1908] Grinnell_—Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains. 15 
on the summit, and others among the dwarfed limber pines on 
the slopes. I hardly think any birds breed on or very near the 
summit, unless it be the rock wrens. Yet on June 19, 1907, I 
saw a male Sierra junco perched on the tip of the monument, 
from which he uttered his song. On two oceasions I could hear 
from the summit the nasal calls of the Clarke nuterackers, which 
were feeding among the pines far down the slopes. In July a 
number of birds were to be seen, wanderers from below, and alto- 
gether I noted: Audubon warbler, rock wren, golden eagle, Cali- 
fornia horned lark, and white-throated swift, besides the two 
species above mentioned. The rapidly rising air currents brought 
with them an amazing number of insects, especially of the slow- 
flying sorts such as winged ants and millers, and many of these 
were to be seen lying benumbed on the snow banks. This cold- 
storage food supply doubtless accounts for the families of rock 
wrens, juncos, and horned larks which were seen around the 
snowbanks in July. (See pls. 8a, 8B, 10.) 
Buvurr LAKE. 
The ridge separating Bear valley from the valley of the upper 
Santa Ana is cut off to the west by the deep canon of Bear Creek, 
which below joins the Santa Ana. The erest of this ridge is 
broad and rolling, and in its western portion varies from 7500 to 
8000 feet in altitude. Bluff lake is a loeality-name applied to the 
neighborhood of a large meadow at about 7500 feet altitude a 
little to the north of the crest of the ridge, and about midway 
between Clarke’s ranch on the south and Bear lake to the north. 
There is no “‘bluff’’ at Bluff lake, nor is there a ‘‘lake,’’ though 
at the west end of the big meadow there is a tule-filled pond 
which is probably the remnant of what was once a small lake. 
The meadow is used as a pasture, and at the south margin is 
Thurman’s “‘hotel,’’ which is supplied with good water from a 
spring. Parts of the big meadow are wet and grown to veratrum 
and other plants of the upper Transition cienagas. The whole 
region is very well watered, most of the swales being floored by 
cienagas; and at the north, towards Bear lake where the slope 
steepens, numerous small streams have formed shallow ravines. 
The region is further characterized by rather heavy timber, con- 
