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218 THE CONDOR Vol. XVI INTRODUCTION In connection with a study of the game birds of California now being made by Dr. Joseph Grinnell and the writer under the auspices of the Uni- versity of California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, the opportunity was taken the past spring to investigate the more important breeding grounds of ducks within the state of California. The purpose of the undertaking was to determine the kinds and numbers of ducks and certain other native game birds nesting within the state and also to obtain all possible knowledge as to the present conditions under which they breed. The limited amount of information upon record as to past condi- tions shows the importance of securing definite data concerning conditions as they are right now. That this information may be available as needed in the future has been the prime incentive in this work. The writer and his assistant, Mr. John N. Kendall, left the Museum on May 11, 1914, for Los Barios, Merced County. Here we stayed till May 24 when Fig. 62. WHERE DUCKS NEST; NEAR LOS BANOS, MERCEO COUNTY, CAL1- FOBNIA; MAY 18, 1914. we moved to Live Oak, Sutter County, and spent the 25th near there on the grounds of the Noyes Gun Club. The next three days we studied conditions in the vicinity of the Gridley Gun Club across the line in Butte County. May 29 we left for the Klamath region, arriving at Klamath Falls, Oregon, the same night. The marshes along Link River were investigated on May 30. From here we staged to Merrill, Oregon, and camped the following three days on Colwell's ranch at the mouth of Lost River. On the third of June we moved camp to White Lake, a former town-site about three-quarters of a mile north of the California-Oregon line. On June 6 we drove twenty-two miles around the south end of Lower Klamath Lake to the mouth of Willow Creek near Brownell, Siskiyou County, California. Here we camped until leaving for home on June 10.