The California Gull 



Taken in Mono County 



square miles, is a low- 

 lying sharply-rolling 

 expanse of stratified 

 materials, chiefly vol- 

 canic ash, sparsely 

 covered with atriplex 

 and other typically 

 desert vegetation. The 

 northern third of the 

 island, however, is 

 eruptive, the extreme 

 tip being an almost im- 

 passable welter of re- 

 cently cooled lava of 

 a reddish black color. 

 Negit Island is anoth- 

 er example of the 

 same eruptive move- 

 ment, and stands 

 hard by, a grim red 

 sentinel, fit only for 

 the tenure of hardy 

 sea fowl. 



Through the cour- 

 tesy of the owner of 

 Paoha,Mr.W. D. Mc- 

 Pherson, who is trans- 

 forming this desert 

 principality into a 

 model goat-farm, we 

 were privileged to 

 visit the two colonies 

 of California Gulls on 

 Paoha and the main colony on Negit. In the "lagoon colony" we found, 

 on the 3rd day of June, 250 pairs of birds gathered upon the sloping banks 

 of a small lagoon tributary to the lake. The birds rose as we approached 

 but settled quickly and did not exhibit a great fear of our presence. It 

 was a critical time in the gull calendar, for the eggs were hatching, and we 

 felt impelled to make our reconnaissance as brief as possible. The sun 

 was burning hot, and the birds had availed themselves as far as possible 

 of the scanty cover of atriplex and artemisia in the location of their nests. 

 The nests were in many instances mere shallow depressions in the earth, 



1406 



Photo by the Author 



A HAUGHTY COPPER 



