394 -1 Jounicjf Across the Sierras — S. California. 
the head of my dog, until we left the vicinity of their nest. 
They are not very common in California. I haA'e only seen 
them in and al out towns, and then only a pair or two of thcra 
together. On oui' walk we saw a good many Pigeons feeding 
in the Oaks and shot a couple. We alio saw Quail, Doves and 
Eohins in fail- nuiiil;:^rs. An Oriole's nest was seen "hanging 
from a fruit tree in a garden, and a Humming Bird passed 
too quickly to b>? identified. This nigdit we were awakened 
by the screeching of a Mountain Lion, quite close to our camp. 
Thei]' cry has been likened to the scream of a woman. T 
can't say whether this is so, but I can vouch for its Ijeing 
an extremely unpleasant sound. As it started all the dogs 
barking, sleep was out of the question, until it had passed on. 
Deer, which are its principal food, are very numerous in 
this pari of California, .so these Ijions are Taiidy common. They 
occasionally kill young stock, and I remember one summer 
at Santa Monica securing one from a rancher, who had poisoned 
It, after it had killed one of his colts. When skinning it I 
was pai'ticularly struck by the size of its fore -arms, and by 
the weight of its head. I don't suppose that the animal 
weighed more than a large English Mastifll', but its limbs 
seemed to me much more powerful. They are cowardly crea- 
tures and I never heard of anyone being attacked by one of 
them. 
(To he continued). 
4 
The First Year of a Sussex Aviary. 
By E. R. .VXD N. S. Lucas. 
In this our fiirst conti'ibution to Bird Notes we should 
like to make it (i[uite clear to any possible readers that we are 
beginners and have no wonders of a\^iculture to narrate. ^Ye 
write in response to the frequent appeals for copy from our 
genial editor, and like the jjianist in the well known story 
" We are doing our best." 
Our aviary for (he past year has been an uniieated 
one, though ior the coming winter we have installed an oil 
and water heating apparatus of the same type as that des- 
cribed by Mr. Bainbridge in a previous number of this 
magazine. , 
