Am. 19, 1886.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



63 



flew across a ravine and disappeared under a boulder be- 

 fore a gun could be brought to bear on liim. Fish hawks 

 (Pandio7i Jialiaetus carolinensis) circled above ovir heads, 

 keeping guai-d over their massive nests which were built 

 on the edge of the bluffs back of the beach. They were 

 careful, however, to keep well out of range of our guns. 

 Two ravens {Cormis coi'ox s^inuatics) followed our party 

 at a distance, uttering hoarse croaks of disapproval at our 

 intrusion. 



Our progress was much impeded by the rough nature 

 •of the country, broken as it is by ravines a.nd deep 

 arroyos, which give striking evidence of the rushing tor- 

 rents which the rainy season brings. Huge boul(5ers, torn 

 from their resting places, have been luu-led far down the 

 ■canons by irresistible waters. Rolling stones in our path- 

 way and at times deep sand rendered our advance slow 

 and difficult and called for numerous halts. It was dur- 

 ing one of these frequent stops that we saw the only deer 

 that was seen by us while on the island. Startled from 

 his resting place by the rocks which we sent bounding 

 down the hillside, and thus di'iven from the friendly 

 shelter of a rapine, he beat a hasty retreat over the nearest 

 ridge, some eighty yards distant. As Cen-os Island is 

 only about fifteen miles from Pt. Eugenio, on the main- 

 land, and with the low barren island of Natividad, two 

 and a quarter miles long, between, it is easy to account 

 for the presence of deer on Cen-os Island. 



Although we saw many tracks and signs that indicated 

 the presence of goats, we scarcely exx)ected to find any on 

 that portion of the island, especially as at that season of 

 the year vegetation here was scarce and in places wholly 

 wanting. But notwithstanding the almost total absence 

 -of feed we sighted a few small bands of goats, one of 

 which the captain of the Edith and myself successfully 

 stalked. The goats of Cerros, although running wild over 

 the island, are a tame, short-haired species which have 

 bred there for years. Not knowing how wild they 

 might be, we made a long detour to get above and to 

 leeward of them. Cautiously climbing a sandy ravine we 



eroceeded on om' hands and knees toward the crest of a 

 ill overlooking the spot where the goats were gathered, 

 -As we neared the summit we dropped flat to the groimd 

 and stealthily crawled to a position from which we could 

 observe the band. The goats were nearly a hundred yards 

 away, and as they were at rest and closely watching the 

 3thers of om- party on a distant hillside, we were allowed 

 m opjiortunity to rest for a few moments to recover 

 breath. According to agreement the captain selected a 

 gi-ay and I a black one and at a given signal fired simul- 

 taneously. The captam was armed with a .50-caliber 

 Wliitney rifle and I with a .44-caliber repeater. Being 

 able to work a lever more rapidly than he could a ham- 

 mer and breech block, I had somewhat the advantage of 

 my companion, securing five goats by the time he had 

 scored three. One of his victims and one of mine required 

 a second shot. WeE satisfied with om- success we allowed 

 the remainder of the terrified flock to depart tmmolested. 

 Our companions having joined us we hastily dressed the 

 game, and then following the com-se of a dry arroyo we 

 set out on oiu- tiresome march to the beach. There' was a 

 slight degi-ee of satisfaction in the fact that the goats 

 were thin, for, as it was, we found them quite heavy 

 enougli before we laid them upon the beach. The lunch- 

 basket and its guardian now appeared, the former we 

 were particulai-ly glad to see, having had nothing to 

 eat or drink since breakfast. While waiting for the boat 

 from the steamer which we had signalled, I employed 

 my time prying abalones from the rocks with the blade 

 of my hunting knife. In this way I secured half a 

 bucketful of small ones, which were served up for our 

 breakfast the next morning. We found the flavor quite 

 palatable, but I must say the creatm-es were exceedingly 

 tough. Arriving on board the guns were put in order for 

 the morrow, and by 10 o'clock that night I had prepared 

 the last of the specimens taken during the day. 



At daylight the next morning I went to tbe rail in an- 

 ticipation of an invigorating plunge into the cool sea, but 

 the suspicious appearance of several large fins cutting 

 the phosphorescent sm-face of the sea forced me to con- 

 tent myself with a bucketful of water drawn over the 

 side. Whether these sharks would attack a man or not I 

 did not know, and my curiosity on the subject was not 

 suflicient to induce me^ to try any experiments. Be that 

 as it may, their occasional presence close in shore was 

 not at all welcome, especially at times when the surf was 

 so heavy that in going ashore we were in great danger of 

 being capsized. Moreover, the two metalhc lifeboats car- 

 ried by the Edith, imfitted as they were for sm-fing and 

 with a crew of sailors imaccustomed to such work, ren- 

 dered om- landing and departure often hazardous. On 

 this day we landed through two lines of breakers with 

 great good fortune, for we escaped being wet, although 

 the mate and sailors who returned with the boat to the 

 steamer were well soaked. Our landing was made fur- 

 ther along the beach than on the previous day, thus sav- 

 ing om-selves a tii-esome walk, which, when the tide is 

 high, has to be accomplished over coarse gravel and loose 

 stones, the firm sand of the beach being entirely covered 

 by the waves. 



Following the course of a dry river bed, which varied 

 in width from fifty to eighty yards, we found better 

 walking and a more direct route inland. The counti-y 

 here was more thickly covei-ed with vegetation than the 

 ground traversed the day before. SmaU trees, bushes 

 and cacti were quite numerous. Here I found bu-ds more 

 common but strangely shy. Two or three cotton-tail rab- 

 bits were the only wild mammals seen. 



Three or four miles from the beach the arroyo narrowed 

 to a rocky pass, where we discovered a rivulet of clear 

 water with a perceptible taste of alkali. Passing through 

 the cleft we reached the higher ground beyond, and con- 

 tinuing our ascent gained the summit of one of the high- 

 est peaks on the island. From this elevation we could 

 command an excellent view of the southern end of the 

 island, which had a bare and parched appearance. Far 

 away to the northward on the summits of less broken 

 ridges were dark forests of pine. Half way down the 

 slope of one of the peaks could be seen a small reddish- 

 eolored lake, its smooth surface in striking contrast to 

 the rugged backgroimd of the hills, and it formed the 

 center of a pictm-e long to be remembered. 



Several bands of goats were seen dtiring the day, nearly 

 all of which were black. These bands, ranging in numbers 

 from five to thu-ty, did not aggregate more than two hun- 

 dred. In places huge boulders of marble were found, and 

 where a ravine had cut into the hfll the ledge of marble 

 Bhowed on either side. In these marble canons we found 



the purest and coolest water, without a taste of alkali, 

 with which nearly all of the springs of CeiTOs Island are 

 impregnated. By the time we had reached the beach 

 nigbt had overtaken us. The dark form of the vessel, but 

 ' dimly outlined through the gloom, assured us that we had 

 not mistaken our bearings. Two shots fired in quick suc- 

 cession were answered by a light waved on the steamer. 

 Guided by a fire which we kindled on the shore, the boat 

 soon reached us and once more bore us safely through the 

 surf. The munerous water birds at rest on the sea had no 

 fear of the boat in the darkness which enveloped us, and 

 merely swam aside in an unconcerned manner, without 

 attempting to use their wings. One gull, even less watch- 

 ful than his fellows, was actually struck by the backward 

 stroke of an oar. The sailor who had been detailed to 

 carry our lunch basket was pretty well fatigued, and em- 

 phatically declared that he cotdd" not be compelled to fol- 

 low us another day. 



Two days was thus spent tramping tlu-ough rocky 

 gorges, obsti-ucted by loose stones, and over kregular 

 broken hills whose steep sides were a decided impediment 

 to rapid progress. In spite of difficulties we continued to 

 collect whatever objects of interest were to be found. 

 Having thoroughly investigated this vicinity, we weighed 

 anchor early one" morning, and steamed "around to the 

 eastern side of the island, anchoring a quarter of a mile 

 oft" shore. The water deepens rapidly on tliis side and the 

 anchorage is not very good. As there was comparatively 

 little siirf , landing was easily accomplished. We tiaidged 

 along the narroAv beach over coarse gra vel and well worn 

 stones to a large aiToyo, up which we traveled as long as 

 it led in the slipposed' direction of the lake we had seen 

 the preceding day; then, climbing through a steep and 

 rocky ravine, we reached a more level piece of ground, 

 over which were strewn small, irregiilar-shaped pieces of 

 reddish rock, sho^ving the effect of some great heat. 

 Further to the north and in the track of one of the wide 

 washes was a considerable area of alkali soil, and the 

 banks along its com-se were of the same chalky appear- 

 ance. A few interesting geological specimens were col- 

 lected on our march. Numerous small pieces of quartz 

 were foimd scattered over one locality, but having no 

 value save as specimens. 



About noon we came suddenly to the little lake of 

 which we were in search. It proved to be much smaller 

 than we had supposed, being not more than one hundred 

 and fifty yards long and fifty wide. It was quite shallow, 

 probably drying up entirely'^ in summer. The water, al- 

 though of a light reddish-brown color, was not disagi-ee- 

 able to the taste. A peculiar cactus on a hillside near the 

 lake differed entirely from any other that we saw. It is 

 a single, tall, round shaft, appearing at a little distance to 

 be fiat. The lower half is gray in color, and the upper a 

 light green color, perhaps because of more recent growth, 

 Midwav of the stalk a single short branch projects like a 

 huge thumb. 



W'alking entirely aroxmd the little pond, I found in a 

 clump of cacti {maguey) the nest of a woodrat built to 

 the lieight of 3ft, and composed entirely of dry leaves of 

 the caclTUs. Because of its structure and position it was 

 impossible to tear it to pieces, and I finally succeeded in 

 driving out only one rat {Neotoma). Very few bu-ds 

 could be found and all seemed quite wild. A shi-ike 

 which I endeavored to shoot wordd not allow me to ap- 

 proach nearer than three gunshots. During the day we 

 saw less than fifty goats and I was surprised to find these 

 in a locahty where there was absolutely no feed, save a 

 few sci-ubby bushes. In places the earth was just begin- 

 ning to yield to the first green shoots of spring". Perhaps 

 more plentiful feed toward the extreme noi-thern end of 

 the island had enticed the goats thither. 



As usual, in returning to the beach, we selected the dry 

 track of an arroyo in preference to the rough hiUsides, 

 aiming for a point as near the lx)at as possible to avoid the 

 extremely fatiguing walk along the beach. 



On the following morning the steamer moved to the 

 "Watering place" on the eastern side of the island, where 

 the day was spent in filling the water casks. The water, 

 which contains considerable alkali, flows from among 

 some dark green reeds close to the shore. TMs was a 

 famous watering place for whaling vessels in former 

 years. The walls of several stone huts occupied in past 

 years by small prospecting parties ai-e still standing. It 

 was here that one night in the winter of 1861-2, our cap- 

 tain, then passing the island in a sailing vessel, rescued 

 the two sxu-vivors of a prospecting party of four. They 

 had been drinking and having a "fierce fight, two of the 

 party being killed and a third badly mutilated with an 

 axe. The dead were bm-ied near the beach and a pile of 

 stones placed over the graves. There are few of the 

 islands on this coast but could tell of dark deeds done. 

 On Cerros Island, near the mouth of an arrayo, on the 

 eastern side, is a grave marked by a finely carved slab of 

 English oak, bearing the following inscription: 



caught. This canon is marked on recent maps as the 

 Arroyo del Burro. 



In this locality I found the only snake seen on the 

 island, and also caught a tarantula and some grasshoppers. 

 Dead and bleached land shells {Helix areolata, var. 

 veatehii Newcomb) were foimd everywhere; and among 

 some cacti near the top of the island a few live specimens 

 were taken. 



This was the last opportunity I had of coUectmg on the 

 island, as the remainder of the party had completed their 

 work of inspection and were ready to leave the following 

 day for Guadalupe Island. An account of the visit to this 

 "lone isle of the sea," as it has been called, will form the 

 material for a subsequent paper now^ being prepared. 



In April, 1881, Mr. L. Belding spent twelve days on the 

 Island of Cerros, and has given us an annotated list of 

 twenty land and water birds found by him. This hst was 

 subsequently edited by Mr. Ridgway, in the Proceedings 

 of the 17. S, National Museimi, and fm-nishes the first in- 

 formation we have of the ornithology of the Cerros. 



Of the following twenty-seven species taken or seen by 

 myself in January, sixteen are not mentioned in Mr, Beld- 

 ing's list, and such are designated by an asterisk. The 

 nomenclature is that recently adopted by the A. O, U, 



1, * JEchmophorus ocddentalis, Western Grebe. — One 

 bn-d seen, 



3. *Colymbus nigricolUs calif ornieus, American Eared 

 Grebe. — A female was found washed ashore dead. 



1633 



Jan. 7. 



3. ''^Urinator. — Several loons were seen in South Bay 

 and often heard calling in the early morning, but their 

 shyness prevented a specimen being secured, 



4. *Cerorhinea monocerata. Rhinoceros Auklet. — Two 

 specimens taken, one shot in South Bay, at the edge of 

 the surf, and the other caught alive on "the beach before 

 it could flap to the water's edge. This is the most south- 

 em record yet given for this species. 



1634 



5 



Jan, 7, 



1650 



S 



Jan, 8. 



No. 1634, Iris brownish yellow. Feet of a bight 

 greenish color, with dark webs. Not at all fat. 



0. *Ptychoram,phus aleuticus, Cassin's Auklet. Rare. 

 Not previously recorded from further soutli than San 

 Diego. 



1700 



.Jan. 10. 



HERE I/IBS THE BODY OF 



JOHN ANDREWS. 

 17 years of age, 

 Late apprentice on bofird the ship 

 Latona, 

 Capt. Den-neman, 

 of 



London, 



Who was treacherously murdered in the night 

 of 31sT OF October, 1819, 



In this Bay, 



By a Spanish Negro. 



We found on the beach a small crucible and an old 

 boot, probably the rehcs of some late prospecting party. 



The last day of our stay on the island we visited tlxe 

 forest of pines on the ridge. The trees, none of which 

 appeared to be more than fifty feet high, and from four 

 to eight inches in diameter, bore a small cone. The 

 branches and trunks were himg with long, gray moss. 

 Returning in the afternoon to the beach, we came across 

 the tracks of a burro in the sand of a large arroyo, and 

 soon we found the little fellow, a buckskin-colored animal 

 with a dark stripe down his hack. He seemed greatly 

 pleased to see ns, but would not allow himself to be 



Iris yellow, with tinge of brown. 



6. *Larus oceidentalis, Western Gull. — A few seen loiter- 

 ing about the steamer, I saw one while flying scratch 

 his neck with his foot. A specimen was caught dm-ing 

 the voyage down with a hook and line. They soon 

 learned on which side of the Edith the galley door was 

 (starboard), and while a score could be coimted following 

 on that side not one could be seen, except at a distance, 

 on the port side. I threw pieces of meat into the air 

 which were caught before reaching the water. I then 

 tried them with small bits of coal which they usually 

 caught in the air, but of course did not swallow. Some- 

 times a piece woidd strike the water when a guU wotdd 

 plunge in, going entirely imder and xisuaUy appearing 

 Avitli the coal only to let it fall again. Two beefsteaks 

 were stolen by the gulls from a basket on the hurricane 

 deck. They repeatedly lit on the masthead and after rail 

 to rest. 



7. ^'Larus argentatus smithsoniamis, American Herring 

 Gull. — In company with L. oceidentalis and i. heermanni. 

 They lit near the boat when we first anchored in South 

 Bay, dipping their biUs in the water and making a pe- 

 culiar so\md, acting more like young birds than adults, 

 A specimen Avas killed by the engineer with a piece of 

 coal. " The heads, A\dngs and feet Avere sav^ed for identi- 

 fication. 



8. Larus heermanni, Heermann's Gull. — More common 

 than either of the two foregoing species. None were seen 

 in adult plumage. I prepared the head of one having the 

 bill as bright as in summer plumaged birds. 



9. *Pelecxmus calif ornieus, California BroAvn Pehcan. — 

 A few were seen every mormng fishing along shore, in- 

 variably followed by one, Iavo or three Heermanns gulls 

 flying a short distance behind. As soon as the pelican 

 plunged for a fish the gulls closed in, usually alighting- 

 close before him. Sometimes one Avould perch on his 

 head, in eagerness to seize the fish. I haA^e never seen 

 them succeed in_ robbing a pelican; but they follow him 

 persistently, taking Aving soon after the pelican rises and 

 coming on at a convenient distance to be near for the 

 next plunge, 



10. ^Branta nigincans, Black Brant. — ^About a dozen 

 birds Avere seen on the eastern side of the island sAvim- 

 mingAvith necks craned forward and uttering croaks at in- 

 tervals. This species has been taken at San Quentin Bay, 

 Lower California, by Mr. Belding. Their presence at Cerros 

 Islands increases the southern range over one himdred 

 miles. 



11. *Calidris arenaria, Sanderling, — ^A flock of about 

 fifty birds lit on the beach in South Bay and two speci- 

 mens were taken. 



1640 



? 



Jan- 8. 



1641 





Jan. 8. 



13, Heteractitis incanus, Wandering Tattler, — Two sol- 

 itary birds were met with among the rocks on the beach. 



1682 



9 



■Jan. 



7. 



1651 



9 



Jan, 



10, 



13. *IIcematopus, — A pair was seen on the rocks in South 

 Bay the first day on landing. They were very Avild, 

 making a long flight every time they were started. 



14. Cathartes aura, Tirrkey Vulture. — Common along 

 the beach. 



15. Pa.ndion Jialiaetus carolinensis, American Osprey, 

 — The birds were tolerably common and very wild. A 

 great many of their bulky nests were seen on the edge of 

 the blufts above the beach. Several were examined, but 

 no eggs found, although in a nmnber of instances a bird 

 would be seen standing upon the nest. 



16. *Speotyto cnniculaHa hypogcea, BurroAving Owl, 



