Birds of California An Introduction to More Than Three Hundred Common Birds of

special thanks are due to members of the Cooper Club and to Dr. David Starr Jordan, of Leland Stanford University, for many cour- tesies extended and kindly encouragement given. For advice and assistance I am also indebted to Mr. Chas. F. Lummis, Mr. Leverett M. Loomis, Mr. John Muir, Mr. Joseph Grinnell, Mr. H. R. Taylor, and the late Chester A. Barlow. But it is to my fellow-student and co-laborer, my husband, Mr. Harry B. Wheelock, that I owe most. With untiring patience he has read manuscript, checked lists, and corrected errors, thereby making it possible for me to go face of many obstacles. on in the I. G. W. INTRODUCTORY CALIFORNIA is the land of sunshine, flowers, - and bird song. In the great sweep of country from Mexico on the south to Oregon on the north are found climatic conditions ranging from the Arctic circle to the tropics. The valleys blossom with roses, while the mountains are crowned with perpetual snow. Hence we find a flora and fauna as unique as the climate. It is the paradise of the bird-lover as well as of the tourist. Birds of the Torrid Zone come here birds of Alaska winter here birds from the mountains come down into the valleys. There is a constant -movement north and south, a lesser one vertically from the warm lowlands to the colder altitudes, or vice versa. To live among these fascinating feathered folk and not long to know them, one must have eyes that see not and ears deaf to Natures music. Yet the bird-lover who wishes to enjoy an acquaintance with them without scientific study finds his road beset with difficulties. From the scientific works that seem to him hopelessly abstruse he turns to the popular bird book, which is delightful but does not help him to identify his bird neighbors. It is in the hope of meeting this need and affording an introduction to the birds more commonly found in California that this non-technical work is offered. Keys have been avoided and a simple classification, according to habitat or color, substituted, following the excellent plan used by Neltje Blantjan, which has never been excelled for easy iden- tification. In selecting these three hundred from the five hun- dred varieties listed as occurring within the confines of the State and adjacent islands, no arbitrary rule has been followed, the author being guided by her own experience in field work among them. During a test study in 1902, the ground covered was from Mexico to Oregon, and from the islands off the coast to the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and in this, two hundred and forty odd species were commonly met with, while the others were by no means rare. The observations were made in the desert region along the California side of the Colorado River, and at Tia Juana, San Diego, Riverside, Redlands, Pasadena, San Pedro, Santa Cata- lina, in.the Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Palo Alto, Alviso, San Francisco Bay region, Martinez, the Farallones, Mt. Tamalpais, Mt. Shasta, Sacramento, Slippery Ford, Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Lake, Eagle Lake, and Lake Tulare. This list is given for the benefit of bird-loving may wish to do likewise... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.