358 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE YOSEMITE 



At Hazel Green, Chinquapin, and Mono Meadow the males held rather 

 fixed positions in the wild currant thickets. Each individual presided 

 over a certain definite territory, invasion of which brought prompt pursuit 

 of the intruder who was usually quicklj^ put to rout. The squeaky notes 

 of most hummingbirds, and of the Calliope in particular, are more notice- 

 able during one of these pursuits than at any other time. 



A male seen in a cut-over clearing near Chinquapin was found to have 

 his 'beat' on a warm sheltered slope. Several high twigs within a 50-yard 

 radius were occupied in succession. He regularly appeared on a certain 

 one which we kept under observation for some time. While perched there 

 his head turned about almost constantly from side to side, and occasion- 

 ally he would glance upwards. From time to time he would dart oflF 

 rapidly, only to return and take position on one or another of the perches. 



The males of all our hummingbirds are accustomed to harass birds 

 many times their own size. A Calliope at Mono Meadow was seen to 

 put a Wright Flycatcher to rout, the latter seeking seclusion in a ceanothus 

 thicket. In Yosemite Valley another was seen driving at a Western Robin 

 that was on the ground. The hummer would mount as much as 30 feet 

 into the air and then dash down at the robin. Even Red-tailed Hawks 

 are sometimes 'attacked' by these pugnacious midgets. 



At Chinquapin on May 19, 1919, a female Calliope Hummingbird 

 was seen during the late afternoon hovering about the lichen-covered 

 trunks of red firs and Douglas spruces in the cafion of Indian Creek. She 

 was evidently gathering nesting material, but her nest site was not located 

 since she took a course directly up toward the top of one of the trees and 

 was lost to sight. 



The hummers at Mono Meadow were active throughout the day and 

 until after sundown. On the evening of June 19, 1915, at this place, 

 2 males and a female were seen foraging when the crepuscular sphinx- 

 or hummingbird-moths had already begun to fly. In Yosemite Vallej', 

 early on the morning of May 17, 1919, a male Calliope was seen perched 

 on a dead stub, in an oak and cedar thicket. The bird was catching flies 

 and from time to time would dart out, pewee-like, after passing insects. 



Like other hummingbirds the Calliope is often attracted by red objects. 

 Whether this is a voluntary action based on esthetic appeal, or a reflex 

 based on food-getting instinct, is problematic. At Chinquapin, on June 14, 

 a female of this species darted into the front of our open tent and poised 

 with seeming interest before a red-labeled baking powder can on the table. 

 Then the bird went out into the sunshine, but it returned again twice 

 before finally going away. Two of our three August records of this species 

 were of individuals which were attracted in the same manner, the object 

 being a red handkerchief in one case, and a sweater of the same color in 

 the other. 



