R.J. Paul 1956 Journal Mojave Basin, 1400-1450 ft., Alton, San Bernardino Co. Calif. December 27, 1956 of the creek just downstream from the road crossing we flushed a Wilson Snipe. We returned to camp at about 1 PM, rested for a while, ate lunch, and then I went out again from about 3:45 PM. While we were in camp we observed a Shrike flying about occasionally from one mesquite to another in the area just west of camp. This afternoon I went directly south to the stream bed where there are thick growths of Arrowweed and Mesquite and where we saw quail last spring. There were no quail and in fact few birds of any kind. A white-throated Swift was foraging low over the stream bed. A Verdin (the only one seen in contrast to their ubiquitousness last spring) moved past me from perch to perch in screwbean. In an opening in a clump of Arrowweed I saw a Sylphid but am not sure of the species and I was unable to shoot it. Having poor luck I headed upstream past the railroad bridge where two Say Phoebe were feeding out on the stream. Just beyond the road crossing a squeaked up a Song Sparrow from a clump of low screwbean adjacent to the stream and collected it. Soon after I returned to camp we ate dinner and then decided to go back to Ventura so we left at about 6 PM. The day was warm again, but it cooled off quickly after sundown. Again we were impressed by the relative scarcity of birds.