76 
tllE CONDOR 
Vol. XII 
considerably incubated and Heermann Gulls were both fresh and advanced in incu- 
bation; one chick just hatcht was found on April 14. Other birds that pass the 
southern border of the United States, found nesting there, are Audubon Caracara 
( Polyborus cheriway ) , Mexican Ground Dove ( Columbigallina passerine! pallescens ) 
and Frazar Oyster-catcher. Tho Caracaras were so abundant in Mexico only one 
nest was located, found by Mr. Virgil Owen on April 10. A few Yellow-crowned 
Night Herons ( Nycticorax violaceus) were observed but were not nesting. Mr. 
Pingree Osburn shot a Laughing Falcon ( Herpetotheres cachinnans) with a Ridg- 
way Noddy (Anous stolidus ridgwayi) in its talons, the only ones of either seen. 
One Duck Hawk ( Falco peregrinus a nation) was seen. 
On the loth we left the islands in a little yawl for Las Penas situated on 
Banderas Bay and some twenty miles away. We spent three weeks there where 
practically all our collecting was done. At Las Penas the hills come right down to 
the beach andjrack of the hills rise mountains some 4000 feet in elevation. To the 
north of the town is a flat country in which there are several rivers and many 
sloughs or esteros and considerable forest, mostly of cocoanut and other tropical 
trees. We found this wet flat land ideal for the herons and they were well repre- 
sented in both species and numbers. Here we made acquaintance with the Roseate 
Spoonbill ( Ajaia ajaia ), a bird of which I believe we have only two records for 
California. Only fourteen were seen. A pair or so would come down to the river 
mouth early in the mornings to feed; in feeding they are very graceful and 
exceedingly quick. We could not locate their breeding grounds as the swamps 
were simply impenetrable. 
The Wood Ibis ( Tantalus loculator ) was present tho sparingly. Mr. Owen 
took one and I had the good fortune to witness several in their flights. That 
curious heron, the Boat-bill ( Cancroma zeledoni) occupied every bog hole in com- 
pany with the Black-crowned Night Heron {Nycticorax nycticorax naevius) Anthony 
Green Heron ( Butorides virescens anthonyi) Louisiana Heron ( Hydranassa tricolor 
nt/icollis) and Little Blue Heron ( Florida cacrulca ), while the Great Blue Heron 
seemed to keep more to the beach. American Egrets Udcrodias egretta) and 
Snowy Herons ( Ardca candidissima ) were quite rare. A few were seen in 
secluded swamps. Anhingas ( Anhinga anhinga) Mexican Cormorants ( Phala - 
crocorax mexicanus) , White Ibis ( Guam alba) White-faced Glossy Ibis ( I 'l egad is 
guarauna) were present in large numbers, tho the first two were solitary in their 
habits. The latter two fed in flocks, the two species not intermingling however. 
Mexican Grebes ( Colymbus dominions brachypterus) , Mexican Jacanas ( Jacana 
spinosa), Blue-winged Teal ( Querquedula discors) and American Coots (Fulica 
americana) were common. The only rail seen was the Mexican King Rail ( Rallus 
tenuirostris) a single specimen being taken by Mr. Osburn at San Bias. Going 
from the swamps to the beach at the river mouth, old familiar friends could be 
found such as Royal Terns ( Sterna maxima ), Least Terns ( Sterna antillarum ) , 
Black-neckt Stilts ( Himantopus mexicanus) Least Sandpipers ( Pisobia minutilla) 
Greater Yellow-legs ( Totanus melanoleucus) , Yellow-legs ( Totauus Jlavipes) , 
Western Willets ( Symphemia semipalmata inornata) , Hudsonian Curlew {pjume- 
nius hudsonicus) , Long-billed Curlew ( Nunienius longirostris) , Killdeer( Oxyechus 
voci ferns) , Snowy Plover (Aegialitis nivosa) and Spotted Sandpipers ( Act it is 
macularia) . Two Black Skimmers ( Rynchops nigra) were seen together on one 
occasion, and one was secured. 
In the cocoanut groves and around the mangoe trees were the homes of Finsch 
Parrots ( Amazona Jinschi ) , White-fronted Parrots (Amazona alln [fro ns), Red-and- 
blue-headed Parakeets {Como’us canicular is) and the Military Macaw r ( Ara mili- - 
