A FIRST GLANCE AT THE BIRDS 



Of all western birds, the road-runner has perhaps claimed 

 the largest share of popular attention. Its long, slender body, 

 its loose, mottled plumage, burnished with beautiful iridescent 

 green and brown, its terrestrial habits, its superficial resem- 

 blance to a fowl, and, more than all else, its wonderful fleet- 

 ness of foot, have combined to spread its fame. Who would 

 believe it to be a cuckoo? — yet such in fact its anatomy pro- 

 claims it. An inhabitant of the sage-brush, the road-runner 

 delights in the desert land which most creatures shun. It is 

 a typical westerner — long, lank, and fleet of foot, able to cope 

 with the rattlesnake and capable of running from the fleet- 

 est foe. 



The belted kingfisher, which helps to enliven every rural 

 stream in North America with his cheery call, is not wanting 

 in California. With his big, crested head, his strong, sharp, 

 spear beak, his weak little feet, he is a figure never to be for- 

 gotten. His dark, glossy blue back and his white breast, with 

 a ragged, blue vest, make up a characteristic figure; and his 

 loud ringing rattle, uttered as he flies, is a fitting accompani- 

 ment to the music of a mountain stream. 



The woodpeckers are especially well represented through- 

 out California, and are particularly abundant in number and 

 variety in the mountains. There is Harris's woodpecker, a 

 fair-sized bird, with black and white streaks down the back 

 and a dash of scarlet on the head, and Gairdner's woodpecker, 

 which is like a miniature edition of the other. Related to these 

 two is NuttalFs woodpecker, in which the black and white 

 markings are disposed as bars instead of streaks. The white- 

 headed woodpecker is found only in the Sierra Nevada Moun- 

 tains and the ranges to the north of us. It is black, with the 



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