July, 1909 
CORRESPONDENCE 
143 
are nine fine specimens. It may not be out of 
place to mention the fact that Messrs. Belding, 
Bryant, Frazar and Nelson did not meet with 
it on their expeditions in Lower California. 
There is also a very fine specimen of the 
Pigmy Owl from a new locality — Miraflores. 
As you know this is a very rare bird in collec- 
tions. But what pleased me most of all on this 
expedition is a series of eight specimens of the 
tiny Micropallas or Elf Owl from several local- 
ities. It seems the only skins in existence 
from Lower California are two specimens in 
the U. S. National Museum at Washington! 
Messrs. Xantus, Bryant, E'razar and Nelson 
failed to meet with it, so it must be pretty 
good. Of the Dwarf Horned Owl there are 
two fine specimens. Also three Barn Owls, 
two Short-eared Owls and three Burrowing 
Owls. From Miraflores and El Sauz there is a 
general collection of birds. 
On December 26, at El Sauz, I found a nest 
of Columba fasciata vioscae, with an egg. The 
nest was a platform of twigs, etc. In the 
mountain stream nearby the ice was nearly an 
inch thick! Several other nests were found 
but contained young ones. 
(Letter no. 2) : La Paz , Lower California , 
Mexico; March 10, 1909: I arrived here a 
few days ago from the islands of San Jose, San 
Francisco and El Callo. On San Francisco I 
took a series of Neotoma which may be new. 
The object of the expedition to the Islands was 
to make a search for the eggs of Brachyram- 
phus craveri , the Craven Murrelet. I am 
pleased to write you that I took over 40 eggs of 
this species on a rock that lies about two miles 
from San Jose Island. I also took a series of 
35 skins. We found the Murrelets nesting in 
the crevices among the rocks of the bluff. The 
nest in all instances was a slight depression in 
the earth at the end of the crevice and general- 
ly contained two eggs, but some nests only 
contained one. The young take to the sea two 
days after being hatched! Twenty-two days is 
the period of incubation. The males help in 
the act of incubation, many males being taken 
on the eggs in the day time. In the early 
morning hours, particularly about an hour 
before dawn, there was much activity among 
the Murrelets, they at this time being seen in 
pairs chasing each other, and making much 
noise among the rocks. Our tent was at the 
foot of the bluff and it was impossible to sleep, 
the Murrelets made so much noise; for when 
they fly there is a loud whirring sound. 
Towards the end of our stay they learned that 
the walls of our tent were soft and seemed to 
take delight in butting into it in their amor- 
ous frolics. One pair in the excitement must 
have hit it head onward, for they dropped to 
the ground with a thud and fluttered together 
under the side of the tent into my bed, where 
I was trying to sleep. I caught them by throw- 
ing my blan.ket over them. This is the first 
collecting 1 have ever done in bed! They 
proved to be male and female. In the day 
time I did not observe any in the waters around 
the island. They seem to feed far out to sea, 
for with the exception of the setting birds in 
the crevices, I did not see any in the vicinity 
of the Islands in the daytime. But in the 
early hours of the morning the rocks of the 
bluff seemed alive with them; they all disap- 
peared on the approach of dawn. This species 
has three distinct notes, the one of displeasure 
being very harsh. According to Mr. Brewster's 
book, it seems only one set of eggs of this 
species has been taken and that was on the 
Island of Raza in 1875, and was taken by Dr. 
Streets. The Island of Raza is over 300 miles 
north of San Jose Island. 
On the Island of San Francisco, on a high 
headland overlooking the sea I found a Bald- 
headed Eagle’s nest. The nest was a bulky 
structure and contained two eggs. This set 
seems to be the first recorded from Lower Cali- 
fornia. Also took a set of eggs of the Fish 
Hawk. On a Mangrove Island in a lagoon on 
the Island of San Jose I found a colony of Great 
Bltre Herons breeding. I took about 25 eggs, 
and three sets of four eggs and three sets of 
three eggs. If I am not mistaken this is the 
first colony of Great Blue Herons discovered in 
Lower California. 
Also took some more Snowy Herons, Oyster- 
catchers, Mangrove Warblers, and Brewster 
Boobies. The above collection was made under 
difficulties. We camped on El Callo Rock at 
the foot of a bluff. With the exception of a 
few days the wind blew a gale during our stay 
there and threatened our tent with destruction. 
I had two sailors with me. On the second day 
on the Island one of them deserted me and 
returned to La Paz, for it was cold and very 
windy. I saved the tent by throwing up a 
wind break of rocks. During the gales we 
were literally prisoners on the rock, for we 
could not venture out in our boat, the sea 
being too rough. 
Very truly yours, 
W. W. Brown, Jr. 
PUBLICATIONS REVIEWED 
Birds or the Boston Public Garden, 
By Horace W. Wright, with an Introduction 
by Bradford Torrey and illustrations. Boston, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1909; pp. i-xx, 
1-238; cloth, $1.00 net. 
This book contains the record of nine seasons’ 
observations made in a city park and is a very 
interesting example of what may be done by 
one pursuing the study by way of pastime in 
