Mar., 1914 
AN ASIONINE RUSE 
57 
thought she had me going, and I humored her to the point of absolute personal 
satisfaction. There was never trace of fur or feathers or gore on the deserted 
stage. The distress cries, always convincing, were never overdone, but ceased, 
as they should, after the first onslaught ; yet if I did not yield a prompt obedience 
to the lure, the Owl looked about reproachfully, and then redoubled her demon- 
strative wrestle with her alleged quarry. It was noteworthy in this connection 
that while other birds usually paid little heed to the notes of this Owl, however 
terrifying in volume or tone, this distress cry commanded instant attention 
throughout the woods. The small birds began to chatter sympathetically, while 
Crows and Magpies rallied as though at the blast of a bugle. In fact, some nim- 
ible Magpie, as often as not, interrupted the play before it .was half finishevl. 
This was the clew, if clew were needed, to the explanation. Your humble ser- 
vant was a big Magpie, who at the sound of conflict might be expected to rush 
forward and snatch the prize from the victor’s grasp. Clever, wasn’t it ! And, 
parenthetically, your Magpie is evidently exactly up to that game, even if the 
stupid man failed to play to his lead. 
The illusion of this decoy ruse (whose further psychology I leave who will 
to explicate) was most complete; and even inside knowledge of the facts could 
not lessen the wonder how this Owl coidd so perfectly reproduce the shrieks of 
former victims. 
Possibly, — though the writer suggests this in all modesty, not knowing the 
full circumstances attendant upon the other episode, — possibly, Mrs. Bailey’s Owl 
also carried her wood mouse in her throat. 
Santa Barbara, California, January 8, 1914. 
SOME DISCOVERIES IN THE FOREST AT FYFFE 
By MILTON S. RAY 
WITH EIGHT PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR 
A S PLANS for a sea-island trip allowed but a very short and early visit to 
Sierran territory this year (1913), I selected Fyffe, at an elevation of 
3700 feet in El Dorado County, in preference to points of higher altitudes. 
Eyffe has become rather famous, ornithologically, from the woik of Barlow, Car- 
riger, Welch and others, and in fact in this respect it is one of the best known 
sections of the great Sierran chain. While the fact of the region having been so 
well worked rather suggested the advisability of going to less know n localities, 
I relied on the chance that here, no doubt, as elsewhere in the Sierras, the bird- 
life would be found varying from year to year in both abundance and variety ; 
and owing, too, to the fact that each worker afield possesses methods peculiarly 
his own, that one might still be able, perhaps, to add something new to the re- 
gion’s fund of accumulated bird-knowdedge. Besides this, too, I w'as desirous of 
treading in reality those well worn paths of fellow w'orkers. that I had already 
followed on printed page and in tantalizing photograph. My previous acquaint- 
ance with Fyffe was limited to glimpses of the region while passing en loute to 
Lake Tahoe, and to a few hours afield on June 2, 1901. On ihis occasion, w^hile 
about all I located was a nest with four eggs of the Western Tanager [Piranga 
ludoviciana) fifty feet up in a lofty pine, nevertheless I gained an insight into the 
