218 
'riiE Condor 
Vol. XV 
Sandhill Crane (Gnis iiic.vicaiia), few. 
INIudhen or Coot (Ftilica amcricana) , few. 
Northern Phalarope {Lohipcs lobatiis). 
Black-necked Stilt ( Hiinantopus uic.vicaiiiis ) , many at first, but became 
scarcer. 
Avocet (Rccuri'irosira auicricaiia) , few. 
Killdcer {Oxycchus -I'acifcnis) , few. 
Sandpiper, several siiecies. 
Turkey Vulture [Cathartcs aura sepfciiirioiialis) , few. 
The food supply for water birds around Lake Tulare was not the best. The 
cranes, pelicans, and cormorants had nearly all emigrated from this lake as there 
were no more fish for them to feed upon, the fish having, as previously stated, died 
some months before. But the ducks and smaller water birds were getting a fairly 
Fig. 69. Bcack-necked Stilts on the wing at 
Tulare Lake, September 19, 1913 
abundant food supply from the insects and worms in the lake. Several stomachs 
of well ducks showed that these birds had been feeding on aquatic insects and 
small worms. However, the ducks in this locality feed principally at night, in 
regions quite remote from the lake, and return to the lake for safety during- the 
day. About dark these birds leave the lake and often fly long distances to culti- 
vated fields where they feed on g;rain or alfalfa. When through feeding they re- 
turn to the lake for the day. Their arrival may be during the night, but gener- 
ally about daybreak or a little before. In making these flights large flocks are 
sometimes seen, but most frequently the flocks are small and broken. 
Narrowing our discussion now to ducks only, we should first note the source 
from which these birds come. Alost of them are not native to this state. They 
have come here from the north — from British America and Alaska. Some years 
