I'HE OSPREY. 



85 



A Twilight Ramble Among the Birds, 



HOW pleasant it is, and how refresh- 

 ing, when the heat of a July day is 

 tempered by the "Western sun, "to 

 wander forth into the cool, delicious air, — 

 that air which g-ives renewed life to man, 

 bird and beast, and g-ently revives the 

 drooping- foliage and tender plants with 

 its dewy breath, preparing- them to with- 

 stand the onslaug-ht of the morrow. 

 Strolling- carelessly along- a shady prome- 

 nade of Alameda's suburbs, lined with 

 g-ig-antic, g-narled and lichen-covered 

 oaks, a band of California Partridg-es 

 taking- a dust bath in the middle of the 

 road starts with a whirr, filling- the air 

 with dust, and alig-hts, some in the trees, 

 some on the fences, while others dart 

 into the shrubbery. Farther along- ap- 

 pears another covey of half-g-rown young- 

 and their parents, running- along- the side- 

 walk of the quiet road, and upon my 

 closer approach, rising- almost simultane- 

 ously with their mother, they fly over a 

 g-arden fence and scatter themselves, out 

 of sig-ht, in an arbor of g-old of Ophir 

 roses, while the male, the last to leave, slips 

 under the fence to join them. In a patch 

 of woods others are calling- to each other 

 from different directions, while from 

 every quiet nook and g-arden comes the 

 rich, winding- song- of a Russet-backed 

 Thrush, with that frequency and metal- 

 lic ring- on which he prides himself at 

 vesper-tide. One or two others, closer to 

 me, have ceased sing-ing- at my approach, 

 and are uttering- that mellow whistle 

 every few moments, preparatory to re- 

 suming- their interrupted lay. Several 

 bellig-erent Eng-lish Sparrows in a bunch 

 of ivy mar the harmony of the scene and 

 cause a discord in the music. 



A whirr of wing-s and a dark streak 

 ended by a subdued fluttering- in a tall 

 cypress tree, proclaim two belated par- 

 tridg-es coming- in from the fields, and a 

 dash with a tail tipped with white, dis- 

 appearing- into the hedg-e, and a note — 

 ' 'cheewee, " reveals an Oreg-on Towhee,out 

 late as usual. Two, three, now four, 

 California Towhees, trusting- to their 

 sombre, brown hues for protection, flit 

 sing-ly across a small clearing- into the 

 oak foliag-e beyond. The noisy Jays 

 have long- ag-o abandoned their caucuses, 

 when it became too dark to tease the 

 Screech Owls and all birds of the day are 



now silent, except the Western Wood 

 Pewee calling- from his lofty perch on a 

 eucalyptus tree until darkness quiets him. 



The numerous Black-crowned Nig-ht 

 Herons that have been skulking- all day 

 in lofty, thick foliag-ed cypress and pines, 

 have with many a "quawk," all departed 

 in sing-le file to the swamps and marshes. 

 Walking quietly along- a path thickly 

 strewn with pine needles, I stopped, 

 striking- a match to relig-ht my cig-ar, 

 when a Great Blue Heron, with a terri- 

 fied g-uttural "konk-konk," and several 

 audible flaps of his wing-s, sailed away 

 from the top of the loftiest pine in the 

 g-rove at the sig-ht of his unexpected 

 visitor. 



Taking- a short cut for home I brush 

 ag-ainst a low branch of a walnut tree 

 and hear a note of alarm, and a short flut- 

 ter of some small bird. All at once some- 

 thing- g-lides swiftlv but noiselessly before 

 my face, and in another moment I hear a 

 low, quick hoot and another answering- 

 further away. The little, phantom-like 

 Screech Owls keep flying- past m}- head 

 and now they settle on a long-, dead oak 

 limb where I can see two, now three, 

 ag-ainst the starry sky. They are alter- 

 nately chuckling- and hooting- as if they 

 were spirits about to perpetrate some dia- 

 bolical trick on me. 



I now hear the clang- of the electric 

 cars and the puffing- of the locomotives 

 more plainly, and am at last under the 

 electric lig-ht almost in the main part of 

 town: one of these elfin Owls is perched 

 in a tree by my door-way, and as I enter 

 swoops close to my head and hoots: ''are 

 you the party who yanked me out of the 

 dead oak stub and took m}- five eg-g-s last 

 April ? Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo — it was you !" 

 Donald A. Cohen. 



California Items. 



Mr. A. W. Anthony is preparing to charter a 

 vessel to cruise along- the Mexican coast, in 

 quest of specimens in botany, zoology and orni- 

 thology. 



The name of Richard C. McGregor, a nomi- 

 nee for Vice President of the Cooper Ornithol- 

 ogical Club, was withdrawn just before the 

 election of officers, as he intends soon to be 

 absent from the State for an extended period. 



Mr. C. Barlow has been re-elected Secretary 

 of the Cooper Ornithological Club, being the 

 only nominee for the office. The choice was 

 well made, even if he has had the position since 

 the club was organized, for his energy and 

 ability are recognized. 



