222 THE CONDOR VOL. X BIRDS ON THE PLATEAU, BEN LOMOND: UPPER SONORAN ZONE California Thrasher (Toxosloma rediv[z, um redivivum) San Francisco Towbee (Pipilo maculalus falcifer) Vaux Swift (Chcelura vauxi) Tree Swallow (7?chycinela b[color) Intermediate Wren-tit (Chaintea fasciala inletmedia) California Purple Finch ( Carpodacus purpureus californicus) Green-backed Goldfinch (Aslragah'nus psallria hesperophilus) Bush-tit ( Psallriparus minimus rainlinus) California Jay ( Aphelocoma cahfornica califrnica) California Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi) Willow Woodpecker ( 2?ryobates pubescens lurali) Perhaps nowhere in the county can a more mal?nificent view be had than from the heights west of Eagle Rock where looking over the precipitous mountain sides the whole eastern section of Santa Cruz County lies before one, stretching out can- yon after canyon eastward to that giant peak, Loma Prieta, and with peaks and peaks still further east fading away into dim blues and grays. Scenery such as this always made me fear for our supply of film packs, for Heinemann, would give a subject like this a dozen exposures and simply wear a guilty smile when I remonstrated. On the summit we could find no one who could speak English and the Italian farmers could only direct us on two roads. "This way, Santa Cruz; that way, Boulder Creek," was the limit of their road knowledge and almost of their vocabu- lary. At last wearying of trying to find the Big Basin Road we took the Jamison Creek Road, altho it took us at least fifteen miles out of our way, in the direction of Boulder Creek. This road meets the one from Boulder Creek about five miles from the latter town and it was at these cross roads, in a deserted cabin that we spent the night. Resuming our tramp in the morning we repassed over the same ground we had before the previous year. The site of the water-ouzel's nest* was visited, but no sign of it remained. We left the route of last year at the head of the grade, however, and took a short cut, which with devious windings went thru a stumpy country shorn of its timber, to Blume's Old Mill on the very edge of the Big Basin forest wall. Here we paused for lunch. Built under the eaves of one of the deserted buildings I noticed a nest of the Black Phoebe (Sayornis nighricans nighri- cans) with large young and on Blume's Creek close by, an arm's length in a sand bank, I pulled forth three young Belted Kingfishers (Ceryle alcyon) who posed for us on a log. The juveniles amused themselves in the interim by locking bills and paddling across the log in an awkward, flat-looted fashion, and I noticed it was always a backward movement. Might not this be a provision of nature to' prevent young birds leaving the nest? A short walk from here thru the thie. k woods brought us to the main road in the Basin and another along it equally short, to the Governor's Camp in the very heart of this, the great Santa Cruzan forest, where we had arranged to spend some time, and a paper treating of which, if the editor be in a lenient mood, may be laid before Co?I)OR readers at a future date. San. Francisco, California.
- CONDOR IX, ?9o7, p. 175.
