Transcribing the field notes of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Brokeoff Mt.) Date: June 17, 1925 Page Number: 2474

Then down over "bald" hills and ridges to here, where the Timber begins again. This "baldness" of the mountains of middle altitude in this section of the Sierras is due to their dense and continuous clothure of chaparral. This makes them look at a distance as tho they were covered with green grass. The chaparral here (6000-6500) consists of the big shiny-leafed ceanothus velutinus, the thorny ceanothus condulatus, arctostaphylos patula (pure growths in places), the dwarfed arctostaphylos nevadensis here at its lowest limit and growing up to two feet high, and tracts of red cherry. 4:15 p.m. - At about 6700 ft.; at least there, maybe a family, of Blue-fronted Jays, which species I didn't check on the way up; as also a pair of solicitous Red-breasted Sapsuckers. This is near the bottom of a timbered ravine. A red fir is abundantly punctured from about 4 to 12 feet up, and bleeding - probably the work of this sapsucker. 4:30 p.m. - Just had a "great kick": within 50 feet in front of us there suddenly appeared a female Sierra Grouse and simultaneously she whistled again and again, a rather piercing squall, almost; then she began to intersperse these startling (terrifying?) notes with clucks - kirk, kirk, kirk, 6 to 10 in succession. When we ran up, she flew up 80 feet or so into a red fir, now clucking at quarter-minute intervals. Almost at the instant the hen

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Turner Mt., 6300 ft. Date: July 3 Page Number: 2517

consist of: Ceanothus velutinus, C. cordulatus, chinquapin, service-berry, red cherry, Sierra maple, Arctostaphylos nevadensis, A. patula, red alder, and various herbs.

Written later, from pencil notes. - Birds noted right around the top, within 100 yards of the lookout house, were: Fox Sparrow (one sang repeatedly from the dead tip of a fir, lightning-blasted); Green-tailed Towhee (one sang from the lower stubby limbs of the same fir, interests centering in the brush close to the house); Cassin Purple Finch (at least three in full song up near tops of live small red firs, one came to cleared ground within 20 feet of house); Blue-fronted Jay (heard down in the hemlocks and firs below rim of cirque); Junco (a dozen or more, flying, singing or foraging along the rim and especially around the melting snow banks); Violet-green Swallow (fully a dozen in flight under the cloudy sky within the cirque, often swooping low over the snowbanks, much twittering and, I think, young among them.

Mammals around the lookout were: Callospermophilus (two, very tame, Mr. Stark complaining that they got inside his room whenever they could, only to tear about distractedly as soon a they found themselves enclosed), Chipmunks, Eut. amoenus (3 or 4 among the rocks and in the chaparral about the house); deer (tracks and tails abundant everywhere, one 4-point buck seen below the cirque on the moraines going thru [sic] the heavy

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: July 5 Page Number: 2520

the most part, there [sic] are silent now. Tanagers, Hermit Thrushes and Warbling Vireos are still in song; but nearly all warblers, flycatchers and finches are quiet. Indeed, I heard the song of but one Hermit Warbler, where I heard dozens on June 22. Heard but 2 or 3 Audubon Warblers this morning. Heard a Grouse "boonting" in a big fir, so persistently that I circled the tree without disturbing him. I couldn't see him. Flushed a hen from the dusty trail, but failed to find any young.

6284 Hammond Flycatcher [female symbol] ad. 9.7g. Shot from fir twig about 30 ft. from ground in woods on ridge at 5500 ft. Note that molt has begun in innermost primaries, and that lower mandible is not especially dusky; indeed, it is quite pale flesh-color.

6285 Warbling Vireo [female symbol] 13.7 g. Contained fully formed yolk, a little "white" but not shell: would have laid 4th egg tomorrow. With nest and set 1/3 (incomplete, as above. ^^{Shot in willow.} See p. 2519.

6286 Western Tanager [male symbol] ad. testes [testes illustration]. 28.6 g. Shot on ground beneath young firs, whither it had just; 5000 ft.

6287 Mariposa Fox Sparrow [female symbol] ad. 30.7g. Shot in thicket of arctostaphylos patula, in large tract of chaparral at about 5600 ft.

The young in the Wright Flycatcher's nest at camp, which hatched on June 17 (see p. 2491), left the nest voluntarily this forenoon sometime. Time in nest, 18 days ±.

6288 Bufo boreas found under board in our tent.

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: July 29 Page Number: 2536

6299 Calaveras Warbler [female symbol] ju.* 8.6g. at 5500 ft. 6300 [Calaveras] [Warbler] [female symbol] im.* 8.3g. [at] [5500] [ft.] 6301 Sierra Creeper [male symbol] ad.** 30.9g. testes - [testes illustration] [at] [5500] [ft.] 6302 Mariposa Fox Sparrow [male symbol] ad.* 30.9g. testes - [testes illustration] [at] [5500] [ft.] 6303 Mountain Quail [male symbol] ju. 48.6 g. In rat-baited trap ^^{in willows} near camp. 6304 Tolmie Warbler [female symbol] ad.*** 9.4g. At 5500 ft. 6305 Cassin Vireo [female symbol] ad.** 14.9g. [at] [5500] [ft.] 6306 Sierra Hermit Thrush** [female symbol] ad. 23.6g. [at] [5500] [ft.] 6307 Green-Tailed Towhee [male symbol] ad.* testes - [testes illustration] 26.7g. [at] [5500] [ft.]

*Shot in arctostaphylos patula bush.

6308 Thomomys monticola [male symbol] ju. 71.5g. 192x67x25.5x6.5. 6309 [Thomomys] [monticola ] [female symbol] ju. 47.5g. 166x56x24.5x6.

July 30

Saw a single Nighthawk last evening, and saw it swoop and boom once.

6310 Thomomys monticola [female symbol] ju. 51.5g. 174x58x25x7. 6311 Sorex v. amoenus (?) 4.6g. 100x37x12x3. (In formalin.) 6312 [Sorex] [v.] [amoenus ] (?) 4.2g. 105x41x12.5x3.5.

These two shrews in mouse traps set in rank grass under willows in the "bog." 6313 Thomomys monticola [male symbol] ju. 71g. 180x60x27x8. 6314 [Thomomys] [monticola] [male symbol] 76g. 188x67x27.5x8.5.

July 31 Took a 4-hour census sheet on, and in the vicinity of, Battle Creek Meadows this forenoon, as per accompanying census sheet. Mrs. G. pencil-checked on cardboard, results, 31