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Sept., 1916 SOME BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 195 GENERAL ACCOUNTS OF THE BIRDS Coiymbus nigrlcollls californicus (Heermann). Eared Grebe. May 23, 1915, Mr. J. E. Law and I saw one pair of Eared Grebes and a single individual on a large, shal- low pond near Riverdale. The pair seemed much interested in the largest of several clumps of rules and we watched them for some time through Mr. Law's high power glasses. June 19 I returned to the pond and finally located a nest in an opening among the tules. It was floating in water three and one-half feet in depth, and a portion of one of the carelessly covered eggs was visible from the opposite side of the opening about fifteen feet away. The nest was a slovenly arranged mass of dead tule stems and in no way resembled the well-made, compact nests of Pied-billed Grebes. There were four eggs, all somewhat incubated and very much stained. Only one bird was present and it remained near-by while I was inspecting the nest. I-arus delawarensis Ord. Ring-billed Gull. This gull has been reported several times from different parts of the valley, usually as single birds occurring during migra- tions. Mr. W. Moore of Selma has a mounted specimen taken several years ago on a small pond near that place. I was unable to learn the date of capture. Sterno caspia Pallas. Caspian Tern. These large handsome terns occur quite com- monly as spring and fall migrants through the district. They seem to enter the county near the Summit Lake region, follow down the Fresno Slough to its confluence with the San Joaquin River and then northward along that stream. I have never observed them elsewhere, except as an occasional bird may wander for a short distance out over the adjacent overflowed territory. Small companies are usually the rule in the spring, but after the nesting season single birds are as often seen. April 3, 1914, one individual was observed at the dam near Mendota and on the 18th of the same month another was noted flying back and forth over the west end of Summit Lake. May 6, 1914, a flock of nine was seen flying down the river near the drawbridge at Firebaugh. August 14, 1914, fully a dozen of these red-billed terns were observed flying over the slough at White's Bridge. They were not associated in a flock, but each individual seemed to fish over a well defined, semicircular course about one-half mile in length. They kept some distance apart and occasionally gave voice to a grating noise. All were in post- breeding plumage, with the black caps streaked with white. One specimen was taken, an adult female. I passed the same place on August 24 and September I and noted ?terna caspia on each occasion; but a few days later none were seen. So late as Octo- ber 2, 1915, Mr. F. Seymour Hersey found Caspian Terns still in evidence and collected specimens on the Madera County side of the river near Mendota. Both adults and ira- matures were present. Sterno hitundo Linnaeus. Common Tern. Mr. F. Seymour Hersey collected a spe- cimen o? this species on October 2, 1915, near Mendota, but on the Madera County side of the river. The bird was an immature female and, so far as I am aware, this is the only recorded instance of the occurrence of this tern anywhere in th? interior of the State. Another bird taken at the same place proved to be the common ?terna [orsteri. Mergus americanus Cassin. American Merganser. My collection contains a beauti- ful male of this species, taken near Firebaugh January 20, 1915. Chaulelasmus streperus (Linnaeus). Gadwall. The Gray Duck occurs sparingly as a winter visitant but seems to be decreasing from year to year. Possibly it formerly bred in suitable places, but if it does so at the present time it is in limited numbers. There was a mounted specimen in the office of A.D. Ferguson of Fresno. This bird was shot near Helm during the winter of 1912. Marila valisineria (Wilson). Canvas-back. The winter of 1913-14 brought large numbers of Canvas-backs into the San Joaquin Valley. They arrived early in Novem- ber and were common until February, and possibly later. On November 29, 1913, a party of hunters reported fully two hundred and fifty "cans" on the Artesian Lake near Helm, and brought me an adult male which is now in my collection together with an- other male from near Firebaugh, taken January 20, 1914. Personally I never saw but one female, and several hunters told me that very few females were ever ?ncountered. Marila marila (Linnaeus). Greater Scaup Duck. Mr. Ohl's collection contains a male of this species from the Herminghaus Ranch near Mendota. The label bears the date of April 2, 1912. According to Pacific Coa8t ?vi[aum? iVo. 11 there is only one other known instance of the occurrence of this duck anywhere in the interior of the State.