152 
Till': COXDOR 
Vol. XI 11 
nessed a flight of what were presumably Sooty Shearwaters ( /'*. J^;^r/sc!/s) which 
took about five hours in passing. 
In April, at the lagoons to which I referred above, there were numerous Pied- 
billed Grebes ( , Green-winged Teal {Xc/tiou caroliueitsc) , 
{Spatula clypcata'), Pintails {Dafi/a acuta). Lesser Scaups {Marila 
ajiu/s), and Ruddies { En'sniatura Jaiiiaircu:f/s)-, also the ever-present Coot i P'ulica 
auicriraua) , while a few Brant ( Ih'auta uigrirans) lingered in the bay. I have it 
on the best of authority that the latter are present in incredible numbers during the 
winter months. 
The Western Gull { Larus orrictcutalis') is common here, but at my later visit 
Lanis hccrmamii was just as numerous, mainly in immature plumage but many 
adults also. Royal Terns {Sterna uiaxinia) were ever 3 wvhere and the natives told 
me that thev breed in the locality. Several Great Blue Herons {Anica Perodias) 
were seen, and at least two Snowy Egrets ( Iigrctta caudidissiuia) . One of these 
exhibited considerable curiositv at our whale-boat as we were sailing down the bav, 
and circled about it five times at no greater distatice than fortv feet before it was 
satisfied. This individual was in beautiful breeding plumage, with very long 
‘ ‘aigrettes” . 
Light-footed Rails ( /\al/us lev/ pcs) were common in the marshes, as I could 
tell from their tracks, and on April 27 I found a set of seven fresh eggs. Some 
smaller form of rail was also in'esent but I was unable to tell to what species it be- 
longed. P'oot-prints only were seen. Four Black-necked Stilts { Hhuautopus 
uiex/eauus) were busy in the shallow waters of the lagoons at the last-mentioned 
date, Killdeer {^Oxycehus voeiferus) were breeding, and in Julv a number of West- 
ern Whllet (( .s'. i/ioruatus) were investigating the sandy beaches. 
In l)oth the months that I was ])resent there was a large flock of Long-billed Cur- 
lew { XiD/ieuius a)/icrieauus) numbering some two hundred birds I should say, 
and the residents informed me that they had remained throughout ihe spring. 
Snowy Plovers y Aegialitis /livosa) were fairlv swarming, and a few of both the 
Black and Frazar Oystercatchers ( Hac/uatopus baeh/>iaui //. trazari) were to be 
found on the rocks at the mouth of the bav. 
Several Mourning \)o\’Qs{Zc/iaid//ra ///. earo//uc//sis) , Turkev \hiltures ( Cath- 
artes a. scptcutrio/zalis) , Burrowing Owls {Speotyto c. hypogaca) , Roadrunners 
{(leoeaeeyx ea///or///ai/us) , Rufous Hummingbirds { Sclasphor/zs rut//s), Ravens 
I ( \)/-v//s e. si///iati/s ) , Western Meadowlarks ( Sti/nicUa //cgleeta) and one King- 
fisher ( Gm7c r;’/n'c>/G were seen, and Tricolored Blackbirds {Age/alus tricolor) 
haunted the tules. 
Two pairs of Arkansas Kingbirds ( I'yrau/ius vcrticalis) were nesting in the 
trees of the village and kept up a continual clatter. From what I heard, Dwarf 
Cowbirds { Molothrus a. ohsc//rus) had evidentl}’ been common during the winter, 
but I saw onlv two of them, and glimpses were had of a few Scott Orioles {Ictcr//s 
par/soruui ) in some scraggy trees on the plain. 
A fact which impre.ssed me as being strange was the total absence of House 
P'inches, nor did I meet them in the mountains and foothills east of San Quentin 
in the winter of 1908. This is not the limit of their range, however, as true ('arpo- 
has frequently l)een taken between the country south of here 
and Lat. 28° N. 
Belding Sparrows { Passcrc//l//s bcidi//gi) were abundant in the marshes, fre- 
(pienting especially the neighborhood of the pier. Gambel Sparrows { Zo/iotrichia 
/. gauibcli) were still present at my first visit, and I was surprised to find a single 
male Black-chinned vSparrow (Spizc/la atrog/daris) so close to the coast. In April, 
