fairly plentiful, it would be no trouble for these birds to hold their own, for there are few men whom a few hundred feet of this manzanita tangle will not discourage. Over the Sierran divide to the west, conditions are somewhat different, for the hillsides are practically all densely wooded, and although grouse (but not quail, apparently) occur in satisfactory numbers in the vicinity of the lower aspen thickets, their numbers are likely to be reduced seriously only in the vicinity of the main automobile roads, which are few and far between.
In the foothills of western Owens Valley, Plumed quail, with quantities of Valley quail (Lophortyx c. vallicola) at a slightly lower elevation, are more abundant than they are in middle Mono County, but in the vast stretches of brush they have a safe retreat and are well able to take care of themselves.
Pheasants (Phasianus torquatus) have been introduced into the upper part of Owens Valley, and are often to be seen feeding familiarly beside the roads. The area suited to them is the cultivated strip along the lower slopes, and here they have been quite firmly established for a number of years. They are holding their own, and even increasing, I am told, but the suitable territory is so limited that if the birds are ever allowed to be shot, their extermination would be speedy, and, I am convinced, they could not survive open seasons for two years.
The Sage Hen (Centrocercus urophasianus), which now occurs and breeds regularly as far south as the vicinity of Big Pine, is confined to the sage brush at the bottoms of the valleys. In such locations they prove to be easy prey to hunters, and their complete protection comes none too soon, for their numbers are decreasing annually. The favorite method of hunting them is to track them over the dry sand through the brush, or, in late fall, through the snow. Not only do local ranchers account for many, and will do so still, probably, in spite of the law, but up to the present year, numbers of so-called sportsmen who went from the larger cities for the purpose, hired men to locate flocks of the birds and drive them towards the hunters. I fear that the good roads movement in the west will prove to be an effective extinctive agency for this grand game, unless prompt and stringent measures are adopted by all the states interested in its perpetuation.—A. B. Howell, Covina, California, October 8, 1917.
Two New Records for the State of Washington.—It gives me great pleasure to record the two following species, which are, to the best of my belief, new to the state of Washington. Both captures were made by Mr. Carl Lien at Westport, Washington. The quoted information following was supplied by Mr. Lien.
Sterna caspia. Caspian Tern. "On October 5, 1917, on the mudflats, I ran across a Caspian Tern that someone had shot, and a young man who was with me said, 'I saw eight or ten of those birds flying around here yesterday'. I could not save the skin, as a hawk or something else had torn it too badly." Mr. Lien did, however, get one of the wings in order to have a proof of the record, and Mr. J. Grinnell has kindly examined it and endorsed the record.
Tryngites subruficollis. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. "I had to cross a salt marsh, or grass-covered tide-flat, and towards the upper end where the marsh edges off into the sand, two of these quiet and confiding birds were to be seen. This was on September 1, 1917, and on September 2, I saw them again." The next day, September 3, Mr. Lien returned and collected both birds, which were male and female. This was at Westport, Chehalis County, which borders on the Pacific Ocean. This species is so extremely rare on the Pacific coast that Mr. Lien's notes are of interest as showing in what sort of locality other observers should look for it.—J. H. Bowles, Tacoma, Washington, October 29, 1917.
