March, 1881.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



California Bird Notes. 



Chapakkal Cock. {Ge(u'(trri/x caUfornianus.) 



The notes of G. H. Ragsdale in the Jan- 

 uary number of the Oologist, regarding 

 the Chaparral Cock ( Geococcyx caUforni- 

 anus) or Roadrunnei", as it is called here, 

 call up some of my experiences with that 

 very odd and interesting species. Its 

 fleetness is indeed very remarkable, but 

 can be continued but a short time without 

 rest. When pursued, its habit seems to be 

 to run with great speed for several rods, 

 then suddenly stop for a moment ; then on 

 it goes again, stops again, and so on. Its 

 habit of throwing up its long tail seems to 

 greatly assist it in stopping so suddenly. 

 Its inability to continue its rapid running 

 without rest is proven by the fact that 

 boys frequently run them down by setting 

 dogs upon them. While running it can 

 usually increase the distance between it 

 and its pursuer, but while resting the dog 

 more than makes good the gain and soon 

 overtakes it. The Roadrunner builds a 

 bulky nest usually in a bunch of cactus, a 

 foot or so from the ground. One found 

 May 16, contained two eggs, the embryo 

 being well developed. Another nest, 

 found two weeks later, contained two 

 young nearly full fledged, and two eggs 

 still fresh. From these facts it would 

 seam that two is the usual clutch of eggs, 

 and that a second set are laid before the 

 young of the first set leave the nest. 



Red Tailed Hawk. — Jan. 13 I saw a 

 pair of these birds repairing an old nest, 

 climbing to which I found it newly lined 

 with Cottonwood bark and green sage 

 twigs. Last year I obtained my first eggs 

 of this species March 25. 



Albinos. — Dec. 7, 1 shot a most beautiful 

 Albino California Quail {Lophortyx cali- 

 fornicus,) and Jan. 12 an Albino Red- 

 shafted Woodpecker {Colaptes mexicana.) 

 They both now enrich my collection. Is 

 it not an unusual occurrence to find Albin- 

 os among the Picidse ! 



Early Nesting. — Last Saturday, Feb. 

 12. I found a Horned Owl's nest in the toj? 



of a live oak tree, containing two eggs. 

 A shot at the Lewis Woodpecker {Asyn- 

 desmus torquatus) caused the owl to fly 

 from the tree, thus betraying her nest. 

 Both eggs were slightly incubated. On 

 Monday I found a nest of the Sickle-billed 

 Thrush {Harporhynchus redivivus) con- 

 taining two eggs, and a nest of the Long- 

 eared Owl ( Otus vulgaris var. icilsonianus) 

 with one e^g. I visited each nest this 

 evening, Feb. 15, and found three eggs in 

 the first and only one in the secoud. 

 This I think is remarkably early for the 

 Thrush. My Buteo horealis of which I 

 wrote you before, has not yet begun to lay. 

 This is at least a month earlier than any 

 birds nested here last year. — B. W. Evee- 

 mann, Santa Paula. 



Bird Notes. 



C. N. P., Muscatine, Iowa, writes that he 

 has probably taken fifty sets of Rose- 

 breasted Grosbeaks' eggs, and thinks that 

 at least one-fourth had four eggs. He 

 states that the nest is built so shallow the 

 eggs sometimes blow out, hence the small 

 number occasionally found. Jan. 1st, he 

 saw a Robin when the ground was covered 

 with snow, and the thermometer down 

 to zero, Jan. 5, saw another ; thermome- 

 ter below zero. Jan. 26, saw two common 

 Doves : ground entirely covered with snow, 

 and 6° below zero. In mild winter they 

 are sometimes seen in January and Febru- 

 ary, but this has been an un usually severe 

 winter. 



M. B. G., Shelter Island, reports that 

 Night Herons do not seem to mind the 

 excessively cold weather, as several were 

 seen on Jan. 28, coming to feed in a springy 

 place along a creek. Snow Buntings and 

 Yellow-rumped warblers were quite plenty. 

 Song Sparrows were seen almost daily ; 

 saw a Robin and a King Fisher on Jan. 20. 

 ♦-kO-<'-» 



We should consider it a special favor if 

 our re iders who are pleased with our mag- 

 azine, would show it to their friends and in- 

 duce them to subscribe for it. 



