50 



THE OOLOGIST 



were hunting together and as long as 

 we were in sight could be seen circu- 

 lating around and making attempts 

 to pick up some unsuspecting ground 

 squirrel. 



Crossing the valley we soon enter- 

 ed the Santa Margarita ranch which 

 is over 120,000 acres in extent and is 

 one of the largest ranches in this end 

 of the state. Here all that was to be 

 ceen for man3^ miles was green rolling 

 hills and grazing cattle and horses. 



Crossing a low mountain range we 

 soon entered the Santa Margarita val- 

 ley. Crossing the river on a newly in- 

 stalled bridge which countless hun- 

 dreds of Cliff Swallows were inspect- 

 ing for nesting sites, we found our- 

 selves at the end of the day's journey 

 at the base of a series of cliffs which 

 extended for about a quarter of a mile 

 along the bank of the river. Soon 

 after we arrived and were still sitting 

 in our buggy a Raven flew over our 

 heads and alighted upon the cliff. 

 Upon looking closely we could see 

 that it had something in its bill. After 

 resting for a few moments it flew on 

 around the cliff and disappeared for a 

 moment in a depression in the face 

 of the cliff which we could not see 

 from where we were. Upon driving 

 further along we could see the nest 

 placed well back in a pot hole in the 

 face of the cliff about midway up the 

 face. Leaving this for further prefer- 

 ence, we proceeded along a short dist- 

 ance to an old nest of the Western 

 Red-tailed Hawk, from which we col- 

 lected a set of Duck Hawk last season. 

 Stopping underneath this old nest, we 

 shot three times in rapid succession 

 and were agreeably surprised to see a 

 male Duck Hawk flush from a ledge 

 on the face of the cliff about a hun- 

 dred feet from their last year's home. 

 Making camp under some nearby 

 trees for the night we shouldered our 

 coil of rope and baskets and started 



for the top of the cliff. After a diffi- 

 cult climb through brush and cactus 

 we at last reached the top and started 

 after the Raven nest. Locating the 

 nest, the rope was soon fastened to 

 a scrubby bush which grew at the top 

 of the cliff, and with out difficulty the 

 nest v/as reached and found to contain 

 four eggs which were on the verge of 

 hatching, one of the four being pipped. 

 The nest was a very well made affair. 

 The outside structure being dead syca- 

 more twigs which must have been car- 

 ried some distance and inwardly lined 

 with cow hair and wool and was made 

 with a very deep depression. Both 

 birds flew around the cliff close by 

 and kept up a continual croaking and 

 seemed to be very anxious for the wel- 

 fare of their nest, more so perhaps on 

 account of the advanced stage of the 

 incubation in the eggs. Close by and 

 about fifty feet above the Raven nest 

 a pair of Barn Owls had a nest in a 

 pot hole in the face of the cliff which 

 contained six slightly incubated eggs. 

 The nest depression was nicely lined 

 with fur and deeply hollowed in the 

 sandy soil which was uncommon in 

 the nesting habits of this bird with us 

 as any old place seems to suit them as 

 a rule. Leaving this portion of the 

 cliff we were soon trying to locate 

 ourselves over the nest of the Duck 

 Hawk but failed on first casting the 

 rope over the cliff to throw it in the 

 correct place and found that we would 

 have to drive a stake to tie our rope 

 to. Upon looking around awhile we 

 located a dead willow stake which 

 some other party had apparently pre- 

 pared for the very purpose to which 

 we were about to use it, but had failed 

 to, use it, as its condition showed. 

 Locating a large cobble stone close 

 by we soon had the rope safely an- 

 chored and after some difficulty in 

 reaching the nest because of the cliff 

 overhanging directly over the nest, 



