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128 TIlE CONDOR VoL. XI The latter remained to breed, but the oats vanisht. A cleaner sweep could hardly be inmgined. As fast as an oat sprout would reach the surface there was a black- bird--some with such beautiful crimson epaulettes--waiting for it, until the last one was gone. And yet this was early in March when there was apparently a great abundance of food for even these rapacious appetites. In this work crows and meadowlarks assisted to the best of their ability, but they were few and the black- birds were many. Now what has happened to my point of view ? Well, it is a little bent, and somewhat wobbly, but probably will straighten out again when I see these same birds carrying thousands of fat green worms and other destructive but luscious insects away from the alfalfa fields to feed their clamorous young. Still I did hate to see a hundred tons or so (to be) of fine oat hay most brazenly stolen in this way--and by a supposed friend!! ,S?tn Francisco, Cah.'t;?twia. ?.NEST OF THE BI-COI,ORED BI,ACKBIRI): SAI?,' Gl?,?ROI?,'II?IO. CAI,II?ORiN*IA THE LITTLE BROWN CRANE IN CALIFORNIA By J. GRINNELL N the year 1903 I saw, mounted, in the taxider?ny shop of Roth Reynolds in Los Angeles, a specimen of the Little Brown ((;rus ranadensis). I was told that it had been secured in the vicinity; but I failed to follow up the matter at the time. I wrote Mr. Reynolds lately in regard to the bird I saw in his shop, and under date of December 27, 1908, he writes me as follows: "I sold the Little Brown