265 
ingly numerous, and that hero its habits of feeding upon carrion are as regular and 
fixed as those of the true Buzzards. Its chief dependence is on fish, more particularly 
Salmon, of which vast numbers are cast up by the waves. On one occasion, he found 
half a dozen of these birds feeding upon the flesh of a putrid ox. With this they had 
become so gorged as to be utterly unable to fly. One of them had so completely filled 
itself with the foul food that a large piece which it had partially swallowed it was 
utterly unable to force further down, and in this situation, unable to move, it was ap¬ 
proached and knocked on the head with a wiping-stick. 
In this region, they nest almost entirely on the tall pines. 
CATHARDID.E.—AMERICAN YULTURES. 
139. — Pseudogryphus Calif or nianus, (Shaw).—California Vulture. 
Our opportunities for an acquaintance with this Vulture were most brief and unsat¬ 
isfactory, and were limited to seeing two or three individuals warring on the wing in 
the mountains. So far as I could learn, they descend rarely into the valleys during 
the summer months, and only then when attracted by the sight of some dead animal; 
their keen sight enabling them to detect the presence of food at very long distances. 
Dr. Taylor informed me that at Santa Barbara they were of quite common occurrence, 
remaining, however, most of the time in the neighboring mountains. I hear they 
breed, seeking the shelter of caves, in the most inaccessible situations. 
It seems probable that the numbers of this huge bird have very much diminished 
during the last few years. So large and conspicuous an object could scarcely fail to 
attract the attention of any chance rover of the wilderness, yet its presence was almost 
undetected by our parties. As is well known, this bird is easily killed by strychnine, 
and as this poison has been in almost constant use for a term of years in the destruction 
of wild animals, it seems highly probable that great numbers of these birds have suf¬ 
fered a like fate from eating the carrion. 
According to the observations of earlier naturalists, it was numerous throughout most 
of California, and extended its range on the north to the Columbia. Near Mount 
"Whitney, in September and October, I frequently saw the carcasses of sheep which had 
lain for days, and in one instance the body of a huge Grizzly Bear, which had died from 
poison, was in the final stages of decomposition, yet in no case had any of these been 
visited by Vultures, a fact which seemed to argue their total absence from this region. 
140. Bhinogryplius aura, (Linn.).—Red-headed Vulture. 
This bird is far more numerous throughout Southern California than its larger rela¬ 
tive. It is less of a mountain-loving species, aud is, indeed, much less shy and more 
domestic in its habits, coming freely about the ranches and houses whenever carrion 
or refuse of any kind is to be had. I saw numbers of them on the islands off Santa 
Barbara, and think likely they nest there. 
Columbid^e.—Pigeons. 
141. Columba fasciata , (Say).—Band-tailed Pigeon. 
This Pigeon occurs abundantly in California, retiring to spend the season of reproduc¬ 
tion in the mountains, where it resorts very much to the pineries to nest. It does not 
appear, however, for some cause or other, to be found in any numbers in summer in the 
more southern portions of the State, and was not seen by us till in the fall, when, in 
the course of the migrations, it makes its appearance in bands from the far north. In 
November I often saw them in flocks of from ten to one hundred, flying swiftly about 
from one oak-grove to another, for, at this season, acorns form their chief, indeed almost 
their sole, food. Their shyness now is very remarkable, and it is probably due to the 
fact that in their passage from the north they are compelled to run the gauntlet of 
hundreds of gunners, who in the neighborhood of cities and towns eagerly pursue them 
for the market. 
142. Zenaidura carolinensis, (Linn.).—Carolina Dove. 
The Turtle Dove is very numerous in Southern California, its limit northward on 
this coast being reached at about the forty-ninth parallel, as in other portions of the 
country. 
The dry sandy deserts, which repel nearly all the feathered tribe, form favorite re¬ 
sorts for these Doves. Their powerful wings easily bear them out on the barren wastes, 
where, it might seem, they would find little to attract them, but where they secure a 
good supply of seeds from plants whose hardy natures enable them to withstand the 
drought. The very nature of this dry hard food renders frequent visits to water a neces¬ 
sity, and hence, in the vicinity of any of the rare pools that grace these saharas, the 
Turtle Dove may always be seen. 
