Transcribing the field notes of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Author: Grinnell - 1925 Location: San Diego, California Date: March 3, 1925 Page Number: 2451

[last spec. #6258]

2 p.m., at the Natural History Museum, in Balboa Park. Here in the interests of launching an MVZ "expedition" into Lower California. Left Berkeley on "Owl" Friday night (Feb. 27). Spent Saturday at the Los Angeles Museum, Exposition Park, and Saturday night with Lee Chambers. Came to San Diego, Sunday forenoon; and since then have been meeting various people; and especially, waiting to see Jose Maria Gallegos, the Mexican official who is supposed to be mainly influential in the granting of permits for an entry into Lower California. But, Sr. Gallegos hasn't returned to the Hotel Brewster (his headquarters here) from a trip he and Laurence Huey undertook two weeks ago down to the vicinity of San Quentin. They went under the auspices of the Museum here to collect some mammals and were supposed to be be back Sunday. But delays on the order of the day, seemingly, in this life-zone! Also it is said that a fellow-Mexican is on Gallegos trail with a knife, by reason of an alleged unpaid debt of $800.00 - settled by a Mexican judge, but not settled in the eyes of the creditor! So - I wait, and MVZ party (Borell in Berkeley and Lamb in Los Angeles) waits. Poco tiempo! I have met several fine people here: Mr. L. M. Klauber, an engineer, and his friend H. R. Peckham, both informative and ready to help

Collector: Grinnell-1925 Location: San Diego Date: March 4, 1925 Page Number: 2457 (8) (?)

I had nearly two hours' visit with Senor Jose Maria Gallegos, really the man I came down to see. He proved affable to a degree; promised to do everything in his power for the University party, and if words count he is an ally. However, he was far more eager to tell me, in his rather broken English, about his own accomplishments and aims than to learn anything from me. He had a typed report of his own to the Mexican headquarters at Mexico City, from which he read and explained long excerpts. It covered his various local trips with Huey, the Calif. Acad. Sci. people and others - narrative with records of some of the birds and mammals taken - illustrated profusely with photos, in many of which he himself appeared conspicuously! I noted many statements and forms of expression obviously taken from U.S. reports, translated. He is thus imitative, as also is the "museum" work he is undertaking at Tijuana, Mexicale and Juarez. At these points the Mexican government, thru him, is establishing little museums of natural history, for "education of the children and amusement of the tourists." On the whole, tho childishly self-important, I liked Gallegos; he is gentlemanly anyway, which some Americans are not! Returned to Los Angeles in P.M.; there via "Owl" to Berkeley.

cat page #1274

Lassen Section, Calif. (in Tehama Co.) June 11-Aug. 4, 1925 pp. 2458-2544 Nos. 6259-6377

Specimens collected belong to accession #2398, and are included in Mammal Catalog #34677-34954 Bird Catalog #45187-45335 Rept. and Amp. Catalog #9999-10060 Nests & Eggs Catalog #2002, 2003

For map of route see published report.

Vertebrate Natural History of Lassen Peak Region by Joseph Grinnell, Joseph Dixon, and Jean M. Linsdale Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley, 1924

map = fig. 2, off page 2

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section Date: June 11, 1925 Page Number: 2458

Left Berkeley in the Ford with the "family" (Hilda, Molly and Dick) at 5 a.m., reaching Red Bluff at 4 p.m. on the highway near Gerber, Tehama Co. (and within our "section") saw a smashed Boyle King Snake (Lampropeltis boylii). At several of the culverts beneath the highway (Corning to Red Bluff) were Barn Swallows, a pair flying about each culvert. Even when these were only about 2 1/2 feet in height of space beneath, the swallows appeared to be nesting within. Continued on from Red Bluff east to Dale's, where we had supper. Out of Red Bluff about 4 miles, just on to the lava country, saw a Raven in flight overhead from direction of Tuscan Buttes. At Dale's we were impressed with the abundance of birds, just as last May. I saw, among others: Western Yellowthroat; Long-tailed Chat (a remarkable mimic - for instance, one gave the "pe-ark" of a Pacific nighthawk perfectly, so that I peered aloft for the author until the chat above my head in an oak whistled); Willow Goldfinch (several, males nearly fully yellow); Killdeer (nearly fullgrown young in vegetable garden, tufts of down on ends of tailfeathers showing plainly); etc. Citellus douglasi seem more numerous along the road than last year. Saw an Gray Squirrel near the creek about a mile below Dale's, near where Willard shot the one last winter.

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral, 4800 ft. Date: July 8 Page Number: 2527

Taking food to young in this nest.

6290 Hammond Flycatcher (?) ju. 10.4g. 6291 [Hammond] [Flycatcher] [female symbol] ad. 9.5g. Mother of above. 6292 Calliope Hummer [female symbol] ad. 2.3g. with set 1/2.

July 9 Returned to Berkeley last night.