The Road-runner 



General Range. — Resident in Lower Sonoran and (locally) in Upper Sonoran 

 life zones of the southwestern United States, north to upper Sacramento Valley in 

 California; southern Utah, Colorado, and Kansas east to Gulf Coast and Texas, south 

 through Lower California and over the central plateau of Mexico to Puebla. 



Distribution in California. — Resident in both arid and lightly timbered 

 sections of the Sonoran life zone, north, east of the Sierras, to Big Pine in Owens Valley; 

 west of the Sierras to the upper portion of the Sacramento Valley. Avoids the humid 

 coastal strip, but has been found as far northwestward as San Geronimo (Marin 

 County), and Sebastopol (Sonoma County). Not found on any of the islands. 



Authorities. — Lesson (Saurothera calif omiana) , Compl. OEuvres Buffon, vol. vi., 

 1829, p. 420 (Calif.) ; Bendire, Life Hist. N. Am. Birds, vol. ii., 1895, p. 13, pi. 1, fig. 2 

 (egg); Grinnell, Condor, vol. ix., 1907, p. 51, map (Calif, range); H. C.Bryant, Univ. 

 Calif. Pub. Zool., vol. xvii., 1916, p. 21, pis. (food and habits); Hunt, Condor, vol. xxii., 

 1920, p. 186 (running speed). 



sife^ 





Taken in Kern County 



WE HAVE always contended that the Almighty has a sense of 

 humor. Hence we point with pride to another of California's native 

 sons, curious, conscious, and contradictory, the ingenu and adept of the 

 desert, quaintest of feathered creatures. But we will not be understood 

 as holding our favorite up to ridicule. Droll the bird is, even comic on 

 occasion; but the humor of the Creator has been kindly, and he has 



endowed this desert 

 masterpiece with en- 

 dearing qualities, such 

 as ought to assure him 

 an enduring welcome. 

 For, however grotesque 

 the fowl may appear to 

 be at first sight, I can 

 assure the reader that 

 he improves upon ac- 

 quaintance; and as for 

 myself, I confess toward 

 the bird a good 

 fellow feeling 

 which is corn- 

 compounded of 

 laughter and 

 tears. The 

 Spaniards called 

 him P aisano , 

 "the country- 

 man," and re- 

 corded thereby 





Photo by the Author 



A CASTLE IN THE COW COUNTRY 



THE NEST SHOWN IN THE NEXT ILLUSTRATION IS FOUND HERE 



II38 



