266 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE YO HE MITE 



Occurrence. — Common resident in lowlands and western foothill territory. Also 

 occurs during summer at east base of mountains about Mono Lake; casual in Yosemite 

 Valley and on Tuolumne Meadows. Frequents wet meadows, and pond and stream 

 margins, associating in pairs or small flocks. 



The familiar noisy Killdeer is a common resident in the western part 

 of the Yosemite reg^ion, for example, about Snelling and Merced Falls. 

 Small numbers occur during the summer months about Mono Lake where 

 they nest, while individual birds occasionally stray to higher intervening 

 localities, such as Tuolumne Meadows. While technically a typical shore 

 bird and hence thought of as a water bird, the presence of mere seepage 

 is enough to attract and hold a pair of Killdeers. Wet meadows are 

 characteristic forage grounds. 



About a rain pool on the plateau land near Forty-nine Gap, west of 

 Pleasant Valley, five or six were seen on May 28, 1915. They trotted about, 

 bobbing up and down at intervals, permitting one to approach them to 

 within 50 feet, and showing clearly all of their distinctive color markings. 

 The noise of a gun startled them quickly into flight, whereupon they began 

 to circle upward until they were a hundred yards or so above the ground. 

 For three or four minutes after the shot they continued their wild circling 

 flight and kept up a torrent of cries. Then they began to quiet down and 

 soon descended to the ground, to resume their intent search for food. 



The striking pattern of coloration, four black cross-bars on a white and 

 brown background, proves to be highly disruptive in effect when the 

 Killdeer is standing still on a pebble-covered flat ; in other words, the bird 

 becomes invisible. The smooth gliding run practiced by the birds renders 

 them much less conspicuous and more difficult to follow with the eye than 

 if they were to hop along jerkily in the manner of sparrows. 



On the pebbly shores of Bean Creek, east of Coulterville, a nest of the 

 Killdeer was found on June 6, 1915. The 4 darkly splotched eggs were 

 placed, with no attempt at concealment, and without lining of any sort 

 to provide a softer resting place, in a slight depression in the gravel. 

 When we were yet a hundred yards distant on the bank above, the parent 

 bird flushed. As we approached she ran along ahead of us. Now and then 

 she would squat down, adjust her wings, and proceed to incubate — pebbles ! 

 Failing in this ruse she trailed her wings as if they were broken, or again 

 played innocently about the creek shore, alternately attempting to decoy 

 us from the eggs and appearing unconcerned. All the while the eggs were 

 resting in the glaring sun on gravel that was hot to our hands. 



When we camped along the Tuolumne River below Lagrange from 

 May 5 to 9, 1919, a pair of Killdeer was found to be occupying a pebbly 

 flat of ten acres or so at the side of the river. The birds raised a com- 

 motion Avhenever we stirred about in the vicinity of the flat, but much 



