1 86 Ray, Land Birds of Lake Valley, Cal. \^^ 



51. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. Yellow-hea]>ed Blackbird. 

 — Thousands of these birds nest every year at Rowland's marsh, in the 

 thick tules over, usually, a considerable d$pth of water (4 to 10 feet). 

 Freshly built nests, eggs in all stages of incubation, and fully fledged 

 young were found during the month of June. Sets contained from two 

 to five eggs. The nests were compactly made and well fastened to the 

 tules, but when the young become grown the nest is frequently tipped to 

 one side, precipitating the juveniles into the water. In one nest, in a 

 rather sparse tule patch, the young birds were just on the x^vs,^ of falling 

 out, and on our approach one of them tumbled into the water. We 

 replaced the voung one in the nest, when another repeated the act, and 

 another, until we finally gave up attempting to put them back. We 

 paddled a short distance away and watched the nest ; soon the occupants, 

 probably none the worse for their immersion, decided to set forth again. 

 All of them succeeded in keeping afloat until they clambered up in the 

 tules with an agility which surprised me when the helplessness of most 

 3'oung birds is considered. 



52. Agelaius phcEniceus neutralis. * San Diego Red-winged 

 Blackbird. — This species outnumbers all other birds in the marsh and 

 it is strange it should have been overlooked bv previous workers (it not 

 being recorded in Mr. Bai'low's list). 1 shot seven red-winged black- 

 birds at random and all proved to be this species, as were all the red- 

 wings I observed. On every trip to the marsh I found numberless nests, 

 placed usually in small willows just above the water or attached to marsh 

 grass. All sorts and conditions of eggs and young were found during 

 June. On account of the unusually heavy snowfall in 1901, the lake rose 

 rapidly in June, flooding hundreds of nests of this bird. Manj- were 

 deserted, some containing eggs and others drowned young. 



53. Agelaius gubernator californicus. Bicolored Blackbird. — Mr. 

 Beck observed this bird nesting in the marsh near Bijou (presumably 

 Rowlands) in June, 1896. 



5.:|. Agelaius tricolor. Tricolored Blackbird. — Observed nesting 

 on the shores of Lake Tahoe by Mr. Beck who collected a set of five eggs 

 on June 12, 1896. Personally I have never seen either this or the pre- 

 ceding species and do not think they can be considered by any means 

 common. 



55. Sturnella magna neglecta. Western Meadowlark. — Not un- 

 common in the broad meadows about Lakeside, Bijou, and Rowlands. 

 They were rather shy, and I did not secure a specimen. To ine the song 

 seemed somewhat different from that heard in our coast vallej's but a bird 

 shot at Meyer's Station on Sept. 30, 1901, by Mr. Taylor, is recorded as 

 this species, so I am, no doubt, mistaken. 



56. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. Brewer Blackbird. — Common 

 about Rowland's inarsh and various meadows throughout the valley. I 

 found nests in a variety of situations ; some were placed in a depression 

 in the damp ground in meadows, some in willows a foot or less above the 



