200 ; » - THE CONDOR > ‘Vol. XXI 
rocks three feet back from entrance. At Malheur the nesting sites were entirely differ- 
ent, the nests being usually on broken-down tules or on top of muskrat houses. The 
young mostly hatched the first week in May. For about three weeks after hatching they 
remain on land, then accompany their parents to the water and out onto the open lake, 
where they remain during rest of summer. 
Branta canadensis minima. Cackling Goose. Common in late April on fields be- 
tween Malheur Lake and Burns. It is probable that B. c. hutchinsi also occurs in migra- 
tions but it was not identified. 
Plegadis guarauna. White-faced Glossy Ibis. . First seen May 23 near Springer 
Ranch. About one hundred pairs nested in tules along west side of Malheur Lake. Be- 
gan to lay about June 1, and some young were flying the last week in July. 
Botaurus lentiginosus. Bittern. Nesting rather commonly in marsh lands along 
border of Malheur Reservation. Two nests found in tule marsh May 20, one containing 
five eggs and the other five newly hatched young. The young leave the nest when a few 
days old and remain hidden in the tules until nearly full grown. 
Ixobrychus exilis. Least Bittern. Breeds rather commonly in tules on some parts 
of Malheur Lake, mostly well out toward open water. Young flying by middle of July. 
Ardea herodias (subsp.?). Blue Heron. Though Grinnell in his California list re- 
fers the Modoc County blue heron to the variety hyperonca, he informs me that he has 
not compared specimens from this locality, and I think it very possible for geographical 
reasons that the Clear Lake bird will prove referable to A. h. treganzai. Furthermore, it 
seems almost certain that the Malheur Lake bird would belong to this form. e 
About one hundred nests of the blue heron were noted on the various islands in 
Clear Lake, mostly on tops of low bushes, though some were on the rocks and on the 
ground. Some nests contained complements as early as April 6, though it is probable 
that many birds had not yet nested. At Malheur Lake over six hundred pairs were 
noted nesting in tules in different localities. Some of these were in the colony with pel- 
icans and cormorants, some with ibis and night herons, and others with the egrets. In 
this locality they nested mostly in May. Some young were flying a little by June 18. In 
late summer half-grown muskrats form one of the items of this bird’s diet. 
Herodias egretta. Egret. Though this bird was seen frequently in early summer 
at Malheur Lake, considerable difficulty was experienced in locating the nesting colony. 
Local people who were familiar with the species stated that it formerly nested in trees 
along the Blitzen and Silves rivers, and it was in these localities that I first sought for 
it. Not finding it here, attention was turned to the tules along the southern border of 
the lake where the birds had been most frequently seen. On June 28, while rowing along 
the outer edge of the tules at the southern end of the lake, I finally located the colony 
in two small tule patches about three miles east of the mouth of the Blitzen River. 
Twenty pairs of the birds were nesting at this date, three nests containing eggs, appar- 
ently heavily incubated, and the other nests containing young of various ages, from new- 
ly hatched to half-grown ones that were able to walk around among the tules. The nests 
were Luilt on bent down tule stalks (figs. 43, 44), much in the same fashion as nests of | 
the ibis. Some were within a foot of the water and others nearly four feet up. They ; 
were large and rather well made of tule stalks and in two instances contained branches 
of greasewood that must have been carried at least a mile. The nest complement was 
from three to five in number, usually four. 
Nycticorax nycticorax naevius. Black-crowned Night Heron. Pair seen on island 
at Clear Lake April 10. About five hundred pairs nesting in tules along west side of 
Malheur Lake in company with blue herons and ibis. Still some eggs as late as June 7, 
though large young were common on same date. 
Grus canadensis. Little Brown Crane. Common on fields between Malheur Lake 
and Burns in late April. 
Grus mexicanus. Sandhill Crane. Nests generally in swampy localities through- 
out the region, but apparently nowherxe in large numbers. There were probably twenty- 
five pairs nesting in the swamps around Malheur Lake and, from what could be learned ~ 
from residents, it is more plentiful at Diamond Swamp and Warner Lake than at Mal- 
heur. Five or six pairs raised their young in marshes within two or three miles of the 
Springer Ranch, the adults being seen daily but no nests found. Old settlers state that 
this bird is becoming scarcer yearly. ~ a8 
