In a Mission Patio. 



little to the poetic charm of the ruin. 

 In January, however, the cliff-swallows 

 were away in the south, and only a few 

 of the early white-breasted swallows 

 were noticed about Capistrano. 



The black pewee was one of the 

 most constant inhabitants of the ruin. 

 Sometimes he sat in the garden among 

 the wallflowers and geraniums which old 

 Pedro Verdugo attended, or again he 

 would rest upon the tiles or upon a 

 projecting door cornice in the corridors. 

 He is a staid, demure little fellow, with 

 quiet manners, except for the occasional 

 jerky up and down tilt of the tail. His 

 note is a quiet, short tsip^ usually uttered 

 as he flits from perch to perch. His 

 head is blackish, and his back dark 

 slate, this color extending around the 

 throat and breast, abruptly marked 

 against the white of the under parts. 

 Hear the loud snap of his bill as he 

 flits into the air from his perch and 

 catches an insect on the wing! He is 

 solitary, but with an air of independent 

 226 



