Jan., 1902. 1 
THE CONDOR 
9 
wary, but Goldman suoceeded in securing a fine specimen with his rifle. We 
tried creeping on them, but at the first signal of danger they all arose with those 
strange ‘nautical’ cries reminding one of rigging creaking in the wind. I found 
the end of the first primary much worn off, as though scoured down by beating 
the sand in their characteristic run, skip and jump start. We secured both the 
western and horned grebes, and Mr. Vernon Baile}^ assures me he positively 
identified the American eared and pied-billed grebes the previous year when he 
visited the lake. It is wholly probable that the majority of the thousands of 
grebes that I saw everywhere along the south side of the lake belonged to these 
two latter species. 
We camped about fifteen miles east of Farrington’s near a deserted ranch, 
where a plentiful seepage of fresh water makes a few muddy little meadows, 
grown up with wiry grass, and filled with little pools of water. Between these 
meadows and the lake is a tolerably wide dam-like sand beach; behind which are 
longish ponds of brackish water. The lake itself as it has no outlet is of course 
very strong with various salts, so strong that when wading in the water one is re- 
minded of sugar syrup. This is seen only when the bottom layers of water are 
stirred up. 
We ensconsed ourselves in a remarkable grove of buffalc-berries {Sheperdia ar- 
gentea), remarkable because the bushes were really small trees. Our arrival dis- 
lodged a large short-eared owl which seemed very loath to leave, and soon after- 
ward several magpies came in to roost, but suddenly changed their minds and re- 
tired some distance to discuss the 
intruders and pop corks like 
Barnaby Fudge’s raven. When 
dusk came on the ducks and grebes 
came nearer land to feed, and 
small flocks of the former flew np 
and down the shore till long after 
dark. A small Branchipus-like 
Phyllopod swarms in countless 
millions in the lake and is fed up- 
on by the water birds. The dead 
and deca5dng individuals cast 
ashore mixed witli suds and larva 
exuviae form food for an army of 
small flies the larvae of which I 
found alive in the water. These 
flies are so thick that they form a 
black zone or band two or three 
feet wide next to the water all 
around the lake “a belt of flies 
SOUTH BEACH OF MONO LAKE, SHOWING DARK ZONE OF LIVE FLIES. Qne llUnderd luilCS lOOg” aS OnC 
writer puts it. Grebes, ducks, avocets, killdeers, phalaropes and least sandpipers 
gorge themselves on both the flies and their larvae, and even Indians are partial 
to the latter which they ‘pop’ before eating, so as to leave the dried casts in little 
heaps and windrows. Thus is ‘natural’ economy fulfilled. 
Back in the sage brush the characteristic bird.s were found, but our little mea- 
dow brought to light a few species new to the trip. Western savanna sparrows 
were common. Several pipits landed for a momentary stroll in the soggy grass 
but soon departed southward with hysterical peeps. A flock of horned larks 
passed over. The Brewer blackbirds, everywhere abundant, here associated with 
