JAN., I9O2. [ THE CONDOR 9 wary, but Goldman suoceeded in securing a fine specimen with his rifle. We tried creeping on them, but at the first signal of danger they all arose with those strange 'nautical' cries reminding one of rigging creaking in the wind. I found the end of the first primary much worn off, as though scoured down by beating the sand in their characteristic run, skip and jump start. We secured both the western and horned grebes, and Mr. Vernon Bailey assures me he positively identified the American eared and pied-billed grebes the previous year when he visited the lake. It is wholly probable that the majority of the thousands of grebes that I saw everywhere along the south side of the lake belonged to these two latter species. We camped about fifteen miles east of Farrington's near a deserted ranch, where a plentiful seepage of fresh water makes a few muddy little meadows, grown up with wiry grass, and filled with little pools of water. Between these meadows and the lake is a tolerably xvide dam-like sand beach; behind which are longish ponds of brackish water. The lake itself as it has no outlet is of course very strong with various salts, so strong that when wading in the water one is re- minded of sugar syrup. This is seen only when the bottom layers of water are stirred up. l, Ve ensconsed ourselves in a remarkable grove of buffalc-berries (fheperdia .?enlea), remarkable because the bushes were really small trees. Our arrival dis- lodged a large short-eared owl which seemed very loath to leave, and soon after- ward several magpies came in to roost, but suddenly changed their minds and re- tired some distance to discuss the intruders and pop corks like Barnaby Rudge's raven. l, Vhen dusk came on the ducks and grebes came nearer land to feed, and ? small flocks of the former flew up , and down the shore till long after dark. A small Branchipus-like ?- Phyllopod swarms in countless millions in the lake and is fed up- ? on by the water birds. The dead ll' and decaying individuals cast ashore mixed with suds and larva ? exuvim form food for an army of small flies the larvae of which I found alive in the water. These flies are so thick that they form a black zone or band two or three feet wide next to the water all around the lake "a belt of flies ?OUTil I?I?ACII OI r MONO LAKI?, SIlOWING D?O?o?)?V'L?L?: one hunderd miles long" as one writer puts it. Grebes, ducks, avocets, killdeers, phalaropes and least sandpipers gorge themselves on both the flies and their larvae, and even Indians are partial to the latter which they 'pop' before eating, so as to leave the dried casts in little heaps and windrows. Thus is 'natural' economy fulfilled. Back in the sage-brush the characteristic birds were found, but our little mea- dow brought to light a few species new to the trip. Western savanna sparr/?ws were common. Several pipits landed for a momentary stroll in the soggy grass but soon departed southward with hysterical peeps. A flock of horned larks passed over. The Brewer blackbirds, everywhere abundant, here associated with
