. Birds of California; an introduction to more than three hundred common birds of the state and adjacent islands . arried to the nearest lowperch to be devoured; — this by a bird the size of theAmerican crow, but with sinews of steel and a heart thatabsolutely knows no fear. With an audacity worthy ofa better cause it pursues marsh hawks, compelling themto relinquish the fish tliey have caught ; and not eventhe bald eagle can strike such terror to a flock of eyrie is a crevice or ledge on the perpendicularface of a cliff where none but the most daring can 10 146 LAND BIRDS climb.


. Birds of California; an introduction to more than three hundred common birds of the state and adjacent islands . arried to the nearest lowperch to be devoured; — this by a bird the size of theAmerican crow, but with sinews of steel and a heart thatabsolutely knows no fear. With an audacity worthy ofa better cause it pursues marsh hawks, compelling themto relinquish the fish tliey have caught ; and not eventhe bald eagle can strike such terror to a flock of eyrie is a crevice or ledge on the perpendicularface of a cliff where none but the most daring can 10 146 LAND BIRDS climb. Of one such exploit Mrard writes in The Con-1902, as follows: April 18, I secureddred feet of inch-and- rope. and we asain way to the cliff. Ontop of the ridge weway down to the edgewhere a bunch of oakgrowing. We tied theand I slid down it thirtyprojection. I was thenthe nesting cavity jhung considerablyside was a crevice inrope over a pointdown it, which Inest. It wasI made my wayI held the ropepoints of rockusing my feetmy hand-enough toand some-the cavityfour feetthe solida fe w y-^ 355. Prairie 0. W. How-dor, May, one hun- a-quarter made our reaching the made our of the cliff />/ y Mt>4m^. trees were ,^4w r^P^t^^^ks, jrjjrj XJ feet to a shelf-like ) -^M standing just above W where the cliff over- ^^ ,£ About four feet to one the rock, and by jerking the above me I could let myself did to a point opposite the rather a risky undertaking as along the face of the cliff, and in one hand and the sharp in the other, at the same time to steady myself. By keeping hold I could lean over just far see that the nest contained eggs, how managed to squeeze into head first. The nest was about from the entrance in a depression in rock, with no nesting material except feathers of the old bird and small


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidbirdsofcalif, bookyear1912