THE BIRDS OF THE ISLANDS 159 



ming-birds is remarkable. I once kept two young 

 birds, which had fallen from the nest, in my home at 

 Pasadena. They shortly became so fearless that they 

 followed us about the house and awoke us every morn- 

 ing by hovering over our faces demanding to be fed. 

 Professor Grinnell found nests and young of the 

 Costa's and Allen's species at San Clemente May 

 thirty-first and June third. 



I saw a flycatcher near our camp which I beheve 

 is the one, Etttpidonax insuUcola, described here by 

 H. P. Oberholser, a new species. They were con- 

 stantly flitting along the stone wall of our caiion. If 

 I sat perfectly still they would come within a few feet 

 of me in short flights from one point to another. I 

 am sure this was mere curiosity — it was in Septem- 

 ber, and therefore the birds would hardly have been 

 nesting and jealous of my intrusion. 



The house finch is the common bird of Southern 

 California, and its notes are delightful in the early 

 morning. It was very common at both our canons, 

 and I saw it everywhere on the island, so that it is 

 well established. AU day it could be seen about the 

 camp or along the rocks among the cacti which topped 

 them. Al Shade, a boatman, had a fevv^ fig trees at his 

 camp at Mosquito planted, I fancy, by O'Leary, and 

 one at a little spring on the south side; and these trees 

 were continually filled with finches and mocking- 

 birds. It was a constant battle for figs between man 

 and birds. I found remains of the big finch nests in 

 many places in the cacti. Professor Grinnell states 

 that the island finches are larger and more brightly 

 colored than those of the mainland. No bird adds so 

 much to human pleasure here as the finch, a thoroughly 



