May, 1911 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
109 
The Bohemian Waxwing in Placer County, California, — The California Academy of 
Sciences recently receiv'ed a female Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrula) from Dutch Flat, 
Placer Comity, California. It was sent by Mr. FT K. Carnes, Superintendent of the .State In- 
sectary, who stated that it was shot on February 26, 1911. He writes under date of March 3: 
“Large numbers of this species of bird have appeared in the apple orchards around the town just 
named and are feeding on the decaying fruit, which has been left on the ground or is still hang- 
ing on the tree.” — E. W. Gifford. 
The Egret in Southern California. — While crossing the salt marsh north of Alamitos 
Bay, Los Angeles County, California, 9:30 a. in., February 26, 1911, en route to Newport Beach, I 
saw two Egrets (Herodias egretta) standing in a tide pool about seventy-five yards from the 
Pacific Electric R. R. tracks. The passing of the car did not seem to disturb them. When re- 
turning, about 1:30 p. m., I did not see the birds. — C. B. Linton. 
The Troupial in California. — On April 30, 1911, I obtained near .Santa Barbara a Troupial 
(/cterus icterus), a most beautiful male. The plumage is absolutely perfect, not a feather being 
frayed in either wings or tail, and the feet are in perfect condition. To me there seems no possi- 
bility that it can be a cage bird. It was in upper IMission Canyon, a very wild locality, in 
compan}^ with a flock of Western Tanagers that were passing through, and seemed very much at 
his ease. He was in fine condition, and the stomach was crammed with small green canker- 
worms.— J. II. Bowles. 
Bobolink at Great Altitude. — It may be of interest to note the presence at Leadville, 
Colorado, at an elevation of 10, 1.50 feet, of two male Bobolinks {Dolichouyx oryzivorus) on the 
17th day of July, 1907, a little before nine o'clock in the morning. 
They were on a bunch of weeds, less than half a block east of the Public Library, and not 
more than twenty-five feet from me as I passed on the sidewalk. I might add that they are the 
only ones I have ever seen in thirty years experience in this county, which includes the prin- 
cipal sources of the Arkansas river. 
Perhaps, when the more ab.sorbing duties of earl}' summer were over, the}' were seeking, 
like many another, the delightful exhilaration of a mountain trip! — J. Cl.^RENce IIersey. 
Unusual Nesting Site of the San Nicholas Rock Wren. — While visiting San Nicholas 
Island, April 14 and 15, 1911, my attention was called to a pair of these wrens {Salpinctes obso- 
letus pulverius) carrying nest material into a crack under the eaves of the store-house where the 
ranch provisions are kept. Both birds were seen at work at the same time. About 20 men 
(sheep shearers, et al.) were at work 15 to .30 feet distant, and were constantly passing and enter- 
ing the store-house. The birds entered the nesting-site while I was standing within five feet of 
the building. — C. B. Linton. 
Field Notes From the San Joaquin Valley. — Beginning March 5 of this spring (1911) the 
IMuseum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California has kept a party in the San 
Joaquin Valley, central California, for the purpose of investigating the mammal fauna of the 
region. While the bulk of attention was necessarily devoted to the trapping and study of 
mammals, some observations were made on the birds of the region traversed. The writer of 
the present sketch spent about five weeks with the party between (March 5 and (May 5, and the 
following scattered information relative to the birds is selected from his note book as being 
thought worthy of being made accessible to the bird student in general. A few specimens were 
taken and comments on some of these are also added. 
California Jay [Aphelocoma cali/ornica) . Of extraordinary abundance in the vicinity of 
Raymond, Madera County. I used to be skeptical of the notion that Jays have very much dele- 
terious influence on the small bird life of a locality. But after witnessing a single jay despoil a 
Brown Towhee’s nest and eggs in spite of the spirited defense put up by both owners, and after 
seeing another jay beating a young sparrow to death, I feel inclined to attribute the relative 
scarcity of small birds around Raymond to the presence of so many California Jays. The place 
would appear perfectly suited to a large population of gnatcatchers, bush-tits, towhees, wrens, 
vireos and warblers, but the expected species were either scarce or wanting. Five jays’ nests 
each with eggs or young were encountered, although I was not hunting for birds’ nests. These 
were in small oaks or ceanothus bushes, four to ten feet above the ground, with no apparent at- 
tempt at concealment, beyond that incidental to support and shade. 
Western Grasshopper Sparrow [Ammodratnus savannartim bimaciilatus) . A single speci- 
men obtained on an alfalfa patch at Earlimart, Tulare County, April ,30. 
