1908] Grinnell—Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains. 67 
Chordeiles virginianus hesperis Grinnell. Pacifie Nighthawk. 
The Pacific nighthawk proved to be a common species of the 
Boreal and upper Transition zones. During their evening insect 
hunts we noticed the birds flying overhead down even onto Upper 
Sonoran grounds. 
We first noticed this nighthawk on the evening of June 12, 
1905, flying above the road below Clark’s ranch, about 4500 feet 
altitude. The species was recognized by its unmistakable nasal 
““neé-ark,’’ which is very different from the note of the Texas 
nighthawk. On June 18, of the same year, as I was ascending 
a northern spur of San Gorgonio peak, at about 9000 feet alti- 
tude, I flushed a female nighthawk from her two eggs. These 
were laid on the bare ground in an open place among the pines. 
Nothing but a few pine needles separated them from the granite 
gravel. The female bird tumbled away down the mountain side 
and disappeared; but the male bird made his appearance and 
flew about overhead uttering the usual nasal rasping note and 
occasionally diving down, and giving the peculiar ‘‘ whoof’’ which 
is described of the eastern bird. These eggs were fresh, and are 
somewhat smaller and much paler than those of the race virgin- 
wanus, from the Atlantie coast. They measure 1.18 < .83 and 
1.10 X .85 inches, and are considerably paler than the palest of 
the six specimens figured in Bendire’s ‘‘Life Histories of North 
American Birds,’’ Vol. II, Plate III. The abundant pale lav- 
ender markings are scarcely obscured by the sparser markings of 
pale brown. 
Another bird was flushed from a single egg on June 27, 1905. 
It was on a trail on a ridge near the south fork of the Santa Ana 
at about 7500 feet elevation. This single ege was slightly in- 
cubated and measured 1.17 & .85 inches. It is of the pale type, 
but very slightly darker than the first set; the brown markings 
are somewhat more numerous. 
We noted nighthawks in the evening on each visit to Dry lake 
at the north base of San Gorgonio peak. Along the Santa Ana 
below Fish creek many nighthawks came in the evening from the 
higher ridges to feed on the abundant insect life. A specimen 
shot at dusk, July 4, 1906, was skinned at 11 o0’clock the next day. 
The capacious throat and gullet were found to be crammed with 
