24 THE CONDOR Vol. XIX 



had been deposited. There were thirteen eggs on May 14, when next visited. Possibly 

 two dozen small feathers of the quail distributed over the surface of the lining formed 

 the only noticeable addition to the nest material. While removing a few overhanging 

 leaves preparatory to securing, from the nearby bank, a photograph, the female left the 

 nest and it might be interesting to note that it was a trifle over fifteen minutes before 

 she returned. Several photographs were attempted and again she departed, this time 

 remaining away seventeen minutes. — Harold M. Holland, Los Angeles, California. 



Game Bird Conditions in Sutter County, California. — I have just come from a 

 shooting trip at the West Butte Country Club, in Sutter County, California. The shoot- 

 ing grounds comprise a swamp and overflowed land along Butte Creek. The birds 

 there — the ducks and geese — are in numbers beyond description. There must be several 

 thousand swans, and there are certain favorite localities in which all these birds seem to 

 congregate at certain times. The rice fields adjoining are now all drained. Great quan- 

 tities of the birds go to the rice fields at night and there feed upon the waste rice that 

 has been threshed out by the wind, blackbirds, etc. The farmers regard this as a posi- 

 tive benefit, since it cleans their land of what would otherwise be an annoying and worth- 

 less volunteer crop during the following year. All the farmers bear testimony to this, 

 and their grounds are all posted forbidding shooting. Toward daylight the birds move 

 down to the marshlands literally in myriads. Some of the Mallards are fairly wobbling 

 in their flight, and their crops and necks distorted, with the rice they have eaten. — F. W. 

 Henshaw, San Francisco, November 21, 1916. 



The Snowy Owl in Humboldt County, California. — Two specimens of the Snowy 

 Owl (Nyctea nyctea) taken in Humboldt County, California, have been recently sent to 

 me to be mounted. One was secured by W. Snow, at Trinidad, the other by Thomas 

 Johnson, at Upper Mattole, November 17, 1916. An old newspaper clipping in my posses- 

 sion describes a previous flight of Snowy Owls in this region during December, 1896. — 

 Franklin J. Smith, Eureka, California. 



Western Grebe Breeding in Southern California. — On May 13, 1916, I secured a set 

 of eggs of the Western Grebe at Mystic Lake, Riverside County, California. The nest 

 was in a thin clump of tules, close to the edge, and floating on water about two and a 

 half feet deep. It resembled that of the Pied-billed Grebe in structure and appearance, 

 but was at least twice the size. The eggs were three in number and far advanced in in- 

 cubation. The parent bird was seen, and heard making a cackling noise like the croak- 

 ing of a great toad. — I. D. Nokes, Los Angeles, California. 



Notes on the Western Grasshopper Sparrow. — Breeding localities of the Western 

 Grasshopper Sparrow {Aynmodramus savannarum bimaculatus) seem to be few and far 

 between in California. The coastal zone in the southern part of the state seems to be 

 more favored than elsewhere, and by occasional notes of the sort here presented we will 

 in time be able to state more exactly the range of this species. 



In middle June of 1915, in company with Ralph Arnold, I noted this bird in 

 rather large numbers on the extreme western end of the Santa Monica Mountains in 

 southeastern Ventura County, California. The hills here have steep slopes entirely bare 

 of vegetation other than grasses, while the canyons harbor a few live oaks and some 

 thickets of shrubs. High up on the northern slopes of these open grassy hills and about 

 two miles from the ocean were found many pairs of the bird. Their peculiar buzzing 

 note called attention to their presence; otherwise they might have been overlooked, for 

 in their habits they seldom fly, preferring to run along the ground between and beneath 

 the tufts of grass. 



Three nests were found on June 12, 1915. Two of these were practically finished 

 though containing no eggs, while the third contained three eggs in which incubation had 

 just begun. The first nest, which contained the eggs, was discovered through the bird 

 being flushed almost from beneath my feet and was located near the summit of one of 

 the highest hills. The other two nests were found through search and were also located 

 only a short distance away on the upper slopes of the same hill. 



The nests were identical in every way. They were placed in slight depressions at 

 the base of the northern or leeward sides of large tufts of grass and were composed en- 

 tirely of fine dry grasses with no appreciable lining. They were poorly built and the one 



