THE MOUNTAINS AT PIRU 263 



sessed the mice, spiders and sundry other tenants. Potrero 

 Creek sprang from a bubbling spring in the valley and 

 formed a small pond before the cabin in which, like Barn 

 Swallows, the White-throated Swifts bathed ; at dusk the 

 Poor-wills called from its shores, and at night an Owl 

 hooted from the oaks overhead. Its voice resembled that of 

 the Barred Owl but was higher and, in place of two long 

 notes followed by two short ones, the first and fourth notes 

 were long, the second and third short. I supposed it to be 

 the Spotted Owl, (Strix occidentalis),ihe only one I have 

 ever heard. 



Arkansas Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers, West- 

 ern Wood Pewees, Western Flycatchers, (young leaving the 

 nest), Arizona Hooded Orioles, House Finches or Linnets, 

 Arkansas Goldfinches, Heermann's Song Sparrows, Black- 

 headed Grosbeaks, Spurred and Anthony's Towhees, Lazuli 

 Buntings, Western Tanagers, Hutton's, Swainson's and 

 Cassin's Vireos, Phainopeplas, Yellow, and Black-throated 

 Gray Warblers, (feeding young), Vigor's and Parkman's 

 Wrens, Western Gnatcatchers and Western Bluebirds were 

 the common birds of the valley, and in the canons Dotted 

 Canon Wrens were numerous and Eock Wrens not 

 infrequent. 



Our stay in the Potrero was made memorable not only 

 by the seclusion of our camp and charm of its surroundings, 

 with its abounding bird-life, but by the daily sight of the 

 great Condors in which I was especially interested. On the 

 afternoon of our arrival, no less than seven of the splendid 

 birds were in view at one time, sailing high above the moun- 

 tains. They were readily identified by their white under 

 wing-coverts ; but when they were too far away, or too low 

 for this conspicuous character to be discerned I could not 

 distinguish them, with certainty, from Turkey Vultures 

 unless they chanced to be associated with that species, when 

 they could at once be known by their larger size. When the 

 two were seen flying together, the Condor appeared to be 



