120 
THE CONDOR 
1 Vol. Ill 
Birds Recorded at Paicines, San Benito Co., California. 
BY J. & J, W. MAILLIARD. 
HE APPENDED LIST is compiled from notes and records made by my broth- 
er and myself at Rancho Paicines during many visits of from two to ten days 
duration at various times of the year since 1888. In this work we have been 
greatly aided by the resident superintendent, Mr. Peter Kelly, who is naturally a 
shrewd observer, and who has taken a deep interest in the bird life of the locality. 
Our observations have been confined to this ranch and the immediate neigh- 
borhood, probably not covering over thirty square miles. Most unfortunately a 
valise containing some valuable notes and records of ours was stolen from a trans- 
fer wagon and never recovered. We are not sure of having closed the gap made 
by this loss. 
Paicines is situated on the northern slope of a comparatively dry belt, Holli- 
ster ten miles north being the approximate limit of copious rains. The annual 
rainfall at Paicines varies from four inches in dry seasons to fifteen or more in wet 
winters, twelve inches when properly distributed insuring good crops. The re- 
sult of this light precipitation, together with the coolness of the climate as com- 
pared with the southern and interior valleys of the State is that many of the resi- 
dent birds are intermediate between the dark northern and coast forms and the 
lighter ones of the true interior and south. 
The ranch consists mostly of open rolling land on both sides of the San Benito 
River, with some alluvial bottoms, occasional oak groves, many scattering oaks, 
sage brush and chaparral tracts, and clumps of cottonwoods or willows here and 
there beside the stream. Like many California rivers the San Benito can only be 
dignified with such a name immediately after a heavy rainfall in the mountains, 
as for the greater part of the time it is but a small stream, often dry for long 
stretches in the summer. Its valley is bounded on the southwest by the Gabilan 
Range which is some 3000 feet high and is covered on its northeast slope with dig- 
ger pines and chaparral. On the ranch are large tracts of open pasture land, 
hundreds of acres of lev^el grain fields and an alfalfa patch of 100 acres under irriga- 
tion. but no orchard or vineyard. 
From this brief description it will be seen that the character of the country is 
quite diversified and the variety of birds correspondingly large. Many different 
species of ducks follow the river in the fall and winter and often light upon the 
small ponds and lagoons in its neighborhood, or upon the deeper spots in the river 
itself. Some waders also appear from time to time, killdeer thrive along the moist 
gravel beds and some colonies of herons maintain themselves without difficulty. 
In the following list “summer resident” means breeding birds, while “common 
resident” does not mean abundant unless so stated, — it is meant to convey the 
idea more of even distribution and ordinary occurrence than of large numbers, 
while of course “sparinglj^ resident” means that though fairly evenly distributed 
the numbers are small. These terms are u.sed in order to have the text as concise 
as possible and yet make the matter clear. 
1. Colymbus auritus. Horned Grebe. One record only; ? Oct. 14, 1900. 
2. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. Casual winter resident. 
3. Larus californicus. California Gull. Casual winter visitant. 
4. Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus, Farallone Cormorant. Occasionally 
seen in winter and spring. 
5. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. American White Pelican. Occasionally seen 
in winter. 
