Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
(422)
to a tree behind me where he sang loudly a few short snatches and then
came to me along the ground . They both then fell to digging under
the trees and I left them. During this approach both birds called
and sang loudly. I had been doubtful of their coming to me so
confidingly after the recent excitement and in what is really a
strange place, more especially as, having no young, the food problem
is not a difficult one at the present time. An hour or so before
they did not "know" me, now they talked in my face.
10:45 About 10:15 both birds were in the top of the pine by the
kitchen door. One of them, later proving to be Greenie, was making
new sounds somewhat like the introductory notes of the Bullock Oriole
song, but not, I think, an imitation. Brownie made a long swooping
dive of about 100 feet passing directly over my head, so that I ducked
involuntarily, and landed near Julio chopping wood under the dormitory
tree. There she picked up a twig, carried it to Room A almost
directly over Julio's head and began working. Greenie soon joined
her, but merely inspected. There is a tame white pigeon her that is
always snooping around looking at things. He went over to where
Brownie was selecting twigs from the ground and watched her. When,
however, he got too close (about 2 feet from her) she dashed at him
and drove him away with pecks, although he is many times her size.
While working Brownie uttered another series of deep notes
that I do not recall having heard before, something like:
ka taw
11:40. At 11:30 I stood by the dorm., Brownie was on the nest. As
soon as she saw me she called softly and worked out to the end of
a branch near me and dropped to the ground at my feet. I remained
standing and she flew to my hand, hungry for worms. While there she
uttered a series of low sound, somewhat like the call of the Slender-