In a Mission Patio. 



farmers', who think of them only as in- 

 veterate pillagers of the corn fields. 

 To me they recalled a Wisconsin boy- 

 hood with all the delights of woodland 

 rambles and country life. In California 

 the distribution of the crow is much 

 restricted, and I have never seen one 

 about Berkeley or any of the San Fran- 

 cisco Bay regions except in Marin 

 County. 



One of the birds which particularly 

 interested me about the mission was the 

 white-throated swift. The swifts are 

 peculiar birds, which old-time ornitholo- 

 gists supposed to be related to the swal- 

 low, but which are now considered to be 

 more closely allied to the humming- 

 bird and goatsucker families. The 

 common chimney-swift (or swallow, as 

 it is still sometimes incorrectly called) 

 is a familiar example of the group, 

 which numbers only four North Ameri- 

 can forms, but the white-throated swift 

 is greatly restricted in distribution, and 

 I had never before had so good an 

 224 



