TURKEY VULTURE 281 



and fold these members several times before jumping into the air. Only 

 a few strokes of the wings are used when starting. Often the birds' 

 positions will enable them to strike down a canon so as to gain the necessary 

 initial momentum, and they then slowly rise by repeated circlings with 

 few or no further wing strokes. 



Residents say that in the spring Turkey Buzzards appear with the 

 advent of good weather and vanish temporarily during storms. Possibly 

 they repair to tree perches in remote ravines, or to the shelter of the caves 

 on the adjacent rocky hillsides where they are known to nest during the 

 summer months. 



Near Hay ward (an old roadhouse on the road between Lagrange and 

 Coulter ville), a partially albino Turkey Buzzard was seen in flight on 

 May 9, 1919. The back and upper surface of the wings were almost solidly 

 white, but the remainder of the plumage, as seen with the binoculars, 

 appeared to be of normal color. This is just another instance in the 

 seemingly endless series in which albinism makes its appearance. Albinos 

 always excite great curiosity, perhaps more than they really deserve. 



White-tailed Kite. Elanus leucurus (Vieillot) 



Field characters. — Hawk-like; size somewhat larger than that of Pigeon; wings 

 long and narrow. Whole upper surface of body pale gray; whole under surface of 

 body and forehead pure white; a large patch of black at 'bend' of wing, showing 

 conspicuously in flight. Flies in open, with much poising on beating wings. 



Occurrence. — Not seen by us. Reported on several occasions near Bean Creek, east 

 of Coulterville, and recorded once from Yosemite Valley, as detailed below. Lives about 

 open marshlands or meadows, perching in adjacent willows or oaks. Solitary or in pairs. 



The White-tailed Kite is, or was in the days of its abundance, a regular 

 resident of the lowland districts of California. It sometimes appears 

 in foothill localities and has been seen by Mr. Donald D. McLean on a 

 number of occasions over the meadows of Bean Creek, east of Coulterville. 

 There is a single record of the occurrence of the species in Yosemite Valley. 

 Mr. Otto Widmann (1904, p. 68) records that "about 9 a.m. on May 24 

 [1903] a great commotion was heard in a clump of trees near the Yosemite 

 Falls, and presently a White-tailed Kite, chased by two vireos, flew out 

 and across an opening into a tall yellow pine." None of the members of 

 our own party chanced to see this species anywhere in the Yosemite section. 



Marsh Hawk. Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus) 



Field characters. — Much smaller than Eed-tailed Hawk, and with relatively longer 

 and narrower tail and wings (pi. 44a) ; a white (rump) patch above base of tail. Adult 

 male pale bluish gray above, whitish below; adult female, and immature of both sexes, 

 dark brown above and paler brown, somewhat streaked, below. Flight slow, indirect, 

 with deliberate wing beats and frequent skimming low over ground. Never circles like 

 Red-tail. 



