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 9'2 ,, THE CONI)R I V,,I. IV tain air soon hardens, and many pieces weYe to be found half hidden among the sticks and stones on the hillside. An enterprising jay found a particu- larly hard piece one day. He flew up to a branch of the oak tree, and, putting his feet on the bread to hold it quite firm, proceeded to hammer it with his bill, after the manner of a woodpecker. For many minutes he wrestled with that piece of bread, (he must have been in a terrible state of mind) until another jay came to see what could be the matter. He meant to stick to it, how- ever, and didn't intend to "go shares." I haven't yet made up my mind whether he came off conquerer, or abandoned the situation. I do know that he worked hard for a long time then flew away. Occasionally I add grapes to their menu. That is a surprise and much appreciated. Some were put in a bag and fixed in one of the trees, and, instantly, their curiosity was aroused. One came and pecked at the paper bag, and soon discovered that when he tore the paper it made a noise. It was not long before the grapes were found, and such a hue and cry came from the lookers-on in the branches above. Down they flew jabbering as they came, and it is needless to relate that there wasn't a grale left in the bag in a very short time. Since then I've never doubted the inquisitiveness of the bluejays. In addition to the char- acteristic scold note theblue-fronted jay has many distinctly different notes, some of which are soft, whispering notes, and very pleasant to hear. All of the jays are more or less pug- naeious, and few birds come about their feeding grounds while they are in pos session. The ground squirrel is more hold, and one was often seen feeding with them. Chickadees, mountain bluebirds, fly- catchers, and Brewer blackbirds are seen every day if one takes the time to observe. The bluebirds come for a frolic on the tent ropes late every after- noon, after all the noisy birds have said gnod-bye for the day. As the shadows grow darker, flocks of tiny seed-eating birds come to the quiet hillside, and flit through the ferns and grasses, where they find food to their fancy. Twice a hummer came and stuck his long bill into a scarlet penstemon flower, but was off again before I could note his colorings. An almost daily visitor is a cunning creeper, who comes to the nearest tree, and inspects it for food. He has a sweet note of inquiry, and appears to have little fear. Once he flew to the ground to see what the other birds were doing, but he seemed to care more for the food which he found in the trees. .This was the slender-billed nuthatch. Three times a grosbeak Was noticed eating at the bird-table, but was not clearly identified. As the weather becomes colder, the hamm,ck studies came to an end, and I was obliged to go abroad. On one of my long excursions, I caught sight of a white-headed woodpecker, flying from one high point to another. Chickadees were seen feeding on the manzanita berries. The clear ringing note of the red-shafted flicker was heard often, but he rarely showed himself. Finding the feathers of one near our tent one morn- ing I concluded that there had been a tragedy during the night. A common night sound, coming from the distant canyons, is the hootings of the owls, which is not especially con- ducive to peaceful slumbers, if there is only a piece of striped awning between one and the wide-wide world. The woodpeckers began putting in their snpplies for the winter about the first week in October; and after that they worked every day from early morning till sun-down, picking the acorns, taking off the cap, and skillfully packing them away in the holes made by them in the bark of the pine trees. On every walk and ride strange birds were to be seen, so that I was fully convinced a student would find here a good field fi)r birds.