318 -4 Jniirnc!/ Across ihr Sierras—SI. California. 
down, only to lo;>e itself a mile or so further on by percolation 
and evaporation. The further bank was twenty feet or so 
above the water, and in this a colony of Pank Swallows (Cotile 
pri/fhrofjasicr) were nesting. In flight they look exactly like 
our Sand Martins; the eggs also are similar. This was pro- 
bably the only nesting site that they could have found in many 
miles, as higher up the banks of the stream are rocky. In a 
creeper growing around the verandah of the house, a pair of 
Red-headed Linnets (C. purpurens) were nesting. They are 
pretty and confiding litt'.e birds — prefer nesting near houses. 
The inevitable Oiiole (Icterus hullocl-i) was also nesting near 
the house, the nest hanging very much as do some of the 
African Weavers. The Eancher, a one armed old timer, 
seeing me examining the nest, pointed out to me the nest of 
a Chicken Hawk, and said that he would be very glad if I 
would shoot the old birds for him, as they were daily carrying 
*ofr his chickens. I don't usually shoot liirds unless they can 
be used for food, l)ut in this case, as we were camping on 
his ground, I thought it well to do so. They were very fine 
birds. The hen which flew off the nest in time to receive 
the contents of my second l>arrel, b^ing much the larger bird 
of the two. The eggs, four in number, were large and very 
pretty — buff, thickly blo'.ched with reddish-brown. The nert 
morning as we were starting, the old rancher appeared with 
a well-grown Plymouth Eo;'k cockerel; "just a raitheu fur 
yer fur kiUen them darned Chicken Hawks. Guess you'll find 
a use fur en before yer get t'other side." "\^'e guessed we 
should and thanked him. 
Our way now was up a steep gi-adient. Right in the 
mouth of the canyon was a high hill, and on this the old fort 
Tejon originally stood. It must have been quite impregnalile 
from any Indian attacks. The mountains on either side, — 
there are no foothills, — were quite bare of timber or " chap- 
paral,' and were covered with long grass. The valley itself 
was for a considerable distance mostly sand and rock, but 
when it began to narrov,% the soil improved and willows and 
other shrubs began to appear. Further up still, we struck 
the " chapparal " belt. Here the mountain sides are den. ely 
covered with various kinds of shrubs, conspicuous amongst 
which is the Mauzanita with its blood tvil liark. "We now 
