126 THE CONDOR Vol, XXI 
Large Set of Eggs of the Canada Goose.—While on a collecting trip through north- 
ern California and southern Oregon in June and July, 1918, Summer Lake, Oregon, was 
visited June 21. Out in the lake about a quarter of a mile from the west shore is a 
small, low island, perhaps 300 feet long, 50 feet wide, rock at one end, sandy in most 
places, and with a maximum height above the water of only six or seven feet. There 
being no boat available, we decided to wade out to the island, if possible, through the 
alkali water and the very soft and very foul-smelling mud. Fortunately the water was 
only about three feet deep at its worst and the mud was at its worst where the water 
was at its best, albeit both were very, very bad everywhere and all the time. 
We found the little island taken over almost or quite entirely by a colony of 150 
to 200 pairs of California Gulls and the nesting season was at its height. The nests were 
thickly placed among the small lava rocks and more scatteringly over the sandy area. 
Many of the nests contained young of various sizes, from those just hatched to lusty 
youngsters that scrambled away and into the water at our near approach. Many nests 
contained eggs, usually two or three in number, and in all stages of incubation excepting 
that stage which the oologist regards as most satisfactory. 
Two or three Caspian Terns were seen as we approached the islet but no nest was 
found. The only nest not a Gull’s that we found was one of a Canada Goose. It was 
between two considerable chunks of lava on the end of the islet where the Gulls were 
least numerous. The eggs were 10 in number; and stale! Evidently the old Goose (and 
a real goose she was, to build in a place like that!) had selected the site, built the nest, 
and laid her eggs; then the Gulls came. And when 300 to 400 noisy, pestiferous gulls go 
to house-keeping (such as it is) in your small back yard, it is time to vacate. At least 
so thought old Mrs. Branta canadensis. In the language of the street, “she beat it’; for 
which she-has my sincere thanks, else I would not now possess the biggest set of Canada 
Goose eggs ever, if we may believe the records. The usual set is much fewer. Samuels 
says “about six’; Ridgway (Birds of Illinois), four to seven; Baird, Brewer, and Ridg- 
way, five or six, rarely nine; Coues’s Key, five to nine, usually five or six; Mrs. Bailey, 
six to [or] seven; and Grinnell, Bryant, and Storer, five to seven. 
One of my oological friends suggests that two different birds laid in the same 
nest, an explanation which I utterly reject, because I can not believe there were four 
geese that were “‘such a goose” as to attempt to raise a family under such surroundings. 
The measurements of these ten eggs in inches are as follows: 3.43x2.26; 3.33x2.35; 
3.009X2.00; 3.48x2.386; 3.45x2.38; 3.40x2.45; 3.25x2.27; 3.41x2.28; 3.40x2:25 ean eee 
2.25. Except for a few slight stains they are all beautiful specimens; but the blowin’ of 
them was no joke!—BarTon WARREN EveRMANN, Museum, Con Academy of Sci- 
ences, San Francisco, February 10, 1919. 
The Whistling Swan in Arizona.—About the middle of last December, there ap- 
peared on Howard Lake, a few miles from Williams, Arizona, a flock of eleven swans. 
Howard Lake is more of a mud pond than anything else, and in a very dry season there 
would be very little, if any, water there, I imagine. However, there has been plenty of 
water the last few years, so much so that perch were planted and I understand they 
have grown and increased. 
Two of these swans were killed, one mounted and the other saved as a skin, and 
are still at Williams, where I saw the mounted one last week. I sent the measurements 
and particulars to my friend Ruthven Deane, and he confirms what I was practically 
sure of, that it is the Whistling Swan (Olor columbianus). 
Is not this occurrence in Arizona, a rare one? It seems to me these birds must 
have been away off of their course.—W. B. MrrsHon, Saginaw, Michigan, March 22, 1919. 
Some Notes from San Diego County, California.— Whistling Swan (Olor columbi- 
anus). Though Stephens, in his “List of Birds of San Diego County” (Trans. San Diego 
Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 3, no. 2, February 15, 1919), page 8, records the Whistling Swan as a 
rare winter visitant, I have seen no definite published records for that county. The fol- — 
lowing, therefore, may be of interest. In late December, 1917, O. W. Howard noted a 
flock of about thirty swans on lakes at Warner Springs, San Diego County. In Novem- 
ber, 1918, while on a visit to this locality with Mr. Howard, I received from Mr. H. C4 
Gordon, of San Diego, considerable information on the birds of the region. Mr. Gordon 
