162 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



and the little bird is one of the delight-givers of Nature, 

 — about as common is the dwarf hermit thrush. 



A characteristic bird is the San Clemente wren, 

 which Professor Grinnell first found near Smugglers' 

 Cove in numbers, especially on the cactus and the 

 cherry brush. I saw several at Rowland's and at 

 Mosquito. It is an inquisitive little bird with most 

 attractive note. 



The birds which nest on the ground, as the meadow 

 lark and the quail (partridge), are liable to be exter- 

 minated here by the foxes, which are common and for 

 whom eggs are a honne bouche. 



When evening came on a number of night birds 

 appeared, and bats were frequently mistaken for them. 

 I doubtless saw a dusky poor-will, as Grinnell has 

 noticed it here. The mocking-bird was common; we 

 had but to approach the fig trees of Mosquito Harbor 

 to see half a dozen fly into the bush, only to return 

 the moment we left. At Pasadena it is almost impos- 

 sible for me to raise a crop of figs or peaches on account 

 of the mocking-birds and house finches. 



One night at Mosquito I saw something like a big 

 bat crawling along at the entrance of my tent. It 

 proved to be the young of the black petrel, an attract- 

 ive little creature, which I endeavored to save, but it 

 died the following day. 



I frequently saw these birds in mid-channel and not 

 far from shore. Many of the rocks were white with 

 the guano of cormorants — Farallone and doubtless 

 Brandt's, — and the birds could be seen going up the 

 coast at night, flying in long black, undulating lines 

 looking not unlike sea serpents. The nest of Brandt's 

 cormorant, many of which I saw at Santa Cruz, is a 



