WINGED LIFE 



175 



are tracks, too, of the coyote and the wild-cat 

 tracks following tracks. The animals and the 

 birds belong to the desert or the neighboring 

 mountains ; but they are not always on view. 

 You meet with them only in the early morning 

 and evening when they are moving about. In 

 the middle of the day they are in the shadow of 

 bush or rock or lying in some cut bank or cave 

 keeping out of the direct rays of the sun. 

 The birds are not very numerous even when 

 they come forth. They prefer places that afford 

 better cover. And yet as you make a memo- 

 randum of each new bird you see you are sur- 

 prised after a time to find how many are the 

 varieties. 



And the surprise grows when you think of 

 the dangers and hardships that continually har- 

 ass bird-life here in the desert. It may be 

 fancied perhaps that the bird is exempt from 

 danger because he has wings to carry him out 

 of the reach of the animals ; but we forget that 

 he has enemies of his own kind in the air. And 

 if he avoids the hawks by day, how shall he 

 avoid the owls by night ? Where at night shall 

 he go for protection ? There are no broad- 

 leaved trees to offer a refuge in fact few trees 

 of any sort. The bushes are not so high that 



Scarcity of 

 birds. 



Dangers of 

 bird-life. 



No cover for 

 protection. 



