128 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XI 
The latter remained to breed, but the oats vanisht. A cleaner sweep could hardly 
lie imagined. As fast as an oat sprout would reach the surface there was a black- 
bird — some with such beautiful crimson epaulettes — waiting for it, until the last 
one was gone. And yet this was early in March when there was apparently a great 
abundance of food for even these rapacious appetites. In this work crows and 
meadowlarks assisted to the best of their ability, but they were few and the black- 
birds were many. 
Now what has happened to my point of view? Well, it is a little bent, and 
somewhat wobbly, but probably will straighten out again when I see these same 
birds carrying thousands of fat green worms and other destructive but luscious 
insects away from the alfalfa fields to feed their clamorous young. Still I did hate 
to see a hundred tons or so (to be) of fine oat hay most brazenly stolen in this 
way — and by a supposed friend!! 
San Francisco , California . 
NEST OF THE ISI-COEOREU ISI.ACKBIRD; SAN GERONIMO, CALIFORNIA 
THE LITTLE BROWN CRANE IN CALIFORNIA 
By J. GRINNELE 
I N the year 190b I saw, mounted, in the taxidermy shop of Roth Reynolds in 
Los Angeles, a specimen of the Little Brown { (Iras canadensis). I was told 
that it had been secured in the vicinity; but I failed to follow up the matter at 
the time. 
I wrote Mr. Reynolds lately in regard to the bird I saw in his shop, and under 
date of December 27, 1908, he writes me as follows: ' ‘I sold the Little Brown 
