356 ANIMAL LIFE IX THE YOSEMITE 



ranch, 6 miles east of Coulterville, is a mecca for many hummingbirds; 

 the "red hot poker plants" are particularly attractive. Among the species 

 found to be represented there in August, 1920, were two individuals of 

 the Allen Hummingbird collected on the 5th and 10th, respectively. One 

 of these was in molt from juvenal to adult plumage; the tail feathers 

 of the adult category showed the absence of notch, and were therefore 

 characteristic of alleni. Both specimens showed very narrow outer tail 

 feathers as compared with the distinctly broader ones in the same plumage 

 stage of rufus. 



Calliope Hummingbird. Stellula calliope (Gould) 



Field characters. — Smallest of the hiimmiDgbirds in the region. Throat of male with 

 long, lancet-like feathers (pi. 46a) of a striking lavender iridescence, the whole on a 

 white background; back and top of head green; flanks tinged with buffy. Female with 

 back and top of head iridescent green; lower surface grayish white strongly buffy 

 tinged, but no bright rufous on base of tail as in the female Rufous; outer tail feathers 

 broad-ended instead of narrow as in Eufous. Voice: A faint lisping tweez-e-zeet-zee, 

 given when one individual is pursuing another ; females when foraging utter a faint seet. 



Occurrence. — Common midsummer visitant to high Transition and Canadian zones 

 on both slopes of Sierra Nevada; observed from middle of May until September 1. Seen 

 by us in Yosemite Valley only in May and June. Frequents alder and willow lined 

 canons and forest glades, foraging chiefly about castillejas and wild currant blossoms. 



The Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest species of bird known to 

 occur in California. Its average weight is only about 3 grams (i4o of 

 an ounce) which is about half that of an Anna Hummingbird, or of a 

 kinglet or bush-tit. Yet this midget is a far migrant. It visits the 

 Yosemite region only in summer ; it spends the winter months entirely 

 south of California, and some individuals of the species even go as far 

 south as the City of Mexico and beyond. 



Compared with most summer visitants the Calliope Hummer is a late 

 arrival in the region. At Mono Lake it was first seen in 1916 on May 21, 

 a single male bird being observed. Another was seen two days later. On 

 the west slope the earliest record of the bird we have is for May 14 (1919), 

 when a male was seen at Hazel Green. This late time of arrival is probably 

 related to the lack earlier in the season of suitable forage. The appearance 

 of Calliope Hummingbirds in numbers in the vicinity of Chinquapin in 

 1915 was coincident with the abundant blossoming there of a wild currant 

 (Ribes viscosissimum) . The stay of these birds is not prolonged into 

 the fall. The bulk of the crop of nectar producing flowers is gone by 

 early August and we find also that most of these hummingbirds have gone 

 by that time. On September 1, 1915, a single individual, the last definitely 

 identified for the season, was seen on the slopes of Mount Clark. The most 

 favorable localities found by us in which to observe these birds were in 



