The Dawson Leuco 



ricocheting passage darted a Leucosticte, midway. Perhaps the damage 

 was already done, but, anyway, the fever for removing loose rocks was so 

 strong upon us that we sent others down the well, reckless of possible 

 damage to Leuco's eggs. But cooler counsels soon prevailed. Anxiously 

 we thought, "Perhaps that Leuco's nest is not very far back from the well, 

 after all." So the larger obstructions which remained were lifted one by 



one and passed up to be 

 cast off outside. 



While we were de- 

 liberating as to the use 

 of the rope, the Leuco 

 fluttered into the well, 

 and lighted at the en- 

 trance of one of the pos- 

 sible side tunnels. Evi- 

 dently what she saw dis- 

 pleased her, for she flew 

 away again. Soon she 

 returned and went far- 

 ther, apparently cover- 

 ing the nest. But she 

 was ill at ease and her 

 quick departure filled me 

 with further forebodings. 

 Sure enough, when I had 

 wormed my way down 

 thirty feet or so, the 

 eggs flashed in view, four 

 of them, but one of them 

 marked by an ominous- 

 looking black spot, 

 which proved, indeed, to 

 be a gash. When I ar- 

 rived, at last, at the nest 

 level, puffing and wet 

 and bedraggled — the 

 walls were oozing icy 

 water — I found that 

 every egg had been 

 struck by tiny flying par- 



Pholo by the Author . . r . q. 



tides ot rock. 1 wo were 



DETAIL OF LEUCO CLIFFS: ALTITUDE n,6oo FEET . , ,. : , , 



THERE IS A NEST IN THE FISSURE BELOW THE UPPER SNOW PATCH CjUlte DaQly CaY CQ , DUL 



Taken in Fresno County 



171 



