er without birds
particularly on his mind has witnessed in the course of his several
trips to the Tahoe region.

It soon becomes evident that altitude has much to do with bird life,
some, as the meadow-lark and blackbird never being found higher than
the Lake shore, others at the intermediate elevations where the Alpine
hemlock thrives, while still others, such as the rosy finch and the
rock-wren, are found only on the highest and most craggy peaks.

While water birds are not numerous in the summer, observant visitors
at Lake Tahoe for the first time are generally surprised to find
numbers of sea gulls. They fly back and forth, however, to and from
their native haunts by the sea. They never raise their young here,
generally making their return flight to the shores of the Pacific in
September, October and at latest November, to come back in March and
April. While out on the mountain in these months, fifty or more miles
west of Lake Tahoe I have seen them, high in the air, flying straight
to the place they desired.

The blue heron in its solitary and stately watchfulness is
occasionally seen, and again etches itself like a Japanese picture
against the pure blue of the sky. The American bittern is also seen
rarely.

Kingfishers are found, both on the lakes and streams. It is
fascinating to watch them unobserved, perched on a twig, as motionless
as if petrified, until, suddenly, their prey is within grasp, and with
a sudden splash is seized.

On several of the lakes, occasionally on bays of Tahoe itself, and
often in the marshy lands and sloughs of the Upper Truckee, near
Tallac, ducks, mallard and teal are found. Mud chickens in abundance
are also found pretty nearly everywhere all through the year.

The weird cry of the loon is not infrequently heard on some of the
lakes, and one of these latter is named Loon Lake from the fact that
several were found there for a number of years.

Flocks of white pelicans are sometimes seen. Blackbirds of two or
three kinds are found in the marshes, also killdeer, jacksnipe and the
ever active and interesting spotted sandpipers. A few meadow-larks
now and again are heard singing their exquisite song, reminding one
of Browning's wise thrush which "sings each song twice over, lest you
should think he cannot recapture that first fine careless rapture."

Doves are not common, but now and again one may hear their sweet
melancholy song, telling us in Joaquin Miller's poetic and exquis