86 THE CONDOR Vol. XV ily in the same box. The other nest was situated in a knot-hole in a living aspen tree. I am of the opinion that fledgelings were raised in but few of the one hun- dred and thirty nests exposed to snow and the Blue-fronted Jays; while most of the sixteen nests that were placed in cavities of trees, stunups, or rocks, escaped destruction of contents. The robins were seemingly unmolested by jays. On leaving for Summit Station, July 9, I stopped for a few hours nest hunt- ing along 'the.state road at a distance of six to eight miles above Cisco and here I saw two Clarke Nutcrackers, one Hammond Flycatcher, three California Pine Grosbeaks, and a Sierra Hermit Thrush. All four are species of birds not ob- served at Cisco. I failed to discover the nests of any of them, however. BIRDS OBSERVED IN THE SUMMER OF 1912 AMONG THE SANTA BARBARA ISLANDS By HOWARD WRIGHT and G. K. SNYDER WITH TWO PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR N JULY 1st, 1912 , Mr. J. R. Maclintock, W. S. Wright, Emerson Roche and the writers left San Pedro, on a fifty-foot sloop, for a short trip among the islands which lie off this portion of the California coast. Our first stop ?vas Santa Barbara Island, where we arrived early on the morning of July 2, after having been becalmed nearly all night. While approach- ing the island, we saw many flocks of Cassin Auklets, a fact which was hardly to be expected since Mr. George Willett found only a few pairs breeding tiere the year before. When the rattle of the anchor chain broke the stillness, a great flock of gulls arose and came clamoring toward the boat. They were very tame and came al- most to our hands to devour the scraps from our breakfast table. The day was spent in looking about the island. We found the gulls breed- ing in four separate colonies, all of which contained young. _& single set of two, which turned out to be addled, were the only eggs of this species found. On the northern slope of the island was a large colony of .California Brown Pelicans. There were several hundred nests containing young in all stages of development. A single set of three addled eggs served to intensify the impression of general prosperity in the colony, which gave every indication of rapid increase in num- bers. On the northwestern promontory we noted an adult Bald Eagle accom- panied by a full-grown youngster. They circled' about screaming loudly but seemingly having little fear of the intruders. A careful search of this territory failed to reveal any Cassin Auklet's burrows, so we concluded that their nesting was still confined to the adjacent rock, where Mr. Willett found them in 191?. On the northeastern point of the island a single egg of the Xantus Mur- relet was found, at the end of a short burrow under a rock. No bird was on the nest and though the egg was apparently fresh it was cold when found. The second day at this island was spent in visiting a large colony of Brandt Cormorants. It was located near the water's edge, on the northern side of the island opposite the detached rock which is about a hundred yards from shore.
