Proceedings 39 
To one who has been a lover of birds from his youth, 
the day on which he sees his first Humming Bird is a red- 
letter day. Here is a copy of the entry in my diary :— 
“March 16, 1891. In the grounds of Raymond Hill saw 
our first pair of Humming Birds of one of the plainest 
species — Anna’s Humming Bird. They had coppery 
throats and green-tinged backs, and were very tame. One 
sat on a bare twig and allowed me to come within two 
arms’ lengths of it. They thrust their bills into the tube 
of a yellow-flowered shrub (Chinese Tobacco, Nicotiana 
glauca). Their note was high and shrill. As they hovered, 
their wings appeared double from the rapid motion.” 
I met with another of the Californian species of Hum- 
ming Bird on Santa Catalina Island, namely the Rufous 
Hummer. I saw it carry some wool or willow-down up 
into a eucalyptus, and found it was building its nest on a 
bunch of eucalyptus seeds, working the stem of the bunch 
‘nto the side of its nest. I was interested to find that 
Humming Birds are not exclusively honey-eaters. I watched 
one hovering over a lawn and catching gnats. A lady 
friend of ours at Pasedena has frequently had honey taken 
by a Humming Bird from a flower which she held between 
her lips. 
Another abundant species which was amongst my early 
acquaintances is the California Towhee, allied to the Bunt- 
ings. In shape and manner it reminds one of an enlarged 
Hedge Sparrow. It steals about under the bushes, jerking 
its long tail, which is ruddy below. 
Amongst the orange groves one is pretty sure to meet 
with the California Shrike, the California Jay with bright 
blue wings and tail, and the Mourning Dove. 
Sparrows are a multitude, but happily our English House 
Sparrow has not invaded Southern California. I saw him fur- 
ther north in San José and San Francisco. The common 
species in winter at Pasadena are the Golden-crowned and 
the White-crowned. The former go north to nest. The 
Western Chipping Sparrow, on the other hand, breeds 
round Pasadena but goes south for the winter. The Song 
Sparrow is a neat little bird with a song that reminded me 
