Vol. XXII 

 1905 



Ray, A Third Trip to the High Sierras- 3^0 



Tree Swallow {Tachycineta bicolo?-), both being warmly lined with 

 feathers. One contained seven eggs well advanced in incubation, 

 while the other held a single but unusually large egg, measuring 

 .84X.54 inches, which contained two perfectly formed embryos, 

 the first instance of the kind I have found in eggs of wild birds. 

 The specimen is elliptical oval in shape and has the same uneven 

 patched effect noticeable in double-yoked chicken eggs. 



I found that with the rowboat I was unable to reach many por- 

 tions of the marsh that I visited in 1901 and 1902, when I had a 

 light canvas canoe. While nothing particularly new was observed, 

 the marsh with its great tern colonies {Sterna forsteri and Hydro- 

 chelidon surinamensis), the clattering crowds of blackbirds (Age- 

 laius phceniceus neutralis, Xanthocephalus xatithocephalus and 

 Euphagus cyanocephalns) full of nesting troubles, the busy Kill- 

 deer, and Spotted Sandpiper {sEgialitis vocifera and Actitis macu- 

 laria) practicing their deceptive tactics — running everywhere 

 along the grassy shores except about their nests — and the vari- 

 ous waterfowl, present a sight that is ever new and interesting to 

 the naturalist. 



June IQ-25. — During this week I did little ornithological work 

 except taking a female Nighthawk {Chordeiles virginianus vir- 

 ginianus) which contained an egg about to be laid. (This speci- 

 men, in the collection of the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, 

 was identified by Mr. Leverett M. Loomis as above.) 



June 26. — This morning a friend named Agnew and myself 

 started for Star Lake, which we reached at noon and put in 

 some time successfully fishing. Neither here nor on the way up 

 did I notice anything new in the 'bird line.' Around the log 

 cabin in which we are staying Clark Nutcrackers (Nucifraga 

 columbiana) come in droves after the fish heads we have thrown 

 out on the snow, which still lies deep on the ground. 



June 27. — All forenoon Agnew was endeavoring to cook some 

 beans, but the high altitude was against us. About noon we set 

 forth, ascending the precipitous mountain side which rises above 

 the southern end of the lake. Chopping into the snow to keep 

 from slipping, clambering over masses of huge boulders, or 

 threading our way along narrow ledges made the climb both 

 laborious and dangerous. On reaching the main backbone of 



