The White-throated Swift 
lashed to a manzanita 
stub at the crest of the 
wall. Further work dis¬ 
closed in the respective 
crevices two nests— 
about ready for eggs. 
The birds had given us 
careful attention every 
half hour or so, and we 
were by no means pre¬ 
pared for this discon¬ 
certing outcome. Score 
four, and tally, for the 
birds. Auf wiedersehen 
for local prospect num¬ 
ber three! 
May 30, 1913. As 
the shadows of Decora¬ 
tion Day began to 
lengthen, we determined 
to do what we could 
toward the morrow’s 
work, and set our ropes 
at least for the upper 
White-throated Swift’s 
nest. The ropes set, 
one for life-line and one 
for hand-line, I went 
down to reconnoiter as 
matter of course,—and 
from that went to work 
in good earnest. Wil¬ 
liam tended the ropes 
above in efficient fashion as I needed more line, or less, and I worked 
my way down with pike and ax till I had a fair platform carved out on 
the upper side of the great slab of sprung rock under which the Swift’s 
nest was supposed to be. It was not long before 1 penetrated the crevice 
on the upper side and began to send devastating detritus down it; and 
not much longer till I found that I was in an exceedingly dangerous 
position, and that the upper two-thirds of the hanging wall must come 
down before I could work in safety. Indeed, when I thrust my pike 
midway, tentatively, there was an ominous rustle which sent me up my 
Taken in Orange County 
Photo by the Author 
RUINS OF MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO 
WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS NEST HERE 
966 
