Mar., 1901 1 
THE CONDOR 
47 
Echoes From the Field. 
Evening Grosbeak Near Palo Alto. Notes in the January Condor indicate a gener- 
al invasion of the coast valleys by flocks of gro,sbeaks {Coccot/u'austes v. 7 no 7 itanus^ 
As none are recorded from the San Francisco peninsula, I will note two males 
and four females, taken by Mr. T. J. Hoover on November 25, now in my collec- 
tion. These specimens were secured from a flock on the lower San Francisquito 
Creek where they were feeding in the willows. Mr. Hoover states that since the 
above date he has seen several flocks in the vicinity of Palo Alto. 
Richard C. McGregor, Oakland Cal. 
Mice as Enemies of Ground-nesting Birds. The carnivorous habits of chipmunks as 
related in the recent issues of The Condor were very intere.sting to me, 
though I believe mice are far more guilty. Mice are a perfect pest to ground- 
builders in this country, as they burrow into the ground several yards away 
from the nest and then tunnel until they reach the bottom of the nest. 
They then dig upward into the nest and carry the eggs into their tunnel to 
eat. I have often found broken and unbroken eggs several feet from the nest in 
a burrow. I have never actually seen mice do this, but the tunnels are much too 
small for anything else. The Ruffed Grouse {Bonasa umbelliis sabini) are the 
worst sufferers that I have yet found, and their eggs are the largest that I have 
seen destroyed in this manner. All the small ground-builders suffer more or less. 
J. H. Bowles, Tacoma, Wash. 
Notes From Oakland and Vicinity. In the gulches back of Oakland birds have been 
exceptionally numerous this winter, .some species appearing in numbers such as 
are rarely known here. I might note especially that during the months of De- 
cember and January I saw five Townsend’s Warblers {De 7 idroica toivnseudi) 
in one gulch; three of these were together in the same bush. 
In different places in Oakland and Berkeley I saw four Western Winter Wrens, 
(Aytortimra h. pacifica) a very unusual occurence. The Red-breasted Nuthatch 
(AzY/a was found, but in smaller numbers than two years ago when 
they were comparatively numerous. Audubon’s Warblers (Z). auduboiii) seem 
less common than last year. 
The California Woodpecker {Mdanerpes f. bairdi) is quite numerous in the oaks 
around the University grounds; much more so than for some years. The Western 
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa olivaceus) has been ciuite common in 
flocks in Oakland and Berkeley. John M. Willard, Oakland, Cal. 
Occurrence of the Black Brant and American Goldeneye in Los Angeles Go., Gal. The 
twentieth century was opened in a very satisfactory manner on the morning of 
Jan. ist. when Mr. E. R. Hull presented to the writer a handsome pair of Branta 
7 iigricans, shot at the Bolso Chico Club grounds near Newport, on that date. 
These, the finst actual specimens taken in the territory covered by Grinnell’s list, 
confirm the statement made therein that it is an occasional visitor along our coast. 
At one time the Black Brant was a much sought-for game bird about ffan Diego 
Bay, eighty miles south but of recent years has decreased rapidly in numbers 
and is now only occasionally' taken. 
Another interesting take is that of a pair of Cla^igula clangida americana shot at 
the same place on Jan. 5, by Dr. A. F'enyes. Mr. Grinnell notes in his list a 
single specimen of the American Goldeneye taken in 1894. All these birds have 
found their way into my collection. F. S. Daggett, Pasadena, Cal. Jan. 8, 1901. 
Gapture of Another White-throated Sparrow. I have an adult female White-throated 
