32 
THE CONDOR 
T 
1 Vol. IV 
forquafus) flew as rapidly as possible 
through Donner Pass toward the Sacra- 
mento Valley, having been driven from 
the east slope — its summer home — by 
the storm. Numerous Belding’s sperm- 
ophiles were scurrying about in the the 
meadow, exhibiting a hardihood with 
which I had not previously credited 
them, as they go into winter quarters 
about the tenth of September, — some- 
times earlier. last observations 
here, at this time, were on the i6th 
when, after a long search, I found the 
two nests I have mentioned in three 
inches of snow. Both contained three 
eggs and both had been deserted. The 
effect of such a storm on bird life can be 
easily imagined. Frequent sudden 
changes with snow may be expected 
from about 4,000 feet upward, anytime 
in May, and they are likel}^ to occur 
until the middle of June. Besides de- 
stroying some nests the storm mu.st 
have forced some birds to seek other 
nesting localities, lower in the mount- 
ains. 
About every second or third winter 
snow is nearly twenty feet deep on the 
level, — sometimes a foot or two deeper, 
and is .so late in melting that few (juail 
breed here, but travel on eastward un- 
til they find bare ground. I suppose 
birds have more trying experiences in 
these mountains during nesting time 
than they have in St. Michaels, i^laska, 
as the mean temperature is nearly the 
same in both, but in the Sierras there 
is much more snow. From the forego- 
ing it would seem that an inclement 
climate is the chief cau.se of bird scarci- 
ty in the high Sierras. However indi- 
viduals are hardl}’ more numerous in 
the lower coniferous forest between 
4,000 feet and 2500 feet altitude, than 
in the same forest above these heights. 
The bulk of the birds iu the Sierras are 
in and near meadows and open parts of 
the forest, — especially the seed-eaters. 
Perhaps few species of Californian 
birds desire a home in the dense, lonely 
woods. In the chapparal belt below 
the fir forest, birds are abundant at all 
times, though they have apparently as 
many enemies as in other parts of the.se 
mountains, the California Jay (Aphe/o- 
coma califoryiica) being more numerous 
than in any other part of the state. Be- 
low this and in the extensive, sun- 
burned interior valleys, little water, 
vegetation and few insects are the 
causes of rarity of birds during the sum- 
mer, when the annual plants are ripe 
or withered by or previous to the first 
of June. Birds sometimes liv^ed in these 
valleys several miles from water when 
there were but few farm-houses. I 
have found Valley Partridges {Lophor- 
tyx c. vallicolns) in oak groves when 
there was no water within two miles of 
them, and supposed they were able to 
live where they were by drinking dew- 
drops at morning and evening. 
In quite extensive waterless tracts in 
southern Lower California birds are 
abundant, as they find in the fruit and 
sap of cacti a substitute for water. 
Deer and cattle also thrive there if the 
cholla cactus is plentiful. On the al- 
most waterle.ss Cedros Island wild goats 
or deer, perhaps both, opened the tops 
of the large Echi/wcactns with their 
hoofs, making a cap-like cavity in 
which the juice of the plant collected 
and gave the animal its much needed 
drink. The coyote shows equal ingen- 
uity on the dry we.st coast of central 
Lower California by digging in the 
sandy arroyos for water. If 1113^ Mexi- 
can boatmen at La Paz is to be believed 
it is still more ingenious in getting food, 
for, according to Pedro, the co3^ote 
fishes for crabs with its tail, — sticks its 
tail down the hole of the crab, the crab 
bites, is pulled out and eaten. I would 
advise the reader to salt Pedm’s story. 
Still, it is possibly true. 
L. Belding. 
Stockto>i, Cal. 
^ ^ ^ 
J. H. Bowles writes from Tacoma, Wa.sli., 
that Western hi veiling Grosbeaks (Coccot/iraus- 
tes V. Diontanus) are very numerous about 
the cit3’, flocks of as many as fortv birds being 
seen since Feb. i. 
