Nov., 1901. THE CONDOR 141 new birds have appeared, as always happens ?vith changes of weather aud seasons. This last week has brought several sweet singers to the grove; the foliage growing denser all the time gives them a feeling of more security. Pileolated warblers and mockingbirds are our choice singers now. '?Vhile the larks were in possession, the mocker hardly showed himself or' at least he was so unusually quiet that I did not observe him. A song sparrow was heard here two or three times within the week. A new bird has given me no end of trouble in the way of neck- aches and disappointments. He always perches high and in such a way as to make it difficul! to get his exact colors. The truly scientific (who no sooner sees a bird than he has it in hand to study every detail) can hardly appreciate the trials and vexations of a would-be bird student who does not resort to the gun. However I'm satisfied that much can be learned without destroying life, as no doubt did Emerson think when he asked: "Hast thou named all the birds without a gun? Loved the w9od-rose and left it on the stalk?" Two lddition? to the Land Birds of Santa Cruz County, and Additional Notes on Two Other Species. ,,-. Ar?clea nyclea. Snowy Owl. Some years ago while visiting at Santa Cruz the capture of a Snowy Owl was men- rioned to me. The bird was shot as it flew across Wood's Lagoon, a slough near Santa Cruz. As the owl was only winged it was taken home alive by the lucky hunter,--James Francis, and placed in a large chicken coop. The broken wing-tip soon-healed and in a short time the bird became remarkably gentle, taking food from the hand of its owner. Fillally it became so tame that it would sit on his arm and shoulder. Mr. Francis had this o?vl in his posses- sion for a number of years, but about two years ago it sickened and died. It was mounted and is now in the pos- session of Mr. Francis at Santa Cruz. The bird was very large and unusually white. Its sex is unknown to me, as also the exact date of capture, but as the duck season was open at the time, it must have been taken between Oct. 15 and Feb. 15, not very definite, but a record nevertheless. 2. /Pfelanerpes lorqualus. Lewis Woodpecker. On Dec. 26, 19oo while. wheeling from Santa Cruz to Capitola [ saw a Lewis Woodpecker in an apple tree near Moran's gulch about half way between the two towns. The bird was very unsuspicious and I was able to ap- proach quite close. For some time it searched about in a listless manner, not c,,ring apparently whether food was obtained or not. Finally, after I threw several clods at it, the woodpecker took flight, soon perching in another tree about lOO yards from the first one and bunching itself up as though very sleepy. Falco fiere'rinus analurn. Duck Hawk. The Duck Hawk is spoken of by McGregor in his list as rare. [ have met with it quite frequently and con- sider it not an uncommon bird. Several tinms at Moore's beach and also near the Santa Cruz lighthouse I have seen this falcon dash into flocks of Brewer Black- birds and Western Meadowlarks, some- times capturing two birds, one in each talon. Mr. A. G. Vrooman of Santa Cruz has quite an extensive series of eggs of 1?/co p. anahtm which he has personally collected on the Santa Cruz coast. Xpbz?tspD?ts. Pine Siskin. In May 1896 Mr. A. N. Towne showed me a pair of siskins which he had taken from a eucalyptus. They were feeding high up iu the smaller branches and were collected at one shot. XISinus fiinus is probably a resident as the birds seem to have been taken several times in the breeding season. Eggs have been given me which tallied exactly with the print- ed descriptions of eggs of this species. CHAS. S. THOMPSON. Stanford U?tiversilj,, Cal.
