THE OOLOGIST 143 
doing great damage to their gorgeous 
plumage. They are rather slow flyers, 
and move about in pretty good sized 
flocks with the exception perhaps of 
the longtailed Macaws which prefer 
as only companion, their mate. Con- 
trary to expectations, the parrots are 
easily approached and shot. 
On the few places where the Djua- 
gel is not so very dense and where 
grass and weed patches have formed, 
a great variety of bird life can be 
observed. Tanagers, varied Buntings, 
Painted Buntings, Grass Finches 
aamodramus, meloxpiza, lincolai, chon- 
adertes, Phyrrhalizia, zonotrichia were 
seen here and collected. It was on 
one of these places that I secured 
‘also one oreoapiza chlorura, the green 
‘pipits. 
A bird not so very common in South- 
ern California, but plentiful here was 
sguirace lazula, the Western’ blue 
‘grosbeak. One day I found in a dry 
colored birds, and the top was occu- 
bush, a small flock of these dainty 
pied by their cousin, the big black- 
yellow grosbeak of Mexico with white 
wingbarbs. This is only natural that so 
many small birds attract a good many 
hawks and I must say there is an 
‘astonishing variety of the latter to be 
found here. Marsh hawks, black, 
Mexican goosehawks, Kites, Pere- 
‘geine falcon and Sparrewhawk (the 
desert ferm) were seen every day to 
roost cn a big dry tree right opposite 
my camp on the other side of the 
river. This tree was never without 
any birds, 
The river early in the morning, 
specially offered a wealth for the 
hidden observer, in number as well as 
in variety. White and glossy Ibis, 
the Wood Ibis with all his assured 
dignity, those splendid Roseate 
Spoonbills, white and blue hereon, 
egrets and little blue herons, An- 
hingas and cormorants fished 
borders of the water for minnows, 
frogs, water insects, etc. while the 
shore with its sandy flats was popu- 
lated with curlews, greater yellow 
legs, black and white stilts, spotted 
and semipalmated plovers, not at all 
embarrassed to wander in their every 
day garb among royalty. The trees 
which lined the rocky shore opposite 
camp across the river were the feed- 
ing ground of lots of fyunaas, which 
had their hiding places under the 
giant boulders below. During the 
noon hour when the sun was hottest, 
I could see with my glass the gigantic 
faurians creeping around and feeding 
on tender shoots and buds. 
Here also I had the chance to ob- 
serve and secure all three _ king- 
fishers. The river was here not over 
three or four feet deep, so that I 
never lost a single specimen which 
fell into the water. A different story 
might be told about the birds of ex- 
clusively sylvicoline character. Some- 
times it was well nigh impossible to 
secure a fallen bird. The machete 
had to come in action, sometimes for 
fifteen minutes or more. Appended I 
will give you a list of the specimens 
secured on this three-week trip. Lack 
of time prevented me from going into 
higher territory. On the whole I will 
say this—while the country abounds 
cn interesting forms, it is a difficult 
territory to work. If one goes out 
before 9:00 o’clock in the morning, 
the humidity is so great that it 
simply sticks to your clothes and you 
return to camp as if you had fallen 
into the water, After this hour the 
heat is excessive even in January, 
while I was there , at least in the 
djaugel, where small stagnant pools 
form an unsurpassed breeding ground 
for millions of mosquitoes. Cornmeal 
and cotton have to be taken along as 
the 
