" The greater ma- 

 jority of Scoters remaining- are females. 



Aug-ust 12th, 1894, found a nest of 

 Oreg-on Towhee in a small scrubby live 

 oak, covered with live blackberry vines, 

 eig-ht feet from the ground, contain- 

 ing- three stale eg-g-s, and composed of 

 rotten strips of Calcutta jute bag-, and 

 lined with fine g-rass. Another nest, of 

 the same season, was placed two feet dis- 

 tant, and similarly constructed, with a 

 little less jute. The bird being- a ground 

 builder, or used to a thick foundation of 

 leaves and twig-s, must have purposely 

 selected the jute to make a foundation 

 for the nests in the uncertain oak twig-s. 



One way of partially exterminating- the 

 Eng-lish Sparrow lies in tearing- down 

 the nests, ( that should be left until the 

 young- are about ready to leave.) If a 

 nest with fresh e^rg-s is torn down the 

 old birds immediately make use of the 

 material and start a new nest near bv. 



The second nest, however, cannot always 

 be detected, so it is best to keep the old 

 birds occupied in almost rearing- one 

 brood as it g-ives them less time to build 

 ag-ain, and ver^- often they abandon the 

 idea of rebuilding- late in the season. 

 Their favorite nesting- sites near my home 

 are tops of palm trees and thick ivy, and 

 in rebuilding, more open situations, such 

 as spreading branches of trees are selected. 

 Thus the nests are more conspicuous and 

 can be poked down with a long pole. A 

 few nests were found about buildings and 

 in holes in trees, and were also destroyed. 

 This constant persecution has resulted in 

 ridding the neighborhood of hundreds 

 that formerlv bred here. 



November 1st wild game was surely 

 being sold in San Francisco despite the 

 fact that the law saye it shall not be sold 

 prior to November 15th. The newspapers 

 have for some time printed daily quota- 

 tions of game in the wholesale market col- 

 umns. The law is practically a dead letter, 

 as no penalty can be enforced for violations. 



Lovers of the dog and gun have found 

 an abundance of quail on the hillsides 

 throughout the State, but duck hunters 

 have had poor success, especially in the 

 bay counties. They are waiting for a storm 

 to drive the ducks into the marshes from 

 that large expanse of water comprising 

 San Francisco, San Pablo and Suison Bays. 



Outside hunters have shot ducks over 

 the club men's preserves, and the threat- 

 ened bloodshed has been averted by good 

 nature( ?) on both sides. In some cases 

 the keepers have been ordered to frighten 

 all the ducks from the grounds, as a 

 last resort. The outsiders have ap- 

 pealed to the United States District At- 

 torney to remove the barrier placed by 

 clubmen across the main slough on the Sui- 

 son Marsh, and to declare it a navigable 

 stream. He has requested a solution of 

 the vexed question from the Assistant 

 United States Engineer. 



Albinos^ 



Mr. Charles K. Reed, of Worcester, 

 Massachusetts, has recently received an 

 albino White-throated Sparrow; also two 

 albino Red Fox Squirrels. Mr. Reed 

 says that taxidermists' work is now in 

 greater demand than he has seen it for five 

 years back. 



