BIRD NOTES AFIELD 



most of us have, on some lucky day, found their exquisite little 

 lichen-covered down-lined basket, deftly hidden upon the limb 

 of a tree and holding two of the daintiest white dots of eggs 

 that mother bird ever brooded over. Concerning the different 

 species of hummers, as they are sometimes designated, com- 

 paratively few of you have had opportunity to discriminate. 

 Three species are common in this vicinity — Anna's hummer, a 

 fair-sized bird of its kind, with a back of shimmering green, 

 showing a yellowish tinge in certain lights, and a wonderful 

 crown and gorget of purplish lilac, changing to a deep fiery 

 red — an ever present, ever fcimiliar species; the rufous hum- 

 mer, a much smaller form, with the back colored a bright 

 rufous, somewhat intermixed with green, the reddish hue ex- 

 tending over much of the breast, finally merging into white 

 below, with a throat of scintillating coppery red; and Allen's 

 hummer, indistinguishable from the last except by the special- 

 ist. The black-chinned and the calliope hummers are con- 

 fined to the mountains, while Costa's hummer occurs only in 

 the southern portions of the state. 



There remains but one other order to claim our attention, 

 the Passeres or perching birds. This is the highest group and 

 includes the greatest number of species, many of which are 

 familiar to you all. The sparrows, the warblers and the wrens 

 fall within its limits, as well as the crows and jays. It is 

 divided into two suborders, the Clamatores or birds that call, 

 and the Oscines or birds that sing. I may add in parenthesis 

 that some birds which are technically song-birds do not sing, 

 as, for instance, the crow. 



The calling birds include the tyrant flycatchers, of which 

 we have two representatives, the western king-bird cind the 



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