50 THE CONDOR Vol. XXIV 
We found these birds very scarce at first, in fact finding none at all on 
top of the ridges during the first few days of our stay, most of those noted 
being in the canyons on the Mad River side in partially brushy, cut-over tim- 
ber. Here we found some signs of scratching along an old wood road. Lamb 
saw several fox sparrows pretty well down this canyon on the morning of Sep- 
tember 23, and of these he obtained one specimen. 
The next morning | went down this same canyon along the old wood road 
and saw five fox sparrows, securing two specimens; but they certainly were 
not present in any number. Those noted were in a mixed sort of brush econ- 
sisting of second-growth tan-bark sprouts, mountain mahogany, spiraea, Cali- 
fornia bay trees, and madrone, with a little wild lilac scattered through it. 
Lamb found a few of the sparrows down another and lower ridge, scattered 
along, but there was not much activity in evidence. The 25th was too rainy 
for us to go into the brush, but en the 26th Lamb ran into quite a number on 
this same ridge, evidently part of a considerable movement working along sin- 
gly or in small groups. I tried watching a trail in the brush near the top of 
this ridge where there seemed to be a likely place, but was rewarded by the 
sight of only one fox sparrew, the flight evidently passing below me toward 
the saddle referred to previously. 
We stayed at this camp until September 30, noting a few of the sparrows 
every day but not in any numbers, and coneluded that it was eettine rather 
late, judgine from former experiences in this line. for any laree migrating 
movement. On this date we moved over to Capetown, near the mouth of the 
Bear River, about twenty-five miles southwest of EKureka, passing a couvle of 
days encamped in the bed of the river about half a mile from the ocean. 
A very steep hillside opposite us was covered with a dense growth of hazel 
and salmon-berry bushes in which a considerable number of fox sparrows were 
happily and safely—safelv as far as hawks were eoncerned. at least—enseoneed. 
Tt was very diffieult to do much in this dense brush and. to add to this. the 
fog and wind threatened to make it still harder to carry on observations here, 
so we broke camp and moved farther inland to obtain shelter from some pro- 
tecting ridge interposing between ourselves and the sea. 
On October 2 we moved about fifteen miles (bee line) farther south to 
an attractive spot on the Mattole River, five miles south of Petrolia (Humboldt 
County), and tarried there to see what we might find. Here again we found 
fox sparrows enjoying themselves in suitable spots, and of the same subspecies 
as hitherto noted. Proper food and eover were present and a limited number 
of specimens was taken. As before remarked, fox sparrows were not the only 
object of this field work and in fact were secondary, but a good deal of time 
was devoted to observing them and to evettine sufficient specimens for identi- 
fication, although the primary object interfered with our remaining lone 
enouch in any one place to exhaust fox sparrow possibilities. 
While we were in Eureka, Clay had told us of a large thorn-covered area 
near Shelter Cove on the coast, and frem his deseription of it IT heeame anxious 
to reach this country to see what might be goine on there. and concluded to 
make it our immediate objective while the weather held good. Tnquiries along 
the road elicited the information that there was an cld unoccupied eabin in a 
clearing near the bridge over the Mattole River on the road running from 
Briceland to Shelter Cove that would do for shelter in case of a storm, and 
