98 
THE CONDOR 
I VOL. V 
duration of incubation and stay of young in nest all were destroyed by one agency 
or another. Most of these nests were of California towhee, house finch, Arkansas 
goldfinch, hummingbirds, etc., but as sure as one was recorded in my note-book 
so sure was it to be destroj^ed. Most of the agencies of destruction could only be 
surmised, such as jays, cats, snakes, etc., but several nests were blown away by the 
strong north winds that sweep through here in the spring from time to time. 
Some nests were deserted soon after construction, but most of them were robbed, or 
destroyed, at periods varying from that of fresh laid eggs to young within three 
days of leaving. In the cases where young were destroyed it is more than prob- 
able the numerous and voracious colonies of ants in this neighborhood may have 
been a factor, as Mr. Reddington tells me that these insects give him a great deal 
of trouble among his pet bantams while the young are still small. This destruction 
or desertion of nests may have appeared larger in this than in other places on my 
records on account of the proximity to the town causing the presence of numerous 
cats to kill, and people to frighten away the birds, but tiie conditions are most cer- 
tainly discouraging to the observer, and more so to the birds themselves. In the 
territory worked over the small boy did not appear to cut much figure, as he was 
seldom met with. 
Another matter noted was the extremely early moulting of many of the birds 
of this locality. There may be observations on this subject extant, upon southern 
birds, which have escaped my attention or memory, but it seemed remarkable that 
so many birds should be in poor feather as early as April 15th, just the date at 
which the best plumage would naturally be expected. During my visit to Santa 
Cruz Island in April and May, 1898, these conditions did not exist in that locality, 
and the birds there were in fine breeding plumage, with the exception of the 
horned larks which are generally in poor feather very early, and this in spite of 
an abnormally dry season when all the grain died at the height of six inches. Yet 
here in Santa Barbara, as early as .May 15 while still nesting such birds as jays, 
finches, wren-tits, wrens, bluebirds and other residents were in the state of moult, 
that one would expect to find in July or .\ugust. Even freshly arrived migrants, 
such as the different Empidonax, Helminthophila, etc., with .some exceptions, were 
in a partial state of moult, the exception being the orioles, blackbirds, phaino- 
peplas and a few others, which were in a normal seasonal plumage. 
Some of the birds were not only moulting but also had their feathers actually 
worn away by the wind. In fact all of them, except those whose habits led them 
to remain for the most part hidden close under brush, showed more or less of this 
wear. In drv climates it is usual to find more or less abrasion among the old 
feathers. The climate of Santa Barbara itself is more or less humid from its prox- 
imity to the sea, and though not very much rain falls it is hardly dry enough to 
compare with the interior, hence this abrasion must be caused by some other 
agency, which can be nothing else than the heavy nortli gales that strike the val- 
ley from time to time in the spring and usually blow for two or three days at a 
stretch, and are, as a rule warm and dry. In the vicinity of the town there is but 
little wind except these gales, and the specimens from here show much less wear 
than do those from the vicinity of Point Conception. .Mr. Reddington kindly col- 
lected .some birds from this latter place and also from the Santa Inez River valley, 
some twenty-five miles north of the town. At Point Conception a strong wind is 
almost constantly blowing, and the specimens from there show this abrasion to a 
remarkable extent, in many cases the feathers of the head, breast and back being 
worn down to a sharp angle, with hardly sufficient of the outermost barbs and 
