Nov., 1912 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
223 
On the morning of June 18 1 desired to photograph the young birds but either they had 
moved, or the parent had moved them, and I was unable to locate them, although I went 
over the ground ver\' carefully and may have looked right at them ! 
Evidently they were not far away, however, for every time I came into the vicinity the 
old Inrd was there to renew her deluding tactics. 
I discovered them again on tlie morning of June 19. They were about iifteen yards 
from the place where I first found them, and the mother w'as brooding. The sun beat down 
fierceh' during those days, and I cannot understand how the birds could withstand it on that 
rocky ground with the granite glare surrounding them and not a particle of sheltering shade. 
I hurried to camp for the camera. Fifteen minutes later when I returned one of the 
young Was eight feet from the other. 1 replaced it, took their pictures, and the photograph 
here reproduced is the result. 
One evening about 8:30 p. m. I passed by the locality, and found that the young were 
more active then than during the hours of daylight. They would run a few inches at a time 
in a straight line over the ground, while during the daytime they remained perfectly quiet 
and gave no sign of seeing the intruder. 
The coloration of the young blended so remarkably with their surroundings that it was 
'vell-nigh impossible to see them. It was more difficult to see the birds in bright sunlight 
Fig. 8.5. TEXAS NIGHTHAWK NESTLINGS, ILLUSTRATING THP: PROTPXTIVE 
NATURE OF THEIR COLOR AND MARKINGS 
than at other times. When 1 returned with the camera the day I took the photograph, 1 
had the utmost difficulty in locating the nestlings, although I knew e.xactly where they w'ero. 
In fact, I nearly stepped on one. I had been looking straight at it, but failed to make it out. 
Only one parent was noted at any time. The female and voting were collected (nos. 
22702, 23157, 23158, Mus. Vert. Zook). 
Incidentally Mr. Grinnell informs me that this is to date the most northern record of 
the breeding of the Texas Nighthawk by over two degrees of latitude. — W.tLTER P. T.wlob. 
Recent Santa Barbara Records — Man-o’-war-bird {Fregafa uqiiila). On the 12th of 
.August ( 1912) tW'O of these birds were seen sailing about over the estero near Carpinteria. 
Upon sighting us they approached curiously, allowing completest inspection, then passed 
inland nearly a mile, rising to a height of several thousand feet, after wdiich they drove 
straight west till lost from sight (passing thus directly over Santa Barbara). .Another bird 
was seen by Mr. Torrey and myself close in shore at a point thirteen miles west of town, on 
the 27th of the same month. Mr. E. S. Spaulding also reports having seen single birds on 
two occasions near the Santa Barbara pier. 
Snow'y Heron (Egrcthi candidlssiina) . A single bird in full plumage was sighted on 
