162 
THE COX DU R 
Vol. XIII 
RTouiul, and not more than ten feet from the bench by the house, where six or eight 
men washed three times daily, eacli time considering it their duty to see how the 
Kingbird’s family duties were progressing. In spite of this scrutiii}' the eggs 
hatched before we left, and there was every prospect that the young would prosper. 
I had occasion to visit the Painted Rock at the south end of the valley, on May 
id and 27, and found a surprising number of birds there, the more strikingly so 
after the long dreary drive over dusty roads, with but little to see except the ever- 
lasting Horned Larks flitting persistently along before the horses. 
The rock rises abruptly from the surrounding plain to a height of about 100 
feet, and is something of a local landmark, jiartly from its conspicuousness, and 
partl_\- from the Indian paintings with which it is decorated. A colony of at least 
a hundred ])airs of Cliff Swallows { Petroclielido)i hi)u fro>is) was the most con- 
.s]>icuous feature of the avian poi^ulation of the rock, many times that number of 
nests being pla.stered thickly on its east face. With them were several pairs of 
White-throated Swifts ( A nest of Say Phoebe ( .SVn’- 
onns suyiis ) with four eggs, was found on a little sheltered shelf, and a second pair 
of the birds seen. Several pairs of House F'inches {Carpodarns inexicaiiiis froii- 
Fig. 46. PAINTED ROCK, CARRIZO PLAINS, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTV, CALIFORNIA 
tail's) flitted about, bunches of straw protruding from various cracks showing where 
their nests were. A Raven ( Corviis corax siniiatiis) flew croaking from her nest 
on a ledge near the top of the rock, but it was in too inacce.ssible a spot to be 
reached very easily. The only additional species observed was the Arkansas King- 
bird, but I found unmistakable feathers of Barn Owl {Aliico prathicola) , Prairie 
Falcon ( W£’.v/rii’;/// 5 1 , and a large hawk, probably Buteo sivaiusoni. At a 
ranch house about a mile from the rock a pair of Bullock Orioles {Icterus hiiUock'i), 
and a number of English Sparrows { Passer doinesticiis) were seen. 
A few water birds were seen about a small fresh water pond by the roadside — 
three Night Herons (A naeviiis), an Avocet ( Kccurvirostra .aiueri- 
caua), several Killdeer ( Oxycc/ius voci ferns) , and a flock of about thirt\^ Northern 
VhaXaroxrts ( Pobipes lohatus). Two of the latter secured were in full breeding 
plumage, as the entire flock appeared to be. At a subsequent visit to the pond a 
few days later, the Avocet, Herons and Killdeer were still there, but the Phalaropes 
had nearly all departed, only about ten remaining, so they were probably still migrat- 
ing, even at this late date. 
