78 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XVII 
dark, almost blackish, smoky gray, possibly from continued contact with the 
dark peaty soil, though I am inclined to believe the change a natural one. In 
melania this down is a shade lighter than in socorroensis, which strikes one as 
rather peculiar considering that in later life melania is the darker of the two. 
As for the great variation in the amount of white (or total absence of it) 
to be found on the rump of socorroensis , I prefer to leave that point to others 
infinitely more competent to discuss it than I am. However, it may be men- 
tioned that earlier in the season (late June, 1913) the majority of birds showed 
at least a trace of white, while of those taken August 13 of the present year 
only about one in four showed the above mentioned character. 
Pasadena, California, September 10, 1914. 
BIRDS OF A BERKELEY HILLSIDE 
By AMELIA SANBORN ALLEN 
WITH FOURTEEN PHOTOGRAPHS ON SEVEN FIGURES 
F OR the past three years I have been living in Strawberry Canyon. Our 
house is in the middle of a dense grove of young live-oak trees, on the 
southern wall of the canyon opposite the University dairy, and to the 
Fig. 29. General view of Strawberry Canyon looking east, showing the 
LOCATION OF THE HOUSE ( L T PPERMOST ) AND ITS SURROUNDINGS 
Photo by Amelia S. Allen. 
south and west of the swimming pool. The house faces south and up the hill. 
To the west are three unimproved lots, one of woodland, the others partly 
open, with several rather large pine trees. To the north and east the oak 
forest is continuous, interspersed with bay trees; and there is a dense under- 
growth of hazel, cascara, poison oak, spiraea, wild rose, snow-berry, wild cur- 
rant, blackberry and brakes, with thimble-berries and wild parsnip filling the 
cross ravines. On the eastern side, our lot is bounded by the University cam- 
