262 CALIFORNIA BIRD STUDIES 



I was interested to find here hundreds of chattering 

 White-throated Swifts. Many were nesting in holes in the 

 walls of the canon, some near the top, at a height of 150 

 feet, others almost within reach. 



, 



HKlte? : - 





Leaving the Potrero 



Once through the Devil's Gate which leads to a far 

 more beautiful country than its name would imply we left 

 the sparkling Agua Blanca to follow Potrero Creek through 

 a narrow gorge densely grown with live-oaks and luxuriant 

 ferns, up a trail so steep that the horses often paused to 

 breathe, and in half an hour we reached the Potrero itself, 

 a wooded valley enclosed by mountains on every side but 

 the one through which we had entered. 



Here the great live-oaks sheltered another cabin, all fur- 

 nished and ready for occupation, when once we dispos- 



