FIELD-DAYS IN CALIFORNIA 



kind, with a tall crest ; and a lighter-blue one 

 without a crest. I had seen both just outside the 

 grove within an hour. In fact, ten of the crest- 

 less (California) jays were feeding together in the 

 grass of the nearest field ; and in the bushes near 

 by were three or four coast jays {carbo7iacea), 

 superb creatures, at which the blindest unornith- 

 ological man in the world could not help looking. 



In the grove itself, during my visits, the nois- 

 iest birds were a small number — perhaps only a 

 pair — of California woodpeckers. They seemed 

 to delight in high places, and not infrequently 

 were calling, " Jacob, Jacob," in the hearty way 

 to which I had become accustomed, not to say 

 attached, during my week at Paso Robles, where 

 they might almost be said to own the town, they 

 were so many and so perfectly at home in the 

 ancient, lichen-hung valley oaks. 



Two kinds of birds sang in the grove, but in 

 the remoter, less frequented parts of it only, and 

 with voices so fine — so threadlike — that I did 

 not think it strange that the keepers made no ac- 

 count of them. These were Western winter wrens 

 and California brown creepers. Of the two the 

 creepers were perhaps the more numerous ; cer- 

 tainly they were oftenest heard. For a good 

 while I could get no sight of the singers. It was 

 the creeper's little wire-drawn, warble-like tune, 

 142 



