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60 THE CONDOR Vol. XXII 
eighties, I never ceased to take a deep interest in its bird life, and in 1885 con- 
tributed to the Auk a short paper on the gulls of the California coast based on 
the observations made in November and December, 1884, chiefly in the vicinity 
of San Diego and San Buenaventura. Among the species collected were a 
number of Larus brachyrhynchus, then for the first time reported from Cali- 
fornia. 
The west coast in those days was simply a paradise for water birds. Not 
only did the off-shore islands teem with gulls, terns, cormorants, pelicans, guil- 
lemots, auks, and oyster-catchers, most of which nested on them, but the shores 
in winter and during the migrations fairly swarmed with various species of 
shore birds. These were rarely or never disturbed by sportsmen, who found 
sufficient sport in the abundant larger game, as ducks, geese and brant. When, 
for instance, I first visited San Diego in the fall of 1880 its bay was fairly alive 
with water birds, especially brown pelicans, gulls, terns, and black brant. The 
latter were so numerous and so tame that they could be killed with what, to 
an eastern sportsman, would have seemed ridiculous ease. In the nineties, how- 
ever, | found things had changed greatly, and the bay was almost barren of 
bird life. 
Having once become somewhat familiar with the west coast from Wash- 
ington to Lower California and become acquainted with its deep forests, its 
alluring mountain fastnesses, and its beautiful valleys, it became the Mecea of 
my aspirations, and I looked forward to the time when I should be able to 
devote some years of my life to a study of its varied ornithology and to the 
publeation of one or more volumes on it. But in 1891 ill health, which con- 
tinued for several more years, dispelled these dreams along with some others. 
This, however, I regret the less, as California has been exceptionally fortunate 
in the number and character of the men, many sprung from its own soil, who 
have taken up the work I dreamed of, and are carrying it on with marked zeal 
and ability. In their hands I am content to leave it, though not without an 
occasional regretful glance backward. 
SPEND THE YEARS 1891-1892 IN CALIFORNIA 
In 1891, as the result of an attack of grippe, my health gave way com- 
pletely, and for a time I was unable to do work of any kind. I spent the years 
1892, 1893 and 1894 in California, being chiefly engaged, when able to work at 
all, in the collection of Indian linguistic material for the Bureau of Ethnology. 
In 1892 I spent several months at Witch Creek, San Diego County, part of the 
time under the hospitable roof of Frank Stephens, the well krown collector of 
birds and mammals. Here I collected several hundred birds, many plants for 
the National Herbarium, and a good many snakes and lizards, ineluding the 
type of Xantusia henshawt, a pretty little nocturnal lizard. But in 1893 I was 
compelled to ask for an indefinite leave of absence. 
(To be continued) 
