BIRDS OF THE PACIFIC DISTRICT. 25 



California, is much more shy and difficult to shoot than 

 its associate, the turkey buzzard, and is never seen in 

 such numbers. We saw very few in the Klamath Basin 

 and none in Oregon. 



Cooper, 1870. This confirms the observations of Dr. 

 Suckley and myself, as we saw none during a long resi- 

 dence and travels near the Columbia, except one which 

 I supposed to be this, seen at Fort Vancouver in January. 

 Like several other birds seen there by Townsend and 

 Nuttall, they seem to have retired more to the south 

 since 1834. 



British Columbia. John Fannin. Very rare summer 

 resident. 



Nuttall, 1840. According to Douglass in the Zoulogi- 

 cal Journal it is common in the wooded districts, mi- 

 grating in summer as far north as the forty-ninth 

 parallel. 



[It is difficult to believe that this was ever really an 

 abundant species in California. It has certainly been 

 very rare in the center of the State north of latitude 38 

 since the spring of 1856. Its present rarity may be ac- 

 counted for by quoting Dr. Cooper (Cal. Orn.): "It is 

 often killed by feeding on animals such as bears, when 

 poisoned by strychnine by the rancheros; the poisoned 

 meat kills them readily. The rancheros have very little 

 fear of their depredations on young cattle, though it 

 has come within my knowledge for five or six to attack 

 a young calf, separate from its mother, and kill it; the 

 Californians also say they are often known to kill lambs, 

 hares and rabbits."] 



Heermann, 1854. This bird was observed occasionally 

 during our survey. Whilst hunting unsuccessfully in 

 the Tejon Valley we have often passed hours without 

 one of this species being in sight, but on bringing down 

 any large game, ere the body had grown cold these birds 



