Transcribing the field notes of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Page Number: 10

General Index (for specific localities, see page headings)

Grinnell, J 1925

San Diego, Calif. Sections 1,3

Lassen Section, Calif. Section 2

Lower California, Mexico Section 3

cat page #1271 1

San Diego, Calif. 1925

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: San Diego Date: March 3, 1925 Page Number: 2454

fairly cheerful - about as he was in 1910, at the time of the Colorado River expedition. But he is forgetful, and shows his old age plainly - and normally. He doesn't approve of the ways of Huey! But his perceptions are dim. I am quite favorably impressed with the earnestness and general good judgement of Clinton G. Abbott, Director of the Museum here. He seems to have the confidence of many of the foremost business-men of the city. This noon he took me to the University Club to lunch, with Mr. Joseph W. Sefton, Jr., a banker. The latter is now President of the San Diego Society of Natural History and a good patron. Sunday evening I called on Mr. + Mrs. Albert M. Ingersoll and they invited over Mr. + Mrs. John Burnham. Ingersoll have a wonderful, well cared for collection of birds' eggs, nearly all taken by himself during the past 40 years. And Burnham, a man of 58 or so and successful in real estate, emulates him. The latter, too, is treasurer of the San Diego society of Natural History. Burnham has a son, Gordon, in business with him, when I met. He has been into the San Pedro Martir section of Lower California, and through him and several others I have learned much of possible use as to how to get about among the people of that territory. This information I am writing to Lamb.

Collector: Grinnell-1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 20 Page Number: 2485

whir, an old grouse rose from the ground hardly ten feet from us and made off without cluck or whistle, thru the trees out of sight. We then marched and shortly heard the peeping of chicks, and the two were seen. They had started to run away from us, evidently having not been told to "freeze"! The one youngster caught is much bigger than the ones found on the 17th; the wings are well-feathered.

11:30 a.m. - Spent much time searching the meadow for the object of concern of a pair of Lincoln Sparrow. Finally flushed a bobtailed youngster of this species from the grass; it fell in the water, and rapidly flopped across it into a willow thicket beyond.

3:00 p.m. - Collected a Wright Flycatcher nest and both parents. Found several days ago by Mrs. G, and since the set (2/4) was completed on the 17th, Dixon has been photographing it and the bird; several trials necessary. Rim just 800 mm. above the ground; nest supported by stem (and innovating twiglets), one of an ^^{open, low} clump of chinquapin growing on a southwest-facing gentle slope. No other chinquapin about this clump; other brush ceanothus and amelanchier; firs a few yards away. Nest but slightly sheltered from above by the leaves of scarcely a foot of chinquapin spray. Female sitting closely, and when she flew off close along ground with soft "pit"s, male flew down from fir to a bush 50 feet off.

Collector: Grinnell-1925 Location: Mineral, 4800 ft., Date: June 20 Page Number: 2486

6262 Wright Flycatcher (male) ^^{testes [illustration]} 12.5 g 6263 [Wright] [Flycatcher] (female) 12.7 g } mates, with set 2/4. iris ^^dark hazel ^^brown in both.

The female had the abdominal skin thickly glandular, the male not at all - from which I judge that the female does all the sitting; also it was the female which was sitting when I took the eggs. On blowing these eggs appeared perfectly fresh; yet there was an appearance of drying. I suspect that "photography" is disastrous to a good proportion of the subjects - putting an end to incubation by leaving the eggs exposed to the hot sun or by chilling them when the bird is off a long period, "getting accustomed to the camera!"

5:40 p.m. - Mrs. G. has just located a Green-tailed Towhee's nest, containing 3 1/3-grown young, eyes open and alert, but down still predominating. Nest halfway to top of ceanothus cordulatus thicket, in which it is located; rim 520 mm. above ground. Nest supported on slanting stems and appertaining fine twigs of the snow-bush. Mass of nest far less than in fox sparrow; basal loose, coarse layer lacking - more like brown towhee's nest; wall rather thin and compact.

June 21 Heard a Great Horned Owl hooting something during the night.

8:00 a.m. - At Fox Sparrow's nest, found by Mrs. G. several days ago, hardly 75 feet up the slope from our camp-fire place; this is the nest, with two young (now about 1/3 fledged) that Dixon had been photographing. Both parents