156 THE CONDOR Vol. XIX About a pond near the lake a variety of water birds were gathered. Two Phalaropes were swimming around in the pond, a Willet flew up with a sudden flash of white, a Marbled Godwit on the shore stood on one leg with its bill rest- ing in its wing feathers, an Anthony Green Heron rose from the low juncus border showing its long bill and crest, a company of White-faced Glossy Ibises were walking around in the marsh grass, and circling low over the water was a small band of Greater Yellowlegs, while standing out by itself'was a bird on which we focused our glasses eagerly, a large white-bodied Avocet, its long bill rccurved at the tip, a most distinguished looking bird which I longed to stop and study. As the water of the San Jacinto River is now used for irrigation, the lake is only a rain water lake, but at our visit it was about a mile long, a typical tule lake, with great stretches of cool-looking dark green rules ten feet high, showing a line of brown heads at the top. At our approach a large flock of Ibises flew from the green walls and from the dotted surface of the lake the nearer Coots and Gadwells went spattering and splashing off into the shelter- ing green alleys to begin their talk again when all was quiet. Near the edge of the lake a young Night Heron stood up to its body in water as if half asleep. Three Rails were seen in the rules walking jauntily about with short tails up. Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds were also flying about among their nests. Some of the Ibises were out in the marsh grass possibly catching the small frogs that were hopping around, and one that was standing olone in the short rules looking preoccupied, let us come quite near. Another flew with his quaak so close we could see the maroon between his wings. In walking about, as their long legs bent under them they would busily give a dab here and there, bill and legs making a silhouette of three long lines in motion. A month later we repassed the lake, on our way scaring up Black-tailed Gnatcatchers and Baird Wrens from the desert brush and willows, and seeing a Bell Sparrow, a family of Rock Wrens that flew back to their stony hillside, and a Say Phoebe that measured off the fence posts ahead of us. The pond on which there had been so many waders at our previous visit was now a dry, pale green hollow. The main lake was dotted over with birds but we had no time to stop for we were then in Search of the kangaroo rats whose tracks and trails were everywhere in the valley. As we passed the lake, however, we saw, on the bent tops of some lodged rules, a large flock of Ibises that rose and circled around to another part of the lake. Ibises and a much greater number of water birds had been found previ- ously at Lake Elsinore, an alkaline lake lying between the Santa Ana Moun- tains and the Gavilan Hills and surrounded by orange, lemon, and olive or* chards. While the lake is now shrinking because its feeders are used ?or irri- gation, old beach lines along the foothills tell of its former magnitude. curves along the shore piles of foam attested the alkaline character of the water and a wide margin of the beach was covered with a layer of algae, green at the edge of the water, red on the wet shore, and crusted white over the dry sand. Multitudes of the flies characteristic of alkaline lakes, from whose larvae the Indians make koochabcc were found along the shore and the larvae were probably distributed over the algae, as in walking over the crisp crust we flushed Meadowlarks, Blackbirds, and flocks of Horned Larks, the Larks flying off with their plaintive cry.
