oy ie 
THE NIDOLOGIST 4t 
_. times, a faint suggestion of a creamy tint, 
and in dimensions average about r.50x1.30, 
and run from five to seven to the full set. 
When their nests are despoiled the pair 
generally make a strong show of resistance 
and their vicious darts at the intruder and 
the angry snapping of their bills make an 
interesting display. 
The eggs of the Marsh Hawk I find to 
range from three to five to the full set, and to 
measure 1.60 to 1.80x1.25 to1.40. They are 
slightly bluish or greenish-white, and more 
often than otherwise wholly unmarked. 
When marked at all the majority show 
simply shell markings of pale buff, some- 
times scarcely perceptible, but one excep- 
tionally fine set of five taken by me this 
season, and now in the collection of C. W. 
Crandall, are of a very delicate bluish- 
white background with pronounced spots 
and blotches of rich amber-brown, alto- 
gether very pleasing to the eye. 
rae 
Cooper Ornithological Club. 
HE Southern Division met November 
2, at tbe residence of Chas. K. Gros- 
beck in Pasadena. Mr. Grinnell was 
elected Vice-President for the rest of the 
present year. V. W. Owen of Los Angeles 
was elected to membership in the club. A 
paper by A. I. McCormick was read treat- 
ing of his observations made on the desert 
sixty miles east of Mojave. The vegetation 
consists of small mesquite bushes not over 
three feet high, numerous greasewood and 
a few yucca and cacti. The nearest water 
was eight miles distant, and it seemed as if 
all the birds of the vicifiity journeyed thither 
for their water supply. This year there 
was an absence of the marked seasons, 
winter seeming to merge into summer 
making it unfavorable to bird life. The 
House Finch was found to be the most 
numerous bird nesting on the desert, and 
was of a retiring disposition. Most of the 
nests of this species found were situated in 
the forks of a small variety of cholla, and 
four eggs constituted an average set. 
The Black-throated Sparrow was found 
distributed in pairs over the desert. ‘The 
first nest was found May 21, inasmall mes- 
quite and contained three incubated eggs. 
With two exceptions, the nests of this spe- 
cies which were found contained but two 
eggs. The Black-throated Sparrow is of a 
very friendly nature; its song is the first 
heard in the early morning and the last at 
night. The birds seem to nest in the vicin- 
ity of habitations, and are always found in 
the hills in preference to the desert. The 
bird is a close sitter and chooses a thick 
dense brush for its nesting site. On May 
20, a nest of LeConte’s Thrasker was found 
containing three eggs. It was situated in 
a large thorny bush, and the parent when 
flushed flew to the ground and ran with 
the spread characteristic of this species. 
The nest was large and bulky, composed of 
limbs of the bush in which it was situated, 
and lined with dry, brown weed-stems and 
asort of grayish down from a sage grow- 
ing in the vicinity, and placed two feet 
from the ground. Just above the nest was 
a large substantial platform of limbs of the 
same bush. ‘This was about three inches 
above the nest leaving the bird just room 
enough to enter. Whether or not this was 
intended by the bird as a protection from 
the scorching sun is not known, but this 
peculiarity was noticed with other nests of 
this bird. Numerous nests of the Cactus 
Wren were found in the yuccas on the hill- 
sides but they had been occupied. Other 
species noticed were Mexican Horned Lark, 
Valley Partridge, Phainopepla, Arkansas 
Kingbirds, Canon Wren, Mourning Dove, 
Cal. Shrike, Burrowing Owl and a variety 
of Nighthawk. On a pond near Randsburg 
several species of Ducks and the Am. Coot 
were noted. Mr. McCormick arrived too 
late in general to find the desert species 
nesting. 
NOTES FROM GUADALUPE ISLAND, 
Horace A. Gaylord read the following 
paper:—‘‘On the evening of July 9, 1896, 
an expedition under the guidance and in 
the interests of Mr. A. W. Anthony left 
San Diego on a cruise along the coast and 
among the islands of Lower California. 
After being out for over two months, the 
afternoon of September 15, found us within 
sight of the mainland, leaving Geronimo 
Island for the lonely and rugged Island of 
Guadalupe far out at sea. Before night we 
noted a number of Phalaropes both Crymo- 
philus fulicarius and Phalaropus lobatus, 
Black-vented Shearwaters were common 
and a few graceful Petrels, Halocyptena 
microsoma, Oceanodroma melania and a 
single O. macrodactyla were dancing over 
the water with a flight very similar to that 
of a Nighthawk. September 16 was spent 
at sea out of sight of land. Three Black- 
