Page:Condor5(2).djvu/19

48 THE CONDOR I VoL. V of three eggs, in which the ground color is pale green. An abundant fish in the marsh called "chubs" is the principal food of these birds, and they may be seen all over the marsh restlessly flying back and forth or hovering and dropping with a sudden splash after their prey. l?ydrochelidon surinamensis. Black Tern. This tern is even commoner than the preceding species. Occasionally substantial nests of tules in deep water like those offorsteri were found, but nearly all were scantily or carelessly made of fine tules and marsh grass and placed on floating driftwood in a foot or so of water. Like.forsteri this bird usually lays one, two, or three eggs, but a single set of four were found. It nests a little earlier than Foster tern, small young being rather common at the end of June. The birds breed in colonies, from ten to twenty nests N$T OF T[-II? MALLARD. being found together. A single specimen of a tern with a white breast not larger than suriuamensis was seen, but we were unsuccessful in our attempts to secure it. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. American White Pelican.* Abundant about Row- lands marsh but does not breed. I also noticed large flocks about the numerous mountain lakes in Desolation Valley (altitude about 800o feet). By the protuber- ance on the bill the m?les can be distinguished for quite a distance. l?Ierganser serratot. Red-breasted Merganser. Recorded as a winter visitant at Lake Tahoe in Grinnell's "Check-list of California Birds." Anas b0schas. Mallard. By far the commonest duck about the marsh. Also numerous along the various streams and marshy meadows. The majority breed in May as several dead ducklings were seen and numerous nests were found, in