HUNTING BIRDS WITH A CAMERA 



191 



After five days we set out across Tule 

 Lake, and after rowing several hours 

 came to the peninsula at the southeast 

 end. This, as well as the other region to 

 the south, is of volcanic origin. The 

 shore is rough and precipitous. In some 

 places the cliffs start abruptly from the 

 water's edge; in others disintegration has 

 been rapid, the rocks shaling off and roll- 

 ing down until there is a long, steep slope 

 of crumbly debris in which it seems im- 

 possible for anything to grow. Yet in 

 places these slopes are massed with Cali- 

 fornia poppies. 



That night we camped just below the 

 crater of an extinct volcano and early the 

 next morning paddled out to a rocky 

 island containing a colony of Farallone 

 Cormorants. In a space of 25 or 50 feet 

 we counted 190 nests, containing about 

 300 young birds and half as many eggs. 



Rowing past Rattlesnake Island, we 

 came to Bloody Point, a butte of red lava 

 almost entirely covered with poppies. 



In the afternoon we made camp across 

 from another large colony where Cor- 

 morants and White Pelicans were nesting. 

 The Cormorant nests were built of sticks. 

 The Pelicans merely made depressions in 

 the sand for their eggs. In addition to 

 bird residents, the island was well stocked 

 with fleas. 



CAiMPING IN TIIi; MARSHES OF AN ALKALI 

 LAKE 



When we returned to Merrill we loaded 

 our boat into a wagon and hauled it to 

 White Lake, a long body of alkali water 

 that empties into the Lower Klamath at 

 the southeast end. 



The Lower Klamath is very different 

 from the south end of Tule Lake. The 

 whole border is an impenetrable jungle. 

 Tules grow from 10 to 12 feet high. One 

 can never get to a point where he can look 

 out above the tops and see where he is 

 going. The foundation is made of de- 

 ca)'ed vegetation and is treacherous to 

 tread upon. In places the roots form 

 quite a substantial raft. One may walk 

 across the wavy surface, but any moment 

 he is liable to sink in over his head. 



Extending for several miles out from 

 the main shore was a seemingly endless 

 area of floating tule islands, between 

 which flowed a network of channels. The 



fe 



A SEASCAPE ON TllE CAEIFORNIA COAST 



A Gull is a master of the air. He can float 

 on poised wings and at the same time reach for- 

 ward with his foot and scratch his ear (see text, 

 page 181). 



