HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Library of the

Museum of

Comparative Zoology

lr,s.sQ

Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology
AT HARVARD COLLEGE.

Vol. XLI. No. 1.

BIRDS OF THE CAPE EEGIOX OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

By William Brewster.

With Oke Map.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U. S. A. :

PRINTED FOR THE MUSEUM.

September, 1002.

Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology

at harvard college.

Vol. XLL No. 1.

BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

Br William Brewster.

With One Map.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS , U. S. A. :

PRINTED FOR THE MUSEUM.

September, 1902.

Region of Lower Calif oiitia.
M Brewster.

AUCTION.

spent about nine months collecting
ig this period he obtained upwards of
eral new to science, besides a number
Region. Of the quality of his speci-
ligence which he displayed in collect-
to speak too highly. Indeed, it is
.1 size and excellence was ever before
;hin so short a space of time. The
the series representing the resident
re sufficiently large to illustrate very
ge and seasonal, variations to which
failed, however, to secure many nests
to be regretted - — his field notes, de-

9Q 0 r\ ( 1 I fi ^ visited and of the habits, behavior,

^ ^ ig birds, are, in most respects, disap-

I have culled from his journals and
specimens, every fact or suggestion
nent record, and I have supplemented
ig freely on the published accounts of
the same region, among whom Mr.
and Mr. Anthony are, of course, the
most prominent.

The biographical material gathered from these sources includes, I
trust, all the information of obvious value and pertinence which is at
present accessible, but it is undeniably inconsiderable in quantity and
colorless in character. The simple truth is that the ornithologists who
have thus far visited Lower California have devoted most of their atten-
tion to collecting and preparing specimens and but very little to making,

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1. 1

•No, 1. — Birds of the Cape Region of Lower California.
By William Brewster.

INTRODUCTION.

In 1887 Mr. M. Abbott Frazar spent about nine months collecting
for me in Lower California. During this period be obtained upwards of
4,400 birds, among which were several new to science, besides a number
hitherto unknown from the Cape Region. Of the quaUty of his speci-
mens and of the industry and intelligence which he displayed in collect-
ing them it would be impossible to speak too highly. Indeed, it is
probable that no collection of equal size and excellence was ever before
accumulated by any one man within so short a space of time. The
skins are beautifully prepared, and the series representing the resident
or more characteristic Cape birds are sufficiently large to illustrate very
fully the individual, as well as age and seasonal, variations to which
each form is subject. Mr. Frazar failed, however, to secure many nests
or eggs and — what is even more to be regretted - — his field notes, de-
scriptive of the localities which he visited and of the habits, behavior,
and songs of their most interesting birds, are, in most respects, disap-
pointingly brief and inadequate. I have culled from his journals and
from the evidence supplied by his specimens, every fact or suggestion
which has seemed worthy of permanent record, and I have supplemented
the matter thus obtained by drawing freely on the published accounts of
other observers who have visited the same region, among whom Mr.
Xantus, Mr. Belding, Mr. Bryant, and Mr. Anthony are, of course, the
most prominent.

The biographical material gathered from these sources includes, I
trust, all the information of obvious value and pertinence which is at
present accessible, but it is undeniably inconsiderable in quantity and
colorless in character. The simple truth is that the ornithologists who
have thus far visited Lower California have devoted most of their atten-
tion to collecting and preparing specimens and but very little to makuig,

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1. 1

2 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

or at least recording, field observations. Thus it happens that while we
have much definite knowledge respecting the physical characteristics
and affinities of the birds of this region, as well as not a little concern-
ing their respective areas of local occurrence or distribution, we know
ahnost nothing of their habits, songs, and distinctive appearance or be-
havior when living. The nests and eggs of many of them also remain
undescribed. In short, the time has not as yet arrived when anything
more than the merest outlines of their life histories can be sketched.

Tlie main portion of my paper treats only of birds which are defin-
itely known to have occurred in the Cape Region, but in dealing with
the distribution of such of these as are not confined to this area I
have consulted — and frequently cited, also — all the more important
records that I could find relating to the central and upper parts of the
Peninsula as "well as to southern California, and in addition I have out-
lined, briefly, the general range of each species or subspecies along the
Pacific coast, hoping tliereby to show more clearly the precise relations
in which the different forms stand geographically to the Cape fauna.

Most of the strictly biographical matter relates either to birds which
are peculiar to, or characteristic of, the Cape Region or to observations
made within the limits of this territory, no attempt having been made
to present life histories of those species which occur as migratory or
winter visitors only. Exceptions to this rule have been made, however,
in the cases of certain of the water birds whose breeding stations lie at
no great distances, or whose breeding habits are of especial interest.

From this it will be gathered that my part in the work has been
chiefly that of a compiler of facts observed or recorded by others, but I
have personally contributed some original matter in the form of techni-
cal description and critical comment. In connection with my efforts to
unravel some of the more difficult problems affecting the status or rela-
tionship of certain of the less well known birds I have received invalu-
able assistance from my friend Mr. R. Ridgway, who has supplied me
with whatever specimens I have needed for comparison (including sev-
eral types) from the collections of the United States National Museum,
and to whom I am further indebted for much kindly encouragement
and advice. I am under obligations, also, to Mr. E. W. Nelson, w^ho
has been kind enough to read my paper in the manuscript and to favor
me with criticisms or suggestions, which have proved of the utmost
service. Nor should I omit in this connection to express my thanks to
Dr. J. A. Allen and Mr, F. M. Chapman, for the oppoi-tunities which
they have given me of examining specimens preserved in the collections

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 3

of the American Museum, and to Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Mr. Samuel
Henshaw, Mr. Walter Faxon, Mr. Harry C. Oberholser, and Dr. Cliarles
W. Richmond, for assistance of various kinds. In short, all these as
well as others of my friends have responded most generously to the calls
which I have made upon them.

The task of pi-eparing the synonymy has been intrusted to my assist-
ant, l\Ir. Walter Deane, who has performed it with infinite care and
faithfulness, verifying every citation by direct examination of the orig-
inal text. A fuller synonymy has been given for the thirty or more birds
which appear to be either peculiar to the region under consideration or
especially prominent members of its summer ftxuna, but in the cases of
most of the others Mr. Deaue has cited only publications which relate
more or loss directly to this region, giving no references to the more
general works on ornithology save where these include original descrip-
tions, illustrations, or critical discussions strictly pertinent to the subject
in hand. In other words, the synonymy is intended to serve, at least
primarily, merely as an index to what has been published on the char-
acteristic birds of the Cape Region, and on the local history only of
those which visit it during migration or in winter, or which breed but
casually or very sparingly within its confines.

All the original measurements are in inches and hundredths of an
inch.

Cape Region of Lower California,

Mr. Bryant^ defines this region as comprising "■ that terminal portion
of the peninsula southward from the northern base of the mountains
between La Paz on the Gulf shore and the town of Todos Santos on the
Pacific Coast." He adds, " There is no more sharply defined faunal and
flora area, that occui's to me now, excepting that of islands, than is em-
braced in the region above defined. Part of it lies within the Tropic
of Cancer, and the balance along the Gulf shore, and having mainly a
Gulf drainage. The climate as influenced by its peculiar sea-bound
tropical situation and rainy seasons is distinctively different from any-
thing existing to the northward. . . . Mainly a mountainous section,
some of the peaks being 6,000 feet high, it is separated for an hundred
miles or more from the peninsula northward by a long expanse of low,
level or rolling country."

Mr. T. S. Braudegee writes me : " In reply to your question con-

1 Zoe, II. 1891, 185, 186.

4 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

cerning my limitation of the Cape region, I will answer that for the
flora it seems best to include only the region south of a line between La
Paz and Todos Santos. This line is nearly a straight line, and follows
along the northern base of the Cape Mountains. The trail between La
Paz and Todos Santos does not appear to ascend more than 150 feet
above sea-level ai any place, and there is a large extent of nearly level
country to the north of it. The Cape Region will be, then, a mountainous
country separated from the northern mountains by an extent of low-
land."

The depressed and exceedingly arid desert tract above mentioned
evidently forms nearly as complete a barrier to the northward and south-
ward extension of plant and animal life as would a similar expanse of
ocean. Indeed, there can be little doubt that the comparative isolation
which its presence affords to the region lying to the southward has had
very much to do with the stril^ing fauna! and floral characteristics of
the latter area. Another factor of perhaps almost equal potency is the
comparatively humid climate of the Cape Region with the resultant (but
also only comparative) luxuriance of its vegetation.

The limitations so concisely yet clearly stated by Mr. Brandegee are
those which I have adopted in the present paper, but I have ventured
to construe these (wholly without his knowledge or sanction) as includ-
ing the island of Espiritu Santo, whose founa, judging by what little we
know of it, seems to be essentially similar to that of the region lyinc
about and to the southward of La Paz.

It was my original intention to insert in this connection some general-
izations bearing on the characteristics and affinities of the fauna and
flora of the Cape Region, as well as to tabulate the names of its various
birds in lists of permanent residents, summer residents, winter residents,
migratory visitors, etc., but I have found so very many cases where all
the information at my command has proved insufficient to enable me to
reach definite conclusions, that I have become convinced that the time
has not as yet arrived when it is either safe or profitable to attempt any-
thing of the kind just indicated ; I may venture to say in passing, how-
ever, that, as Professor Baird pointed out in 1859, the characteristic
birds of the Cape Region appear to be more closely related to those of
Arizona and Northwestern Mexico than to those of California, although
certain recent developments have shown that this rule is not wholly
without exceptions.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE DISTRICT, LOWER CALIFORNIA.

Narrative.

Gulf Trip. — Landing at La Paz on January 24, Mr. Frazar remained
in the immediate neighborhood of that place until February 26, when
he embarked in a small vessel and visited successively the islands of
Espiritu Santo, San Jose, Montserrat, and Carmen, which lie stretched
out in a series or chain in the Gulf of California to the northwai'd of La
Paz and not far from the eastern coast of the Peninsula. He describes
them as " all alike, very hilly, almost devoid of vegetation," and practi-
cally without water excepting where it is obtained by digging.

On Carmen Island, the largest of the series, he spent three days, dur-
ing which he skirted the entire southern shore, landing at several differ-
ent places. There were but few birds, and most of these were waders
or water fowl. The only species of which specimens were obtained
were the Large-billed, San Benito, Brewer's, and Desert Sparrows, the
American Raven, the St. Lucas Sparrow Hawk, the Black-bellied and
Wilson's Plovers, the Least and Spotted Sandpipers, Frazar's Oyster-
catcher (of which two specimens, including the type, were taken here),
the Western and Heermann's Gulls, the Farallone Cormorant, and the
American Eared Grebe. In addition to these Mr. Frazar mentions see-
ing a Western Mockingbird, a few Verdins and Guatcatchers, an Orange-
crowned Warbler, one or two Costa's Hummingbirds and a number of
Fish Hawks.

On March 10 Mr. Frazar landed on the shore of the Peninsula oppo-
site Carmen Island, and proceeded inland some three or four miles to the
base of the Victoria Mountains,^ crossing a belt of country covered with
dense brush and having much the same bird fauna as the region im-
mediately about La Paz, save that a number of the species which occur
at the latter place were apparently wanting in this locality.

The next day was spent in a ravine some three miles in length, which
penetrates deep into the heart of the mountains, and forms the course
of a slender, trickling stream, the only running water, it was said, which
at that time existed among these mountains. Here he found a flock of
Arkansas Goldfinches, considerable numbers of Xautus's Humming-
birds, a female Allen's Hummingbird, a few pairs of Black Pewees, a
Phainopepla, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk, besides many species (none of
which are enumerated) which he had previously noted at La Paz.

^ A subgroup or chain of the Sierra de la Gigantea range, not to be confounded
with the Victoria mountains south of La Paz.

6 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

On the 12th he went to Loreto, where a day devoted to collecting
yielded only two or three specimens each of the Titlark, Black-bellied
Plover, and Turnstone.

The return trip to La Paz was made in an open canoe, for the first
half of the distance along the shores of the Peninsula, thence by way of
San Jose and Espiritu Santo Islands, on both of which Mr. Frazar
landed. He characterizes them briefly as "like the other islands," but
adds that the coast line of Espiritu Santo is broken in a few places by
small inlets bordered by mangroves. It will be remembered that the
type specimen of Belding's Rail was obtained on this island, no doubt in
one of the little inlets just mentioned.

During the expedition the following water birds were noted : —

1. American Eared Grebe. Common about Carmen Island, March 6-10.

2. Craveri's Murrelett. On March 1 numbers were found off the west-

ern shore of San Jose Island. None were seen here during the
return trip, but on March 15 a good many were met with near the
northern end of Espiritu Santo Island. The species was observed
only on these two occasions.

3. Heermann's Gull. Two breeding colonies were visited, one on a

small rocky island between Loreto and Carmen Island, on j\Iarch
13, the other on Montserrat Island the following day. In both
localities the birds had only just begun laying their eggs.

4. California Gull. A number of birds, most of them in immature

plumage, were seen migrating northward on March 13, between
Loreto and Carmen Island.

5. Black-vented (X) Shearwater. Large numbers of small, dark-bodied

Shearwaters, which probably belonged to this species, were seen
on March 6, about midway between IMontserrat and Carmen
Islands. A few others of similar appearance were also observed
on March 16 off the northern end of Espiritu Santo Island.

6. Least (1) Petrel. A small, black Petrel seen near Espiritu Santo

Island about the last of February must have been either this or
the Black Petrel.

7. Red-billed (?) Tropic Bird. A Tropic Bird noted on March 4 near

the shore of the Peninsula, not far from Montserrat Island, prob-
ably belonged to this species.

8. Farallone Cormorant. About a dozen nests containing nearly full-

grown young were found on Montserrat Island on March 14. The
species was also seen frequently about Carmen Island.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE EEGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 7

La Paz. — At La Paz Mr. Frazar collected from January 28 to Feb-
ruary 26, and from March 19 to April 7, making his headquarters in the
town, and covering as much of the surrounding country as could be
reached in a day's walk or drive. He describes it as excessively dry
and barren, m fact " burnt to a crisp " by a drought, which had con-
tinued unbroken for upwards of two years. The cattle had nearly all
died of thirst or starvation, for there was no surface water anywhere
and no grass, the only vegetation consisting of scattered bushes and
cacti of various kinds.

Over much of this desolate region birds were exceedingly scarce, but
in a few favored localities — such as that at the base of the range of
hills immediately behind the town, where there were exceptionally
dense and luxuriant thickets of bushes and occasional small trees — Mr.
Frazar found in greater or less abundance such characteristic Lower
California forms as the St. Lucas Thrasher, Baird's Verdin, St. Lucas
Cactus Wren, St. Lucas Swallow, St. Lucas House Finch, St. Lucas
Towhee, St. Lucas Cardinal, St. Lucas Pyrrhuloxia, Xantus's Jay, St.
Lucas Flycatcher, Xantus's Hummingbird, and St. Lucas Woodpecker.

Along the borders of the neighboring bay were a few scattered fringes
or clusters of mangroves intersected by tidal creeks and flooded at high
water. These thickets furnished congenial haimts for Mangrove War-
blers, Grinnell's Water-Thrushes, Belding's Rails, and Frazar's Green
Herons, none of which, excepting the Water-Thrushes, were met with
elsewhere by Mr. Frazar.

The shores or waters of this bay were also frequented by Large-billed
Sparrows, Killdeer, Seraipalmated and Wilson's Plovers, Gray Yellow-
legs, Long-billed and Hudsonian Curlews, Keddish Egrets, Wood
Ibises, Western Gulls, Caspian and Royal Terns, California Brown
Pelicans, Man-o'-war Birds, Brandt's Cormorants, Pied-billed Grebes
and other kinds of wading or water birds.

Triunfo. — On April 11 Mr. Frazar went to Triunfo, "a mining camp
situated among the mountains, fifty miles south of La Paz, and at about
the beginning of the oak level," although no trees of any kind were to
be seen in the immediate nei<i;hborhood, all having been cut for use in
the mine. The surrounding hills were excessively dry and barren, and
even the arroyos had little vegetation, although they were inhabited by
fair numbers of birds.

Within four miles of the camp, however, was a canon, near the head
of which water " bubbled from the ground " in sufficient quantity to
form a brook of considerable size. For a distance of perhaps a quarter

8 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

of a mile below its source this stream was filled with water cresses and
half concealed by overhanging bushes, canes, or bulrushes, while the nar-
row strip of bottom land through which it flowed was under high cul-
tivation. Further down the caiion it sank into the sand, coming to the
surface again just above where a dam had been erected, and forming
here a small but deep pond, in which a pair of Baldpates were seen on
one occasion. Xear the margin of this pool stood a number of " ever-
green oaks," and a dozen or more " large northern oaks " were scattered
along the lower slopes of the neighboring hills.

This little oasis was one of the most verdant and attractive spots
which Mr. Frazar visited and, as would be expected, it proved to be
alive with birds, of which Belding's Yellow-throat, the Beautiful Bunt-
ing, and Xantus's Hummingbird were among the most numerous and
attractive.

Another place of especial interest was a " hill " lying at a distance of
about ten miles from the mining camp, and having " an elevation of some
3,500 feet above sea level." From its summit could be seen " very
plainly the Pacific Ocean and the coast line for thirty or forty miles.
In the opposite direction was the Gulf of California, fifteen miles away
and seemingly at our feet, for the slope on that side was very abrupt to
the plain, which was not over three miles distant. To the not-th lay
the entrance to La Paz harbor. Southward the view was interrupted
by the San Simon range of mountains. The road lay up a ravine where
there was considerable water (the drainage from one of the mines) as
well as some scattered oaks, perhaps twenty in all, none over fifteen feet
high. Here we found a number of birds, but on the hill tops there
were very few."

Mr. Frazar made a second visit to Triunfo in early summer (June 10-
July 2), and a third at the close of the year (December 4-11).

Pierce's Ranch. — Immediately after his second visit to Triunfo Mr.
Frazar spent nearly a month (July 4-30) at Pierce's Ptanch or San
Jose del Eancho, as it is locally called. Beyond the brief statement
that " it is about fifteen miles south-east of Triunfo, on the Gulf slope
among the hills on the oak ^ level,'' Mr. Frazar's notes contain no
description of this locality. It yielded few birds of especial interest,
excepting a single specimen each of the St. Lucas Robin and Louisiana
Tanager and a good series of Viosca's Pigeon.

1 An oak leaf obtained here by Mr. Frazar has been identified at the Gray
Herbarium as that of Quercus grisea Liebmann.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 9

Sierra de la Laguna. — The last few days of April, the whole of May,
and the first week of June were spent on the Sierra de la Laguna.
This is said to be the highest mountain on the Peninsula south of La Paz,
although Mr. Frazar, who notes its altitude as about six thousand feet,
thinks that several of the mountains which lie between it and Cape
St. Lucas are but little inferior in elevation. He tells me tliat it is
also called Eosario de la Laguna and Mount San Simon, but, if I under-
stand him correctly, the latter name is more properly restricted to the
highest of several peaks all of which, together with the broad-topped
mountain mass on which they rest, and above which they rise only some
two hundred or three hundred feet, are known collectively as the Sierra
de la Laguna.

This and the neighboring mountains are invariably referred to in
Mr. Belding's papers as the " Victoria Mountains," and the general
range of which they form a part is marked " S. de la Victoria " on the
map of Mexico compiled and drawn by Mr. Hendges and published
(in 1900) under the auspices of the Bureau of the American Republics.
Mr. Fnizar assures me, however, that, so far as he was able to learn, the
people of the Cape Region have no distinctive name for the range just
mentioned, while he heard the term Victoria Mountains applied only
to the group of mountains opposite Carmen Island which he visited
during his trip up the Gulf of California.

The road by which Mr. Frazar approached the Sierra de la Laguna
from Triunfo crosses a succession of canons with their intersecting
ridges, and hence is almost continually climbing or descending steep
inclines. After passing Las Animas, a deserted ranch wliere the real
ascent of the mountain begins, the trail becomes exceedingly difficult,
and in places is almost impassable for pack animals. From the summit
" the eastern, northern, and western sides of the mountain appear very
abrupt," but towards the south the slope is more gradual. The distant
view in this direction is interrupted by several mountains of considerable
altitude. In the immediate foreground, at the base of the highest peak and
scarce three hundred feet below it, lies a hollow completely surrounded by
mountain-tops or ridges, whose inner sides, together with the depression
towards which they trend, cover a total area of about four square miles.
This is everywhere densely wooded with large oaks and pines,^ the latter
predominating on the lower ground and the former on the hillsides.

^ These trees have been identified at the Gray Herbarium, so far as could be
determined from leaves alone, as Pinus ayacahuite Elirenb., and Quercus emoryi
Torr.

10 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Near the head of the hollow rises a stream of clear, cool water, at present
everywhere confined within its banks but formerly expanding, at a point
just above where it escapes by a narrow canon through the encirclincr
hills, into a shallow lagoon from which the mountain derived its name.
After descending through the ravine to lower levels and mino-lino- its
waters with those of other mountain brooks, this stream is said to sink
into the ground, reappearing again a few miles above the town of Sau
Jose, below which it empties into the sea.

In this attractive little subalpine valley ]\[r. Frazar spent, as I have
already stated, upwards of six weeks, collecting assiduously and obtain-
ing full series of most of the birds which had been previously reported
from these mountains as well as several novelties which I have since
described. Unfortunately he was too early for nests and eggs. Indeed
only a very few of the birds had begun laying up to the date of his
departure (June 9). He was assured by the deer hunters and cattle
herders whom he met that the height of the breeding season is not
reached here before July. He attempted to return at this time, but
was prevented from doing so by a serious illness.

On November 27, however, he paid a second visit to the valley,
remaining there up to December 4. The weather, during this period,
was cold and damp and the mountain shrouded in mist. There were
but few birds, and of these the greater number belonged to feeble-
winged or habitually sedentary forms, such as Titmice, Nuthatches,
Jays, etc., most of the summer species having evidently descended to the
lowlands or migrated to warmer latitudes, to pass the winter. Nor had
their places been taken by winter visitors from further north, for the
Ferruginous Rough-legged Hawk was literally the only addition made,
on this occasion, to the list of birds observed the previous spring.

As the latter will be fully treated in their appropriate places in my
paper, it seems unnecessary to mention here any but the more charac-
teristic or interesting species, such as the St. Lucas Robin, Grinda's
Bush-Tit, Ashy Titmouse, St. Lucas Nuthatch, Western Martin, St.
Lucas Swallow, Mountain Towhee, Baird's Junco, St. Lucas Flycatcher,
Large-billed Wood Pewee, Xantus's Hummingbird, Narrow-fronted
Woodpecker, Hoskins's Pygmy Owl, Dwarf Horned Owl, and Viosca's
Pigeon, most of which were abundant and in the perfection of their
nuptial plumage.

San Jose. — At the close of his third visit to Triunfo Mr. Frazar
proceeded to San Jose del Cabo by a road which crosses the mountains
to San Antonio and next passes through San Bartolo, beyond which it

BKEWSTER: birds of the cape region, lower CALIFORNIA. 11

leads down an arroyo to the sea beach. Along this it continues for a
distance of about ten miles and then turns inland, crossing a broad
table-land to another arroyo, up which it runs to Santiago and thence
across a second table-land to Miraflores, situated on still a third arroyo
which the road follows for tlie remainder of the way to San Jose. Mr.
Frazar spent the latter part of August, the entire months of September
and October and the first twelve days of November, at this place, making
daily excursions about its outskirts or to the neighboring sea-coast.
His note-books and collections, as well as the published accounts relat-
ing to the experiences of Mr. Xantus, Mr. Belding, and Mr. Bryant,
show that the locality is one of the most interesting and productive,
ornithologically, of any in the Cape region of which we have definite
knowledge.

San Jose is situated about one and one-half miles from the Gulf
coast, on the edge of the arroyo, which, at this point, is upwards of two
miles wide and almost perfectly level. Through it winds a good-sized
brook, which rises among the mountains, and not far from their bases
disappears beneath the ground, reappearing again some eight miles
above the town and flowing past it over a broad, sandy bed on its way
to the sea. Although at the time of Mr. Frazar's visit, there had been
no rain for upwards of two years, this stream carried a considerable
volume of water, much of which, however, was diverted from its natural
channel to irrigate the bordering bottom lands. These are divided into
gardens and yield good crops of sugar-cane, cotton, and oranges besides
corn, beans, sweet potatoes ^ and such other vegetables as the inhabi-
tants of the neighboring region require.

The banks of the stream, as well as those of the irrigating ditches
are fringed in places with wild canes and dense bushes. " There are
also a few trees, such as willows, palms, and a kind of poplar." About a
mile below the town, the water forms numerous small pools filled with
cat-o'-niue tails and floating vegetation, and just before reaching the
ocean it spreads out into a shallow lagoon of about eight acres in
extent which lies immediately behind the beach ridge. Its outlet was
repeatedly closed, during Mr. Frazar's visit, by sand thrown up by the
surf at high tide, but the water, after rising several feet above its normal
level, would eventually burst through the temporary barrier and
escape, sometimes by a new opening. From this point smooth sea-

1 " Bananas do well at San Jose, but apples and potatoes they cannot raise,
althou^li the latter are grown successfully at Aqua Caliente." Bryant, Zoe, II.
1891, 195.

12 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

beaches backed by sand-dunes stretch as far as the eye can reach in both
directions, to the southwest curving gently outward to form the rocky
promontory known as San Jose del Cabo.

A distinction between this name and the shorter appellation San
Jose, which, I believe, is the current and no doubt proper term for the
village itself, was apparently made by Mr. Xantus in labeling his
specimens, although there are reasons for believing that some of those
which are marked " San Jose del Cabo " were really taken at or near
the mouth of the river, and hence at some distance from the Cape
itself. ^Ir. Belding employs both names in connections which indicate
that he regarded them as synonymous. Mr. Bryant, in his Catalogue
of the Birds of Lower California, invariably uses the longer title,
applying it to all records relating to the village of San Jose, as well as
to the neighboring sea-coast, without apparent regard to the form in
which they originally appeared. No doubt, the fact that there are
several San Joses, but only one San Jose del Cabo, in Lower California,
prompted him to adopt this course, which, for the same reason, I have
also followed, whenever it has seemed admissible, in the present
paper.

It is not surprising that so rare a combination of attractive conditions
as that just mentioned, — especially in a country so generally arid and
barren as Lower California — should have given San Jose del Cabo
an exceptionally rich and varied bird fauna. The smaller insectivorous
or seed-eating birds find congenial shelter and abundance of food in the
Juxuriant vegetation with which the village and its immediate neigh-
borhood are favored ; reed-loving species, such as Marsh Wrens, Yellow-
throats, Rails, and Gallinules, inhabit the pools lower down the river;
the shallow lagoon at its mouth affords a perfect paradise for waders
and waterfowl of many different varieties, while Plover, Sandpipers,
Gulls, Terns, Cormorants, Pelicans, and even such ultra-typical marine
birds as Petrels and Shearwaters, frequent the neighboring sandy
beaches or at least pass over or near them on their flights up and down
the coast.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 13

SYSTEMATIC NOTICE OF THE BIRDS.

Colymbus nigricollis californicus (Heerm.).
American Eared Grebe,

Dytes nigricollis californicus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 188.3, 546 (Cape

Region).
Colymbus nigricollis californicus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,

249 (Cape Region).

The American Eared Grebe is a common winter resident in the Gulf of Cali-
fornia off La Paz as well as about the islands to the northward, where, during
February and March, Mr. Frazar saw it frequently, often in large flocks and
occasionally where the water was very deep. At San Jose del Cabo he met
with it only once, on October 18, when a single bird- was noted. Mr, Belding
also mentions seeing it near La Paz. Mr. Bryant found it "common along the
shores of Magdalena Bay, particularly at Magdalena Island. They were seen
about the landing swimming in compact groups of from one to two dozen birds,
the entire flock would dive almost simultaneously and appear again in a more
scattered bunch a short distance away. Their tameness made them objects to
be stoned by ]\Iexican boys who occasionally killed and wounded some."

There is no evidence that the Eared Grebe breeds in any part of Lower Cali-
fornia, although the southern limits of its known summer range lie not far to
the northward, for it has been found nesting in Califurnia at Elizabeth Lake,
Los Angeles county, and abundantly at Bear Valley Lake in the San Bernar-
dino Mountains.^ In winter it migrates as far south as Guatemala.

'D*

Colymbus dominicus brachypterus Chapman.
Short-winged Grebe.

Tachyhaptes dominicus (not Colymbus dominicus Linnaeus) Belding, Proc. U. S
Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 351 (San Jose', Miraflores, and Santiago).

Colymbus dominicus (not of Linnaeus) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL
1889, 250 (San Jose', Miraflores, and Santiago).

Of the thirty-one specimens of this Grebe collected by Mr. Frazar at Santiago
about one-half are adults, the remaining half being young of various ages from
chicks still in their natal down to fully grown birds in fresh winter plumage.
On comparing these skins with eight West Indian examples of dominicus (two
from Jamaica, three from the Bahamas, and three from Cuba), I find that the

1 Grinnell, Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 5.

14 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

characters by which Mr. Chapman has proposed to distinguish hracliypterus
from dominicus are very satisfactorily maintained. The males of both forms
have considerably larger bills than the females, a fact which should be borne
carefully in mind when birds from different loc;dities are examined. The ma-
terial before me furnishes, however, no male from Lower California with a
bill as large as that of the smallest-billed female from the West Indies, and the
difference in this respect between birds of the same sex from the two regions is
very striking.

This little Grebe was first reported from Lower California by Mr. Belding,
who says that it was " very common at San Jose, Miraflores, and Santiago, in
the winter of 188'2-'83, but not recognized the previous winter." Mr. Frazar
found it only at Santiago in a lagoon of about two hundred acres in extent, the
greater part of which was filled with a rank growth of tule, there being but
little open water. In this lagoon during the latter half of November the
Short-winged Grebes were very common, upwards of a hundred being often
seen by Mr. Frazar in the course of a single morning. Among the specimens
obtained here are several young birds which must have been hatched in the
lagoon. Indeed one (No. 18,270), taken November 15, is a mere chick, barely
one-third grown and still wholly in the down.

Although this Grebe has been attributed to the "valley of the Colorado " ^
River it seems probable that the resident colony above referred to was derived
from western Mexico, where the bird is abundant and widely distributed. It
is not known to occur anywhere in the central or northern portion of Lower
California.

Podilymbus podiceps (Linn.).

Pied-billed Grebe.

Podilymbus podiceps Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. IMus., V. 1883, 546 (Cape Region),
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d sen, II. 1889, 250 (Cape Region).

The Pied-billed Grebe is common in winter about the Bay of La Paz and its
inlets. It was also found by Mr. Frazar in September and October at San
Jose del Cabo, where it "arrived " on September 12. It haunts chiefly, if not
exclusively, the salt or brackish bays, or creeks near the coast and appears to
desert at least the southern portion of the peninsula during the breeding
season. This is somewhat remarkable, for the Pied-billed Grebe is said to
breed throughout the whole of Mexico and Central America as well as most
of South America and there would seem to be no reason why it should not
nest with the Short-winged Grebes in the lagoon at Santiago.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., II. 1884, 439.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 15

'Gavia imber (Gunn.).

Loon.

CoJymhus torquatns Beldivg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VT. 1883, 352 (La Paz).
Urinator imbtr Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ^d ser., II. 1889, 250 (La Paz).

Although the Loon is common in winter along the coast of California as far
south as San Diego Bay the only authority for its occurrence in any part of
Lower California is Mr. Belding, who has recorded seeing two specimens at La
Paz on January 27, 1883. The bird must be a rather rare visitor to this local-
ity, which probably represents about the southern limit of its winter wander-
ings on the Pacific coast.

Brachyramphus hypoleucus Xantcs.

Xantus's Murrelet.

Brachyrhamphus hypoleucus Xantus, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 299 (orig.

descr. ; type from Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Ibid., 301 (Cape St. Lucas), oOtJ

(crit.; Cape St. Lucas). Coces, Jbld., 1868, 64-66 (crit.; Cape St. Lucas).

Elliot, lUustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1869, pi. 72 (descr. and

figures type specimen from Cape St. Lucas). Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat.

Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Cape St. Lucas; San Jose').

Brachyrnmphus hypoleucus Baird, Brewer, and Kidgway, Water Birds N. Amer.,

II. 1884, 502 (iris " pale blue," Xantus, MS. ; Cape St. Lucas). Bryant, Proc.

Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 250 (Cape Region).

This species was taken both at Cape St. Lucas and San Jose del Cabo by its

discoverer, Mr. Xantus, in 1859, but rather curiously it does not seem to have

been since observed near the southern e.\treinity of Lower California, nor ever

actually within the Gulf of California, where it is replaced by the closely-allied

B. craveri, which appears to be strictly confined to the Gulf during the breeding

season and practically so at all other times of the j'^ear. Mr. Anthony, who has

found B. hypoleucus breeding on many of the islands off the Pacific Coast of

Lower Calilbrnia north of Magdalena Bav, savs that it " begins nesting in late

January, though I have found fresh eggs as late as early April. Late in Fel>

ruarj' they may be seen at sea in family parties consisting of the parents and

one or two dowTiy voung, which are taken to the water the first night, T think,

after they are hatched. The young stay in company Avith the adults until late

in the year." He adds that among some seventy-five specimens of both sexes

and all ages which he has taken between Santa Barbara Islands and Magdalena

Bay only one has " suggested in any way the plumage known as craveri" while

concerning the identity of this single exception he was evidently in some

doubt.i

1 Auk, XVII. 1900, 168, 169.

16 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Off the coast of southern California Xantus's Murrelet is now known to
occur more or less commonly at all seasons from Sau Diego to the Santa
Barbara Islands, where it probably breeds. It sometimes ranges still further
northward, for Mr. Loomis has reported^ the capture of a single bird near
Monterey on July 28, 1894, and I have seven specimens which were taken in
the same locality by Mr. Alvin Seale in November and December, 1896, aud
January and February, 1897.

Brachyramphus craveri (Salvad.),

Craveri"s Mcrrelet.

Uria craveri Salvadori, Atti See. Ital. Sci. Nat., VIII. 1865, 387-389 (orig. descr. ;

type from Gulf of California).
Brachyrhamphus craveri Codes, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1868, 66 (quotes orig.

descr. ; crit.). Coues and Streets, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 7, 1877, 32, 33

(descr. eggs and habits; crit.; Isia Kaza, Gulf of Calif.). Ridgway, Nom.

N. Ainer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21 -), 1881, 57, no. 758; Proc.U. S.

Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Cape St. Lucas).
[Brachyrhamphus] craveri Elliot, Illustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1869,

introd. (figures head and leg; quotes orig. descr. ; crit.).
[Brachyramphus] craveri Gray, Hand-list, III. 1871, 100, no. 10,815.
[Synthliborhamphus] wurmizusume CouBS, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 344, part (Cape

St. Lucas).
Syntkliborhamphus wurmizusume CouES, Check List, 1873, 117, no. 628, part
Brachyrhamphus craverii Codes, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 132, no. 869.
Brachyramphus craverii Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., IL

1884, 502, 503 (descr.; crit.; figures head, bill, and leg; coast of Gulf of

Calif.; Island of Natividad).
Brachyramphus craveri A. 0. U., Check List, 1886, 81, no. 26. Bryant, Proc. Calif.

Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 251 (Cape St. Lucas; Natividad Island).
B.[rachyrhamphus\ craveriil Codes, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 814 (crit. ;

figures head and leg; Lower Calif.).
B.[rachyrhamphus] craveri Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 15 (descr. ;

Cape St. Lucas).
Micruria craveri Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus, XXVI. 1898, 595 (descr.;

near Cape St. Lucas). Axthoxy, Auk, XVII. 1900, 168, 169 (crit).
Endumychura craveri Oberholser, Proc. Acad. Nat Sci. Phila., 1899, 201 (new

genus to include B. hypoleucus and B. craveri).
[Micruria] craveri Sharpe, Hand-Ust, I. 1899, 131.

Mr. Frazar collected no less than . twenty-five specimens of B. craveri, of
which fourteen were adults in more or less worn breeding plumage, and eleven
young of various ages and both sexes. Of the adults eight were males, and six
females. On comparing this fine series with seven specimens of B. hypoleucus

1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., V. 1895, 211, 212.

2 Also printed in Proc. U. S. Nat Mus., III. 1880, 163-246.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 17

taken at Monterey, California, in the winter of 1896-97 by Mr. Alvin Seale, I
have become convinced that the doubts which certain writers have expressed i
concerning the specific distinctness of hijpoleucics and craveri are without foun-
dation. The chief characters which appear to distinguish the two birds are as
follows : —

B. hypolpucns. Upper parts blackish slnte often with a decided tinge of bhiish ashy ;
lining of wings clear, immaculate white; inner webs of outer primaries nearly
or quite pure white to within a short distance from the tips ; many of the dark
(bluisli slate) colored feathers on sides of body conspicuously tipped with white.

B. craveri. Upper parts seal brown ; lining of wings smoky gray or grayish white,
many of the feathers with conspicuous spots or blotches of faded ashy brown;
inner webs of all the primaries plain brown only a shade or two lighter than
that of the outer webs and never approaching white save at the extreme bases
of the feathers, which are sometimes brownish wliite ; dark colored featliers on
sides of body without light tipping.

The clear slaty tone of the upper parts in my examples of Mjpoleucus may
be due to the fact that the birds were all taken at somewhat earlier dates in
the winter than any of my specimens of craveri, but the other characters above
mentioned are obviously not of a kind likely to be materially affected by mere
seasonal differences of plumage.

The dissimilarity in respect to the color of the wing lining has been long
known, only its constancy as well as its significance having been questioned.
In the specimens before me it is absolutely constant, at least within certain
limits. Most of my specimens of craveri have the under coverts conspicuously
blotched and spotted with slaty or brownish on a smoky or ashy white ground,
but in a few birds the lining of the wing is pure white and, at first glance,
apparently almost immaculate. On close inspection, however, I find that
all such specimens in my series have the white or whitish on most of the
under wing coverts confined to the tips and edges of the feathers, their central
portions being either slaty or brown. "When the plumage is disarranged these
dark markings become at once conspicuous.

The coloring of the wing lining varies greatly in young birds. The natal
down which, at first, completel}^ clothes the under surface of the wings is
apparently always uniformly dark (reddish brown). Among the birds which
have shed this down some have the under wing coverts dark slate or slaty
brown relieved by only a few whitish markings on the tips of the feathers.
With others of apparently similar age the under surface of the wings is not
darker than in most of the adults. As a rule, however, the ground color of
the under coverts appears to become lighter as the bird grows older, but the
brown on the centers of the feathers evidently persists through life.

1 Dr T. H. Streets and Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant have suggested that craveri
may be merely hi/jioleucux in f nil breeding plumage, while Mr. Anthony has "thnuglit
it possible that it may prove to be a plumage of the young carried through one or
more moults."

VOi,. XLL — NO. 1 2

18 bulletin: museum of compakative zoology.

In all my examples of hypoleucus the entire surface of the plumage which
covers the under side of the wing is clear, immaculate white. Two birds have
some concealed slaty or brownish on a very few of the longer coverts lying near
the edge of the wing, but this is so restricted in extent and situated so near
the bases of the feathers as to be scarcely noticeable, even when the plumage
is violently ruffled ; nor can it, I think, be fairly regarded as representing
any real approach to the conspicuous and practically universal dark mottling
found on the under wing coverts of B. craveri.

B. hypoleucus, as represented in my collection, invariably has the whole
inner web of the first primary pure white to within about an inch and one
half of the extremity of the feather. Beyond this point the white gradually
recedes from the shaft, terminating on the inner edge of the feather about three
quarters of an inch from its tip. The shaft itself, with an exceedingly narrow
space (a mere hair line) bordering it inwardly, is brownish white. With each
succeeding quill the white retreats farther and further from the tip of the
feather, at the same time losing something of its purity. Beyond the sixth or at
most the seventh primary it is rarely appreciable excepting at the extreme bases
of the feathers. None of my examples of craveri show well defined white areas
on any of the quills, although the brown of their primaries is often a shade or
two lighter on the inner than on the outer web and sometimes changes insen-
sibly into l)ro\vnish white near the bases of the feathers.

Two of Mr. Frazar's specimens ((^ No. 18,288 and 9 No. 18,294), both taken on
the same date (March 1), are young, about one-half grown and stiU clothed, for
the most part, in down. This, over the up])er parts, is seal brown, slightly
redder as well as paler than in adult birds and with fine transverse markings
of whitish besprinkling the back and rump — but not the crown nor the wings.
The throat is grayish, the abdomen white. On the jugulum and breast the
down has been replaced by true feathers — those of the second stage of plu-
mage and everywhere silky white save on the sides of the breast, where they are.
flecked with minute spots of blackish. The sides of the body with the under
as well as the upper surfaces of the wings are covered with down of nearly the
same shade of brown as that of the crown and back, but there are also a few
budding wing coverts, as well as quills, the expanding tips of which are de-
cidedly darker in color.

Other specimens in my series illustrate practically every stage through which
the young pass in arriving at maturity. They show that the natal down is
shed first on the breast, next on the throat and abdomen, next on the wings,
next on the back, next on the chin, next on the center of the crown, next on
the forehead, last of all on the occiput and sides of the crown. "With the dis-
appearance of the last shreds of down the bird completes what I suppose must
he called its first winter plumage, although this in specimens which, like mine.
were hatched and reared in January and February is really assumed in early
spring. After perfecting this plumage the young can be distinguished from
their parents only by their shorter and weaker bills, by the darker (nearly dead
black) coloring of their upper parts and by the presence of numerous fine but

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 19

rather conspicuous blackish spots or bars on the tips of the feathers of the sides
of the breast and body.

According to Mr. Ridgway, Mr. Xautus took the present species at Cape St.
Lucas in 1859, but it was not separated from B. hypoleucus until 1867. The
type specimen of craveri is said ^ to have come from somewhere near the Isia
Raza in the Gulf of California, where Dr. Streets found the species breeding in
1875. It appears to be mainly confined to the Gulf, but, according to Count
Salvadori, has also occurred off the Pacific coast of Lower California, at the
island of Xatividad.

On March 1, 1887, while on his way to Carmen Island, Mr. Frazar found
Craveri's Murrelets in considerable numbers near the island of San Jose, and on
March 18 they were again met with otf the northern end of Espiritu Santo
Island. Three or four were usually seen together, each group consisting of a
pair of old birds accompanied by a single young or of two old females and two
vouii". Although none of the old females seemed to have more than one
young each, all of those shot and examined showed two bare incubating spaces
on the belly. Judging by the size of the young, the eggs from which they had
been hatched must have been laid early in January and at some spot not far
from where the birds were found, perhaps, as Mr. Frazar suggests in his notes,
on a certain " small, round, high rock about an acre in extent opposite the
island of San Jose ami near the shore of the Peninsula."

The early date of breeding established by the capture of these young is a
matter of surprise, for Dr. Streets obtained an adult female and her set of two
eggs on Isla Raza (in the Gulf of California) in April, 1875. The eggs were
"taken from a crevice of a rock at arm's length." They "resemble those of
the tern, though rather elliptical-ovoid in shape. They differ from each other
decidedly in the ground-color as well as in the markings. The darkest one is
brownish-drab, with nearly half of the surface (on the larger end) heavily and
contluently l)lotched with reddish-brown and dark brown, with a few neutral-
tint shell-markings interspersed; the rest of the egg is sparsely .sprinkled with
smaller and more distinct markings of the same color. The ground of the other
egg is clay-colored, or very pale stone-gray, with markings of the same color as
before, but less heavy, more distinct, and smaller. There is the same aggrega-
tion of spots about the larger end, but not so fully carried out, and the rest of
the surface is more thickly and uniformly flecked than the same portion is on
ihe other egg. The darker egg measured 2.05 by 1.40; the other 1.95 by
1.35. The eggs of the species, as far as we are aware, have not before been
described." 2

^ Salvaflori, Lor. cit.

2 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 7, 1877, 32.

20 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Larus occidentalis Aud.

Western Gull.

Larus occidentalis Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region), 549
(San Jose). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 251 (Cape
Region).

The Western Gidl is resident along the Gulf coast of the Peninsula and is very
common in places, especially in the Bay of La Paz, in winter. Mr. Frazar found
a breeding colony of about twenty-five pairs on a small rocky island a little to
the westward of Carmen Island. Most of the nests were only just begun, and
but two contained eggs, one set, however, comprising the full complement of
three. This was on March 13, a date about two months earlier than that at
which the first eggs are usually taken on the Farallon Islands near San Fran-
cisco. The next day another breeding ground was discovered on the northern
end of the island of Moutserrat. Here some fifty pairs had congregated. Few
of their nests were finished and only eight contained eggs, the number in each
set varying from one to three. At both of the places just mentioned, the nests,
•which were made of seaweed, were built at the foot of the clifi's just above high-
water mark and often in nooks or crevices.

Mr. Bryant notes the Western Gull as " tolerably common at Magdalena
Bay in winter, and northward along the western coast," adding that it is " said
to breed upon the Todos Santos Islands o£f Ensenada." Mr. Goss states ^ that
a few nest on San Pedro Martir Isle.

The general range of this species includes practically the entire Pacific coast
of North America.

Larus calif ornicus Lawb.

California Gull.

Larus califorricus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1888, 549 (San Jose').
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 251 (San Jose' del Cabo).

Mr. Frazar notes this Gull as " common in winter at La Paz," and also met
with between Loreto and Carmen Island on March 13, but his collection
contains no specimens. Mr. Belding records it as " moderately common," and
mentions seeing it at San Jose del Cabo as late as May 17. There is no proba-
bility, however, that it breeds anywhere in or near Lower California. Mr.
Bryant " obtained immature birds at Magdalena Bay in the winter," but does
not mention finding the species at any other locality.

The California Gull has occurred in winter on the western coast of Mexico as
far southward as the Rio de Coahuayana, Colima. It is also a common winter

1 Auk, V. 1888, 241.

BKEWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 21

bird on the coast of California, but it breeds exclusively in the interior. Mr.
S. W. Denton tells me that in 1880 he found a large colony nesting on a vol-
canic island in Mono Lake (eastern California), which is perhaps the most
southern locality where the eggs have been taken.

Larus delawarensis Ord.

Ring-billed Gull.

Larus delawarensis Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 251 (Cape Region).

Mr. Belding includes the Ring-billed Gull in a list of birds found in the Cape
Region 1 between December 15, 1881, and May 17, 1882, but he says nothing
whatever about its comparative scarcity or abundance. Mr. Frazar did not
meet with, or at least certainly identify, the species, nor is it mentioned by
Xantus, Streets, or Townsend. According to Mr. Bryant it has been seen in
winter at San Quentin Bay by Mr. Anthony. On the western coast of Mexico,
nearly opposite Cape St. Lucas, Colonel Grayson found it " common during
the winter months in the neighborhood of Mazatlan." ^

Mr. H. W. Henshaw writes me that he has seen a few immature birds off
San Buenaventura, California, during the month of November, and Mr. Grinnell
characterizes the species as tolerably common along the coast of Los Angeles
county in mid-winter, while at the latter season it has been found in small
numbers at Monterey by Mr. Loomis.

The Ring-billed Gull breeds as far southward as southeastern Oregon, accord-
ing to Captain Bendire.'

Larus heermanni Cass.

Heeumann's Gull.

Blasipiis heermanni Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 306 (Cape St.

Lucas).
Larus heermanni Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region).

Young specimens of this Gull were collected at Cape St. Lucas by Mr.
Xantus in 1859, and Mr. Belding gives the species without comment in his
list of birds observed at La Paz in the winter of 1881-82. Mr. Frazar's collec-
tion contains three skins obtained on March 13, near Carmen Island. His
notes include only one reference to the bird, a mere incidental mention of a
specimen which he saw at San Josd del Cabo on September 6.

1 Mr. Ridgway tells me tliat there is a specimen ( 9 adult, No. 86,392) in the
National Museum which was taken by Mr. Belding at La Paz, on February 15,
1882.

2 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. A men, IL 1884, 246.
8 Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XIX. 1877, 148.

22 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Mr. Bryant says that Heermann's Gull was " the most common species of
Laridce met with at Mag<lalena Bay, nearly all being in immature plumage.
They attend in large numbers the flocks of pelicans and cormorants when
fishing. They occur commonly along both coasts [of the Peninsula], breeding
on the islands."

According to Dr. Streets : — ^

" Isla Raza is the particular breeding-place of these gulls in the gulf. It is a
small, low island, about three-quarters of a mile long and lialf a mile wide. At the
time of our visit (April), immense numbers of the birds were congregated there,
preparatory to laying their eggs, which, however, they had not begun to deposit.
We may safely say, without exaggeration, that tiiere was a bird on every square
foot of the ground, and others were continually hovering about overhead. Their
incessant noise deadened all other sounds, and so intent were they in their all-absorb-
ing duties of reproduction, that they seemed entirely unconscious of our presence
amongst them. The formation of the island is a black volcanic rock, entirely
destitute of vegetation. Through the long series of years during which tliese birds
have made it a breeding-place, there has been going on a chemical reaction between
the acids of their excrement and the bases of the rock, which has resulted in the
formation of a new substance, composed largely of a tri-basic phosphate. . . . The
altered rock being a softer material than the original is easily pulverized and worn
off by the constant attrition of the birds' feet during their breeding-season."

Larus atricilla Linn.
Laughing Gull.

Mr. Frazar appears to be the only collector who has found the Laughing
Gull in Lower California. He took a young female in autumnal pluuuige at
San Jos6 del Cabo on September 6, and on November 9, at the same place,
saw another bird which he thought belonged to the same species.

L. atricilla is said to inhabit the Pacific coast of Central America, and it has
occurred near Mazatlan on the we.^tern coast of Mexico,* but it is not known
to visit California. It seems probable, therefore, that Mr. Frazar's birds were
stragglers from Mexico, rather than migrants from the north.

Larus Philadelphia (Ord).

Boxaparte's Gull.

Larus philadelphiae Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region).
Larus Philadelphia Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 'J51 (Cape Re-
gion). TowNSEND, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIIL 1890, 137 (La Paz).

Mr. Frazar did not meet with this Gull, but it is included in Mr. Belding's list
of birds observed in the Cape Eegion between December 15, 1881, and May 17,

1 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 7, 1877, 26.

2 Baird, Brewer, and Hidgway, Water Birds N. Amer., II. 1884, 257.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 23

1882, and a specimen was also taken by Mr. Towiisend at La Paz on March 14,
1889. Mr. Bryant says nothing about its occurrence further to the northward
along the Peninsula. It is " common at Puget Sound at all seasons of the
year," according to Dr. Cooper, but appears " about San Francisco only from
September to May," and does " not seem to migrate as far south as San Diego,
although Dr. Cooper met with some at San Pedro, late in May, in their inima-
ture plumage." ^

Mr. Grinnell considers^ it only an "occasional winter visitant along the
coast " of Los Angeles county, but at Monterey Mr. Loomis has found it in
considerable numbers early in November and about the middle of May, al-
though he has met -with but a single individual in mid-winter. ^ These facts
point to the conclusion that the Cape Region lies somewhat to the southward
of the usual winter range of this species on the Pacific coast. It breeds chiefly,
if not exclusively, north of the northern boundary of the United States.

Sterna caspia Pall.
Caspian Tern.

The only specimen obtained by Mr. Frazar is an adult female in winter plu-
mage, shot at La Paz on January 25. It has the entire cap black, with all
the feathers edged and tipped with white. The inner web of the first primary
shows a broad space of white along its inner border much as in S. maxima, but
the white is less pure, and the slaty next the shaft is paler and grayer, the con-
trast between the two colors being less striking than in maxima, although their
line of deniarcatiou is clearly defined. The next two primaries also possess
some white.

S. caspia is described * as having the inner webs of the primaries " uniform
slate or dark hoary gray," bat this is by no means invariably the case, for in
several of my •specimens from the Atlantic coast of the United States the inner
portion of the inner web of at least the first primary is appreciably lighter than
the part next the shaft, although none of them show any close approach in
this respect to the Lower California example. The latter measures : wing,
16.75 ; tail, 5.60 ; tarsus, 1.65; length of bill from nostril, 1.74 ; depth of bill
at nostril. -73. In addition to its other peculiarities this specimen has an
unusually white mantle.

This Tern, previously unknown from any part of Lower California, is noted
by Mr. Frazar as " rare at La Paz in January, and not seen during my trip up
the coast in March." The species has occurred in California, but is apparently
rather rare everywhere on the Pacific coast of North America, where the
southern limits of its winter range are not, as yet, definitely known.

1 Baird. Brewer, and Ridgway, "Water Birds N. Amer., IL 1884, 262.

2 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 7.

8 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., VI. 1896, 24, 25 ; 3d ser., II. 1900, 296, 297, 318,
350, 358.

* Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., IL 1884, 281.

24 bulletin: museum of COMPAEAnVE ZOOLOGY.

Sterna maxima Bodd.

EoTAL Tern.

Thalasseus regius Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region), 549

(San Jose).
Sterna maxima Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 251 (Cape Region).

Mr. Frazar found the Royal Tern in January at La Paz, where it was rare,
but somewhat more numerously represented than the Caspian. He did not
meet with it on his trip to Carmen Island, but saw a few at San Jose del Cabo
in September and October. At the latter place it was " common " on May 17,
1882, according to Mr. Belding. It is not mentioned either by Dr. Streets or
Mr. Townsend, and apparently was not observed by Mr. Xantus. Mr. Bryant
records it from the northwest coast in winter on the authority of Mr. Anthony,
and from Cerros Island in April and May on that of Mr. Belding. It is a
common bird on the coast of California, and is said to breed on the island of
San Miguel. It ranges southward on the Pacific coast to Peru.

The collection contains two specimens — an adult female in nearly full nup-
tial plumage, shot at La Paz, on January 25, and a young or at least immature
bird taken at San Jose del Cabo, on September 5.

Sterna elegans Gamb.
Elegant Tern.
Sterna elegans Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIII. 1890, 137 (La Paz.).

The only record that I can find of the occurrence of the Elegant Tern in the
Cape Region is that by Mr. Townsend of a specimen shot at La Paz on March
14, 1889, but Mr. Bryant found numbers " around Magdalena Bay in 1888," and
♦• obtained five adult plumaged birds " i at the same place the following season.
The species occasionally wanders still further northward, for Dr. Cooper has
reported its capture in San Francisco Bay.^ There can be little doubt that it
regularly frequents both coasts of the Gulf of California, and it probably
breeds there, also, for there is an egg in the National Museum from Guaymas.

The Elegant Tern is believed to be confined to the Pacific coast of America,
and is known to range as far south as Chili.

o^

1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d sen, II. 1889, 252.

2 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., IV. 1868, 10.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 25

Sterna forsteri Ndtt.

Forster's Tern.

Sterna forsteri Beldin'G, Proc U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 546 (Cape Region).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 252 (Cape Region).

This Tern is mentioned without comment in ^[r. Belding'slist of birds found
in the Cape Region between December 15, 1881, and May 17, 1882. Mr. Frazar
met with it only at San Jose del Cabo where he shot three specimens, one on
September 29, the other two on the following day. Six in all were seen on
these dates, and none either before or afterwards.

All three of the specimens secured are in winter plumage. One is perhaps
an old bird. The other two have some of the feathers of the mantle tipped
with faded brown and are probably young. In one of the latter the outer
■webs of the outer pair of tail feathers are uniform dark slaty for a terminal
space of more than an inch in length, but the extreme tips of these feathers are
white in both webs.

Accordin:; to Mr. Brvant, Forster's Tern has been observed on the northwest
coast of the Peninsula by Mr. Anthony. It occurs in various parts of Cali-
fornia, and Dr. Heermann has found it breeding in the valley of the Sacramento
River. On the whole, however, it appears to be much less numerous near the
Pacific coast than in the interior of North America. It migrates as far south
" as Guatemala, on both the Pacific and Atlantic side, and even to the latitude
of Pernambuco, Brazil." i

Sterna hirundo Linn.
Common Tern. Wilson's Tern.

Mr. Frazar is apparently entitled to the credit of first detecting the Common
Tern in Lower California. He observed it only at San Jose del Cabo, where
six specimens, all young birds, were taken along the beach at various dates be-
tween the 5th and 30th of September. This species, although one of the most
cosmopolitan of its tribe, " is not common — if indeed it breeds at all — on the
Pacific coast ; but throughout California — according to Dr. Heermann — it is
very abundant along the rivers in the interior during the summer, retiring
southward in the winter. Dr. Cooper never met with it on the sea-coast of
California, . . . nor did he see it on the Columbia River." =^

The accuracy of the statement attributed to Dr. Heermann in the passage
above quoted is open to grave suspicion, for none of the field observers who
have been so numerous and active in California during the past decade have
found Wilson's Tern abundant or even common. Indeed, it appears to be
doubtful if there are any really authentic records of its occurrence, especially
in the interior of the state.

1 Saunders, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lend., 1876, 651.

2 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., II. 1884, 297.

26 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY

Sterna antillarum (Less.).
Least Tern.

The Least Tern also, if I am not mistaken, is now reported for the first
time from Lower California, where, however, its presence is not surprising since
it breeds abundantly on the coast of California as far northward, at least, as
Los Angeles count}^ while it ranges southward along the western coast of
Central America.

Mr. Frazar found it only at San Jose del Cabo, where, between September 6
and 12, six specimens, including both young and old birds in autumn plumage,
were taken. He speaks of it in his notes as "not common, but yet more
numerous than any of the other Terns observed at San Jose."

HydrochelidoD nigra surinamensis (Gmel.).
Black Tern.

This is the fourth species of Tern which Mr. Frazar has added to the fauna
of Lower California. Like the other three, it was seen only at San Jose del
Cabo, where it was " rare." A specimen was taken on the 6th and another
on the 17th of September.

The Black Tern was found by Mr. Grayson " at Mazatlan, where it makes
its appearance in September and October, and where it remains through the
winter months." Dr. Cooper states that it " migrates through the interior
valleys of California, and that some probably breed about the marshes within
the State, especially in the mountains, as he met with it on the head-waters
of the Mohave River as late as the 7th of June." i Hence it is possible that
Lower California lies nearly in the direct path of one of its regular lines of

migration.

PuflBnus opisthomelas Coces.
Black-tented Shearwater.

Puffinus opisthomelas CocES, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Tliila., 1864, 139-141 (orig. descr. ;
types from Cape St. Lucas). Elliot, Illustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds,
II. 1869, introd. (descr. ; figures head of specimen from Cape St. Lucas).

P.[uffi)tus] opisthomelas Cooes, Loc. cit., 144 (descr. ; Cape St. Lucas).

Puffinus gavia (not Procellaria gavia Forster) Bryant, Proc. Calif., Acad. Sci.,
2d ser., IL 1889, 87 (Cape St. Lucas).

" A large number of medium-sized, white-breasted and dark-backed Shear-
waters," seen by Mr. Frazar between the islands of Carmen and Montserrat on
March 6, and a few off the northern end of Espiritu Santo Island on ^^larch 18,
1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer. II. 1884, 321.

BEEWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 27

probably belonged to this species, "but they were so shy and restless that no
specimens could be obtained. Dr. Coues, in connection with his original de-
scription of P. opistfiomelas, states that " two tine examples are contained in the
Smithsonian Museum, both collected by Mr. John Xantus at Cape St. Lucas,
Lower California (Smiths. Catalogue, Xos. lfi,990, 16,991), •' but Mr. Ridg-
wav writes me that the only specimens now in the National collection from
Lower California are "as follows : No. 16,990, 9 atl., Cape St. Lucas, ' 1859-
'61 ' (no further data); type. — No. 31,964, Sau Nicolas ; J. G. Cooper, no
date."

Until recently the Black-vented Shearwater has been considered a very
rare liird, and almost nothing has been definitely known about its habits
or distribution, but during the past decade Mr. Loomis ^ has found a Puffinus
which he refers to opisthomelas (although " all the specimens obtained differ
considerably from the tj-pe ") off the coast of California, near Monterey, where
he has noted its appearance sparingly in August, alnmdantly in September, by
" thousands '' in December and early January. As most of the birds seen in
December and January were flying southward, Mr. Loomis inferred very natur-
ally that they were " migrating to a breeding habitat further south," and that
" while their destination may have been north of the equator, it seems highly
probable that they did not stop short of the Southern Hemisphere." Mr.
Anthony, however, has since reported * that in May, 1892, he fonnd Pnjfiniis
oplMhomelafi in large numbers, and evidently breeding, on Guadaloupe Island,
only '• about 220 miles south of San Diego, and about 6.3 miles from the near-
est mainland, Punta Baja, on the Peninsula" of Lower California. The nests,
being placed either under hitge blocks of lava, or in rocky crevices, often in the
vertical walls of high cliffs fronting the water, were all inaccessible, but several
of the birds were caught in steel traps placed at the entrances to their holes
and dissection of these and other specimens convinced Mr. Anthony that they
" had at that time well grown young." In the interesting article from which
the above quotations are taken, Mr. Anthony says that " Major Chas. E. Ben-
dire writes me that there are four eggs of this species in the National Museum
collection, collected in 1873 on Santa Barbara Island by Capt. C. M. Scammon."
He also states that he has found Puffinus opisthomelas " not uncommon on sev-
eral occasions off the Columbia River during the summer months and in Novem-
ber and January," and that " on one occasion I met with a flock on the coast
of Lower California that I estimated contained not less than 50,000 " birds.
Still more recently Mr. Anthony has published^ the following additional and
highly interesting facts relating to the breeding distribution and habits of the
Black-vented Shearwater : —

1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., V. 1895, 216 ; VI. 1896, 2, 27 ; 3d eer., II.
1900, 320.

2 Auk, XIII. 1896, 22.3-228.

3 Auk, XVII. 1900, 248, 249.

28 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

" On the San Benito Islands, lying between Guadaloupe and Cerros Islands, I
have also found a few P. opisthomelas nesting. So far as I have been able to dis-
cover, there are no burrows on these islands, all the nests being in small caves,
which are nearly filled with deposits of gua,no left by untold generations oi Puffinus.
The caves are all small and the nests inaccessible, but I think that each cave was
inhabited by several pairs of birds, judging by tlie outcry and warning hisses that
greeted my approacii to the entrance.

" About thirty-five miles south of San Benito Islands lies Natividad Island, a
lower and more sandy island than those previously mentioned — a condition which
seems to suit the requirements of the Black-vented Shearwaters to a nicety, for
here are found tiiousands of them, nesting the full length of the island, some tiiree
miles in extent. With the exception of a few rocky slopes and ridges the entire
island may be said to be one almost continuous colony. This island I first visited
in August, 1896. The size of the burrows at once attracted my attention, and a
closer examination revealed the unmistakable tracks of a Paffinus. Thougii tiie
footprints were abundant and fresh, proving that the burrows were still visited at
night, all of those examined were unoccupied. I again called at Natividad April
10, 1897, and found the breeding season at its height, each burrow containing either
a pair of Shearwaters or one Shearwater and a fresh egg. In no case, I think, did
I find an egg in a burrow with two birds. The burrows were usually about ten
feet in length, seldom if ever straight, but with one or two sudden turns to the right
or left, the nest sometimes being but two feet from the entrance though at the end
of a ten foot burrow. Few of the nests were over eighteen inches below the sur-
face, the burrows being for the most part nearly horizontal, and the loose nature
of the soil made walking anytliing but a pleasure, as one constantly broke through
into tunnels, the exact location of which it was impossible to determine. . . .

" There was little attempt at nest-building, the eggs for the most part being laid
in a depression in the sand at the end of the burrow. In a few cases a number of
small twigs and sticks had been placed in the hollow forming a very crude nest.
Before the egg is deposited the burrow is occupied by both birds, and I have found
them on the nest at least a month before any eggs were laid. Just how early they
take to tlie burrows I am unable to say, not having visited the nesting colony
earlier than the first week in March, when all the burrows were occupied.

" I have never heard any love notes from this species when in the burrows.
Their outcry at night, however, when they emerge from their nests and fly about
over the island, is something unique in my experience. The noise is a series of
choking cries coupled with a hissing, like escaping steam, the same that I have at
times heard them utter when disturbed in their burrows."

Puffinus auricularis C. H. Townsend.

Towxsend's Shearwater.

Puffinus aurkularis Anthony, Auk, XV. 1898, 38 (Cape St. Lucas) ; XVII. 1900,
249-252 (Cape St. Lucas ; nesting habits on San Benedicto Island).

This species, discovered^ at Clarion Island by Mr. Townsend in March,
IS89, was found in the waters of the Cape Eegion some eight years later by

1 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIII. 1890, 133, 134.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 29

Mr. Anthony, who has given us the following brief but definite account of its
breeding habits : —

"About Cape St. Lucas Townsend's Shearwater (Ptijfintis auricuJm-is) is rather
common, and though perfectly distinct specifically it is quite closely related to P.
opisthomeliis and has a similar breeding season. On San Benedicto Island I found a
few nesting the last week in May. At this date most of the young were but a few
days old, covered with sooty down above, and paler-grayish below. With tlie
smaller young I often found one of the parents, but they were as frequently alone.
The burrows were all confined to the higher parts of the island — about 500
feet above the sea, where they were dug among the bunches of thick, tangled
grass, and were well scattered, a dozen or so being a large colony. The burrows
were not so deep or long as were those of P. opisthomelas on Natividad, averaging
ahout five feet in length. On Clarion Island this species was again found in a similar
location, all of the burrows being confined to a thick growth of grass, on the high
parts of the island.

" The Clarion colonies were more extensive, each suitable patch of grass being
well populated. Few birds were seen at sea during the daytime and at night, those
that visited the nests must liave been much more silent than is the Black-vented
Shearwater, in the vicinity of its colonies, for I do not remember hearing any notes
that I could attribute to P. auricularis though one or two of those that were dragged
from their nests gave vent to their displeasure in notes similar to those of
P. opisthomelas."

Puffinus griseus (Gmel.).
Dark-bowed Shearwater.

Xectris ammtrosoma Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1864, 124, 125 (orig. descr. ;

type from Cape St. Lucas ; crit.).
N.[ectris] amaurosoma Coues, Loc. ct't., 14.3 (descr.).
Puffinus griseits Kidgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Cape St.

Lucas). Bryant, Proc. Calif Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 252 (Cape St.

Lucas).

The specimen 1 obtained by Mr. Xantus at Cape St. Lucas on August 18,
1860, remains the only example known to have been taken in the waters of the
Cape Region, where, however, the bird must occur commonly, at least during
migration, for Mr. Loomis has ascertained ^ that it is a regular and at times
abundant visitor to the coast of California in the neighborhood of Monterey,
from June to December.

It is believed to breed only in the Southern Hemisphere, where in the neigh-
borhood of Stewart's Island and along the adjacent coast of New Zealand " it
burrows in peaty ground a horizontal hole, from three to four feet deep, and
turning slightly to the right or left. At the end of this hole it forms a rude

1 Type of Nectris amaurosoma Coues.

2 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., V. 1895, 217 ; VL 1896, 27, 28 ; 3d ser., IL
1900, 320.

30 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

nest of twigs and dead leaves. Only one egg is laid, and the male is said to
assist in incubation ; and the parent birds are very savage while on the nest,
biting and scratching those who molest them. The old birds roost on the
shore, and the noise they make during the whole night is described aa beino'
something absolutely frightful." i

Pufl3.nus cuneatus Salvin.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater.

Puffinus cuneatus Anthony, Auk, XV. 1898, 38, 39 (Cape St. Lucas) ; XVII. 1900,
250-2-52, pi. 8 (Cape St. Lucas ; nesting habits on San Benedicto Island, with
figure of nesting site).

This Shearwater, previously " known only from the Bonin Islands south of
Japan, Krnsenstern Island, and the Hawaiian Islands," was also added to the
fauna of Lower California by Mr. Anthony, who states that

" About Cape St. Lucas, and between that point and the Revillagigedo Islands,
the Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus cuneatus) is found in abundance in May
and -Tune. It probably may occur at otlier seasons, but as I liave not visited tbe
region of the Cape during other seasons I can give no assurance of its doing so.
This species is of exceptional interest, as it belongs to a group of Shearwaters new
to tbe North American fauna, and of wbich little is known. I was so fortunate as
to discover a large colony nesting on San Benedicto Island, from which was ob-
tained a fine series of skins with all of the intergrades between the white-bellied
phase of 'cuneatus ' and the dusky form described by L. Stejneger from the Sand-
wich Islands as knudseni.

" On first landing on San Benedicto, the first of May, I heard a low murmuring
noise which seemed to come from the opposite side of the island. Thinking it
might come from a rookery of seals, I started out to investigate, but soon found
tliat I was getting no nearer the source of the noise, which possessed a ventriloquial
power difficult to locate. I soon, however, found myself surrounded by large bur-
rows wliich fairly honeycombed tlie entire south end of the island, which was so
completely undermined that one constantly broke through into burrows, frequently
sinking to the hips in ground that had every appearance of being solid. . . .

" From many of the holes came moans and sobs in soft low tones, inexpressively
sad and weird, — the love notes of Puffinus cuneatus.

" A number of the burrows were opened, and from each were taken two birds,
which fought and bit most savagely on being dragged to the light. By far the
greater number were in dark plumage, but many showed lighter underparts, and
in some cases a perfectly typical ' cuneatus,' with pure white underparts, was found
in the same burrow with a dark ' knudspni.'

" At this date the burrows were about four to five feet in length, most of them
running in a nearly horizontal direction along the sides of the steep narrow ravines
that everywhere cut this end of the island.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, "Water Birds N. Amer., II. 1884, 392.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA, 31

" The soil is chiefly of fine pumice, in some places soft and easily excavated, but
in others so hard as to require the use of a pick in opening the burrows. In most
of the excavations was a rude attempt at nest building, consisting of a few sprigs
of green grass and other vegetation which grew about the colony, and on this
meagre platform were both birds, but no eggs. Nor did the condition of the birds
indicate that the actual nesting season was at hand. About sunset the birds from
the island began to seek the water, meeting a similar tide moving in from the sea.
They mostly centred about the south end of the island, which soon presented the
appearance of a vast beehive. Thousands upon thousands of Sliearwaters were
circling about with easy flight much more airy and graceful than that of any
Shearwater with which I am familiar ; especially was the difference accentuated
when an occasional auricidaris with typical Sliearwater flight, skimmed through the
throng. The greater part of those birds which came from the higher parts of the
island descended at an angle of about 45^, with wings set until near tlie water, when
they sailed off over the waves until lost to view, while others descending in a spiral
course joined their fellows in circling about the water at the foot of the cliffs. There
was little, if any, outcry, though the sobbing notes were often heard from the birds
on shore. . . .

" Thinking I would find eggs, I returned to San Benedicto from Socorro Island
two weeks later, but was disappointed. Many of the burrows were empty, and all
had been extended two feet or more in lengtli, and the nest of green plants moved
back to the end. As before, when birds were found there were usually two."

Halocyptena microsoma Coues.

Least Petrel.

Haloci/ptena microsoma Codes, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18G-I, 79 (orig. descr. ;
type from San Jos6 del Cabo). Elliot, lUustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer.
Birds, II. 1869, pi. 61 (descr. and figures type specimen from San Jose' del
Cabo). RiDGWAY, Proc. U. S. Nat, Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (San Jose'
del Cabo) ; VI. 1883, 158, footnote (crit. ; s. Lower Calif.). Baird, Bhewer,
and RiDGWAY, Water Birds N. Amer., II. 1884, 402 (figures head, leg, and
tail; near San Jose del Cabo). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889, 252 (San Jose del Cabo).

The type of tliis peculiar little species, an adult female taken by Mr. Xantus
in May, 1861, near San Jose del Cabo, remained inii(|ue until March, 1888,
when a second example flew on board the United States Fish Commission
Steamer " Albatross " in Panama Bay, and was secured by Mr. Townsend.^
Although the Xantus specimen appears to be the only one which has been
thus far taken in the immediate neighborhood of Cape St. Lucas, the
bird must occur there more or less regularly and commonly at times, for
Mr. Anthony states that 2

" In early June I have found the Least Petrel migrating along the coast of
Lower California in company witii the Socorro and Black Petrels, and in late July

1 Proc. U. S. Nat. :\Ius., XIII. 1890, 141. 2 Auk, XV. 1898, 142.

32 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

have found them nesting on the small rocky San Benito Island, fifty miles off the
coast ot the peninsula. So far I have never found the Least Petrel nesting in bur-
rows. They have always been taken from the crevices in rocky ledges or among
the loose stones. The pearly white egg is laid ou the bare rock. Usually several
are found within a few feet if desirable crevices are numerous. Young were taken
as late as September 7 or 8 that were but a few days old. They were like the
young of the three species of Oceanodroma I have mentioned, except for size. All
are covered with sooty or slaty black down, through which the feathers appear
when the bird is nearly or quite fully grown."

The passage just quoted contains practically all that is known at present
respecting the breeding habits, as well as the general distribution, of the Least
Petrel. An egg in my collection, taken by Mr. Anthony at San Benito Island,
Lower California, July 26, 1896, is dead white without gloss or obvious mark-
ings. It is ovate in shape, and measures 1.03 X .74.

Oceanodroma melania (Bonap.).
Black Petrel.

Thalassidroma melania Baied, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869, 301, 306 (Cape St.

Lucas).
Cymochorea melania CouES ex Bonap., Ibid., 1864, 76, 77 (descr. Cape St. Lucas

specimen; crit.). Elliot, lUustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1869,

pi. 61 (descr. and figures specimen from Cape St. Lucas).
Cymochorea melaena Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Cape

St. Lucas).
Oceanodroma melania Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,253 (Cape

Region).
Oceanodroma townsendi Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVI. 1893, 687, 688 (orig.

descr. ; type from Cape St. Lucas).

"Without doubt the Black Petrel, also, is a regular visitor to the waters im-
mediately about Cape St. Lucas, although the specimen obtained there by Mr.
Xantus over forty years ago is, I believe, the only one known to have been
taken in that immediate neighborhood. lu 1889, however, additional exam-
ples were collected near Guaymas by Mr. Townsend, and during the past
fifteen years Mr. Anthony has apparently met with many others at various
points to the northward of the Cape along both coasts of the Peninsula as well
as, on one occasion, only about forty miles to the westward of San Diego, Cali-
fornia.^ From what the observer last-named has put on record it may be
inferred that the bird is of regular and by no means uncommon occurrence,
especially ofif the Pacific coast of Lower California. According to Professor
Baird a specimen was obtained near San Francisco by Mr. Gruber at some
time previous to 1859, and Dr. Cooper includes the species in a list of birds

1 Auk, XI. 1894, 321, 322.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 33

which he and others have met with at the Santa Barbara Islands,^ where it was
also seen by Mr. Griunell in " the spring of '97." ^

On July 10, 1896, Mr. Anthony found some Black and Socorro Petrels
breeding to^^ether on one of the Coronado Islands (in the Gulf of California),
but although the two fresh eggs (taken with the parent birds) of the former
species which he obtained on this occasion were new to science, his description
of them is limited to the remark that, like all those which he has " subse-
quently handled," they " were unmarked." His account ^ of this colony is so
involved and so obscurely worded as to leave the reader in doubt as to which
of the two species just mentioned many of the passages relate. Apparently
only a few of the birds were positively identified, owing partly to their noc-
turnal habits, partly to the fact that most of their nests were in holes " under
very large boulders or in cracks in the ledges," where it was impossible to
get at them. Mr. Anthony states definitely, however, that the Black Petrel is
an exceptionally late breeder, and that he has found it " incubating as late as
September 8." He also says that it makes little attempt at nest-building,
" though a few sticks are often dragged into the burrow with an evident desire
to construct somethins resemblins: a nest." He makes no mention in this
article of havins: found the Black Petrel breeding elsewhere than on Coronado
Island, but I have an egg which was taken by him on San Benito Island, off
the Pacific coast of the Peninsula, on July 26, 1896. In shape it is elliptical
ovate, in color dead white, without markings or gloss. It measures 1.38
X 1.04.

At a meeting; of the A. 0. XJ. Committee on Nomenclature, held in Wash-
ington in 1895, Mr. Ridgway stated that he had sent specimens of his Oceano-
droma townsendi to Mr. Salvin, who, on comparing them with the type of
0. melania in the Paris Museum, failed to find any differences by which the
two could be distinguished.

Phaethon aethereus Lixjt.

Red-billed Tropic Bird.

Phaethon acfhereus Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. IMiis., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region ; Es-
piritu Santo Islands). ANxnoyv, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
86 (lat. of Cape St. Lucas). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser,, IL
1889, 253 (Espiritu Santo Island).

Mr. Anthony asserts that the Red-billed Tropic Bird " has been regularly
met with" in the latitude of Cape St. Lucas and occasionally further north.
A specimen was obtained by Mr. Belding at Espiritu Santo Island on Feb-
ruary 1, 1882, and a single bird which probably belonged to this species was

1 Auk, IV. 1887,87.

2 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 9.

3 Auk, XV. 1898, 140-144.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1 3

34 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

seen by Mr. Frazar near Montserrat Island on March 4, 1887. In view of all
this and of the fact that F. aethereiis is known to breed in some numbers on
San Pedro Martir Ishiiid, " a rock about one and a half miles long, nearly
as broad, and 1045 feet in height," ^ situated in the Gulf of California, a
little north of latitude 28° and about midway between Lower California and
the mainland of Mexico, we may assume that the bird occurs regularly and
not infrequently in the waters immediately about the Cape Region proper,
although this does not seem to have been as yet definitely established. Of the
San Pedro Martir colony Colonel Goss has given us the following interesting
acaount : —

" The birds breed in holes and crevices on the sides of the steep cliflFs that often
overhang the water ; many were inaccessible. I was therefore able to reach and
examine but few of their nesting places. These were witliout material of any kind
for a nest; the egg (for they lay but one) was upon the bare rock. In nearly all,
liowever, I found a young bird, about half grown ; from tiiis I think the birds
begin to lay as early as the middle of February. With the aid of the Indians, who
are expert climbers, I was only able to procure and save seven of their eggs. The
ground color is dull grayish white, rather finely and evenly sprinkled with deep
claret brown, generally thickest at large end, the specks running largely together,
giving the eggs a clouded or marbled look. In form they are ovate. Measure-
ments of the same, 2.31 X 1.71,2.40 X 1.72, 2.40 X 1-78, 2.26 X 1-71, 249 X 1.81,
2.40 X 1.69, 2.38 X 1-68. When approached the birds within their homes do not
attempt to leave, but vigorously defend the same, striking and biting with their
strong, pointed, sharp-edged, jagged bills, lacerating the ungloved hand that dares
intrude, uttering at the same time a loud, harsh, rapid cke-cke-che-che-che-cke-che, —
notes of defiance, and often heard in their rival flights. The birds are very beau-
tiful, and cannot fail to attract attention, especially when in tlie air, by the peculiar
rapid stroke of their wings and graceful waving motion of their long whip-like
tails." 2

The Red-billed Tropic Bird has been seen by Mr. Bryant as far north on the
Pacific coast of the Peninsula as Cape Colnett (about latitude 31° 15'), and a
skull is said to have been found near San Francisco many years ago.8

Sula bre^wsteri Goss.
Brewster's Boobt.

Sula hucogastra (not Pelecanus lencogaster Boddaert) Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat.

Mus., VI. 1883, 352 (near Pichalinque Bay).
Sula sula (not Pelecanus suln Likxaecs) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d sen,

II. 1889, 253 (near PichaUnque Bay).

An immature Gannet taken near Pichalinque Bay in January, 18S3, by Dr.
H. Ten Kate, was recorded by Mr. Belding as an example of Sula leucogastra,

1 Goss, Auk, V. 1888, 240. ^ Gqss, Loc. cit., 244.

3 Bryant, Proc. CaUf. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 86, footnote.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 35

and afterwards referred by Mr. Bryant to S. sula. I am informed by Mr.
Rid'^wav, however, that the bird is really 5. brewsteri, and that there is no
valid record of the occurrence of either S. leucogastra or S. sula in Lower
California.

Mr. Frazar met with S. brewsteri only once — at San Jose del Cabo, on Sep-
tember 10 — when several were seen Hying past over the sea, and one, which
came in over the sand-hills, was shot. This bii-d, although in worn plumage,
is immature, the entire head and throat being grayish brown, and the under-
parts posterior to the breast mixed white and grayish brown.

Colonel Goss, by whom the species was first distinguished and named, found
about seven hundred individuals breeding on San Pedro Martir Isle during
the latter half of March, 1888, and gives the following description ^ of their
nesting habits and eggs : —

" Tlie birds were not wild, but their nesting places as a whole were not in as ex-
posed situations as those of the Blue-footed; they seemed to prefer the shelves and
niches on the sides of the rocks. They lay two eggs, and in all cases collect a few
sticks, seaweed, and often old wing or tail-feathers ; these are generally placed in a
circle to fit the body, with a view, I think, to keep tlie eggs that lie upon the rock
from rolhng out. There is but little material on or about the isle out of which a
nest can be made.

" The birds must commence laying as early as tlie 10th of February, for I found
in many cases young birds from half to two thirds grown — white, downy little fel-
lows with deep bluish black skins — that, in places where they can, wander about
regardless of the nests where they were hatched. Average measurement of
17 sets of their eggs, 2.44 X 1.60. In color and form, as well as in size, they are
similar to the eggs of tlie Blue-footed, in fact so near alike that when placed
together tliey cannot be separated with any feeling of certainty ; therefore in col-
lecting I was careful to mark each set before they left my hands."

In 1889 Mr. Townsend obtained two specimens on the Georges Islands, where
he found the species breeding in abundance.^ It also nests on Benedicto and
Socorro Islands.^

There can be little doubt that the Blue-footed Gannet (.S*. nehouxAi), which
breeds numerously on the islands of San Pedro Martir and Tiburon on the
eastern side of the Gulf of California, visits the waters about the southern
extremity of the Peninsula more or less frequently, but there is no present
evidence to show that this is actually the case.

1 Auk, V. 1888, 24.3.

2 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIII. 1R90, 138.
s Anthony, Osprey, III. 1898, 4-6.

36 bulletin: museum of compaeative zoology.

Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus Ridgw.
Faralloxe Cormorant.

Graculus dilophus (not Pelecanus (Carbo) dilophus Swaixson) Baird, Proc. Acad.

Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St, Lucas), ? 306 (Cape St. Lucas).
Phalacrocorax dilophus cincinnatus (not Carbo cincinatus Brandt) Belding, Proc.

U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region).
P. [halacrocoruxl cincinnatus (not Carbo cincinatus Brandt) Belding, Loc. cit., 548

(La Paz).
Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus Ridgwat, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., IL 1884, 94,

95 (orig. descr. ; coast of California to Cape St. Lucas and W. Mexico).

Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 253-257 (Cape St. Lucas

and elsewhere in Cape Region ; feeding and nesting habits).

Mr. Belding characterizes this Cormorant (under the name P. cincinnatus)
as "very common at La Paz in the winter months; rare in March." Mr.
Frazar took a male in adult plumage, but without the nuptial plumes, at Cur-
men Island, on March 6. On March 15 he found about a dozen pairs breeding
on a round, high rock, of an acre or less in extent, near San Jose Island. The
nests, which were built on dead cactuses, contained young birds nearly full
grown. Mr. Bryant says: —

" The numbers of these birds which congregate at Magdalena Bay is almost
incredible. Many mornings I have been attracted by the noise of thousands fishing
some distance off sliore and have watciied through a glass the dense, dark mass
as they passed a given point. Those half a mile or more in the rear came flying
forward in platoons and alighted at the head of the broad line, making the water
turbulent with commotion while their immbers were being constantly augmented
by the arrival of stragglers from the sides and rear. Mingled with the myriads of
cormorants were often many California brown pelicans plunging for fish, while
above all hovered Heermann's gulls, robbing at every opportunity. To all appear-
ances, they were following a great school of fish, astounding numbers of which
must be daily consumed by these voracious feeders. . . .

"Cormorants were seen along the estero to San Jorge, and in April, 1889, on the
lagoons in lower Purisima cafion, but no nesting colonies were found except on
Santa Margarita Island. On that island they built upon mangrove bushes bor-
dering a small lagoon. . . .

"Many of the cormorant's nests, in fact all of those first constructed, were upon
the same mangroves as were used by the frigate pelicans, but only the highest
branches were appropriated by the cormorants. . . .

" When I first visited this colony (January 14, 1888,) a few of the nests contained
eggs, and scores of others were in varying stages of construction. The great rush
of cormorants to Santa Margarita Island did not occur until April or latter part of
March. . . .

" Some of the nests contained fresh eggs as early as January 14, and I was told
they had been taken by the people for food two weeks before."

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGIOJf, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 37

Phalacrocorax penicillatus (Bkaxdt).

Braxdt's Cormorant.

•

Phalacrocorax penicillatus Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Re-
gion), 548 (San Jose). Bhtant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 257
(Cape Region).

Mr. Belding states that Brandt's Cormorant was " abundant " at San Jose
del Cabo in April and May, 1SS2. It also receives nominal mention in his
list of species " common to most or all of the localities where collections were
made." Mr. Frazar does not refer to it in his field notes, but his collection
includes five young birds in the brown plumage taken at La Paz in January.

To the northward of the Cape Region the species has been met with by Mr.
Belding at Coronados and Cerros Islands, and at " several intervening points,"
while Mr. Bryant has found it "at Magdalena Bay and for many miles^ up the
estero." Its general range extends from Cape St. Lucas to Washington. It
breeds abundantly on the Santa Barbara and Farallon Islands.

Phalacrocorax pelagicus resplendens (Aud.J.

. BaIRD'S CoRilORAXT.

[Phalacrocorax pelagicus] c. resplendens Baird, Brewer, and Ridgwat, Water

Birds N. Amer., II. 1884, 160 (Cape St. Lucas).
P.[halacrocorax] j/elaf/icus respltndens Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 1887, 80

(Cape St. Lucas).
Phalacrocorax pelagicus resplendens A. 0. U., Check List, 1895, 44, 45, no. 123 b (Cape

St. Lucas).
Phalacrocorax pelagicus Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer. Aves, III. 1901, 152,

part (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).

According to Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway's Water Birds, Ridgway's Manual,
and the A. 0. U. Check List, this form ranges from Washington to Cape St.
Lucas and Mazatlan on the western coast of Mexico. I can find no more defi-
nite evidence of its occurrence in the waters of the Cape Region, but Mr,
Bryant states ^ that it has been " seen near Todos Santos Islands [oft' the north-
western coast of the Peninsula] upon one occasion in May by Mr. Anthony."

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Gmel.

American White Pelican.

Pelecanus erythrorhi/nchus Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote
(San Jose del Cabo ; Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 352 (La
Paz).

1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 257.

38 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Pelecanus erijthrorhynchos BRTAyx, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2(1 ser., II. 1889, 257 (San
Jose del Cabo; Cape St. Lucas ; La Pazj.

The White Pelican apparently visits the Cape Region only in winter, and
then in but small numbers. According to Mr. Eidgway it was found by Mr.
Xantus at Cape St. Lucas (date not recorded) ; and in January and February
at San Jos^ del Cabo, where Mr. Frazar also saw a flock of about thirty on
November 11, 1887. ilr. Belding met with it only once, at La Paz on Feb-
ruary 17, 1883, when two were observed. ^Ir. Frazar says that the people at
San Jose del Cabo are all familiar with the bird, but consider it of rare occur-
rence. Mr. Bryant's only record is of a flock seen "a little more than one
hundred miles northward from Magdalena, on the Pacific Coast." Dr. Cooper
mentions the species as " common on the coast of California in winter, though
few reach San Diego." It was " occasionally seen in large flocks on Rio Mazat-
lan, in Western Mexico," by Colonel Grayson, and on the "west coast of
Central America " by Mr. Salvin.i Hence it sometimes passes well to the
southward of Cape St. Lucas.

Pelecanus californicus Ridgw.
California Brown Pelican.

Pelecanus fiiscus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V; 1883, 54-5 (mortality at Cape

St. Lucas and San Jose'; descr.), 518 (San Jose'). Ridgway, Ibid., 545,

footnote (crit).
Pelecanus californicus Anthony, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser , II. 1889, 8.3-85

(descr. nest, eggs and habits on San Martin Island). Bryant, Ibid., 257-260

(Cape Region; feeding habits at Magdalena Bay).

Seven specimens of the California Brown Pelican, collected by Mr. Frazar
at La Paz on January 28, confirm most satisfactorily the characters proposed
by Mr. Ridgway for P. californicus, at least as far as the relationship of this
form with P. fuscus is concerned. The most striking points of distinction l^e-
tween the two species are the larger size of californicus and the peculiar color-
ing of its nape. This with adult birds in perfect nuptial condition is so very
dark brown as to look perfectly black in most lights, there being no apprecia-
ble tinge of chestnut except on a short space just back of the occiput. The nape
of fuscus is much lighter and redder, varying in color from chestnut to rich seal
brown, which is never sufiiciently dark to be mistaken for black. The white-
necked winter adults and plain brown young of californicus appear to be colored
exactly like those o? fuscus, but the two species may be easily separated by size
provided care is taken to compare birds of the same sex, the males of both
being considerably larger than the females and the male of fuscus sometimes
quite as large as the female of californicus. The color of the pouch is always
lighter in dried skins of californicus than in those of fuscus, but with freshly

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., 11. 1881, 136.

BREWSTEU : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 39

killed specimens of tlie former it is subject to much variation, as the following
notes by Mr. Frazar relating to the seven birds just mentioned will show : —

Color of Pouch.

Females in full nuptial plumage with black napes.

No. 1. " Anterior lialf of pouch very dark olive green ; posterior half flesli

colored."
No. 2. "Anterior half dark olive green shaded with yellow along fold; posterior

half light yellowish flesh color tinged with reddisii at base."
No. 4. "Anterior two tiiirds very dark olive green; posterior third flesh color

tinged, especially along borders of feathered tracts, with red."

Adult (?) females with white necks.

No. 3. " Anterior two thirds dark olive green ; posterior one third red."
No. 5. " Anterior half oUve green ; posterior half briglit red."

Male in full nuptial plumage.
No. 6. " Anterior half dark greenish olive ; posterior half chou-chou yellow."

Young in plain brown plumage.
No. 7. " Entire pouch flesh colored. Feet dark. Iris white flecked with gray."

This Pelican is common about La Paz in winter, and both Mr. Belding and
Mr. Frazar found it also at San Jose del Cabo, the former on May 17, 1882,
the latter ia October, 1887. According to Mr. Frazar's notes it " breeds in
March," just where he does not state, but Mr. Bryant i " was told that they lay
on the southern end of Santa Margarita Island." Mr. Anthony found a colony
of about five hundred breeding on San Martin Island, and "according to Mr.
A. M. Ingersoll they nest also on Los Coronados Islands " (Bryant). In the
lagoon at San Jose del Cabo Mr. Frazar found one of these birds in a singular
dilemma. " The upper mandible had been shut inside the lower, and the
bones of the latter had closed over the former so firndy that the poor bird
could not open its bill." It was so feeble from starvation that Mr. Frazar
caught it, not without difficulty, and at some risk of breaking the mandibles
pulled them apart by main force and set the bird free. " It was laughable to
see it snap its bill repeatedly as it flew off, evidently not less surprised than
relieved to find that it could open and shut it again."

The California Brown Pelican occurs more or less commonly along the
Pacific coast as far northward as Gray's Harbor, "Washington.^ It has also
been taken at Burrard Inlet, which Mr. Fannin thinks may be the extreme
northern limit of its ransre.^

o

1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 259.

2 Hubbard, Zoe, III. 1892, 142.

3 Check List Birds British Columbia, 1891, 8.

40 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

i

Fregata aquila Linn.

Man-o'-\Var Bird. Frigate Bird,

Tachypetes aquila Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region), 548

(San Jose').
Fregata aquila Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 260-265 (Cape

Region ; descr. nest, eggs, habits, and color of fleshy parts at San Margarita

Island).

The Frigate Bird is common in winter at La Paz, and in 1882 it was found
by Mr. Belding at San Jose del Cabo as late as May 17. Mr. Frazar notes its
" arrival " in autumn on September 9, at the latter locality, and on the 15th
of March preceding records finding about fifty birds on a small island to the
north of La Paz," roosting on some cactuses," where they perhaps nested, also,
later in the season. Mr. Bryant saw Frigate Birds along the estero north of
Magdalena Bay, and " at the lagoon in lower Purisima canon," but most
numerously on Santa Margarita Island, where there was a large breeding col-
ony, of which he gives the following interesting description : —

" Going over to Santa Margarita Island from Magdalena Island on January 14,
1888, 1 saw many of these birds on the wing, some of them idly floating at an im-
mense height, so high as to be almost invisible, higher than I have ever seen hawks
(Bitteo) sailing. Anchoring near shore, we waited until morning before landing.
From the boat, the mangroves spoken of under the subject of cormorants, could
be seen fairly covered with birds and a long whirling column of others on the wing
e.xtended far skyward. Birds were continually coming and going from this place,
but none passed within gun-shot of the boat, and during my excursions by boat,
more than five hundred miles in all, no man-o'-war bird came near enough for a
shot. . . .

" The birds were more quiet after dark, but some sounds could be heard through-
out the entire night. At the first faint appearance of dawn, a continuous exodus
would commence from the rookery, some of the birds flying high over the island
more than four miles to the sea. The mangroves bordering upon the western side
only of the lagoon were used for nesting sites, a partial vacancy midway seemed
to separate two colonies. The mangroves being higher at the edge of the water,
the nests were placed at heights varying from five to twelve feet. Procuring a
small boat and the services of a Mexican, I skirted the edge of the lagoon for speci-
mens of eggs and photographs of the rookery, showing the birds in all attitudes.
They were usually quite tame but seemed more afraid of me when in the boat
than when climbing over and through the mangroves, probably because in the
first instance I was more exposed to view. Several birds were caught by hand and
some others struck down with an oar as they pitched from the nest to fly past.
Upon the water they beat their wings helplessly and were with great difliculty
able to rise. In a few cases a bird would miss getting on the wing by coming in
contact with another and fall helplessly amongst the branches from which they
were scarcely able to extricate themselves. They seemed bewildered by my pres-

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 41

ence, and did not attempt any resistance. Those which were taken alive were not
given an opportunity to use their beaks if they had been so disposed. . . .

" Eggs were collected for food by the Mexicans dift-ing the latter part of Decem-
ber, and owing to repeatedly taking them, some were found February 13, 1888, which
were in different degrees of incubation, others were quite fresh. The Mexicans
had fresh eggs April 27 wliich they had recently taken.

" The first young were seen in the middle of February ; they had been hatched
sometime earlier, for although some were nearly naked, others had a full covering
of snowy down and the dark scapular pin feathers."

Mr. Grinnell states i that the Man-o'-War Bird is " of not infrequent occur-
rence " along the coast of Los Angeles county, California, in winter, and Mr.
T. S. Palmer has recorded 2 the capture of a female at Humboldt Bay ou
October 5, 1888.

Merganser serrator (Linn.).
Red-breasted Merganser.

Mergus serrator Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 352 (La Paz).

The Red-breasted Merganser is " common at La Paz in winter " according
to Mr. Belding, who seems to have been the first and, indeed, thus far the
only observer who has met with it in the Cape Region. Mr. Bryant appar-
ently overlooked the record just quoted, but says^ that he himself found the
birds "tolerably common during March," and also saw some in April in the
long estero north of Magdalena Bay, adding that " Mr. Belding tells me that
he saw a number in San Quintin Bay in May, 1881, and shot one specimen."
Further northward, in California, this Merganser is a regular and very common
winter bird. There is, I believe, no record of its occurrence south of Lower
California.

Lophodytes cucullatus (Linn.).

Hooded Merganser.

Lophodytes cucullatus Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (San
Jose del Cabo). Belding, Ibid., VL 1883, 352 (s. of lat. 24° .30'). Bryant,
Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 265 (San Jose' del Cabo; La Paz).

The Hooded Merganser is said by Mr. Ridgway to have been taken at San
Jose del Cabo by Mr. Xantu.s, in February, and it is given as " rare " south of
latitude 24*' 30' by Mr. Belding. Mr. Frazar did not meet with it, and Mr.
Bryant gives no record for the central or upper portions of the Peninsula, al-

1 Pub. IL Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 10.

2 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 88.
8 Ibid., 265.

42 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

though " Dr. Cooper found it common . . . along the whole Pacific coast "
to the northward of Lower California.^ The southern limits of its range
in winter appear to coincide rather closely with those of the Ked-breasted
Merganser.

Anas boschas Linn.
Mallard.

Anas boscas Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 5-34, footnote (San Jose' del
Cabo). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 352 (s. of lat. 24° 30').

A7ias boschas Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 265 (San Jose' del
Cabo; Cape Region).

The Mallard, also, was obtained in winter at San Jos6 del Cabo by ]Mr.
Xantus, and it was " shot at several localities " south of latitude 24° 3(V, by
Mr. Belding, who, according to Mr. Bryant, has found it breeding in the San
Rafael Valley. Mr. Anthony states that " quite a number were nesting in the
large meadows on the top of the mountain " San Pedro Martir, in May, 1893.^
Mr. Bryant does not appear to have personally met with the bird in Lower
California, nor was Mr. Frazar more fortunate, from which it seems safe to con-
clude that it is not a common or at least generally distributed species on the
Peninsula. This must be due to conditions other than those of latitude, for on
the mainland it occurs numerously throughout Mexico and, indeed, ranges as
far southward as Panama.

Chaulelasmus streperus (Linn.).
Gadwall.

Chaulelasmus streperus Ridgway, Proc U. S.Nat. Mus., V. 188.3, 534, footnote (San
Jose' del Cabo). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 351 (La Paz and s.).

Anas strepera Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 265 (San Jose' del
Cabo).

Mr. Xantus found the Gadwall at San Jose del Cabo in January and Feb-
ruary, and Mr. Belding records it as " very common " in winter and early
spring near La Paz and to the southward. Mr. Frazar found it " abundant "
at San Jose del Cabo in the autumn of 1887, and notes its arrival on Septem-
ber 27, its increase in numbers up to October 11, and its somewhat diminished
numbers on October 26. He makes no mention of its occurrence in Novem-
ber. No specimens are included in his collection.

Colonel Grayson found ^ the Gadwall " abundant from November until late
in the spring in the neighborhood of Mazatlan," on the west coast of Mexicc.
It breeds as far south as San Pedro, California, according to Dr. Cooper.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., II. 1884, 122.

2 Zoe, IV. 1893, 2.30.

8 Baird, Brewer, Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., I. 1884, 508.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 43

Mareca americana (Gmel.).
Baldpate. American Widgeon.

Mareca americana Belding, Proc. U. S Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 548 (San Jose).
Anas americana Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 265 (San Jose del
Cabo).

The only occasion, apparently, on which Mr. Belding met with the Ameri-
can Widgeon was May 17, 1882, when a flock of about twelve were seen at San
Jose del Cabo. At this ]ilace, however, Mr. Frazar found the bird common iu
the autumn of 1887. It was first seen on October 22; after this its numbers
steadily increased until by November 9 it was " more numerous than any
other species e.\cept the Lesser Scaup Duck." The only spring records which
I find among Mr. Fiazar's notes are of a flock seen on March 6, near Saa
Jose Island, and of a pair killed on April 1, at Triunfo. Mr. Bryant records a
flock of eight "seen in the creek at Comondu," on March 9, 1888; a few
others " found at San Juan, on the Gulf side near Loreto some days later," and
still others " met with in 1889, at the water hole, San Raimundo."

The American Widgeon breeds chiefly to the northward of the United
States, is one of the most abundant Ducks on the California coast in winter,
and at the latter season goes at least as far south as Central America.

Nettion carolinensis (Gmel.).
Green-winged Teal.

Nettion carolinensis Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (San
Jose' del Cabo). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 352 (s. of lat. 24° 30').

Atias carolinensis Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889. 265 (Cape
Region).

The Green-winged Teal was observed at San Jose del Cabo in January and
February by Mr. Xantus, and in September and the first half of October by
Mr. Frazar, whose first specimen was taken on September 18. Mr. Belding
found it moderately common south of latitude 24° 30'. Mr. Bryant appar-
entl}^ did not meet with it at all. It is known to be common in winter in
California, and northward as far as Puget Sound, while southward it extends
its migrations to Mexico and Central America. A few nest in the western
United States, usually at high elevations, but by far the greater number spend
the summer to the northward of our northern boundaries.

44 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Querquediila discors (Linn.).

Blue-winged Teal.

Querquedula discors Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 548 (San Jose).
Anas discors Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 265 (San Jose del
Cabo).

This Teal was not represented in the Xantus collection, and Mr. Frazar did
not either obtain or'definitely identify it, but Mr. Belding found it common
and mated at San Jose del Cabo on May 17, 1882. According to Mr. Bryant
a few were seen at San Ramon, in April, by Mr. Anthony.

The Blue-winged Teal has been taken only a few times in California, and
still further northward it appears to be everywhere of uncommon if not rare
occurrence on or near the Pacific coast, although it is said to breed sparingly
in Alaska. It " was met with in Western Mexico near Mazatlan, by Colonel
Grayson, in which region he speaks of it as being a very common species, a few
remaining throughout the summer, and probably breeding there." ^

Querquedula cyanoptera (Vieill.).

Cinnamon Teal.

Querqiiedtda cyanoptera Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 548 (San Jpse).
Anas cyanoptera Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 266 (San Jose del
Cabo).

Mr. Belding mentions the Red-breasted Teal as " rare " in his list of birds
seen on May 17, at San Jose del Cabo, but all of the seven blue-winged birds
taken at this place in autumn by Mr. Frazar prove to be cyanoptera. They
were shot at various dates from August 29 to September 31. Teal supposed to
be the same as those preserved were seen at San Jose del Cabo as late as
November 9, but as immature autumnal specimens of cyanoptera are so very like
those of discors that the two can be separated only by the most careful com-
parison of specimens in hand, it is by no means certain to which species the
note last mentioned relates. Mr. Bryant saw a few Red-breasted Teal in
Purisima Canon, and states that many nest at San Rafael Valley, in the ex-
treme northern part of the Peninsula. Mr. Anthony found several pairs breed-
ing in the La GruUa meadows on San Pedro Martir, May, 189.3. ^

This Teal ranges along or near the Pacific coasts of North and South
America, " from Paget Sound to Chili, and even, at certain seasons, to the
Falkland Islands." ^ Its distribution in summer is not accurately known, but
it is supposed to breed throughout much of the vast extent of territory just
indicated.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, "Water Birds N. Amer., I. 1884, 532.

2 Zee, IV. 1893, 230.

3 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., I. 1884, 536.

BKEWSTER: birds of the cape region, lower CALIFORNIA. 45

Spatula clypeata (Linn.).

Shoveller.

Spatula clypeata Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. INIus., V. 188.3, 548 (San Jose). Bry-
ant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 266 (San Jose del Cabo).

At San Josd del Cabo Mr. Frazar noted the arrival of the Shoveller on Octo-
ber 18, when one Avas killed from a flock of four. By October 24, it had
become common. At the same place Mr. Belding found it in the spring of
1882 as late as May 17. Neither of the observers just mentioned speaks of its
occurrence in winter. Mr. Frazar saw a single pair at La Paz on March 2, and
others were observed at Comondu and lower Purisima Canon in April, 1889, by
Mr. Bryant.

The Shoveller is common in winter on the Pacific Coast from the mouth of
the Columbia Eiver to Mazatlan, and it has occurred as far south as Guate-
mala. It breeds rather numerously within the United States, but also
migrates to high northern latitudes.

D

Dafila acuta (Linn.)

Pintail.

Dajila acuta Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 534, footnote (San Jose del
Cabo). Belding, Ibid., VL 1883, 852 (s. of lat. 24° 30'). Bryant, Proc.
Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 266 (Cape Region).

A single Pintail was shot by Mr. Frazar at San Jose del Cabo on August
29, and on September 2 a flock of about forty were seen. By September 20,
they had become abundant. Mr. Ridgway states that Xantus found them in
February, and Mr. Belding gives the species as "common" in his list of birds
observed south of latitude 24° 30' in the winter and early spring of 1882-83.
Mr. Frazar's collection contains nine specimens. To the northward of La Paz
" a few individuals were noticed April 5, 1889, at lower Purisima canon," by
Mr. Bryant ; and about " a dozen, including both sexes, at San Rafael Valley,
May 12," by Mr. Belding.

On the Pacific Coast the Pintail is said to winter from San Diego, California,
almost to the Isthmus of Panama. It breeds numerously in the northern tier
of western United States, and from thence northward.

Ay thy a americana (Eyt.).

Redhead.

Aethyia americana Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 352 (La Paz).
Aythya americana Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 266 (La Paz).

As the Redhead is not uncommon in winter along the coast of California, and
as it has also occurred, at that season, at Mazatlan, on the west coast of Mexico,

46 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIYE ZOOLOGY.

it was of course to be expected in Lower California, but the only records for
this region seem to be those of an adult male shot at La Paz February 12,
1SS3; a female seen at San Rafoel on May 12, 1883, and a male at Trinidad
on May 14, all by Mr. Belding.

The Redhead breeds at many places in the more northern United States,
but most numerously in British Xorth America, to the northern limits of the
Fur Countries, it is said.

Aythya aflBnis (Ett.).

Lesser Scaup Duck.

FuJir affinls Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 352 (s. of lat. 24° 30').
Aythya uffinis Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 266 (Cape Region).

Mr. Belding records the Lesser Scaup as rare, but Mr. Frazar found it abun-
dant at San Josd del Cabo, where it arrives early in November and remains
through the winter. His collection contains three specimens. Mr. Bryant saw
a number of small flocks "on Magdalena Bay and some distance along the
edero in 18S8," and in 1889 "shot specimens at lower Purisima canon and at
a water hole, San Raimundo." A few were also observed " on shallow inland
water at Ensenada, December, 1885."

The Lesser Scaup Duck is not uncommon in winter in California, and it
migrates as far southward as Mexico and Guatemala. It is believed to nest
chiefly to the northward of the northern United States.

Aythya coUaris (Doxov.).

RlXG-NECKED DuCK.

Fullx rollaris Beldivg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883. 352 (s. of lat. 24' 30').
Aythya collaris Bryaxt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2J sen, II. 1889, 266 (Cape Region).

The Ring-necked Duck is given by Mr. Belding as " rare " in winter and early
spring south of latitude 24° 30'. I cannot find that any one else has reported
it from Lower California. It was obtained at Mazatlan by Colonel Grayson,
and is known to migrate as far south at lea.«t as Guatemala. It breeds to some
extent in the northern United States, but chiefly further to the northward. It
occurs regularly in winter on the coast of California, but not in any numbers.

Erismatura jamaicensis (Gmel.).

Ruddy Duck.

Erismatura riiblda RiDGWAT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (San
Jose del Cabo ; Laguna de Santiago ; Saint Lazaro Mts.). Belding, 7^k/.,
VI. 1883, 351 (La Paz and s.). Bky.^nt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889, 267 (La Paz).

Two adult females, taken at San Jose del Cabo in October, are .somewhat
peculiar in respect to the bill which, with both, is much narrower than in any

BREWSTEH : BIKDS OF THE CAPE llEGIOX, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 47

of my specimens from the eastern or central portions of North America. In
all other respects they seem t(j agree perfectly with eastern birds of the same
age and sex.

Tlie Ruddy Duck appears to be resident in the Cape Region. It was found
by Mr. Xantus at San Jose del Cabo in December and Februaiy, and at Laguna
de Santiago, and in the Saint Lazaro Mountains in January. According to Mr.
Belding it was " very common " in the " vicinity of La Paz, and southward "
in the winter and early spring of 1882-83.

Mr. Frazar met with it first at San Jose del Cabo, where two were seen on
October 18 and a few during the following week. At the time he naturally
supposed these birds to be migrants from further north, as indeed they may have
been, but on reaching Santiago earlv in November he found, in the lagoon al-
ready mentioned (in connection with the Short-winged Grebe), a large breeding
colony of Ruddy Ducks, most of which were young of various sizes still following
their mothers. Two specimens in his collection taken, on November 16, from a
Lrood of five, cannot have been more than a few days from the egg M-hen killed.
The late date at which these young birds were found is somewhat difficult to
explain, for in Mexico and Central America, where the species is said to breed
numerously, the eggs are laid in May or June.^ Mr. Frazar was toLl, how-
ever, that the lagoon at Santiago, which, at the time of his visit, was filled
with water several feet in depth, dries np every few years, and this fact may
have something to do with the unusual season at which the Ruddy Ducks and
Short-winged Grebes were breeding there. The Ruddy Duck has been " found
nesting at lat. 31° N. by Mr. Anthony " (Bryant), and Mr. Grinnell states that
it breeds sparingly iu Los Angeles county, Califoruia.-

Anser albifrons gambeli (IIartl.).

American White-fronted Goose.

Anxer albifrons gambeli Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 267 (Los
Martires).

The American "White-fronted Goose is not mentioned in any of the earlier
papers relating to the Cape Region, but Mr. Belding told Mr. Bryant " that a
hunter (Mr. Fisher) shot one of a group of four at Los Martires, between La
Paz and San Jos^ del Cabo " (Bryant).

" Mr. Grayson met with this species on the western coast of Mexico, near
Mazatlan, where, from the month of September until February, it occurs in
considerable flocks, appearing to migrate up and down the southern Gulf
shores. " ^ It is also abundant in winter in California. Its breeding grounds
lie far to the northward of the United States.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer , IL 1884, 106.

2 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 12.

3 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Araer., I. 1884, 452.

48 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Guara alba (Likn.).

White Ibis.

Eudocimiis aJhus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region).
Guara alba Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 208 (Cape Region).

Mr. Frazar notes the White Ibis as common about La Paz and at San Jose
del Cabo, from whence it had been previously reported by Mr. Belding. It
appears to be resident, and probably breeds in or near the Cape Region, al-
though this has not been definitely ascertained.

Mr. Bryant found White Ibises " tolerably common at Magdalena Bay,
associated in small flocks and making long flights in line from one feeding
ground to another. At Santa Margarita Island and along the estero they were
usually seen roosting upon the mangroves."

The White Ibis is a common bird in Mexico, Central America, and the
northern portions of South America. I can find no records for the Pacific
coast north of Lower California.

Plegadis guarauna (Linn.).

White-faced Glossy Ibis.

Plegadis guarauna Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region), 548
(San Jose'). Bryaxt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 2(38 (San
Jose del Cabo) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 189, 190 (San Jose del Cabo).

At San Jose del Cabo Mr. Frazar found the White-faced Ibis regularly, in
small numbers, during September, but none were met with there after Octo-
ber I. At Santiago, however, a single bird was observed daily about the
logoon up to November 19. Mr. Belding saw a flock in " April and May" at
San Jose del Cabo.

Mr. Brj^ant gives no records of the occurrence of this Ibis in the central and
northern portions of Lower California, but Mr. Anthony states that "at San
Telmo they were usually seen during summer in small numbers about a large
marsh above the settlement, and I think they doubtless bred there. Adults
and young were shot at San Quintin in October." ^ There is no reason why
they should not breed near Cape St. Lucas, about such lagoons as that at San-
tiago, for instance, but there is no present proof that such is the case.

The range of the White-faced Ibis on the Pacific coast extends from Oregon
to Chili and Patagonia.

^ Zoe, IV. 1893, 231.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CAXIFORNIA. 49

Tantalus loculator Linn.

Wood Ibis.

Tantalus loculator Beldikg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region), 548
(San Jose). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 268 (San Jose'
del Cabo; La Paz).

The Wood Ibis was found near La Paz by both Mr. Belding and Mr. Frazar.
The latter met with it frequently in September and October at San Josd del
Cabo, where Mr. Belding also notes "a pair seen in April and May."

As Mr. Bryant gives no original records, it is to be inferred that he failed to
detect the Wood Ibis in the central and upper portions of the Peninsula, but
Mr. Anthony states that in autumn a few "are to be found in all of the
marshes and streams from Ensenada to Santa Maria." ^ It ranges even further
to the northward, for it is not uncommon in Ventura county, California.^
Whether any nest in Lower California is a matter of grave doubt, — not that
the climatic conditions are unfavorable, but because of the apparent lack of
suitable breeding grounds. To the southward the Wood Ibis is found in
Mexico, Central America, and many parts of South America.

Botaurus lentiginosus (Montag.).

American Bittern.

Botaurus lentiginosus Eidgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, footnote (Cape
St. Lucas; San Jose del Cabo). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 351 (s. of lat. 24°
30'). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 268 (Cape St. Lucas ;
San Jose' del Cabo ; s. of lat. 24° 30').

The Xantus collection contains specimens of the Bittern taken at Cape St.
Lucas on November 4, and at San Jose del Cabo on November 29 and 30. At
the latter place Mr. Frazar found it common during September and the first week
of October, after which it was seen only occasionally, the last individual being
observed on November 11. Mr. Belding mentions it as "moderately com-
mon " south of latitude 24° 30' in the winter and early spring of 1882-83.

The Bittern was not observed by Mr. Bryant in the central or northern
parts of the Peninsula, but Mr. Anthony says that it is " common in the
marshes at Colnett and San Ramon, where it doubtless nests." ^ There is
no apparent reason why a few pairs may not breed at such places as Santiago
and San Josd del Cabo, but the present indications are that the bird is merely
a winter visitor to the Cape Region. It has occurred as far south as Guatemala.

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 231. 2 Cooper, Auk, IV. 1887, 90.

3 Zoe, IV. 1893, 231.

60 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Ardetta exilis (Ghel.).
Least Bitterx.

It is somewhat singular that the Least Bittern has not been previoiisly re-
ported from Lower California, for Mr. Frazar found it in considerable numbers
at San Jose del Cabo in September and October. The first individual was
seen on August 29, and the last about October 21. The period of greatest
abundance was between September 18 and October 11, but the birds varied
greatly in numbers from day to day, indicating that they came and departed in
successive misratorv flitjrhts or " waves." None were noted elsewhere.

The range of the Least Bittern is very extensive, including the whole of tem-
perate North America as well as Mexico, Central America, and the northern
portions of South America to Brazil. There is some evidence, — not perfectly
conclusive, however, — that it breeds as far south as the Lake of Duefias,
Guatemala. It is very common in summer in the interior of California. The
Cape Region, therefore, is probably included within its general breeding range,
and it would not be surprising to find it nesting about the lagoon at Santiago,
which seems to be admirably adapted to its requirements.

Ardea herodias Lixn.

Great Blue Heron.

Ardea herodias Baird, Brewer, and Ridgwat, Water Birds N. Amer., 1. 1884, 15,
16 (discusses tlie "very light colors " of a Cape St. Lucas specimen, No.
3.3,134, Nat. Mus ). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 548 (San
Jose). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 268 (San Jose del
Cabo).

The only Great Blue Heron which I have seen from Lower California is an
adult male (No. 33,134) in the National Museum, which was taken by Mr.
Xantus at San Jose del Cabo in February, I860. This specimen has the bill
and wing as long as in small specimens of wardi, but the tarsus is not longer
than in typical herodias. The coloring is peculiar in several respects, the up-
per wing coverts being creamy drab, instead of bluish slate as in herodias and
icardi, the dorsal plumes unusually light colored, and the fore neck, as well
as the nape for an inch or more below the occiput, pure creamy white. There
is also much less black than usual on the underparts, especially on the breast,
which is chiefly creamy white. Mr. Riilgway has already called attention ^ to
some of these differences. Should they prove characteristic of the birds of Lower
California they would entitle the form to recognition as a di-stinct subspecies.

Mr. Beldmg notes this Heron as rare, but ^Ir. Frazar saw " numbers " about

1 Ridgway, Loc. cit.

brfavster: birds of the cape region, lower California. 51

La Paz in January and February, and "a few " at San Jose del Cabo in the
latter part of August. Mr. Bryant found it on Santa Margarita Island and
Magdalena Bay, and states that it was rare there. Mr. Anthony has reported
it as " common at San Quintin and north of that point, also seen to some ex-
tent inland. A colony was found nesting on San Martin Island on April 12." ^
There are no geographical reasons why the Great Blue Heron should not
breed in the Cape Region, and as it often builds its nests on low bushes or even
jutting rocks, when tall trees are wanting, it is possible that at least a few
birds rear their young near La Paz and San Jose del Cabo.

Ardea egretta Gmel.
American Egret.

Herodlas egretta Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 5U (Cape Region), 548

(San Jose').
Ardea egretta Bryant, Proc. CaUf. Acad. Sci., 2a ser., II. 1889, 2G8, 269 (Cape

Region; color of fleshy parts).

Mr. Belding includes this Heron in his list of birds observed in the Cape
Region between Dec. 15, 1881, and May 17, 1882. On the latter date he noted
it at San Josd del Cabo, where Mr. Frazar also found it in August. It is ap-
parently not numerously represented near the southern extremity of the
Peninsula, but is probablv resident there.

About Magdalena Bay Mr. Bryant found it " tolerably common " feeding " in
small groups or singly along the beach. ... In April, 1888, they became
more common in places along the estero and were seen collected on the man-
groves above the water. One night while navigating the estero, I saw a large
flock which may have been a nesting colony, but it was too dark to investigate
and by daylight they were far behind."

The range of the American Egret on or near the Pacific coast extends from
Oregon to Patagonia, and the bird is said to breed throughout most of the
rejrions embraced within these limits.

"o'

Ardea candidissima Gmel.
Snowt Heron.

Garzetia thula Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St. Lucas), (?)

.305, 306 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).
Garzetta candidissima Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883. 548 (San Jose).
Ardea candidissim'i Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 269 (San Jose'

del Cabo).

Small numbers of Snowy Herons were found by Mr. Frazar in winter at La
Paz, and in early autumn at San Jose del Cabo. Several were also seen at the

1 Zee, IV. 1898, 231.

52 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

latter place by Mr. Belding on May 17, 1882. To the north of La Paz Mr.
Bryant considers the bird rare. He saw it "on a few occasions along the
estero " north of Magdalena Bay, and at San Juan and Comondu. Mr. An-
thony, however, found it " very common all along the coast from El Rosario
north." He thinks that it nests at San Ramon, for it was seen there all sum-
mer. ^ It probably breeds in or near the Cape Region, also, but this remains to
be definitely ascertained. Up to within a few years it was common along the
coast of southern California, and it is said to breed at least as far north as
Oregon. Southward it is distributed throughout Mexico, Central America,
and many parts of South America to Chili and Buenos Ayres.

Ardea rufescens Gmel.

Reddish Egret.

Dichromanassn rufa Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 644 (Cape Region),

548 (San Jose').
Ardea rufescens Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 269 (Cape Region).

Mr. Belding found this Heron common in the Cape Region in the winter and
spring of 1881-82, but he states that it was rare at San Jose del Cabo on May
17, 1882. He emphasizes the fact that none were seen in white plumage. Mr.
Frazar met with it at both La Paz and San Jose del Cabo, but not commonly at
either place. His single specimen (No. 18,146, 9i La Paz, January 11) is a
'■ red " bird.

Mr. Bryant gives the Reddish Egret as " tolerably common at Santa Mar-
garita Island, which was probably a night roosting place for many amongst the
mangroves. Ten were seen in one flock on February 14, 1888." Mr. An-
thony states that the species is " not uncommon at San Quintin." ^

The locality last mentioned is apparently the most northern one on the
Pacific coast from which the bird has been reported. To the southward it is
found in Mexico, Guatemala, and northern South America.

Ardea tricolor ruficollis (Gosse).
Louisiana Heron.

Hydranassa tricolor ludoviciana Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 544 (Cape

Region), 548 (San Jose).
Ardea tricolor rujicollis Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 269 (Cape

Region).

^Ir. Belding records the Louisiana Heron as less common at La Paz than the
Reddish Egret, and " rare " at San Jose del Cabo on May 17, 1882. Mr.

1 Zoe., IV. 1893, 231. 2 /i/^.^ 231

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 53

Frazar, however, found it common at both these places in 1887. Mr. Bryant
" saw two flying above the mangrove tops of the estero " north of Magdalena
Bay in March, 1888, and during the same month of the following year noted a
small flock rising " from the lagoon on Santa Margarita Island." This Heron,
as well as the Reddish Egret, probably breeds on or near the southern coasts
of the Peninsula, but is not positively known to do so. It has not as yet been
detected in California, but it occurs on the western coast of Mexico and
southward to Guatemala.

Ardea virescens frazari Brewst.
Frazar's Greex Heron.

[Ardea] virescens Codes, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 268, 269, part.

Ardea virescens CouES, Check List, 1873, 89, no. 457, part. A. O. U., Check List,
1886, 137, no. 201, part.

Butorides virescens Ridgw.w, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. L". S. Nat. Mas., no. 21),
1881, 42, no. 494, part. Coues, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 107, no. 663, part.
Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXVL 1898, 186-191, 280, part (crit. ; syn-
onymy ; Lower California).

(?) Butorides viresretis (not Ardea virescens LiNNAECs) Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mus., V. 1883, 544 (Cape Region).

Ardea virescens frazari Brewster, Auk, V. 1888, 83 (orig. descr. ; type from La
Paz). A. 0. U. CoMM., Suppl. to Check List, 1889, 6; Check List, abridged
ed., 1889, and 2d ed., 1895, no. 201 a. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d
ser., IL 1889, 269 (Cape Kegion ; Santa Margarita Island; Comondii).
RiDGWAY, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 586 (descr.; vicinity of La
Paz).

Butorides virescens frazari Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 905 (descr. ;
vicinity of La Paz).

[Butorides] frazari Sharpe, Hand-list, I. 1899, 200.

This race of the Green Heron, distinguished from A . virescetis hy its larger
size and deeper, richer coloring, was discovered in 1887 by Mr. Frazar, who
found it only at La Paz. His notes state that it frequented mangrove thickets
about the shores of the Bay, where it was "common " during February and
March, but as he mistook it for our eastern bird he preserved only two speci-
mens. It is probably the resident and characteristic form of this locality,
as well as of some of the neighboring islands, and it may range considerably
further to the northward along one or both coasts of the Peninsula, for Mr.
Bryant has reported seeing it in small numbers " at Santa Margarita Island
and along the estero, also at Comondu. No spechnens were secured," but Mr.
Bryant thinks that " a skin in the collection of the California Academy of
Sciences from Magdalena Bay, is probably referable to this form." All these
records require confirmation, however, for at the time they were made Mr.
Frazar's bird was the only Green Heron known to occur in Lower California.

O-i BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Ardea virescens anthonyi Mearns.
Anthony's Green Heron.

(?) Butorides virescens (not Ardea virescens Linxaeus) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mas., V. 1883, 544 (Cape Region).

The Green Herons taken by Mr. Frazar at San Jose del Cabo seem to be all
A. V. anthonyi. At least they are much too large for virescens, while the
young (nine in number) agree perfectly with young specimens of anthonyi
from California. Like the latter they have the white on the tips of the pri-
maries and secondaries, and the light edging on the wing coverts much broader
and more conspicuous than in the young of our eastern bird. The three adults
are very unlike the only two known specimens of frazari (both of which are
fully mature), having the chestnut of the head and neck even lighter and
more rufous than in virescens, instead of deeper and more glaucous, as is the
case with frazari. In this respect, as well as in size, they are typical of an-
thonyi, but in respect to the extent and distribution of the whitish or rusty
markings on the wings and under parts they agree better with virescens.

Anthony's Green Heron is probably only a transient visitor to the Cape
Region. At least Mr. Frazar did not meet with it in winter or early spring at
La Paz nor anywhere during the breeding season. It was common at San
Jos^ del Cabo, however, from August 25 to about October 15 ; after the latter
date only an occasional straggler was noted, the latest on November 11. Rather
curiously, all the birds seen at the locality just named occurred along the sand
bars and sandy shores of the river, although there were plenty of muddy creeks
and pools in the immediate neighborhood.

The general range of this form of the Green Heron is not, as yet, definitely
known. It has been found breeding in Arizona and southern California, and
I have a typical example (taken on May 13) from Franktown, Nevada. It is
said to be represented in the Smithsonian Collection by specimens from the
Valley of Mexico and from Santa Efigenia, Tehuantepec.

Nycticorax nycticorax naevius (Bodd.).
Black-crowned Night Heron.

Njjcticorax griseus naevius Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 544 (Cape

Region).
Nycticorax nycticorax naevius Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 270

(Cape Region).

This Night Heron was found in the Cape Region by both Mr. Belding and
Mr. Frazar. The latter observer noted it at La Paz in winter, and at San Jose
del Cabo in October. " A few were seen at Santa Margarita Island in the
month of February, 1888," by Mr. Bryant.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 00

If the Black-crowned Night Heron, does not nest in Lower California, it must
be because the local conditions are in some way unfavorable, for its general
breeding range includes the whole of temperate North America and most of
South America, also.

Nycticorax violaceus (Linn.).

Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

Nyctherodlus violaceus Belding, Proc. U. S.Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 544 (Cape Region),

548 (San Jose).
Nycticorax violaceus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II 1889, 270 (Cape

Region).

Mr. Belding found the Yellow-crowned Night Heron " very common " on
May 17, 1882, at San J(jse del Cabo, where, accortling to Mr. Frazar, it also
occurs numerously in autumn, "arriving early in September." The latter
observer also met with it in considerable numbers at La Paz in winter. About
Magdalena Bay " many night herons were nesting in April, 1888, in a man-
grove thicket bordering the long estero ; they all appeared to be of this species.
When alarmed by the passing of the sail-boat, they left the bushes and collected
along the water's edge, where I counted eighty" (Bryant).

On the Pacific coast the Yellow-crowned Night Heron is not known to go
as far u'-'rthward as California. It ranges southward to Central America and
northern South America.

Rallus beldingi Ridgw,
Belding's Rail.

Rallus beldingi Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1882, 345, 346 (orig. descr. =
type from Espiritii Santo Islands) ; VI. 1883, 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower
Calif.). Belding, Ibid., V. 1883, 545 (Espiritu Santo Islands). Baird,
Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., I. 1884, 356, 357 (descr. ;
crit.; Espiritu Santo Island; La Paz). A. O. U., Check List, 1886, 140,
no. 209. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1880, 270 (Espiritu
Santo Island ; La Paz). Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXIII. 1894, 10
(descr.; La Paz; Espiritu Santo Island, etc.; subsp. of Rallus elegans).
CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 888 (descr. ; Espiritu Saato
Island).

[Rallus] beldingi Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXIII. 1894, 7 (key to species);
Hand list, I. 1899, 93.

R.[allus\ beldingi Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 138 (descr ; La
Paz; Espiritu Santo Island, etc.).

The type specimen of this Rail was taken by Mr. Belding on Espiritu Santo
Island, but Mr. Frazar found the bird only about the shores of the Bay near
La Paz, where it inhabits mangrove thickets bordering mud flats or intersected

56 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

by small tidal creeks. It is evidently rare here, for Mr. Frazar shot only
two specimens, and saw or heard less than half a dozen in all.

"Rails were heard in mangrove swamp on Santa Margarita Island, Mag-
dalena Island, and for one hundred and twenty miles up the estero. They were
clapper rails, but whether B. heldingi I cannot say " (Bryant).

On the basis of this scanty evidence it is impossible to do more than specu-
late concerning the habits and distribution of Belding's Eail. The bird is
apparently confined to the southern half of the Peninsula, for on the northwest
coast (San Quintin Bay) its place is taken by the California species, Rallus
obsoletus. R. heldingi is probably resident wherever found, but as yet even this
cannot be positively asserted.

Rallus virginianus Linn.
Virginia Rail.

Mr. Frazar found the Virginia Rail only at San Jos^ del Cabo, where he
killed a specimen on October 24 and another on November 4. He is very sure
that he saw three others, the first on October 3, the second on October 6, and
the third on November 4. The bird has not been previously reported from the
Cape Region, but " Mr. Anthony has taken it at San Quintin in winter." ^

It is abundant in the winter months in different parts of Mexico, and it has
been obtained as far south as Guatemala. In California it is said to occur at
all seasons of the year, and it may be resident, locally, in Lower California,
also.

Porzana Carolina (Linn.).

SoRA. Carolina Rail.

Porzana Carolina Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 547 (San Jose del Cabo);
VL 1883, 351 (La Paz and s.). Bryant, Proc. CaUf. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889, 270 (San Jose del Cabo ; La Paz).

Mr. Belding, in his list of birds observed in the " vicinity of La Paz and
southward" between December 15, 1882, and March 23, 1883, mentions the
Sora as " rarely seen," and in a paper relating to his experience of the preced-
ing year he also refers to it incidentally, as one of the birds found between
April 1 and May 17 in the marsh at San Jose del Cabo. These allusions, al-
though vague and unsatisfactory, indicate that at least a few Soras pass the
winter in the Cape Region, and that others occur tliere rather late in the spring.
Mr. Frazar's experience unfortunately furnishes nothing bearing directly on
these points, for he met with the Sora only in autumn, at San Jos^ del Cabo.
It was very numerous there during the latter half of September and first ten
days of October, after which only a few stragglers were noted, the last on Oc-

1 Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 270.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 57

tober 18. It was usually seen in beds of tall reeds and cat-o'-nine tails growing
about the margins of the lagoon, but on one occasion (September 20), when an
exceiitionally high tide had broken over the beach and raised the water several
feet al)ove its usual level, the birds were driven from their favorite haunts
and forced to seek shelter in a neighboring wheat field, where many were
flushed and killed.

The Sora was seen by Mr. Anthony "in spring along the coast north of lat.
31^ " (Bryant). It is said to be common in California in winter, and accord-
ing to Mr. Grinnell is found in Los Angeles county at all seasons, nesting
in May among marsh grass or tules in swampy places.^ Its migrations extend
to northern South America.

Gallinula galeata (Light.).
Florida Gallinule.

It is singular that up to this time no one has reported the Florida Gallinule
from Lower California, for Mr. Frazar found it both at San Jose del Cabo and
Santiago. At the former place the first birds, three in number, were seen on
September 13. A few days later they became abundant, remaining so up to
October 10, after which their numbers diminished rapidly until, by the end of
the month, all had apparently disappeared, the last being seen on the 28th.
They fref[uented both the river and the lagoon at its mouth, but during the
high tide already mentioned a good many, in company with Carolina Rails,
souirht shelter in a wheat field. At Santiago several were observed as late as
November 15 in the beds of tule about the lagoon, where it is possible they
were intending to winter, and where a few may breed, also, although neither
surmise is warranted by any present evidence.

The Florida Gallinule is found from California to Chili on or near the Pacific
coast, and it probably breeds (more or less locally) throughout this extended
range.

Fulica americana Gmel.

Americax Coot.

Fulica americana Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1859, 301, 306 (Cape St.
Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 271 (Cape Kegion).

Mr. Belding includes the Coot in liis li.st of birds seen in the winter and
spring of 1881-82, but inentions no special localities nor dates. Mr. Frazar
found it only at San Jose del Cabo and Santiago. At the former place it ar-
rived on September 10, and was very numerous during October and up to the
date of Mr. Frazar's departure, November 13. At Santiago a large number

1 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 15.

58 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

were seen daily, during the latter half of November, in the lagoon already de-
scribed. " Mr. Anthony found them very abundant all winter in the northern
portion of the peninsula, and breeding where fresh water was in sufficient
quantity. He found a pair nesting on San Pedro Martir in May, at an altitude
of 8,200 feet" (Bryant). Others have been seen by Mr. Bryant at Comondu,
San Juan (April), and " lower Purisinia canon, where they were probably
breeding."

The Coot has a very extended range on or near the Pacific coast, occurring
numerously nearly everywhere from Alaska to nortliern South America, and
breeding wherever the local conditions are suited to its tastes, without much
apparent regard for considerations of latitude or mean temperature.

Cryniophilus fulicarius (Lixn.).

Eed Phalarope.

Pkalaropns fuJicarius Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 18S3, 545 (Cape 'Region).
Crymojihilus fulicarius Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d sen., II. 1889, 271 (La
Paz Bay).

Although the Red Phalarope has received but nominal mention on the part
of Mr. Belding, that observer, according to Mr. Bryant, has killed two speci-
mens in La Paz Bay, the only ones, apparently, which have ever been taken in
the Cape Region. Birds supposed to belong to this species have also been seen
on several occasions off the Pacific coast of the Peninsula by both Mr. Bryant
and Mr. Anthony, but as none of them have been secured their identification
is perhaps open to some doubt.

The Red Phalarope breeds only in high northern latitudes. The southern
extension of its winter range in the Western hemisphere has not been defi-
nitely ascertained, but in the Eastern it has occurred in nortliern Africa and
at Calcutta, India. It visits the coast of California in moderate numbers at its
seasons of migration, occurring oftenest, apparently, in autumn.

Phalaropus lobatus (Lixn.).
Northern Phalarope.

Two adult Northern Phalaropes, both females, shot by Mr. Frazar on August
29, retain much of the breeding plumage, especially on the front and sides of
the neck, which are faded but distinct rufous. A male taken on Septeml)er 27
is in excessively worn and faded summer plumage, which is interspersed with
a few feathers of the winter dress. All the other birds in the series appear
to be adults in winter plumage, or young in their first autumn plumage, inter-
mixed, in some specimens, with more or less feathers of the winter plumage.

Mr. Frazar found the Northern Phalarope not uncommon in early autumn at

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 59

S m Jose tlel Cabo, where fourteen specimens were taken, the first on Au!j;ust
29, the hist on October 7. They I'recjuented the large fresh-water lagoon just
back of the beach, and as many as six or seven were sometimes to be seen at
one time scattered about on the surface of the water. A few were also met
with in the creeks which connected with this lagoon. Most of the birds ex-
amined had lost one or more toes, and two or three an entire foot, and part of
the tarsus, also, while others showed gaping wounds on the breast. These
mutilations were probably caused by the bites of fishes. This species has not
been previously reported from the Cape Region, but " Mr. Belding secured
three specimens at San Rafael, May 16 " (Bryant).

The Northern Phalarope is not known to breetl south of the Arctic regions.
It occurs abundantly at its seasons of migration along the coast of Califor-
nia, and in winter ranges as far southward as Guatemala and the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec.

Steganopus tricolor Vieill.

Wilson's Phalarope.

Steganopus wilsoni Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 188", 351 (La Paz and s.).
Phalaropus tricolor Bkyaxt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 271 (San Jose
del Cabo).

But three Wilson's Phalaropes are known to have been taken in Lower Cali-
fornia. Mr. Belding obtained the first some time in the spring of 1883, at San
Jose del Cabo, where Mr. Frazar collected the other two in August, 1887.
One of Mr. Frazar's specimens, shot on the 3()th of the month, is in the gray
winter plumage, but appears to be an old l)ird. The other, killed on the 31st,
is a young bird in a plumage intermediate between that of autumn and winter.
Both are males.

This species is doubtless rare in Lower California, for unlike the Northern
and Red Phalaropes it shuns salt water, and seldom visits either sea-coast of
North America, preferring, at all seasons, fresh-water ponds and rivers in the
interior, where its breeding range extends from the more northerly United
States to about latitude 55° N. In winter it is said to be rather common on
some of the interior lakes in Mexico, and it has once been found in Guatemala.

Recurvirostra americana Gmel.

American Avocet.

Recurvirostra americana Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 351 (s. of lat.
24° 30'). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 271 (La Paz).

Mr. Frazar met with the Avocet only four times in all, at La Paz on Feb-
ruary 3, and at San Jose del Cabo on October 15, 18, and 26. On the first
three occasions single birds were seen, on the last a flock of eight. Mr. Beld-

60 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

iug gives the species as "not common" ; Mr. Bryant does not mention find-
ing it at all ; Mr. Anthony says that it is " not uncommon at San Quintin,
Colnett and Ensenada" in the northern part of the Peninsula, where it occurs
in autumn, only " about the fresh water marshes." ^

In Los Angeles county, California, it is " found in marshy districts in vary-
ing numbers throughout the year," and it " breeds commonly in the vicinity of
the Alamitos swamps and Nigger Slough." ^ In winter it migrates as far
southward as Guatemala.

Himantopus mexicanus (^ICll.).

Black-necked Stilt.

Himantopus mexicanus Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote
(Sierra de Santiago; Cape St. Lucas; San Jose' del Cabo). Beldixg,
Ibid., VL 1883, 352 (s. of lat. 24° 30'). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d
ser., II. 1889, 271 (La Paz).

Between September 14 and October 19 Mr. Frazar took four specimens of
the Stilt at San Jose del Cabo. He notes it as " not at all common " there, and
did not meet with it elsewhere. Xantus found it at Sierra de Santiago in Jan-
uary, and at Cape St. Lucas and San Jose del Cabo in February. Belding
gives it as "not common" in his list of birds found south of latitude 24° 30'.
There is no evidence that it breeds in this region.

In the northwestern part of the Peninsula Mr. Anthony has seen the Stilt
" during migrations about fresh water " (Bryant). According to Mr. Grinnell
it is " common in spring and fall on the margins of ponds and marshes " in
Los Angeles county, California, where it also " breeds locally in considerable
numbers. Evan Davis has taken eggs at Alkali Lakes near Santa Ana from
the first of May until August." ^

The Stilt apparently goes further southward in winter than the Avocet, in-
vading South America to Peru and Brazil. It breeds at least as far to the
southward as Matamoras, Mexico, and as far to the northward as Oregon.

Gallinago delicata (Ord).
Wilson's Snipe.

Gallinarjo wilsoni Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Xat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (San

Jose'). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 351 (La Paz and s.).
Gallinago delicata Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 271, 272 (San

Jose del Cabo; La Paz).

Mr. Belding notes Wilson's Snipe as " rare," but Mr. Frazar found it in con-
siderable numbers at both San Jose del Cabo and Santiago. Near the former

1 Zee, IV. 1893, 231. « Qrinnell, Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 16.

8 Ibid.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 61

place three were seen as early as August 28 ; the date of greatest abumlauce
was October 18, after which there was a rapid decrease, the last bii'd being seen
on November 9. At Santiago, however, these Snipe were numerous on No-
vember 17, and a single bird was flushed near the summit of the Sierra de la
Laguna, on November 28. Mr. Bryant " saw a few at Comondu in March and
April, 1888," and Mr. Anthony found them rare " in the region embraced in
his explorations (San Fernando to Ensenada) " (Bryant).

Wilson's Snipe migrates as far southward as Central America, and breeds
from Oregon northward.

Macrorhamphus scolopaceus (Sat).
Long-billed Dowitcher.

At San Jose del Cabo Mr. Frazar killed nine Long-billed Dowitchers on
August 28, and during September and October large flocks were seen almost
daily. They were also very common at Santiago in November, the latest date
mentioned in Mr. Frazar's notes being the 17th. In view of these facts it
seems curious that the bird has not been previously reported from this region.
A little farther north, however, Mr. Bryant has found it ^ " common at Mag-
dalena Bay, where small flocks associated with willet and godwit," and still
more plentiful on mud flats along the estero to the northward of this Bay, where
it occurred in March.

Red-breasted Snipe, presumably of this species, were found commonly on the
Pacific coast of Guatemala by Mr. Salvin,"'^ and specimens are said to have
been taken in Chili. Dr. Brewer gives its breeding range as extending "from
lat. 44° N. to the Arctic Ocean." 8

Tringa maculata Vieill.

Pectoral Sandpiper.

This Sandpiper, also, is an addition to the fauna of the Cape Region. In-
deed, it does not seem to have been previously reported from any part of
Lower California. It is represented in Mr. Frazar's collection by nine speci-
mens taken at various dates between September 2 and October 24 at San
Jose del Cabo, where, according to the accompanying notes, it occurred in
considerable numbers.

The Pectoral Sandpiper is " not rare at San Francisco Bay in winter,"
according to Dr. Cooper,* but it does not appear to have been found in any

1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 272.

2 Ibis, 1865, 191.

3 Bairil, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., 1. 1884, 197.

4 Auk, III. 1886, 124.

62 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

other part of California. It is believed to breed only within the Arctic regions,
but it mi.Ljrates southward in winter as far as Chili, and even to northern
Patagonia. ■^

Tringa bairdii (Coces).

Baird's Sandpiper.

Still another Sandpiper new not only to the Cape Region, but to the Penin-
sula at large, is the present species, of which Mr. Frazar took four specimens
at San Jose del Cabo between September 3 and 13. According to Baird,
Brewer, and Ridgway, it had not been " recorded from the Pacific coast of the
United States " '-^ when the Water Birds appeared.

Baird's Sandpiper *' was found breeding on the Barren Grounds, June 24, by
Mr. MacFarlane," ^ and is believed to winter in South America, where it goes
as far south as Peru and Chili. Its migrations, in North America at least,
are performed chiefly through the interior. Although it is supposed to be
normally confined to the New World, a specimen has been taken at Walfish
Bay in South Africa.

Tringa minutilla Vieill.
Least Sandpiper.

Actodromas minutilla Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Todos

Santos).
Tringa minutilla Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 211 ser., II. 1889, 272 (Todos

Santos).

Mr. Ridgway's mention of a specimen without date taken by Xantus at
Todos Santos (on the west coast) appears to be the only previous record of the
occurrence of this species in the Cape Region. Nevertheless it visits the Gulf
coast of the Peninsula in considerable numbers, both in spring and autumn, for
Mr. Frazar took two specimens on March 6, at Carmen Island, and no less than
eleven the fullowing autumn at San Jose del Cabo. At the latter place they
were first seen on August 23, and by the 28th had become numerous. Through
September they were met with almost daily, but none were observed after
October 3. Mr. Bryant says that " Mr. Anthony noticed them at San Quintin
Bay. At Magdalena Bay they were seen in small flocks and specimens taken ;
also at lower Purisima canon."

The Least Sandpiper breeds chiefly if not exclusively north of the United
States. It is of common occurrence on the coast of California in winter, when
it also visits central and northern South America, as well as the Galapagos
Islands.

1 Ibis, 1877, 4.3.

2 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., I. 1884, 230.

3 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Loc. cit., 232.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LO\YER CALIFORNIA. 63

Tringa alpina pacifica (Coues).

Red-backed San^dpiper.

Pelidna alpina americana Belding, Proc. U. S. Xat. Mus., VI. 1883, 351 (s. of lat.
24° 30').

Mr. Belding found the Red-backed Sandpiper " very common in winter "
south of latitude 24° 30', in 1882-83. It has not been reported from this
region by any one else, and was not met with Idv Mr. Frazar. Mr. Bryant is
not sure that he "saw any of this species at Magdalena Bay." He states that
Mr. Belding " mentions it as abundant at San Quintin Bay, May 2, 18S2, but
rare by May 10."

The American Red-backed Sandpiper is not known to occur south of Lower
California on the Pacific coast, and the greater number of individuals probably
winter north of San Francisco, for it is a hardy bird and quite able to endure
rather severe frost. Its breeding grounds lie exclusively north of the United
States.

Ereunetes occidentalis Lawk.
Western Sandpiper.

Ereunetes pusillus occidentalis Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. ]Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape

Region).
Ereunetes occidentalis Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 272 (Cape

Region).

Mr. Belding gives this species without remarks in his list of birds noted be-
tween December 15, 1881, and May 17, 1882. Mr. Frazar found it only at San
Jose del Cabo, where it was abundant during the last week of August and most
of September, the last specimen being taken on the 30th of the latter month.
Mr. Bryant mentions seeing "a few in a flock of T. minutilla'" at Magdalena
Bay, and adds that Mr. Belding found it abundant at San Quintin Bay " May
2, 1882, but rare by May 10." Mr. Grinnell states that it visits the coast
of Los Angeles county, California, " in immense flocks during September and
April." 1

The Western Sandpiper breeds in Alaska, and winters on the coast of Central
America. 2

1 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 17.

^ Seebohm, Geogr. Distr. Charadriidae, 1888, 404.

64 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Calidris arenaria (Linn.).
Sanderlixg.

Calidris arenaria Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Soi. Phila., 1859, 301, 306 (Cape St.
Lucas). RiDGWAT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Cape
Region). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2 J ser., II. 1889, 272 (Cape
Region).

There is a nominal mention of the Sauderling in Professor Baird's notes on
the Xantus collection of 1859, but Mr. Belding does not include it in any of
his lists. It was found by ^Ir. Frazar only at San Jose del Cabo, where, on
the sea beach, three specimens were seen and two shot on October 18, and
four seen and three taken on October 22. The species winters abundantly on
the northwestern coast of the Peninsula according to Mr. Bryant, who also
records a single bird obtained " on Santa Margarita Island March 4, 1889, from
a flock of ^gialitis nivosa."

The Sanderling is a nearly cosmopolitan species, whose wanderings cover
almost the entire globe, but it breeds only in Arctic and Subarctic regions.
On the west coast of America its winter range extends to Patagonia. It is
"common throughout the winter in flocks on the sandy sea beaches" of Los
Angeles county, California, where it regularly lingers until the middle of May,
and sometimes as late as the first week of June.^

Limosa lapponica baueri (Nacm.).
Pacific Godwit.

Limosa lapponica novae-zealandiae Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545

(Cape Region).
Limosa lapponica baueri Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 273 (La

Paz).

A bare mention of the name of this Godwit in Mr. Bedding's list of the
Birds found in the Cape Region between December 15, 1881, and May 17, 1882,
constitutes the only record of its occurrence in North America, south of Alaska,
according to Mr. Ridgway,^ who informs me that the authenticity of the record
is open to no doubt, for the head of the specimen is preserved in the National
Museum. It is labeled simply " No. 86,418, La Paz," and, without question, is
that of an adult L. I. baueri in winter plumage. Mr. Belding writes me con-
cerning this bird : — "I can only say I killed it at La Paz, but was not aware
that I had taken anything but the common kind until Professor R. informed
me to the contrary. I believe I sent only a head and wings. I had hurt my
right hand by a large dead cactus that toppled over and fell on me. I could

1 Grinnell, Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 17. "^

2 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer, I. 1884, 258.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFOKNIA. 65

not skin a bird for more than a month. That accounted mostly for the frag-
ments of some water birds I sent to the Smithsonian."

The Pacific Godwit breeds abundantly in ALiska, where it was first found
by Dall, and afterwards by Elliott, Xelson, and Turner. Mr. Nelson in his
Report upon Natural History Collections made in Alaska between the years
1877 and 1881 (pp. 115, 116), gives a good account of its habits, changes of
plumage, etc. The members of this Alaska colony are supposed to cross the
Pacific Ocean during migration, and to winter, in company with the birds of
the same species which breed in the northern portions of eastern Asia, in the
islands of the Malay Archipelago, Australia, the New Hebrides, Norfolk Island,
and New Zealand.

Totanus melanoleucus frazari, subsp. nov.i

Gray Yellow-legs.

Totanus melanoleucus (not Scohpax melanojeucus Gmelin) Ridgwat, Proc. U. S.
Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 534, footnote (San Jose; Cape St. Lucas). Belding,
Ibid., VL 1883, 351 (s. of lat. 24° 30'). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d
ser., II. 1889, 273 (n. of La Paz).

Subspecific characters: — Slightly larger than T. melanoleucus; the bill somewhat
slenderer, the general coloring much grayer, the wliite streaks of the nape and top
of head broader ; the dark streaks of the juguluni, breast and sides of neck and
the dark bars on the sides of the body fewer, finer and fainter; the sides of the
he.id whiter, with less dark mottling.

Winter plumage : — Male (No. 17,815, collection of William Brewster, San Jose del
Cabo, Lower California, October 27, 1887 ; M. Abbott Frazar). Above light ashy
gray, tiie feathers of the back bordered with ashy white ; those of the scapulars
and wing coverts notched on both webs with brownish white ; upper tail coverts
white with a few dark bars; primaries dark slaty, lighter, and witli more or less
grayish mottling on the inner webs of most of the feathers ; tail white, all the
feathers barred with dusky; the middle feathers grayish with obscure dusky bars;
under parts pure white, the jugulum, fore part of breast and sides of neck finely
streaked with obscure dusky ; sides irregularly marked with grayish and dusky ;
under wing coverts and axillars white with obscure V shaped markings of dull
slaty; under tail coverts pure white, with a few narrow dark bars; sides of head
white with fine, sparse species of dusky everywhere, excepting over a space extend-
ing from above the eye to the base of tiie culmen, where the wliite is immaculate ;
a nearly solid patch of dusky on the anterior portion of the lores. Wing, 6.95;
tarsus, 2.30 ; length of bill from nostril, 1.86 ; depth at nostril, .25.

The bird above described, like all of my twenty or more additional speci-
mens which unmistakably belong to the same race, is in winter plumage.

1 Of the several names which have been bestowed on the Greater Yellow-legs
all appear to relate to the eastern bird, except Totanus chilmsis Philippt, Arch. f.
Nat., pt. I. 1857, 264 (Chili), which is indeterminable. I have named the new bird
for Mr. M. Abbott Frazar.

VOL. XLI. NO. 1 5

66 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

What the summer dress is like I am not prepared to state, but I have reasons
for suspecting that breeding examples of the eastern and western (or interior)
forms are not easily distinguishable from one another. I was at first inclined
to think that the bird which I have named frazari was merely the adult of
melanoleucus in winter plumage, but a careful examination of Mr. Frazar's
specimens has satisfied me that several of them are young, and on comparing
them with a good series of both adults and young of melanoleucus, shot at corre-
sponding dates in New England, I have become convinced that the differences
to which 1 have just called attention cannot be satisfactorily explained other
than b)"^ the assumption that they characterize two distinct geographical races.
A rather puzzling feature of the case is that I have several specimens perfectly
typical of melanoleucus from British Columbia, and a dozen or more equally
characteristic oi frazari from Georgia and Florida, but birds of such free powers
of flight as Yellow-legs are notorious wanderers, and it may be that frazari
breeds only in the interior of British America and that it does not visit either
the Atlantic or Pacific coast until it has passed well to the southward of the
northern boundary of the United States.

This hitherto unrecognized form of the Greater Yellow-legs is, no doubt, the
bird which Mr. Xantus found at San Jose del Cabo (December) and Cape St.
Lucas (date not recorded), which Mr. Belding gives as " very common in
winter " south of latitude 24^ 30', and which Mr. Bryant reports as " tolerably
common along the estero " north of Magdalena Bay and also " seen about fresh
water at Comondu and San Pedro." Mr. Frazar noted a single bird at La Paz
on March 21, and between September 19 and October 20 collected fourteen
specimens at San Jose del Cabo, where, however, he did not meet with them
in any great numbers. His latest record at this place is November 9, when
two birds were observed.

Totanus flavipes (Gmel.).
Yellow-legs.

Although the Yellow-legs has not been previously recorded from any part
of Lower California Mr. Frazar found it much more numerous than T. melano-
leucus frazari. It was, however, observed only at San Jose del Cabo where it
became common as early as August 28, but did not reach its maximum abun-
dance until the middle of September, when upwards of two hundred were
sometimes seen in the coi;rse of a single day. After September 20, its num-
bers rapidly diminished and the last bird was taken on October 7.

This Yellow-legs winters as far south as Patagonia and breeds in the Arctic
and Subarctic portions of North America.

BHEWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 67

Helodromas solitarius (Wils.).

Solitary Sandpiper.

[Totanus] solitarius Brewster, Auk, VII. 1890, 378 (crit.; San Jose del Cabo).

An adult male Solitary Sandpiper (No. 17,739) taken by ]Mr. Frazar at
San Jos6 del Cabo, on October 28, agrees perfectly in size as well as coloring
Avith autumnal adults of this species from the Eastern States, and is apparently
true solitarius which is probably a mere accidental wanderer to this region, for
all the other specimens in the collection belong to the following subspecies.
It is possible, however, that the bird ju.^t referred to is really an exceptionally
small example of cinnamovieus, for the latter when in fully mature plumage
does not appear to differ in respect to either color or markings from solitarius.

Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus (Brewst.).

Western Solitary Sandpiper.

Totanus solitarius cinnamomeus Brewster, Auk, VII. 1890, 377, 378 (orig. descr. ;
type from San Jose' del Cabo).

This form was found only at San Jo.>e del Cabo where, between August 25
and September 2, seven specimens were taken. It is characterized in Mr.
Frazar's notes as "not numerous" and it was not seen after September 28.
Neither this nor the typical- form has been detected elsewhere in Lower
Califurnia.

H. solitarius is recorded from California and from South America as fur
south as Peru, but it is safe to assume that many if not most of the birds which
migrate up and down the Pacific coast are really representatives of the pre.^ent
subspecies.

According to Mr. Grinnell cinwimomeus is the only form which occurs in
Los Angeles county, California, where it is a " common migrant on the interior
lowlands." ^ It probably does not breed anywhere to the southward of
British Columbia.

Symphemia semipalmata inornata Buewst.
Western Willet.

Symphemia semipalmata (not Srolopax semipalmata Gmelin) Ridgwat, Proc. U. S.
Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Cape Region). Beldixg, Ibid., VI. 1883,
351 (s. oflat. 24=30').

1 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 17.

68 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Symphemia semipalmata inornata Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
273 (near La Paz).

My reference of the specimens taken by Mr. Frazar to this form is tentative
and based largely on geographical considerations, for I confess that I am quite
unable to find any characters which may be depended on to separate inoriuda
from semipalmata when in the gray plumage. The difference in size is merely
an average difference, and in winter the two birds appear to be colored pre-
cisely alike. It is, indeed, not impossible that both forms are represented in
my series from the Cape Region, although certainly more probable that all
the birds which visit the Peninsula, as well as those which occur in California,
are inornata.

Mr. Frazar met with this Willet in winter at La Paz and in autumn at San
Jose del Cabo, where the first individual was seen on September 6, the last on
October 18. The birds were not numerous at either place, and only four
specimens were taken.

Mr. Belding seems to have had a different e.x;perience, for he found Willets,
which presumably belonged to this subspecies " very common in winter "
south of latitude 24"^ 30'. Mr. Bryant speaks of seeing the Western Willet at
Magdalena Bay in April (as late as the 28th) and he further states that " at
San Quintin Bay Mr. Anthony noted them as abundant in winter, and a few
were seen throughout the summer."

The Willet has a very extended range, occurring from about 56° N. latitude
to the Pampas in South America. Neither the summer nor winter distribu-
tion of the subspecies inornata is at all definitely known, but it has been found
in winter in the southern United States and it certainly breeds in Utah,
Dakota, and other inland districts of North A<nerica. Mr. Grinnell reports
that it is a " common migrant and occasional through the winter on the
tide marshes along the coast " of Los Angeles county, California.^

Heteractitis incanus (Gmel.).

Wandering Tatler.

Mr. Ridgway, in the Manual,^ says that the adult of H. incanus in the winter
plumage is " without any bars on lower parts," but two of Mr. Frazar's speci-
mens, both taken on October 1 and otherwise in apparently full winter dress,
have the middle of the breast, the abdomen, and the under tail coverts rather
conspicuously and coarsely barred with slaty brown. A third, shot the same
day, has the breast and sides similarly barred, but the middle of the abdomen
and the under tail coverts are immaculate. As the barred feathers in all three
birds are more or less worn and apparently remnants of the summer plumage,
it is probable that they would have disappeared later in the season.

1 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 17.

2 Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 167.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 69

The Wandering Tatler was of course to be expected in this region, for it is
a common bird on the coast of California, and was found by Mr. Belding at
Cerros Island,^ while it has occurred as far to the southward as the Galapagos.
Mr. Frazar, however, seems to have been the first to detect it in the region of
which this paper especially treats. He met with it only twice, on October 1
and 22, both times on a rocky point that juts out into the sea near San Jose
del Cabo. On the first occasion he saw nine birds, of which seven were
secured. Their attitudes when standing on the rocks were like those of Oyster-
catchers, but their actions more nearly resembled those of the Spotted Sand-
piper, although none of the " teetering " motions which are so characteristic of
the latter were observed. During his second visit to this point only one
bird was found.

Actitis macularia (Linn.).

Spotted Sandpiper.

Tringoides macularius Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region),

548 (San Jest').
Actitis macularia Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 273, (Cape

Region).

On comparing fifteen specimens (all autumn birds) of this Sandpiper from
the Cape Region with a large number of eastern examples I find that the bills
of the former are almost invariably longer, although the other dimensions do
not appear to be greater. In coloring, the Lower California birds are in no
way peculiar. A" male shot on September 1 has the entire abdomen, as well
as the breast posteriorly, sparsely but coarsely spotted with dull black.
Another male, taken on October 26, also shows a few fine dusky spots on
the flanks and anal region. In both specimens the spotted feathers are fresh,
unworn, and evidently a part of the winter plumage, although Mr. Ridgway
describes this ^ as without spotting on the under parts.

Mr. Belding, in his list of birds seen on May 17, 1882, at San Jose del Cabo,
characterizes the Spotted Sandpiper as " rare," but Mr. Frazar found it at this
place in consideralde numbers during the whole of September, and less numer-
ously, but still rather frequently, in October, up to the 26th. He also noted
it as " not rare " at Carmen Island on March 6, and his collection contains a
bird taken at Triunfo on April 8. Mr. Brj'ant reports it from Magdalena
Baj^ and Ensenada, and adds that " Mr. Anthony has seen it in the fall, and
Mr. Belding May 12, at San Rai\iel."

The Spotted Sandpiper visits Central America and the northern portions
of South America in winter, but it is not known to breed south of the United
States. To the northward, along the Pacific coast, its summer range extends
to Alaska.

1 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus , V. 1883, 532.

2 Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2J ed., 1896, 170.

70 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Numenius longirostris Wils.

LOXG-BILLED CUKLEW.

Numenius longirostris Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 273 (Cape Kegion).

Mr. Frazar fouiKl tlie Long-billed Curlew at La Paz, where it was " commoii
in February," and at San Jose del Cabo, whence he sent me several specimens
collected late in August and early in September. Mr. Belding mentions it
■without comment in hi.s list of birds seen in the winter and spring of 1881-82.
Mr. Bryant considers it rare about Magdalena Bay, but says that further north-
ward, according to Mr. Anthony, it is "very abundant along the coast in
winter, and fairly swarming at San Quintin Bay."

The range of this species on the Pacific coast extends from Vancouver's
Island to Guatemala. It breeds in the interior, not anywhere to the southward
of California, so far as is known.

Numenius hudsonicus Lath.
HuDSONiAx Curlew.

Numenius hudsoninis Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region),
547 (San Jose del Cabo). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
274 (Cape Region).

This Curlew, according to Mr. Frazar, is more numerous in Lower California
than the Long-billed species. Lilce the latter, it occurred in February and
March at La Paz, and in the autumn at San Jose del Cabo, where the first
(three birds) were seen on August 29, and the greatest number about Septem-
ber 15, after which they became scarce. Mr. Bryant reports them common
at Magdalena Bay, and they have been observed at San Quintin Bay by Mr.
Anthony.

The Hudsonian Curlew breeds only in the extreme northern portions of the
American continent, but it migrates as far southward as Patagonia, and has
been seen on the Galapagos. According to Mr. Grinnell, it is of common
occurrence in Los Angeles county, California, during the migrations in .sprin^'
and autumn.^

Squatarola squatarola (Linn.).

Black-bellied Plover.

Squatarola helvptira Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape Region).
Charadrius squatarola Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 274 (Cape
Eegion).

1 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 18.

BREWSTER : BIEDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 71

A few Black-bellied Plover were seen by Mr. Frazar at San Jose del Cabo,
the first (two in number) on October 18, the last on November 9. They were
rather common at Loreto and Carmen Island in March, at which season they
are also found in small flocks on Santa Margarita Island, according to Mr.
Bryant, while Mr. Belding has observed them as late as May 10, at San
Quintin Bay.

Although this Plover is said to occur during the entire winter on the coast of
California, it is known to migrate as far south as Peru. It breeds in the Arctic
regions.

Charadrius dominicus Mull.
American Golden Plover.

Mr. Frazar killed an American Golden Plover at San Jose del Cabo on
October 18, and thinks he saw a few others about the same time. His speci-
men, a young male (No. 17,656), in fresh autumn plumage, is typical domini-
cus. No form of the Golden Plover is known to have been taken before in any
part of Lower California.

C. dominicus has occurred as far south as Chili on the Pacific coast. It is
apparently a rare visitor to California, for Dr. Brewer states ^ that Dr. Cooper
" has only seen a single specimen, shot near San Francisco by Mr. J. Hepburn."
The Golden Plover is confined to the Arctic regions during the season of
reproduction.

Aegialitis vocifera (Linn.).
Killdeer.

Aegialitis vociferus Baied, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 306 (Cape St.
Lucas).

Oxyechus vociferus Eidgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Cape
St. Lucas). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 351 (s. of lat. 24° 30').

Aegialitis vocifera Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 274 (Cape Re-
gion ; Cape St. Lucas).

The Killdeer is resident in the Cape Region. Mr. Frazar found it rather
rare at La Paz in winter, but it was abundant about San Jose del Cabo through
September, its numbers decreasing rapidly after October 1. On top of the
Sierra de la Laguna some ten pairs were nesting early in May, and a few birds
lingering as late as November 28. Throughout the northern and central por-
tions of the Peninsula it is said to be common and very generally distributed.
On San Pedro Martir it has been observed by Mr. Anthony as high as 9,000
feet altitude.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, "Water Birds N. Amer., I. 1884, 143.

72 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

This species visits various parts of northern South America in winter, and a
few birds are supposed to breed in northern Mexico, but the majority doubtless
nest north of the southern boundary of the United States.

Aegialitis semipalmata (Bonap.).

Semipalmated Plover.

Aegialitis semipalmata Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., VI. 1883, 351 (s. of lat.
24° 30'). Bryant, Froc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 274 (near La
Paz).

Mr. Frazar found this Plover common at La Paz in February, at Carmen
Island in March, and at San Josd del Cabo from August 23 to the latter part
of October. Mr. Belding notes it as " moderately common " south of latitude
24° 30', and Mr. Bryant saw a flock of seven at Magdalena Bay on March 12,
1889, while Mr. Anthony reports it common at San Quintin Bay.

The Semipalmated Plover breeds in the Arctic and Subarctic regions, and on
the west coast of America migrates as far south as Peru and Chili.

Aegialitis nivosa Cass.
Snowy Plover.

Aegialitis alexandrinus nivosus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape

Region).
Aegialitis iiivosa Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 274 (Cape

Region).

The numerous autumnal specimens of the Snowy Plover collected by Mr.
Frazar show surprisingly little variation except in respect to size. The adult
males are quite as ashy above as the young birds, from which they can be dis-
tinguished, however, by the much darker bars on the sides of their breasts and
by the presence of a few black feathers on that part of the forehead occupied
by a conspicuous black band in breeding males.

Mr. Frazar saw a small flock of Snowy Plover in March on the island of San
Jose. He afterwards found them at San Josd del Cabo where they were com-
mon during September, October, and the first half of November, occurring
usually in flocks of not more than six or eight birds, although fully thirty
were seen together on one occasion. They w^ere very tame, but when pursued
attempted to elude observation by squatting in holes or depressions. At one
time all the birds of the large flock just mentioned concealed themselves in
footprints left by horses in the sand of the beach, showing only their heads
above the level of the surrounding surface.

Mr. Belding makes only a nominal mention of this species in his papers
relating to the Cape Region. To the northward Mr. Bryant has found it common

BKEWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 73

in March on Santa Margarita Island, and it has been reported from Santa Ro-
salia Bay. On the Pacific coast the Snowy Plover is found from California to
northern Chili, " and there is no evidence that it is a migratory bird in any
part of its range." ^

Aegialitis wilsonia (Oed).
"Wilson's Plover.

Ochthodromns wilsonius Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 545 (Cape

Region).
Aegialitis wilsonia Bktant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 275 (Cape

Region).

My Lower California specimens of "WUson's Plover have considerably less
white on the forehead and sides of the head than do the birds from the eastern
United States. In the latter the forehead and superciliary stripes are pure
white and the lores often whitish. In the former the lores are always dusky,
the superciliary stripe is usually narrow and sometimes indistinct, and the
white of the forehead often more or less mi.xed with gray. The upper parts
are a shade darker, and in the female the pectoral band is somewhat broader
and duskier. In some of these respects the Lower California birds resemble
Mr. Ridgway's well marked form rufinucha, or rather, to be more precise,
they have even less white about the head than has that subspecies. In respect
to the amount and depth of the rufous on the head and neck, however, they do
not differ from typical unhonia, to which, I think, they may best be referred. -

Mr. Frazar found Wilson's Plover " common at La Puz in February and at
Carmen Island early in March." His collection also includes two specimens
from San Jos6 del Cabo, taken respectively on October 18 and 22. The former
date is referred to in his notes as that of the "arrival" of the species. In
another connection he characterizes it as a "winter resident only." If it does
not breed near Cape St. Lucas the question at once arises where the birds which
occur there in winter come from, for none have been reported from any locality
in the central or northern portions of the Peninsula. !Mr. Seebohm says ^ that
A. wilsonia breeds "as far north as California," but no authority is given for
this statement. Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway limit* its northward range on the
Pacific coast to Cape St. Lucas. Southward it occurs on the western shores of
Mexico, Central America, and South America to the extreme northern part of
Peru. Throughout this range it is said to breed wherever found.

1 Seebohm, Geogr. Distr. Charadriidae, 1888, 172.

2 Since writing the above I find that Mr. Ridgway has called attention to some
of these peculiarities as illustrated by specimens from Mazatlan and Cape St.
Lucas in tiie collection of the National Museum (Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway,
Water Birds. N. Amer., I. 1884, 169).

3 Geogr. Distr. Charadriidae, 1888, 155. * Loc. cit., 168.

74 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY,

Arenaria morinella (Linn.).
KuDDT Turnstone.

All of the six Turnstones collected in Lower California by Mr. Frazar ap-
pear to be morinella. At least they are not larger than the birds found in
eastern America, nor, so far as I can see, unlike them in respect to color or
markings. No one of them is in fully mature plumage, even the two speci-
mens which were taken in March being closely similar in coloring to the four
young birds killed the following autumn. According to Dr. Palmer,^ however,
it is not difficult to distinguish immature specimens of morinella from those of
interpres.

This Turnstone, now for the first time reported from the Cape Eegion, was
found by Mr. Frazar at Carmen Island and San Jose del Cabo. At the former
place it was common on March 12 ; at the latter a few were seen at various
dates between August 31 and October 21. The collection includes specimens
from both of these localities. Mr. Anthony has observed Turnstones belong-
ing either to this form or to interpres in April, at San Ysidro, and Mr. Bryant
has met with others, in February and March, 1888, on Magdalena Island and
in March, 1889, on Santa Margarita Island. On the latter island Mr. Bryant
has also found Arenaria melanoceplmla, a species which doubtless occasionally
visits the Cape Region.

A. morijiella is said to occur throughout "America from the Arctic regions
north of Hudson Bay and westward to the Mackenzie River, along the Atlantic
watershed, though generally coastwise, to Patagonia and the Falkland Islands."
It " breeds about Hudson Bay, northward and eastward," and is at all seasons
"rare on the Pacific slope." A. inter})res ranges over the greater part of the
Old World and breeds in Alaska and from Japan " westward around to the
more northern British islands, Azores (?), and Greenland." *

Haematopus frazari Beewst.
Frazar's Oyster-catcher.

Haematopus palliatus (not of Temminck) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VL
18S3, 351 (La Paz).

Haematopus frazari Brewster, Auk, V. 1888, 84, 85 (orig. descr. ; type from Car-
men island). A. 0. IT. Comm., Suppl. to Check List, 1889, 7; Clieck List,
abridged ed., 1889, and 2d ed., 1895, no. 286.1. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.
Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 275, 276 (La Paz, etc.). Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat.

1 Fur Seals and Fur Seal Islands N. Pacific Oc, pt. IIL 1899, 408-418.

2 Palmer, Loc. cit., 408.

BREWSTER: BIRPS OF THE CAPE REGIOX, LOWER CALIFORXIA. 75

Mus., XIII. 1890, 138 (Concepcion Bay). Coces, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th
ed., 18".»4, 001, 905 (descr. ; Lower Calif). Riugw.w, Man. N. Anier. Birds,
2d ed., 1896, 588 (descr. ; Lower Calif., both coasts). Sharpe, Cat. Birds
Brit. iMus., XXIV. 1896, 117 (descr.; Carmen Island), 730.

Hoematopiu fmseri (err. typ.), Elliot, N. Amer. Shore Birds, 1895, 210, 211, pi.
72 (descr. ; habits ; crit. ; Gulf of Calif., n. of La Paz).

H.[arm(itopus] frazeri (err. typ.), Elliot, Lnc. cit., 252 (key to species).

[Haematopus] frazari Sharpe, Hand-list, I. 1899, 147.

Mr. Beldinji's statement that if. imlliatus is " of occasional occurrence on the
mud flats at La Paz " undoubtedly relates to this species, although the latter
was found by Mr. Frazar only on the sandy islands and shores of the Gulf to
the northward of the place just mentioned. It was particularly common on
Carmen Island early in March, when all the birds seen were paired and evi-
dently about to breed. There is a specimen in the National Museum which
was taken by Mr. Belding at the Coronados Islands off the Pacific coast of
Ijower California " about twenty miles south and west of San Diego."

:Mr. Bryant found H. frazari " tolerably common at Magdalena Bay and
northward, and on Santa Margarita Island. They were mated in January.
They were rather shy, running rapidly on the beach, and if approached, taking
wing with loud, clear, whistling notes, and after flying some distance, alighting
again at the water's edge. Their food was chiefly small bivalves found in the
gravelly beach. Two birds were obtained, of one fragments only were saved."

It is a curious fact that H. jinlludus is represented in the collection of the
National Museum by apparently typical specimens from the western coasts of
Mexico, Tehuautepec, Peru, and Chili, and that H. frazari, which is most
closely allied to the Galapagos species (H. galapagensis) , is known only from
Lower California.

Haematopus bachmani Aud.

Black Oyster-catcher.

Haemafopus bachmani Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., 11. 1889, 276 (La
Paz).

Of this Oyster-catcher Mr. Bryant says: " A few were seen on Los Coronados
Islands by Mr. Belding, also at San Quintin Bay and La Paz. Mr. Anthony
has found them more common on the northwest coast than the preceding species
[H. frazari]." The mention of La Paz in the above quotation constitutes,
apparently, the only record of the occurrence of the bird in the Cape Region,
which probably represents the extreme limit of its range southward. To the
northward it is found nearly everywhere along the Pacific coast from California
to the Aleutian Islands.

76 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY-

Lophortyx calif ornicus vallicola (Ridgw.).
Valley Partridge.

Lophortyx californica (not Tetrao californicus Shaw) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.

Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V.

1883, 544 (Cape Region), 547 (Pichalinque Bay).
Lophortyx californicus (not Tetrao californicus Shaw) Baird, /. c, 305 (Cape St.

Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, IIL 1874,

482, part (breeding at Cape St. Lucas).
Callipepla californica vallicola Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,

276 (Cape Region; Piclialinque Bay). Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,

XIIL 1890, 136 (Cape St. Lucas). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer Birds, pt.

I. 1892, 29 (descr. eggs from Cape St. Lucas).

The specimens collected by Mr. Frazar are slightl}' paler than my examples
from California, and their bills average a little heavier, but these differences are
neither well marked nor constant.

The Valley Partridge is very common, and of course resident, throughout the
low country of the Cape Region. Mr. Frazar found it in the greatest numbers
at Triuufo and San Jose del Rancho. About La Paz it was not numerous, and
none were seen on the Sierra de la Laguna. The latter fact is somewhat re-
markable, for on San Pedro Martir, in the northern part of Lower California,
Mr. Anthony has met with large flocks at an altitude of 8,200 feet. i\Ir.
Bryant mentions a nest containing thirteen eggs found at Calmalli on April
13, 1889. The bird is apparently generally distributed over the entire Penin-
sula, excepting, as just stated, on the high mountains south of La Paz. It also
occurs in the interior of California, being replaced in the coast districts of that
State by the typical form, L. califorriicus. Mr. Ridgway informs me that he
was mistaken in stating (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533) that the Plumed
Quail (Oreortyx pictus plumiferus) had been taken by Mr. Xantus at Cape St.
Lucas, and that he knows of no good evidence to show that it has ever occuiTed
in the Cape Region.

Columba fasciata vioscae Brewst.
Viosca's Pigeon.

Columba flavirostris Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 508, part (Cape St. Lucas). Cofes,
Check List, 1873, 73, no. 368, part.

\^Cnlnmh(i] flavirostris CocES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 225, part (Cape St. Lucas).

Columba fasciata (not of Say) Ridgway, Norn. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat.
Mus., no. 21), 1881, 40, no. 456, part; Proc. U. S Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533,
footnote (Cape St. Lucas ; Miraflores). Codes, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 91,
no. 539, part. Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 18S3, 350 (Victoria
Mts.). A. 0. U., Check List, 1886, 178,. 179, no. 312, part.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 77

Cohimba fasciata vioscae Brewstek, Auk, V. 1888, 86 (orig. descr. ; type from La
Laguna). A. O. U. Comm., Suppl. to Check List, 1889, 8; Check List,
abridged ed., 1889, and 2d ed., 1895, no. 312 a. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.
Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 277 (Cape St. Lucas; Miratlores ; Victoria Mts.) ;
Zee, IL 1891, 198 (Victoria Mts.). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds,
pt. L 1892, 127, 128, pi. 3, fig. 18 (descr. nest and egg from near Pierce's
Ranch, Lower Calif.). Codes, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 904
(descr.; Lower Calif.). Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 591
(descr.; a. portions of Lower Calif.).

Columha vioscae Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXI. 1893, 293, 294 (quotes
orig. descr.; San Jose del Rancho ; Lower Calif.).

[Culumha] vioscae Sharpe, Hand-list, 1. 1899, 70.

This Pigeon seems to be strictly confinetl to the Cape Region, for neither Mr.
Brvant nor Mr. Anthony has succeeded in finding it in the central or northern
portions of the Peninsula where true fasciata is also apparently wanting.

On reaching the summit of the Sierra de la Laguna, on April 26, 1887, Mr.
Frazar saw his first Viosca's Pigeons. At this date they were not numerous,
nor did they become so until May 15, when they began cooing. During the
latter part of May they were abundant, although still in flocks, some of which
contained upwards of fifty birds each. They continued to increase in numbers
up to the date of Mr. Frazar's departure — June 9. A female taken on June 3
had apparently laid one egg and was certainly about to lay another. This was
the only instance of breeding noted here. The people living in the neighbor-
hood asserted that eggs were seldom found before August, and that the number
in a nest varies from one to two.

At San Jose del Rancho Viosca's Pigeons were numerous in July, feeding
"reedily on wild grapes, which were ripe by the 5th of the month. The
owner of this ranch said that the birds had first appeared there about the mid-
dle of May. They apparently did not begin breeding until the middle of July,
when a nest containing one egg was reported by a hunter. Mr. Frazar visited
this nest on July 22 and found it empty, but a broken egg was lying on the
croand beneath. On the 27th a perfect egg was taken from the oviduct of a
bird. By the last of July most of the Pigeons had left the neighborhood,
"owing probably to the grapes having gone by."

At San Jose del Cabo large flocks were observed in September passing south-
ward. Mr. Frazar believes that the majority left Lower California that season
before winter set in, although he saw a few on November 15 along the road
between San Jose and Miraflores and others at San Jose del Rancho, Decem-
ber 18-25. None were found on the Sierra de la Laguna between November
27 and December 2.

The note of this Pigeon seemed to Mr. Frazar " more the hoo of an Owl than
the coo of a Dove. It is given twice, and is low and deep in tone. The birds
fly in compact flocks but not as swiftly as the White-winged Doves."

Mr. Belding found i Viosca's Pigeon " abundant and breeding in February "

1 Loc. cit.

78 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

in the " Victoria Mountains," but gives no definite localities. "Several nests
were seen in oak trees, but not closely examined, however, they were so frail,
twigs alone having been used in their constraction. The eggs could be seen by
looking through them from below. Their flesh was here excellent, notwith-
standing they were subsisting principally upon the acorns of the deciduous
oak (Quercus grisea^.".

From this we must infer either that the eggs are laid at widely different
dates at different localities or in different years, or that the nesting season
extends over a period of more than six months in each year. The latter supposi-
tion seems the more reasonable in view of the fact that the breeding season of
the Ground Dove in the Cape Region is known to cover fully half the year.
The apparent migration of Viosca's Pigeons witnessed by Mr. Frazar was
probably exceptional and due to a failure of tlie usual food supply.

The eggs taken by Mr. Frazar measure respectively: 1.53 X 1-09 and 1.48
X 1.04. They are elliptical ovate in shape, with rather rough, granulated
shells of a dead, chalky white color.

Zenaidura macroura (Linn.).

Mourning Dove. Carolina Dove.

Zenaidura carolinensis Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 544 (Cape Region).
Zenaidura macroura Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1880, 277 (Cape

Pegion).
Mourning Dove Bryant, Zee, II. 1891, 189 (San Jose del Cabo).

Mr. Frazar found Carolina Doves abundant on the Sierra de la Lnguna in
early May, when they were apparently migrating, for all had left the moun-
tain before the end of the month. They were also seen in large numbers on
August 23 about half way between Miraflores and San Jos^ del Cabo, and at
the latter place they occurred sparingly during September. On December 3
a single bird was observed on the Sierra de la Laguna just below the lower
limits of the pine belt, and the species was common at Triunfo during the last
week of Decoriber. None were met with near La Paz, where, however, Mr.
Belding found them "very abundant" in the winter of lS81-]882. Their
presence or absence in any given locality at the latter season is doubtless
determined chiefly if not wholly by the fond supply.

In the central portions of Lower California, the Mourning Dove, according to
Mr. Bryant, is common in March, but less so in April ; still further northward
Mr. Anthony has seen it in spring and autumn " from the coast to an altitude
of 8,200 feet on La GruUa, but not very common anywhere " (Bryant) and
at various seasons near San Fernando where it is nowhere abundant.^ The
only definite proof of its breeding on the Peninsula seems to be that furnished

1 Anthony, Auk, XII. 1895, 137.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 79

by Mr. Bryant's record of a nest containing two fresh eggs found at Comondu
on April 15.

On the Pacific slope the Carolina Dove ranges from British Columbia to
Panama.

Melopelia leucoptera (Linn.).
White-winged Dove.

Melopelia leucoptera Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, .301, 305 (Cape St.

Lucas). Bated, Brewer, and Kidgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, III. 1874,

378 (breeding at Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V.

883, 544 (Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 350 (Victoria Mts.). Bryant, Proc.

Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, "277 (Cape Region; Victoria Mts.).

White-winged Dove Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 189 (San Jose del Cabo).

This Dove is abundant at all seasons over the entire Peninsula south of La
Paz, breeding at every altitude from the sea-coast to the tops of the highest
mountains. To the northward it extends at least as far as San Fernando
(about latitude 30°), where, according to Mr. Anthony, it is rather common
(Bryant). Mr. Frazar took fresh eggs at La Paz on March 24, and at Triunfo
in April and again in June. On the Sierra de la Laguna the birds were mated
in May, but apparently had not begun nesting at the date of Mr. Frazar's de-
parture (June 9). A few were seen on the summit of this mountain in
December.

The White-winged Dove occurs on or near the Pacific coast from Lower
California and Arizona to Costa Rica.

Columbigallina passerina pallescens (Baird).
Mexican Ground Dove.

Chamaepelia var. pallescens Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape

St. Lucas).
Chaviaepelia passerina 1 var. pallescens Baird, Loc. cit., 305 (orig. descr. ; types from

Cape St. Lucas).
Chamaepelia passerina (not Columha passerina Linnaeus) Baird, Rept. Pac. R. R.

Surv., IX. 1858, 606, 607 (La Paz, W. Hutton). Baird, Brewer, and Ridg-

-WAY, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, III. 1874, 392, part (breeding at Cape St. Lucas

from April 15 to Aug. 29).
Chamaepelia passerina, var. pallescens Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 517, 518 (descr. ;

Cape St. Lucas).
Chamaepelia passerina pallescens Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 544

(Cape Region).
Columhiiiallina passerina pallescens Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,

278 (Cape Region). Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIII. 1890, 137 (Cape

80 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

St. Lucas). BRTAN'T,Zoe,II. 1891,188, 189 (San Jose del Cabo). Bendire,
Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1892, 150 (eggs taken near Cape St. Lucas
by Xantus and at San Jose del Cabo by Belding).

This little Dove is resident in the Cape Region, where it appears to be quite
as numerous and almost as widely distributed as the White-winged Dove. It
is apparently uncommon among the higher mountains, however, for Mr.
Frazar saw only one or two on the Sierra de la Laguna in spring and none
durinw his visit in December. He met with it in the greatest numbers at San
Jos^ del Cabo, where a nest containing two fresh eggs was found as late as
October 18. As it was breeding at La Paz early in February and at most of
the places visited during the spring and summer there would seem to be only
three months in the year which are not included in its season of reproduction.
A nest taken at Pierce's Ranch on July 19 was nearly flat, about four inches in
width across the top, and composed chiefly of weed stalks. The two eggs
which it contained are dead white in color and measure respectively: .86 X .64
and .82 X .64.

The Mexican Ground Dove is apparently not at all common in the parts of
the Peninsula which Mr. Bryant visited, but more were seen about Coniondu
than elsewhere. The only specimen observed " on Santa Margarita Island was
taken January 26, 1888, when it came to a tank for water."

The range of this Ground Dove extends along the Pacific coast from Lower
California to Central America. The bird is also said to occur casually in
California.

Cathartes aura (Linn.).

Turkey Vulture.

Cathartes aura Belding, Proc U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 188-3, 544 (Cape Region), 548
(San Jose') ; VL 1883, 350 (Victoria Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,
2d ser., II. 1889, 278 (Cape Region).

Although no mention of the Turkey Vulture occurs in any of the papers
relating to Xantus's experience, the bird at this day is found at all seasons
throughout the southern extremity of Lower California, where, as well as nearly
everywhere in the central and northern portions of the Peninsula, it is an
abundant and. familiar species.

" They were common in Magdalena Island, frequenting the beach where cattle
and turtles were slaughtered. On Santa Margarita Island I counted twenty, early
one morning, perched on the tops of the giant cacti. The offal from a turtle killed
at midday attracted fourteen buzzards in less than three hours. During an ex-
ceedingly hot day I saw a number of them gathered about a water-hole at Pozo
Grande. Mr. Anthony says that they range m summer from sea-level to an alti-
tude of 11,000 feet, but are confined to the sea-coast and lower hills in winter"
(Bryant).

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 81

The single skin preserved bv Mr. Frazar does not differ in any respect from
more eastern and northern specimens.

The Turkey Vulture occurs along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to
Patagonia.

Circus hudsonius (Linn.).

Marsh Hawk.

Circus httdsoniits Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 544 (Cape Eegion).
Bkyast, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 278 (Cape KegionJ.

The Marsh Hawk apparently occurs in this region only in the character of
a winter visitor, but it has been found breeding by Mr. Anthony at Cape Col-
nett and San Ramon in the northern part of the Peninsula. At San Josd del
Cabo Mr. Frazar noted its arrival in autumn on September 5. It soon became
common and continued so during October and November. During the lat-
ter month it was seen at Santiago, and early in December on the Sierra de la
Laguna. At San Jose del Cabo Mr. Frazar found one of these Hawks devour-
ing a Coot (Fulica) which it had evidently just captured, for the poor victim
proved, on examination, to be still living.

The Marsh Hawk ranges south in winter to Panama and breeds from the
southern border of the United States northward.

Accipiter velox (Wils.).

Sharp- SHINNED Hawk.

Accipiter fuscns Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 544 (Cape Eegion).
Accipiter velox Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 279 (Cape Region).

Of this species Mr. Frazar collected three representatives, two males and one
female, all old birds in fine plumage. I am unable to find any difl'erences
whatever between these and eastern specimens.

Mr. Belding characterizes the Sharp-shinned Hawk as rare, but it Avas
seen by Mr. Frazar on a number of occasions and at various places, from the
sea-beach at San Jose del Cabo to the summit of the Sierra de la Laguna,
the earliest date in autumn being October 31, the latest in spring some time in
March. " Mr. Anthony gives it as resident of the region north of San Fer-
nando [about latitude 30°], ranging as high as 4,000 feet altitude " (Bryant).
Its general range extends as far south as the Isthmus of Panama and northward
into Alaska.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1 6

82 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAP.ATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Accipiter cooperii (Bonap.).

Cooper's Hawk.

Accipiter cooperi Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, footnote (Cape St.
Lucas; San Nicolas). Beldixg, Ibid., VI. 1883, 351 (La Paz and s.).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 279 (Cape St. Lucas;
La Paz).

The collection contains two specimens of this Hawk, a male and female,
both immature. They belong to the dark, heavily streaked form that has
been called A. mexicanus.

Cooper's Hawk was found by Mr. Frazar at much the same seasons and
places as A . velox. It was commoner, however, and apparently less strictly a
winter visitor, for it was seen at San Jose del Cabo as early as October 14
and on the Sierra de la Laguna as late as May 9, when a male in immature
plumage was taken.

In the northern portions of the Peninsula Mr. Anthony has found Cooper's
Hawk " common as high as 4,000 feet altitude until late in the spring," but
he does not remember to have " seen it after the last of May " (Bryant). It
breeds in California and northward into British Columbia and migrates south-
ward to southern Mexico.

Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi (Aud.).

Harris's Hawk.

Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 544 (San Jose
to Miraflores), 548 (San Jose). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889, 279 (San Jose del Cabo to Miraflores). Bexdire, Life ^ist. N. Amer.
Birds, pt. I. 1892, 204 (San Jose' del Cabo to Miraflores).

Harris's Hawk is apparently resident in the Cape Region. Mr. Belding met
with it frequently along the road from San Josd del Cabo to Miraflores and
noted it as common at the former place on May 17, 1882. Mr. Frazar found
it most numerously at Triunfo; he saw very few at San Jose del Cabo and
none on the Sierra de la Laguna. About La Paz it was decidedly rare. While
staying at the house of Mr. Viosca, the American Consul at La Paz, Mr. Frazar
had an interesting experience with a bird of this species. It came into the
yard — which was filled with trees and bounded on three sides by buildings,
on the fourth side by a fence, the total space enclosed being about thirty yards
gquare — and began splashing about in an oval water tank, making frantic
attempts to catch some of the numerous gold fish confined therein. The fish,
however, concealed themselves among the rocks on the bottom, and the Hawk
was shot before it had done any damage. Its plumage was thoroughly water-

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 83

soaked, its body very thin, indicating tliat it had been made desperate by
starvation.

Mr. Belding has seen Harris's Hawk about forty miles south of San Diego,
California, and hence very near the northern bounchiry of the Peninsula. Mr.
Br}\ant has observed it at San Jorge, near San .Juan, and at San Gregoria.
At the place last named he found a nest on April 6, 1889, built in the top of a
bush (Atamisq^iea emarginata) and containing two eggs, " one of them quite
fresh, the other with a small embryo."^

Mr. Anthony states that a few birds of this species nested in 1894 near San
Fernando, " in cirios between the mine and the beach," ^ and that during the
previous year others were seen in valleys " between Ensenada and Colnett,
and in one or two places on San Pedro [Martir] as high as 7000 feet."^

The general range of Harris's Hawk on or near the Pacific coast extends
from northern Lower California to Panama.

Buteo borealis calurus (Cass.).
Western Rep-tail.

B.\uteo\ lucasanus Ridgwat, in Coces, Key N. Anier. Birds, 1872, 216 (nominal

mention only under B. borealis; Cape St. Lucas).
[Buteo borealis] var. hccasanus Ridgway, in Bairu, Brewer, and Ridgwat, Hist.

N. Amer. Birds, III. 1874, 258 (key to species), 285, 286 (orig. descr. ; type

from Cape St. Lucas).
Buteo borealis calurus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 188-3, 544 (Cape Region) ;

VL 1883, 350 (Victoria Mts.). Ridgway, Ibid., V. 1883, 544 (crit. ; Cape

Region). Bryast, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 280 (Cape

Region).
Buteo borealis lucasanus Bryant, Loc. cit. (name only). Palmer, Auk, XIII. 1896,

342 (note on proper citation). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. L

1802, 217 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).
Buteo borealis Godmax and Sharpe, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, III. 1900, 63, 64, part

(crit.; Cape St. Lucas).

The determination of the Red-tailed Hawks collected by Mr. Frazar in
Lower California has proved .somewhat difficult, for they vary exceedingly in
color and markings. In fact I found it impossible to come to any satisfactory
conclusion regarding them until, thanks to the kindness of Mr. Ridgway and
Dr. Allen, I was able to compare them with the material in the U. S. National
Museum and in the American Museum of New York. This includes the type
of Buteo borealis lucasanus as well as four other specimens referred to that
form by Mr. Ridgway ; three specimens each, including the tj-pes, of Buteo
borealis socorroensis and B. h. costaricensis ; and a superb series of B. b. calurus,

^ Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 279, 280.
2 Auk, XII. 1895, 137.
8 Zoe, IV. 1893, 233.

84 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

coutaining a considerable number of specimens taken in Arizona by Dr. Meams
and now belonging to the American Museum. In addition my own collection
has supplied some thirteen specimens of calurits from various parts of the west-
ern United States.

On examining Mr. Frazar's birds, twenty-eight in number, in connection
with this material I have become convinced that so far as color and markings
are concerned they cannot be separated from adurus, for every one of them
mav be closely matched by one or more of the specimens from Arizona,
Colorado, or California ; while even as series the birds of the two regions show
no obvious differences except in size, those from the United States averaging
slightly larger than those obtained in Lower California by Mr. Frazar.

Buteo borealis var. lucasanus was originally described by Mr. Ridgway ^ as
differing from B. calurus in having " the upper parts more uniformly blackish,
and the upper tail-coverts and tail uniform rufous, the latter without a trace of
a black bar." ^

On examining the tail of the specimen (No. 16,925 Smith. Cat., Cape St.
Lucas, Sept. 15, 1859 ; J. Xantus) from which this description was taken I
find, however, very decided indications of a dark subterminal band. This is
represented by a transverse series of short, narrow, blackish bars more or less
broken and confused, mainly confined to the inner webs of the feathers and in
no instance continuous across both webs. The black is rather faint on most of
the feathers, but on some of the inner ones is perfectly distinct, and on one of
them is really sharply defined and very conspicuous, forming a solid bar, .15
of an inch in width, which extends from the shaft of the feather three quarters
of the distance across its inner web. Of the outer pair of feathers one is
apparently without any dark color near its tip, but both, as well as all the other
rectrices, have a varying number of rather large black spots on one or both
■webs near the shafts, towards their bases. The tail of the type specimen (No.
17,212 Smith. Cat., San Xicolas, Oct. 1859; J. Xantus) lacks all trace of
these basal spots and at first glance appears to be perfectly plain towards the
tip, also, but close inspection under a strong light reveals innumerable minute,
dusky spots which, when the tail is spread, prove to be arranged in a regular
transverse series forming a faint, but unmistakable subterminal band. The
other three specimens labeled by Mv. Ridgway as B. lucasanus are immature
and do not differ from calurus in corresponding plumage.

The majority of Mr. Frazar's birds possess tail-bands quite as well-defined
and conspicuous as in typical calurus, but in several of them the black is more
or less broken and indistinct while at least two have the band scarce better
marked than in the Smithsonian specimen, No. 16,925. With this .specimen

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, III. 1874, 285.

2 In the Manual N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 233 Mr. Ridgway apparently
abandons all of these characters except that of the color of the tail. In another
connection (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 544) he has expressed doubts as to
whether the " principal character assigned to ' htcasaniis ' (the uniform rufous tail
without subterminal black bar) will prove constant, even in birds from the cape."

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 85

they furnish a nicely graduated series connecting those most heavily barred
with the nearly plain-tailed type of lucamnus. As the Arizona specimens of
culurm show quite as wide a range of variation with respect to the tail niark-
in^^s as do Mr. Frazar's birds, and as none of the other characters originally
ascribed to lucasanus prove more satisfactory or constant, it is evident that
the type of this supposed subspecies represents a mere accidental or extreme
variation of a form which, as already stated, does not normally differ in either
color or markings from Buteo borealis calurus of the western United States. In
other words, all the Red-tailed Hawks thus far found in the St. Lucas Region
are one and the same thing, and if they are to be separated from calurus — in
which case they must bear the name lucasanus — it must be by size alone.
The difference in this respect is so triiiiug that I cannot think it worth special
recognition.

None of the Lower California or Arizona specimens resemble at all closely
B. b. socorroensis, but I have two adult birds (Xo. 26,206, Jan. 8, 1887 and No.
26,207 Feb. 16, 1S83) taken at Xicasio, California, by Mr. C. A. Allen, which
differ from this form, as represented by the three U. S. Nat. Museum examples
before me, only in having somewhat more black on the jugulum and throat
and in being slightly larger. Another specimen (No. 24,780) in my collec-
tion from Alamos, western Mexico, is generally similar, but has more black
spotting on the abdomen, and the breast and thighs are deeper colored. I see
no alternative but to refer both this and the two Nicasio specimens to socoi--
roensis. Such reference need not be prejudicial to the subspecific standing of
the latter, for there is no reason why this bird, even if confined to Socorro
Lsland during the breeding season, should not wander, at other times of the
year, as far as Alamos, or even Nicasio.

B. costaricensis differs so very widely in coloring from any of the phases of
calurus as not to require comparison in this connection.

In the following tables of measurements no birds not fully adult (i. e. red-
tailed) are included : —

Buteo borealis socorroensis Ridgw.

a

a

a

s

«

o

o

o

a_

o

u

u

u

H

«IH

— DO

•♦H

«fc- 'T*

.t

m

0^

%

g|

S^

- 3

i

•3
S

1

to

a

cS

H

•3

5 <i>

-3 a

S-3
= o

IS

117,4991

cf

Socorro Isl., Mex.

Mar.

8,

'89

15.70

8.G3

3.50

1.65

1.56

1.33

.85

.78

50,7611

cf

&( (( t(

—

14.94

8.47

3.54

1.67

1.42

1.32

.85

.77

26,2072

<f

Nicasio, Cal.

Feb.

16,

'88

16.72

9.20

3.73

1.70

1.56

1.34

.91

.72

24,7802

cf

Alamos, Mex.

Mar,

, 8,

'88

16.31

9.06

3.67

1.67

1.55

126

.90

.80

26,2062

<f

Nicasio, Cal.

Jan.
Avei

8,
rage,

'87

16.02

8.90

3.54

1.70

1.70

1.38

.92

.77

15.94-

■ 8.85+ 3.59+ 1.68-

1.50-

• 1.33-

.89-

.77 —

117,5001 $ Socorro Isl., Mex. Mar. 8, '89 16.76 9.53 3.80 1.95 1.73 1.43 1.03 .90

1 Collection U. S. Nat. Museum. Type, 50,761.

2 Collection William Brewster.

86

BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Buteo borealis lucasanus Ridgw.

1

OQ

Lower California.

1

id
a

I

OQ

1

1

fl

.52

g s
II

6u<

1

= §

a
«_

17,843 1

d-

Sierra de la Laguna

Nov. 29,

'87

15.90

8.97

3.52

1.60

1.50

1.35

.90

.70

17,841 1

d"

i( <( (( ((

May 28,

'87

15.25

8.70

3.47

1.45

1.46

1.31

.87

.72

17,844 1

d-

(( (t t{ (t

Dec. 2,

'87

15.14

8.35

3.38

1.70

1.50

1.35

.91

.72

17,840 1

cf

(( (( (( t(

May 17,

'87

15.06

8.46

3.32

1.67

1.45

1.32

.91

.70

17,842 '

d"

(t (t C( u

May 28,

'87

15.01

8.48

3.47

1.59

1.43

1.30

.90

.72

17,839 I

d

it (t tl u

Apr. 27,

'87

14.82

8.48

3.33

1.50

1.43

1.30

.86

.69

17,831 1

d"

Santiago

Nov. 17,

'87

10.08

9.32

3.52

1.76

1.50

1.26

.86

.75

17,832 1

d"

Santiago

Nov. 24,

'87

15.20

9.18

3.39

1.74

1.45

1.31

.85

.72

17,8241

d

San Jos6 del Cabo

Nov. 3,

'87

15.63

8.C3

3.42

1.73

1.45

1.34

.91

.77

17,8261

d

La Paz

Feb. 18,

'87

15.27

8.21

3.54

1.77

1.47

1.34

.83

.72

17,8251

d

La Paz

Feb. 9,

'87

14.83

8 25

3.30

1.66

1.47

1.30

.87

.73

17,212 2

d

San Nicolas

Oct. — ,

'59

16.24

8.81

3.78

1.79

1.65

1.35

.98

.80

16,9252

d

Cape St. Lucas

Sept. 15,
Average,

'59

15.78

9.10

3.75

1.78

1.67

1.38

1.00

.83

15.40+ 8.69- 3.47-

- 1.67+ 1.49+ 1.32+ .90-

.74-

17,8351

9

Santiago

Nov. 19,

'87

16.93

10.03

3.25

1.81

1.70

1.40

.98

.77

17,837 1

9

Santiago

Nov. 26,

'87

16.79

9.94

3.62

1.75

1.62

1.37

.99

.79

17,833 1

9

Santiago

Nov. 16,

'87

16.35

9.53

3.87

1.90

1.65

1.48

1.02

.83

17,822 1

?

San Jos6 del Cabo

Nov. 3,

'87

16.41

9.03

3.57

1.85

1.64

1.52

1.05

.77

17,8231

9

San Jos(5 del Cabo

Nov. 11,

'87

16.20

9.32

3.79

1.75

1.67

1.52

.95

.78

17,827 1

2

La Paz

Feb. 9,

'87

16.06

8.63

3.30

1.74

1.52

1.30

.93

.72

17,828 1

$

La Paz

Feb. 24,

'87

15.52

8.82

3.33

1.77

1.62

1.42

.91

73

17,8291

?

Triunfo

June 21,

'87

15.90

8.79

3.32

1.72

1.56

1.45

.95

.75

Average

10.27 9.26 3.51- 1.79- 1.62+ 1.43+ .97+ .77-

Buteo borealis calurus (Cass.).

a s

-«

«^ -r*

^

5

tc

a

m

3

£

s

II

-1

d
is

Arizona.

5

■^

1

^

s

s =s

O^

51,5823

d

Fort Verde

Jan.

16,

'87

16.06

9.07

3..58

1.81

1.54

1.36

.93

.73

51,5843

d

It li

Mar.

31,

'87

15.90

9.17

3.68

1.75

1.60

1.35

.94

.80

51,5713

d

a n

Mar.

12,

'86

15.75

8.97

3.33

1.60

1.52

1.35

.93

.80

51,5773

d

a u

Dec.

13,

'86

15.52

9.25

3.55

1.62

145

1.36

.92

.75

51,5733

d

u u

Dec.

1,

'SO

15.45

8.61

3.70

1.62

1.48

1.24

.87

.73

51,5903

d

Payson

Feb.

10,

'88

10.05

9.15

368

1.70

1.52

1.35

.85

.75

51,5803

d

Oak Creek

Jan.

6,

'87

15.63

8.77

3 51

1.72

1.50

1.30

.85

.75

51,5553

d

Ash Creek

Sept

.25,

'84

15.62

9.92

3.70

1.67

1.52

1.36

.89

.80

51,5563

d

Pine Springs

Nov.

17,

'84

15.52

8.76

3.43

1.58

1.47

1.32

.90

.76

Average,

15.72+ 9.07+ 3.57+ 1.67+ 1.51+ 1.33+ .90- .76+

1 Collection "William Brewster.

'^ Collection U. S. Nat. Museum. Type, 17,212.

3 Collection Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 87

S

g

d

s

o

o

o

S

a

-•■a

'

g

^

in

_2

S 2

oj3

QQ

1

1

I

3

■3

i

^ CO

= o

Arisona.

51,r>59

9

Fort Verde

Mar

11,

'85

17.80

9.75

3.62

1.67

1.71

1.44

.98

.78

51,574

$

ti It

Dec.

11,

'86

17.04

9.54

3.87

2.02

1.72

1.55

1.10

.85

51,5G1

9

li it

Mar.

•-'5,

'So

16.85

9.55

3.91

1.83

1.54

1.42

.98

.80

51,583

9

u It

Mar.

31,

'87

16.85

9.53

3.73

1.82

1.05

1.43

.98

.85

51,558

9

(( i(

Jan.

10,

'85

16.68

9.63

3.85

1.83

1.58

1.35

1.00

.79

51,589'

9

Baker's Butte

July

IT,

'87

17.19

9.75

3.44

1.70

1.56

1.45

1.00

.80

51,579

9

Oak Creek

Jan.

G,

'87

16.95

9.23

3.87

1.T6

1.04

1.40

1.00

.77

51,554

^ 9

MogoUou

ilts.

Oct.

5,

'84

10.77

9.75

3.00

171

1.50

1.30

.92

.75

51,500'

9

Yarapai Co

Mar.

•25,

'85

16.68

9.50

3.57

1.83

l.CO

1.26

1.00

.78

51,586

9

Upper Verde Valley

Apr.

16,

'87

10.28

9.46

3.76

1.82

1.02

1.42

.96

.82

Average, 16.91- 9.57- 3.72+ 1.81- 1.61+ 1.40+ .9^ .80-

The Western Red-tailed Hawk is common and very generally distributed
throughout the Cape Region. Mr. Frazar found it at all seasons, but most
numerously in late autumn, when there is probably an influx of birds which
have bred further north. During the last two weeks of November a great
many were seen about the lagoon at Santiago, where they were e\adently
attracted by the Coots (Fulica), on which they were preying. Some of them
were very bold and easily shot. One pounced on a Quail (Lophortyx califor-
nicus vallicola) which Mr. Frazar had just wounded and which lay fluttering
on the ground within fifteen yards of the spot where he was standing.

Mr. Bryant saw the Western Red-tail at Santa ^largarita Island in January
and February, 1888; at Ubi on May 9, 1889; and at San Fernando (no date
given). Mr. Anthony says that it is "very common throughout the northern
part of the peninsula," and that he found it " nesting in abundance in the
pines on San Pedro [Martir]."' ^ Its general range along the Pacific slope
extends from Alaska southward into Mexico.

Buteo abbreviatus Cab.

ZOXE-TAILED HaWK.

Buteo abbreviatus Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus , V. 1883, 544 (Cape Region).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 280 (Cape Region).. Ben-
dire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1892, 229 (Cape St. Lucas Region).
GoDMAN and Sharpe, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, III. 1900, GO (nesting near
Cape St. Lucas).

Mr. Belding mentions this species as " very rare." Mr. Frazar obtained no
specimens, but on four different occasions at San Jose del Cabo, and once at
Santiago he saw " a perfectly black Hawk having a narrow white band across

1 Collection Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist,
a Zoe, IV. 1893, 233.

88 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

the middle of the tail, and perhaps some white on the under tail coverts. It
flew exactly like a Turkey Buzzard, its wings held at an upward slant." This
bird, he thinks, must have been a Zone-tailed Hawk. On April 24, 1889, Mr.
Anthony found two pairs nesting on San Pedro Martir, " at elevations of 7000
and 7500 feet," and one of the birds was secured.^

B. abbreviatus has occurred in southern California a little north of San Die-^o
and IS common in southern Arizona and thence southward through Mexico
aud Central America into northern. South America.

Archibuteo ferrugineus (Licht.).

Ferruginous Rough-leg.

On November 28 Mr. Frazar obtained two Ferruginous Rough-legs on the
summit of the Sierra de la Laguna. One he shot ; the other had been killed
the day before by a hunter, who claimed to know the bird perfectly well, and
who asserted that it occurs regularly on this mountain in winter. Mr. Frazar
did not hear of it elsewhere, and it does not seem to have been reported from
any other part of the Peninsula, although it is common in California. The
Cape Region perhaps represents the extreme southern limit of its wanderings
on the Pacific coast.

Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linn.).
Bald Eagle.

This Eagle must be rare in Lower California, for it has not been previously
reported from any part of the Peninsula. Mr. Frazar, however, obtained defi-
nite proof not only of its presence, but of its breeding in the Cape Region,
for he was shown a young captive bird in the possession of Mr. Viosca, the
American Consul at La Paz, which that gentleman assured him had been
taken from a nest on Espiritu Santo Island two years before. It was in the
brown plumage when first examined (in January, 1887), but eleven months
later exhibited some white on the head and tail. Mr. Frazar also saw a nest
on the Gulf coast of the Peninsula opposite Carmen Island, which was evi-
dently not an Osprey's, and which the people living in the neighborhood
asserted had been occupied for several years by a pair of Eagles.

The Bald Eagle is found throughout California to the extreme southern
border of the State. Dr. Brewer states ^ that it ranges as far south as Central
America, but gives no specific records of its occurrence south of the southern
border of the United States.

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 234.

2 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, III. 1874, 329.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 89

Falco mexicanus Schleg.
Prairie Falcon.

Hierofiilco mexicnnus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, footnote (Mira-

flores ; Cape St. Lucas ; San Jose del Cabo).
Falco mexicanus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 281 (Miraflores ;

Cape St. Lucas ; San Jose' del Cabo).

According to Mr. Ridgway, this Falcon was taken by Xantus at " Miraflores
November 25; Cape Saint Lucas, December 14 ; San Jose del Cabo, Decem-
ber, January." It was not met with by Mr. Belding, nor certainly identified
by Mr. Frazar. Mr. Bryant saw a pair about a cliff" at Comondu in 1888, a
single bird on Santa Margarita Island on March 2, 1889, and " a pair nesting
in a high cliff" at San Esteban on April 18, 1889. The Prairie Falcon breeds
rather commonly in California and Oregon, and ranges south into Mexico.

Falco peregrinus anatum (Bonap.).
Duck Hawk.

Mr. Frazar, who seems to have been the first to meet with the Duck Hawk in
the Cape Kegion, saw a few birds in February and March at La Paz (where one
specimen, an adult female, was obtained) and others, in October and Novem-
ber, at San Jose del Cabo and Santiago. In the northern part of Lower Cali-
fornia the species has been "found nesting in the cliff's along the coast at
several places from San Carlos landing to San Quintin by Mr. Anthony, who
saj's they are more common in winter " (Bryant).

The Duck Hawk inhabits the entire continent of America wherever the
local conditions are suited to its requirements.

Falco columbarius Linn.

Pigeon Hawk.

Aesnion columbarius Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 351 (La Paz).
Falco columbarius Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 281 (La Paz).

Several Pigeon Hawks were seen in autumn at San Jose del Cabo and Sant-
iago by Mr. Frazar, the earliest date of observation being September 17, the
latest November 17. The collection contains a typical specimen from each
of these localities. Mr. Belding has reported the capture of a bird at La Paz
in January, 1883. The species was not met with by either Mr. Bryant or
Mr. Anthony. It ranges southward in winter to northern South America, and
breeds chiefly north of the United States.

90 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Falco coluEQbarius richardsonii (Ridgw.).

Eichardson's Merlin.

An adult male Merlin (No. 17,872) in full autumn plumage, taken by Mr.
Frazar at San Jose del Cabo, on October 31, is apparently referable to ridmrdsonii,
although it is far from typical, being quite as deeply colored as are light speci-
mens of colwnbarius, and, like that species, having the outer webs of the outer
two primaries perfectly plain. The remaining primaries, however, are con-
spicuously spotted on their outer webs, but the markings are bluish gray, of
al)out the same shade as the mantle, instead of nearly white, as in richardsoiiii.
The tail has five light and five dark bands, counting the terminal (light)
aiid subterminal (dark) ones. This specimen is almost perfectly matched by
another in my collection, of corresponding age and sex, from Larimer County,
Colorado. It is difficult to see how such birds can be regarded other than as
intermediate, and hence coTinecting, links between richardsonii and columbarius.
Although Richardson's Merlin is chiefly confined to the interior districts of
North America, it has been occasionally taken in California.

Falco sparverius deserticolus Mearns.
Desert Sparrow Hawk.

(?) Tinnunculus sparverius (not Falco sparverius Linnaeus) Belding, Proc. U. S.

Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 350, part (Victoria Mts.)
(?) Falco sparverius (not of Linnaeus) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci , 2d ser., II.

1889, 281, part (Cape Region).

Among the Sparrow Hawks sent me from the Cape Region by Mr. Frazar
are four females, which are not only much larger than any of the others,
but quite equal in size to average specimens of deserticolus, to which I refer
them without hesitation. Three of these birds were obtained at San Jose del
Cabo on September 17, October 19 and October 31, respectively, while the
fourth was taken at Triunfo on December 22. From this we may infer that
the form deserticolus is of not uncommon occurrence in the Cape Region in
autumn and winter. Its general range includes practically the whole of the
western United States, and extends from British Columbia to Mazatlan in
northwestern Mexico.

Falco sparverius peninsularis Mearns.

St. Lucas Sparrow Hawk.

Tinnunculus sparverius (not Falco sparverius Linnaeus) Baird, Cat. N. Amer. Birds,
1859, no. 13, part; Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 302 (Cape St.
Lucas). C?) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape Region) ;
VI. 1883, 350, part (Victoria Mts.).

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 91

Falco sparverius Baird, Kept. Pac. R. R. Surv., IX. 1858, 13, 14, part. Cooes,

Check List, 1873, 6U, no. 346, part; 2d ed., 1882, 87, no. 508, part. Baikd,

Brewer, and Ridgwat, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, III. 1874, 1G9-171, part.

A. O. U, Ciieck List, 1886, 196, no. 360, part. (?) Bryant, Proc. Calif.

Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 281, 282, part (Cape Region, etc.).
{Tinnunculus] sparverius Gray, Hand-list, I. 1869, 28, no. 216, part.
[Fak-o] sparverius CouES, Key >.'. Amer. Birds, 1872, 214, 215, part.
Cerchneis sparveria Sharpe, Cat. Brit. Birds, I. 1874, 437-439, part.
Tinnunculus sparverius Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no.

21), 1881, 38, no. 420, part.
Falco sparverius peninsuluris Mearns, Auk, IX. 1892, 267 (orig. descr. ; type from

San Jose'). A. O. U. Comm., Auk, X. 1893, 60, no. 360 b ; Check List, 2d

ed., 1895, 140, no. 360 b.
F.[alro] sparverius Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 252, part.
[Cerchneis] peninsularis Sharpe, Hand-list, I. 1899, 278.

The characters by which Dr. Mearns has proposed to distinguish Falco spar-
verius peninsularis are presented very constantly by twelve of the Sparrow
Hawks collected by Mr. Frazar. Among these are an adult male taken at
Triunfo on April 20, another in excessively worn breeding plumage shot at
San Jose del Rancho on July 8, and a young male, just from the nest and
barely large enough to fly, which was captured at the place last named on
July 17. Eight of the remaining specimens were obtained in the Cape Region
(at Triunfo, Santiago, or San Jose del Cabo) in October, November, or Decem-
ber, while the ninth was shot at Carmen Island on March 2.

This small, light-colored form of the Sparrow Hawk is of common occur-
rence in the Cape Region in autumn and winter, but it does not appear to
breed there at all numerously, for Mr. Frazar met with it in summer only at
San Jose del Rancho where he notes it as " very rare." It is believed to be
confined to Lower California, but we have no definite knowledge as to just how
far up the Peninsula its distribution extends. Mr. Bryant reports that he
met with Falco sparverius " on Santa Margarita Island, Magdalena Island,
Guadalupe Island, and several places" in Lower California; he also states
that Mr. Anthony found it " common in summer along the base of San
Pedro Martir, ranging in May to 9,000 feet altitude, and only seen on the
coast during winter." These records relate of course either to peninsularis
or deserticolus — or both — but at the time they were published neither of the
forms just mentioned had been described.

Polyborus cheriway (Jacq.).

Audubon's Caracara.

Polyborus cUrncay Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape Region),
547 (San Jose). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 282
(Cape Region , Cape St. Lucas). Benuire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt.
1. 1892, 318 (descr. egg from Cape St. Lucas).

92 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

The Caracara is a resident species and is generally distributed and abundant,
especially in the low country bordering the Gulf. Mr. Frazar notes it as
paired and apparently breeding in January at La Paz, but he saw no nests
until July 26, when one containing two chicks only a few hours old was found
at San Jose del Rancho. On November 4, at San Jose del Cabo, he saw two
Caracaras swoop at a slightly wounded Coot (Fulica) which was fluttering
over a mud flat. Alighting they pursued it on foot, but although they evi-
dently tried their best to overtake and capture it, it finally got to the water,
when they gave up the chase and, after watching it awhile, flew off.

Mr. Bryant says that this species is "not often seen north of latitude 26°,"
but " two were said to have hung around a beach camp at Santo Domingo, on
San Sebastian Yiscaino Bay, north of lat. 28°." This probably represents
about the extreme northern limit of the Caracara's range on the Pacific coast.
To the southward it is found as far as Darien.

Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Gmel.).
American Ospret.

Pandion haliaetus carolinensis Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 188P,, 543 (Cape
Region), 547 (San Jose). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
283 (Cape Region). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1892, 324
(measurements of egg from Cape St. Lucas, largest of 69 specimens, 68.5
by 49.5 ram.).

The Osprey is apparently resident and about equally numerous at all seasons,
in the Cape Region. Mr. Frazar found a nest on Carmen Island, early in
March, which contained a single freshly laid egg.

On Santa Margarita Island Mr. Bryant " counted a dozen nests, January 19,
1888, upon five of which were one or two birds," but the " nests upon which
the birds were seen " on the date just mentioned " were without eggs on Feb-
ruary 18," although two fresh eggs were taken on this island on January 25.

In the northern part of the Peninsula Mr. Anthony considers this species
" abundant on all of the coast islands, and of less common occurrence alon^ the
coast" itself (Bryant).

The range of the Osprey on the Pacific coast extends from Panama to
Alaska. It is known to breed as far south as the Tres Marias Islands.

Stiix pratincola Bonap.
American Barx Owl.

Aluco Jlnmmens americamis Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, footnote

(San Jose del Cabo; Caduana).
Strix pratincola Bryant, Proc. CaUf. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 283 (San Jose' del

Cabo; Caduana).

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 93

According to Mr. EiJ<;\vay, tbe Barn Owl was found by Mr. Xantus at San
Jose del Cabo in December and January, and at Caduana in November. Mr.
Belding does not mention it in any of bis lists, nor was it actually taken by
Mr. Frazar, but the latter obtained a number of its wing and tail feathers ou
the Sierra de la Laguna. Mr. Bryant heard the bird at Magdalena and again,
near San Quintin, and Mr. Anthony reports it as " common in the northwest-
ern part of the territory, up to an altitude of 3,500 feet, inhabiting old mines "
(Bryant).

On the Pacific coast the Barn Owl ranges from California to southern
Mexico. It is apparently locally resident wherever found.

Asio accipitrinus (Pall.).
Short-eared Owl.

Asio accipitrinus Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, footnote (Mira-
flores); Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Scl., 2d sen, II. 1889, 284 (Miraflores).

The only record of the occurrence of this species in the Cape Region seems
to be that given by Mr. Ridgway of a specimen ^ taken by Xantus at Mira-
flores on November 25. In the upper portion of the Peninsula Mr. Anthony
has found it " along the coast region, north of San Fernando, in winter, and
has frequently flushed . . . scattered companies of six to ten, from the salt
grass about the bays. He has not seen them above 800 feet elevation "
(Bryant).

The Short-eared Owl, at one season or another, visits nearly every part of
the American continent, for it is a great wanderer, and decidedly more given
to extended migrations than is any other species of its tribe. It breeds abun-
dantly in the fur countries and sparingly or locally in the United States, just
how far to the southward is not definitely known.

Megascops xantusi, sp. dot.

Xantus's Screech Owl.

Scops asio, var. maccalli Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, IIL
1874, 52, 53, part (descr. first full, but incomplete plumage from Cape St.
Lucas ; crit.).

Scops trichopsis? (not of Wagler) Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat Mus., V. 1883, 533,
footnote (Cape St. Lucas).

(?) Scops Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 349 (Victoria Mts. ; Agua Caliente ; Mira-
flores). Ridgway, Ibid. (crit.).

1 Mr. Ridgway writes me that he cannot find this specimen, and that he does
not " know what can have become of it."

94 bulletin: museum of compakative zoology.

Scops RiDGWAT, Loc. cit. (Cape St. Lucas; crit.).

Megascops asio trichopsis (not Scops tric/iopsis Wagler) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.
Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 284 (Cape Region ; 1 Victoria Mts., etc.).

Specific Characters: — Most nearly like M. vimiceus Brewster.i but smaller, the
general coloring paler and less reddish, the crown and outer surfaces of tlie wings
lighter, the primaries with broad, well-defined light bars on both webs, the abdomen
and flanks decidedly wliiter, tlie under tail coverts nearly pure white and practically
without mesial streaks, the featliering of the legs sliorter and sparser.

<? ad. (Xo. 47,o01, collection of William Brewster, Santa Anita, Lower Califor-
nia, June 3, 18U6 ; Loye Miller). 2 Upper parts drab, tinged with pinkish rusty on
the back, inclining to asliy on the pileum and outer surfaces of the wings, to ashy
white on the lores and sides of the crown, all the feathers except the primaries
faintly vermiculated with reddish brown, those of the forehead, "ear tufts," back,
rump, scapulars, and wing coverts with narrow shaft streaks of clove brown ; pri-
maries, secondaries, and tail-feathers barred with wood-brown, the bars on the tail
narrow and distinct, excepting near the tips of the feathers, where they are broken
and confused, tliose of the wings broad and distinct on both webs of all the pri-
maries, but only faintly defined on the inner secondaries ; outer scapulars, greater
wing coverts, and outer primaries, with their exposed outer edges, hoary white ;
cheeks, throat, and breast pale ashy with the faintest possible suffusion of pinkish
or rusty; abdomen, flanks, and crissum soiled white or ashy white; most of the
feathers of the under parts with exceedingly fine, wavy, transverse lines of reddish
brown, those of the throat, breast, and sides (but not of the under tail coverts nor
of the center of the abdomen) with narrow, sharply-defined, mesial streaks of dark
clove brown; tibiae tinged with fulvous and barred with reddish brown; under
wing coverts pale fulvous heavily marked with dark brown ; tarsi rusty white with
a few reddish brown spots; toes naked nearly to their bases. "Wing, 5.35; tail,
2.72; tarsus, L.32; middle toe, .65; bill, length from nostril, .32; depth at nostril,
.40; longest feathers of " ear tufts," .90.

Two young birds (No. 16,932 ^ and No. 16,933 9, U. S. National
Museum Collection, Cape St. Lucas; J. Xantus), fully grown but still in
Juvenal plumage, differ from the adult specimen just described in being much
darker, browner, and more uniformly colored, in lacking all trace of mesial or
shaft streaks on the feathers of the body, and in having the broad, light bars
on the wing quills more rusty and nearly as pronounced and well defined on
both webs of all the secondaries as on those of the j)rimaries. The upper parts
are faded reddish brown (not far from russet) with obscure, transverse lines of
whitish on the pileum, back, and wing coverts; the cheeks, throat, and under
pai'ts generally are everywhere crossed by bands of reddish brown, which are
much narrower than the brownish-white interspaces; the feathering of the
legs is even scantier than in the mature bird.

On comparing both old and young with specimens in corresponding plumages
of bendirei, trichopsis, and cineraceus, the only representatives of the M. asio

1 Type locality: Durasno, Chihuahua, Mexico; see Auk, V. 1888, 88.

2 This specimen was purchased from Mr. C. K. Worthen.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 95

groiip known to occur along the southwestern border of the United States, I
have become convinced that the Lower California bird is not likely to have
been derived from any of these races. It is, indeed, so very unlike all of them
and so similar in general appearance to the Mexican {orm vinaceus that I regard
it as most nearly related to, and probably a direct offshoot from, the latter.
The two birds, xantusi and vinaceus, with still another Mexican form, M. coopcri,
appear to constitute what may be termed a subsection of the M. asio group, for
altliough ditferiiig from one another in size they have the same general pattern
of color and marking. This pattern is, in certain respects, unlike that common
to the various races of M. asio, the principal differences consisting in the exceed-
iiiglv fine verraiculation and more or less pronounced pinkish tone of the
plumage of all three of the Mexican birds just mentioned. I will further
remark in this connection that the form trichojms seems to me to be perfectly
distinct, specifically, from M. asio. Indeed, I do not see how it can l)e other-
wise regarded, for it differs very strikingly from cinerdceus, the only other
representative of asio found in southern Arizona, where, moreover, both
trichopsis and cineraceus appear to breed together, or at least in close
proximity.

The sum as well as character of the differences which distinguish M. xantusi
from the other members of the genus Megascops would not, in my estimation, war-
rant its recognition as a full species were it not for the oljvious and practically
complete isolation of its habitat from the regions inhabited by all the others,
and especially from the habitat of its nearest ally, M. vinaceus. Were it at all
closely related to the California form, hcndirei, we might safely assume that it
is likely to meet and intergrade with the latter in the central or northern parts
of the Peninsula, but the two are so very unlike that the possibility of such
intergradation is not worth considering.

Very little can be said at present regarding the distribution, and practically
nothing concerning the habits, of this pretty little Screech Owl which I liave
named for the ornithologist by whonr the first and hitherto only known speci-
mens were obtained. Mr. Frazar did not meet with it, but it was, no doubt,
the bird whose "tremulous notes " were heard at night by Mr. Belding at sev-
eral of his camps in the Victoria Mountains as well as at Agua Caliente and
Miraflores, and it may also have been the species with which Mr. Bryant had a
similarly unsatisfactory experience " at the drj' camp, Cardon Grande, and at
El Rancho Viejo." According to the observer last named, " Mr. Anthony has
seen a screech owl on several occasions between Valladares and the coast," but
the bird of this region is most likely to be M. a. bendirei, which probably
ranges southward into the northern portions of Lower California.

96 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Bubo virginianus elachistus, subsp. nov.i
Dwarf Horned Owl.

Bubo virginianus (not Strix virginiana Gmeliv) Baird, Cat. N. Amer. Birds, 1859,

no. 48, part; Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1859, 301, 302 (Cape St. Lucas).

Shakpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., II. 1875, 19-23, part.
[Bubo virginianus] var. arcticus CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 202, part.
Bubo virginianus, \dT. arcticus CouES, Check List, 1873, ti3, no. 317 a, part. Baird,

Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, III. 1874, 64, part (Lower

California).
Bubo virginianus subarcticus (not Bubo suharcticus Hor) Ridgway, Norn. N. Amer.

Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 3(5, no. 405a, part; Proc. U. S.

Nat. Mus., VL 1883, 349 (crit. ; Victoria Mts.). Beldixg, Ibid., V. 1883, 543

Cape Region); VI. 1883, 349 (Victoria Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.

Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 284 (Cape Region; Victoria Mts.).
Bubo virginianus arcticus Coces, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 80, no. 463, part.
B.[ubo] virginianus subarcticus Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 263,

part.
Subspecijic Characters : — Similar to Bubo virginianus saturatus, but Tery much
smaller.

Measurements: — 9.-

3 t ta

._" **

Male Type, No. 17,866 \ ^^^"^ ^^ ^^ ^''S""^' ^^^^ ^^' } 12.96 2.45 .85
"^ ' \ 1887. M. Abbott Frazar )

Male No. 17,865 \ ^^" ^""'^ ^^^ ^^'"'^"'' "^"^^ '^^' \ 13.20 2.50 .85

I 1887, M. Abbott Frazar )

Male No. 47,302 I ^^"^^ ^"''*' '^"^y ^^' ^^^^'112 52 228 .80

I Love Miller )

Average 12.89+ 2.41 .83+

Female No. 17,867 | S'^"'* '^^ ^^ ^^S""^' ^P"^ ^9. Kg 4.^ 2.35 .89

I 1877, M. Abbott Frazar '

Thi.'? dwarf form of B. virginianus, the smallest, if I am not mistaken, which
is at present known, at least from any part of North America, is represented in
my collection by four adult birds, three of which are colored and marked nearly
like average specimens of saturatus. The fourth appears much paler, but it is in
excessively worn condition, and a number of new feathers sprouting among and

1 In April of the present year I showed my Horned Owls from the Cape Region
to Mr. Oberholser. He told me that he had decided to describe the form wliich
they represent, but finding that I had already done tliis in manuscript and that my
paper was likely to appear before his, he was kind enough to suggest that I use
the above name, which he had selected and which is derived from the Greek
^Aax'CToj = least.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION", LOWER CALIFORNIA. 97

beneath the old and faded ones indicate that the fresh plumage, when completed,
would have been as dark as that of the other three skins. There is a specimen
in the National Museum, however, obtained by Mr. Xantus in the Cape Region,
which, although apparently neither worn nor faded, is nearly as light-colored
as average examples of B. v. pallescens. Mr. Olierholser, who is at present en-
gaged in a critical study of the entire B. virginianus group, tells me that he has
noted similar color variations in most of the forms which he has examined, and
that he regards them as representing different and probably permanent color
phases comparable to, although less conspicuous than, those which are found
in so many of the members of the genus Megascops.

Mr. Frazar found this Owl nearly everywhere from the coast to the tops of
the highest mountains, but not commonly except on the Sierra de la Laguna,
where as many as three or four were often heard hooting at once. Mr. Bel-
ding had a similar experience, rarely meeting the bird in the low country,
whereas it was " frequently heard and occasionally seen " at the higher eleva-
tions. Its preference for the mountains is doubtless due to the fact that they
afford the onlv extensive forests of lari^^e trees which exist in this reunon, for
Bubo virginianus is comparatively indifferent to considerations of mean tem-
perature and equally at home in subtropical, temperate, or subarctic climates.
This, however, can be said only of the species, as the adaptation of the indi-
vidual to extremes — whether of heat or cold, moisture or dryness — must be
usually very gradual, for in most cases it has been accompanied by modifica-
tions of color or physique sufficiently pronounced to distinguish birds wliich
have become established in one region from those of another where the climatic
conditions are widely different. The Horneil Owls which inhabit the southern
extremity of Lower California afford a good illustration of this fact, for, as has
been already pointed out, they differ considerably from all the forms which
occur in other parts of North America. I have seen no specimens from any-
where on the Peninsula north of La Paz, and hence have no means of judging
just how far northward the present subspecies extends, but Mr. Bryant states
that " on the peninsula opposite Magdalena Island, I found in a giant cactus a
bulky nest of sticks upon which could be seen two young" Horned Owls, and
" at Coraondu an owl of this genus was several times seen at the opening of a
small cave high up in the cliff," while at Ubi one was heard hooting on the
night of May 9, 1889, and at Calmalli a feather was picked up in the trail. Mr.
Anthony also met with H(n-ne(l Owls " among the pines on San Pedro Martir
at 2,500 to 10,000 feet elevation " (Bryant).

Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea (Boxap.).

BuRROwiXG Owl.

Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape
Region). Brvast, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., XL 1889, 285 (Cape
Region).
VOL. xn. — NO. 1 7

98 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Mr. Belding and Mr. Frazar agree in considering the Burrowing Owl a rare
bird in the Cape Region, where it is apparently confined to the low country
near the coast. Mr. Frazar met with it on only two occasions; at La Paz, on
April 4, when one which had been accidentally drowned in a water tank was
brought to him by a boy, and at San Jose del Cabo, on October 26, when another
was seen "iu thick brush." The bird seems to be but little more numerously
represented in the central and northern portions of the Peninsula, for Mr.
Bryant mentions only one "seen by me on Cerros Island in January, 1885; " a
female shot on March 1, 1889, on Santa Margarita Island ; one or two observed
by Mr. Brandegee on Magdalena Island ; and a few found by Mr. Anthony at
San Quintin. The latter observer has also recorded the occurrence of " a few
in the more open valleys between the mines and the coast " at San Fernando,^
as well as of others " seen iu several of the valleys between Tia Juana and San
Tebno." ^

The range of the Burrowing Owl in western America extends from British
Columbia to Mexico, and the bird is believed to breed wherever found.

Glaucidium hoskinsii (Brewst.).
HosKiNs's Pygmy Owl.

Glaucidium gnoma Ridgwat, Nom. X. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21),

1881, 37, no. 409, part. Coces, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 83, no. 484, part.

A. 0. U., Check List, 1886. 204, 205, no. 379, part.
\^Glaucidiuin\ passerinum, xslt. cahfornicum Coces, Key N. Araer. Bird.s, 1872, 206,

part.
Glaucidium passerinum, var. cali/ornicum Coues, Check List, 1873, 67, no. 329, part.
Glaucidium gnoma hoskinsii Brewster, Auk, V. 1888, 136 (orig. descr. ; type from

Sierra de la Laguna). Bexdire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1892, 408,

409 (Sierra de la Laguna ; breeding habits and eggs unknown).
Glaucidium hoskinsii Brewster MS., A. O. U. Comm., Suppl. to Check List, 1889,

9; Check List, abridged ed., 1889, and 2d ed., 1895, no. 379.1. Bryant,

Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 285 (Sierra de la Laguna ; Comondu).

KiDGWAY, Man. X. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 59-3, 594 (descr ; mts. S. Lower

Calif.).
G.[laucidium] gnoma CouES, Key X. Amer. Birds, 4tli ed., 1894, 514, part.
Glaucidium hoskinsi Allen, Auk, X. 189.3, 142 (tropical type). Coces, Key N.

Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 904 (descr.; Lower Calif.).
[Glaucidium] hoskinsi Sharpe, Hand-list, L 1899, 298.

This little Owl was discovered by Mr. Frazar on the Sierra de la Laguna,
where it frequents the largest pines and oaks on the top and sides of the
mountain. It appears to be rather common, for several were heard calling
almost every night in May and early June. " Their notes resemble the syl-
lables cow, coiv, cou; repeated a number of times." Only three specimens were

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 138. ^ Zoe, IV. 1893, 235.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 99

secured. Of these one was followed after dark and shot while in the act of
calliuL;; another was started from some thick brush in the daytime ; and the
third, also shot hy dayliglit, was sitting in a tree surrounded by a noisy and
excited mob of little birds, cliiefly Baird's Juncos. During Mr. Frazar's autumn
visit to the Sierra only one of these Owls was heard, on the night of Novem-
ber 30. Probably they do not call freely at this season.

Hoskins's Owl is ajiparently not confined to the Cape Region, for Mr. Bryant
reports that he " shot a male at Comondu, March 22, 1889."

Micropallas whitneyi (Coopeb).
Elf Owl.

Micrathene whitneyi Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 549 (Miraflores) ; VI
1883, 849 (Victoria Mts.)

Micropallas whitneyi Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 285 (Vic-
toria Mts. ; Miraflores). Besdike, Life Hist. N. Auier. Birds, pt. I. 1892
411 (Miraflores).

Two specimens of this Owl, collected by Mr. Belding, have been sent me for
examination by 'Mv. Ridgway. They are labeled respectively : 87,605 " Nat.
Mus., Miraflores, Lower V'al., May 5, 1882, ?, L. Belding," and 87,263 " Nat.
Mus., Miraflores Tillage, May 8, 1882, L. Belding coll., $ I believe — not cer-
tain." Both are considerably deeper colored, especially above, than any of my
Arizona examples, the former having the upper parts decided ashy brown in-
stead of faded grayish brown, as in the latter. No. 87,605 lacks nearly all
trace of the usual abundant and conspicuous rusty markings on the face and
under jjarts, while the rusty spots on the crown, back, and wings are com-
paratively few and faint. No. 87,263 has the rusty of normal extent, but of a
somewhat richer tint than usual. Neither specimen shows any apparent ap-
proach to the deep rusty colored and evidently quite distinct M. graysoni of
Socorro Island.

Mr. Belding asserts that he found the Elf Owl " common, if not abun-
dant" at Miraflores in 1882, and that he also met with it in "the mountains"
in 1883, but it " appeared to be less common here than in the cactus regions "
at lower levels. Mr. Bryant supplements this by stating that Mr. Belding
C(dlected four examples at ^liraflores in April, 1882, but did not succeed in
obtaining any in the mountains. This is of some importance, in view of the
fact that Mr. Frazar failed not only to obtain specimens, but even to see or
hear the bird, although during the nine months which he spent in Lower Cali-
fornia, he went over most of the ground covered by Mr. Belding. He made
no collections at Miraflores, however.

The Elf Owl has not been found as yet in the central or northern portions
of the Peninsula, but it occurs in southern California and Arizona as well as
in northwestern Mexico.

100 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

i

Crotophaga sulcirostris Swains.

Groove-billed Ani.

Crotophaga sulcirostris Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 546 (San Jose del
Cabo ; breeding; descr. nest). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889, 285 (San Jose' del Cabo) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 191, 192 (San Jose del Cabo).
Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer Birds, pt. II. 1895, 13, pi. 1, fig. 7 (descr. egg
from near San Jose' del Cabo, " an unscratched specimen ").

Mr. Frazar met with the Groove-billed Ani only at San Jo.se del Cabo,
where a flock of about thirty frequented some thick brush about pools of water
near the mouth of the river. On August 28 a nest, empty, but apparently
just finished, was found, and a perfect egg was taken from a female bird shot
near at hand, and probably the owner of this nest. On September 3 another
nest, containing three fresh eggs, was taken. These dates indicate either a very
extended breeding season or great irregularity of breeding in dili'erent years,
for at the same place in 1882 Mr. Belding found a nest which contained eight
eggs on April 29. The latter observer also met with Groove-billed Anis
" among tules at Santiago and at San Pedro on the western coast near Todos
Santos," according to Mr. Bryant.

The nest found by Mr. Belding " was fastened to upright reeds, and was
composed of coarse weed stalks and mesquit twigs, lined with green leaves."
That taken by Mr. Fi'azar was in a willow aVjout twenty feet above the
ground. It is a flat, loose, but withal rather neat structure, formed outwardly
of dead twigs and very substantially lined with cottonwood and willow leaves,
which look as if they must have been dry when gathered. Mr. Frazar is very
sure that such was the case, although he has no distinct recollection of their
condition at the time the nest was found. This nest measures about six
inches across the top, and the cavity is nearly an inch in depth. The eggs
measure respectively : 1.22 X .95, 1.24 X .98 and 1.25 X .97. They are ver-
diter blue, but this color becomes visible only on scraping off the whitish,
calcareous substance with which their shells are uniformly and rather thickly
covered. One side of each egg is stained with light reddish brown, evidently
from contact with something in the nest. The egg already referred to as taken
from the oviduct of a bird shot on August 23 is without any trace of this stain,
but it has a calcareous coating like the others. It measures 1.25 X -98.

The Groove-billed Ani also inhabits the valley of the Lower Rio Grande in
Texas as well as Mexico, Central America and northern South America. As
it is not known to occur in central or northern Lower California, it seems
probable that the colonies which have become established in the Cape Region
were originated by birds which came from western Mexico.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 101

Geococcyx californianus (Less.).
Road-runner.

Saurothera californiana Botta, Nouv. Ann. Mus., IV. 1835, 123, pL 9 (Cape St.
Lucas).

Geococcyx californianus Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 303 (Cape
St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, 11.
1874, 473 (Xantus's specimens from Cape St. Lucas "smaller than those of
Upper California "). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape Re-
gion). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,285 (Cape Region).

Road-runner Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 192 (San Jose' del Cabo).

Mr. Belding and Mr. Frazar are somewhat at odds in their views regarding
this species, the ibnuer noting it as " common " without qualification as to
certain localities, the latter as " a rare bird everywhere excepting at San Jose
del Cabo, where it was fairly common, but confined almost exclusively to the
gardens and green thickets along the river."

P. E. Botta stated as early as 1835 that the range of the Road-runner ex-
tends from Cape St. Lucas to San Francisco. Mr. Bryant, however, reports
seeing " but one individual while crossing the peninsula from the Ocean to the
Gulf in the latitude of Comondu " despite " the abundance of lizards and other
suitable food," and adds that " they were rarely seen along the route from
Comondu to San Quintin," although a little further northward " Mr. Anthony
has found them from the coast to well into the pines on San Pedro Martir at
an altitude of 7,000 feet " (Bryant), and "quite common about the mines, and
much more so near the water holes near the mission " at San Fernando.^

The Road-runner occurs from California to Mexico, and is strictly resident
wherever found-

Coccyzus americanus occidentalis Ridgw.
California Cuckoo.

This Cuckoo, which is now reported from the Cape Region for the first
time, was found by Mr. Frazar only at San Jose del Rancho, where it "first
appeared on July 5, and soon became rather common, but did not begin nest-
ing until the latter part of the month.' It probably occurs on the Sierra de
la Laguna, also, for the people living there described it to Mr. Frazar, assert-
ing that '• it comes only in the time of the waters," i. e., the rainy season,
which begins in July. This was confirmed by a man at San Jose del Rancho,
who spends much time on the Sierra hunting deer, and who, seeing a Cuckoo
iu Mr. Frazar's possession, remarked that he had often met with the bird on

1 Anthony, Auk, XII. 1895, 138.

102 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

the mountain in midsummer. The lateness of its arrival in this region is
remarkable, in view ul' the fact that its reaches California in May or early
June.

Mr. Bryant reports that a Cuckoo which was probably occidentalis has been
seen in August by Mr. Anthony at Eusieuada, near the northern boundary of
Lower California.

The California Cuckoo is found from Oregon to Costa Rica, on or near the
Pacific coast, and, everywhere north of Mexico, at least, is migratory, going
further south to pass the Avinter.

Ceryle alcyon (Linn.).

Belted Kingfisher.

Ceri/le alcyon Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape Eegion). Bry-
ant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser , II. 1889, 286 (Cape Region).

Belted Kingfishers from Lower California, as well as those from the western
United States generally, average larger than eastern birds. They also have
stouter bills. As these differences are neither constant nor accompanied by
any obvious geographical modifications of color or markings, it seems to me
quite enough merely to mention them in passing.

Mr. Frazar found the Kingfisher rare at La Paz, but rather common about
San Jose del Cabo. Mr. Belding gives it as common, but mentions no special
localities. It apparently occurs only in autumn, winter and early spring. At
these seasons it has been seen at various localities in the upper part of the Pen-
insula by Mr. Bryant and Mr. Anthony.

The Belted Kingfisher ranges from Alaska to Panama, but is not known to
breed south of the southern boundary of the United States. Throughout Cali-
fornia and northward to British Columbia it is found during both summer and
winter, wherever there are clear streams that contain an abundance of fish.

Dryobates lucasanus (Xantus).
St. Lucas Woodpecker.

Picus lucasanus Xantus, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 298 (orig. descr. ; type
from Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Ibid., 301 (Cape St. Lucas), 302 (crit. ; Cape
St. Lucas). Cassin. Ibid., 1863, 195, 196 (descr. ; Lower CaHf). Malherbe,
Mon. Picidae, I. 1861, 166 (descr. ; Cape St. Lucas). Sclater, Cat. Amer.
Birds, 1862, 333 (Cape St. Lucas). Gray, List Birds Brit. Mas. 1868, 50
(Lower Calif.). Elliot, Illustr. New and Unflg. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1869,
introd. (figures head and leg; probably equals Picus scalaris). Coues, Key
N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 193 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).

D.[ictyopipo] lucasana Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein., pt. IV. sect. 2, 1863, 75, 76 (descr. ;
Cape St. Lucas).

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 103

[Picas] lucasanus Gkay, Hand-list, H. 1870, 186, no. 8,612.

Picas scalarls, var. lucnsamts Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 381, 382 (descr. ; crit. ; figures
head and bill; Cape St. Lucas). Cooes, Checli List, 1873, 59, no. 297b.
Baiud, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, IL 1874, 519, 520
(descr.; crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Jasper, Birds N. Amer., 1878, 158, pL 105,
fig. 26 (Cape St. Lucas).

Picus scalaris lucasanus Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus.,
no. 21), 1881, 34, 65, 75, no. 363 a; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 158,
footnote (crit.; S. Lower Calif.). Coues, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 77, no.
436. Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape Region); VI.
1883, 345 (Cape Region), 349 (Victoria Mts ).

P.[/cHs] scalaris lucasaiius Bei.ding, Loc. cit., 344 (Lower Calif.).

Dryohates scalaris lucasanus Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VIII. 1885, 355.
A. O. U., Check List, 1886, 212, no. 396 a. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,
2d ser., II. 1889, 286 (Cape Region ; Cape St. Lucas ; Victoria Mts. ; Santa
Margarita Island, etc.). Townsexd, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIIL 1890, 137
(Cape St. Lucas). Allen, Auk, X. 1893, 142 (tropical type). Anthony,
Zoe, IV. 1893, 236 (San Pedro Martir) ; Auk, XII. 1895, 138 (San Fernando ;
San Telmo). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. II. 1895, 65 (Cape
Region, etc.). Miller, Auk, XI. 1894, 178 (San Diego co., Calif.).

Dendrocopus lucasanus Hargitt, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XVIII. 1890, 250 (descr. ;
La Paz ; Cape St. Lucas; subsp. of Dendrocopus scalaris).

Dryohates [scalaris lucasanus] Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 191 (San Jose' del Cabo).

P.[icus] s. [calaris] lucasanus Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 482 (descr. ;
Cape St. Lucas).

D.[ryobates] scalaris lucasanus Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 285
(descr.; s. portion of Lower Calif.).

[Picus scalaris] var. lucasana Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. I. 1899, 71 (Basse-
Californie).

[Dendrocopus] lucasanus Sharpe, Hand-list, II. 1900, 215.

All the character-s which have been proposed for this "Woodpecker are shown
by the large series before me to be subject to much variation, but this, as in
the case of Melanerpes anrjustifrons, is confined within limits which do not over-
lap, if, indeed, they quite reach those of the bird's nearest allies. The restric-
tion of the black on the outer tail feathers is perhaps its best distinguishing
feature, although this is not at all uniform, for many of my specimens liave
three complete dark bars crossing both webs of the outer tail feathers, wliile in
one a fourth bar is only broken by a small space near the middle of the feather.
The width of the dark bars on the back is also variable, although these bars
are usually wider than in any of the allied forms. The feet average larger
than those of hairdi, but they are by no means always larger. A difference
■which I do not find mentioned in descriptions, but which is shown by my
series to be quite as constant as most of the characters that have been pro-
posed, is that the white spots on the top of the head are much larger and more
numerous than in hairdi, while the red is less vivid and more nearly restricted
to the crown and occiput. In one specimen (No. 17,231, La Paz, March 26,

104 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

/1 887) this red is confined to the occiput and a narrow border on the side
of the crown posterior to the eye, the remainder of the head above being plain
black spotted with white.

Spring birds of both sexes are paler beneath than autumnal specimens, the
latter having a decidedly browner cast. None of the females in my large
series show any red on the head, but more than fifty per cent of them have the
feathers of the forehead streaked with dull white. In one bird (No. 17,205,
Santiago, Nov. 24, 1887) this white streaking extends over the entire crown,
only the occiput being unmarked. Many specimens of both sexes have the
white markings of the wings and tail tinged with brown, evidently a stain. In
a few specimens this brownish is also conspicuous on the breast and throat.

Mr. Frazar considers this Woodpecker " rather conmion and "euerallv dis-
triljuted in the Cape Region, except on the mountains, where it was not met
with." He found it most numerous about La Paz, but did not see it any-
where to the northward of that place during his trip along the Gulf coast. Mr.
Belding includes it in his list of " Birds of the Mountains," but says that it
was "rarely seen." On the Pacific coast of the Peninsula he traced it to a
point thirty miles north of Todos Santos, which, however, by no means marks
tlie limit of its distribution in this direction, for Mr. Bryant found it on Santa
Margarita Island, and afterwards collected specimens as far north as latitude
28°. It has since been reported by Mr. Anthony ^ as " abundant about the
cardoon and cirio trees " at San Fernando (lat. 29° 30'), where " young were
seen in families of four or five " in June, and where the bird was " not uncom-
mon along the coast and lower foothills as far as San Telmo at least, living in
the thickets of pitahaya cactus {Cerent gummosus), and nesting in the dry flower
stalks of the mescal agave which grows with the cactus. San Fernando and
San Telmo skins are indistinguishable from those from Cape St. Lucas."

Although the St. Lucas Woodpecker is practically confined to the Peninsula
it has been recorded from the northern part of San Diego county, CaUfornia,
by Mr. G. S. Miller, jr.^

Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis Baird.

Eed-naped Sapsccker.

Sphi/Tapicus varius nuchalis Beldisg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., VI. 1883, .349 (Laguna).
Bktant, Proc. Calif Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 286 (La Laguna).

A Red-naped Sapsucker " obtained at Laguna," on February 1, 1883, by Mr.
Belding, is the only specimen known to have occurred in Lower California.
The bird is probably of rare and irregular occurrence here (if, indeed, anything
more than a mere waif) for its true home is the Rocky Mountain region and
south into northern Mexico. A few specimens have been taken in southern

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 138. 2 Auk, XI. 1894, 178.

BREWSTEU : BIRDS OF THE CAPE liElilON, LOWER CALIFOUNIA. 105

California, however, some of tbeiii among the foot bilk not far from the coast.
The form characteristic of California (S. ruber) is found in the northern part
of Lower California.

Melanerpes angustifrons (Baird).
Xarrow-froxted Woodpecker.

Melanerpes formich-onis Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1863, 328 part (crit.;

Lower Calif.)-
Melanerpes fonuiciuorus, var. anc^ustifrons Baikd, in Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 405,

40t5 (orig. (lescr. ; type from Cape St. Lucas ; figures heads of male and

female). Coues, Check List, 1873, 03, no. 310a. Baird, Brewer, and

RiDGWAV, Hist. NT. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 573, pi. 53, figs. 3, 4 (descr. ; crit. ;

Cape St. Lucas). Jasper, Birds N. Amer., 1878, 178, pi. 117, tig. 13 (Cape

St. Lucas).
[Melanerpes formicivorus] var. angustifrons CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 197

(descr.; Cape St. Lucas). Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. I. 18'J'J, OS (Basse-

Californie).
Melanerpes anjustifrons Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, IL

1874, pi. 58, figs. 3, 4. Hargitt, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XVIII. 1890,153,

1-54 (descr. ; Sierra de la Laguna; Triunfo).
Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S.

Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 35, 65, 75, no. 377a; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VL

1883, 158, footnote (crit.; S. Lower Calif.). Coues, Check List, 2d ed., 1882,

79, no. 455. Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 549 (Miraflores) ; VI.

1883, 349 (Victoria Mts.). A. O. U., Check List, 1886, 216, no. 407 a. Bryant,

Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IT. 1889, 287 (Miraflores ; Victoria Mts.).

Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. II. 1895, 117 (Cape Region; gives

Wm. Brewster's description of eggs from Sierra de la Laguna).
M-lelanerpesI f.[ormicivorus] angustifrons Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 198 (Victoria

Mts.). CocES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 490 (descr.; Lower

Calif.)
M.[elanerpes] formicivorus angustifrons Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed.,

1896,291 (descr. ; s. portion of Lower Calif.).
[Melanerpes] angustifrons Sharpe, Hand-list, II. 1900, 209.

The characters originally given to this species, although in my opinion suf-
ficiently pronounced and constant to separate it specifically from its nearest
allies, are subject to considerable variation within certain limits. Thus both
the white frontal band and the black band which, in the female, borders it
posteriorly, vary greatly in width. The white in a few of my specimens ex-
tends back as far as the anterior corner of the eye and the black is nearly twice
as wide (longitudinally) in some birds as in others, but the combined width of
the white and black does not appear ever to exceed the width of the red patch
on the crown and occiput, although in at least one of my examples it fully
equals it. None of my birds have the forehead "gamboge," but it is tinged
with citron yellow in many specimens ; in the majority it is soiled white. In

106 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

one bird, a female, it is spotted with black. Another female has the black
baud on the crown plentifully sprinkled with red of the same tint as that of
the occiput. The red of the occiput varies only slightly in shade with dif-
ferent birds. The amount of white streaking on the breast is also very uniform,
altliough a single specimen (female, No. 17,332, Sierra de la Laguna, June 3,
18:>7), which, in other respects, is a typical angustifrons, has the black of the
breast unstreaked over i^uite as broad a space as in average specimens of hainli.
About hfty per cent of my specimens of both sexes show more or less crimson
red on the middle of the breast, this sometimes forminj' a rather lar^e and dis-
tinct patch. A small number, perhaps live per cent, also of both sexes, have
the plumage curiously variegated with light brown, varying from cinnamon to
Vandyke brown. This is usually confined to the ends of the wing quills and
tail feathers, but in a few specimens it extends over the whole dark portions of
these feathers. One bird (female, No. 17,257, Triunfo, December 20, 1887),
has not only much of the wings and tail, but also the wing coverts, shoulders,
foreback and sides of the breast conspicuously washed with this light cinnamon
brown. In another (male, No. 17,300, Sierra de la Laguna, June 3, 1887), the
greater coverts of the left wing and some of the scapulars over the right wing
are distinctly brown. I am quite at a loss to explain this peculiar coloring.
It does not seem to result from a faded condition of the plumage, for some of
the birds most affected are autumn specimens which had just moulted ; nor can
it be a stain, for many of the feathers are clear, light brown to their bases,
showin" no underlying tones of black, as would be the case had they been
affected by any extraneous dye. Some of the feathers again have the centers
glossy black bordered on all sides by brown. Occasional specimens of other
Woodpeckers in my collection, notably Dryobates arizonae and D. v. hylosco])us,
exhibit similar light brown markings.

This Woodpecker, which seems to be strictly confined to the Cape Eegion
proper, is exceedingly abundant throughout the pine forests on the higher
mountains south of La Paz and common at many places in the oaks at the
bases of the mountains and among their foot-hills, ranging downward, accord-
ing to Mr. Belding, to an elevation of about 700 feet. Mr. Frazar found it most
numerous on the Sierra de la Laguna, during the last week of April and the
first week of May. After that its numbers decreased perceptibly. It began
breeding on this mountain the first week in June, but the breeding season
was not at its height until the middle of that month.

Four fresh eggs, constituting a set, taken by Mr. Frazar on June 3, are
white with a rather dull gloss — about as in average eggs of Sphyrapicus varius.
They vary in shape from blunt ovate to broad elliptical oval and measure
respectively : .95 X .75, .94 x -74, .89 X -77 and .89 X -76. This set is unac-
companied by any notes regarding the position or character of the nesting hole
or of the behavior of the birds.

Only one specimen was seen at Triunfo during the last two weeks of June,
but the bird was common and presumably breeding at Pierce's Ranch in July.
At the latter place it fairly swarmed in December, the resident colony being

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 107

probably augmented by large numbers of winter visitors from La Laguna,
where Mr. Frazar found only a few birds lingering in late November and early
December. Along the road between San Jose del Cabo and Miruflores it was
seen in considerable numbers on November 15, and three were observed in
some evergreen oaks at Santiago on November 23.

This Woodpecker, like its near allies M. formicivorus and M. f. bairdi, has
the habit of storing acorns in boles which it pecks for their reception in the
trunks of trees. On the Sierra de la Laguna Mr. Frazar found "'many dead
pines literally stuflFed full of acorns."

M. f. bairdi, the form found throughout California, passes the southern
boundary of that State and ranges as far south on the Peninsula as San Pedro
Martir, where it is not very numerously represented but " probably resident." ^

Melanerpes uropygialis (Baird).
Gila Woodpecker.

Centunis uropygialis Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1859, ."01, 302 (Cape

St. Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape Region) ;

VL 1883, 345 (Cape Region).
Melanerpes uropygialis Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 287 (Cape

Region). Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIIL 1890, 137 (Cape St.

Lucas; La Paz). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. II. 1895,127

(vicinity of Cape St. Lucas).

My numerous Lower Ciilifornia specimens of this Woodpecker do not appear
to differ from those which I have received from Arizona and northern Mexico.

Individual variations: — Males. The red of the crown varies from deep
crini.son to orange chrome, hut its distribution is very uniform. The width of
the dark bars on the back, rump, wing.s, etc., is highly variable ; all my speci-
mens have the rump and itpper tail coverts distinctly barred. The color of the
head, neck, and under parts varies from hair brown to buffy drab, the yellow of
the belly fronr pale maize yellow to deep cadmium orange. Usually the yellow
forms a broad, conspicuous patch, but in a few specimens it is faint and re-
stricted. Several of the spring specimens are more or less stained with umber
brown on the wings, tail, and under parts.

Females. In respect to the yellow of the belly, the brown of the head and
under parts, the width of the dark barring, and the staining of the wing.s, tail,
and breast, the females vary much as do the males. Most of them have the
forehead lighter than the rest of the head and in a few it is pure light buff.
One bird has the auriculars, on one side of the head only, decidedly buffy in con-
trast with the color of the rest of the head. Two birds (No. 17,355, Santiago,
November 25, and No. 11,404, Triunfo, December 12, 1887), both in fiUl
autumn plumage, show traces of red on the crown, one having a single crimson-
tipped feather; the other, two feathers crimson nearly to their bases.

1 Anthony, Zoe, IV. 1893, 236.

108 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Seasonal variations: — Spring, autumn, and winter specimens are essentially
similar to one another, but the birds taken in October and early November
have the general coloring clearer, and that of the head and under parts a trifle
ashier, than in those collected at other seasons.

In the Cape Region the Gila Woodpecker has apparently much the same
distribution as Dryobates lucasanus. Neither Mr. Belding nor Mr. Frazar
found it in the higher mountains, but both note its abundance throughout the
low country, and Mr. Frazar obtained many specimens at Triunfo Avhich is
within the lower edge of the oak belt. Mr. Belding traced it to about thirty
miles north of Todos Santos on the Pacific coast, but it extends still farther up
the Peninsula, for Mr. Bryant " found a few on Santa Margarita Island, and
met with them generally along the overland route" — just how far to the
northward he neglects to state, however. JMr. Anthony says that " the range
of this species along the Pacific slope [of the Peninsula] is exactly coextensive
with that of Gereus pringlei, becoming common with that cactus a short distance
below Rosario and seldom if ever being seen at any distance from the shelter
of its mighty branches." ^

The Gila Woodpecker is not, of course, confined to Lower California. Else-
where it occurs more or less numerously in southeastern California, southern
Arizona and western Mexico. It is apparently resident wherever found.

Colaptes chrysoides (Malh.).

Gilded Flicker.

Colaptes chri/soides Baird, Proc Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1850, 301 (Cape St. Lucas),
302, 303 (crit. ; descr. male and female; Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer,
and RiDGWAT, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 583, 584, pi. 54, fig. 2 (descr.;
crit.; breeding at Cape St. Lucas, May 19). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mus., V. 1883, 543 (Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 345 (Cape Region), .340 (Vic-
toria Mts.). Bryaxt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 287 (Cape
Region). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. II. 1895, 139 (vicinity of
Cape St. Lucas). Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, II. 1895,
405 (breeding at Cape St. Lucas ; descr. male from La Paz).

My Lower California specimens appear to be in every way identical with birds
from Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. A pair from Alamos, southern
Sonora, are much darker above, with the ashy of the throat and breast deeper
and duller, and the under parts browner. If additional material from Mexico
should show that these color peculiarities are constant they would be quite
sufficient to warrant the separation of the birds which iidiabit the region about
Alamos.

Individual variations: — Both sexes. The rump and upper tail coverts are
sometimes distinctly (but always finely) barred with black, sometimes immacu-

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 138, 139.

BKEWSTER: birds of the cape region, lower CALIFORNIA. 109

late white ; the under wing coverts, usually profusely mottled and barred with
biuckish, are sometimes nearly plain ; while the outer webs of the outer pair
of tail feathers, as a rule notched distinctly with yellow, are occasionally plain
black. The black markings on the under parts vary considerably in number and
size, some specimens being profusely and heavily, others sparsely and finely,
spotted. The barring of the upper parts is similarly variable, a few birds hav-
iii.c the dark bars nearly obsolete on the back, although they are iisually broad
and distinct. None of my specimens show any red on the occiput or tinge of
rerldish in the yellow of the wings and tail ; nor have any of the males black
mixed with the red of the moustache. The ends of the wings and tail, as well
a? most of the under parts, are sometimes stained with umber, as in several
other species of Woodpeckers from this region.

Seasonal variations : — Specimens in fresh autumn plumage have the general
coloring a trifle clearer than do spring birds. I am unable to detect any other
differences which can be associated with season.

^Ir. Belding and Mr. Frazar agree as to the rarity of the Gilded Flicker on
the higher mountains, where only a few individuals were seen by the former,
and but two (both females, taken on the Sierra de la Laguna, April 29)
obtained by the latter. The bird's true home is evidently at the bases of the
mountains, and among their foot-hills extending thence to the shores of the
Pacific on the south and west, to those of the Gulf on the east. Throughout
this region it is a common species, although not so numerously represented
as Melanerpes urojnjgialis. On the arid plains near the coast it breeds in the
stems of the giant cactus. Mr. Bryant found it " rare on Santa Margarita
Inland," but it was " generally encountered along the overland route." Mr.
Anthony has said that its " northwestern range " on the Peninsula " is almost,
if not quite, the same " as that of M. uropygialis} but soon after making this
statement he found that the birds which occur in northern Lower California
differ from those of the Cape Region "in darker upper parts and slightly
smaller size." He has accordingly proposed to recognize the former as repre-
senting a distinct subspecies under the name Colajites chrijsoides brunnescens.^
This form is said to be confined to northern Lower California, while typical
chrysoides occurs not only in the central and southern portions of the Peninsula,
but in Arizona and northwestern Mexico, also.

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii nitidus Brewst.
Frosted Poor-will.

Phalaenoptilus nuWdli (not C'lprimnlfjns nuttallii Acdubon) Belding, Proc. U. S.
Nat. Mas., VL 1883, 349 (Victoria Mts.).

I have only a pair of these Poor-wills from the Cape Region, both taken on
the Sierra de la Laguna, the male on June 2, the female on June 6. They

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 139. 2 Auk, Loc. cit., 3i7.

110 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

agree in all essential respects with P. n. nitidus, although the coloring of their
upper parts is a trifle darker, and the terminal white tail band a little wider, than
in my types of that subspecies. The Lower California male has the abdomen
and flanks wholly without trace of dark bars.

P. n. nitidus seems to be a perfectly good subspecies, although its distribution
is somewhat irregular and difficult to understand. It has been found in
Texas, Kansas, and portions of Arizona, and it probably occurs in northwestern
Mexico, also, although the bird of the Sierra Madre region is true nuttallii.

Mr. Belding was doubtless right in suspecting that he heard the notes of a
Phalaenoptilus in the mountains of the Cape Region, for Mr. Frazar found the
Frosted Poor-will very common on the Sierra de la Laguna in May and June.
It was also noted* in July at both Pierce's Ranch and Triunfo, but not com-
monly at either place. A single bird, probably a migrant on its way south,
was heard at San Jose del Cabo on the evening of September 2.

Mr. Frazar states that on the mountains these Poor-wills did not begin sing-
ing until about tlie middle of May. "Their note is a poic^oe-hoo, the first
syllable given loncj, the accent on the second, and the last little more than a
retraction of the breath. They were almost invariably in large oaks and very
seldom on the ground. A female shot June 6 was undoubtedly mated and
would have laid soon."

Mr. Bryant records ^ P. n. californicus from Tia Juana, San Pedro Martir, and
Pozo G-rande. At the latter place a male was taken on March 19, 1889.
Poor-wills were also " heard every evening on the steep hillsides at Comondu,
and at various other localities," but the specimen just mentioned seems to be
the only one actually examined by Mr. Bryant.

Mr. Anthony asserts that of three Poor- wills which he obtained in the north-
ern part of the Peninsula in 1894 " two are rather intermediate between cali-
fornicus and nitidus, although one was collected as far north as Burro Canon,
north of Ensenada. The third, No. 5,266, collected at San Fernando May 4,
if not true nitidus, is not far from that form." ^

Chordeiles acutipennis texensis (Lawb.).
Texan Xighth.\wk.

Chordelhs texensis Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila , 1859, 301, 303 (Cape St.

Lucas). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 288 (Cape

Region).
Chordeiles acutipennis, var. texensis Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer.

Birds, II. 1874, 407 (abundant at Cape St. Lucas ; breeding at Cape St.

Lucas in May).
Chordeiles acutipennis texensis Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 543 (La Paz ;

San Jose').

1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 287, 288.

2 Auk, XII. 1895, 139.

buewstek: birds of the cape region, lower California. Ill

Numerous examples of this species in my collection from Lower California,
Arizona, ami western Mexico, show no appreciable geographical variations in
respect to either size or color, but they average a trifle smaller and, as a rule,
are somewhat lighter colored than a number of Texas specimens in the col-
lection of the late Mr. Sennett.

Mr. Frazar saw the first Texan Nighthawk at Triunfo on the evening of
April 15. It was next met with on the Sierra de la Laguna, where one or two
were observed the last week in May. At Triunfo the birds were abundant
during the last three weeks of June, appearing regularly every evening near
the ranch, and skimming back and forth close over a large wood pile, which
evidently harbored insects on which they were feeding. After a succession of
heavy showers which occurred at this place early in July they suddenly and
wholly disappeared. At San Juse del Cabo a few were seen at intervals
through the autumn up to November 11, and several were observed near San-
tiago on December 3. Mr. Belding found the species " abundant at San Josd
after April 23," but he says that it was "rarely seen at La Paz." As the
latter statement presumably refers to some date or dates between December
15, 1881, and March 21, 1882, it seems fair to assume that the December in-
stance noted by Mr. Frazar was not exceptional, and that at least a few birds
regularly winter in the Cape Region. Mr. Frazar obtained a set of two eggs,
slightly incubated, at Pierce's Ranch, on July 20.

The Texan Nighthawk seems to be generally distributed throughout the
central and northern portions of the Peninsula, although, judging by Mr.
Bryant's experience, it is nowhere very common to the northward of La Paz.
Its extralimital range includes the lower border of the United States from
southern California to eastern Texas, southward to Central America.

Chaetura vauxii (Towns.).

Vaux's Swift.

At San Jose del Cabo on September 24, and again on November 2, Mr.
Frazar saw •' a small black Swift " which he thought belonged to this species,
and which, indeed, could not well have been anything else. On each occasion
only a single bird was observed, but the one seen in September was accom-
panied by a number of Barn and Eave Swallows. Chaetura vauxii was of
course to be expected in this region, at least as a migrant, but it has not been
reported up to this time, although it Avas observed by Mr. Belding in May,
1885, between San Rafael and San Pedro Martir, in the northern portion of
the Peninsula (Bryant).

Vaux's Swift is found on the Pacific slope from British Columbia south into
Mexico. It is not known to breed south of San Francisco.

112 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Aeronautes melanoleucus (Baied).

White-throated Swift.

Cypselus saxatilis Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 547 (San Jose del

Cabo; San Jose).
Micropus melanoleucus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 288 (San

Jose del Cabo).

Two specimens, both males, taken on May 19 on the Sierra de la Laguna,
are slightly smaller than the average of my Colorado examples, but are other-
wise similar to the latter.

On the Sierra de la Laguna, during May and the first week in June, Mr.
Frazar saw these Swifts almost daily, but never in very great numbers. They
were usually observed flying along the sides of the mountain, and only once
over its summit. The sexual organs of two males shot on May 19 were at
the maximum stage of development, but Mr. Frazar obtained no other evi-
dence that the species breeds in these mountains, nor did he find it elsewhere in
Lower California. Mr. Belding, however, noted it at San Josd del Cabo on
April 29, 1882.

The range of the White-throated Swift extends from California to Central
America. It breeds at many places in the mountains of California as far
south as San Bernardino.

Calypte costas (Bocrc).
Costa's Hummingbird.

Calypte costae Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 542 (Cape Region; San
Jose ; Cape St. Lucas; Miraflores), 547 (breeding at La Paz) ; VI. 188-3, .348
(Victoria Mts.). Ridgwat, Ibid., V. 1883, 542 (descr. nests and eggs) ; Rep.
U. S. Nat. Mus., 1889-1890, 1891, a37-339, pi. 39 (Cape district of Lower
Calif. ; figures female and nest from La Paz).

Trochilus costae Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 191 (San Jose del Cabo).

Lower California specimens do not appear to be in any way peculiar.

Individual variations : — Adult males. The amount of green on the back,
sides, and abdomen is somewhat variable, and the length of the bill exceedingly
so. Most of my specimens have the purplish of the forehead obscured by what
appears to be a thin coating of pollen. In one taken at La Paz on February
24, 1887, the forehead and throat are covered with pin feathers.

Immature males. A male killed at La Paz on February 23, 1887, diff^ers from
the adult female only in having the plumage of the top and sides of the head
browner and interspersed with a few (three or four) purple feathers. It is
evidently a bird of the preceding year.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 113

Adult females. In some specimens the throat is perfectly plain : in others
tiiK'ed with rusty; in still others sprinkled with small purplish spots, while in
onrbird (Xo. 17,083, La Paz, February 24, 1887), there is a rather large cen-
tral i)atch of dull but iridescent purple. None of my females show any purplish
on the crown.

Tliis Hummingbird occurs throughout Lower California. In the Cape
Regi(jn it is a resident species of somewhat local and peculiar distribution
during the breeding season, although at other times of the year it appaiently
wanders over considerable areas in search of food. Thus Mr. Frazar fuund
it al)undant near La Paz in February and March and among the Victoria
Mountains (opposite Carmen Island) during the latter month, but he failed
to detect even a single specimen uu the Sierra de la Laguna in May or
early June. Mr. Belding characterizes it as " abundant in winter " about La
Paz, but " not common at San Jose, Cape Saint Lucas, or Miraflores in April
and May." At San Jose del Rancho Mr. Frazar saw only one or two in early
July, but soon after the middle of that month a succession of heavy showers
caused the vegetation to spring suddenly into leaf, and Costa's Hummers ap-
peared in large numbers, coming, Mr. Frazar thought, from the region to the
northward. They were most abundant about July 25, after which their num-
bers declined steadily. ISTone were seen either here or at Triunfo in December.

According to Mr. Belding, Costa's Hummingbird seldom ranges above 2,000
feet altitude, and " thrives in barren, waterless tracts." Mr. Anthony, however,
found it nesting in May, 1893, among the pines on San Pedro Martir at an alti-
tude of 7,500 feet.i In the more southern portions of Lower California it
breeds in January, February, and March, the earliest date on record being
January 17, 1881, when Mr. Bryant found a nest containing "large young,"
on Santa Margarita Island. "-^

The general range of Costa's Hummingbird includes southern California,
Arizona and western Mexico.

It is possible that Selasphorus alleni sometimes visits the Cape Region, for
Mr. Frazar obtained an adult female in the Victoria Mountains opposite Carmen
Island, on March 11, 1887.

Basilinna xantusi (Lawk.).
Xaxtus's Hummingbird,

Amazilia xantusii Lawrence, Ann Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., VII. 1860, 109, 110

(orig. descr. of female ; type from Cape St. Lucas).
Heliopaedica castaneocauda Lawrence, Loc. cit., 145 (orig. descr. of male : crit ;

Cape St. Lucas).
A.[mazilia] xantusi Sclater, Ibis, 1800, 309 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 237.

2 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 289.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1 8

114 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Heliopaedica xanlusi Gould, Mon. Troch., II. 1861, pi. 65 (descr.) ; Intr. Troch.,
1801, 61. P;lliot, lUustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1869, pL 22.
Bairu, Brewer, and Uidgwat, Hist. X. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 467, pi. 47,
fig. 3 (descr. male and female; Cape St. Lucas). Mulsant and Verreaux,
Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, II. 1876, 3 (descr.). Jasper, Birds N. Amer., 1878,
156, pi. 105, fig. 7 (Cape St. Lucas).

B.[asillnna] xantusi Heine, Jour. Orn., 1863, 196 (crit ). Coues, Key N. Amer.
Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 460, 461 (descr.; Cape St. Lucas.) Hidgwat, Man.
N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 318 (descr. ; s. portion of Lower Calif.).

[Hylocharis\ xantusi Mulsant and Verreaux, Class. Troch., 1866, 38 (characters
of the genus). Sharpe, Hand-list, II. 1900, 110.

Hylocharis zantusii Gray, Hand-list, I. 1869, 151, no. 1,950.

Heliopaedica xantusii Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 365 (descr.; Cape St. Lucas).
Coues, Check List, 1873, 55, no. 273.

[Heliopaedica'] xautusii CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 184 (descr. ; Cape St.
Lucas).

Heliopaedica xanthusi Mulsant, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, nouv. ser., XXII. 1876,
207 (Mexique). Mulsant and Verreaux, Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, IV.
1877, 186 (synonymy).

Coeligena xanthusi Mulsant and Verreaux, Log. cit., I. 1877, 190-192, pi. —
(descr.; near Cape St. Lucas).

Basilinna xanthusi Elliot, Class, and Syn. Trocliilidae, 1879, 227 (descr.; Cape
St. Lucas). Eudes-Deslongchamps, Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Caen, I. 1881,
479-481 (descr.). Boulard, The Humming Bird, IV. 1894, 178, 179 (descr. ;
Cape St. Lucas).

Basilinna xantusi UiDGW AY, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., III. 1880, 6, 319 (Cape St. Lucas) ;
V. 1888, 542, 543 (descr. Belding's nests and eggs from San Jose', April 28, and
arroyo, n. of Santiago Peak, May 9) ; VI. 1883, 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower
Calif.); Norn. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 33, 65,
75, no. 347; Rep. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1889-1890, 1891, 869-371, pi. 44 (Cape
district of Lower Calif.; descr. male, female, nest, and eggs; figures male
and female from Pierce's Rancli, and nest from San Jose'). Coues, Check
List, 2d ed., 1882, 78, no. 407. Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883,
542 (mountain canons of Cape Region; Cacachiles Mt. ; San Jose; descr.
nest from San Jose, April 23); VI. 1883, 849 (Victoria Mts.). A. 0. U.,
Check List, 1886, 227, no. 440. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889, 289, 290 (Cape Region; Comondu, etc.) ; Zoe, IL 1891, 191 (San Jose'
del Cabo). Salvin. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XVL 1892, 255 (descr.; Agua
Escondida ; mountains s. of La Paz; Triunfo ; San Jose' del Cabo). Allen,
Auk, X. 1893, 142 (tropical type). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt.
II. 1895, 226, 227 (Cacachiles Mts.; San Jose'; near Santiago Peak, etc.;
descr. Belding's nests and eggs).

Xantus's hummingbird Bryant Loc. cit., 198 (Victoria Mts.).

IBasilinna] xanthusi Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. II. 1900, 139 (Basse-Californie).

Seasonal variations : — Males. The series collected by Mr. Frazar includes
specimens taken every month of the year excepting October and January. The
summer and autumn birds are by far the brightest colored, having tlie green
of the back quite pure ; the black of the forehead, sides of head and chin,

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORXI.V. 115

deep velvety often glossed with violet or blue; the metallic green of the throat,
clear and brilliant; the cinnamon rufous of the under parts, rich and pure.
The spring birds (March, April, and May), are uniformly much duller and
paler, the green of the back being much tinged with ashy or rusty, and the
black of the head w^th brown, while the green of the throat is muddy in tone
and but slightly iridescent. One bird (No. 17,031, Triunfo, April 11, 1887)
has the black of the head confined to the auriculars, and the green of the
throat to a few central spots, the rest of the under parts being dull cinnamon
rufous, and the entire U]>per parts dull green with most of the feathers tipped
■with rusty cinnamon. This specimen is evidently immature and probably in
Juvenal plumage. The fact that it is the only male in the entire series which
does not have the whole throat greenish and the forehead, cheeks, and lores
black or dark brownish, would seem to indicate that young bird^ acquire the
fully adult plumage with their first complete moult.

Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway describe and figure the male of this species as
having " a distinct white stripe from bill, through and behind the eye." Coues
says ^ that this stripe passes " through the eye." Elliot implies that it is situ-
ated as in B. leucotis, that is, " above and behind the eye." Ridgway states ^
that it is " behind eye." In all of the seventy males in my series it starts
immediately above the middle of the eye, and curving down behind it extends
straight backward along the side of the head f(ir about half an inch, im-
pinging closely on the eye both above and behind the upper eyelid.

Another discrepancy in the descriptions just referred to is in respect to the
color of the bill. Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway say "whole upper mandible
apparently dusky; base of lower, red;" Coues, "flesh-colored, Idack tipped ;"
Elliot, " red, tip black." In my dried specimens the basal half to three-
fourths of the upper mandible and the basal three-fourths to seven-eighths of
the lower mandible are flesh-colored, the remainder of both mandibles being
dark brown.

Few.ales. As with the males, the spring specimens are much paler and duller
than the summer ones. Some of the latter have the top and sides of head, the
upper tail coverts, and the middle pair of tail feathers strongly tinged with
cinnamon. The superciliary stripe is often nearly pure white in early •spring
birds. Ridgway says ^ that the throat of the female is either " with or without
green spots." In my series of forty-one females not one shows the slightest
trace of green spotting on the throat.

This Hummingbird is peculiar to Lower California, but it is not strictly con-
fined to the Cape Region, for Mr. Frazar found it common at a point about one
hundred and fifty miles north of La Paz among the mountains opposite C!ar-
men Island in latitude 26°, and Mr. Bryant has traced its extension still farther
northward to about latitude 29°. It seems to be most abundant, however, in

1 Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 460.

2 Man. N. Amer. Birds, 1887, 318.
8 Loc. cit.

116 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOrJLOGY.

the mountains south of La Paz, especially on the Sierra de la Laguna, where it
ranges from the highest elevations down to the lower limits of the oaks among
the foothills. It also occurs — at least sparingly and locally at certain seasons
— in the low arid country near the coast, for Mr. Frazar took a male at La Paz
on February 11, and saw upward of a dozen at San Jose del Cabo in Septem-
ber. At the latter place, Mr. Belding found it " common in orchards " about
the last of April, 1882. Among the mountains it shows a marked preference
for canons, especially such as have pools or small streams of water. Mr. Bel-
ding says that "in winter" it is " found only in mountain canons," but Mr.
Frazar's experience was exactly the reverse of this, for during his winter visit
to the Sierra de la Laguna (November 27-December 2), the '* whole top of the
cold, sleety mountain was alive with Xantus's Hummers, which seemed to be
attracted there by an abundant shrub covered with dry yellow blossoms, whereas
in May and June they were confined quite closely to the canons." The truth
of the matter probably is that their movements, like those of most other mem-
bers of this family, are dependent largely on the presence or absence, at any
given locality or season, of the flowers on which they feed.

A nest found at San Jos6 del Rancho, on July 28, was placed at the extremity
of a slender, drooping oak twig, about eight feet above the ground. One
side is built against and around the main stem (here only .12 inches in diam-
eter), and the bottom rests securely on a terminal fork, from the ends of which
hang a number of dry, bleached oak leaves, apparently of the previous year's
growth. The chief, if not only, material composing the walls of this nest con-
sists of small, woolly leaves of a pale sage-green color, intermixed with reddish-
brown, catkin-shaped objects, which appear to be made up of numerous minute
seed vessels attached in double, triple, or quadruple rows or clusters to stems
an inch or more in length. The entire outer surface of the nest is wrapped
with a net-work of spider-web silk so fine as to be well-nigh invisible but suffi-
ciently strong and tautly drawn to give the walls a firm, smooth outline. The
interior is not lined save at the bottom, which is furnished with a soft bed of
whitish down, evidently that of some bird. This nest measures externally
1.60 inches in diameter by 1.65 in depth; internally, .73 inches in diameter
by .50 in depth.

Tyrannus vociferans Swains.

Cassin's Kingbird.

Tyrannus vociferans Beldikg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape Begion);
VI. 1883, ."48 (Laguna). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
290 (Cape Region).

Mr. Frazar found Cassin's Kingbirds abundant at La Paz in February, and
early March, when they seemed to be passing northward. They were numerous
again, on the return migration, during the last week of August and first ten
days of September, at San Jose del Cabo, but rare in December (18-25) at

I

i

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 117

San Jo?e del Ranclio, where a few seen in July were apparently breeding,
although no nests were discovered. None were met with by Mr. Frazar on the
mountains, but in 1883 the species was seen " around the meadow at Laguna "
by Mr. Belding.

According to Mr. Bryant T. vociferans is not at all common in the central
and northern portions of the Peninsula. Mr. Anthony, who " found it nesting
in live oaks and cottonwoods up to about 4,000 feet altitude, . . . thinks he
has seen none after the middle of November " (Bryant), but in California the
species is said to be resident as far north as Los Angeles county. It migrates
as far south, however, as Guatemala. The closely allied T. verticalis has been
recorded from the northern part of Lower California.

Myiarchus cincrascens pertinax (Baird).
Lower California Flycatcher.

Myiarchus mexicnnus (not Ti/rannula mexicana Kwp) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.

Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St. Lucas), 30o (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Cooper,

Orn. Cal., 1870, 316, 317, part (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).
M-lyiarchus] pertinax Baird, Loc. cit., 303 (Cape St. Lucas; provis. name for bird

of Lower Calif.). Coces, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 171 (crit.; Cape St.

Lucas).
[Pyroceplialus'] mexicanus Gray, Hand-list, I. 1869, 362, no. 5,519, part.
Myiarchus mexicanus, var. pertinax Cooper, Loc. cit., 317 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).

Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, IL 1874, 337, 339

(crit.; Cape St. Lucas).
[Myiarchus'] cinerasceni CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 171, part (crit. ; Cape

St. Lucas). Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IV. 1900, 250, part (Mexique).

Sharpe, Hand-list, III. 1901, 144, part.
Myiarchus cincrascens {v\qX Tyrannula cincrascens Lawrexce) Coues, Proc. Acad.

Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1872, 69, 70, part (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas) ; Clieck List, 1873,

51, no. 248, part. Coues and Streets, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 7, 1877,

12 (Pichilinque Bay; Cape St. Lucas). Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds

(Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 31, no. 313, part. Belding, Proc.

U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape Region). A. O. U., Check List, 1886,

232, no. 454, part. Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XIV. 1S88, 248, 249, part

(La Paz; Cape St. Lucas). Salvix and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves,

11.1889, 91, part (synonymy). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.

1889, 290, part at least (Lower Calif.).
Myiarchus crinitus, var. cincrascens Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Loc. cit., 337,

part (Cape St. Lucas).
flfi/inrchtis cinerescens (err. typ.) Coues, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 69, no. 375, part.
M-lyiarchus] cinerescens (err. typ.) Coces, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4t]i ed., 1894, 436,

part (crit.; Cape St. Lucas).
M.lyiarchus] cinerascens Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 333, part.

118 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

My specimens from the Cape Region differ rather constantly from those
from western Mexico and the United States in having longer as well as usually
stouter bills. They are also almost invariably grayer above, especially on the
crown and nape, and less yellowish on the abdomen, crissum, under tail
coverts, and flanks. The grayish on the nape is often so pronounced as to
form an obscure but noticeable band or collar. In autumnal plumage the
abdomen, flanks, crissum, and under tail coverts are primrose yellow, the back
faintly tinged with olive, the light edging of the secondaries and wing coverts
slightly olivaceous ; otherwise this plumage does not difi"er materially from
that of spring.

The peculiarities above mentioned seem to me sufficiently pronounced to
entitle this bird to subspecific separation from cinerascens. Baird as long ago as
1859 remarked the " rather stouter bill " which, he adds, J' appears to be a con-
stant character, and may one day cause its [the Lower California bird's] separa-
tion as a species. (M. pertinax, Baird)." Hence the form is already supplied
with a name under which I have ventured to reinstate it here.

This Flycatcher is resident in the Cape Region from La Paz southward,
but Mr. Frazar saw only a very few at San Jose del Cabo, and none on the
Sierra de la Laguna. Its favorite haunts are arid, cactus-grown plains in tlie
low country near the coast, but it also frequents thickets, where they are to
be found.

Just how far to the northward on the Peninsula pertinax ranges before merg-
ing into or giving place to true cinerascens 1 am unable to state. Mr. Bryant,
who does not discriminate between the two forms, says that the Ash-throated
Flycatcher is " one of the most generally distributed species found in Lower
California."

Sayornis saya (Bonap.).

Say's Phoebe.

Sayornis sayi Beldixg, Proe. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape Region).
Sayornis saya Bryant, Proc. Calif. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 290 (Cape Region).

Say's Phoebe occurs in the Cape Region only during winter, and even then
it is apparently rare. Mr. Frazar took but three specimens, all at La Paz, in
February. The species breeds in the northern portion of the Peninsula, for
Mr. Anthony found some nests " in old mines and tunnels at Valladares, fre-
quently at a depth of twenty feet in a shaft " (Bryant). In California it is
resident as far north as Sebastopol. It ranges northward in summer along
the Yukon River to the Arctic Circle, and southward in winter, on the plateau
of Mexico, to Puebla and central Vera Cruz.^

-">

1 A. O. U., Check List, 2J ed., 1895, 185.

BREWSTER ; BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION. LOWER CALIFORNIA. 119

Sayornis nigricans (Swains.).
Black Phoebe.

Sayornis nigricans Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 303 (Cape St.
Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 542 (Cape Region).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 290 (Cape St. Lucas;
Cape Region).

Sayornis nigricans semiatra (Vigors) has been recently resuscitated by Mr.
Nelson ^ and adopted as a good subspecies in the Tenth Supplement of the
A. 0. U. Check List. It is said to inhabit the " Pacific coast of Mexico and
the United States from Colima to Oregon, including most of Arizona," and to
have the " under tail-coverts pure white," while true nigricans is supposed to
be confined to Texas, New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and the interior and
eastern parts of Mexico, and to have the corresponding feathers " white more
or less broadly striped with dusky." From this it would appear that the bird
of Lower California should be semiatra, but of my mature specimens (thirty-
one in number) from the Cape Region, not one has the under tail coverts
wholly immaculate, while the greater number possess conspicuous dusky
shaft stripes on these feathers. The same thing is true in a general way of
my examples from California, although one of the latter really does lack all
trace of the markings just mentioned. Most of my numerous specimens
from regions included within the habitat assigned to nigricans by Mr. Nel-
son undeniably show rather more of this dusky than is possessed by the
average bird from the Pacific coast, but the difi"erence seems to me too trifling
and inconstant to deserve anything more than passing notice. Scarcely more
important, in my estimation, is the fact that the Black Pewees of the Cape
Region are usually, but by no means invariably, distinguishable from those of
all other regions represented in my collection by their slightly larger (broader
as well as longer) bills and comparatively faded, brownish coloring.

Mr. Belding gives this species as rare in the Cape Region. Mr. Frazar did
not take it at La Paz, but further southward it is generally distributed and
rather common at all seasons, ranging from San Jose del Cabo on the coast to
the summit of the Sierra de la Laguna. It prefers the hilly country at the
bases of the mountains, however, and is seldom seen far from water. Young
on wing were met with at Triunfo in April. At Comondu Mr. Bryant found
eggs "March 13, and full-fledged young April 9, 1888."

The Black Phoebe is found from Oregon to southern Mexico on the Pacific
slope.

1 Auk, XVII. 1900, 124, 125.

120 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Contopus richardsonii peninsulae Bbewst.

Large-billed Wood Pewee.

[Pj/rocephalus] richardsoni Gray, Hand-list, pt. I. 1869, 362, no. 5,510, part.
\_Contopus virens'\ var. richardsonii Coles, Key N. Ainer. Birds, 1872, 174, part.
Contopus virens, var. richardsonii Coces, Check List, 1873, 53, no. 255 a, part.
Contopus richardsoni Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21),

1881, 31, no. 321, part.
Contopus virens richardsoni CocES, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 70, no. 383, part.
Contopus richardsonii A. O. U., Check List, 1886, 234, no. 462, part.
Contopus richardsonii peninsulae Brewster, Auk, VIII. 1891, 144, 145 (orig. descr. ;

types from Sierra de la Laguna and Triunfo). A. O. U. Comm., Auk, IX.

1892, 106, no. 462 a; Check List, 2d ed., 1895, 187, no. 462 a. Ridgway,

Man'. ]Sr. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 598 (descr.; S. Lower Calif.).
C.lpntopusi v.\_irens'] richardsoni Coce3, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4tli ed., 1894, 440, part.
Horizopus richardsonii peninsulae Oberholser, Auk, XVI. 1899, 333 (synonymy).
[Contopus virens'\ va,T. peninsulae Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IV. 1900,249 (Basse-

Californie).
[fforizopus] peninsulae Sharpe, Hand-list, III. 1901, 142.

This near ally of C. richardsonii was discovered by Mr. Frazar on the Sierra
de la Lagiina, where it appeared about the middle of May, the males arriving
nearly two weeks in advance of the females. It soon became very common,
frequenting open places in the woods, and usually taking its station at the ex-
tremity of some dead branch. Its note is " a sharp, cutting pee-ee-e, the second
syllable with a falling, the last with a rising, inflection." On June 9 while
descending the mountain Mr. Frazar found these Flycatchers common to its base
as well as afterwards at Triunfo and San Jose del Eancho. An adult female
killed on June 20 at Triunfo was incubating, but no nests were found.

The Large-billed Wood Pewee has not been reported as yet from anywhere
outside the Cape Eegion, but if, as the above evidence indicates, it is a migra-
tory bird, it must also occur in Mexico and Central America.

Mr. Bryant records C. richardsonii from San Sebastian and a few localities in
the northern part of Lower California.

Empidonax difficilis Baird.

Western Flycatcher.

(?) Empidonax difficilis Beldivg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 542, part (Cape
Region) ; VL 1883, 348, part (Victoria Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.
Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 291, part (Cape Region).

Of true E. difficilis I have seen only six Lower California specimens, all of
which were collected by Mr. Frazar, — one at Santiago on November 15, the

BIIEWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 121

other five at San Jose del Rancho in December. Mr. Belding's mention of
difficilis as " rare " may refer partly or wholly to the next species, which, of
coarse, had not been separated at the time Mr. Belding's papers were written.
It is not probable that E. difficilis breeds anywhere in the Cape Region,
although it may possibly do so in the extreme northern portions of the Penin-
sula. According to Mr. Bryant, it has been met with by Mr. Anthony at
Valladares, during the autumnal migration, and by Mr. Belding in wo ided
canons north of San Pedro Martir in May. It is abundant in summer through-
out niost of California and regularly ranges northward into British Columbia,
wliile a single specimen has been taken at Sitka, Alaska.^ In winter, it is said
to go as far southward as Costa Rica.

Empidonax cineritius Brewst.

St. Lucas Flycatcher.

Empidonax flaviventris Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 328, 329, part (Cape St. Lucas).
CocES, Check List, 1873, 5-3, no. 259, part.

[Empidonax] Jiaviventris Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 175, 176, part.

Empidonax difficilis Ridgway, Norn. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21),
1881, 31, no. 323, part. (?) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 542,
part (Cape Region); VL 1883, 318, part (Victoria Mts.). A. 0. U.,Clieck
List, 188G, 2.34, 235, no. 464, part. (?) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d
ser., IL 1889, 291, part (Cape Region, etc.).

Empidonax Jiaviventris difficilis Codes, Clieck List, 2d ed., 1882, 71, no. 389, part.

Empidonax cineritius Brewster, Auk, V. 1888, 90, 91 (orig. descr. ; types from
La Laguna). A. O. U. COMM., Suppl. to Check List, 1889, 10; Check List,
abridged ed., 1889, and 2d ed , 1895, no. 464.1. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.
Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 291 (La Laguna; Comondu, etc.). Townsend, Proc.
U. S. Nat. Mus., XIIL 1890, 137 (Cape St. Lucas). Allen, Auk, X. 1893,
142 (tropical type). Anthoxy, Zoe, IV. 189.3, 238 (San Pedro Martir) ;
Auk, XII. 1895, 140 (San Fernando), 390 (Cuymaca Peak, San Diego co.,
Calif.). CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 901 (descr.; Lower
Calif.). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. II. 1895, -301 (La Laguna).
Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 599 (descr.; Lower Calif.).

E.[mpidonax] /.[/aviuentris] difficilis ? Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 442,
part.

E.[mpidonax] difficilis Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 340, part.

[Empidonax bairdi] var. cincritia Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IV. 1900, 248 (Cali-
fornia).

[Empidonax] cineritius Sharpe, Hand-list, III. 1901, 139.

Some of my winter specimens of this species appear to differ from those of
difficilis only in respect to size and proportions and in having the general
coloring duller — less olivaceous above and on the breast and sides, lighter

1 Nelson, Rept. Nat. Hist. Coll. Alaska, 1887, 162.

122 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

yellow on the throat and abdomen. The bill of cineritius is almost invariably
much narrower than that of difficilis.

The St. Lucas Flycatcher is resident in the Cape Region, where it is not
uncommon. Mr. Frazar found it in the greatest ntombers on the Sierra de
la Laguna in May and early June. He also obtained specimens at San Jose
del Rancho in July and at La Paz in February and March. Mr. Bryant has
taken it at Comondu, and San Benito and Santa Margarita Islands, while on
San Pedro Martir Mr. Anthony found it "very common all over the mountain,
especially along the streams an<l in the willows. It was evidently nesting" at
the time of his " visit in May, but no eggs were taken." He also states that it
occurs sparingly near the mine and about the mission at San Fernando, where he
thinks it nests " in the thick mesquite growth." It probably replacfes E. difficilis
in the breeding season throughout the greater part of Lower California.

Its summer range extends northward into southern California, where "in
the pine growth on Ciiymaca Peak," in San Diego County, " between the alti-
tudes of 4,000 feet and 6,000 feet," Mr. Anthony took several specimens, which,
without doubt, were breeding, during the latter part of June, 1895.

^ Empidonax griseus Brewst.^
Gray Flycatcher.

Empidonax obscurus (not Ti/rannula obscura Swainson) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.

Phila., 1859, 301, 303 (Cape St. Lucas). Beldikg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,

V. 1888, 542 (Cape Region). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.

1889,292 (Cape Region).
Empidonax grfseus Brewster, Auk, VI. 1889, 87-89 (orig. descr. ; types from La

Paz; crit. ; Triunfo; San Jose del Cabo). Bryant, Loc. cit. (La Paz;

Triunfo ; San Jose' del Cabo). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Anier. Birds, pt.

II. 1895, 320, 321 (near La Paz; Triunfo; San Jose del Cabo).

Mr. Frazar found the Gray Flycatcher at La Paz in February and Alarch ;
at Triunfo in April and December; at San Jose del Rancho in December; and
at San Josd del Cabo in October and November. His late.st spring specimen is

^ In retaining this name I hnve acted in opposition to the advice of my friend,
Mr. Nelson, who considers it a synonym of E canescens Salvin and Godman. The
plate and description of the latter in the Biologia Centrali-Americana certainly
seem to fit my bird closely. When I visited England in 1891, however, I took with
me either the types or typical specimens of most of the Mexican birds which I had
up to that time described, and slmwed them to Mr. Salvin. My impression is that
E. fjriseAis was among tlie number, and that Mr. Salvin passed it as distinct from
canescens. It is not improbable that I am mistaken in so thinking, but until the
matter can be definitely settled by actual comparison of specimens, it seems to me
wiser to retain the r\a.me (jriseus (published two months later than canescens) rather
than to adopt the name canescens at the risk, however slight, of having to change
back again later.

W-^ (■

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 123

dated April 21, his earliest autumnal bird October 29. Mr. Belding mentions
E. obscurus (= lorightii) ^ as " rare iu summer," Ijut this statement requires
confirmation. Mr. Frazar did not take E. icrightii at all, and his experience
with E. griscus furnishes no evidence tliat the latter passes the summer in the
Cape Region. To the northward Mr. Bryant has talien it on Santa Margarita
Island in February and at Comondu in March, but he does not mention seeing
it after the latter month, and Mr. Anthony apparently failed to detect it at
any season. Hence it becomes an interesting question where the numerous
birds which winter in the Cape Regions breed.

E. griseus nests commonly in southern Arizona, and according to Mr.
Nelson as far south in the interior of Mexico as the southern extremity of the
table land. I have seen perfectly typical examples which were collected in
Los Angeles county, California, by Mr. Grinnell, who reports that the species
is apparently resident in this county, being found in small numbers in the
neighborhood of Pasadena and El Monte in autumn, winter, and spring, and
not uncommonly in summer, at elevations of from 7,500 to 8,500 feet " in one
limited locality, on the slopes of Mt. Waterman," where full-fledged young
were obtained as early as July 11, 1897.^

Pyrocephalus rubineus mexioanus (Scl.).

Vermilion Flycatcher.

Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 542
(Cape Region). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 292
(Cape Region).

With the exception of a single specimen seen at La Paz on February 3, the
Vermilion Flycatcher was observed by Mr. Frazar only at San Jose del Cabo
in October and November, and at Santiago during the latter month. " It was
confined to the vicinity of water and was not common." Mr. Bryant "met
with it only in the latitude of Comondu, usually in cultivated gardens."
These facts indicate that it is chiefly restricted to the southern portions of the
Peninsula, although it is known to occur in southern California as far north
as Ventura County. Its southward range extends to Guatemala. It probably
breeds iu the Cape Region of Lower California, but of this there is, at present,
no definite proof.

Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca Ridgw.

Xantus's Jay.

Cijanocitta californica (not Garrulus californicus Vigors) Baird, Cat. N. Amer.
Birds, 1859,00.437, part; Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1859, .301 (Cape St.

1 Since writing the above, I have examined two specimens (No. 86,.335 and No.
86,336, Coll. U. S. Nat. Mus.) which were taken by Mr. Belding at La Paz, one on
December 18, 1881, the otlier on January 5, 1882. Both prove to be typical griseus.

2 Grinnell, Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 31. ,

124 bulletin: museum of compakative zoology.

Lucas), 305 (crit.; Cape St. Lucas). Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 302, 303, part
(crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgwat, Hist. N. Amer.
Birds, II. 1874,288-290, part (crit.; Cape St. Lucas).

[Cyanurus] californicus Gray, Hand-list, pt. II. 1870, 4, no. 6,092, part.

[Aphelocoina Jloridana] var. californica Cooes, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 166, part
(Pacif. coast).

Aphelocoma Jloridana, var. californica Codes, Check List, 1873, 49, no. 236 b, part.

Aphelocoina californica (not Garrulas californicus Vigors) Ridgway, Norn. N. Amer.
Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 30, no. 293, part; Proc. U. S-
Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 511 (crit.; Lower Calif.). Belding, Ibid. (Cape
Region); VI. 1883, 348 (Victoria Mts.). A. O. U., Check List, 1886, 242,
243, no. 481, part. Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1887,
493, part (Cape St. Lucas).

Aphelocoma floridana californica Coues, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 67, no. 356, part.

A.[phelocoma'\ californica hi/poleuca Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 1887, 356
(orig. descr., "based on many specimens from Cape St. Lucas, La Paz, and
contiguous localities ").

Aphelocoma californica hi/poleiica, A. 0. U. Comm., Suppl. to Check List, 1889, 11 ;
Check List, abridged ed., 1889, and 2d ed., 1895, no. 481 a. Bryant, Proc.
Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 24 (descr. nest and eggs from San Ignacio),
293 (Cape Region and n. to 28°). Codes, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894,
901 (descr. ; vicinity of Cape St. Lucas). Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds,
pt. II. 1895, 378 (vicinity of Cape St. Lucas ; descr. eggs taken by Xantus
near Cape St. Lucas). ,

[Aphelocoma californica] var. hypoleuca Ddbois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VII. 1901, 512
( Basse-Calif ornie).

The characters enumerated by Mr. Ridgway are fairly well maintained in
the large series of specimens of Xantus's Jay collected by Mr. Frazar, although
none of them are quite constant. Asa rule, however, hypoleuca is considerably
smaller than californica, the bill is longer as well as stouter, the blue, espe-
cially on the wings and tail, is much lighter, and the under parts are whiter.
There is also usually more blue on the sides of the head, especially over the
auriculars.

Individual variations : — The blue of the head varies greatly in shade, rang-
ing from marine blue to china blue. In some of the June specimens it is
entirely worn oflf most of the feathers of the head, excepting those on the fore-
head and sides of the crown, the remainder of the head above and on the sides
being plain brown. The blue of the wings and tail is much less variable than
that of the head. The brown of the back and scapulars is pale and grayish
in some birds, in others deep and rich with a tinge of sepia. A few specimens
have the scapulars and hind back strongly bluish : many show exceedingly
faint dusky bars on the tail, as well as sometimes on the wing coverts.

Juvenal plumage: — Male (J^o. 16,528, Triunfo, June 27, 1887). Upper
parts, with the sides of the head and neck, plain, dull drab, tinged with plum-
beous on the crown and forehead, with gray on the rump and upper tail
coverts ; a short, inconspicuous, grayish stripe above the eye extending from

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 125

its anterior corner backwards about half an inch ; under parts grayish Avhite,
bordered on the sides of the throat and breast with brownish drab, which also
forms a narrow and rather obscure band across the breast ; wings and tail as in
the adult, but with the greater covert tipped, and some of the middle and lesser
coverts tinged, with drab. Bill, tarsi, and feet black.

Autumnal plumage: — This differs only slightly, if at all, from the nuptial
plumage. Indeed, the birds which I take to be adult are practically insepar-
able from unworn spring specimens. Others, probably young, have the blue
paler, the brown of the scapulars and back duller or more ashy.

This, the only Jay known to inhabit the Cape Region, is very common and
generally distributed there, being found almost everywhere from the sea-coast
to the tops of the highest mountains. About La Paz it nests in March, but the
birds seen by Mr. Frazar on the Sierra de la Laguna in May and early June were
in flocks and showed no signs of having bred that season or of being about to
breed. They probably leave the mountains before the beginning of winter
and seek more sheltered haunts in the valleys and foothills at lower eleva-
tions, for Mr. Frazar did not find a single individual on the Sierra de la Laguna
during his second visit, in the latter part of November, 1887.

Mr. Bryant found a nest of this Jay " a few miles southward from San
Ignacio on April 12, 1889. The nest was built about three metres high in a
green acacia near the trail. The female was sitting, and did not fl^^ until
preparations for climbing the tree had commenced. The nest was in quite an
exposed situation amongst scant twigs on a horizontal branch. It is composed
of small loosely laid dry twigs, and a shallow receptacle lined with fibre and
horsehair.

" The eggs, three in number (set No. 899, coll. of W. E. B.), contained small
embryos. They are more finely spotted than some similar jay's eggs, with
shell spots of pale lilac-gray and surface spots of pale olive-green. The ground
color is dull, pale glaucous green. They measure 27.5 X 20.5 ; 27.5 X 21 ;
27 X 21 millimetres."

Xantus's Jay is confined to Lower California. It was first seen by Mi
Bryant " among the mangroves of Magdalena Island, and along the mangrove-
bordered estero to San Jorge, and northward as far as lat. 28°." On San Pedro
Martir mountain it is replaced by obscura, a race doubtfully distinct from cali-
fornica. The latter bird is said to occur still further to the northward on the
Peninsula, "about Ensenada and to the eastward." ^

Corvus corax sinuatus (Wagl.).
American Raven.^

Corviis corax carnivonis (not Corvus carnivorus Bartkam) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 348 (Victoria Mts.).

1 Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 293.

126 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Corvus corax sinuatus Bktant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 293 (Cape

Region).
Raven, Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 191 (San Jose del Cabo).

Although the Raven is common throughout the Cape Region during the
entire year it is most numerous there in winter, according to Mr. Frazar.
Probably a good many migrants come down from the North at that season, or
the apparent increase may be due merely to concentration at points where
food is abundant. In December Mr. Frazar observed twenty or thirty gather-
ing nightly to roost in a tree on the summit of the Sierra de la Laguna.

Mr. Bryant says that the Raven extends throughout " the entire peninsula
and shore islands." Its general range on the Pacific coast stretches from
Guatemala to Ala.ska.

Molothrus ater (Bodd.).

COWBIRD.

A male Cowbird taken by Mr. Frazar at Santiago on November 22, 1887,
seems to be perfectly typical ater, which has not been hitherto reported from
any portion of Lower Califc^rnia. Mr. Belding gives several records of the
occurrence of this form in eastern California, but adds that " no Cowbirds have
ever been collected in California, west of the Sierra Nevada, as far as I am
aware." ^ M. ater is said to migrate into Mexico, but just how far to the
southward is not accurately known.

Molothrus ater obscurus (Gmel.).

Dwarf Cowbird.

Molothrus ater obscurus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 546 (San Jose del
Cabo), 547 (San Jose'). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
294 (San Jose' del Cabo). Bendire, Rept. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1892-1893, 1895,
698 (San Jose' del Cabo) ; Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. II. 1895, 441 (San
Jose del Cabo).

This is the characteristic Cowbird of the Cape Region, where, however, it
appears to be comparatively uncommon and is not known to breed. Mr.
Frazar met with it only in autumn at San Jose del Cabo and Santiago, taking
his first specimen on September 30 at the former locality, where Mr. Belding
had previously noted it in April and May, 1882. Mr. Bryant does not appear
to have observed it to the northward, but says that Mr. Anthony " saw what
he supposes was this Cowbird at San Quintin." It is common in southern
Arizona, but is not known to enter California.

1 Occ. Papers Calif. Acad. Sci., II., Land Birds Pacif. District, 1890, 118.

BEE-WSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 127

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonap.).
Yellow-headed Blackbird.

Xanthocephalus icterocephalus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 546 (San

Jose del Cabo).
Xanthocejthalus xanthocephalus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 29-t

(San Jose del Cabo).

This Blackbird is known to occur in the Cape Region only in autumn,
winter, and early spring. At San Josd del Cabo Mr. Belding found it rare in
April, and Mr. Frazar noted it as not common in September and October. The
latter oliserver also met with a number of birds at Santiago in November and
a single individual at La Paz on February 15.

Mr. Bryant does not mention seeing the Yellow-headed Blackbird in the
central or northern portions of Lower California, but cites Mr. Anthony as
authority for the statement that it is " very common along the coast during
migrations." It probably does not pass the summer anywhere on the Penin-
sula, for it is not known to breed south of Santa Barbara in California. It
migrates into western Mexico, at least as far to the southward as Mazatlan.

Agelaius phoeniceus sonoriensis Ridqw.

SoNORAN Red-wing.

Agelaius Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 305 (San Jose').

Agelaeus phoeniceus (not Oriolus phoeniceus Linnaeus) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat.

Mus., VL 1883, 350 (La Paz and s.).
Agelaius phoeniceus (not Oriolus phoeniceus Linnaeus) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.

Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 294 (San Jose' del Cabo).

The form sonoriensis, as far as my material shows, is very distinctly char-
acterized, especially in the female, which differs markedly at all seasons from
the female of phoeniceus. The six specimens collected by Mr. Frazar agree
closely in size and general coloring with specimens from northwestern Mexico,
excepting that all three of my Lower California females have the capistrum,
throat, and breast strongly tinged with salmon pink, a peculiarity which I do
not find in Mexican birds.

Mr. Frazar saw the first Sonoran Red-wings at San Jose' del Cabo on August
28, when an adult male was killed from a flock of about eighty. None were
observed afterwards until October 30, when two old males were seen flving
over the river. On November 4 two were shot from a flock of six, all of which
seemed to be young birds. At Santiago one was seen on November 15, and
five were noted on the 27th. Mr. Belding's mention of ^. •phoeniceus, as rare
i.i the "vicinity of La Paz and southward," doubtless relates to this form,
which is replaced by the closely allied subspecies neutralis in the northern
portions of the Peninsula, where A. tricolor and A. gubernator californicus have
also been found.

128 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Sturnella magna neglecta (Aud.).

Western Meadowlark.

Sturnella neglecta Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., "VI. 1883, 351 (La Paz and s.).
Sturnella magna neglecta Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 294 (San
Jose del Cabo ; La Paz).

Mr. Belding gives the Western Meadowlark as " rare " in the " vicinity of
La Paz and southward." It was met with by Mr. Frazar only at San Jose del
Cabo and Santiago. At the former place it arrived on October 14, after which
a few were seen at intervals during the remainder of October and the first half
of November. At Santiago a solitary bird was killed on November 19. In
the central and northern portions of the Peninsula it has been found "upon a
narrow strip of sand-hills between the estero and the ocean, about seventy miles
from Magdalena Island "; near Pozo Grande ; " within a few days' travel of San
Quintin"; on Cerros Island; and near San Eafael (Bryant). At San Fer-
nando, according to Mr. Anthony, it is "not uncommon during winter at the
mission, but very rare, if present, in summer." ^ These facts indicate that the
bird occurs rather generally but sparingly and more or less locally over the en-
tire Peninsula, probably breeding in the central and northern portions, and
visiting the Cape Region only in autumn and winter. Still further north-
ward it is common from southern California to British Columbia, and it even
reaches Alaska (Sitka), according to Mr. J. K. Lord.^ Southward it ranges
" through central and western Mexico to Guanajuato and Jalisco." ^

Icterus parisorum Bonap.
Scott's Oriole.

Icterus parisorum Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila , 1859, 301 (Cape St. Lucas),
305 (descr. female; Cape St. Lucas). Cassin, Ibid.^ 1867, 54 (Lower Calif.).
Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 189, 190
(abundant at Cape St. Lucas, with breeding habits). Beldisg, Proc. U. S.
Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape Region); VI. 1883, 348 (Victoria Mts.).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 295 (Cape Region). Ben-
dire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, pt. II. 1895, 473 (breeding habits in Cape
Region).

In my large series of specimens of this Oriole, there is so much variation, affect-
ing, apparently, adult as well as young birds, that it is impossible to describe
the different plumages under the usual stereotyped headings. Both sexes seem
to have two distinct phases of coloring, certainly common to all seasons, and
having no obvious connection with the age of the individual. Thus a certain

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 140.

2 Naturalist in Vancouver Island and British Columbia, II. 1866, 147.

3 A. O. U., Check List, 2d ed., 1895, 206.

I

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF TOE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 129

percentage of males, not greater, apparently, in autumn than during the
breeding season, have the wings and tail light grayish brown, the rump and
posterior under parts, as well as sometimes the entire upper parts also, dull
orange-yellow, tinged with brown on the back. In such specimens the throat,
jugulum, and breast are always black, although the sides of the neck are often
pure olive-yellow. It is possible, of course, that this plumage is a mark of
immaturity, but it occurs quite as frequently among breeding birds as with
those taken in autumn, while several of the latter, which I take to be young,
are distinguishable from others, certainly adult, only by having the feathers of
the hind back tipped with ashy white, giving the plumage of this part a scaled
appearance. Traces of this white tipping also occur on one or two of my
spring specimens. Both young and old in autumn differ from spring birds in
having the yellow of the rump and under parts deeper (gamboge rather than
lemon) and the inner secondaries broadly and conspicuously bordered on
their outer webs with pure white, this always extending around the tips of the
feathers and backward a little wav aloncr the edges of the inner webs. The
greater coverts, also, are much more broadly white-tipped than in spring.

Mr. Ridgway describes the adult female of this species ^ as whollj^ without
black, but all of my fifteen spring specimens from Lower California have the
entire throat, jugulum, and breast unmixed black, of a duller shade, however,
than in the male. Three of them also have the whole top and sides of the
head and nape black, and the back dark slaty brown ^vithout admixture of
olive or greenish. The others have the head above and on the sides, as well as
the sides of the neck, more or less olivaceous, while in two or three the chin
and sides of the throat are also mixed with grayish or olive. Several spring
females in my collection and that of the American Museum, from Arizona and
northwestern Mexico, as well as two autumnal females from Lower California,
agree closely with Mr. Ridgway's description. A third autumnal female from
Lower California differs from these specimens only in ha\'ing a cluster of black
spots on the breast. The nine females which make up the balance of my
autumnal series from Lower California do not differ appreciably from the
spring birds of the same sex above described, excepting that, like the males in
autumn, they have the white bordering the wing coverts and secondaries much
broader and purer than in spring, and the black feathers of the head, throat,
etc., more or less tipped with olivaceous.

The case may be stated more briefly and generally as follows: — Eight of the
forty-seven spiing males and four of the twenty-five autumnal males have the
under parts as well as the top of the head and the back more or less olivaceous.
Three of the twenty-four spring females are wholly without black on the head,
throat, and breast. Two of the thirteen autumnal females lack all traces of
black on these parts, while a third has only a cluster of black spots on the
breast.

Juvenal plumage: — Both sexes closely resemble the plain olive phase of the
adult female, from which they difler only in having the upper parts browner,

1 Man. N. Amer. Birds, 1887, 373.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1 9

130 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOiJLOGY.

the light edging on the wing coverts and secondaries much broader and more
or less tinged with yellowish. Some of the males show a few black feathers,
possibly of the coining autumnal plumage, on the breast and throat.

General remarks : — Upon comparing spring specimens in full plumage from
Lower California with others from Arizona and northwestern Mexico, I find two
slight differences which seem to be correlated with geographical distribution.
The yellow of the rump and under parts in the male of the Lower California
bird is lemon, whereas in all my Arizona skins it is gamboge. The posterior
outline of the black on the breast is also more clearly defined in the Lower
California specimens than in those from Arizona. In the latter many of the
posterior black feathers are tipped with yellow. Mexican examples appear to
be intermediate in both these respects between the Arizona and the Lower
California specimens. I do not find any constant differences in size or propor-
tions between the birds from the several regions just mentioned. There is per-
haps a greater tendency to black on the head, throat, etc., in the female from
Lower California than in that from Mexico and Arizona, for, as already men-
tioned, all the spring females before me which wholly lack the black are from
Arizona or western Mexico.

In the Cape Region Scott's Oriole is resident, but perhaps somewhat more
numerously represented in summer than in winter. At the former season it is
very generally distributed, occurring almost everywhere from the lowlands along
the coast to the summits of the higher mountains. It shows a marked prefer-
ence, however, for dry, barren country such as that about Triunfo, where Mr.
Frazar met with it in the greatest numbers. On July 8 at Pierce's Ranch 'he
found a nest " containing three young, nearly large enough to fly. This nest
was made of the yellow fibre of palm leaves, and was lined with a few long,
black horse-hairs. It was placed among the densest foliage of a fig-tree at a
eight of about eight feet, and rested on a few small twigs, but seemed to be
fastened only to some twigs above, from which it was suspended. It was not
deep, for the heads of the young appeared above the upper edge."

Scott's Oriole has been found at various places in the central and northern
portions of the Peninsula as well as near San Diego and Los Angeles, California,
the locality last named being perhaps the most northern one to which it ever
extends its summer range. In the mountain portions of Lower California it is
said by Mr. Bryant, on the authority of Mr. Anthony, " to prefer the low hills
near tlie coast south of San Quintin, where it nests in the thorny branches of
the candlewood (Fouquiera columnaris ) ."

Scott's Oriole also breeds in southern Arizona, New Mexico, and western
Texas. " In winter it passes southw^ards as far as Central Mexico in the States
of Puebia and Vera Cruz; and Sumichrast includes it amongst the birds of the
temperate and alpine regions of the latter State. It breeds, he says, in the
temperate region, and is found as high as between 5,000 and 6,000 feet above
the sea in the neighborhood of Orizaba, and at even higher altitudes in the
plateau . " ^

1 Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1887, 463, 464.

BKEWSTER: birds of the cape region, lower CALIFORNIA. 131

Icterus cucullatus nelsoni Ridgw.
Arizona Hooded Oriole.

Icterus cucullatus (not of Swainson) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859,301,
305 (Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds,
II. 1874, 194, part (abundant at Cape St. Lucas, with breeding liabits). Beld-
ixG, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape Region) ; VL 1883, 345
(Cape Region).

Icterus nelsoni Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1887, 472, 473 (La
Paz ; abundant and breeding at Cape St. Lucas).

Icterus cucullatus jielsoni Bryant, Pvoc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 295 (Cape
Region) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 188 (San Jose del Cabo).

The characters pointed out by Mr. Ridgway are well maintained in the large
series collected by Mr. Frazar, all of the males of which can be readily distin-
guished from Texas specimens by the absence of any pronounced orange tint in
the yellow of the head, rump, and under parts. Most of my Lower California
skins have the yellow of the under parts duller and that of the head with u
more decided tinge of saffron, than in Arizona examples. In fact, the Lower
California bird seems to represent the extreme type of divergence from true
cucullatus.

Individual variations. Spring ■plumage: — Adult male. The yellow varies
considerably in tint, especially on the head where it is often strongly tinged
with saffron. This color seems to be confined to the tips of the feathers, for,
as the season advances and the plumage wears, the head becomes nearly pure
yellow. One bird in my series has an elongated patch of yellow on the inner
web of each outer tail feather beginning about half an inch from its tip, and
extending backward nearly three fourths of an inch. There is an innnature
(or perhaps dichromatic) phase of plumage of the male (corresponding to that
of the Orchard Oriole), in which the bird reseinbles the adult male only in
having the full bhick " hood," the coloring otherwise being almost precisely
as in the female, although the yellow of the under parts is sometimes richer or
less greenish than in the latter. My series contains three specimens illustrating
this condition.

Adult female. One of my specimens (No. 16,497, Triunfo, April 13, 1887)
has an obscure blackish patch in the middle of the breast. Traces of this exist
in one or two others, but as a rule the under parts are essentially plain.

Autumnal plumage: — Adult male (No. 16,518, San Jose del Cabo, October
20, 1887). Yellow much deeper and browner than in spring birds — ou the
crown, sides of head and nape, rump and upper tail coverts, heavily overlaid
with olive, on the breast and sides of the body with raw sienna ; black of the
head and breast pure ; that of the back and scapulars nearly obscured by
grayish olive which forms a broad tipping on all of the feathers ; white edging
of wing coverts, secondaries, etc., broader than in the spring bird and tinged

132 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

witli cream color ; all the tail feathers tipped with bro\viiish white. Another
adult male taken on December 15, at Triunfo, is similar, but less brownish or
olivaceous on the head, neck, and under parts.

Young female (Xo. 16, 496, Triunfo, December 7). Differing from the spring
female in having the entire upper parts more olivaceous ; the lower parts yel-
lower ; the greater and middle coverts, as well as the inner secondaries, more
broadlv tinged with white ; the base of the upper mandible flesh colored to a
little beyond (i. e., anterior to) the nostril.

This Oriole occurs throughout Lower California, where it is a much com-
moner bird than the preceding species. Mr. Bryant has found it on Santa Mar-
garita Island in January, and Mr. Frazar took a few specimens at La Paz in
February, and others at Triunfo in December. The latter observer believes,
however, that by far the greater number leave the Peninsula before winter,
" returning about the middle of March." He saw only one individual on the
Sierra de la Laguna, but observed many in the canons at its base. The species
was most numerously represented about Triunfo where it frequented trees near
water, and began nest building late in June. The first eggs, a set of four, were
found at San Jose del Rancho on July 14 ; during the following ten days, six
nests and sets of eggs were obtained. Mr. Frazar notes three as the usual
" clutch," but four of the nests which he took contain four eggs each.

The nests are essentially uniform in size and shape, and in these respects
similar to the nest of the Baltimore Oriole, although smaller and decidedly
shallower. All are largely composed of a fine, straw-colored, jute-like fiber firmly
interwoven, and four contain only this material, but the fifth is lined with
horsehair, and the sixth with cotton and a few feathers. One was attached to
the under side of a palm-leaf, two to the branches of orange trees, three were
in bushes, and one was suspended at the end of a drooping branch of some
deciduous tree. They were placed at heights above the ground varying from
four to eight feet. Mr. Xantus found a nest " on an aloe four feet high,"
another on the stem of a Yucca angustifolia six feet from the ground, a third in
moss, " hanging out of a perpendicular bins', on the sea-coast," and a fourth
" in a convolvulus, on a perpendicular rock fifty feet high." ^

The twenty-five eggs taken by Mr. Frazar vary considerably in size and shape.
Some are ovate, others elongate ovate, and still others elliptical ovate. The
ground color is creamy white ; the markings are spots, blots, dashes, or irregu-
lar pen-like lines of lavender, light reddish or dark purplish broNvn, arranged
chiefly about the larger ends. These eggs average .89 x .61 with extremes of
.96 X 60, .94 X .64, .83 X-64 and .85 X .58.

The Arizona Hooded Oriole is common in southern California and is found
as far north as Santa Barbara. It also inhabits southern Arizona and western
Mexico as far south as Mazatlan.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 194.

BUEWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE EEGIO:^, -LOWER CALIFORNIA. 133

Scolecophagus cyanocephalus (Wagl.).

Brewer's Blackbird.

Scolecophagus cyanocephalus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 546 (San Jose
del Cabo), 547 (San Jose). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889, 295 (San Jose del Cabo).

Mr. Frazar took only two specimens of Brewer's Blackbird, the first at La Paz
on February 15, the second at San Jose del Cabo on October 28; his notes also
refer to a flock seen at the latter place on October 15. Mr. Belding, in the list
of birds " found at San Jose del Cabo from April 1 to May 17," characterizes
the species as "common, breeding," but this is almost certainly a mistake, for
on the next page he states that it was " rarely seen in May." Mr. Bryant says
nothing about its breeding in the central or northern portions of Lower Cali-
fornia, but merely mentions two flocks seen near Comondu in March, 1888, and
small flocks observed at San Ignacio about the middle of April, adding " Mr.
Anthony has found them at times in small flocks on San Pedro Martir."

The latter observer has since reported that in 1893 they were " common
in all of the lower valleys," abcnit San Pedro Martir and that "at San Vicente
a large colony had taken possession of the old olive trees at the abandoned
mission and dozens of nests with eggs were seen on April 28. At La Grulla
they were nesting in the pines in early May." ^ Mr. Anthony also found a
few birds near San Fernando, where they " were probably nesting at the mission,
as they were seen until the last of June." ^

Brewer's Blackbird breeds throughout California, where it also winters, at
least as far north as Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Its summer range
on the Pacific coast extends into British Columbia, and it migrates south in
winter to the table-lands of Mexico.

Carpodacus mexicanus ruberrimus Ridgw.
St. Lucas House Fixch.

Carpodacus frontalis (not Frhigilla frontalis Sat) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.,

1859, 301, .304 (Cape St. Lucas). Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer.,

Aves, I. 1886, 421, 422, part (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).
Carpodacus front<dis, var. rhodncoJpus (not Carpodacus rhodocolpus Cabavis) Baird,

Brewer, and RiDGWAY, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, L 1874, 468, part (liescr. Cape

St. Lucas bird).
Carpodacus frontalis rhodocolpus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537 (Cape

Region). RiDGWAY, Ihid. (deser. ad. males).
Carpodacus fron/nlis ruberrimus Ridgwat, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 1887, 391, footnote

(orig. descr. ; provis. name for S. Lower Calif, bird, based on Cape St. Lucas

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 239. 2 Auk, XII. 1895, 140.

134 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

specimen). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 23, 24 (descr.

nest and eggs from Comondu), 1197 (Cape Region). Townsend, Proc. U. S.

Nat. Mus., XIII. 1890, 137 (Cape St. Lucas).
C.[arpoducus] mexicanus ruberrimus Ridgwat, Loc. cit., 594.
Carpodacus mexicanus ruberrimus Ridgwat, Loc. cit., 592. Bryant, Loc. cit., 296

(Cape Region).
C.[arpodaciis] ruberrimus McGregor, Condor, 111. 1901, 13, 14 (dicbromatism in

birds from San Jose' del Cabo).

Mr. Ridgway has claimed ^ that the House Finch of Lower California differs
from C. m. frontalis: " (1) in the smaller general size, (2) rather more swollen
bill, and (3) greater extension of the red." That the first and second of those
characters are so variable as to be practically worthless, is shown conclusively
by the large series collected by Mr. Frazar, but the extreme extension of the
red is sufficiently constant in these specimens to fully warrant the recognition
of the Lower California bird under the appropriate name which Mr. Eidgway
has proposed.

I cannot, however, endorse the still more recent separation which Mr. Ridgway
has made ^ of Carpodacus nuxicanus sonoriensis, based on the bird of " Southern
Sonora (north to Guaymas on the coast) and southeastern Chihuahua," which
is said to differ from ruberrimus of Lower California only in having longer
wings and tail and slightly smaller bill. It is true that, as a rule, my ex-
amples from the Cape Region are characterized by somewhat thicker or more
swollen bills than are possessed by those which I have received from Guaymas
and Alamos, Sonora, but the birds of the two regions, as represented in my
collection, do not show (even by averages of measurements) the difference in
respect to the length of the wings and tail which Mr. Ridgway has noted.
I am therefore forced to regard them both as referable to the same form
(ruberrimus').

Imlividual variations : — The males vary considerably in general size, and
excessively in respect to the size and shape of the bill. The under tail coverts
are always tinged with red, and in the majority of specimens this color extends
Avell down over the abdomen, while in a few it spreads over the entire
under parts, never, however, quite concealing the underlying white of the
abdomen, anal region and under tail coverts nor obscuring the brown streaks
on the sides. On the upper parts, the red invariably tinges the entire back as
well as occasionally the sides of the head, excepting the lores. Its tint differs
somewhat with different individuals and very considerably with season. In
spring specimens it varies from poppy red to brilliant carmine, in autumn
birds it is nearly uniform dull wine purple. Fully fifty per cent of my spring
males and a few autumnal ones, also, show more or less yellow on the under
parts, usually either on the breast or sides. Young males in autumn plumage
are apparently not distinguishable from adults taken at the same season.

1 Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d. ed., 1896, 391, footnote.

2 Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 135, 136.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 135

Nearly half of mv adult females have the throat, and occasionally the
breast, also, strongly tinged with carmine or purplish.

Young in juvenal plumage do not differ appreciably from those of frontalis.

This is one of the most abundant birds of the Cape Region, throughout
which it is very generally distributed, save on the higher mountains, where it
was not seen by either Mr. Belding or Mr. Frazar. The latter found it build-
ing at Triunfo the last week in April. Young of the first brood were on
wing and their parents laying a second time by the last week in June. One
pair had taken possession of an old nest of the Arizona Hooded Oriole, which
was attached to the under side of a palm leaf.

Mr. Bryant says that most of the nests of the St. Lucas House Finch which
he found at Comondu " were in palm trees and well nigh inaccessible; " but
one was on the " under side of a veranda awning of an adobe house " among
the branches of a vine. This nest was " adapted to the space wherein it was
built, and composed of such material as was nearest at hand," viz., " rootlets,
a bit of rag and considerable wild cotton," with " a few soft shreds from plant
stalks, a quantity of wild cotton, and lastly, some horsehairs " as lining.

The only nest obtained by Mr. Frazar was taken on June 20 at Triunfo. It
was built under the thatch of a roof, resting on one of the cross-beams to which
the thatch was tied. It is composed almost wholly of coarse cotton string
internrixed with a few horsehairs and stems of weedy plants. The eggs, three
in number, are not distinguishable from those of C. vi. frontalis. They measure
respectively: .69 X .52, .71 X .55, and .73 X .55.

According to Mr. Bryant and Mr. Anthony, C. m. ruberrimus is replaced in
the northern portion of Lower California by C. m. frontalis, the latter extending
at least as far southward as latitude 28° N. The limit of northward extension
of ruberrimus does not seem to have been accurattdy determined.

Astragalinus psaltria (Say).
Arkans.\s Goldfinch.

Astragalinus psaltria Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537 (Cape E^gion) ;

VL 1883, 347 (Victoria Mts.).
Spinus psaltria Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 298 (Cape

Region).

The Arkansas Goldfinch is very common in winter in the Cape Region,
particularly in the low country near the coast. Mr. Frazar did not see it later
than April 23, except on the Sierra de la Laguna, where it was common the
last week in April and rare in May. A few pairs may breed on this mountain,
for in April, 1889, Mr. Bryant found nests at Comondu. Mr. Anthony states
that it is " a common resident about the northern part of the peninsula reach-
ing the lower slope of the mountain " at San Pedro Martir.^

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 240.

136 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Astragalinus psaltria breeds abundantly in California, especially in the
central portions, but does not appear to go much further northward. It visits
northwestern Mexico in winter.

Astragalinus psaltria arizonae (Coues).
Arizona Goldfinch.

This form is represented in Mr. Frazar's collection by a perfectly typical
specimen — a male taken at San Jose del Cabo on October 31, 1887. It has
not been previously reported from any part of Lower California, although it
has occurred once before on the Pacific Coast (Haywards, Alameda county,
California^). I have long entertained doubts regarding the wisdom of recog-
nizing it as subspecifically distinct from psaltria. It is true that the two are
sufficiently milike to be distinguished at a glance, but they intergrade and do
not appear to have separate habitats. Thus from southern Arizona and New
Mexico and northern Mexico, the supposed home of arizonae, my collectors
have invariably sent me at least a dozen specimens of j^saltria to one of arizonae.
Indeed, there seems to be no known region or locality which yields exclusively
or even chiefly the so-called arizonae. These facts suggest that the latter name
applies merely to aberrant specimens of psaltria which represent more or less
well marked approaches to the wholly black-backed A. p. mexicanus, or, as
Mr. Eidgway has lately put the case, that arizonae " is scarcely a definite form,
but is rather a series of specimens connecting A. p. psaltria and A. p. mexi-
canus, hardly two examples being exactly alike, and the geographic range not
very definite." '^

Spinus pinus (Wils.).

Pine Siskin.

Chri/somitris pinus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 537 (Cape Region).
Spinus pinus Brtant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2J ser., II. 1889, 298 (Cape Region).

Mr. Belding's mention of " one observed . . . in a Qockoi A. psaltria, with.
which, in California, the species frequently associates " remains the only record
for tbe Cape Region. Neither date nor locality is given in this connection,
but in his Land Birds of the Pacific District ^ Mr. Belding states that " a
single specimen," presumably the one just referred to, was " shot at La Paz, in
Lower California, in the winter of 1882."

On San Pedro Martir, according to Mr. Anthony, the Pine Siskin is " well
distributed through the pines . . . but undoubtedly not common ; no nests were

1 Emerson, Zoe, I. 1890, 44.

2 Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. L 1901, 116.

8 Occ. Papers Calif. Acad. Sci., II., Land Birds Pacif. District, 1890, 139.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 137

found " ^ It is a common winter resident in the central and northern portions
of California, and it has been found breeding on the higher mountains as lar
south as Los Angeles county. Its southward range in winter extends into
northern Mexico.

Pooecetes gramineus affinis Miller.
Oregon Vesper Sparrow.

Pooecetes gramineus confinis (not of Baird) Eelding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VL

1883, 350 (La Paz and s.).
Poocaetes gramineus confinis (not of Baird) Bryant, Proc. Calif Acad. Sci., 2d. ser.,

II. 1889, 298 (near La Paz).

Mr. Frazar did not meet with any form of the Vesper Sparrow in Lower
California, but Mr. Belding gives confinis as " rare " in his list of birds found
in the "vicinity of La Paz and southward" in the winter of 1882-83. To
this Mr. Bryant adds, " Several were shot near La Paz by Mr. Belding in the
winter. I found them near Pozo Grande and obtained one specimen at Llanos
de Sau Julian. Mr. Anthony has noted it as not uncommon on the north-
west coast." Mr. Belding asserts that P. g. confinis is a rather common winter
visitor to California, and that the closely allied P. g. affinis has also been fre-
quently taken there at the same season.'^

Mr. Grinnell mentions both forms as " common winter " visitants in his
List of the Birds of Los Angeles county.^ Mr. Ridgway, however, appar-
ently regards practically all the birds which inhabit or visit the Pacific coast
district from Oregon to Cape St. Lucas as affinis, for the only record of confinis
for this region which he accepts as valid in his latest work * is that by Mr.
Grinnell as above cited.

Aramodramus sandwichensis alaudiuus (Bonap.).

Western Savanna Sparrow.

Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533,
footnote (Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 350 (San Jose' del
Cabo). Ridgwat, Ibid. (crit.).

Ammodramus sandivichensis alaudinus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889,298,299 (Cape St. Lucas; Cape Region).

A. s. alaudinus, like some of the other forms of the group to which it be-
longs, might be not inaptly termed a composite subspecies. Li other words,
it includes several well-marked but unnamed races which differ quite as much
from one another and from the tj'pical bird as does the latter from its nearest

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 240.

'^ Occ. Papers Calif Acad. Sci., II., Land Birds Pacif. District, 1890, 140-142.

3 Pub. II., Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 36.

4 Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 184-187.

138 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

named and recognized allies. Mr. Frazar's specimens appear to represent two
forms, — a small, slender-billed one which I take to be typical alaudinus, and
a decidedly larger bird, which has a bill nearly as stout as that of savanna.

Mr. Frazar found the Western Savanna Sparrow in winter at La Paz in
autumn at Santiago and San Jose del Cabo. At the locality last named his first
specimen was taken on August 27. During the next three weeks it was rather
comuion, frequenting wet, grassy places. Mr. Bryant mentions seeing it only
at San Jorge, where a few birds were observed in April. Mr. Anthony states
that "a few winter about the base of San Pedro [Martir]." ^

This subspecies occurs almost everywhere along the Pacific coast from north-
western Alaska to southern Mexico, breeding from California northward.

Ammodramus rostratus Cass.
Large-billed Sparrow.

Passerculus rostratus Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 184 (Cape St. Lucas). Baird,
Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1874, 642, 543 (crit ;
Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537 (Cape
Region). Ridgway, Ibid., 537-539 (crit. ; La Paz ; Cape St. Lucas).

Ammodramus rostratus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 299 (San
Jose' del Cabo; La Paz; Cape St. Lucas, and other localities).

Although the Large-billed Sparrow is not mentioned in Mr. Frazar's notes,
he must have found it in considerable numbers, for his collection contains no
less than fifty-five skins, of which four were obtained at La Paz in January
and February, sixteen at Carmen Island in early March, and thirty-five at San
Jose del Cabo at various dates between August 31 and November 9. All the
specimens thus far collected in the Cape Region have been taken in autumn,
winter, or early spring. Indeed, there is no present evidence that the bird
breeds anywhere in Lower California. Mr. Bryant met with it only in Feb-
ruary, 1888, when a few were found " among the bushes on the sand hills near
Magdalena village," and Mr. Anthony does not seem to have seen it at all.
According to Dr. Cooper, it is found abundantly at all seasons at San Diego
and San Pedro, California. At the latter place he " saw them, in July, feeding
their young." 2 Mr. Belding, referring to this statement, says, " I could not
find the species about San Diego Bay or False Bay in April and May, 1881,
nor in April and May of the years 1884 and 1885, in the latter year having
followed the coast nearly fifty miles north of San Diego without finding it. I
last saw it at San Diego, March 10, 1884. Its nesting places and nesting habits
are still unknown." ^

I have two specimens of A. rostratus taken at Guaymas on the western
coast of Mexico.

1 Zee, IV. 1893, 240.

2 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1874, 543.

8 Occ. Papers Calif. Acad. Sci., IL, Land Birds Pacif. District, 1890, 145, 146.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 139

Ammodramus rostratus guttatus (Lawe.).
St. Lucas Sparrow.

Passerculus (juttatus Lawrence, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. T., VIII. 1867, 473 forig.

descr. ; type from San Jose). Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 185 (elescr. ; crit. ;

figures head ; San Jose). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Anier.

Birds, L 1874, pi. 25, fig. 1. Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S.

Nat. Mas., no. 21), 1881, 23, 63, 74, no. 195; Proc. U. S Nat. Mus., IIL 1880,

2 (crit.); VL 1883, 158, footnote ("doubtful"; crit.; S. Lower Calif.).

CocES, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 52, no. 231.
[Zovotrichia] guttata Gray, Hand-list, II. 1870, 95, no. 7,413.
[Passprculus] guttatus CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 136 (descr. ; San Jose').
Passerculus rostratus, yar. guttatus CouES, Check List, 1873, 33, no. 160 a. Baird,

Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1874, 544, pi. 25, fig. 1

(crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Jasper, Birds N. Amer., 1878, 154, pi. 104, fig. 14

(San Jose').
P.[asserculus] guttatus Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537-539 (crit. ;

San Jose del Cabo). Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I.

1886, 382 (crit.). Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 364 (descr. ;

Cape St. Lucas).
Ammodramus rostratus guttatus lUvow AY, Ttoc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VIIL 1885,355.

A. 0. D"., Check List, 1886, 267, no. 544 a. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,

2d ser., II. 1889, 299 (measurements of type; San Jose del Cabo; Santa

Margarita Island).
Passercufus rostratus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XII. 1888, 680, 681, part

(Cape St. Lucas).
A.[mmodramns] rostratus guttatus Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed , 1896,

410 (descr. ; vicinity of Cape St. Lucas).
Ammodramus halophilus :McGregor, Auk, XV. 1898, 265-267 (orig. descr.; type

from Abreojos Point; descr. nest and eggs).
Passerculus rostratus halophilus Ridgway, Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901,

202 (descr. ; Abreojos Point).
[Passerculus] rostraijis Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IX. 1901, 631, part.
Passerculus rostratus guttatus Ridgway, Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 201,

202 (descr. ; San Jose' del Cabo).

Under the name Ammodramus halophilus Mr. R. C. McGregor has character-
ized a bird which he found breeding at Abreojos Point, Lower California, as
" most closely related to A. rostratus guttatus, but * uniformly larger and much
darker; upper parts decidedly olivaceous instead of olive grayish.'" The in-
cluded quotation was taken by Mr. McGregor from a letter \vTitten by Mr. Ridg-
way, who has since adopted the form as a subspecies in his Birds of North and
Middle America, while it has been similarly recognized in the Tenth Supple-
ment to the A. 0. U. Check List.

It does not seem to me justifiable, however, to regard halophilus as distinct
from guttatus until we have learned where the latter breeds, and especially

140 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

what it is like when in nuptial plumage. It is at pres6nt represented by only
three or four specimens, all of which were taken in autumn or winter, while
all the examples oi halophilus that have been thus far examined are adults in
breeding condition. On comparing nine specimens of the latter from Abreojos
Point (in the National Museum Collection) with the type of guttatus, and with
two closely similar birds taken at the same locality (San Jos6 del Cabo) by ]\Ir.
Frazar, I fail to verify the differences in respect to size which are claimed to
exist between the two forms. Indeed, two of the examples of halophilus have
the wing of almost exactly the same length as that of the type of guttahis, while
several of the former agree perfectly with the latter in respect to the size and
shape of the bill. The color differences are obvious enough, but they are not
greater than, nor dissimilar to, those which distinguish autumnal young of
many of our Sparrows from adults of the same species killed at the height of
the breeding season. In short, while it is not wholly impossible that Jialophilus
may eventually prove to be a distinct race, the present indications are that this
name has been based merely on fully mature, breeding specimens of guttatus,
and that the type of the latter, with the few known birds which resemlde it
closely, are merely exceptionally small, slender-billed young in their first
winter plumage.

The type specimen was taken by Mr. Xantus in December, 1859, at San
Jose del Cabo, where Mr. Frazar obtained two similar examples in 1887, —
one on October 3, the other on November 9. So far as we know, the bird is
a winter visitor only to the Cape Region, and it evidently does not occur there
in anything like so large numbers as A. rostratus or even A. r. sanctorum.
Mr. Bryant " secured a single male on Santa Margarita Island, January 21,
1888, which Mr. Ridgway says is most like the type specimen of any he has
seen."

In April and June, 1897, Mr. R. C. McGregor found what, as I have already
stated, I consider to be the St. Lucas Sparrow breeding at Abreojos Point,
Lower California, " in a salt marsh about five miles long by half a mile wide . . .
surrounded by ocean on one side and hot desert on the others," and intersected
by tidal creeks " which empty into a salt lake or pond lagoon." During his
first visit, on April 19, the birds were abundant, and most of them were still
" in perfect spring plumage." One of the females was flushed from her nest,
which was placed " sixteen inches from the ground, in a tall bunch of glass-
wort, the top of which was bent over and in to form a covering," beneath which
the bird could enter " from one side only." This nest was " larger than that of
[the] San Benito Island species, made of salt grass and lined with fine shrefis
of grass and a few feathers of Larus." The three eggs, which it contained, were
bluish white, with blotches of raw umber and spots of lilac. They measured
respectively : .79 X -58, .80 X .58, and .78 X 58.

On June 17, the occasion of Mr. McGregor's second visit to Abreojos Point,
the St. Lucas Sparrows were apparently laying their second clutches, for al-
though no nests were found, " eggs on which the shell was formed " were
taken from the oviducts of several of the females.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 141

Ammodramus rostratus sanctorum (Ridgw.).

San Benito Sparrow.

Passerculus sanctorum Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 538 (San Benito I.).
P [ai^sercHlus] sanctorum KiDGWAY, Loc. cit., 538, 539 (crit.).
Ammodramus (Passerculus) sanctorum CouES, Auk, XIV. 1897, 92, 93 (crit.).
Ammodramus sanctorum McGregor, Osprey, II. 1897, 42 (descr. habits, nest and

eggs from San Benito Islands) ; Auk, XV. 1898, 264, 265 (descr. female,

Juvenal plumage).

Among the Passerculi collected by Mr. Frazar in or near the Cape Kegion
are si.\ specimens which, although variously intermediate in size between
A. rostratus and. A. r. guttatus, are colored more nearly like the latter. On
comparing them with eleven examples (including the type) of A. r. sanctorum
from the San Benito Islands, which Mr. Ridgway has been kind enough to
send me for examination, I find that five belong, without question, to that
recently separated — or rather resuscitated — insular race. The sixth bird is
smaller than any of the others, and, indeed, not larger than one or two of the
largest representatives of halophilus from Point Abreojos, but in respect to
coloring it appears to agree more closely with sanctorum, to which, not without
hesitation, I have finally decided to refer it.

This subspecies, originally named by the late Dr. Coues upwards of twenty-
five years ago, but not until some time afterwards formally recognized either
by him or by other ornithologists, is represented, as I have just said, by several
skins in Mr. Frazar's collection, obtained at Carmen Island on March 6, and at
San Jose del Cabo between October 10 and Novemljer 9. Mr. Ridgway has
also mentioned three specimens "resembling 'P. sanctoric7n' in coloration"
which were collected by Mr. Belding at La Paz in January and February.
From this we may infer that the bird is of regular and not very uncommon
occurrence, in or near the Cape Region, in atitumn, winter, and early spring.
It is believed to be confined to Lower California at all seasons, and its only
known breeding grounds are on the San Benito Islands. These islands, three
in number, are described by Mr. R. C. McGregor as " situated about twenty
miles west of Cerros Island. The two largest have each an area of several
square miles and are from 200 to 400 feet high. The islands are quite dry
ditring the summer season. For nine months almost no rain falls, while the
porous and rocky character of the soil precludes the existence of springs or
the formation of marshes and pools. The flora is semi-desert in nature.
Several species of cacti and some small insular plants make up the vegetation,
there being nothing which attains the size of a shrub or tree. Both the large
islands are very hilly and these have been cut itp by the heavy winter rains.
The gullies so formed are often difficult or impossible to cross. It will thus
be seen that the home of Ammodramus sanctorum is essentially different from
that of any of the salt marsh Ammodrami."

142 BULLETES': MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Mr. McGregor further state? that on the?e islands '•' the San Benito Sparrow
far outnmnbtrs all other land bir«.ls taken together." He examined three dif-
ferent nests, all of which were placed on the ground under small bushes.
One found on March 30 contained three eggs. It " was sunken level with the
ground, which served to support the thin walls. The outside is of large grass
straws while the lining is of finer grass and a few feathers. The three ejsrs
measure respectively .S3 X .58, .52 X .61, .81 X .60. They were slightly incu-
bated [when taken on April 1]. They are well marked all over with flecks
and blotches of umber brown on a ground color of faint bluish white. One
egg has one or two blackish hair lines on the large end."'

Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatiis (Swaixs.).
Western Grasshopper Sparrow.

Cotumlculus passerinus perpallldus Belding. Proc. U. S. Xat. Mus., V. 1883, 6iO

(Cape Region).
Ammodramus sarannanim perpaJiidus Brtast, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser.. II.

1889, 300 (Cape Region).

The birds collected by Mr. Frazar have rather stout bills for biiimculaius, but
they are typical of that form in respect to coloring and to the relative lengths
of their wings and tails.

Mr. Btrlding gives this sparrow as " rare," but states that he rslw it in several
localities. Mr. Frazar took only four specimens, two at San Jose del Cabo on
October 21 and 27, respectively, and two at Triunfo on December 5 and 15.
Jfo one else has reported the bird from the Cape Region, nor does it seem to
have been detected elsewhere on the Penin.'ula. It has occurred at various
places in California, and in the summer of 1875 was found by Mr. Henshaw
breeding at Santa Barliara directly on the coast. Most of the birds which
visit Mexico and Central America in winter are said to be passerinus, but
Salvin and Godman. mention ^ a Mexican specimen which, is " as pale as
another, marked by Mr. Eidgway himself as C. perpalUdus."

Chondestes grammacus strigatus (Swains.).
Western Lark Sparrow.

Chondestes grammoca (not Frlngilla prammaca Sat) Baird. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.

Phila., 18-59, 301, -304 (Cape St. Lucas).
Chondestes grammica strigata Beldikg. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. V. lSS-3, 5iO (Cape

Region).
Chondestes grammacus strigatus Betaxt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser.. IL 1SS9, 3(X)

(Cape Region). Towksexd, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. TTTL 1590, 137 (Cape

St. Lucas).

1 Biol. Cenir.Amer., Aves. L 1SS6, 355.

BEETVSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CAUFOIINIA. 143

The Western Lark Sparrow is a common winter resident of the Cape Region,
aiTi\ing from the North earlv in October (Mr. Frazar's first specimen was
taken on the 8th). It is apparently not restricted to any particular kind of
country, for ilr. Fraziir found it quite as numerous in the flat sea-coast region
ahout San Jose del Cabo as among the hills at Pierce's Ranch and Triunfo.
None were seen by him, however, on the Sierra de Li Laguna.

To the northward of the Cape Region, the Western Lark Sparrow is " gen-
erally distributed over the peninsula in winter and spring," according to ilr.
Bryant, It will be strange if it is not found breeding in the more northern
districts, for it nests commonly in southern CaUfomia, and thence northward
to British Columbia. Its winter range includes most of Mexico and extends
to Guatemala.

Zonotrichia leucophrys (Fobst.).

White-crowjted Sparrow.

Zonotrichia leucophrys Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat Sci. Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St.
Lucas), .304 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgwat, Hist.
N. Amer. Birds, I. 1874, .367 (Cape St. Lucas in winter). Beldixg, Proc.
U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 188^3, 540 (La Paz and s.). Ridgwat, Ibid., footnote,
(Cape Region). Brtaxt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II., 1889, 300 (Cape
Region).

This is another very common winter resident. Mr. Frazar found it most
numerous at San Jose del Cabo, where his first autumnal specimen, an adult
male, was obtained, on October II. About a week before this, a White-crowned
Sparrow was heard singing, but it was not shot and may have been gambelii.
Mr. Belding has taken Uucophrys on Cerros Island in May, and Mr. Bryant
" found it on Santa Margarita Island and various places on the peninsula."

The White-crowned Sparrow breeds in the Sierras of California, "in the sub-
alpine meadows from Alpine County to the northern part of Butte County." ^
It migrates at least as far as southward as Alamos, western Mexico, whence I
have typical specimens. In the interior it has been reported from Tamaulipas,
Guanajuato, and the valley of Mexico.

Mr. Anthony states that " all of the white crowns [i. e., leuwphrys, gamhelii,
and nuttalW] are abundant about the base of San Pedro [Martir] during the
winter months, and a few are to be seen in the pines during migrations. But
few specimens were taken and the comparative abundance of the different
species was not determined."^

1 BelJing, Occ. Papers CaUf. Acal. Sci., II., Land Birds Pacif. District, 1890,
148.

2 Zoe, IV. 1893, 241.

144 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii (Nutt.).

Intermediate Sparrow.

Zonotrichia gnmheli intennedia Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, foot-
note (San Jose del Cabo ; Sail Nicholas).
Z.[n)i atrichia] intermedia Ridgway, Loc. cit., 540, footnote (Cape St. Lucas).^
Zonotrichia Intermedia Bkyant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 300 (Cape
St. Lucas).

The Intermediate Sparrow was obtained by Xantus at San Jose del Cabo on
November 15, and at San Nicolas in October. Mr. Belding did not meet with
it, and Mr. Frazar took only four specimens, one at Triunfo on April 18, and
three at San Josd del Cabo, on October 13, and November 3 and 5, respectively.
From this it appears that in the Cape Eegion gambelii is much less numerous
than leucophrys, if not of positively rare occurrence. To the northward it was
not seen by Mr. Bryant, but Mr. Anthony found it in the northwestern part of
the Peninsula. Typical nuttalli has occurred on San Pedro Martir, about
Ensenada, and on Santa Margarita Island, but not as yet in the Cape
Region.

Z. I. gambelii is an abundant winter resident in most parts of California, but
it is not known to breed south of Oregon, while its summer range extends into
Alaska. Mr. Frazar collected numerous specimens near the cit^^ of Chihuahua,
Mexico, in the autumn of 1888, but he found none south of Guaymas on
the west coast. These facts suggest that gainbelii, at all seasons, has a more
northern distribution on the Pacific slope than its near ally leucophrys.

Spizella socialis arizonae Coues.

Western Chipping Sparrow.

Spizella socialis arizonae Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 347 (Victoria
Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Cahf. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 300 (Victoria
Mts.).

Mr. Belding characterizes this .sparrow as "rather rare," and says that he
did not see it below 3000 feet altitude, both of which statements are confirmed
by the experience of Mr. Frazar, who obtained only a single sjjecimen, — a
male, killed on April 30, on the summit of the Sierra de la Laguna. Mr. Bryant
did not meet with the bird at all, but Mr. Anthony has found it " at lat. 31° N.,
from the coast to 2,500 feet altitude " (Bryant) and about the base of San
Pedro Martir, where it is abundant and resident.^ It is rather common in
summer in most parts of California, and ranges northward to the Yukon

1 Anthony, Zoe, IV. 1893, 241.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 145

Valley, Alaska. In the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico it breeds as far
south as Pinos Altos, whence I have typical specimens, taken in June. None
of my collectors have found it on the west coast of Mexico.

Spizella pallida (Swains.).

Clay-colored Sparrow.

Spizella pallida Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 540 (San Jose and
elsewhere in Cape Region). Bkyant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.
1889,301 (Cape Region).

This is a coniniou winter resident in the Cape Region, whence it was first
reported by Mr. Belding. Mr. Frazar found it numerous at San Jose del
Cabo (where his first specimen was shot on October 14) and at Triunfo (in
December). He also took it at Santiago, but it is not included in his lists of
birds seen at La Paz and on the Sierra de la La«'una. Mr. Brvant notes it as
common on Santa Margarita Island and northward on the Peninsula, pre-
sumably in autumn, winter, or spring, for there is no reason to suppose that
it breeds as far south as even the northern part of Lower California.

Dr. Cooper has recorded S. pallida as " common in April " at Fort Mojave,i
but no one else seems to have found it in California. It breeds in the interior
of Xorth America and migrates as far southward as Oaxaca in southern
Mexico.

Spizella breweri Cass.

Brewer's Sparrow.

Spizella hreireri Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 188-3, 540 (Cape Region).
Brtant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 301 (Cape Region).

Mr. Belding considers Brewer's Sparrow "abundant," but Mr. Fra^.ar did
not find it at all common, and his collection contains only five specimens as
against thirty-nine of pallida. He saw it at La Paz, Triunfo, and San Jos^
del Cabo, as well as on Carmen Island. Mr. Bryant mentions onl}' one ex-
ample, which he shot "at San Julio (near Comondu)," and which he considers
" intermediate between this species and .S'. pallida," S. breweri is, of course,
only a mnter visitor to the Cape Region. ]\Ir. Frazar's latest spring date is
April 20.

North of San Diego, in California, Brewer's Sparrow is seldom seen near
the coast, but east of the Sierras it is of regular and frequent occurrence at its
seasons of migration. Mr. Grinnell states that it is " tolerablv common in
summer from 5,000 to 7,000 feet on the brushy mountain sides between Pine

1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., II. 1863, 122.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1 10

146 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Flats and Mt. Waterman," where full-grown young were obtained on July 3,
1897/ and Mr. Belding has found it " July 1 on Castle Peak, Nevada County,
up to 8,000 feet," where it doubtless breeds. ^ lu Mexico it occurs plentifully
in winter and early spring near the city of Chihuahua, and it has been taken
still further south, in Durango. I have specimens shot at Oposura, Sonora,
but none from the west coast south of Guaymas.

Spizella atrogularis (Cab.).

Black-chinxed Sparrow.

Spizella atrigularis Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1874,
pi. 20, fig. 12; II. 1874, 15 (Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mus., VI. 1883, 348 (Victoria Mts. ; Pescadero). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.
Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 301 (Cape Region).

The specimens taken in Lower California by Mr. Frazar appear to be pecu-
liar only in respect to their bills, which are somewhat broader than in the
birds which breed in southern California.

The Black-chinned Sparrow is apparently of rather uncommon occurrence
in the Cape Region, where it was first detected by Mr. Belding, who, in the
winter of 1882-83, saw a single bird in the mountains, and afterwards, near
Pescadero, a small flock, from which a single specimen was obtained. Mr.
Frazar took two at La Paz in February, and six at Triunfo in April, the latest
on the 23d of the month. To the northward, according to Mr. Bryant, it
was found hy Mr. Belding in May, 1885, between San Rafael and San Pedro
Martir, but nowhere numerously, and by Mr. Anthony on San Pedro Martir ^
and at Valladeres. At the place last named "they were common and nest-
ing " (Bryant). It is not impossible that a few pairs breed in the Cape Region,
also, but this remains to be proved.

This Sparrow has been found in summer at a number of localities in southern
California, where, according to Mr. F. Stephens, it nests in chemisal brush on
steep hillsides at between 1,000 and 3,000 feet altitude. It has occurred as far
to the northward as Inyo county in the interior of the State and in Alameda
county near the coast. It is said to have a wide range in Mexico, but a single
bird shot by Mr. J. C. Cahoon at Oposura, Sonnra on May 10, 1887, is the
only specimen which my collectors have obtained in that country.

1 Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci., 1898, 37.

2 Occ. Papers Calif. Acad. Sci., II., Land Birds Pacif. District, 1890, 157.

3 Mr. Anthony has since reported that near San Pedro Martir the species is
"rather common in the hills from the coast to the base of the mountain," and that
he is " sure that its song was heard in May, 1887, at 10,000 feet elevation." Zoe,
IV. 1893, 241.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 147

Junco bairdi Ridgw.
Baird's Junco.

Junco hairdi (Belding MS.) Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 155, 156
(orig. descr. ; types from Laguna), 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower Calif.), 348
(measurements of birds from Laguna and Victoria Mts.); Birds N. and
Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 294, 295 (descr.; Victoria Mts. ; Mount Miraflores,
etc.). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VL 1883, 346, 348 (Victoria Mts.). A. O.
U., Check List, 1886,276, no. 571. Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XII. 1888,
653 (descr.; Lower Calif.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
301 (Victoria Mts.; La Laguna) ; Zoe, IL 1891, 198 (Victoria Mts.).

Junco hiemalis bairdi CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4tii ed., 1894, 876 (descr.; Lower
Calif.).

J.[unco] bairdi Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 425 (descr. ; mts. of
S. Lower Calif).

[Junco iiisularis] var. bairdi Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IX. 1901, 629 (Basse-
Californie).

The female is uniformly smaller than the male, and her general coloring,
particularly the ash of the head and the cinnamon buff of the sides, is duller
and paler. The rufous brown of the back is also much lighter than in the
male, being scarcely deeper than the color on the sides. The lores are dusky
instead of blackish.

JFinter phunage : — My series contains only three .specimens in winter plu-
mage. Of these, a male, taken on November 28, is considerably deeper and
richer colored than are any of the spring birds, and the rufous brown of the
neck is more strongly tinged with olive, while the crissum and under tail
coverts are distinctly buft'y. The cinnamon of the sides, however, is duller
than in spring. The other two specimens are females. They differ from the
male just described only in having the ash of the throat much lighter, the buff
of the crissum and under tail coverts deeper, the brown of the back brighter
and more rufous. They are very much richer colored than any of the spring
females.

IndividvMl variations : — The brown of the upper parts varies from faded
cinnamon brown to deep cinnamon rufous — almost chestnut brown in some
specimens ; the color of the sides from dull pale cinnamon to light cinna-
mon rufous. There is a tendency to olivaceous tipping on the feathers of
the occiput and nape as well as, sometimes, on those of the crown and
forehead. A specimen taken on May 24 has a narrow but well-defined .slaty
black collar extending from the sides of the neck across the forward part of
the back or the lower part of the nape. Two other birds, killed at about the
same time, also show traces of this collar. In all three the slaty black is con-
fined to the extreme tips of the feathers. Some of the duller males are dis-
tinguishable from the brightest females only by the clearer tone of the ash
on the top and sides of the head.

148 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

This species -was discovered by Mr. Belding in 18S3, in the mountains south
of La Paz where it " was very common . . . above 3,000 feet altitude." Mr.
Frazar found if in considerable numbers on the Sierra de la Laguna in May
and early June, but so few were observed here in December^as to lead him to
conclude that many individuals must descend to lower levels to pass the
winter. They cannot, however, go very far down, for none were met with at
San Jose del Rancho, and but one (on April 13) at Triunfo. On the Sierras
they inhabit the pine and oak woods, and, like most Juncos, are tame and
familiar. They often came into a shed where Mr. Frazar prepared his speci-
mens, and hopped about his feet, under the table, or pecked at the dried venison
suspended from the roof. No nests were found, but late in May a bird was
seen collecting building material.

Baird's Jixnco appears to be confined to the extreme southern end of the
Peninsula, never having been observed so far north, even, as La Paz. It is,
therefore, one of the most characteristic birds of the Cape fauna.

Amphispiza bilineata deserticola Ridgw.

Desert Sparrow.

Amphispiza hilineata (not Emberiza bilineata Cassin) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mus., V. 1883, 540 (Cape Region). Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer.,
Aves, I. 1886, 367, 368, part (descr. female from La Paz). Bkyant, Proc.
CaUf. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 302 (Cape Region).

Mr. Frazar found the Desert Sparrow at Triunfo, San Jose del Cabo, La Paz,
and Carmen Island. It was commonest at La Paz, and least numerous at San
Jose del Cabo. Neither his notes nor the dates at which his specimens were
collected afford any evidence that it breeds in the Cape Region, but Mr. Bryant
has found nests on Santa Margarita and Magdalena Islands where it was " the
most common and generally distributed species." It appears to range over
the entire Peninsula, but in California is practically confined to the region east
of the Sierras. I have winter specimens taken at Guaymas, Cumpas, and Ba-
cuachi in western Mexico and a large series collected near the city of Chihua-
hua in autumn. These Mexican specimens do not differ, so far as I can discover,
from those which Mr. Frazar obtained in Lower California, although the Guaymas
bird should represent Mr. Nelson's A. b. pacifica} the type locaUty of which
is Alamos, Sonora.

Aimophila ruficeps sororia Ridgw.

Laguna Sparrow.

Peucaea ruficeps Cooper, Orn. Cab, 1870, 218. part. Cofes. Check List. 1878, 35,
no. 171, part; 2d ed., 1882, 55, no. 255. part. Ridgwat, Nom. N. Amer.

1 Auk, XVn. 1900, 267.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 149

Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21) 1881, 25, no. 230, part. A. 0. U., Check

List, 1886, 278, no. 580, part.
Peucaea ruficeps houcardi (not Zonotrichia boucardi Sclater) Beldikg, Proc. U. S.

Nat. Mus., VL 1883, 348 (Victoria Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,

2d ser., II. 1889, 302 (Victoria l\Its. ; 1 Llanos de San Julian).
P.[eHcaea] riijiceps Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4tli ed., 1894, 374, 375, part.
P.[eucaea] riificeps houcardi Kidgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 429, part

(Lower Calif.).
Atmopkila rujiceps sororia Ridgway, Auk, XV. 1898, 226, 227 (orig. descr. ; type

from Victoria Mts.); Birds N. and Midd. Amer. pt. I. 1901,248 (descr.;

Laguna ; Victoria Mts.). A. 0. U. Comm., Auk, XVL 1899, 120, no. 580 c.
[Haeiuophila rufireps] var. sororia Dl'BOIs, Synop. Avium, fasc. IX. 1901, 635

(Basse-Californie S.).

It is probable that Mr. Bryant's record of the occurrence of Peucaea rujiceps
boucardi at Llanos de San Julian (about latitude 29° N.) relates to the present
form, but this cannot be considered assured until the specimen taken (on April
19, 1S89) at the locality just named has been carefully re-examined. Mr.
Anthony states that Aimophila ruficeps ''seems to be rather- common in a few
favored localities along the base of San Pedro " Martir and that " a series of
four skins taken between Tia Juana and the base of San Pedro are practically
indistinguishable from Southern California examples." ^

The specimens collected by Mr. Frazar at Triunfo sustain very satisfactorily
the characters ascribed by Mr. Kidgway to sororia. In respect to color and
markings, this form is about intermediate between ruficeps and scottii, but its
bill is unlike that of either of these races. It seems to be a perfectly good
subspecies.

It was discovered in the Cape Region by Mr. Belding, who found it " common
on grassy hillsides above 2,500 feet altitude," and paired in February. Mr.
Frazar met with it only at Triunfo, where it was not common in April, and
still less numerous in June, the majority probably going further north to
spend the summer. A few remained to breed, however, for a female taken
on June 23 had evidently laid all her eggs, and was incubating.

The Laguna Sparrow is believed to be confined to the more southern portions
of the Peninsula, but the northern limits of its range are not as yet definitely
known.

Melospiza lincolnii (Aud.).

LiNCOLif's Sparrow.

Melospiza Uncolni Beldikg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, .348, part (Victoria
Mts.), 350 (La Paz and s.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
303, part (Cape Kegion).

Mr. Belding found this species less common than the Laguna Sparrow in the
mountains, and rare in the low country near the coast. Mr. Frazar met with

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 242.

150 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIYE ZOOLOGY.

it only at Santiago, where, on November 21, two specimens were shot and a
third seen in tales on the border of the lagoon. To the northward, Mr. Bryant
has noted it at Comondu and Jesus Maria, and Mr. Anthony has observed it
" on the northwest coast during migration " (Bryant). It probably does not
breed on the Peninsula, for in California, where it is rather common in spring
and autumn, and not uncommon locally in winter, it has been found in summer
onlv among the mountains from 4,000 feet altitude upwards. It migrates as
far south as Guatemala, and is common in winter in western Mexico.

Melospiza lincolnii striata Brewst.

Forbush's Sparrow.

Melospha lincolni (not FringlUa lincolnii Audubon) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,
VI. 1883, 348, part (Victoria Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,2d ser.,
IL 1889, 303, part (Cape Region).

Mr. Chapman has expressed some doubts ^ as to the validity of striata, to
which he refers two autumn birds taken in British Columbia by Mr.
Streator, and ]Mr. Ridgway, in his Birds of North and Middle America, cites
the name, preceded by a question-mark, in his synonymy of M. lincolnii. I
see no reason why the existence of intermediate specimens, such as those to
which Mr. Chapman calls attention, should be necessarily prejudicial to the
recognition of the form as a subspecies, although its standing cannot perhaps be
regarded as assured until its breeding-grounds are definitely known, and fully
mature birds in summer plumage have been examined.

A specimen in the United States National Museum, taken by Mr. Belding
in the Victoria Mountains on February 20, 1883, seems to be referable to this
subspecies, whose summer home probably lies to the northward of the United
States on or near the Pacific coast, —perhaps in British Columbia, where the
type specimens were obtained.

Pipilo maculatus magnirostris Brewst.

Mountain Towhee.

Pipilo maculatus mfirjaloni/x (not Pipilo mer/aloni/x Baird) Belding, Proc. U. S.

Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 549 (Miraflores) ; VI. 1883, 348 (Victoria Mts.). A. O. U.,

Check List, 1886, 284, no. 588 a, part. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d

ser., II. 1889, 303 (San Jose del Cabo).
Pipilo mpgalonyx Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1886, 409, part

(Lower Calif.).

1 Bull Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., III. 1891, 148.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 151

Pipilo mactilafus magnirostris Brewster, Auk, VTIL 1891, 146, 147 (orig. dcscr. ;

types from Sierra de la Laguna). Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 198 (Victoria

Mts.). RiDGWAV, Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 414, 415 (descr. ;

nit. districts of S. Lower Calif.).
[Pipilo macnlatns] var. magnirostris Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IX. 1901, G37

(Basse-Calif ornie).

Concerning the characters by which P. m. viagnirostris naay be distinguished
from its nearest allies, I have nothing to add to what appeared in my original
description of the former.

This Towhee which, until recently, has been confounded with P. m. mega-
lonyx, is probably confined to the Cape Region, where it is resident, and very
common locally in the mountains south of La Paz. Mr. Frazar found it in
the greatest numbers on the Sierra de la Laguna in May and early June. A
few were also seen on the summit of this mountain in December, but most of
those which pass the summer there evidently descend to lower levels at the
approach of winter. They were rare at Triunfo in summer, but very numer-
ous at all seasons aboitt San Jose del Rancho, where a nest containing three
eggs was taken on July 22. According to Mr. Bryant, no Towhees of the
P. maculatm group have been detected in Lower California north of La Paz
excepting " in the region of San Pedro Martir," where Mr. Anthony has found
P. m. megalonijK breeding at from 2,500 to 11,000 feet altitude. I have not
seen specira^ens from this region, but they are not likely to belong to the
present subspecies.

The nest found at San Jose del Rancho was placed " on the ground under
a bush close to roots." It measures externally 3.55 in diameter by 1.75 in
depth; internally 2.15 in diameter by 1.50 in depth. It- is composed of weed
stalks and coarse grass, and is lined with fine grass and a little horsehair.
The eggs are elliptical-ovate in shape, and measure respectively 1.02 X .71 ;
1.00 X .75 ; and 1.02 X -TS. Their ground color is dull white, but this is
nearly concealed by innumerable fine spots of lavender and pinkish brown, the
latter color being most prevalent and conspicuous about the larger ends.
These eggs are very closely matched by several eggs of P. erythrophthalmus in
my collection.

Pipilo fuscus albigula (Baird).

St. Lucas Towhee.

Pi'pilo alhlgnla Batrd, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, .301 (Cape St. Lucas), .305
(orig. descr.; types from Cape St. Lucas). Elliot, Illustr. New and Unfig.
N. Amer. Birds, I. 1869, pi. 15 (descr.). Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 248
(descr.; figures head ; Cape St Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway,
Hist. N. Amer. Birds, IL 1874, pi. 31, fig. 11. Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit.
Mus., XII. 1888, 755 (descr. ; Cape St. Lucas; La Paz). Ridgway, Birds
N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 4."3, 434 (descr. ; Cape St. Lucas district).

[P/yjiVo] albigula Gray, Hand-list, II. 1870, 92, no. 7,362.

152 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

[Pipilo fuscits] var. albigula Coves, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 152 (descr. ; Cape

St. Lucas). Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IX. 1901, 637 (Basse-Californie).
Pipilo fitscns, var. albigula Coues, Check List, 1873, 4.3, no. 206 a. Baird, Brewer

and KiDGWAY, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 127, 128, pi. 31, fig. 11 (descr.

bird and eggs from Cape St. Lucas ; crit). Jasper, Birds N. Amer., 1878,

156, pi. 104, fig. 32 (S. Lower Calif.).
Pipilo fuse us albigula Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S.Nat. Mus.no. 21),

1881, 26, 64, 74, no. 240a; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 540 (crit.) ; VL

1883, 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower Calif.). Coues, Check List, 2d ed., 1882,

61, no. 307. Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 540 (Cape Region) ;

VI. 1883, 345 (Cape Region). A. O. U., Check List, 1886, 285, no. 591a.

Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 304 (Cape St. Lucas).

TowNSEND, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIIL 1890, 137 (La Paz).
P.[ipilo] fuscus albigula Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 344 (Lower Calif.).

Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 440 (descr.; Lower Calif.).
P.\ipilo]f.[Hscus\ albigula Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894,397 (descr.;

Lower Calif.).

Young in Juvenal plumage .- — Female (No. 15,973, San Jos6 del Cabo, Octo-
ber 31, 1887). Above, including the crown, uniform pale wood brown, the
greater and middle wing coverts clayey buff; wings and tail light clove brown,
the quills edged with ochraceous, the tail feathers tipped with the same, form-
ing obscure terminal spots; middle of the breast and fore part of the abdomen
brownish white ; sides of the breast dull olive gray ; remainder of the under
parts rusty ochraceous, deepest on the under tail coverts, crissum, and flanks ;
Iniffy of throat bordered on each side by a dusky malar stripe which, above,
is separated from a still more obscure rictal stripe by a narrow interval of
bully; sides of the head uniform with the back; lores, however, distinctly
buffy ; a few obscure, dusky spots on the breast.

In the specimen just described the feathers of the jugulum and breast seem
to be largely those of the first winter plumage. There are also a few feathers
of this plumage among the interscapulars, but otherwise the bird, although
taken so late in the season, is unmistakably in juvenal plumage.

Another female (Triunfo, December 5, 1887), apparently a young bird in
winter plumage, has the spots on the jugulum as well defined as in many of
the spring specimens. The breast and a portion of the abdomen are also finely
spotted with dark brown, a feature which I do not find in any other example
in the entire series. This spotting is probably a characteristic of the juvenal
plumage which, in this individual, has reappeared in the first winter plumage.
It will be remembered in this connection that young in first plumage of the
allied forms P. /. mesoleucus and P. fusnis are rather thickly and generally
spotted over most of the under parts. The absence of these markings in
No. 15,973 is due, no doubt, as above suggested, to the fact that the feathers of
the breast had been already changed for those of the first winter plumage.

Most of the autumnal birds in the series before me have the greater and
middle wing coverts tipped with ochraceous. In some of them the color of

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE KEGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 153

the crown is but slightly more rufescent than that of the back. In others it is
nearly as much so as in spring. As a rule, the coloring of the upper parts is
clearer and more olivaceous in autumnal than in spring specimens.

Individual variations : — The most marked individual variation is in respect
to the number and size of the black spots on the jugulum. These are some-
times numerous, large, and conspicuous, sometimes almost wholly wanting.
As a rule, they form a fairly well-defined border about the buffy space which
they enclose. Several birds have the throat as well as the jugulum spotted
finely but thickly over its entire extent. As Mr. Eidgway has remarked, the
buffy of the throat is not always palest posteriorly, being sometimes uniform
throughout. Most of my specimens have the outer tail feathers narrowly
tipped with rusty, but in a few these feathers are perfectly plain. The rufes-
cent color of the crown is a constant character in spring birds.

The collection contains a partial albino (No. 16,977) taken at San Jose del
Rancho on July 6.

This Towhee, which was discovered at Cape St. Lucas by Mr. Xantus, is
confined to Lower California. In the Cape Region it was " not often seen at
any locality" by Mr. Belding during his visit of 1881-82, and it receives no
mention whatever in the paper relating to his explorations of the following
year. Mr. Frazar, however, collected over one hundred specimejis, and notes
the bird as " common about La Paz up to the middle of March, after which it
entirely disappeared; exceedingly abundant at Triunfo in April, but only
common in June, and less numerous still in December; rare on the top of the
Sierra de la Laguna in May and early June ; and not common at San Jose del
Rancho in December." At San Jose del Cabo a specimen taken on October 29
was the only one seen. These facts indicate that the birds move about a good
deal at different seasons, and that many which winter in the Cape Region
breed further to the northward.

Mr. Bryant says that he has found albigula "as far north aslat. 30°." Since
this statement was published, however, Mr. Anthony has described P. f. senicula
which, he states, is intermediate in coloring, as well as in distribution, between
crissalis and albigula, and to which he apparently refers all the birds that he
has seen from the upper parts of the Peninsula " as far south as 29° at least,"
adding " it is to be regretted that there are no specimens available from the
country between San Fernando and Cape St. Lucas." ^ It should be noted in
this connection that San Fernando is in about latitude 29° 30' north,^ and
hence very near the point to which Mr. Bryant claims that the northern
range of albigula extends. This evidence leaves us in doubt as to whether or
not the forms albigula and senicula meet during the breeding season in the
central portions of Lower California. We are also ignorant as to whether or
not they intergrade. Mr. Ridgway treats albigula as a full species in his
Birds of North and Middle America, but in view of the uncertainties just
discussed, I prefer to include it here as a subspecies of P. fuscus.

1 Auk, XIL 1895, 109-112. 2 Anthony, Loc. cit., 134.

154 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIYE ZOOLOGY.

At San Josd del Rancho Mr. Frazar collected three nests of this Towhee,
on July 20, 24, and 29 respectively. They are composed of dry grass and
weed-stalks, one having also a few twigs on the outside. One is lined with
black horsehair, another with mixed white and black horsehair, the third with
horsehair and fine grass. All three are considerably smaller than a nest of
P. /. crissalis in my collection. Two were built in bushes and one in a tree,
the height varying from six to eight feet. Each nest contained three eggs.
Those of the set taken on July 24 were slightly incubated, all the others
freshlj' laid. The ground color of these eggs is greenish white with a tinge of
bluish, very like that of eggs of the Red-winged Blackbird. They are marked,
chiefly about the larger ends, with irregular spots, dashes, and pen-lines of
lavender and purplish black. They average .97 X .68, with extremes of .99 X
.70, .98 X .64, and .96 X .69. Dr. Brewer mentions^ a nest found by Mr.
Xantus in a " wild Humulus thicket," and another " in a thicket of wild roses
in the garden fence.'' One of these nests contained four eggs.

Oreospiza chlorura (Acd.).

Green-tailed Towhee.

Pi'pilo cMorurus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,V. 188.3, 540 (Cape Region) ; VI.
1883, 348 (Victoria Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d sen, IL 1889,
804 (Cape Region).

The Green-tailed Towhee is a rather common winter resident in the Cape
Region, frequenting alike the open, arid country near the coast and the wooded
canons and slopes of the mountains, but evidently preferring the latter. Mr.
Frazar found it most numerously at San Jos6 del Rancho and Triunfo. It
was rare at La Paz in January, February, and March, but not uncommon at
San Jose del Cabo after October 4, the date of its first appearance in autumn.
A single specimen (a female), taken on the Sierra de la Laguna on May 25,
was probably a belated straggler, for the next previous date was April 21, when
one was seen at Triunfo. Mr. Bryant " obtained specimens on Santa Mar-
garita Island and at various places on the peninsula," to the northward.

This Towhee is apparently nowhere common along the coast of California,
where it occurs chiefly during migration, and where, near the southern bound-
ary, a few are said to winter, also. It breeds on the higher mountains of Los
Angeles county, California, and northward along the eastern slope of the
Sierras nearly or quite to the Columbia River. In winter it is found in western
Mexico, as far south as Sinaloa.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 128.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LO^YER CALIFORNIA. 155

Cardinalis cardinalis igneus (Baiud).
St. Lucas Cardinal.

Cardinalis igneus Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St.
Lucas), 305 (orig. descr. ; types from Cape St. Lucas). Elliot, lllustr.
Kew and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, L 1869, pi. 16 (descr.). Cooper, Orn. Cal.,
1870, 238, 239, part (Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgwat,
Hist. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, pi. 30, fig. 10. Salvin and Godmax. Biol.
Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1884, 341, part (crit.). Bartlett, Mon. Ploc. and
Fring , pt. III. 1889, 14-16, part (descr. ; crit. ; La Paz ; San Jose'). Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit Mus., XII. 1888, 164-166, part (San Jose; Cape St. Lucas ;
subsp. of Cardiniilis cardinalis).

Cardinalis virginiamis ScLATER, Cat. Amer. Birds, 1862, 100, part (Cape St. Lucas).

Cardinalis virginianus, var. igneus Ridgway, Amer. Journ. Sci., 3d ser., V. 1863,
39, part (remarks on color and geog. distr. ; Cape St. Lucas). Coues, Check
List, 1873, 41, no. 203 a, part. Baird, Brewer, and Kidgway, Hist. N. Amer.
Birds, IL 1874. 103, part, pi. 30, fig. 10 (nesting habits at Cape St. Lucas).
Jasper. Birds N. Amer., 1878, 155, pi. 104, fig. 22. part (Cape St. Lucas).

[Cardinalis] igneus Gray, Hand-list, II. 1870,102, no. 7,532, part.

[Cardinalis virginianus] var. igneus Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 151, part
(descr.; Cape St. Lucas). Ridgway, Amer. Nat., VII. 1873, 618, part
(Cape St. Lucas).

[Cardinalis virginianus] c. igneus Codes, Birds Northwest, 1874, 172, part (Cape St.
Lucas).

Cardinalis virginianus igneus Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat.
Mus., no. 21), 1881, 26, 64, no. 242 a, part ; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. V. 1883,
541 (crit.). Belding, Ibid. (Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 345 (Cape Region).

Cardinalis virginiana ignea CouES, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 60, no. 300, part.

Cardinalis cardinalis igneus Stejneger, Auk, I. 1884, 171. A. 0. U., Check List,
1886, 286, no. 593 b. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser , II. 1889, 304
(Cape Region ; Santa Margarita Island; Comondu) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 188 (San
Jose' del Cabo). Ridgway, Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 647,
648 (descr. ; Cape St. Lucas district).

Cardinalis ruber igneus Stejneger, Auk, I. 1884, 172, part.

C.[ardinalis] v. [irginianus] igneus CocES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed , 1894, 394,
395, part (Lower Calif.).

C.[ardinalis] cardinalis igneus Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 442
(Lower Calif.).

[Cardinalis ruber] var. ignea Ddbois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IX. 1901, 619 (Basse-
Californie).

Individual variations: — Males. The red is exceedinL;ly variable in tint,
ranging from the deepest geranium red through vermilion to a pale rose sal-
mon. The back varies from ashy brown to faded grayish brown, with always
a more or less strong tinge of red. The absence of the black frontal band ap-
pears to be quite constant. There is much variation in the size and shape of

156 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

the bill as well as in the length of the wings and tail, but the latter is nearly
always shorter than in Arizona specimens of superhus. Many of my Sunora
representatives of the latter are, however, positively indistinguishable from the
larger examples of igneus.

Females. Several of my specimens have the entire top of the head as well
as the cheeks, throat, and breast, strongly tinged with red ; in others, these parts
are perfectly plain, while the two styles are connected by a chain of variously
intermediate birds. There is also much variation in respect to the amount of
blackish on the chin, lores, etc. In a few examples this blackish is almost
wholly wanting.

Winter plumage : — Adult males in autumn and early winter differ from
spring males only in having the feathers of the back more broadly tipped with
purer ashy ; those of the crown with dull olive ; those of the under parts with
grayish white.

Young males in their first winter plumage have the back, nape, and sides of
the neck uniform ashy, or brownish ashy, with, however, much concealed red-
dish; the top of the head and crest strongly washed with olivaceous; the
under parts, except the throat and under tail coverts, much variegated with
dull yellowish olive ; the bill mottled with large patches of blackish. The
tint of the red of the head and under parts varies quite as much in these young
males as with spring adults, showing that it has no connection with age or
season.

Young females in first winter plumage have the back, wing coverts, inner
secondaries, and exposed outer surfaces of most of the remaining wing ([uills, as
well as all the tail feathers, much ashier than in breeding birds ; the top and
sides of the head strongly ochraceous ; the throat, lores, etc., darker grayish ;
the rest of the under parts deep brownish ochraceous; the bill with the base
and tip of the maxilla brownish, but wath no pronounced blackish as in the
young male. The color of the under parts fades very gradually as the sea-
son advances, some of my February specimens being only slightly paler than
the October and November ones.

The St. Lucas Cardinal is quite as abundant and almost as widely dispersed,
near the southern extremity of Lower California, as the preceding species, but
being of more sedentary disposition its numbers in any given locality vary only
slightly, if at all, with the different seasons. It occurs practically everywhere
from the shores of the Gulf to among the foot-hills of the mountains, but ap-
parently not on the summits or upper slopes of the latter. Mr. Frazar found
it most numerously at La Paz and Triunfo, least so at San Jose del Cabo, while
he did not meet with a single specimen on the Sierra dela Laguna. Mr. Bryant
saw the bird occasionally " among thick high shrubs and trees," on Santa
Margarita Island, and it was common at Comondu, while further northward he
traced it nearly to latitude 29°. Like the St. Lucas Towhee it is probably
confined to the Peninsula. It is represented in southern Arizona and northern
Sonora respectively by the closely allied C. c. stiperhis, and in southern Sonora
and Sinaloa by C. c. affinis and C. c. sinaloensis. No form of this genus is in-

BREWSTEK : BIRDS OF THE CAPE KEGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 157

digenous to California, but C. cardinalis has been introduced there, and is said
to have become established in the neighborhood of Gait and Stanhope.

Mr. Frazar took four nests of G. c. iijncas at San Jose del Rancho in July,
the first on the I4th, the last on the 20th of the month. Three were in
bushes, the fourth in a small tree, the height above the ground varying from
four to ten feet. They all closely resemble nests of the eastern Cardinal.
The eggs, three in number in each instance, were all fresh or but slightly incu-
bated. They average .96 by .72 with extremes of 1.01 by .73 and .93 by .70.
The color and markings vary considerably with the different specimens, all of
which are closely matched by eggs of 0. cardinalis in my collection. In fact,
I cannot detect even an average dift'erence between the eggs of the two forms,
although Dr. Brewer, writing of those of igneus taken by Mr. Xantus, says,
" Their markings are larger, and more of a rusty than an ashy brown, and the
purple spots are fewer and less marked than in 6*. virginianus [C cardinalisy ^

Pyrrhuloxia sinuata peninsulae Ridgw.
St. Lucas Pyrruuloxia.

Pyrrhuloxia sinuata (not Cardinalis sinuatiis Boxaparte) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 304 (Cape St. Lucas). Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 230,
237, part (Cape St. Lucas). Coues, Check List, 1873, 41, no. 202, part;
2cl ed., 1882, 60, no. 298, part. Baikd, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N.
Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 96, part (breeding at Cape St. Lucas; crit.). Ridg-
way. Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mas., no. 21), 1881, 27, no. 243,
part; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (crit.) Belding, Ibid. (Cape
Region) ; VI. 1883, 345 (Cape Region). Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-
Amer., Aves, I. 1884, 343, part (Lower Calif.). A. O. U.,Check List, 1886,
286, no. 594, part. Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XII. 1888, 158-lGO, part.

[P tjrrjiuloxia] sinuata Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 150, 151, part (Cape St.
Lucas).

Pyrrhuloxia sinuata peninsulae Ridgway, Auk, IV. 1887, 347 (orig. descr. ; type
from San Jose) ; Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 606 (descr. ; S. Lower
Calif.) ; Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 627, 628 (descr. ; Cape St.
Lucas district). A. O. U. Comm., Suppl. to Check List, 1889, 14; Check List,
abridged ed., 1889, and 2d. ed., 1895, no. 594 b. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.
Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 304 (Cape St. Lucas ; Cape Region). Coues, Key N.
Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 900.

[Pyrrhuloxia sinuata] var. peninsula DoBOlS, Synop. Avium, fasc. IX. 1901, 619
(Basse-Californie).

The characters by which Mr. Ridgway has proposed to distinguish the
Pyrrhuloxia of Lower California prove reasonably constant in my series.
The form feninsulae, however, does not differ nearly so much from sinuata,
as the latter does from texana.

1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 103.

15S bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Ind.ivvJ.vxd variations: — Spring males. Red of the crest sometimes pure
dark wine color, sometimes strongly tinged with blackish. Red of the mider
parts sometimes pure and continuous from the chin to the crissum, sometimes
interrupted by ashy ou the breast and lower abdomen. Red of the capistrum
usually pure, but occasionally tinged very slightly with blackish.

Spring fenudes. Capistrum, throat, breast, abdomen, crissum, and under
tail coverts sometimes plain, sometimes tinged with red.

Winter plumage : — Adult males. Crown, back, sides of neck, and entire
under parts, except the throat, strongly tinged with yellowish brown or brown-
ish olive, which, over the red of the median lower parts, forms merely a nar-
row tipping at the ends of the feathers.

Young males. Diflfering from adults in autumn only in having the red
more restricted and often almost wholly concealed, ou the forehead, as well as
over most of the breast and lower abdomen, by the brownish tipping above
mentioned.

Females. "Wings and tail grayer than in spring birds, the general coloring
clearer and richer, the upper parts brownish ashy, the lower parts rich buff
tinged with brownish ashy on the breast and sides of neck and body ; the
upper tail coverts, inner secondaries, and greater and middle wing coverts,
tipped with light brownish of the same shade as the back, this brownish, on
the wing coverts, forming two ill-defined bands. If my series of autumnal
females contains both young and adults I am unable to distinguish them.

This bird appears to be strictly confined to the Cape Region, where it is
nowhere very common. Mr. Belding considered it more numerous in the
interior than near the coast, but Mr. Frazar found it in the greatest numbers
at Triunfo and San Jose del Cabo, the latter place being, of course, directly on
the coast. About La Paz, however, only a single specimen was seen, and but
one was obtained on the Sierra de la Laguna. At Santiago four were taken,
and there is a skin in the collection from San Jose del Rancho. The bird is
doubtless resident wherever found. ^

No representative of this genus is known to inhabit any part of California,
but the closely related P. sinuata occurs in southern Arizona and western
Mexico.

Zamelodia melanocephala (Swains.).
Black-headed Grosbeak.

Guiraca melanocephala Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 304 (Cape

St. Lucas).
Goniaphea melanocephala CouES and Streets, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mas., no. 7, 1877, 11

(Pichilinque Bay).
Zamelodia melanocephala Belding, Proc. IT. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape

Kegion).
Habia melanocephala Betant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 304 (Cape

Region).

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 159

All my males of this species from the Cape Region have tawny postocular
stripes and more or less well-defined, median crown or occipital stripes or
spots of the same color. It has been asserted that these markings are peculiar
to the bird of Lower California and the Pacific slope of the United States and
British America (for which the name capitalis was proposed by Baird), but, as
Mr. Ridgway has recently indicated/ they are not always present in specimens
from the regions just mentioned, nor invariabl\- absent in those from the inte-
rior of North America and Mexico. Striking, and to my mind conclusive,
proof of their fallibility as distinguishing characters is afforded by two breeding
males taken at Pinos Altos, Chihuahua, INIexico, on June 5 and 8, respectively.
One of these has the black of the head perfectly uniform save behind the eyes,
where there are a few inconspicuous spots of tawny; in the other there is a
well-marked light postocular stripe, and a broad conspicuous median patch of
tawny reaching from about the center of the crown to the vertex. In other
words, the former specimen is nearly typical of nulanocephala , the latter aboi'.t
an average example of capitalis.

Mr. Frazar notes the Black-lieaded Grosbeak as " resident during the entire
year " in the Cape Region, but his collection contains no specimen taken later
in spring than May 4, nor earlier in summer than July 22. He found the
species at La Paz, where it was rare in February, more numerous in March ;
about Santiago, where it was common in late August ; at San Jose del Rancho,
where it was frequently seen in December ;. and on the Sierra de la Laguna,
where a single specimen was taken on May 4th.

Mr. Bryant says that "it is not common in the northwest, according to
Messrs. Belding and Anthony. The former found it breeding at Valle Trini-
dad, and saw a single specimen on Cerros Island, and the latter at San Rafael.
I obtained a single pair at Comondu April 22, 1888."

This Grosbeak breeds in the Sierra Madre Mountains as far south as Chi-
huahua, and I have spring specimens from Alamos, in western Mexico. It is
a common summer resident of most parts of California and ranges northward
into British Columbia.

Guiraca caerulea lazula (Lesson).
Western Blue Grosbeak.

GutTaca caerulea (not Luzula caerulea Linxaecs) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,

V. 1883, 546 (San Jose del Cabo).
Guiraca caerulea eurhyncha Bktant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 305

(San Jose' del Cabo).

Mr. Frazar's specimens, all but one of which are either females or young

mnles in the bro\vn plumage, agree closely with birds in my collection from

western Mexico and various localities near the southern border of the western

United States.

1 Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. L 1901, 619, footnote.

160 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

«

Mr. Bekling, who was the first to detect this Groslieak in Lower California,
saw only two individuals, — both at San Jose del Cabo, in the spring of 1SS2.
In the neighborhood of this town Mr. Frazar found the birds not nncomiaon in
the autumn of 1887, taking no less than twelve at various dates between
August 28 and November 4. A single specimen was also shot at San Jose
del Rancho on December 20.

Mr. Bryant met with the Western Blue Grosbeak at Comondu, where " those
which were taken had been feeding in a patch of growing wheat," and Mr.
Anthony found it " very common in all the coast valleys from San Quintin
northward." i It should breed on the Peninsula, but we do not know that it
ever does so. It is a rather common summer resident in California, especially
in the southern counties near the coast. In western Mexico my collectors have
found it nesting as far south as Oposura, and have obtained specimens in win-
ter and early spring about Alamos. Its winter range is said to extend through
Central America to southern Costa Rica.

Cyanospiza amoena (Sat).

Lazuli Buntixg.

Passerina amoena Beldtng, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape Region).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 305 (Cape Region).

;Mr. Belding and Mr. Frazar are quite in accord respecting this species, lioth
characterizing it as somewhat uncommon in the Cape Region. If, as seems
most probable from the evidence at hand, it does not breed there, it arrives
from the north rather early, for Mr. Frazar took a specimen at Triunfo on
August 15. He saw the greatest nunil)er, however, at San Jose del Cabo in
September and October. None were observed by him either at La Paz or on
the Sierra de la Laguna, but two were taken at Triunfo on December 9, and a
third at San Jose del Rancho on December 23. The last two dates indicate,
that at least a few birds spend the winter in this region.

Mr. Bryant found tlie Lazuli Bunting " rare at Comondu and northward."
Mr. Anthony states that it was abundant about San Pedro Martir, where " one
or two were seen on top of the mountain." '^ It breeds from southern Cali-
fornia to British Columbia, and in winter goes as far south as Mazatlan, in
western Mexico.

Cyanospiza versicolor pulehra (Ridgw.).

Beautiful Buxtixg.

Cyanospiza versicolor (not Spiza versicolor Boxaparte) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St. Lucas), 304 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Cooper,
Orn. Cal., 1870, 234, 235, part (Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridg-

1 Zee, IV. 1898, 243. ' 2 /5,-^_

BKEWSTEK: BIKUS OF THE CAPE REGIOX, LOWER CALIFOKNIA. IGl

WAY, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, II. 1874, 87, part, pi. 29, fig. 10 (breeding at Cape

St. Lucas ; eric). Salvin and Godma.v. Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. IBbG,

o61, o6'2, part (breeding at Cape St. Lucas, May 5).
Passerina versicolor (not i>fjiza versicolor Bonapakte) Belding, Proc. U. S. Xat.

Mus., V. 1883, 546 (San Jose del Cabo).
P.[asseri)i(i] versicolor pulchra Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 1887, 448 (orig.

descr. ; type from Miraflores).
Passerina versicolor pulchra Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 305

(Cape St. Lucas ; Miraflores).

Although this form has been lately given up by its original describer, Mr.
Ridgway,^ I consider it a perfectly good subspecies. Not only do the males
iu the hxrge series before me exhibit, with remarkable constancy, the characters
which serve to distinguish them from the males of versicolor, but the females,
also, differ considerably in color, as well as in proportions, from those of the
race just named, the female oi pulchra being decidedly the grayer of the two,
especially on the under parts and on the sides of the head and neck. Mr.
Ridgway admits that " were it not for the intermediate character of specimens
from western Mexico it would be coniparativeh' easy to characterize a sub-
species, C. versicolor pulchra, for the Lower California bird." I fail to see,
liowever, why the fact that an intermediate region furnishes more or less
intermediate specimens should affect the status of the forms in question to a
greater degree than that of showing that they are not specifically distinct.

Winter plunuige: — Adult male (No. 16,3')5, San Jose del Cabo, October 8,
1887). With the blue of the rump less purplish than in spring; the purple of
the under parts deeper and duller ; the inner secondaries, wing coverts and
feathers of the crown, nape, back, rump, and entire under parts (excepting
the chin) more or less broadly tipped with brownish olive, this tipping heaviest
on the back, where it almost wholly conceals the purplish l)eneath. Another
specimen (Xo. 16,264, Triunfo, December 6, ISS7) has the brown confined to
the occiput, nape, back, wings, sides of the neck, jugulum, and sides of the
body; the rump, forehead, crown, sides of the head, and middle part of the
abdomen being nearly as purely colored as in spring.

Young female (Xo. 16,359, Santiago, November 18, 1887). Above bister,
the wings and tail ashy brown, the inner secondaries and greater and middle
vnng coverts edged and tipped with clayey lirown ; beneath brownish clay
color, deepest on the sides of the neck and body and across the breast, palest
on the abdomen, anal region, and crissum.

In the plumage just described the female of this species is exceedingly diffi-
cult to separate from autumnal females of C. amoena. The latter, however,
usually have the wings more bluish and the general coloring brighter and more
ochraceous. Moreover, the difference in size, and especially in the size and
shape of the bill, can usually be relied upon to distinguish the two forms.

The collection contains no specimen of the young male in winter plumage,
but it furnishes a dozen or more spring males in immature plumage. These

1 Birds N. and Midd. Amer., pt. I. 1901, 592.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1 11

162 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

birds vary exceedingly in coloring, no two of them being precisely alike. Some
of the duller specimens resemble the adult female, from which, however, they
can be easily distinguished by the reddish tinge of their crowns and cheeks.
Others again are mottled with dull purple on the throat and sides of the head,
with lavender blue on the crown. In still others the entire plumage of the
body is variegated with various shades of blue, purple, and brown, presenting
a curiously piebald appearance.

In Lower California, this bird, as far as known, is strictly confined to the
Cape Region. Indeed, it does not appear to range even so far northward as
La Paz. Mr. Belding mentions it only in his list of " species found at San
Jose del Cabo from April 1 to May 17," and characterizes it as "rare." Mr.
Frazar met with it first at Triunfo, where three were taken on April 13, and
where it soon became so abundant that " over one hundred were seen on
April 21." Through June and July it was less numerous, but yet very
common here as well as at Pierce's Ranch. At San Jose del Cabo a speci-
men was shot late in August and two others early in October, while in
December four were taken at Triunfo and two at San Jose del Rancho; the
last on the 23d. These dates indicate that at least some of the birds are
resident, but Mr. Frazar thinks that by far the greater number leave Lower
California in autumn and pass the winter elsewhere, probably in western
Mexico. From the latter region I have a large series of specimens, including
several taken in winter (February) at Alamos, and in May and June near
Oposura.

" Though found close up to the Texan frontier of the United States, the only
claim C. versicolor had for a long time to be included in the birds of North.
America was its occurrence in the peninsula of Lower California, where it
breeds, Mr. Xantus having found a nest and three eggs on May 5th at Cape
San Lucas." ^

Spiza americana (Gmel.).

DiCKCISSEL.

This species, new to Lower California, is represented in Mr. Frazar's collec-
tion by a single female, taken at San Jose del Cabo on September 27, 1887.
No others were seen, and the bird just mentioned was doubtless a mere waif
whicii had lost its way and wandered from the usual path of migration, for
S. americana is practically unknown west of the Rocky Mountains ^ in the
United States, and none of my collectors have obtained it in western Mexico.
Colonel Grayson, however, records two specimens taken near Mazatlan " in the

1 Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1886, 361, 362.

2 One of the most western records is that by Mr. Scott (Auk, IV. 1887, 205) of
a female taken by Mr. Herbert Brown, near Tucson, Arizona, on September 11,
1884.

BKEWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOAVER CALIFORNIA. 163

month of August," i and a few were observed in Guatemala, near the Pacific
coast, by Salvin and Godman.- Further to the southward, in Central America,
the bird is generally distributed and very plentiful in winter.

Calamospiza melanocorys Stejn.
Lark Buxting.

Calamospiza bicolor Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 304 (Cape St.
Lucas). CouES and Streets, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 7, 1877, 11 (Pichi-
liiique Bay). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883,541 (Cape Region).

Calamospiza melanocorys Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 305
(Cape Region).

Lark Buntings are abundant throughout most of Lower California during
the autumn and spring migrations. In the Cape Region, however, Mr. Frazar
found them only at San Jose del Cabo, where the first was seen on September
27. During October they were exceedingly numerous, and were usually found
in large Hocks. None were observed after November 8, but as Mr. Bryant
noted a flock on Santa Margarita Island as early as March 1, and as I have
several specimens taken in January at Guaymas on the eastern shore of the
Gulf of California (about latitude 28° north), it is not improbable that some
remain in the Cape Region through the entire winter.

This species occurs in California only during migration, and then chiefly
iu the southern counties and in no very great numbers. It breeds princi-
jially east of the Rocky Mountains. It has not been recorded from western
Mexico south of Guaymas, but in the interior of that country has been found
as far south as Guanajuato.

Piranga ludoviciana (Wils.).
Louisiana Tanager.

Pyranga ludoviciana Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, footnote (Cape
St. Lucas). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 347 (Victoria Mts. ; La Paz).

Piranga ludoviciana Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d sen, II. 1889, 305 (Cape St.
Lucas; Victoria Mts. ; La Paz).

Mr. Xantus found the Louisiana Tanager at Cape St. Lucas between Sep-
tember 27 and November 17. Mr. Belding gives it as rare at La Paz and also
among the " Victoria Mountains " (Bryant), presumably in late winter and
early spring, although no dates are mentioned. Mr. Frazar notes it as not
very uncommon at Miraflores in November, and at San Jose del Rancho in
December. At the latter place, on July 29, he killed a female which " was

1 Lawrence, Mem, Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., IL 1874, 277.

2 Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, L 1886, 417.

164 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

evidently nesting." The bird may be briefly characterized, therefore, as a
somewhat uncommon winter, and rare summer resident. To the northward,
according to Mr. Bryant, it has been met with at only a few places, and no-
where numerously. Mr. Anthony states tliat he found it *' quite common" at
San Pedro Martir in late April and early May, 1893, but that it was " not seen
above 7,000 feet/' ^

In California, the Louisiana Tanager occurs only in summer and at its
seasons of migration. It is ratlier rare near the coast, but has been found
breediuLT at Santa Barbara. In the interior it breeds connuonlv among the
Sierras. Northward its range extends into British Columbia. It goes as far
south as Guatemala, and is common in western Mexico in spring and autumn.

Progne subis hesperia Brewst.

Western Martin.

Progne purpurea (not Hiriindo purpurea Catesbt) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.

Phila., 1859, 301, 303 (Cape St. Lucas).
Progne suhis (not Hirundo subis Linnaeus) Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 18fi5,

27-1-277, part (Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883,

547 (San Jose).
Progne subis hesperia Brewster, Auk, VL 1880, 92, 93 (orig. descr.; types from

Sierra de La Laguna). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,

806 (Cape St. Lucas ; San Jose' del Cabo ; Sierra de la Laguna) ; Zee, II.

1891, 195 (San Jose' del Cabo).

This subspecies, in which the differential characters are exhibited by the
female only, was first met with by Mr. Frazar on the summit of the Sierra de
la Laguna, where it appeared on April 29. Regularly each afternoon, during
May and the first week of June, a few congregated over an open space in front
of a hunter's cabin. They usually flew at a considerable height, but the males
every now and then pitched downward nearlj"- to the earth, descending with great
velocity and making a booming noise very like that of the eastern Nighthawk.
This remarkable habit, unknown in the common Martin, was constantly prac-
tised here, but, curiously enough, it was not once observed at Triunfo, where
Mr. Frazar found the Western Martins abundant during the last three weeks
of June. Belonging to the mine at this latter place, was an immense wood-pile
covering over three acres and harboring great numbers of long-horned beetles
upon which the Martins and Te.xan N'ighthawks fed greedily. The Martins
appeared every afternoon, a little before sunset, to the number of two or three
hundred, and skimmed back and forth over the wood-pile until twilight fell.
Mr. Frazar was told that they were first seen here about the date when they
arrived on La Laguna. They disapiieared suddenly and totally, immediately
after a succession of heavy showers early in July, and were not afterwards met

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 243.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 165

with excepting at San Jos^ del Cabo, where a few, evidently migrating, were seen
passing southward in late August and early September.

Mr. Bryant records the Western Martin from several places iu tlie northern
portions of Lower California, and says that it has been found nesting by Mr.
Beldinf^ in dead pines at Hansen's. Mr. Anthony states that in the neighbor-
hood of San Fernando, it is " not uncommon at tlie mission and an occasional
pair was seen in other localities, nesting in Woodpecker holes in the giant cac-
tus," ^ while on San Pedro Martir it is " very common; nesting in colonies from
Valladares, 2,500 feet altitude, throughout the pines." ^ Mr. Frazar's experi-
ence indicates, of course, that the bird also breeds in the Cape Region, but he
obtained no direct proof of this.

The Western Martin occurs in summer throughout most of California, and
probably still further northward. Its winter haunts are not definitely known.

Petrochelidon lunifrons (Sat).

Cliff Swallow.

Petrochelidon lunifrons Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 547 (San Jose' del
Cabo). Betant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,2d ser., IL 1889, 306 (San Jose' del
Cabo).

Two Cliff Swallows taken by Mr. Frazar, both young birds with white-spotted
throats, are very much paler than any of my eastern examj^les in corresponding
plumage. In both, the rump is dull ochraceous buff, the forehead, nuchal coHar,
breast, and sides, pale drab gray with a slight tinge of rufous. The only decided
rufous is on the throat and sides of the head. These specimens are almost per-
fectly matched by a bird (No. 30,556) in the United States National Museum,
labeled as taken "at sea off the west coast of Central America, Oct. 20,
1863." It is not improbable that all three belong to a form as yet undescribed,
or possiljly they may be the young of some of the known Mexican and Central
American species of which I have seen only the adults.

Mr. Belding mentions seeing the Cliff Swallow on April 29, 1882, at San
Jose del Cabo, where Mr. Frazar found it very ntimerous between September
8 and October 7, 1887. It occurred in lar^je, stragG^ling flocks which usually
contained varying percentages of other species of Swallows, most of which were
either migrating or collecting at this point preparatory to setting out across the
sea. Neither of the observers just mentioned met with the Cliff Swallow at
any other locality in the Cape Region. To the northward, however, it has
been found at San Quintin Bay in May by Mr. Belding (fide Bryant) and at
San Fernando ^ and San Pedro Martir by Mr. Anthony. At the locality last
named it was " common in colonies from the coast to the top of the mountain;

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 141. 2 Zoe, IV. 1893, 243.

3 Auk, XIL 1895, 14L

166 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

, . . nesting on the sides of huge granite boulders in meadows of La Grulla
May 13, and later on the eastern side." ^ It breeds abundantly throughout
most of California and thence northward into Alaska, and goes as far south
as Paraguay and Brazil in winter.

Hirundo erythrogaster Bodd.
Barn Swallow.

Mr. Frazar killed two Barn Swallows at Triunfo on April 24, but met with
no others until August 28, when, on reaching the sea-coast, he found the bird
at San Jos^ del Cabo. During September it was seen almost daily, usually
in company with Cliff Swallows. Both species fluctuated considerably in
numbers from time to time, for successive migrating flights were continually
arriving and passing on, but the Barn Swallows, on the whole, kept increasing
up to September 27, when they were really abundant. An interval of com-
parative scarcity followed, but they again became very numerous on October 10,
the latest date under which the species is mentioned in Mr. Frazar's notes.

Although the Barn Swallow is here reported for the first time from the
Cape Region, it has been seen further to the northward on the Peninsula : —
at San Quintin, in May, 1881, by Mr. Belding; at San Jorge, in March, 1888,
by Mr. Bryant ; on San Pedro Martir and along the neighboring coast in
April and May, 1893, by Mr. Anthony. It is very generally distributed, and
rather common in summer, in California, and breeds as far northward as
Alaska. Its winter range extends into South America.

Tachycineta bicolor (Vieill.).

Tree Swallow.

Tachycineta bicolor Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537 (Cape Region).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 306 (Cape Region).

This Swallow was " often seen in winter " in the Cape Region by Mr.
Belding, in 1881-82, but no one else appears to have met with it in any
part of Lower California. Mr. Frazar, who looked for it very carefully, but
vainly, is .strongly of the opinion that the record just quoted requires con-
firmation. There is no apparent reason, however, why the bird should not
visit Lower California, for it is not uncommon in California proper, and is
known to migrate as far southward as Guatemala.

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 243.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 167

Tachycineta thalassina lepida (Meabns).
Northern Violet-green Swallow.

(f) Hirundo thnlassina Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila , 1859, 301, 30-3, part

(Cape St. Lucas) ; Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1865, 299 part (crit. ; Cape St.

Lucas ; San Jose).
(?) Tachi/ciueta thalassina Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883,537, part (Cape

Kegion). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 306, part (Cape

Region).

Dr. Mearns has recently separated the Yiolet-green Swallow which breeds
throuirhout the western United States from that inhabitinc^ tbe southern table-
lands of Mexico, restricting the name thalassina to the latter and bestowing
on the former the name lepida.'^ He considers the two birds specifically
distinct, but his text indicates that some of the specimens which he examined
from northern Mexico were really intergrades, and I have others from the same
region which unquestionably must be so regarded.

Mr. Frazar took a typical female of lepida at La Paz on February 14. This,
so far as I know, is the only specimen which has been thus far obtained in
the Cape Region, but there can be little doubt that lepida occurs there more
or le.ss regularly and numerously in winter or during migration. ^Ir. Nelson
writes me that it is the characteristic form of northern Lower California, from
which we may infer that it was the bird found by Mr. Anthony about San
Pedro Martir " nesting in hollow pines," and " very abundant from Valla-
dares to the top of the mountain." 2

Tachycineta thalassina brachyptera, subsp. nov.
St. Lucas Swallow.

Hirundo thalassina Baird, Cat. N. Amer. Birds, 1859, no. 228, part; Proc. Acad.

Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 303, part at least (Cape St. Lucas) ; Rev. Amer.

Birds, pt. I. 1865, 299, part at least (crit.; Cape St. Lucas; San .Jose).

Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1874, 347-349,

part.
[Tachijcineta] thalassina Codes, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872. 113, part.
Tachifcinetii thalassina Coues, Check List, 1873, 23, no. 113, part ; 2d ed., 1882, 42,

no. 161, part. Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no.

21), 1881, 20, no. 156, part. Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537,

1 Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XV. 1902, 31, 32.

2 Zoe, IV. 1893, 243

168

BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

part at least (Cape Region). Brtaxt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.

1889, 306, part at least (Cape Region).
Tachydneta ihalassinus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., X. 1885, 119-121, part.
T.[achycineta] thakissina Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4tli ed., 1894, 323, part.

RiDGWAY, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 462, part.

Subspecific characters: — Similar to T. lepida Meanis, but with the wing
decidedly and apparently constantly shorter.

Type d" ad. No. 15,406. Collection of William Brewster, Sierra de la Laguna,
Lower California, June 6, 1887, M. Abbott Frazar.

Measurements : —

Mus. No. Sex Locality

15,401

1 d-

Sierra

de

h

15,400

I d

i(

it

15,.397

1 d-

f<

it

1-5,405 5

t d

a

tt

15,399

^ d*

n

tt

15,398

L d-

it

it

15,402

' d-

tt

it

15,396

' d-

It

((

15,403

1 d-

((

it

15,404 5

d-

n

it

15,406 ]

d"

It

tt

15,412 1

d-

Triunfo,

15,414 1

d-

It

15,411'

d"

it

15,413 1

d"

it

15.417 1

d-

La Paz,

15,420 1

d-

a it

15,419 ]

d"

it it

15,4181

d-

tt tt

Cal.

Date

June

4,

tt

((

May

11,

June

6,

tt

2,

May

11,

June

4,

April

29,

June

4,

tt

6,

it

it

April

15,

June

24,

April

15,

tt

i i

Feb.

4,

March 28,

Feb.

14,

1887

Average,
15,407 1 ? Sierra de la Laguna, Lower Cal. June 2, 1887

tt It tt tt A (t

15,408 1

2

(C (t

15,409 1

9

a ti

15,4 iOi

?

tt a

15,415 1

?

Triunfo,

15,4161

$

ti

15,423 1

?

La Paz,

15.421 1

9

ff (C

15,422 1

?

ti (t

a

tt

6,

it

April

15,

it

(1

ti

t(

Feb.

14,

((

March 28,

it

Feb.

14,

Average,

Wing

TaU

435

1.88

4.24

1.89

4.20

2.00

4.20

1.82

4.19

1.91

4.18

2.09

4.16

1.76

4.15

193

4.13

1.91

4.09

1.76

4.07

1.73

421

1.85

4.18

1.75

410

1.87

4.08

1.84

4.13

1.79

4.12

1.87

4.09

1.80

3.98

1.78

4.15

1.85-

4.11

1.76

4.05

1.69

3.95

1.67

3.94

1.65

4.09

1.77

4.07

1.77

4.25

180

3.98

1.70

3.90

1.68

4.04- 1.72+

1 Collection "William Brewster.

BREW'STEE : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 169

Tachycineta thalassina lepida.

Date
April 19, 1885
20, 1886

(( U If

26, 1885

3, 1878

10, 1880

30, 1883

3, 1878

24, 1888

12, 1888

5, 1897

9, 1891

8, 1888
10, 1871

ti it
(< a

(< it

9, 1879

Mus. No

Sex

Locality

42,416

I d

Sebastopol, Cal.

13,222

' d"

>i <<

13.220

1 d"

u (f

13,221

^ cf

(< It

6781

^ d

iMarin Co., "

5,255

^ <f

(C tt tt

5,336 1

^ <f

tt tt t(

679 3

<S

« (1 (<

1

d

Huachuca Mts., Arizona

45,516 1

d"

Brit. Columbia

47,363 1

d-

Sumas,

45,5151

d-

Cliilliwack, "

21,946 1

d'

Pinos Altos, Mexico

15,499 2

d

Deer Creek, Col.

15,497 2

d-

it tt it

15,498 2

d-

it tt (1

15,496 2

d-

(I II II

2

d"

Nicasio, Cal.

33,299 -^

d'

■< i<

May

Sept.

April

March

Sept.

May

April

May

April

June

July

May

675 1 $ Mill City, Col.

5,899 1 ? Cienega Station, Arizona

676 1 9 Marin Co., Cal.
33,298 2 9 Nicasio, Cal.

Average,

May
April
June
April

Average,

24, 1877
16, 1881
12, 1877
12, 1879

Wing

4.62

4.51

4.50

4 26

4.57

4.53

4.52

4.43

4.58

4.80

4.72

4.50

4.50

4 54

4.51

4.50

4.45

4.78

4.70

4.54
4.28
4.10
4.41

Tail
1.92
1.87
1.94
1.90
1.95
1.86
1.98
1.93
1.89
1.80
2.00
1.80
1.90
1.99
1.75
1.90
1.80
1.98
1.95

4.55+ 1.904-

1.89
1.79
1.73
1.72

4.33+ 1.78+

The Violet-green Swallow of the Cape Region furnishes an interesting illus-
tration of the recognized fact that isolated, non-migratory birds are given to
having shorter wings than those which regularly perform extended journeys,
for in respect to the length of the wing it is almost if not quite as much smaller
than the form which breeds in the regions lying further to the northward
(i. e. California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia) as the latter is
smaller than true thalassina of the Mexican table-land still further to the
southward. This difference, shown in the foregoing tables of measurements,
is the only essential one which I am able to find between lepida and brachyp-
tcra. In the material which I have examined it appears to be not only marked
but constant. There can be little question, however, that the two birds really
come together and intergrade in the central portions of the Peninsula.

1 Collection William Brewster.

2 Collection Mus. Comp. Zool.

170 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

This is the characteristic Swallow of the Cape Region, if not the only repre-
sentative of the Hirundinidae, excepting the Western Martin, which breeds
there regularly and plentifully. About La Paz and other places on or near
the coast it perhaps occurs only in winter, as Mr. Belding indicates, but Mr.
Frazar found it common on the Sierra de la Laguna in May and early June,
and at Triunfo and San Jose del Rancho in late June and July. On the
summit of La Laguna it was nesting late in May, and one was seen flying over
the highest peak of this mountain on December 2, while, "at the same time,
the sunlight glistened on the backs of others skimming about a canon six or
eight hundred feet below." None were observed at San Josd del Cabo in early
autumn among the hordes of migrating Barn and Cliff Swallows, but a flock
was noted at Santiago on November 23.

It is not probable that brachyptera ranges far to the northward of the Cape
Region, but it is likely to have been the Violet-green Swallow which Mr.
Bryant found " nesting in the holes made by the Gila Woodpecker in giant
cacti," near Comondu.

Riparia riparia (Linn.).
Bank S'wallow.

Clivicola riparia Bryant, Zee, 11. 1891, 195 (San Jose del Cabo).

Mr. Bryant seems to be the only observer who has met with the Bank
Swallow in the Cape Region or, indeed, in any part of Lower California. He
states that at evening, for a week or two during the early part of September,
1890, he " witnessed a remarkable flight of swallows, as they followed the
course of the river " at San Jose del Cabo. " The birds were principally
bank swallows {Clivicola riparia), with some rough-winged swallows {Stelgi-
dopteryx serripennis) among them, and occasionally the large western purple
martins (Progne subis hesperia) were associated with the thousands of swallows ;
about sundown the air seemed filled with swallows where during the day
they were not abundant."

The occurrence of this species in Lower California is not surprising, for its
general range along or near the Pacific coast extends from Alaska to Costa
Rica.

Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Aud.).

Rough-winged Swallow.

Stelgidopteryx serripennis Bryant, Zee, II. 1891, 195 (San Jos<? del Cabo).

The Rough-winged Swallow is represented in Mr. Frazar's collection by
three specimens, all young males killed at San Jose del Cabo late in August, —
two on the 23d, and the third on the 25th. Li his journal, under date of

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 171

August 28, the species is noted as " very abundant," but is not afterwards
mentioned. Mr. Bryant found it in moderate numbers at the same locality
during the early part of September, 1890.

This Swallow ranges as far north on the Pacific coast as British Columbia,
and as far south as Guatemala. In California it is rather common and widely
distributed in summer.

Ampelis cedrorum (Vieill.).

Cedar Waxwing.

Ampelis cedrorum Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537 (Cape Region).
BuTANT, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 306, 307 (Cape Region).

Mr. Belding gives the Cedar Waxwing as " very rare " in the Cape Region,
a statement confirmed by the experience of Mr. Frazar, who met with the bird
on but one occasion, at San Jose del Rancho on December 22, when two speci-
mens were taken from a flock containing about a dozen. Mr. Bryant mentions
seeing a small flock at Comondu on April 7, 1888, and Mr. Anthony found the
species " rather common about Valladares " in late April and early May,
1893.1

In California the Cedar Waxwing is known only as an irregular and rather
infrequent winter visitor, but it breeds commonly in portions of Oregon and
northward into British Columbia.'^ In winter it migrates as far southward as
Guatemala and Honduras.

Phainopepla nitens (Swains.).
Phainopepla.

Phainopepla nitens Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18-59, 301, 303 (Cape St.

Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534 (Cape Region) ; VI.

188.3, 345 (Cape Region). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II.

1889, 307 (Cape St. Lucas ; Cape Region).
Phaenopepla nitens Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1866, 416 (descr. ; Cape St.

Lucas).

This species is resident in the Cape Region, and apparently about equally
common there at all seasons. It is represented in Mr. Frazar's collection by a
large series of specimens, most of which were obtained at San Jose del Rancho
in July, and at La Paz in February, March, and April. I have also two
examples which were shot at Triunfo in June, and two others taken in the

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 243.

2 In a late number of the Condor (IIL 1901, 146, 147) Mr. Grinnell gives a full
and interesting statement of the distribution of the Cedar Bird in California and to
the northward near the Pacific coast.

172 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Victoria Mountains (opposite Carmen Island) in early March. The bird
appears to be chielly conhned to the ioot-hills of the mountains, and to
tiie arid region lying between them and the coast, for neither Mr. Beklin"
nor Mr. Frazar found it on the Sierra de la Laguna. The former observer men-
tions it among the species which he noted along the Pacihc coast between
Cape St. Lucas and a point thirty miles to the northward of Todos Santos.
Mr. Bryant states that it is " c(jmmon near La Giganta (San Pedro and San
Julio plains)," and that Mr. Anthony met with it " from Ensenada southward,
up to an altitude of (5,000 feet . . . usually in mesquite thickets."

The Phainopepla is a common resident of most of southern California as
well as of the greater part of Mexico.

Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides (Swains.).
White-rumped Shrike.

(?) Collurio excubitorides Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1866, 445-450 (crit. ; Cape

St. Lucas; San Nicolas).
Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537,

part at least (Cape Region).
Lanius ludovicianus gambeli (not of Ridgway) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d

ser., II. 1889, 307, part at least (Cape Region).

Mr. Belding asserts that this form is " common " in the Cape Region, but
Mr. Bryant omits it altogether from his catalogue, and cites Mr. Belding's
mention under gambeli. Mr. Frazar's collection, however, contains two unmis-
takable specimens of excubitorides, both males taken at Triunfo on December
12 and 14 respectively. Hence the " white-rumped " bird must be restored
to the list; but whether it breeds in this region or visits it only in winter,
remains to be ascertained. It " occurs in the eastern and sometimes also
the central portions" of California, while gambeli "belongs chiefly to the
coast district " of that State, according to Mr. Ridgway, as quoted by Mr.
Keeler.^ I have numerous winter specimens of excubitorides from Guaymas
and Alamos, western Mexico, and others have been taken at Mazatlan.

Lanius ludovicianus gambeli Ridgw.

California Shrike.

(?) Collurio excubitorides (not Lanius excidiitorides Swxi^SO's) Baird, Rev. Amer.

Birds, pt. I. 1866, 445-4-50 (crit.; Cape St. Lucas; San Nicolas).
(?) Lanius ludocicianus excubitorides Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537,

part (Cape Region).
(?) Lanius ludovicianus gambeli Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,

307, part (Cape Region).

1 Zee, I. 1890, 251.

BREWSTEU: BIKDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 173

'Sh. Eidgvvay in the Manual ^ restricts the distribution of L. I. gam-
beli to "California, especially coast district," at the same time including
Lower California in the habitat of excubitorides, but the majority of the
Shrikes collected by Mr. Frazar are certainly gambeli. They are quite as
dark both above and beneath as any of my California examples, and, like the
latter, are very distinctly " undulated on the breast with grayish." The series
contains several specimens, however, which are variously intermediate between
the two forms just mentioned, and one bird (male, No. 15,433, Triunfo, De-
cember 14, 1883), which has the gray of the upper parts nearly as pure and
light, and the white of the lower parts almost as clear, as in the most extreme
representatives of excubitorides. To this form it must be referred, despite
the fact that it shows a few faint transverse lines on the breast and sides, —
a feature by no means uncommon in autumnal specimens of excubitorides.

Two birds (Nos. 86,256 $, and 86,257 9 ) in the National Museum Collec-
tion, both taken at La Paz, on December 15, 1881, by Mr. Belding, are also
referable to excubitorides, although neither is typical of that form. A third ex-
ample (No. 26,438) without date, obtained by Xantus at Todos Santos, is in
excessively worn plumage and looks like a breeding bird. The feathers are so
ragged and faded that their original coloring can only be guessed at. This
specimen is remarkable in respect to its bill, which in length exceeds that of
any representative of the ludovicianns group which I have examined, while its
depth is also exceptional, as will be seen by the following measurements : —
Length of culmen from base, .97 ; from feathers, .73 ; from nostril, .55 ; depth
of bill at nostril, .38.

This is the common and characteristic Shrike of the Cape Region, where,
however, according to Mr. Frazar, it does not breed, all the binls which he met
with being observed in autumn, winter, or early spring. Their southward
migration evidently begins at a rather early date, for he noted a specimen at
San Jose del Cabo on August 31, and a "marked increase" in nuniljers by
September 10. They were rather rare at Triunfo in December, but very
common about La Paz in January and February. Mr. Bryant "found on
Cerros, Guadalupe, and Santa Margarita Islands, and in several places on
the peninsula, birds which have been referred to this race. Some Mexican
children at Juncal had six young in a cage, supposing they were mocking-
birds." The last statement establishes the fact that some form of Lanius
breeds at Juncal, which is near the Pacific coast of the Peninsula opposite Mag-
dalena Island, and hence not ftxr to the northward of the Cape Region, but
whether or not Mr. Bryant was correct in referring the young which he saw
to gambeli is perhaps open to question. He states that Mr. Anthony has met
with the latter race " along the entire northwestern coast region " of Lower
California.

1 Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2(J ed., 1896, 467.

174 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Vireo gilvus swainsoni (Baied).

Western Warbling Vireo.

Vireosylvia gilva swainsoni BEi,D\SG,'Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 549 (Miraflores).
Vireo gilvus swainsoni Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 307 (Mira-
flores).

Although of Late denied recognition by many ornithologists, the form
swainsoni is, in my opinion, a good subspecies. Of the several characters
which have been claimed for it the be.st are those relating to the bill, which is
almost invariably smaller, more depressed, and darker-colored than in true
gilvus. The Lower California bird does not appear to differ materially from
that of California, Ore^ion, and Washington, but all my specimens from the
Pacific slope north of Mexico are smaller than those from the Rocky Mountains,
while the latter, in turn, are very decidedly inferior in size to some breeding
examples in my collection obtained by Mr. Frazar among the Sierra Madre
Mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Mr. Frazar found the Western Warbling Vireo common on the Sierra de la
Laguna in May and early June, and at San Jose del Rancho in July. It was less
numerous at Triunfo, probably because of the scarcity of trees in that locality.
On La Laguna the birds were paired and apparently about to breed by the
middle of May, but at San Jose del Rancho and Triunfo none were found
nesting until the middle of July. It was an easy matter to discover their
nests, for the male, like that of our eastern form, is in the habit of singing
while taking his turn at covering the eggs.

This Vireo may prove to be resident in the Cape Region, for Mr. Frazar
shot a male at San Jose del Rancho on December 23. To the northward it
has apparently been detected at but two localities on the Peninsula, — Comondu,
where a single specimen was taken on April 12, 1888, by Mr. Bryant, and San
Fernando, where Mr. Anthony states that it occurs only during migration, and
then but rarely.^

V. g. swainsoni is a common summer bird in California and northward to
British Columbia. It migrates as far southward as the Isthmus of Tehuan-
tepec.

Vireo solitarius lucasanus Beewst.

St. Lucas Solitary Vireo.

Vireosylvia solitaria Baied, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1866, 347, 348, part (Cape St.

Lucas).
[Vireo] solitarius CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 121, 122, part.
Vireo solitarius Coces, Check List, 1873, 25, no. 127, part.

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 142.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 1/0

Lanivireo solitarius cassini (not Vireo cassinii Xantcs) Ridgwat, Nom. N. Amer.

Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 19, no. 141 a, part. Belding,

Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, bid (breeding at San Jose del Cabo ; Mira-

flores).
Vireo solitarius cassini Codes, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 44, no. 178, part.
Vireo solitarius cassinii (not ^"ireo cassinii Xantcs) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad.

Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 307 (breeding at San Jose' del Cabo; Miraflores).
Vireo solitarius lucasanus Brewster, Auk, VIIL 1891, 147, 148 (orig. descr. ; types

from San Jose' del Rancho and Triunfo). A. 0. U. Co.mm., Auk, IX. 1892,

106, no. 629 d; Clieck List, 2d ed., 1895, 265, no. 629 d. Ridgway, Man.

N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 607 (descr. ; Lower Calif.).
[T7reo solitarius] var. lucasana Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VII. 1901, 472 (Basse-

Californie).

So far as known, this Vireo is strictly confined to the Cape Region, where it
is found at all seasons of the year, although most numerously, perhaps, in
summer. Its breeding range extends from the coast at San Jose del Cabo,
where it occurs almost exclusively in cultivated grounds about houses, to Mira-
flores and San Jose del Rancho, at both of which places it is common. Only
a few were seen by Mr. Frazar at Triunfo, and none on the Sierra de la Laguna,
wliile but one bird was taken (on April 4) at La Paz, which appears to be be-
yond the northern limits of its usual range. At San Jose del Rancho two
specimens were killed in December, one on the 20th, the other on the 23d.
No form of V. solitarius is recorded by Mr. Bryant from anywhere north of
La Paz in Lower California, but Mr. Belding reports that Colonel Goss found
F. s. cassinii at Tia Juana, on March 20,^ and Mr. Anthony states that at San
Pedro Martir it was "not uncommon in the pines where it was first seen
May 13," and where "it became more common a week or so later." - It is a
common summer resident of portions of California, and may occasionally visit
the Cape Region of Lower California during migration or in winter.

A nest of V. s. lucasanus containing four fresh eggs, found by Mr. Frazar at
San Jose del Rancho on July 15, was suspended in a fork at the extremity of
a long, leafless branch of an oak at a heiglit of about fifteen feet. It is com-
posed chiefly of a gray, hemp-like fiber mixed with grass stems and thin strips
of bark. There are also a few spiders' cocoons loosely attached to the bottom
and sides, and apparently intended as ornaments. The interior is very neatly
lined with fine, wiry, reddish-brown grass circularly arranged. This nest
measures externally 3.00 in diameter by 2.50 in depth ; internally, 2.00 in
diameter by 1.50 in depth. The walls are half an inch thick in places. The
eggs measure respectively : .79 X .56, .79 X -57, .80 X .57, and .80 X 58.
They are white, with a slight creamy tint, and are spotted, chiefly about the
larger ends, with reddish brown and black. Both nest and eggs are ver^- lile
those of V. solitarius.

1 Occ. Papers Calif. Acad. Sci., IL, Land Birds Pacif. District, 1890, 201. •

2 Zoe, IV. 1893, 244.

176 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Vireo huttoni Stephens! Bkewst.

Stephens's Vireo.

Vireo huttoni stephensi Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 347 (Victoria
Mts.). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 18»9, 307 (Victoria Mts.).

Lower California specimens of Stephens's Vireo have larger bills than those
from Arizona, but I can discover no other differences. A young bird in
Juvenal plumage (No. 10,248, Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona, July 9, 1884,
F. Stephens) differs from the adult in having the outer edges of the wing quills
and tail feathers olive green ; the upper tail coverts tinged with olive ; the
back, nape, and crown suffused with drab ; the wing bands yellowish; and the
under parts lighter, the middle of the abdomen and breast being nearly pure

white.

Autumnal birds in winter plumage, of which the Lower California collection
contains several representatives, show a tinge of olive above and more or less
brownish beneath, while the outer edges of the wings and tail are greenish
olive, as with the young in juvenal plumage. The deepest colored autumnal
specimens, however, are much paler and grayer than any of my examples of

V. huttoni.

Mr. Belding, who was the first to detect Stephens's Vireo in Lower California,
trives it in his list of mountain birds as "common above 3,000 feet altitude,"
but " not observed below tliis." Mr. Frazar found it numerous among the
pines on the Sierra de la Laguna in :\I-iy and early June, but none of the
specimens killed there showed any signs of breeding. He also met with
it at San Jose del Rancho in July, although not in any numbers. During
his second visit to La Laguna, the last week of November, two birds were
shot and several others seen on the very summit of this mountain, and a few
days later (on December 2) a single specimen was taken at Triunfo, indicating
that at least a few individuals winter in the Cape Region, to the northward of
w^hich, on the Peninsula, this Vireo has not yet been noted. It inhabits
southern Arizona, and is a common bird in many parts of western Mexico.

Vireo pusillus Coues.

Least Vireo.

Vireo pusillus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus , V. 1883, 5.37 (Cape Region). Bated,
Brewer, and Ridgwat, Hist. N. Arner. Birds, I. 1874, 391-393, pi. 17, fig.
14 (descr. : Cape St. Lucas).

Vireo hellii pusillus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 308 (Cape
Region).
Mr. Grinnell has recently separated the Least Vireo of California from that

of "Arizona and southern Lower California," under the name Vireo pusillus

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 177

albatus, the type locality of the new form being Pasadena, California.^ 1 have
seen no specimens from this precise locality, but I have a number from Kiver-
siile, wliich, as far as I can discern, are indistinguishable from the breeding
birds obtained in the Cape Region by Mr. Frazar. My skins from Arizona
and Oposura, Mexico, are, as a rule, somewhat deeper colored, with more
greenish on the tianks, but these differences (they are the chief ones claimed
bv Mr. Gnnnell) do not seem to me .-sufficiently pronounced or constant to
•warrant the formal separation of the birds in t^uestion. If they be recognized
as distinct races, however, I feel very sure that the bird of the Cape Region
should be referred to albatus and not, as Mr. Grinnell appears to think, to the
typical form.

The Least Vireo is known to occur in the Cape Region only during autumn,
tv-inter, and spring. Mr. Belding characterizes it as rare, but Mr. Frazar's col-
lection contains no less than fourteen specimens. Of these, two were killed at
Triunfo on April 20 and 21 respectively ; three at Santiago in the latter part
of Novemljer; and the remaining nine at San Jose del Cabo at various dates
between August 30 and November 11. Mr. Bryant "obtained specimens on
Santa Margarita Island in winter, and found them in I\Iay at San Fernando;
at Comondu in March; at San Benito in April, and at El Rosario, May 21,
1889." " Mr. Anthony found it common in willow thickets on the northwest
coast up to 3,000 feet altitude. Nesting from 500 to 2,500 feet altitude"
(Bryant); "quite common and evidently nesting in the mesquite thickets"
al)out the mission at San Fernando,'-' and " very common all along the base
of the mountain, but probably not reaching above the live oaks at 4500 feet,"
on San Pedro Martir.^

In California, the Least Yireo is a common summer resident to a little north
of the latitude of San Francisco. It is also found in Arizona and is said to
range throughout western Mexico, although my collectors have obtained it only
at Oposura, in the province of Sonora.

Vireo vicinior Coces.

Gray Vireo.

Mr. Frazar killed a Gray Vireo at Triunfo the first week of April and an-
other at San Jose del Cabo on November 10. These specimens are the oidy
ones that have been thus far found in the Cape Region, but further to the north-
ward in Lower California, Mr. Belding has "noted them from .south of Campo,
at an altitude of 3,000 feet in May, 1884 ; near San Rafael in May, 1885, and
the mountains east of Ensenada in April, 1887." *

1 Condor, IIL 1901, 187.

2 Antliony, Auk, XII. 1805, 142.

3 Anthony, Zoe, IV. 1893, 244.

* Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 308.

VOL. XLI. NO. 1 12

178 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

V. vicinior is a rare summer resident of Sau Diej,'o and San Bernardino
counties, California, but is not known to occur further northward on the
Pacific coast. It is common in portions of Arizona ami is also found in New-
Mexico and western Texas. I have only two specimens from western Mexico,
both taken by Mr. Frazar at Guaymas in January, 18S7.

Mniotilta varia (Linn.).

Black and White Warbler.

Mr. Frazar's collection contains a female Black and White Warbler, taken
at Triunfo on December 20, 1887. This is the first known instance of the
occurrence of the species in Lower California, and for the Pacific Coast dis-
trict north of the Peninsula there are, I believe, but three records,^ all of which
relate to California. These four Inrds were, no doubt, chance wanderers
from the regular path of migration which, in the United States, lies well to
the eastward of the Rocky Mountains. The Black and White Creeper is
common in Central America during winter, and it also passes into South
America as far as Bogota and Venezuela.

Helminthophila celata (Say).
Orange-crowned Warbler.

(?) Helminthophaga celata B.\ird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1864, 1865, 176, 177 (San

Jose' ; Cape St. Lucas).
Helminthophila celata Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 535 (Cape Region).

RiDGWAY, Ibid. (crit.). Bryant, Proc. Cahf. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,

308 (Cape Region).

According to Mr. Ridgway, an Orange-crowned Warbler (No. 86,272 U. S.
Nat. Mus.) taken by Mr. Belding near La Paz in January, 1882, " appears
to be referable to this form."

Mr. Frazar also obtained one (9 No. 15,121, San Jose del Cabo, October 17,
1887) which is nearly or quite typical celata, while several others in his series are
variously intermediate between celata and lutescens. The occurrence of true
celata in the Cape Region is in no way surprising, for it breeds in the interior
of Oregon and British Columbia and thence northward to Alaska. No doubt
some of the birds which visit these regions in summer regularly pass through

1 Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., I. 1888, 48, "male in good plumage"
found on South Farallone Island on May 28, 1887; Grinnell, Pub., IL Pasadena
Acad. Sci., 1898, 44, immature female taken near Pasadena, Los Angeles county,
on October 2, 1895; Emerson, Condor, III. 1901, 145, "male in fall plumage"
obtained at Point Lobos, Monterey county on September 8, 1901.

BREWSTER: BIKDS OF THE CAPE KEGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 179

Lower California on their way to and from western Mexico, where celata is
common in spring and autumn. It is said to winter in southern Mexico, the
extreme southern limit of its known range at that season being Guatemahi.

Helminthophila celata lutescens (Ridgw.).
LuTESCEXT Warbler.

(?) Helmiitihophcuja celata (not Sylvia celata Say) Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I.

1864, 1865, 176, 177 (San Jose'; Cape St. Lucas).
Helminthophila celata lutescens Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. V. 1883, 5-36 (Cape

Region); VI. 1883, 347 (Victoria Mts.). Brt.a.nt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,

2d ser., II. 1889, .308 (Cape Region). Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,

XIII. 1890, 137 (Cape St. Lucas).

This, the characteristic form of the Cape Region, is a rather common winter
resident, arriving from the north early in October and departing again before
the end of February, according to Mr. Frazar, who took no specimens later
than February 9. He found the bird at La Paz, San Jose del Caho, Santiago,
Triunfo, and San Jose del Rancho, but not on the Sierra de la Laguna. Mr.
Bryant records it from Santa Margarita Island (January), Comondu (]\Iarch),
San Benito Caiion (April 10), and El Rosario (May 21), while .Mr. Anthony
has met with it during the spring migration (in late April and early ilay) at
San Fernando and about the base of San Pedro Martir.^

H. c. lutescens winters as far north as San Diego. Its summer range includes
most of California and the regions northward to Alaska, chiefly on the Pacific
slope. I have typical specimens from western Mexico.

Dendroica aestiva (Gmel.).
Yellow Warbler.

(?) Dendroeca aestiva Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 536, part (Cape

Region).
(1) Dendroica afstivaBRYxsT, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser, IL 1889, 309, part

(Cape Region).

All but one of the eleven Yellow Warlilers obtained in the Cape Region by
Mr. Frazar are young birds which were killed in autumn. The exception, a
male taken at La Paz on February 5, is in nearly full nuptial condition. This
bird seems to be sonorana, while four of the young females (from San Jose del
Cabo) are quite typical of that race. The remaining six birds apparently
belong to the form which breeds in California, and which, although usually
called aestiva, has been referred by a few writers to morcomi.^ It differs rather

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 142 ; Zoe, IV. 1893, 244.

2 Dendroica aestiva morcomi Coale, Ridgway Orn. Club, Bull, II. 1887, 82.

180 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

constantly from aestiva of eastern North America in liavinf the chestnut
streaks on the under parts narrower and fainter —in this respect showin" an
approach to sonorana, fiom which, however, it may be readily distinguished by
the decidedly darker, greener coloring of its upper parts. The female is similar
to aestiva (although less often streaked beneath) and hence quite different
from that of sonorana, which is grayish above and clay-colored beneath, with
but faint traces of yellowish on the body plumage. On the whole the Yellow
Warbler of California seems to me too nearly like true aestiva to be recognized
as a distinct subspecies. In any case it should not be called viorcomi. At
least Mr. Ridgway and I agree in considering the type of that supposed form
merely an exceptionally faintly streaked specimen of aestiva, of which, more-
over, the National Museum possesses a number of perfectly typical examples
from the same general region (i. e. Utah and Montana) one of them being
actually from the same locality (Fort Bridger).

Mr. Frazar found the Yellow Warbler rather rare in January and February
at La Paz, where it frequented the shrubbery in the town gardens. It was not
noted after March 1 (save on April 21, when one was seen at Triunfo) until
August 28, when it was again met with at San Jose del Cabo. Here it became
common by the latter part of September, but it kept so closely concealed in
dense thickets as to be much oftener heard than seen. A single specimen was
also taken at Santiago on November 16. To the northward of La Paz it does
not seem to have been observed by any one except Mi*. Anthony, who " says
it is common on the northwest coast up to 2,500 feet altitude " (Bryant),
and " common during migration in the valleys and as a summer resident in the
higher altitudes," on San Pedro Martir.^

The Yellow Warbler breeds plentifully on the Pacific coast from southern
California to Washington, being replaced in British Columbia and to the north-
ward ])y the closely allied subspecies, rulmjinosa. It is not known to occur
north of the southern boundary of the United States during the winter months,
when it migrates to Central America and the more northern portions of South
America.

Dendroica aestiva sonorana Brewst.

SoNORA Yellow Warbler

(?) Dendroeca aestiva Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 536, part (Cape

Region).
(?) Dendroica aestiva Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 309, part

(Cape Region).

Among the Yellow Warblers collected by Mr. Frazar there are, as I have just
stated in another connection, four young females killed at San Jose del Cabo —
on October 5, 12, 20, and 27 respectively — which are perfectly typical speci-

1 Anthony, Zoe, IV. 1893, 244.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CARE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 181

mens of sonorana, besides a male in nearly full nuptial plumage obtained at La
Paz on February 5, and also referable to this form, wLich has not been pre-
viously reported from anywhere on the Peninsula; nor does Mr. Belding include
it in his Laud Birds of the Pacific District, although it occurs, at least casually,
in the extreme southern part of California, for I have a female (No. 6,349)
taken by Mr. F. Stephens at Riverside on September 14, I88I. The true home
oi sonorana is, however, southern Arizona and western Mexico, the most south-
ern locality from which I have received specimens being Alamos, Sonora.

Dendroica aestiva rubiginosa (Pall.).
Alaskan Yellow Warbler.

Denaroeca aestiva (not Motacilla aestiva Gmklin) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas.,

V. 1883, 53fi, part at least (Cape Region).
Deiulroirn aestiva (not Motacilla aestiva Gmelin) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,

2d ser., 11. 1889, 309, part at least (Cape Region).

Of this form of the Yellow Warbler, characterized by the nearly uniform
dark olive green of the upper parts which almost completely overlies and
obscures the yellow on the rump and crown, the National Museum collection
possesses a perfectly typical female (No. 87,531) taken by Mr. Belding at San
Jose del Cabo on April 17, 1882. This is the only specimen which I have
seeii from any part of Lower California. Mr. Nelson has recorded rubiginosa
frona as far sfiuth as the Tres Marias Islands, where it occurs, of course, only as
a migratory visitor. According to its describer, Mr. Oberholser,^ it breeds from
British Columbia to Alaska.

Dendroica bryanti castaneiceps Ridgw.

Mangrove Warbler.

Dendroeca vieilloti bryanti (not of Ridoway, Amer. Nat., VII. 1873, 006) Ridgwat,
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., IV. 1882, 414, 415 (crit. ; La Paz). Belding, Ibid.,
V. 1883, 536 (La Paz; Pichalinque Bay; Espiritu Island ).

D.[endroica] bri/anti $. castaneiceps Ridgway, Loc. cit., VIII. 1885, 350 (orig. descr. ;
type from La Paz).

Dendroica bryanti castaneiceps Ridgway, Loc. cit., footnote (name only). Bkyant,
Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 309 (La Paz; Pichalinque Bay;
Espiritu Santo Island).

Two of the five males taken by Mr. Frazar agree closely with Mr. Ridgway's
description of the type, and two disagree in having the breast and sides dis-
tinctly but finely streaked with chestnut rufous. The fifth (No. 15,087, La
Paz, February 7, 1887), which probably represents some unusual if not abnormal
phase of coloration, differs very decidedly from the others as well as from all

1 Auk, XIV. 1897, 78.

1S2 BULLETIN': MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

the specimens mentioned by Mr. Ridgway. It haa the head dull chestnut, very
pale and mixed with whitish on the throat, mottled with greenish on the crown ;
the jugulum, sides of the neck and the middle of the breast ivhite with occasional
small patches or single feathers of a pale j-ellow color and numerous fine,
chestnut-rufous streaks on the breast ; the remainder of the under parts pale
primrose yeHow mixed with whitish. The back, wings, and tail are nearly as
in the adult female. The upper mandible is of the usual dusky horn color,
but the basal half of the lower mandible of a pale flesh color. The plumage,
generally, has a worn and faded appearance.

One of the females in my series (Xo. 15,088, La Paz, March 21, 1887) has
the yellow of the under parts dull gtuuboge ; the crown and superciliary stripe
tinged with rufous ; the throat obscurely streaked with rufous chestnut. There
are also a few nearly obsolete chestnut streaks on the breast.

In the winter and early spring of 1881-82 Mr. Belding found this beautiful
Warbler " common in the shrubbery around the Bay of La Paz." It was " also
seen at Pichalinque Bay and Espiritu Santo Island. It frequented almost ex-
clusively the mangroves (Rhizapora viangle), and is probably resident." During
January, February, and a part of March, 1887, Mr. Frazar repeatedly visited all
the mangrove thickets that he could find near La Paz, and made every effort to
secure a good series of these Warblers, but he took only eight in all and did not
shoot more than a pair in any one day. He notes the bird as " rare," but adds
that " its numbers increased slightly in March." It cannot be very numerous
here at any time, for the total area covered by its favorite mangroves is very
limited. Indeed, the place where most of his specimens were obtained " com-
prises only about two acre.s, through which winds a small creek, fordable at low
tide; but at high water everything is submerged up to the lower branches of
the mangroves. I always found the birds working near the surface of the water
on the stems of the mangroves or hopping aliout on the mud, but the males
resorted to the tops of the bushes to sing. Their notes are similar in general
character to those of the Yellow Warbler."

Mr. Bryant heard the Mangrove Warbler singing " in the mangroves border-
ing the long estero northward from Magdalena Bay, and in the mangroves on
Santa Margarita Island," where a male was seen by him on March 2, 1889.
It is not unlikely that the localities just mentioned represent the extreme
limit of northward distribution of this bird. Southward it is known to range
as far as Mazatlan on the western coast of Mexico. On the Atlantic coast of
Central America from Belize to Merida, Yucatan, it is replaced by the closely
allied D. bryanti.

Dendroica auduboni (Towxs.).
Audubon's Warbler.

Dendroica anduhonii Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1865, 188, 189 (Cape St.

Lucas).
Dendroern andnhoni Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 1883, 536 (Cape Region) ;

Yl. 1883, 3-47 (Victoria Mts.).

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 183

Dendroira auduhoni Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 309 (Victoria
Mts. ; Cape Region).

Young females of this species in autumn plumage not infrequently lack all
traces of yellow on the throat. In this condition, which is represented by
several birds in Mr. Frazav's collection, they are not easily distinguishable
from the young of coromita, although their upper parts are usually somewhat
more ashy in tone, and their wings and tails longer. Even in these respects
the two species occasionally resemble one another so closely as to render their
discrimination a matter of no slight difficulty.

Audul)on's Warbler appears to find only a winter home in the Cape Region,
which it reaches rather late in autumn, judging by the experience of Mr. Frazar
who first observed it at that season on November 9 at San Jos6 del Cabo,
Later he found it common and universally distributed over the entire country,
not less abundantly, indeed, on the summit of the Sierra de la Laguna than
thnuighout the lowlands bordering the coast. At La Paz the last stragglers
left for the north before the end of the first week of March.

Mr. Bryant records Audubon's Warbler from several places in the upper
portions of the Peninsula, and Mr. Anthony reports that it is " very abundant
during migrations " about San Pedro Martir, where, however, it is not known
to breed, even on the summit of the elevated plateau.^ It is resident in
California, breeding in the mountains as far south as San Bernardino county,
and also ranging in summer into British Columbia, but not, apparently, to
Alaska, where it is replaced by D. coronata. Its southward migration extends
to Guatemala.

Dendroica nigrescens (Towns.).
Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Dendroeca nigrescens Belding, Proc. U. S Nat. Mus., VI., 1883, 347 (Victoria

Mts.)."
Dendroica nigrescens Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 309 (Victoria

Mts.).

This is another winter resident, less numerous and widely distributed than
D. auduhoni, but by no means uncommon in places suited to its tastes. Mr.
Belding seems to have found it only on the mountains "above 3,000 feet alti-
tude " and " in mountain canons of about 1,000 feet altitude." Mr. Frazar's
experience was essentially similar, although he took one specimen (perhaps a
mi.rrant) at La Paz on March 30. The species was rare at Triunfo in April,
but common on the Sierra de la Laguna in the latter part of November, and
at San Jose del Rancho in December. All of the ten specimens taken in au-
tumn appear to be old birds. Mr. Frazar's latest spring date is April 27, when
a female was shot on La Laguna.

I Zee, IV. 1893, 244.

184 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Mr. Bryant took specimens at Tia Juana on May 2 and observed others at
Hansen's on May 14. lie states tliat " Mr. Anthony has found it only in the
region of San Pedro Martir where it breeds from 7,500 to 11,000 feet altitude.'

In California D. niffrescens occurs chiefly during migration, but it also breeds
sparingly in the Sierras from San Bernardino county northward through Ore-
gon and Washington into British Columbia. It is a common bird in western
Mexico in autumn, winter, and early spring, but it has not been found south
of the State of Oaxaca.

Dendroica townsendi (Towns).

Towxsend's Warbler.

Dendroeca townsendi Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 549 (Miraflores).
Dendroica townsendi Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 309
(Miraflores).

Mr. Belding's mention of a male seen at Miraflores, on April 4, 1882, is the
only record for the Cape Region, but the same observer, according to Mr. Bry-
ant, shot some specimens at Tia Juana on May 2, and " Mr. Anthony has talien
a single bird in spring at San Quintin " (Bryant) and another on May 7 at San
Fernando, while in 1893, in the region about San Pedro Martir, he saw a dozen
or more in the live oaks in Burro Caiion on April 23, and a number of others
at Yalladares, and " on the west side of San Pedro " on May 3 and 4.^

Townsend's Warbler occurs regularly, and at times commonly, in California,
at its seasons of migration, as well as occasionally in winter,^ but it is not
known to breed in this State, even among the higher mountains. Its summer
range extends from Oregon and British Columbia to Alaska, where it is toler-
ably common at Glacier in the Yukon valley.' During spring and autumn it
is apparently more numerously represented in the Rocky Mountains than near
the Pacific coast, and in Mexico its principal path of migration evidently lies
along the range of the Sierra Madres, for Mr. Frazar found it exceedingly abun-
dant in the early autumn of 1888 in the more elevated parts of the province of
Chihuahua. It is said to occur commonly in winter in Guatemala, south of
which it has not as yet been found.

Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis (Ridgw.).
Grinnell's Water-Thrush.

Siurus naevius notabilis Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 536 (Cape Region).

RiDGW AX, Ibid. (La Paz; crit. ; measurements).
Seiurus noreboracensis notabilis Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,

310 (La Paz; Todos Santos).

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 244.

2 Grinnell, Pub. II. Pasadena Acad. Sci , 1898, 46 (Los Angeles county).

3 Bishop, N. Amer. Fauna, no. 19, 1900, 90.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 185

Mr. Beliling and Mr. Frazar agree in considering this a rare bird in the Cape
Region. Mr. Frazar took only five specimens, two at La Paz on January 11,
one at Triunfo on April 21, and two at San Jose del Cabo on September 12
and 22, respectively. At tlie place last named two others were seen, one on
September 18, the other on October 4. Mr. Belding also obtained two at La
Paz and, according to Mr. Bryant, a third at Todos Santos. The bird has not
lieen reported horn anywhere north of La Paz on the Peninsula, and only
three specimens are known to have occurred in California, two at Santa Cruz,
and one at San Diego. My Lower California examples appear to be typical
representatives of notahilis. Only one of them is at ail yellowish beneath,
and in this the yellow is merely a faint tinge.

Tlie summer range of 5. n. notahilis has not been definitely traced, but it
probably lies chiefly in the interior of western North America, north of the
L^nited States. Mr. Chapman has recorded ^ two specimens taken at Ducks,
British Columbia, in August, but this date is not sufficiently early to prove
that they were on their breeding-grounds. Mr. Xelson refers the form which
occurs in Alaska to novehoracensis,'^ but Mr. Grinnell has since reported ^ that
notahilis is moderately common in summer in the Kotzebue Sound Region, and
Dr. Bishop has taken it in the Yukon valley.*

Geothlypis tolmiei (Towns.).
Macgillivray's Warbler.

Geothlypis macgilliirayi Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. L 1865,227 (Cape St. Lucas).

Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1SS3, 536 (Cape Region). Bryant, Proc.

Calif. Acad. Sei., 2d ser., II. 1889, 310 (Cape Region).
G.{eothlypis] rnacgillivrai/i Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 192 (San Jose del Cabo).

Mr. Belding found Macgillivray's Warbler only in "mountain canons," and
marks it " rare," but Mr. Frazar met with it in December at San Jose del
Rancho, "where it is certainly a common winter resident." The latter ob-
server's collection contains eight specimens taken in November at this place,
five shot in November, and one on April 20, at Triunfo, one killed on Novem-
ber 15 at Santiago, and a bird obtained on February 16 at La Paz. Mr. Bryant
records the species only from Tia Juana, where " it occurs as a migrant," and
from Comondu, where a female was shot in March, 1888.

G. tolmiei is merely a migratory visitor to the southern part of California, but
it breeds sparingly in the central and northern counties, chiefly in or near the
mountains, and commonly in Oregon and northward into British Columbia.
In winter it goes as far south as Panama.

1 Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist, III. 1890, 15L

2 Rep. Nat. Hist. Coll. Alaska, 1887, 204.

3 Pacif. Coast Avifauna, no. 1, 1900, 56, 57.
* N. Amer. Fauna, no. 19, 1900, 91.

186 bulletin: museum of compaeatiye zoology.

Geothlypis trichas arizela Oberh.
Oberholser's Yellow-throat.

Geothlypis trichas (not Tardus trichas Linnaeus) Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. L

1865, 220, 222, part (Cape St. Lucas). Beldixg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V.

1883, 536 (Cape Region).
Geothli/pls trichas occidentaits (not of Brewster), Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,

2d ser., IL 1889, 310 (Cape Region).
G.[eothlijpis] trichas occidentalis (not of Brewster) Bryant, Zoe, IL 1891, 192

(San Jose del Cabo).
Geothh/pls trichas arizela Oberholser, Auk, XVI. 1899, 256-258 (orig. descr. ; type

from Fort Steilacoom, Wash. ; La Paz; San Jose' del Cabo).

The large series of autumnal specimens of this form collected by Mr. Frazar^
represents very fully the winter plumages of the adult and yoimg of both
se.ves.

The adult male in autumn has the crown, nape, back, wing coverts, under
tail coverts, and sides of body strongly tinged with cinnamon (nearly pure
cinnamon brown on the crown and flanks) ; the black feathers of the mask
tipped with grayish on the auriculars and sides of the neck, with mixed gray
and cinnamon on the forehead ;2 in every other respect it is similar to the
male in spring.

The young male in autumn differs from the adult at the same season in
having the black of the mask restricted to a broad malar stripe and in possess-
ing some concealed spotting at the base of the feathers of the forehead. The
upper parts, also, show less cinnamon, and the entire top of the head is nearly
concolor with the back. The yellow of the breast is sometimes tinged with
saffron, but this is also the case with some apparently mature birds.

The adult female in autumn is rather more olivaceous above than are speci-
mens of the same sex taken in spring, and the throat and breast are of a deep
oclire yellow tinged with saffron. The forehead is suffused with cinnamon as
in the spring female.

The young female in autumn has the entire under parts nearly uniform
clayey buff, lightest on the middle of the abdomen, slightly brownish on the
flanks. The upper parts are plain, dull, grayish olive, nearly uniform every-
where, but with a slight tinge of cinnamon on the forehead. In some speci-
mens the breast is suffused with dull yellowish, but none show any yellow on
the throat. The tint of the under parts varies considerably with different

1 It is possible that some of tiie immature Yellow-throats in this series are refer-
able to G. t. scirpico/n, while otiiers may be G. t. simwsa, but both these forms are
said by their describer to be "permanently resident" in California (see Grinnell,
Condor, IIL 1901, 65).

2 In a very few birds there is no trace of this light tipping, the mask being quite
as pure black as in spring.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 1S7

individuals, and there is often a trace of cinnamon on the flanks as well as,
sometimes, on the breast. There is no ditHculty whatever in separating
arizela, in any of the plumages just described, from its eastern representative,
trichas, the two appearing to differ quite as markedly in their immature or
autumnal conditions as in full spring dress. I have not been able to make a
satisfactory comparison of the autumnal or winter plumages of arizda with
those of occidoitalis, but breeding birds of these Ibrms may be easily distin-
guished by the characters to which Mr. Oberholser has called attention.

Mr. Frazar found this Yellow-throat in March at La Paz, where it was rare;
in autumn at San Jose del Cabo, where it was exceedingly abundant ; and at
San Jose del Eancho (the only place not directly on the coast), where two
specimens were obtained on December 22. At San Josd del Cabo it was
present in small numbers at the date of Mr. Frazar's arrival, August 23, but it
did not attain its maximum abundance until about the middle of September,
after which its numbers steadily but gradually diminished, although it re-
mained common throughout October, and indeed up to the time of Mr.
Frazar's departure, November 13. It probably winters in the Cape Region,
but there is no present evidence to show that it ever breeds there.

Throughout the central jjortions of the Peninsula Mr. Bryant has met with
only a single specimen — on Santa Margarita Island. Mr. Anthony, however,
found what was probably this subspecies, common " in swamps along the north-
west coast " (Bryant), and a few were heard by him in the tules bordering a
water hole at San Fernando while they were " not uncommon about the base "
of San Pedro Martir in late April and early Ma3\^

I have typical examples of arizela taken in winter and early spring at
Guaynias and Oposura in northwestern Mexico. According to Mr. Grinnell,^
this form " occurs abundantly in parts of California during the spring and fall
migrations," and is found in the breeding season "on the Pacific slope from
Central California to British Columbia," while a larger race — scirpicola — is
" permanently resident in the fresh-water tule beds of the southern coast dis-
trict," and a smaller one — sinuosa — similarly restricted at all seasons to the
" salt marshes of San Francisco Bay and vicinity."

Of the value and constancy of the characters which are thought by Mr.
Grinnell to distinguish scirpicola and sinuosa from each other — and from
arizela — I have no present means of judging, but arizela is unquestionably a
good subspecies.

Geothlypis beldingi Ridgw.

Belding's Yellow-throat.

Geothlypis beldingi Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1882, 344, 345 (orig. descr. ;
types from San Jose' del Cabo) ; VI. 1883, 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower
Calif.) Belding, Ibid., V. 1883, 546 (San Jose' ; Miraflores ; canons of the

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 142 ; Zoe, IV. 1893, 245. 2 Condor, III. 1901, 65.

188 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Miraflores and Santiago Peaks; Agua Caliente). Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit.
Mus., X. 1885, 356, 357 (descr. ad. male from San Jose del Cabo). A. 0. U.,
Ciieck List, 1886, 315, no. C82. Coces, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894,
870 (descr. ; Lower Calif.). Bryaxt, Proc. Calif Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL
1889, 20-22 (descr. nest, eggs, and immature plumage from Comondu), 310-
312 (quotes Balding as to locality; Comondu; n. to San Ignacio ; descr.
song; measurements). Allen, Auk, X. 1803, 142 (tropical type).

G.[eotM>/})is] beldingi Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 192 (San Jose del Cabo). Kidgwat,
Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 524 (descr. ; s. portion of Lower Calif.).

]_Geothlyi)is\ heldingi Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VI. 1901, 437 (Basse-Californie).

The large series of specimens obtained by Mr. Frazar probably illustrates
every stage of plumage througli which this beautiful species regularly passes.
Three males, collected in April, agree closely with ]\Ir. Ridgway's de.-cription
of the specimens taken by Mr. Belding. A fourth, shot on June 20, at
Triuufo, disagrees in having a poorly defined but nevertheless rather con-
spicuous yellow band across the fore part of the back. A female, taken on
April 21, differs slightly from Mr. Ridgway's type in having a narrow but
perfectly distinct yellowish superciliary stripe and a few dusky feathers in
the malar region. The five birds jwst meutiuned are all that Mr. Frazar
secured in spring.

Age and seasonal variations : — Yoimg in juvenal plumage. Female (Xo.
15,275, San Jo.<e del Cal)0, September 5, 1887). Above dull brownish drab,
the wings faintly, the tail distinctly, tinged with olive ; greater and middle
wing coverts edged and tipped with rusty, forming obscure wing bands ; below
pale brownish buff, deepest on the sides, abdomen, and upper portion of the
breast, unmixed with yellow save on the chin, where there are a few bright
yellow feathers, evidently those of the first winter plumage ; bend of wing
slightly yellowish ; under surface of wing ashy white ; lores with a faint
yellowish tinge.

Another specimen, apparently of about the same age, taken on September 12,
is "enerallv similar but rather browner above and on the breast and throat.
A young male, obtained on August 23, differs from lioth of the specimens just
descriljed in having a few dark olive feathers on the back, a patch of bright
yellow on the chin and upper part of the throat, a good many yellow feathers
sprinkled over the brea.^t, some black feathers in the lores, and a short black
malar stripe. A careful examination of its plumage shows that all these olive,
yellow, and black feathers belong to the first winter plumage, which was evi-
dentlv just beginning to start when the bird was killed. Some of the feathers
of the under parts, which appear to belong to the juvenal plumage, are, how-
ever, distinctlv yellowish buff, as in the young bird described l)y Mr. Bryant.

Adult male in autumn. Differing from the spring male only in having the
yellow of the crown paler and tinged with grayish white; the upper parts of a
deeper, browner olive, tinged slightly on the occiput and nape with purplish
brown ; the yellow of the under parts richer with more decided brownish on
the sides and flanks; the base of the lower mandiljle flesh colored ; the remainder

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 189

of the bill dark horn, colored instead of black. The black mask is wholly
uuniixed with any lighter color.

Male in first winter 'plumage. Differing from the adult only in having
the feathers of the black mask slightly tipped with grayish or yellowish,
especially on the forehead ; the yellow border of the mask more restricted and
mixed with brownish ; the breast and nnder tail coverts tinged with brownish
saffron; the flanks and sides rich purplish cinnamon.

Adult female in autumn. Differing from the spring female only in being
slightly grayer above.

Female in first winter plumage. Differing from the adult female in autumn
only in having the upper parts tinged with reddish brown, the throat and
breast with brownish saffron, the flanks and sides, as well as the anal region,
with cinnamon.

Individual variations: — The width of the black mask where it crosses the
forehead varies considerably in different specimens, being in some birds fully
twice as wide as it is in others. There is quite as much diversity in this re-
spect among young as with mature birds. One or two males have the entire
occiput and nape mixed with concealed yellow. In about ten per cent of the
autunmal males, both adults and young, the black of the forehead extends
much further back on the left than on the right side of the head. In the
most extreme specimens the posterior border of tlie black band crosses the
top of the head obliquely, in a nearly straight line, fronj a little in front (jf
the right eye to a little behind the left eye. In all cases, however, the black
on the sides of the head passes completely around both eyes. At first I w^as
inclined to believe that this remarkable variation was due to unevenness of
manipulation on the part of the taxidermist in drawing the skin back over the
skull, but careful examination of numerous specimens has convinced me, as
well as several others who have looked at the birds, that they present a clear
and very interesting case of asymmetry.

This beautiful species was discovered by Mr. Belding (in 1882) in the Cape
Regicm, where it was " common in the few suitable localities around San
Jose, Miraflores, and caiions of the Miraflores and Santiago Peaks. At Agua
Caliente a pair were noticed feeding their young ju.st out of the nest, May 7.
The only note traced to this species was a loud chip. . . . Their habits are
quite like those of G. trichas, and the eggs are not materially different, if a nest
found by my guide on the Miraflores and Todos Santos trail IMay 6 belonged
to this species, as I supposed it did, having seen a fine male near the spot
from which it was taken."

Mr. Frazar saw his first Belding's Yellow-throat on April 21 at Triunfo, in
a small, deep arroyo where the stream had been dammed for irrigating pur-
poses, making a little pool of water around which grew a quantity of canes
and rank grasses, the whole covering an area of about forty yards square.
Here were found three pairs, the females of which were apparently incubating,
although no nests were discovered. The species was next met with at San
Jose del Cabo, where it proved to be one of the most abundant birds. It was

190 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

also very common about the lagoon at Santiago, frequenting rushes, often where
the water was three or four feet deep, in this respect differing from Oberholser's
Yellow-throat which inhabited thickets of bushes growing on comparatively
drv "round. " The sonj; resembles that of the Marvland Yellow-throat, but
is so much heavier and fuller that it can be easily recognized." The bird oc-
casionally mounts into the air and sings on wing. Mr. Frazar noticed that
the Belding's Yellow-throats diminished sensibly in numbers at the approach
of winter, and he is of the opinion that many migrate southward at that season,
but this seems improbable, inasmuch as the species has never been detected
outside of Lower California.

It is not confined to the Cape Eegion, however, for Mr. Bryant has found it
" on the west coast of lower Piirisima canon, and as far north as San Ignacio."
In March, 1888, and April, 1889, it was also met with on the eastern side of
the Peninsula at Comondu. Here " the birds kept mainly within the bul-
rushes and bushes of the creek, but could be called out by imitating the cries
of a bird in distress. I frequently heard them singing, sometimes in the top
of a low tree. Their notes are rather loud and quite clear, an interval of a
few seconds occurring between each song." Mr Bryant describes the song as
follows, the stars representing " a low, short buzz." " Sweet, sweet * * * ear
* * * sweet, siveet ear * * * sweet, sweet ear," or " s^veet, sweet ear * * * sweet,
sweet ear," or " siveet, sweet ear * * * siveet, sweet ear * * *," all three forms
beino; used bv the same individual bird.

A nest found at Comondu on March 25, 1889, by Mr. T. S. Brandegee while
in company with Mr. Bryant, "was loosely woven in a clump of 'cat-tails,'
. . . and thinly lined with fine fiber and a few horsehairs. It measures ex-
ternally (as nearly as can be determined from its rough shape) not less than
150 mm. in height by about 115 mm. in diameter. The receptacle is about
55 mm. in depth, with a diameter at the top of 50 mm. The general appear-
ance is almost identical with some song sparrows' nests."

The four eggs contained in this nest are larger than those of " any other
North American yellow-throat, measuring 19 X 15; 19.5 X 15; 19.5 X 14.5 ;
19.5 X 14.5 millimetres. They are white, with shell spots and dots of lilac-
gray and a few surface spots and pencillings of black." Four other nests and
seven additional eggs taken by Mr. Bryant at this place are essentially similar
to the specimens just described. All the nests, apparently, were in cat-tails.
The female of one, when started off her eggs, "quietly retreated amongst the
rushes and made no demonstration, further than a coarse 'tchep ' note."

Icteria virens longicauda (Lawr.).
Long-tailed Chat.

Icteria virens Baird, Kev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1865, 229, part (descr. young birds

from Cape St. Lucas).
Icteria virens longicauda Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537 (Cape

Eegion). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 312 (Cape

Kegion).

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 191

Mr. Fraz;ir met witli the Long-tailed Chat only at San Jose del Cabo, where
eight specimens were taken at various dates between September 15 and Octo-
ber 25. Mr. Belding notes it as rare, without mentioning just when or
where he found it. Mr. Bryant says that it is common at Comondu "nesting
in the bushes of the creek." The Mexicans call it the " 'arriero' from the
resemblance of its whistle to that made by a mule driver." Mr. Anthony con-
siders it " common in the lower valleys " about San Pedro Martir, but it was
"only seen occasionally along the base of the mountain."^ In summer it
ranges as far north as Oregon, breeding rather freely throughout most of Cali-
fornia, and in winter it is not uncommon in western Mexico.

Wilsonia pusilla pileolata (Pall.).

PiLEOLATED "WaRBLER.

Myiodioctes pusiUns pileohtus Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus , V. 1883, 5.33, foot-
note (Agua Escandida; Sierra San Gertrude). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883,
350 (La Paz and s.).

Sylvania pusilla pileolata Brtajjt, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 313
(Cape Region) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 188 (San Jose del Cabo).

Mr. Belding gives this species as rare, but states that it was observed at
several places in the lowlands about La Paz and southward. Mr. Frazar took
only two specimens at La Paz, the first on February 5, the second on March
.21. On the Sierra de la Laguna he shot a female on May 4, and a male on
May 31. After this none were seen until August 25, when a specimen was
taken at San Jose del Cabo. Here the bird soon became common, its num-
bers increasing steadily up to the middle of October after which they dimin-
ished rapidly. This, with the fact that only one or two were seen at San Jos^
del Rancho in December, led Mr. Frazar to conclude that the majority pa.ss to
the southward of the Cape before winter sets in. Mr. Bryant " found a few
at Comondu in March, before the migration northward had ended." Mr. An-
thony states that about the middle of May, 1893, " before we left the pine belt "
on San Pedro Martir, " this warbler had become common along the streams ;
more abundant, however, in the lower valleys during migrations." ^ Aside
from this statement there is no present evidence to indicate that the Pileolated
Warbler breeds anywhere on the Peninsula, but it is a rather common sum-
mer resident of most parts of California and northward, along or near the coast,
into Alaska. It migrates southward as far as Costa Rica and Panama.

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 245. 2 /j,v/.

192 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.).

American Redstart.

Setophaga ruticilla Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VL 1883, 350 (Miraflores;1 La
Paz). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 313 (Miraflores).

A female Redstart shot by Mr. Belding at Miraflores on February 24, 1883,
is the oaly specimen known to have been taken in Lower California, although
Mr. Belding thinks that he saw another at La Paz in March. The species has
been found but twice in California, at Hayward's on June 20, 1881, by Mr.
W. 0. Emerson, and at Marysville Buttes on June 6, 1884, by Mr. Belding.
It is probably merely a chance straggler to the Pacific coast of Upper and
Lower California, although in British Columbia it is " found throughout the
southern portions of the Province, and through the interior as far as Barker-
ville," but nowhere very commonly. ^

The wdnter home of the Redstart includes western Mexico and the whole of
Central America with northern South America to about the line of the Equator.

Motacilla ocularis Swinh.

Swinhoe's "Wagtail.

Motacilla ocularis Eidgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., IV. 1882, 414 (crit. ; La Paz) ;
VI. 1883, 158 footnote (crit.; S. Lower Calif.). Belding, Ibid., V. 1883,
535 (La Paz). Beyant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 313 (La
Paz).

An " adult specimen in winter plumage " of this east Asiatic species was
taken by Mr. Belding at La Paz on " January 9, 1882, during a cold gale from
the north. It was found on a drift of sea-weed on the beach." This bird was
doubtless a mere waif which had either wandered across the Pacific Ocean or
had crossed Bering Strait and thence followed the coastline southward.

M. ocularis has been repeatedly noted at Plover Bay, Siberia, and it probably
visits Alaska more or less frequently and regularly, although the only really
valid record of its occurrence in any part of North America, other than that
furnished by Mr. Belding's specimen, is the mention in the Catalogue of the
Birds in the British Museum ^ of a young bird in the collection of that in-
stitution which was obtained in " N. W. America" by Captain Kellett and
Lieutenant Wood.

1 Fannin, Check List Birds British Columbia, 1891, 42.

2 Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., X. 1885, 473.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 193

Anthus pensilvanicus (Lath.).
American Pipit. Titlark.

Anthus ludovicianus Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 18G4, 1-55 (Cape St. Lucas).

Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 546 (San Jose del Cabo) ; VI.

1883, 347 (Laguna).
Anthus })ensi/va)nrus Brfant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 313 (San Jose

del Cabo).

Mr. Frazar obtained a large number of Titlarks, all of which are in autumn
plumage. Compared with specimens taken at corresponding seasons in the
eastern United States they prove to be somewhat grayer above and paler
(creamy instead of brownish buff) beneath, with smaller, more sharply de-
fined spots on the breast and lighter, more conspicuous wing bands. These
differences, however, are neitlier pronounced nor constant.

The Titlark is a common winter resident of the Cape Region, where, how-
ever, it appears to be chiefly confined to the neighborhood of the sea-coast. Mr.
Frazar found it in February near La Paz ; on March 13 at Loreto (opposite
Carmen Island) ; and very numerously the following autumn (for the first time
on October 4) at San Jose del Cabo, where, according to Mr. Belding, a few
lingered " until about May 3, or later," in the spring of 1882. The latter
observer also saw a large flock of birds which he took to be of this species on
the Sierra de la Laguna, but none were met with there by Mr. Frazar.

Mr. Bryant collected moulting specimens of the Titlark at Comondu in
April, and still further to the northward Mr. Anthony found it "abundant
along the coast in winter," but about San Pedro Martir only a few birds were
" seen in May, 1889, on the eastern edge of the mountain." ^

The Titlark is abundant in winter throughout California, but it is not known
to breed in this State, nor indeed anywhere near the Pacific coast to the south-
ward of Alaska. It migrates as far south as Guatemala.

Anthus cervinus (Pall.).

Red-throated Pipit.

Anthus cercinus Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 156, 157 (San Jose' del
Cabo; descr. summer and winter plumage), 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower
Calif.). Belding, Ibid., 350 (San Jose' del Cabo). Bryant, Proc. Calif.
Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 313 (San Jose' del Cabo).

This is another chance straggler to Lower California for which a single adult
bird in winter plumage, taken by Mr. Belding at San Jose del Cabo on Jan-
uary 26, 1883, furnishes the sole record. Besides this specimen there is known

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 245.

VOL. XLI. NO. 1 13

194 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

to be but one other — also in the collection of the National Museum — which
was taken in North America, at St. Michael's, Alaska, by Dr. Dall, during
the Russian Telegraph Expedition. The species is normally confined to the
Old World, where it has an extensive range, being found throughout Europe,
in northern Africa, and in Asia from northern Siberia to Japan, China, and
India.

Oroscoptes montanus (Towns.).

Sage Thrasher.

Oreoscoptes montanus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 188.3, 534 (Cape Region).
Oroscoptes montanus Bktant, Proc. .Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 313, Sli
(Cape Region).

Mr. Belding notes the Sage Thrasher as rare in the Cape Region. He does
not state just when or where he found it, but the collection of the National
Museum contains two specimens (No. 86,233, ^, and No. 86,234, 9)> taken
by him at La Paz on January 27, 1882. Mr. Frazar is very sure that he saw
one on the road between San Jose del Cabo and Miraflores on November 18,
1887, but, with this possible exception, he did not meet with the species, nor
has it been detected further to the northward by Mr. Bryant. Mr. Anthony,
however, attests its presence " along the northwest coast in spring under 1,000
feet altitude" (Bryant), and also reports that it " ^-inters in comparative
abundance " throughout most of the region about San Fernando.^

The Ijirds obtained at La Paz by Mr. Belding are larger and much deeper
colored than any of my Texas skins, but they are closely matched by several
specimens in my collection from Riverside, California.

The Sage Thrasher ranges northward, on or near the Pacific coast, to
British Culumbia, but does not appear to be common at many places west of
the Sierras. I have several specimens from the city of Chihuahua, but none
from the western part of Mexico.

Mimus polyglottos leucopterus (Vigors).
Western Mockixgbird.

Mimus pol yglottus [not Turdns polyglottos Linnaeus) Eaird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Phiia., 1859, 301 (Cape St. Lucas), 303 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Salvin and
GoDMAN, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1879, 36, part (crit.; Cape St. Lucas).
Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534 (Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 345
(Cape Region).

Mimus polyglottos (not Turdus polyglottos Linnaeus) Bktant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,
2d ser., IL 1889, 314 (Cape Region).

Mimus polyglottos leucopterus Mearns, Auk, XIX. 1902, 70-72 (orig. descr. ; char-
actors drawn from Lower California and other material).

1 Anthony, Auk, XII. 1895, 142.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 195

As Dr. Mearns has recently pointed out, Mimas pohjglottos leucopterus is an
excellent subspecies, differing very apprecialjly, as well as constantly, from
true pohjglottos in having the general coloring of the upper parts less grayish
(more drab) ; the under parts whiter posteriorly, and more strongly tinged
with clay color on the throat and breast ; the white markings on the winga
much more extended and conspicuous ; the general size larger, but the tail
relatively shorter. In respect to all these characters the numerous specimens
obtained in the Cape Region by Mr. Frazar are apparently typical of leucopterus.
Professor Baird thought that the birds of this region have shorter tails than
those found in California, but I find the reverse to be the rule, although the
difference is neither marked nor constant.

The Western MockingViird occurs throughout Lower California, and is
probably resident wherever found. Mr. Belding characterizes it as "abun-
dant" in the Cape Region. Mr. Frazar's experience does not corroborate
this, for he says : " While most numerously represented at San Jose del Cabo,
it cannot be called a common bird either there or about La Paz, and at Tri-
unfo I found it rather rare. It is very generally distributed over the low
country, but it was not seen by me at all on the higher mountains."

Mr. Bryant affirms that this Mockingbird is " everywhere common " on the
portions of the Peninsula which he visited. It is not known to occur north of
California, and in that State is found regularly and commonly only in the
central and southern portions. It inhabits nearly the whole of Mexico, except-
ing the higher mountain regions, as far south as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Toxostoma cinereum (Xantus).
St. Lucas Thrasher.

Harporhf/nchus cinereits Xantus, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1859, 298 (orig.
descr. ; type from Cape St. Lucas). Baird, /bid., 301 (Cape St. Lucas), 303
(crit. : Cape St. Lucas) ; Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1864, 46, 47 (descr. ; Cape
St. Lucas). SCLATER, Cat. Amer. Birds, 1862, 8 (Lower Calif.). Elliot,
lilustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1869, pi. 1 (descr.). Cooper,
Orn. Cal., 1870, 19 (descr. ; figures head ; Cape St. Lucas). Coces, Check
List, 1873, 7, no. 12; 2d ed., 1882, 25, no. 22; Birds Col. Valley, 1878, 68,
69, fig. 11 (descr.; crit.). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgwat, Hist. N. Amer.
Birds, I. 1874, 40, 41, pi. 4, fig. 2 (descr. bird, nest, eggs, and habits ; crit.).
Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. :\rus., VL 1881, .355, 3-56 (descr.; La Paz). Ridg-
WAY, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 12, 60, 74,
no. 14. Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VL 1883, .345 (Cape Region). A.
0. U., Check List, 1886, .324, no. 709. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d
ser., II. 1889, 314 (Cape Region ; Comondu to San Quintin). Townsend,
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIII. 1890, 136 (Cape St. Lucas). Allen, Auk, X.
1893, 142 (tropical type).

[Mimus] cinereus Gray, Handdist, I. 1869, 263, no. 3,850.

196 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

[Harporhjnchus] cinereus Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 75 (descr. ; Cape St.

Lucas). Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VI. 19U1, 417 (Basse-Californie).
H.[arporhymhus\ cinereus CouES, Amer. Nat., VIL 1873, o27, 330, 331, fig. 70

(descr. ; crit.) ; Key N. Amer. Birds, 4tli ed., 1894, 253 (descr. ; Lower Calif.).

Belding, Proc. U. S. Kat. Mus., Yl. 1S83, 344 (Lower Calif.). Kidgway,

Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 544 (descr. ; Lower Calif.).
Hi/porhi/nchus cinereus (err. typ.) Jaspek, Birds. N. Amer. 1878, 151, pi. 103, fig. 6

(Cape St. Lucas).
Methriopterus cinereus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534 (Cape Region).

PtiDGWAY, Ibid., VI. 1883, 158, footnote (crit.; S. Lower Calif.).
Toxosluiiia cinerea Richmond, Auk, XIX. 1902, 89 (synonymy).
Toxostoma cinereurn A. O. U. Comm., Auk, XIX. 1902, 328, no. 709.

Juvenal plumage : — (Female, No. 14,572, collection of William Brewster,
San Jo.«e del Rancho, July 6, 1887). Above ash brown strongly tinged with
rust}', the hind back, rump, and upper tail coverts nearly pure rusty ; wings
and tail as in the adult, but with all the tail leathers tipped with rusty, the
secondaries and greater and niidille wing coverts tipped and edged with rusty
fulvous, the primaries with rusty white ; beneath rusty white, the rusty tinge
deepest on the al)doinen, crissum, and under tail coverts, the entire under parts,
including the chin and abdomen — but not the middle of the throat, anal
region, and under tail coverts — thickly spotted with clove brown, these spots
largest across the breast, but everywhere much narrower and more numerous
than in old birds.

Sexual variation : — The sexes do not seem to differ in size, color, or
markings.

Seasonal variations : — Autumn birds are much more ashy above and buffy
beneath than spring specimens. In some of the former, the wing coverts are
tipped with rusty, and the flanks, abdomen, crissum, and under tail coverts
with light rusty ochraceous. As the season advances, these colors gradually
fade, until by April the upper parts become dull ashy brown, while the abdo-
men and crissum are only faintly tinged with rusty. In June the plumage is
excessively worn and faded, and the under parts are essentially uniform soiled
white.

Individual variations : — There is much diversity with respect to the spotting
of the under parts. In the lighter colored birds the spots are small, rounded,
and confined to the breast and the sides of the throat and body. The darker
ones have the entire vmder parts — excepting the under tail coverts, crissum,
anal region, and a small space on the middle of the throat and abdomen, which
are always plain — thickly and coarsely marked with deltoid spots which, on
the breast, are sometimes so large and numerous as to be almost confluent.
In especially dark specimens the jugulum is usually densely but always finely
spotted, and there are often a few fine markings on the chin. The whitish
spots on the tail are ordinarily broad and conspicuous on the inner webs of
the outer three feathers, extending .50 to .G5 of an inch back from their tips,
but in a few specimens they are restricted and, indeed, almost obsolete, being

BKEWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 197

merely indicated by small spaces of brownish or rusty white, confined to the
extreme ends of the feathers.

The bill of this species is subject to considerable variation in size and
proportions, but its shape is fairly uniform.

My series furnishes no evidence indicating that this Thrasher ever grades
into T. hendirei.

The St. Lucas Thrasher is confined to Lower California. It is resident and
rather generally distributed in the Cape Eegion, where, however, it does not
seem to occur at elevations much exceeding 3,000 feet. Mr. Frazar found it
common in the nei;_;bborhood of La Paz and San Jose del Rancho, somewhat
less numerous at Triunfo, and " very scarce " at San Jose del Cabo.

Mr. Bryant says that he met with it " throughout the overland route from
Comondu to San Quintin," but this was before T. c. mearnsi had been de-
scribed by Mr. Anthony, who states that his bird (which is decidedly darker
and more rusty colored than true cinereum) "is quite common about San
Quintin [the type locality], and in all suitable places as far south as I have
collected." From this we may infer that all the more northern portions of the
general range attributed to cinereum by Mr. Bryant are occupied by mearnsi,
but as to just where the two birds meet and intergrade we are left in complete
ignorance.

Dr. Brewer states that Xantus found St. Lucas Thrashers with full-fledged
young as early as April 4, the date of his arrival at Cape St. Lucas, and that
they " continued to breed until the middle of July." The nests which he
took were " flat structures, having only a very slight depression in or near
their centre." They were built in "low trees, shrubs, and most usually,
cactus plants, and in no instance at a greater elevation from the ground than
four feet. . . . The eggs vary somewhat in their ground color, but exhibit
only slight variations in size or shape. Their greatest length is 1.13 inches,
and their average 1.12 inches. Their mean breadth is .77 inch, and their
maximum .79 inch. The ground color is a greenish-white, profusely marked
with spots of mingled purple and brown. In others the ground color is a
bluish-green. In some specimens the spots are of a yellowish-brown, and in
some the markings are much lighter."

Three eggs in my collection, constituting a set taken at Cape St. Lucas on
May 30, 1896, by Messrs. Coolidge and Miller, measure respectively : 1.04 x
.79, 1.06 X .81, and 1.07 X .80. They are dull bluish white, with numerous
and very generally distributed markings of pale lavender and light reddish
brown.

Heleodytes brunneioapillus affinis (Xantcs).

St. Lucas Cactus Wren.

Campylorhijnrhus affinis Xantcs, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 298 (orig. descr. ;
type from Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Ibid., 301 (Cape St. Lucas), 303, 304
(crit.; Cape St. Lucas) ; Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. L 1864, 98, 100, 101 (descr.;

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 52, 53.

198 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Sclater, Cat. Amer. Birds, 1862, 17 (Lower Calif.).

Elliot, Illustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, I. 1869, pi. 4 (quotes orig.

descr.). Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 62, 03 (descr. ; crit.; Cape St. Lucas).

CouEs, Check List, 1873, 13, no. 44 ; 2d ed., 1882, 30, no. 64. Baird, Brewer,

and KiDGWAY, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, L 1874, 133, 134, pi. 8, fig. 6 (descr. bird,

nest, and eggs ; crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Jaspek, Birds N. Amer., 1878, 151,

pi. 103, fig. 8 (Cape St. Lucas). Ridgway, Norn. N. Amer. Birds (BuU.

U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881. 14, 61, 74, no. 57 ; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI.

1883, 158, footnote (crit.; S. Lower Calif.). Belding, Ibid., V. 1883, 535

(Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 345 (Cape Region). A. 0. U., Check List, 1886,

325, no. 714. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889,315 (Cape

Region ; San Quintin and s.) ; Zee, II. 1891, 188 (San Jose' del Cabo).

TowNSEND, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIII. 1890, 136 (Cape St. Lucas).

Allen, Auk, X. 1893, 142 (tropical type). Anthony, Zoe, IV. 1893, 245

(San Pedro Martir).
[Campi/lorhynchus] affinis Gray, Hand-list, I. 1869, 192, no. 2,652. Codes, Key N.

Amer. Birds, 1872, 85 (descr.; Cape St. Lucas).
C .[ampylorhynchus'] affinis Coues, Birds CoL Valley, 1878, 157 (crit.) ; Key N. Amer.

Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 275 (descr. ; Lower Calif.). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat.

Mus., VI. 1883, 344 (Lower Calif.).
C ampylorhynchus brunneicapiUus (not of Lafresnaye) Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit.

Mus., VL 1881, 197, 198 (descr. ; La Paz).
Heleodytes affinis A. O. U. Comm., Auk, XI. 1894, 48, no. 714. Anthony, Ihid.,

210-214 (crit.) ; XII. 1895, 280 (status).
H.[eleodytes] affinis Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 547 (s. portion

of Lower Calif.).
Helfodytes brunneicapiUus affinis A. 0. U. Comm., Auk, XIV. 1897, 131, no. 713b.
[Camjii/lorliynchus] brunneicapiUus Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VI. 1901, 420, part

( Basse-Calif ornie).

Sexual variations : — The sexes apparently differ only in respect to size, the
females being usuall}^ but not invariably, smaller than the males.

Seasonal variations: — Young in ju venal plumage differ from old birds in
breeding plumage only in having the crown of a darker, duller brown (almost
slaty brown in some specimens) ; the light markings of the back rusty white
and broader, on many of the feathers taking the form of deltoid spots; the
light markings of the wings, including those of the outer primaries (but not
of the tail), strongly rusty ; the spotting of the under parts finer and somewhat
fainter.

Young (and perhaps old birds also) in autumn differ from spring adults and
young in juvenal plumage in having the light streaks of the back broader and
whiter; the flanks, abdomen, anal region, and crissum bright cinnamon or
ochraceous buff, instead of rusty white.

Individual variation : — Baird remarked ^ " a tendency to a whitish spot-
ting in the ends of the feathers of the cap," which he regarded as characteristic
of immature birds, but in the large series before me it occurs quite as fre-

1 Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1864, 100.

BREWSTER: BIEDS OF THE CAPE KEGIOX, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 199

quently with apparently mature specimens taken in spring as with young
in autumn, while it is not present in any of the young in juvenal plumage.
Moreover, these crown spots are not " whitish " in any of my specimens, but
always more or less rusty and often deep golden Lrown.

In respect to the size, shape, and distribution of the dark markings of
the under parts, there is quite as much variation as in most conspicuously
spotted birds. Some of the more heavily marked specimens, especially the
autumnal ones with rich buffy abdomens and flanks, resemble the lighter
colored examples of hrunneicapillas very closely, but the difference in the tail
markings of the two species is so pronounced and constant that it can be relied
upon to separate birds of any age or plumage. I have had no opportunity,
however, of testing the characters by which the form hryanti is said to be
distinguishable from affinis.

In the Cape Region proper the St. Lucas Cactus Wren is everywhere a common
resident excepting on the higher mountains, where it appears to be wholly
wanting. Its favorite haunts are the arid, cactus-grown plains near the coast
and the almost equally barren and waterless foot-hills, but at San Jose del Cabo
Mr. Frazar found it abundant in gardens and among shrubbery near or even
directly over water. At this place birds were seen carrying sticks in their
bills, apparently for .the purpose of nest-building, as late as October IS, and
the same thint; was observed at Santiago about the middle of November. The
sexual organs of the specimens killed at this time did not indicate, however,
that any of them were breeding or about to breed.

Until somewhat recently the St. Lucas Wren was supposed to be confined
to the Cape Eegion, but in 1888 and 1889 Mr. Bryant ascertained that it is
also very generally distributed throughout the central portion of the Penin-
sula. Indeed he has reported its occurrence as far to the northward as San
Quintin, but the birds of that locality have been since referred by Mr. Anthony
to the closely allied H. b. hryanti, which is said to be easily distinguishable
from both briameicapillus and affinis by the exceptionally heavy dark markings
on its under parts, but which, in other respects, is " practically intermediate"
between these forms. ^ Mr. Anthony thinks that hryanti will be found to
grade into affinis " at a point at no great distance south of San Fernando," ^ and
his material apparently establishes its complete intergradation with hrunnei-
capillus in the more eastern parts of southern California.

Salpinctes obsoletus (Sat).

Rock Wren.

Salpinctes ohsoletus Baird, Hev. Amer. Birds, pt. 1. 1864, 110 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).
Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1880, 71 (Cape St. Lucas).
Belding, Proe. U. S. Nat. Mus , V. 188.3, 5-35 (Cape Region). Bktant, Proc.
Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d sen, II. 1889, 315 (Cape Region).

1 Anthony, XI. 1894, 212. 2 Auk, XIL 1895, 280.

200 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Mr. Belding considers this species " not rare " in the Cape Region, but Mr.
Frazar saw only a single pair during his stay there. They were in the
graveyard at La Paz, and when first observed (on March 19) were engaged in
building a nest. Tliree days later the male was secured. It does not differ in
any way from examples in ray collection from Colorado.

Mr. Bryant found a few Rock Wrens " on Santa Margarita and Magdalena
Islands, and at various localities northward," while Mr. Anthony states that
the species is " not uncommon in winter " at San Fernando,i and that at San
Pedro Martir he found it nesting, in a single instance, *' at 8500 feet ; more
common on the lower slopes." ^

It occurs more or less numerously throughout California and northward into
British Columbia, and is conmion and very generally distributed in central
and western Mexico, where it breeds at every altitude from the crest of the
Sierra Madre range to the low country near the Pacific coast. It ranges still
further southward, to Guatemala and San Salvador.

Catherpes mexicanus punctulatus Ridgw.

Dotted Canon Wren.

Catherpes mexicanus conspersus (not of Ridgway) Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,
V. 1883, 635 (Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 347 (Victoria Mts.).

Catherpes mexicanus jmndulatus Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,
315 (Cape Region).

"With this Wren, also, Mr. Belding and Mr. Frazar seem to have had some-
what diverse experiences. The former notes it as "moderately common
throughout all altitudes," whereas the latter found it only on the Sierra de la
Laguna. " There were a few here on my arrival (April 26) and their num-
bers increased steadily up to the date of my departure (June 9), but even then
they had not become really common. I usually found them in canons, but
sometimes on hillsides where there were large boulders." There can be little
doubt that they breed on this mountain, although Mr. Frazar obtained no
definite proof that such is the case. Mr. Bryant secured "a male and four
fledged young at San Sebastian," on April 28, 1889, and speaks of hearing old
birds "far up the sides of the rocky walls that inclose Comondu." Mr.
Anthony reports that the species was " not uncommon in several places on
San Pedro" Martir in late April and early May, 1893,^ and that he has also
seen it in small numbers near San Fernando.'' Upon comparing Mr. Frazar's
specimens with the type of C. m. ^nmctulatus, I find that they agree with it in
all essential respects.

The Dotted Canon Wren is rather generally distributed throughout Cali-
fornia, but is not known to range further northward. It is also found in
Arizona and New Mexico, and southward into Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico.

1 Auk, XII. 1895, 143. a Zoe, IV. 1893, 245.

8 Zoe, IV. 1893, 245. * Auk, XII. 1895, 143.

BREWSTEK : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 201

Troglodytes aedon aztecus Baied.
Western House Wren.

Troglodi/tes aedon park mnnni (not Troglodytes parkmanii Auddbon) Belding, Proc.

ir. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1888,535 (Cape Region).
Troglodi/tes aedon parkmanii (not Troglodytes parkmanii Audubox) Bkvant, Proc.

Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 316 (La Paz).

Parkuiau's Wren is included without comment by Mr. Belding in his
list of birds " common to most or all of the localities where collections were
made" "near the southern extremity of the Peninsula." Mr. Bryant also
gives it as a bird of Lower California, but apparently solely on the autliority
of Mr. Belding, who, he states, " found it to be rare on Cerros Ishxnd, and col-
lected a specimen at La Paz." .Mr. Anthony mentions only T. a. aztecus,
which, he says, was "abundant in the pines " on San Pedro Martir in late
April and early May, 1893. ^

Mr. Frazar's collection contains five House Wrens, of which two were taken
at San Jose del Cabo on September 29 and October 17, respectively, one
at Triunfo on December 9, and two at San Jose del Rancho on December
20 and 21, respectively. All of these birds seem to me to be referable to
aztecus. They are certainly quite as ashy as average examples of that form,
although in respect to the nearly obsolete character of the barring on the upper
parts, they agree rather better with parkmanii.

From this it will aj^pear that the status of the House Wrens which occur in
the Cape Region in autumn and winter is still open to doubt. It is quite
possible, of course, that some of them are really examples of parkmanii which
migrate southward from California, but more probable, in my opinion, that
most if not all of them are representatives (not quite typical, perhaps) of
aztecus, which pass their summers at San Pedro Martir and other elevated places
in the more northern portions of the Peninsula.

Cistothorus palustris paludicola Baied.
TuLE Wren.

(?) Telmatodytes palustris paludicola Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883,

546 (San Jose' del Cabo).
(?) Cistothorus palustris paludicola Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889,

316 (San Jose' del Cabo).

Mr. Belding gives this Marsh Wren as "rare " in his list of species found at
San Jose del Cabo from A]u-il 1 to May 17, 1882. The birds which he saw on
this occasion were probably only belated stragglers from the hordes which

1 ^e, IV. 1893, 245.

202 bulletin: museum of comparative ZOOLOCxY.

must regularly winter at this place, for in the autumn of 1887 Mr. Frazar
found Tule Wrens in immense numbers both here and at Santiago. They
evidently came from the north, the vanguard of the flight arriving on Septem-
ber 21 (a single bird was seen on the 14th), but the bulk not until October
19, after which their numbers increased slowly but steadily up to November
4, when they simply swarmed in the patches of tall rushes and tules along the
river. They were particularly abundant at Santiago, on November 22. A
very few were seen at San Jose del Rancho in December, but none about La
Paz in January, February, or March. To the northward Mr. Bryant has ap-
parently met with only two specimens, both on Santa Margarita Island.

C jj. paludicola is very common, coastwise, in California wherever it can find
suitable haunts. It is resident i(i the southern and central parts of the State
and it winters sparingly as far north as Washington and Oregon, while its
breeding range extends into British Columbia. It is said to migrate as far
south as Guatemala.

Cistothorus palustris plesius Obeeh.
Western Marsh Wren.

(?) Telmatodytes palustris paludicola (not Cistothorus palustris paludicola Baird)
Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 188.3, 546 (San Jose' del Cabo).

(?) Cistothorus palustris paludicola (not of Baird) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,
2d ser., IL 1889, 316 (San Jose' del Cabo).

Cistothorus palustris plesius Obeeholser, Auk, XIV. 1897, 186-193 (orig. descr. ;
types from New Mexico and Utah; typical examples from Miraflores).

Mr. Oberholser says ^ that " very typical specimens of plesius have been
taken at Miraflores, Lower California," but at what season he does not state.
The large series of Marsh Wrens collected by Mr. Frazar at San Jose del Cabo
includes representatives of this race and paludicola in about equal numbers.
Which of the two birds — if either — is resident in the Cape Eegion I have
no means of judging. Nor have I seen enough breeding specimens of either
to form any definite opinion as to the value and constancy of the char-
acters by which they have been separated. I may say in this connection, how-
ever, that I have a number of skins apparently typical of plesius which were
obtained by Mr. L. M. Turner late in April, at Seattle, Washington, and hence
practically on the Pacific coast, where, if I understand the case correctly,
paludicola should be the breeding form, for plesius, according to Mr. Ober-
holser, breeds ouly in the interior.

1 Auk, XIV. 1897, 192.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 203

Sitta carolinensis lagunae Brewst.
St. Lucas Nuthatch.

[Sitta carolinensis] var. aculeata CouES, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 83, part.

Sitta carolinensis, var. aculeata Coues, Check List, 1873, 11, no. 38 a, part.

Sitta carolinensis aculeata (not of Alle\) Ridgwat, Norn. N. Amer. Birds (Bull.
U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 14, no. 51 a, part. Coues, Check List, 2d ed.,
1882, 29, no. 58, part. Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VL 1883, 347 (Vic-
toria Mts.). A. 0. U., Check List, 1886, 331, no. 727 a, part. Bkyant, Proc.
Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 316 (Victoria Mts.).

Sitta carolinensis lagunae Brewster, Auk, VIIL 1891, 149 (orig. descr. ; types from
Sierra de la Laguna). Bryant, Zoe, II. 1891, 198 (Victoria Mts.)

S.[itta] carolinensis aculeata Ridgwat, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 559, part.

[Sitta carolinensis] var. lagunae Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. IX. 1901, 681 (Basse-
Californie).

Although this race has not been recognized by the A. O. U. Committee, I
continue to regard it as a perfectly good subspecies. As I stated in connection
with my original description it differs very constantly from aculeata of north-
ern Mexico and the western United States in having decidedly shorter wings,
slightly shorter tail, and much narrower, bhickish, terminal markings on the
outer tail feathers. These differences are not, perhaps, very conspicuous, but
they seem to me to constitute better as well as obviously more readily avail-
able diagnostic characters than the slight dissimilarities in respent to color toifes
which alone serve to distinguish certain birds that have been accepted by the
Committee as subspecifically distinct.

The St. Lucas Xuthatch is probably confined to the higher mountains south
of La Paz, where it was first detected by Mr. Belding in 1883. To Mr. Frazar,
however, is due the credit of collecting a sufficient series of specimens to bring
out the slight but nevertheless very tangible differences which distinguish it
from aculeata, to which INIr. Belding very naturally referred it. Mr. Frazar
met with it only on the Sierra de la Laguna, where, at all seasons, it is a rather
common l)ird inhabiting the pine forests at higii elevations. Specimens shot
early in May were incubating. It is possible that the White-bellied Nut-
hatches which Mr. Anthony found " rather rare but well distributed in the
pines " on San Pedro Martir ^ may also belong to this form, but they are more
likely to prove true aculeata.

1 Zoe, IV. 1893, 246.

204 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Parus inornatus cineraceus Ridgw.

Ashy Titmouse.

Lopkophanes inornatus Coues, Clieck List, 1873, 9, no. 28, part ; '2d ed., 1882, 28, no.

41, part. RiDGWAY, Norn. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21),

1881, 13, no. 38, part.
Lophojihanes inornatus cineraceus RiDGWAY, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 154,

155 (orig. desor. ; type from Laguna), 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower Calif.),

347 (measurements). Belding, /6tc/. (Victoria Mts.). Coues, Key N. Amer.

Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 866 (descr. ; Lower Calif.).
Parus inornatus cineraceus RiDGWAY, Loc. cit., Vlll. 1885, 354. A. 0. U., Checl< List,

188G, 333, no. 733 b. Bryant, Froc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 317

(Victoria Mts.) ; Zoe, IL 1891, 198 (Victoria Mts).
P.\arus'] inornatus cineraceus Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 561

(descr. ; s. portion of Lower Calif.).
[Lopkophanes inornatus] var. cineracea Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VII. 1901, 465

( Basse-Calif ornie) .

Mr. Ridgway states that this form differs from its nearest ally, P. i. griseus,
in having generally grayer colors, paler coloring beneath, and a smaller bill.
The bill of the type is described as black, and, as a second specimen afterwards
taken by Mr. Belding agreed " exactly with the type," it is fair to assume that
its !)ill was also black.

In my series of thirty-four examples, the clear grayish white of the under
parts is perfectly constant and serves at once to distinguish the Lower Cali-
fornia bird from griseus, which seems to be always dingy or smoky gray be-
neath. The color of the upper parts varies considerably with season, and is
decidedly ashler in autumn than in spring ; with several of my specimens it
matches perfectly that of griseus, but with the majority it is slightly grayer.
As far as the bills of the two birds are concerned, I am unable to make out any
differences whatever, either of color or size- "Without a single exception, the
bills of my representatives of cineraceus are dark horn colored, precisely as in
griseus, and they do not average smaller.

Several of my examples of cineraceus are marked in a curious manner with
pale tawny brown, almost fawn color. This is nearly uniform in shade in
the different birds, but is irregularly disposed, although always confined to the
upper parts. In one specimen it forms a broad terminal band on the tail ; in
three others, a slight tipping on the crest, while in a fourth almost the entire
crest is bright fawn color, in marked contrast with the ashy-gray crown and
nape. The bird last mentioned has the greater wing coverts tinged with tawny,
which forms a rather conspicuous light bar on each wing. It also shows an
ill-defined light band across the back. All the specimens thus marked are
adults, taken in May and June, and, in all, the plumage is worn and faded.
It is possible that the peculiar coloring just described is caused by excessive

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGIOX, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 205

fading, but I am inclined to regard it as analogous to the similar light mark-
ings found in Melanerpes angustifrons and certain other Woodpeckers.

The Ashy Titmouse appears to be strictly confined to the Cape Region, the
bird found at San Pedro Martir, in the northern part of the Peninsula, being
the closely related P. i. griseus, according to Mr. Bryant, whose failure to de-
tect any representative of the inornatus group in the intermediate region makes
it nearly certain that the habitat of cineraceus is quite cut off from that of its
ally just mentioned. Indeed, its range appears to correspond closely, if not
exactly, with that of the St. Lucas Nuthatch. Like the latter, it is a bird of the
pine forests which cover portions of the summit and upper slopes of the high
mountains near the southern extremity of the Peninsula. Heie, according to
Mr. Belding, it is " common from 3,000 feet altitude upward." On the Sierra
de la Lagnna Mr. Frazar found it quite as numerous in December as in May
and June. None of the specimens killed at the latter season showed any indi-
cations of being about to breed, and the eggs, like those of many other birds
which inhabit these mountains, are probably not laid much before midsummer.

Psaltriparus grindae Ridgw.

Grinda's Bush-Tit.

\^Psaltriparus\ minimus Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 81, 82, part (Pacif.
coast).

Psaltriparus 7ninimus Codes, Check List, 1873, 11, no. 35, part; 2d ed.. 1882, 29, no.
53, part. Ridgwat, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21),
1881, 14, no. 47, part.

Psaltriparus grindae Kidgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 155 (orig. descr. ;
type from Laguna), 158, footnote (crit. ; S. Lower Calif.), 347 (measure-
ments) ; Proc. BioL Soc. Wash., II. 1884,96 (a correction). Belding, Proc.
U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 347 (Victoria Mts.).

Psaltriparus minimus grindae Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VIII. 1885, 354.
A. O. U., Check List, 1886, 337, no. 748 b. Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.,
2d ser., IL 1889, 317 (San Francisco and Victoria Mts.) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 198
(Victoria Mts.). Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 867 (descr. ;
Lower Calif.).

P .\_saltriparus'] minimus grindae Ridgway, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 565
(descr; s. portion of Lower Calif.).

[Psaltriparus] grindae Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VII. 1901, 466 (Basse-Cali-
fornie).

The characters claimed for this form by Mr. Ridgway are so constantly pre-
sented in the large series obtained by Mr. Frazar that I believe the bird to be
a good species. The type, taken on February 2, was evidently in nuptial
plumage. I can now add descriptions of the juvenal and first winter plumages.

Juvenal plumage: — (Male, No. 14,822, San Jose del Rancho, July 21, 1887).
Differing from the adult in being ashier beneath, with a decided purplish

206 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

tinge on the sides; the back paler bluish, the crown light purplish brown; the
outer tail feathers with their outer webs ashy white to the shaft; the secondaries
and wing coverts edged and tipped with grayish or rusty white.

First icinter plumage : — ('Male, No. 14,789, Sierra de la Laguna, November
28, 1887). Similar to the young just described, but with the crown deep
purplish brown; the back darker or more slaty than in the adult; the wings
and tail more bluish; the inner secondaries tipped with ashy white; the outer
tail feathers with exceedingly narrow light margins on their outer webs.

A moulting specimen (Xo. 14,828), taken on July 28, 1887, has the fore-
head covered with fresh feathers of the same deep purplish brown as No. 14,789,
Avhile the worn and faded feathers on the occiput are those of the nuptial
dress, showing that the adult assumes a distinctive autumn plumage. Among
the spring adults in my series, however, there is much individual variation in
respect to the color of the crown which varies from very pale Isabella to pur-
plish brown nearly as deep and rich as that of autumnal birds.

Like the Ashy Titmouse, Grinda's Bush-Tit is confined to the mountains
south of La Paz. It is represented in the northern portions of the Peninsula
" from El Rosario northward " (Bryant) by the closely-allied form, P. minimus
californicus, the two being separated geographically by a region over four hun-
dred miles in width, where no member of the genus is known to occur. Mr.
Belding (who discovered both birds in 1883) draws no distinction between the
respective vertical ranges of P. i. cineraceus and P. grindce, but Mr. Frazar
found that the latter has much the more extended vertical distribution of the
two, occurring almost as numerously about Sau Jose del Rancho as on the
Sierra de la Laguna. It is a sedentary species, of which each individual bird
probably spends its entire life within a very limited area, for Mr. Frazar
noticed no marked seasonal variations in the number of its representatives at
any of the localities which he visited.

A nest found on May 24 in the top of a small pine about eight feet above
the ground, on the Sierra de la Laguna, is similar in shape to the nests of
P. m. californicus and P. pluvibeus. It is nine inches long, with a diameter
varving from two to two and one half inches. The entrance hole is in one
side near the top. The walls are composed of small, dry leaves, fern-down,
catkins, spiders' cocoons, yellowish usnea and grayish lichens, all these mate-
rials being felted into a thick, tenacious fabric of a generally mixed brown and
grayish color. There were no eggs, the nest being not quite finished when
taken.

Auriparus flaviceps lamprocephalus Oberh.i

Baird's Verdin.

Paroides flaviceps {not Aeqithahis flaviceps Scndevall) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St. Lucas), 304 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas).

1 Most of the differences which distinguish this subspecies from true flaviceps
were originally pointed out by Professor Baird (Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1864,
85, 86).

BUE^YSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 207

Auriparus flavice.ps (not Aegilhalus Jlaviceps Sundevall) Baird, Rev. Amer. Birls,
pt. I. 1864, 85, StJ, part (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Cooper, Orn. CaL, 1870,
51, part (Cape St. Lucas). Coues, Check List, 1873, 11, no. 37, part; 2d
ed., 1882, 29, no. 56, part. Baird, Brewer, and Ridgwat, Hist. N. Amer.
Birds, I. 1874, 112, 113, part (breeding at Cape St. Lucas ; nesting habits).
Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1880, 59, part (breeding
at Cape St. Lucas ; descr. male from Cape St. Lucas). Ridgway, Nom. N.
Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 21), 1881, 14, no. 50, part. Belding,
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 535 (Cape Region), 547 (breeding at La Paz) ;
VI. 1883, 345 (Cape Region). A. O. U., Check List, 1S8G, 338, no. 746, part.
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 318 (tlirougliout Penin-
sula). TowNSEXD, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIIL 1890, 137 (Cape St. Lucas).

\^Auripar as] Jlaviceps Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 1872, 82, part (Lower Calif.).

A.\iiriparus] Jlaviceps Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 269, part (Lower
Calif.). RiDGWAY, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 565 part (Lower
Calif.).

Auriparus Jlaviceps In mprocephalus Oberholser, Auk, XIV. 1897, 390-394 (orig.
descr. ; type from Cape St. Lucas). A. 0. U. Comm., Auk, XVI. 1899, 126,
no. 746 a.

\_Auriparus flavicepsl var. tamprocephala Dubois, Synop. Avium, fasc. VII. 1901,
468 (Basse-Californie).

Mr. Bryant says that this Verdin is " a common species throughout the
peninsula," but he adds that Mr. Belding doubts if it occurs " north of lat. 32°
unless on the eastern side." ^[r. Anthony reports it as " quite common in all
of the country south of San Quintin," but he does not mention meeting with
it anywhere to the northward of that place.i These statements were made, of
course, before the subspecies lamjyrocejjhalus had been separated by Mr. Ober-
holser, who gives its habitat as " California inferior australis," adding " no
specimens from the upper half of Lower California have been examined."
Mr. Bryant, however, in a previous paper,^ in which he proposed to distinguish
the* same bird under a name which has been since shown by Mr. Oberholser
to be untenable, refers to it apparently all the specimens of the Verdin which
he had " collected in Lower California," as well as others from Los Angeles
and San Diecro counties, California.

Mr. Frazar found Baird's Verdin abundant everywhere in the Capa Region
except on the Sierra de la Laguna, where none were met with. It was breed-
ing at La Paz in March, at Triunfo in April, and apparently at San Jose del
Caho in November, for on the third of that month Mr. Frazar found two nests
about half completed on which the birds were busily at work. A week later
another Verdin was noticed carrying feathers in its bill, doubtless for the lining
of its nest, and still later (on November 17) a fourth was observed at Santiago
collecting building material.

1 Auk, XIT. 1895, 143.

2 Zee, I. 1890, 14y.

208 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Regulus calendula (Linn.).

Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Regulus calendula Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 347 (Victoria Mts.).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 318 (Victoria Mts.) ; Zoe,
IL 1891, 198 (Victoria Mts.).

Although this specie.9 has thus far defied the "hair-splitters" with some
success, it does not seem to be entirely free from geographical variation.
At least in the series before me it is possible to make out three forms, of
which that from the eastern United States is the smallest and most richly
colored, that from the Middle Province the largest and grayest, that from the
Northwest coast intermediate in size between the other two, and, like many
birds from this region, very deeply colored. ^ The differences between extreme,
or what may be called typical, examples of these forms are obvious and easily
made out, but they do not seem to be sufficiently constant in the birds from
any one region to be worth special recognition. It should be mentioned, how-
ever, that most of my specimens were taken either during migration or in their
winter quarters, and the examination of good series of breeding birds would
perhaps lead me to a different conclusion from that just expressed.

The five specimens collected in the Cape Region by Mr. Frazar were all
shot on the Sierra de la Laguna. They belong to the large gray form above
mentioned.

Mr. Belding names the Ruby-crowned Kinglet in his list of mountain birds
as "moderately common; from 3,000 feet altitude upward." Mr. Frazar
found it only on the Sierra de la Laguna, where he shot a single specimen,
a female, on April 27, and saw a number during the last week of November
and the first two days of December. Mr. Bryant does not mention meeting
it, but states that " on San Pedro Martir Mr. Anthony saw it up to 11,000 feet
altitude, and down to the coast in winter and spring," as well as " in the pines
the last of April, at 8,500 feet elevation." It is not probable that it breeds in
Lower California even at high altitudes.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is merely a winter visitor to the coast districts
of California, but it breeds in the Sierras from latitude 38° northward to
Alaska. It is common in western Mexico in winter, and goes as far south
as Guatemala.

1 This is probably the form which Dr. Palmer has recently described (Auk,
XIV. 1897, 399), from Sitka, Alaska, under the name R. c. grinnelU. According
to Dr. Palmer, however, the Sitka bird is smaller, instead of larger, than true
calendula.

bkewster: birds of the gape region, lower galifornia. 209

Polioptila caerulea obscura Ridgw.

Western Gnatcatcher.

Polioptila caerulea (not Motacilla caerulea Linnaeus) Baird, Rev. Amer. Birds,
pt. I. 1864, 74, 75, part (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mus., V. 1883, 534 (Cape Region) ; VI. 1883, 346, 347 (crit.; Victoria Mts.).
Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 318 (Cape Region; Vic-
toria Mts.).

P.[olioptila] caerulea obscura Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, 536
(provis. name based on specimens from San Jose', Lower California, Cali-
fornia, Arizona, etc. ; measurements of bird from San Jose, etc.).

Although, the characters which distinguish the Western Gnatcatcher from
P. caerulea are rather slight, they are well maintained in the series of over
thirty specimens before me. The most constant difference is that relating to
the extent of the white on the outer tail feathers, P. c. obscura having the
white much more restricted than P. caerulea.

The Western Gnatcatcher is a rather common resident of the Cape Eegion,
where it appears to be indifferent to conditions of mean temperature or environ-
ment, for it occurs nearly everywhere from the seacoast (La Paz and San Jose
del Cabo) to the summits of the highest mountains (Sierra de la Laguna).
Mr. Frazar found it breeding at San Jose del Rancho in July. His first nest,
discovered on the 7th, contained four eggs on the point of hatching, and was
not disturbed. Two others, taken respectively on the 14th and 19th of the
month, had full sets of four eggs each, all freshly laid. One of these nests,
built in the fork of a bush at a height of about five feet, measures as fol-
lows: Greatest external diameter, 2.25; greatest external depth, 2.00; in-
ternal diameter at top, 1.30; internal depth, 1.10 ; greatest thickness of walls,
.50. The exterior is composed of gray, hemp-like, vegetable fiber and narrow
strips of reddish brown bark, and is decorated with a very few lichens, all these
materials being over- wrapped and kept in place by a nearly invisible tissue of
spider-web. The interior is lined with fragments of silky cocoons and a few
featliers. The other nest, which was placed in the fork of a small tree about
ten feet above the ground, and which is essentially similar to the specimen
just described, save that it has no lichens whatever, measures externally 2.15
in diameter by 2.10 in depth; internally, 1.40 in diameter by 1.50 in depth.
Both nests are smaller and more compact than any of the nests of P. caerulea
in my collection. The eggs of one set are ovate in shape, and measure respec-
tively : .69 X .44, .59 X .45, .60 X .45 and .60 by .44. The ground-color is
greenish white ; the markings, which are generally distributed, but most numer-
ous and crowded about the larger ends, are reddish browm, purplish, and laven-
der. The eggs of the other set are blunt ovate, and measure respectively :
.56 X .43, .56 X .44, .56 X .43 and .57 by .45. The ground-color is like
that of the eggs just described, but almost all the spots are bright reddish brown.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1 14

210 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

and restricted to the larger ends, where they are grouped in what is known aa
the " wreath pattern."

In Lower California P. c. obscura seems to be practically confined to the Cape
Kegion, for to the northward Mr. Bryant has obtained only a single specimen
— " at San Julio, near Comondu, in March, 1888." It is also found in south-
ern and central California, as well as in southern Arizona and northwestern
Mexico.

Polioptila plumbea (Baird).

Plumbeous Gnatcatcher.

Polioptila melanura Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301 (Cape St. Lucas),
o04 (crit. ; Cape St. Lucas) ; Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1864, 67, 68 (descr. ;
crit. ; Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brkwer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer.
Birds, I. 1874, 81, 82 (descr. nest from Cape St. Lucas, birds abundant),

Polioptila plumbea Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 535 (Cape Region), 547
(San Jose' del Cabo). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 318
(Cape St. Lucas; Cape Kegion). Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIIL
1890, 137 (Cape St. Lucas ; La Paz).

Of this Gnatcatcher, Mr. Frazar's collection contains only three males in
full plumage, all from La Paz, two taken in March, one in April. Two have
the lores mixed slightly with ashy. In the third the lores are wholly ashy
white, and there is a whitish spot a little above and behind the eye. All my
Lower California specimens seem to have shorter tails than the birds which
inhabit Arizona and Texas.

Mr. Belding characterizes the Plumbeous Gnatcatcher as "very common,"
and mentions seeing a brood of young just out of the nest on April 14, 1882.
Mr. Frazar met with it only at La Paz and San Jose del Cabo and not in any
numbers at either place. In fact, he is inclined to regard it as rather rare in
the Cape Region. Mr. Bryant " found it on Santa Margarita Island, and from
the west coast to the Gulf in about lat. 26° N." A little further to the north-
ward on the Peninsula, as well as in southern California, it is replaced by the
closely allied P. ■californica, but P. plumbea reappears in southern Arizona,
and is common throughout northwestern Mexico.

Hylocichla us'tulata (Nutt.).

Russet-backed Thrush.

Mr. Frazar collected four males of this species on the Sierra de la Laguua in
May, two on the 4th, one on the 7th, and one on the 16th. He also obtained
a female at Triunfo on June 13th. All of these birds are typical ustulata (as
now restricted), and one of them (the specimen taken on May 7) is ultra-
typical of that form, having the under tail coverts and crissum heavily washed

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 211

with rusty ochraceous, the buffy of the jugulum exceptionally rich, and the
rufous tinge ou the ilanks, wings, tail, and upper parts generally, deeper and
more pronounced than in any of the specimens in my collection from British
Columbia or Washington. If Mr. Frazar's birtls were, as both he and I believe,
breeding or about to breed in the region where they were obtained, they furnish
an interesting case of interrupted distribution, for true ustulata is not known to
occur in summer in the southern or central portions of California, where it is
replaced by the slightly paler, grayer form H. u. oedica.

The Russet-backed Thrushes found by Mr. Frazar on the Sierra de la
Laguna in May were all met with in rather open oak and pine woods near
water, where they were apparently settled and preparing to breed. None were
seen elsewhere save at Triunfo, where a single female was shot on June 13 in
a shaded arroyo. This bird was unmistakably incubating, and must have had
a nest and eggs somewhere in the neighborhood. These are the only known
instances of the occurrence of the Russet-baqked Thrush in the southern part
of Lower California, but near the northern boundary it was " seen at Hansen's
as late as May 14, 1884, bj" Mr. Belding, and after the middle of May southeast
of San Rafael." ^ Mr. Anthony found it as late as May 25 on San Pedro
Martir, where, he thinks, "it is possibly a resident of the pines, but those
taken showed little enlargement of the ovaries, and it is more probable that
they were belated migrants." ^

Hylocichla guttata (Pall.).
Alaska Hermit Thrush.

(?) Hylocichla unalascae Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 633, footnote,

part (Cape St. Lucas).
Hylocichla unalascae Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 346, part (Casa Pintada, Victoria

Mts., Feb. 17, 1883).
Turdus aonalaschkae Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 319, part

(Victoria Mts.).

Soon after concluding a study of the smaller western forms of the Hermit
Thrash, some of the results of which are given in this paper under Hylocichla
guttata nana, I asked Mr. Oberholser, who had seen my specimens and was
aware of the changes which I had decided to make in the names of two of the
forms, to carefully examine all the skins in the National Museum from the
Cape Region, and let me know his opinion regarding them. In reply to this
request, he wrote me, under date of April 30, 1902, as follows : " I have been
unable to find any of Xantus's specimens, . . . but discovered three collected
by Belding, as follows : —

"One from Casa Pintada, Lower California, February 17, 1883, is unques-
tionably guttata.

1 Bryant, Proc Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 319.

2 Zoe, IV. 1893, 246.

212 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

" One from Laguna, Lower California, February 1, 1883, is intermediate
between guttata and nana, but apparently nearer the former.

"One from Casa Pintada, February 17, 1883, is quite typical nana."

Hylocichla guttata auduboni (Baird).
Audubon's Hermit Thrush.

(?) Hylocichla unalasc.ae Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, footnote,
part (Cape St. Lucas). Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 346, part (Victoria
Mts.).

(?) Turdns aonalaschkae Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 319, part
(Victoria Mts.).

Audubon's Thrush is represented in Mr. Frazar's collection by six skins, all
obtained on the Sierra de la Laguna between May 11 and June 8. One of
these birds (No. 14,515, 9 May 27, 1887) is small enough to be referred to the
so-called ^ ^ sequoiensis " of California, a form which does not seem to me worth
recognition. The others agree closely in size, as well as in every other respect,
with breeding specimens of auduboni from the Rocky Mountain region.

This Thrush, which has not been previously reported from any portion of
Lower California, was found by Mr. Frazar only on the Sierra de la Laguna,
where it inhabited deep, moist, shady canons, and also, to some extent, dry
pine woods. It was not numerous, but was seen almost daily during May, and
up to the 9th of June when Mr. Frazar started for Triunfo. The males were
in full song, and there can be little doubt that they and their mates were set-
tled for the season and preparing to breed on this mountain. It is singular
that no form of Hermit Thrush was found on San Pedro Martir by Mr.
Anthony.

H. a. auduboni breeds rather commonly in the mountains of California and
as far south as Orizaba in Mexico, while it has been taken in G-uatemala in
winter.

Hylocichla guttata nana (Aud.).

Dwarf Hermit Thrush.

(?) Hylocichla unalascae Ridgwat, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 533, footnote,

part (Cape St. Lucas).
Hylocichla unalascae Belding, Ibid., VI. 1883, 346, part (Casa Pintada, Victoria

Mts., Feb. 17, 1883).
Turdus aonalaschkae, Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 319, part

(Victoria Mts.).

As Mr. Nelson has pointed out,^ the application of Gmelin's barbarous name
aonalascimsis (or aonalaschkae, as it is now generally written) to the Dwarf
Hermit Thrush is ill advised. Latham's description upon which the name is

^ Rept. Nat. Hist. Coll. Alaska, 1887, 218, 219.

BKEAVSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 213

based is altogether too indefinite to be determinable. If bis bird was really a
Hylocicbla at all — which is doubtful — it is most likely to have been the
Gray-cheeked Thrush. The name guttata of Pallas, on the other hand, rests on
a careful description, which, although taken from a young bird, unmistakably
relates to the Alaska Hermit Thrush.

Mr. W. H. Osgood has lately separated ^ this bird into two forms, a gray
one, for which he retains the name aonalaschkae, and of which he has examined
summer specimens from Nushagak, Kukak Bay, and Kadiak Island, Alaska,
and a browner, more richly colored bird which breeds on the "islands and
coasts of British Columbia and southeastern Alaska " and which he proposes to
call verecunda. Still a third form — slevini — said to be the grayest of them
all and to inhabit in summer the " cloudy coast belt of California, from south-
ern Monterey County northward, locally at least, to Sonoma County " has been
since named and described by Mr. Grinnell.^ I have a large series of Dwarf
Thrushes from California, Oregon, and British Columbia, but few, if any, of
them can be safely assumed to have been taken on their breeding grounds.
Nevertheless, they apparently represent all three of the forms just mentioned.

With slevini it is unnecessary to deal in this connection, for it is not known
to have occurred in the Cape Region. Aonalaschkae — or guttata, as I prefer
to call it — and verecunda seem to me sufficiently unlike to be recognized as
distinct subspecies, provided they really occupy different breeding grounds;
but verecunda, as Mr. Osgood evidently suspected might prove to be the case,
is nothing more nor less than the nanus of Audubon. I am aware, of course,
that several ornithologists have argued ' — and with some plausibility because
of the lack of definite evidence to the contrary — that this name was based
primarily on an exceptionally small specimen of the Hermit Thrush of eastern
North America and not on the skin which Audubon mentions having received
from the Columbia River. Probably no one of these writers was aware that
this skin is still in existence — in the collection of the Museum of Comparative
Zoology. It bears three labels. On the original one is inscribed in Auduhon's
own handwriting, " Turdus terrestris. Aud. Columbia River," to which is added,
in Mr. John Cassin's hand and in red ink, " J. J. Audubon's label." The
second label is evidently Mr. Cassin's, and reads, " John Cassin — Philadelphia
— 1864. Turdus najius, Audubon, Dr. J. K. Townsend's collection Mr.
John G. Bell,* Columbia River." The third label is that of the Museum
of Comparative Zoology, which acquired the specimen many years ago by
exchange with Brown University.

1 Auk, XVIII. 1901, 183-185.

2 Ibid., 258-260.

3 Cf. Brewer, Proc. Best. Soc. Nat. Hist. XVII. 1875, 438, footnote; Coues,
Birds Cob Valley, 1878, 22-25 ; Osgood, Loc cit.

* Mr. Bell could not well have had anything to do with the capture of this
Bpecimen, but Mr. Cassin may have obtained it from him. When I first made liis
acquaintance, some thirty years ago, he still had several of Audubon's skins in his
possession.

214 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE .ZOOLOGY.

This interesting bird, to which my attention was first called by Mr. Walter
Faxon, is an exceptionally brown, richly-colored specimen of the form which
Mr. Osgood has called verecunda.^ Although in full winter plumage, it retains
on its wing coverts several of those rusty, tear-shaped spots which are invariably
characteristic of the juvenal plumage of most Hylocichlae, and which also
frequently reappear in their first winter plumages. On comparing this speci-
men with the life-size figure of Turdus minor in the elephant folio edition
of Audubon's immortal work,^ Mr. Faxon and I find that the two correspond
satisfactorily in respect to their general coloring (that of the figure is some-
what browner, however, than that of the skin) and so very minutely in the
measurements of the various parts as to leave no doubt in our minds that the
l>ird here considered was that from which Audubon's figure of T. minor was
drawn. It was probably taken by Dr. Townsend soon after his arrival at the
Columbia Eiver, in the autumn of 1834, and should not be confounded with
the " female specimen of a Thrush " procured " on the Columbia River on the
19th June 1838," by Dr. Townsend, and said by Audubon " to differ in no other
respect from specimens of Turdus Wilsonii than in having some of the spots on
the sides of the neck and the breast of a darker brown." ^ The latter measured
'"seven inches two and a half twelfths in length," and was probably an Oregon
Thrush (Hylocichla ustulata).

Turdus nanus was afterwards based by Audubon * partly on his plate of T.
minor, but also on a detailed description which closely fits the Columbia River
specimen now in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, even the tear-shaped
spots being mentioned in the following terms : "Secondary coverts tipped with
yellowish-red, which on some of the inner runs a little way along the shaft."
Some of the measurements given in connection with this description do not,
however, agree with those of the Townsend skin. Very possibly they were
taken by Audubon from his note-book and originally from a fresh specimen of
a small eastern bird.

These facts have convinced both Mr. Faxon and me that the specimen just
considered may be safely regarded as the actual type of Turdus nanus. If we
are correct in so thinking, this name, as I have already indicated, must neces-
sarily take the place of verecunda, provided the separation proposed by Mr.
Osgood be adopted.

All of the four small Hermit Thrushes collected in the Cape Region by Mr.
Frazar are apparently referable to nana, although one of them (No. 14,527, 9 >
Triunfo, December 5, 1887) is somewhat too gray to be typical of that form,
and perhaps is intermediate between it and true guttata. Another, killed on
the Sierra de la Laguna on April 27, is in such worn and faded plumage as to
suggest that it may have been breeding.

1 I have directly compared it with Mr. Osgood's series of breeding specimens
(including the type) of this form from the Queen Charlotte Islands.

2 Birds Amer., pi. 419, fig. 1.

3 Orn. Biog. V. 1849, 203, 204.
* Loc. cit., 204-206.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 215

The Dwarf Thrush was found in January at Cape St. Lucas by Mr. Xantus,
and Mr. Belding has reported it " common ; possibly resident " in the " Victoria
Mountains." It is probable, however, that some of the birds seen by the
latter observer were H. g. auduboni, which is not uncommon, and doubtless
breeds in these mountains, and that the Dwarf Thrush occurs in the Cape
Region only during the migrations and in winter, and then in no great
numbers. This, at least, is Mr. Frazar's opinion, and it is confirmed, in
the main, by the evidence afforded by his skins, although it must be ad-
mitted that it is difficult to account for the excessively worn and generally
shabby condition of plumage of the specimen above referred to, other than by
the assumption that it was a breeding bird. If auduboni and guttata really
pass the summer together or in close proximity in the Cape Region without
interbreeding, the case will be one of peculiar interest in view of the fact that
both are regarded as mere geographical forms of the same species.

Mr. Bryant states that he "saw a few" " Dwarf Thrushes" on Santa Mar-
garita Island in January, 1888. They do not appear to have been met with
anywhere in the central or northern portions of the Peninsula, either by him
or by Mr. Anthony.

Merula migratoria propinqua(RiDGw).

Western Robin.

The relationship of a Robin taken by Mr. Frazar at San Jose del Rancho
on December 22, 1887, is open to some doubt, for the specimen is apparently
intermediate between migratoria and propinqua, combining the large, distinct,
white tail spots of the former with the decidedly ashy back, and restricted
black on the head, of the latter. On the whole, however, the bird seems to
be nearest propinqua, a form which has not been previously reported from
the southern portion of Lower California, although in the northern districts
it is not uncommon in Avinter and early spring, feeding chiefly on manzanita
berries and ranging at least as far southward as San Quintin.i

The Western Robin is a winter A'isitor only, to the lowlands of California,
but it breeds in the mountains as far south as Los Angeles county and north-
ward into British Columbia. In Alaska it is unknown, all the Robins of that
region being, apparently, true migratoria. Salvin and Godman state ^ that
the latter occurs in summer in the mountains of Orizaba, and that they have
examined a young bird in spotted plumage taken near the City of Mexico,
while they make no mention of M. m. propinqua, but all my winter specimens
from western Mexico, as well as several breeding birds shot at Pinos Altos and
Jesus Maria, are typical propinqua.

5 Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 319.
a Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, L 1879, 20, 21.

216 bulletin: museum of compaeative zoology.

Merula confinis (Baird).
St. Lucas Robin.

Turdus confinis, Baihd, Rev. Araer. Birds, pt. I. 1864, 29—31 (orig. descr. ; type
from Todos Santos). Elliot, lUustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, I.
1869, introd. (" T. mic;ratorius ; " Todos Santos). Coopkr, Orn. Cal., 1870.
9, 10 (descr. ; crit. ; figures head ; Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and
RiDGWAT, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, L 1874, pi. 2, fig. 1. Coues, Birds CoL
Valley, 1878, 9 (variety of Turdus mi(jratorius). Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit.
INIus., V. 1881, 222 (descr. ; Todos Santos).

[Turdus] confinis Gray, Hand-list, I. 1869, 258, no. 3,756. Dubois, Synop. Avium,
fasc. VL 1901, 401 (BasseCalifornie).

[^Turdus migratorius] var. confinis Codes, Key X. Amer. Birds, 1872, 72 (descr. ;
Cape St. Lucas).

Turdus migratorius, var. mn finis Coues, Check List, 1873, 5, no. 1 a. Baird, Brewer,
and HiDGWAY, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, L 1874,27,28, pi. 2, fig. 1 (descr.;
crit.; Todos Santos). Jasper, Birds N. Amer., 1878, 173, pi. 114, fig. 21
(Cape St. Lucas).

Merula confinis Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Miis., no. 21),
1881, 11, 60, 74, no. 8; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 538, footnote (Todos
Santos) ; VL 1883, 158, 159 (crit. ; Todos Santos ; Laguna). Beluing,
Ibid., 346 (crit. ; Laguna trail; Victoria Mts.). A. O. U., Check List, 1886,
345, no. 762. Brya>-t, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 319 (Todos
Santos; Victoria Mts.) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 198 (Victoria Mts.). Emerson, Ibid.,
I. 1890, 46 fHayward's, Calif.). Keeler, Ibid., 250 (Hay ward's, Calif.).
Allen, Auk, X. 1898, 142 (tropical type).

Turdus migratorius confinis CocES, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 23, no. 3.

T.[urdus] confinis Codes, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 244, 245 (descr. ;
Lower Calif.).

M.[erula] confinis Ridgwat, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 578 (descr. ; near
Cape St. Lucas).

Of this hitherto rare bird, Mr. Frazar collected over one hundred and fifty
specimens. These represent very fully the nuptial and late autumn plumages,
but unfortunately do not include examples of the young in first plumage.
The sexes are not certainly distinguishable, either by size or color, although
the females average a trifle smaller than the males and are usually whiter be-
neath, with less spotting on the throat. In spring birds the color of the under
parts varies from creamy buff to light cream, or creamy white. November
and December examples have the under parts pure, deep, almost ochraceous,
buff. Fully ten per cent of the entire series show more or less ashy on
the breast, this varying in tone and extent from a few pale gray, nebulous
epots near the tips of the feathers to numerous brownish-ashy blotches which
form a broad and almost solid pectoral band. This clouding is most common
and pronounced in autumnal specimens, but some of these lack it wholly,
while it sometimes occurs in spring birds, a few of which, indeed, are quite as

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 217

conspicuously marked as are any of the autumn specimens. Nevertheless, it
is apparently a characteristic of immaturity which, perhaps, does not wholly
disappear before the second or third year of the bird's life.

The amount of white on the sides of the head, upon which some stress has
been laid by writers as a probable specific character, proves to be highly vari-
able. Some birds have a distinct white ring completely encircling the eye,
and, in addition, a broad white stripe extending along the side of the head
above the eye nearly to the nostril. In others the white is confined to the
eyelids, and a short space a little above the eye, the remainder of the sides
of the head being perfectly plain and of about the same color as the crown.
These extremes are connected by various intermediate styles. Similarly, the
throat in some birds is chiefly white with only a few narrow, dark markings,
while in others the streaks are so broad and numerous as to be almost fused.
The majority of specimens have the tail perfectly plain, or with at most a very
narrow light edging on the tips of the outer feathers. In two of my skins,
however, the outer two feathers are conspicuously white-tipped, and in one of
these birds the white spot extends back ten one-hundredths of an inch on the
outermost feathers.

The bill is perhaps the most variable feature of all, being sometimes long,
slender, strongly hooked, and distinctly notched at the tip, sometimes broad
and deep, with the tip of the upper mandible barely extending beyond that of
the lower. The color of the bill is highly variable. In most of the spring
specimens it is wholly pale, pure yellow, with usually, but not invariably, a
dusky space at the tip of the upper mandible. One bird (No. 14,469, April
30) has the base of the lower, and the middle of the upper, mandible wood
brown, the remainder of the bill being dark horn-colored. This is about the
average style of coloring with autumn specimens, but some of the latter have
the entire upper, and the terminal half of the lower mandible horn-colored,
while in a few both mandibles are nearly uniform yellowish brown. Although
a dark bill is not always correlated with the presence of ashy clouding beneath,
I am inclined to believe that, like the latter, it indicates immaturity, and is
usually, if not always, characteristic of young birds, certainly persisting during
the first autumn, and, with some individuals, probably through the following
spring and summer, also.

This interesting species, originally described by Professor Baird from a
bird killed by Mr. Xantus at Todos Santos in the summer of 1860, was
practically rediscovered by 'M.v. Belding in February, 1883, but one specimen
besides the type having been taken up to this time. Mr. Belding gives the
following account of his experience : " Only about a dozen Cape Robins were
seen, and these were all on the Laguna trail. About half were found singly,
one as low as 2,500 feet above the sea-level. Mr. Cipriano Fisher, an Ameri-
can, who has often hunted deer at Laguna, informed me that Robins were
sometimes abundant there. This may be the case when the berries of the
California Holly (Heteromeles), which grows abundantly in the neighborhood,
are ripe."

218 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Mr. Frazar was the next to meet the St. Lucas Robin in its native haunts.
He found it first on the Sierra de la Laguna, during his ascent of this moun-
tain on April 26, 1887. It was common at this date, and by the end of May,
exceedingly abundant, for its numbers continued to increase during nearly the
whole of Mr. Frazar's stay, but up to the time of his departure (June 9), it was
invariably seen in flocks, and none of the many specimens examined showed
any indications that their breeding season was at hand. The people living on
the mountain asserted that the birds do not lay before July. Mr. Frazar
found a number of old nests which were constructed precisely like those of
the common Robin, and placed in similar situations. The males were fre-
quently heard singing. " The song resembles that of the eastern Robin, but
is weaker and less distinct, reminding one of the efforts of a young bird just
learning to sing. I did not hear a single loud, clear note."

During his second visit to La Laguna, Mr. Frazar saw in all only ten St. Lucas
Robins, — one on November 23, two on November 30, one on December 1,
and six on December 2. This led him to conclude that most of them leave
the mountains in winter, a supposition speedily confirmed, for about two weeks
later (December 18-25) he found them abundant at San Jose del Rancho.
At this place a few breed, also, for three were seen during July, and one of
them, a female, shot on the 27th, was incubating, and must have had a nest
and eggs somewhere in the immediate neighborhood. A fourth was met with
on June 9, about ten miles from the base of the Sierra de la Laguna on the
road to Triunfo.

The St. Lucas Robin is evidently one of the most characteristic species of the
Cape Fauna, for it does not range even so far to the northward as La Paz, and,
according to Mr. Bryant, is unknown to the people living in the central and
northern portions of the Peninsula. A single straggler, which is said to be
perfectly typical, was taken, however, at Hayward's, California, on January 2,
1882, by Mr. W. Otto Emerson.^ This is the only known instance of the oc-
currence of the species outside the borders of its little realm near the southern
extremity of Lower California.

The total number of species and subspecies of birds from the Cape Region
of Lower California, included in the foregoing list, is as follows : —

Species 167

Subspecies .... 88

Total ... 255

1 Zoe, I. 1890, 46. Tliere is a subsequent record by Mr. C A. Keeler (I!>id.,
250) which apparently relates to the same bird, although the date of its capture is
given as January 27, 1883.

BliEWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGIOX, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 219

LIST OF SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES DESCRIBED AS NEW

Totanus melanoleucus frazari.
Megascops xantusi.

Bubo virginianus elachistus.
Tachycineta ihalassina brachyptera.

LIST OF SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES RECORDED FOR THE

FIRST TIME FROM THE CAPE REGION OF

LOWER CALIFORNIA

Larus atricilla.
Sterna caspia.

Mr undo. *

antillarum.
Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis.
Sulci brewsteri.
Ardetta exilis.
Ardea virescens anthonyi.
Eallus virginianus.
Gallinula galeata.
Phalaropus lobatus.
Macrorhamphus scolopaceus.
Tringa maculata.

bairdii.
Totcmus flavipes.
Heteractitis incanus.
CJiaradrius dominicus.
Arenaria morinella.

Archibuteo ferrugineus.
Haliaeetus leucocephalus.
Falco peregrinus anatum.

columbarius ricliurdsonii.

sparverius deserticolus.
Coccyzus americanus occidentalis.
Chaetura vauxii.
Molothrus ater.

Astragalinus psaltria arizonae.
Spiza americana.
Hirundo erythrogaster.
Vireo vicinior.
Mniotilta varia.
Dendroica aestiva sonorana.

rubiginosa.
Hylocichla ustulata.

guttata axiduboni.
Merula migratoria propinqua.

220 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.!

Botta, P. E.

1835. Description du Saurothera californiana. Nouv. Ann. Mus., IV.
1835, 121-124, pi. 9.

Gives the range of this species (= Geococcyx californianus (Less.)) from
Cape St. Lucas to San Francisco, 123.

Gray, G. R.

1844-1868. List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British
Museum, 5 pts. London, 1844-1868.

[Pts. I. and II. by J. E. Gray?] Cites Picus hicasanus Xantus (= Dryo-
bates lucasanus) from Lower California, III. 18G8, 50.

Gould, John.

1849-1861. A Monograph of the TrochUidae or Family of Humming-Birds.
5 vols. London, 1849-1861.

Description of and remarks upon Heliopnedica xantusi (Lawr.) {= Basi-
linna xantusi), with plate of male and female, II. 1861, pi. 65.

Xantus, John.

1859. Descriptions of Supposed New Species of Birds from Cape St. Lucas,
Lower California. Proc. Acad. Nat, Sci. Phila., 1839, 297-299.

Original descriptions of Picus lucasanus {— Dryobates lucasanus). 298,
Cavi])ylorliynclius affinis {^= Heleodytes brunneicapillus ajjinis), 298, Har-
porhynchus cinereus (= Toxostoma cinereum), 298, and Brachyrhamphus
hypoltucus, 299.

Baird, S. F.

1859. Notes on a Collection of Birds made by Mr. John Xantus, at Cape
St. Lucas, Lower California, and now in the Museum of the Smithsonian
Institution. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 299-306.

Annotated list of species with original descriptions of Cardinnlis igneus
{^ Cardinalis cardinalis igneus), 305, Pijnlo albigula {— Pipilo Juscus albi-
gula), 305, Chamaepelia passerina? var. pallescens (=: Columbigallina pas-
serinn pnllescens), 305, and the specific name pertinax, proposed provisionally
for the Cape St. Lucas Myiarchus, 303.

Lawrence, Geo. N.

1860. Descriptions of Three New Species of Humming Birds of the Genera
Heliomaster, Amazilia, and Mellisuga. Ann. Lye Nat. Hist. N. Y., VII.
1860, 107-111.

Original description of Amazilia xanfusii {~ Basilinna xantusi), 109.
1 Prepared by Mr. Walter Deane.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 221

Gould, John.

1861. Introduction to the Trochilidae or Family of Hummiiig-Birds. Lou-

dou, 1S61.

Brief reference to Heliopaedica xantusi (Lawr.) {= Basilinna xantusi),Ql,
Malherbe, A.

1861. Monograpliie des Picidees, 1. Metz, 1S61.

Description of Picus lucasanus Xautus (= Dryabales lucasanus), 166.

Sclater, Philip Lutley.

1852. Catalogue of a Collection of American Birds. London, 1S62.

Cites Earporkynchus cinereus Xantus (= Toxostoma cinereum), 8, and
Campylorhynchus affinis Xaiitus {= Eeleodytes brunneicapillus affinis), 17,
from Lower California, and Cardinalis firginianus Bp. (including Cardinalis
cardinalis igneus), 100, and Picus lucasanus Xantus (= DryobaUs lucasanus),
333, from Cape St. Lucas.
Cabanis, Jean, & Heine, Ferdinand.

1863. Picidae. Mus. Hein., pt. IV. sect. 2, 1863, 1-179.

Description of Dictyopipo lucasanus (Xantus) (= Dryobates lucasanus),
75, 76.
Heine, Ferdinand.

1863. Trochilidica. Jouni. Orn., XT. 1863, 173-217.
Critical remarks on Basilinna xantusi (Lawr.), 196.

Ridgway, Robert.

1863. Ou the Uelatiou between Color and Geographical Distribution in
Birds, as exhibited in Melanism and Hyperchromism. Amer. Jouru. Sci.,
3d ser., V. 1863, 39-44.

Discusses briefly color of the Cardinals, including the St. Lucas form
(= Cardinalis cardinalis igneus (Baird)), 39.

Baird, S. F.

1864-1866. Review of American Birds, pt. I. Washington, 1864-1866.
Original description of Tardus conjinis (= Merula conjinis), 1864, 29-31.

Coues, Elliott.

1864. A Critical Review of the Family Procellaridae : Part I., embracing
the Procellarieae, or Stormy Petrels. Part XL, embracing the PulSneae.
Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phik., 1864, 72-91, 116-144.

Original descriptions of ffalocyptena microsoma, 79, Nectris amaurosoma
(Puffinus gristus (Gmel ) ), 124, 125, and Puffinus opisthomelas, 139-1-tl.

Salvador!, Tommaso.

1865. Descrizione di Altre nuove specie di Uccelli Esistenti nel Museo di
Torino. Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat., VIII. 1865, 375-389.

Original description of Uria craveri (= Brachyramphus craveri), 387-389.
Mulsant, E., & Verreaux, Jules.

1866. Essai d'uue Classification Methodique des Trochilides ou Oiscaux-

Mouches. Paris, 1S66.

Characters of the genus Hylocharis, embracing H. xanlusiCLayrr.) (= Basi-
linna xantusi), 38.

222 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

Lawrence, Geo. N.

1867. Descriptions of New Species of American Birds. Ann. Lye. Nat.
Hist. N. Y., VIII. 1867, 466-482.

Original description of Passerculus guitatus {— Ammodramus rostratus
guttatus), 473.

Elliot, Daniel Giraud.

1869. The New and Heretofore Unfigured Species of the Birds of North
America. 2 vols. New York, 1869.

Figures several species peculiar to the Cape Region.
Cooper, J.-G.

1870, Ornithology of California, I. Cambridge, 1870.

Sketches of a few species of birds peculiar to the Cape Region, and an
original description by Baird of Melantrpes J'ormicivorus, var. angustijrons
(= Melanerpes aiiguslifrons), 405, 406.

Mulsant, E., & Verreaux, Edouard.

1873-1877. Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux-M ouches ou Colibris. 4 vols.
Lyon, 1873-1877.

Descriptions of Codigena xanthusi (Lawr.) (= Basilinna xantusi), from
Cape St. Lucas Region, with plate, I. 190-192, and Heiiopaedica xantusi
(Lawr.) {^^ Basilinna xnntusi), II. 3, and brief mention of Htlinpaedica
xanthusi (Lawr.) {=■ Basilinna xantusi), in synonymy, IV, 186.

Baird, S. P., Brev/er, T. M., and Ridgway, R.

1874-1884. A History of Nortli American Birds. Laud Birds, 3 vols.
Water Birds, 2 vols. Boston, 1874-1884.

Sketches of several birds peculiar to the Cape Region, and original descrip-
tion of Buteo borealis lucasanus JliAgvi Ay (= Buteo borealis calurus (Cass. ) ),
III. 285, 286.

Jasper, Theodore.

1874-1878. The Birds of North America. Columbus, 1874-1878.
Illustrations of birds peculiar to the Cape Region, with brief notes.
Mulsant, E.

1876. Catalogue des Oiseaux-Mouches ou Colibris. Ann. Soc Linn. Lyon,
nouv. ser., XXIL, 1876, 199-228.

Cites Heiiopaedica xanthusi (Lawr.) {^^ Basilinna xantusi) from Mexico,
207.

Streets, Thomas S. '

1877. Coutribulious to the Natural History of the Hawaiian and Fanning
Islands and Lower California. Ornithology. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no.
7, 1877, 9-33.

Brief notes on a few species noted in the Cape St. Lucas Region.

Elliot, Daniel Giraud.

1879. A Classification and Synopsis of the Trochilidae, Washington, 1879.
Smiths. Contr. KnowL, XXIII. 1879, i.-xii. 1-277.

Description of Basilinna xanthusi (Lawr.) {= Basilinna xantusi) ^'227.

• BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 223

Salvin, Osbert, and Godman Frederick Duncane.

1879-1901. Biologia Ceutrali-Americuna. Aves. 3 vols. Loudou, 1S79-

1901.

Notes on birds peculiar to the Cape Region. Vol. III. not yet completed.

Eudes-Deslongchamps, M. Eugene.

1881. Catalogue descriptit' des Oiseaux du Musee de Caen apparteuaut a la
Famille des Trocliilides ou Oiseaux-Mouches. Anu. Mus. Hist. Nat.
Caeii, I. 18S1, 59-534.

Description of Basilinna xanthusi (Lawr.) (= Basilinna xantusi), 479-481.
Ridgway, Robert.

1882. On Two Recent Additions to the North American Bird Fauna by L.
Belding. Proc U. S. Nat. Mus., lY. 1S82, 414, 415.

Records the capture at La Paz of Motacilla ocularis Swinh., and Den-
droica vitilluti bryanti Kidgway (= Dendroica bryanti castaneiceps Ridgway).
Ridgway, Robert.

1832. Descriptions of some New North American Birds. Proc. U. S. Nat.
:Mus., V. 1882, 343-346.

Original descriptions of Geothlypis beldingi, 344, 345, and Rallus beldingi,
345, 346.
Belding, L.

1883. Catalogue of a Collection of Birds made near the southern extremity
of the Peninsula of Lower California. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Y. 1SS3,
532-550.

Annotated lists of species observed at several localities in the Cape Region
between December 15, 1881, and Jlay 17, 1882. Edited with bibliographical
and critical notes b}' Robert Ridgway.
Ridgway, Robert.

1883. Descriptions of some New Birds from Lower California, collected by
Mr. L. Belding. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., YI. 1883, 154-156.

Original descriptions of />o/j^o/)/iane5 inornatus cineraceus {= Parus inor-
natus cineraceus), 154, 155, Psaltrlparus grindae, 155, and Junco bairdi,
155, 156.
Ridgway, Robert.

1883. Ant has cerviiius (Pallas) in Lower California. Proc U. S. Nat.
Mus., YI. 1883, 156, 157-

Records capture of a single specimen at San Jose del Cabo.
Ridgway, Robert.

1883 Note on Merula confinis (Baird). Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., YI. 1883,
158, 159.

Note on the rediscovery of this species.
Belding, L.

1883. Second Catalogue of a Collection of Birds made near the Soutliern
Extremity of Lower California. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., VI. 1883, 344-

352.

Annotated lists of species observed at several localities in the Cape Region
between December 15, 1882, and March 23, 1883. Edited with critical notes
by Robert Ridgway.

224 bulletin: museum of compaeative zoology.

Ridgway, Robert.

1884. Note oii Psaltriparus grindae, Beldiug. Proc. Biol. Soc Wasli. II.
1884, 96.

Correction of "an erroneous comparison between this species and F. mela-

notis."

Ridgway, Robert.

1885. A Review of the American " Golden Warblers." Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mus., VIII. 1885, 348-350.

Original description of Dendroica hryanti castaneiceps, 350.

Ridgway, Robert.

1887. A Manual of North American Birds. Phila., 1887.

Original descriptions of Aphelocoma cnlifovnica hypoleuca, .356, Carpodacus
frontalis rubernmus (= Carpodacus mexicanus ruber rimus), 391 (footnote),
and Passerina versicolor pulchra (= Cyanospiza versicolor pulchra), 448.

Ridgway, Robert.

1887. Description of Two New Races of Pyrrhuloxia sinuata Bonap. Auk,
IV. 1887, 347.

Original description of Pyrrhnloxia sinuata peninsulae.
Bartlett, E.

1888. A Monograph of the Weaver-Birds, Ploceidae, and Arboreal and Ter-
restrial Finches, Fringillidae, pt. III. Maidstone, 1888.

Notes occurrence of Cardinalis igneus Baird (= Cardinalis cardinalis
igneus), at La Paz and San Jos6, 14-16.

Brewster, William.

1888. Descriptions of Su])posed New Birds from Lower California, Sonora,
and Chihuahua, Mexico, and the Bahamas. Auk, V. 1888, 82-95.

Orifjinal de.scriptions of Ardea virescensfrazari, 83, Ilaemntopus frazari,
84-86, Cclumba J'asciata vioscae, 80, 87, and Empidonax cineriiius, 90, 91.

Brewster, William.

1888. On Three Apparently New Subspecies of Mexican Birds. Auk, V.

1888, 136-139.

Orif,'inal description of Glaucidium gnoma koskinsii (= Glaucidium hos-
l~insii), 136.

Anthony, A. W.

1039. Occurrence of Phaethon aethereus and Capture of Scolecophagns car-
olinus in Lower California. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., XL 1889, 86.

Occurrence of Phaethon aethereus in the latitude of Cape St. Lucas.

Brewster, William.

1889. Descriptions of Supposed New Birds from Western North America
and Mexico. Auk, VI. 1889, 85-98.

Original descriptions of Empidonax griseus, 87-89, and Prague subis
hesperia, 92, 93.

BEEWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 225

Bryant, Walter E.

1889. Descriptions of the Nests and Eggs of some Lower Californiau Birds,
with a Description of the Young Plumage of Ge,othl>/pis beldingi. Proc
Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1S89, 20-24.

Describes the nest and eggs of Geothlypis beldingi Ridgway, Carpodacus
frontalis ruberrimus Ridgway (= Carpodacus mexicanus ruberrimus), and
Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca Ridgway.

Bryant, Walter E.

1889. A Catalogue of the Birds of Lower California, Mexico. Proc. Calif.
Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 237-320.

A well-annotated list of the species known from this region up to date of
publication, accompanied by introductory notes on the country and a brief
bibliography.

Brewster, William.

1890. A New Subspecies of the Solitary Sandpiper. Auk, VII. 1890,
377-379.

Original description of Totanus solitarius cinnamomeus {z=. Helodromas

solitarius cinnamomeus).

Townsend, Charles H.

1890. Birds from tlie Coasts of Western North America and Adjacent
Islands, collected in 1888-'89, with Descriptions of New Species. Proc.
U. S. Nat. Mus., XIII. 1890, 131-142,

A briefly annotated list of species, some of which were taken in the Cape
Region, 136-138.

Brewster, William.

1891. Descriptions of Seven Supposed New North American Birds. Auk,
VIIL 1S91, 139-149.

Original descriptions of Contnpus richardsonii peninsula e, 144, 145, Pipilo
maculatus mngniroslris, 140, 147, Vireo solitarius lucasanus, 147, 148, and
Sitta carolinensis lagunae, 149.

Bryant, Walter E.

1891. Tlie Cape Region of Baja California. Zoe, II. 1S91, 185-201.
General account.

Ridgway, Robert.

1891. The Humming Birds. Rept. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1889-1890, 1891,
253-383. Separate, Washington, 1892.

Describes Cah/pte costae (Bourc), 337-339, ani Basilinna xantusi (Lawr.),
369-371, with plates.

Mearns, Edgar A.

1892. A Study of the Sparrow Hawks (subgenus Tinnunculus) of America, •
with especial reference to the Continental Species (Falco sparverius Linn.).
Auk, IX. 1892, 252-270.

Original description of Falco sparverius peninsularis, 267.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 1 15

226 BULLETIN: JVIUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Merriam, C. Hart.

1892. The Geographic Distribution of Life in North America with
Special Reference to the Mammalia. Proc. Biol. Soc, Wash., VII. 1S92,
1-64.

The faunal relationship of Lower California is specially treated on pages
16, 17, 29, and 30.

Bendire, Charles.

1892-1895. Life Histories of North American Birds, 2 pts. Washington,
1S92-95.

Descriptions of several birds, nests, and eggs peculiar to the Cape Region ;
figures of eggs of Columba fascia ta vioscae Brewster from San Jos^ del
Rancho, and Crotophaga sulcirostris Swains, from San Jos6 del Cabo.

Allen, J. J.

1893. The Geographical Origin and Distribution of North American Birds
considered in Relation to Faunal Areas of North America. Auk, X.
1893, 97-150.

Brief summar}' of Character of Bird Fauna of Lower California and the
fauna value of this area, 141, 142, 150.

Merriam, C. Hart.

1893. The Faunal Position of Lower California. Auk, X. 1893, 305-307.

Criticism of terms used in Dr. Allen's paper, Auk, 1893, 97-150, with re-
ply by Dr. Allen.

Anthony, A. W.

1894. Notes on the Genus Heleodytes, with a Description of a New Sub-
species. Auk, XL 189i, 210-2U.

Critical remarks on Heleodytes affinis (Xantus) (=: Heleodytes hrunnei-

capillus ajjinis).

Anthony, A. W.

1895. The Status of Heleodytes affinis. Auk, XII. 1895, 280.

Critical note to prove its being a subspecies of H. brunneicapillus.

Palmer, William.

1896. A Note on Buieo borealis lucasanus Ridgway. Auk, XIII. 1896,
342.

Brief note on proper citation of this subspecies.

Oberholser, Harry C.

1897. Critical Remarks on Cistothorus palustris (Wils.) and its Western
AlUes. Auk, XIV. 1897, 186-196.

Notes occurrence of Cistothorus palustris plesius Oberholser at Miraflores,
192.

Oberholser, Harry C.

1897. Critical Notes on the Genus Auriparus. Auk, XIV. 1897, 390-394.
Original description of Auriparus Jiaviceps lamprocephalus, 391, 392.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 227

Anthony, A. W.

1898. Tour Sea Birds New to the Fauna of North America. Auk, XV.
1898, 38, 39.

Notes presence of Puffinus auricularis C. H. Townsend and Puffinus cuneatus
Salvin about Cape St. Lucas iu April and June.

Ridgway, Robert.

1898. Descriptions of Supposed New Genera, Species, and Subspecies of
American Birds. 1. Friugillidae. Auk, XV. 1898, 223-230.
Original description of Aimo2)hila ruficeps sororia, 226, 227.

Sharpe, R. Bowdler, and Ogilvie-Grant, W. R.

1898. Catalogue of the Plataleae, Herodiones, Steganopodes, Pygopodes,
Alcae, and Impenues iu the Collection of the British Museum. Cat.
Birds Brit. Mus., XXVI. 1898.

Original description of the genus Micruria based on Brachyramphus hypo-
leucus and Brachyrcunphus carveri, by W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, 594.

Oberholser, Harry C.

1899. Description of a New Geothlypis. Auk, XVI. 1899, 25R-258.

Notes occurrence of Geothlypis trickas arizela Oberholser at La Paz and
San Jose del Cabo.

Oberholser, Harry C.

1899. Some Untenable Names in Ornithology. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.,

Phila., 1899, 201-216.

Proposes the generic name Endomychura to replace Micruria Ogilvie-
Grant, for the Murreletb of the Cape Region, 201.

Anthony, A. W.

1900. Nesting Habits of the Pacific Coast Species of the Genus Puffinus.
Auk, XVII. 1900, 217-252.

Notes occurrence of Puffinus auricularis C. H. Townsend and Puffinus
cuneatus Salvin about Cape St. Lucas.

Ridgw^ay, Robert.

1901. The Birds of North and Middle America. Part I. Family Fringil-
hdae — The Finches. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 50, 1901.

Contains descriptions of the Fringillidae peculiar to the Cape Region.

Mearns, Edgar A.

1902. Two Subspecies which should be added to the Check-List of North
American Birds. Auk, XIX. 1902, 70-72.

Original description of Mimus polyglottos leucopterus, 70-72.

BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 229

I ^ D E X.

Abbreviatus, Buteo, 87.

Acopiter cooperii, 82.

mexicauus, 82.
velox, 81.
accipitrinus, Asio, 93.
Actitis niacularia, 69.
aculeata, Sitta carolinensis, 203.
acuta, Datila, 45.
Aegialitis nivosa, 64, 72.

semipalniata, 72.
vocifera, 71.
wilsonia, 73.

rufinucha, 73.
Aeronautes melanoleucus, 112.
aestiva, Dendroica, 179.
aethereus, Phaethon, 33.
afBiiis, Avthya, 46.

Cardinalis cardinalis, 156.
Heleodytes brunneicapillus, 197.
Pooecetes gramineus, 137.
Agelaius guberiiator californicus, 127.
phoeiiiceus, 127.

neutralis, 127.
sonoriensis, 127.
tricolor, 127.
Aimophila ruliceps, 149.

scottii, 149.
sororia, 148.
Alaska Hermit Thrush, 211, 213.
Alaskan Yellow Warbler, 181.
alaudinus, Ammodramus sandwicheiisis,

137.
alba, Guara, 48.

albatus, Vireo puaillus, 176, 177.
albiguia, Pipilo fuscus, 151.
albociliatus, Phalacrocorax dilophus, 36.
alcyon, Ceryle, 102.
alleni, Selasph(irus, 113.
Allen's Hummingbird, 5.
amaurosoma, Nectris, 29.
American Avocet, 59.

Barn Owl, 92.
Bittern, 49.
Coot, 57.

American Eared Grebe, 5, 6, 13.
Egret, 51.
Golden Plover, 71.
Ospiey, 92.
Pipit, 193.
Raven, 5, 125.
Redstart, 192.
White-fronted Goose, 47.

Pelican, 37.
Widgeon, 43.
americana, Aythya, 45.
Fulica, 57.
Mareca, 43.
Recurvirostra, 59.
Spiza, 162.
Ammodramus halophilus, 139-141.

rostratus, 138, 140, 141.

guttatus, 139, 141.
sanctorum, 140, 141.
sanctorum, 141.
saudwichensis alaudinus, 137.

savanna, 138.
savannarum bimaculatus, 142.
passerinus, 142,
amoena, Cyanospiza. 160, 16J.
Ampelis cedrorum, 171.
Amphispiza bilineata deserticola, 148.

pacifica, 148.
Anas boschas, 42.
anatum, Falco peregrinus, 89.
angustifrons, IMelanerpes, 103, 105, 205.
Ani, Groove-billed, 100.
Anser albifrons gambeli, 47.
anthonyi. .-\rdea virescens. 54.
Anthony's Green Heron, 54.
Anthus cervinus, 193.

pensilvanicns, 193.
antillarnm. Sterna, 26.
aonalascensis. Hylocichla, 212.
aonalaschkae, Hylocichla. 212. 213.
Aphelocoma calif ornica, 124, 125.

hypnleuca. 123.
obscura, 125.
aquila, Fregata, 40.

230

BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Archibiiteo ferrugineus, 88.
Ardea caiididissima, 51.
egretta. 51.
herodias, 50.
rufescens, 52.
tricolor rulicollis, 52.
virescens, 53, 54.

anthonyi, 54.
frazari, 53, 54.
wardi, 50.
Ardetta ex ills, 50.
areuaria, Calidris, 64.
Arenaria interpres, 74.

iiiehinocephala, 74.
morinella, 74.
arizela, Geothlypis trichas, 186.
Arizona G(jld(inch, 136.

Hooded Oriole, 131.
arizonae, Astragalinus psaltria, 136.
Dryobates, 106.
Spizella socialis, 144.
Arkansas Goldfinch, 5, 135.
Ashy Titmouse, 10, 204.
Asio accipitrinus, 93.
asio, Megascops, 94, 95.
Astragalinus psaltria, 135, 136.

arizonae, 136.
mexicanus, 136.
ater, Molothrus. 12G.
atriciila, Larus, 22.
atrogularis, S])izella, 146.
auduboni, Dendroica. 182.

Hylocichla guttata, 212, 215.
Audubon's Caracara, 91.

Hermit Thrush, 212.
Waibler, 182.
aura, Cathartes, 80.
auricularis, PutHnus, 28, 31.
Auriparus flaviceps, 206.

lamprocephalus, 206.
Avocet, American, 59.
Aythya affini.s, 46.

americana, 45.
collari.s, 46.
aztecus, Troglodj'tes aedon, 201.

Bachmaxi, Haematopus, 75.
bairdi, Dryobates scalaris, 103, 106.

Junco, 147.

Melanerpes formicivorus, 107.
bairdii, Tringa, 62.
Baird's Cormorant, 37.

Junco, 10, 99, 147.

Sandpiper, 62.

Verdi n. 7, 206.
Bald Eagle. 88.
Baldpate, 8, 43.

Bank Swallow, 170.
Barn Owl, American, 92.

Swallow, 166.
Basiliuna leucotis, 115.
xantusi, 113.
baueri, Limosa lapponica, 64.
Beautiful Bunting, 8, 160.
bekUngi, Geothlypis, 187.

Rallus, 55.
Belding's Rail. 6, 7, 55.

Yellow-throat, 8, 187.
Belted Kingfisher, 102.

bendirei, Megascops asio, 94, 95. .

bicolor, Tachj-cineta, 166.
bimaculatus, Ammodramus savannarura,

142.
Bird, Cedar, 171.
Frigate, 40.
Man-o'-war, 7, 40.
Red-billed Tropic, 6, 33.
Bittern, American, 49.

Least, 50.
Black and White Warbler, 178.
-bellied Plover, 5, 6, 70.
-chinned Sparrow, 146.
-crowned Night Heron, 54.
-headed Grosbeak, 158.
-necked Stilt, 60.
03-ster-catcher, 75.
Petrel, 6, 31, 32.
Pewee, 5.
Phoebe, 119.
Tern, 26.

-throated Gray Warbler, 183.
-vented Shearwater, 6, 26, 29.
Blackbird, Brewer's, 133.

Yellow-headed, 127.
Blue-footed Booby, 35.
Gannet, 35.
Grosbeak, Western, 159.
Heron, Great, 50.
-winged Teal, 44.
Bonaparte's Gull, 22.
Booby, Blue-footed, 35.
Brewster's, 34.
boschas, Anas, 42.
Botaurus lentiginosus, 49.
boucardi, Peucaea rufieeps, 149.
brachyptera, Tachycineta thalassina, 167.
brachypterus, Colymbus dominicus, 13.
Bracliyramphus craveri, 15, 16.

hypoleucus, 15-19.
Brandt's Cormorant, 7, 37.
breweri, Spizella, 145.
Brewer's Blackbird, 133.

Sparrow, 5, 145.
brewsteri, Sula, 34.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF TUE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 231

Brewster's Booby, 34.
Brown Pelican, California, 7, 3G, 38.
brunneicapillus, Heleodytes, 199.
brunnescens, Colaptes chrysoides, 109.
bryanti, Dendroica, 182.

Heleodytes brunneicapillus, 199.
Bubo virginianus, 96, 97.

elacliistus, subsp. nov., 96.
pallescens, 97.
saturatus, 96.
Bunting, Beautiful, 8, 160.
Lark, 163.
Lazuli, 160.
Burrowing Owl, 97.
Bush-Tit, Grinda's, 10, 205.
Buteo abbreviatus, 87.

borealis calurus, 83.

costaricensis, 83, 85.
lucasanus, 83-86.
socorroensis, 83, 85.
Buzzard, Turkey, 88.

Cactus When, St. Lucas, 7, 197.
caerulea, Polioptila, 209.
Calaniospiza melanocorys, 163.
calendula, Regulus, 208.
Calidris arenaria, 64.
California Brown Pelican, 7, 36, 38.
Cuckoo, 101.
Flycatcher, Lower, 117.
Gull, 6, 20.
Shrike, 172.
californianus, Geococcyx, 101.
californica, Aphelocoma, 124, 125.

Polioptila, 210.
californicus, Agelaius gubernator, 127.
Colymbus nigricollis, 13.
Larus, 20.
Lophortyx, 76.
Pelecanus, 38.

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii, 110.
Psaltriparus minimus, 206.
calurus, Buteo borealis, 83.
Calypte costae, 112.
candidissima, Ardea, 51.
canescens, Empidonax, 122.
Canon Wren, Dotted, 200.
capiralis, Hedymeles melanocephalus, 159.
Caracara, Audubon's, 91.
Cardinal, St. Lucas, 7, 155.
Cardinalis cardinalis, 157.

affinis, 156.
igneus, 155.
sinaloensis, 156.
superbus, 156.
virginianus, 157.
cardinalis, Cardinalis, 157.

Carolina Dove, 78.

Rail, 56, 57.
Carolina, Porzana, 56.
carolinensis, Nettion, 43.

Pandion haliaetus, 92.
Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis, 134, 135.
ruberrimus, 133.
sonoriensis, 134.
caspia. Sterna, 23.
Caspian Tern, 7, 23.
cassinii, Vireo solitarius, 175.
Cassin's Kingbird, 110.
castaneiceps, Dendroica bryanti, 181.
Cathartes aura, 80.

Catherpes mexicanus punctulatus, 200.
Cedar Bird, 171.

Waxwing, 171.
cedrorum, Ampelis, 171.
celata, Helminthophila, 178.
cervinus, Anthus, 193.
Ceryle alcyon, 102.
Chaetura vauxii. 111.
Cliaradrius dominicus, 71.
Chat, Long-tailed, 190.
Chaulelasmus streperus, 42.
cheriway, Polyborus, 91.
chilensis, Totanus, 65.
Chipping Sparrow, Western, 144.
chlorura, Oreospiza, 154.
Chondestes gramniacus strigatus, 142.
Chordeiles acutipennis texensis, 110.
chr\-soides, Colaptes, 108.
cincinnatus, Phalacrocorax, 36.
cineraceus, Megascops asio, 94, 95.

Parus inornatus, 204, 206.
cinerascens, Myiarchus, 118.
cinereum, Toxostoma, 195.
cineritius, Empidonax, 121.
cinnamomeus, Helodromas solitarius, 67.
Cinnamon Teal, 44.
Circus hudsonius, 81.
Cistothorus palustris paludicola, 201, 202.

plesius, 202.
Clay-colored Sparrow, 145.
Clifl Swallow, 165.
Clivicola riparia, 170.
clypeata, Spatula, 45.
Coccyzus aiiiericanus occidentalis, 101.
Colaptes chrysoides, 108.

brunnescens, 109.
collaris, Aythya, 46.
Columba fasciata, 77.

vioscae, 76.
columbarius, Falco, 89, 90.
Columbigallina passerina pallescens, 79.
Colymbus dominicus, 13.

brachypterus, 13.

232

BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Colj'mbus nigricollis californicus, 13.
Common Tern, 25.
coiitinis, Merula, 216.

Pooecetes gramineus, 137.
Contopus richardsonii, 120.

peninsulae, 120.
cooperi, Megascops, 95.
cooperii, Accipiter, 82.
Cooper's Hawk, 82.
Coot, 81, 87, 92.

American, 57.
Cormorant, 12.

Baird's, 37.

Brandt's, 7, 37.

Farallone, 5, 6, 36.
coronata, Uendroica, 183.
Corvus corax sinuatus, 125.
costae, Calypte, 112.
costaricensis, Biiteo borealis, 83, 85.
Costa's Hummingbird, 5, 112.
Coturniculus perpallidus, li2.
Cowbird, 126.

Dwarf, 126.
craveri, Brachyramphus, 15, 16.
Craveri's Murrelet, 6, 16.
crissalis, Pipilo fuscus, 153, 154.
Crotophaga sulcirostris, 100.
Crymophilus fulicarius, 58.
Cuckoo, California, 101.
cucullatus, Lophodytes, 41.
cuneatus, Puffinus, 30.
Curlew, Hudson ian, 7, 70.
Long-billed, 7, 70.
cyanocepbalus, Scolecophagus, 133.
cyanoptera, Querquedula, 44.
Cyanospiza amoena, 160, 161.

versicolor, 161, 162.

pulchra, 160.

Dafila acuta, 45.
I)ark-bodied Shearwater, 29.
delawarensis, Larus, 21.
delicata, Gallinago, 60.
Dendroica aestiva, 179.

morcomi, 179. 180.
rubiginosa, 180, 181.
sonorana, 179, 180.
auduboni, 182.
bryanti, 182.

castaneiceps, 181.
coronata. 183.
nigrescens, 183.
townsendi, 184.
Desert Sparrow, 5, 148.

Hawk, 90.
deserticola, Ampliispiza bilineata, 148.
deserticolus, Falco sparverius, 90, 91.

Dickcissel, 162.
difficilis, Empidonax, 120.
discors, Querquedula, 44.
dominicus, Charadrius, 71.
Colymbus, 13.
Dotted Cafion Wren, 200.
Dove, Carolina, 78.
Ground, 78.
Mexican Ground, 79.
Mourning, 78.
White-winged, 77, 79.
Dowitcher, Long-billed, 61.
Dryobates arizoiiae, 106.
lucasanus, 102.
scalaris bairdi, 103, 106.
villosus byloscopus, 106.
Duck Hawk, 89.

Lesser Scaup, 46.
^ Ring-necked, 46.
Ruddy, 46.
Dwarf Cowbird, 126.

Hermit Thrush, 212.
Horned Owl, 10, 96.

Eagle, Bald, 88.

Eared Grebe, American, 5, 6, 13.
Egret, American, 51.

Reddi.sh, 7, 52, 53.
egretta, Ardea, 51.
elachistus, Bubo virgiuianus, 96.
elegans. Sterna, 24.
Elegant Tern, 24.
Elf Owl, 99.
Empidonax canescens, 122.

cineritius, 121.

difficilis, 120.

griseus, 122.

obscurus, 123.

wrightii, 123.
Ereunetes occidentalis, 03.
Erismatura jamaicensis, 46.
erythrogaster. Hirundo, 166.
erythrophthalmus, Pipilo, 151.
erythrorhynchos, Pelecanus, 37.
excubitorides, Laniusludovicianus, 172, 173.
exilis, Ardetta, 50.

Falco columbakius, 89, 00.

richardsonii, 90.
mexicanus, 89.
peregrinus anatum, 89.
sparverius, 91.

deserticolus, 90, 91,
peninsularis, 90.
Falcon, Prairie, 89.
Farallone Cormorant, 5, 6, 36.
fasciata, Columba, 77.

BEEWSTER : BIKDS OF THE CAPE EEGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 233

ferrugineus, Archibuteo, 88.
Ferruginous Rougli-Leg, 88.

-legged Hawk, 10.
Finch, St. Lucas House, 7, 133.
Fish Hawk, 5.
tiaviceps, Auriparus, 206.
tlavipes, Totanus, G6.
Flicker, Gilded, 108.
Florida Gallinule, 57.
Flycatcher, Gray, 122.

Lower California, 117.

St. Lucas, 7, 10, 121.

Vermilion, 123.

Western, 120.
Forbush's Sparrow, 150.
formicivorus, Melanerpes, 107.
forsteri, Sterna, 25.
Forster's Tern, 25.
frazari, Ardea virescens, 53, 54.
Haematopus, 71, 75.
Totanus melanoleucus, 65, 66.
Frazar's Green Heron, 7, 53.

Oyster-catcher, 5, 74.
Fregata aquila, 40.
Frigate Bird, 40.

frontalis, Carpodacus raexicanus, 134, 135.
Frosted Poor-will, 109.
Fulica, 81, 87, 92.

americana, 57.
fulicarius, Crymophilus, 58.
fuscus, Pelecanus, 38.
Pipilo, 152.

Gadwall, 42.

galapagensis, Haematopus, 75.
galeata, Gallinula, 57.
Gallinago delicata, 60.
Gallinula galeata, 57.
Gallinule, 12.

Florida, 57. ,
gambeli, Anser albifrons, 47.

Lanius ludovicianus, 172.
ganabelii, Zonotrichia leucophrys, 143, 144.
Gannet, Blue-footed, 35.
Gavia imber, 15.
Geococcyx californianus, 101.
Geothlypis beldingi, 187.
tolmiei, 185.
trichas, 187.

arizela, 186.

occidentalis, 187.

scirpicola, 186, 187.

sinuosa, 186, 187.
Gila Woodpecker, 107.
Gilded Flicker, 108.
gilvus, Vireo, 174.
Glaucidium hoskinsii, 98.

Glossy Ibis, White-faced, 48.
Gnatcatcher, 5.

Plumbeous, 210.
Western, 209.
Godwit, 61.

Pacific, 64.
Golden Plover, American, 71.
Goldfinch, Arizona, 136.

Arkansas, 5, 135.
Goose, American White-fronted, 47.
Grasshopper Sparrow, Western, 142.
Gray Flycatcher, 122.
Vireo, 177.

Warbler, Black-throated, 183.
Yellow-legs, 7, 65.
graysoni, Micropallas, 99.
Great Blue Heron, 50.
Greater Yellow-legs, 66.
Grebe, American Eared, 5, 6, 13.
Pied-billed, 7, 14.
Short-winged, 13, 47.
Green Heron, Anthony's, 54.
Frazar's, 7, 53.
-tailed Towhee, 154.
-winged Teal, 43.
grindae, Psaltriparus, 205.
Grinda's Bush-Tit, 10, 205.
grinnelli, Regulus calendula, 208.
Grinnell's Water-Thrush, 7, 184.
griseus, Empidonax, 122.

Parus inornatus, 204, 205.
Puffinus, 29.
Groove-billed Ani, 100.
Grosbeak, Black-headed, 158.
Western Blue, 159.
Ground Dove, 78.

Mexican, 79.
Guara alba, 48.
guarauna, Plegadis, 48.
Guiraca caerulea lazula, 159.
Gull, 12.

Bonaparte's, 22.
California, 6, 20.
Heermann's, 5, 6, 21, 36.
Laughing, 22.
Ring-billed, 21.
Western, 5, 7, 20.
guttata, Hylocichla, 211, 213.
guttatus, Ammodramus rostratus, 139, 141.

Haematopus bachmani, 75.

frazari, 74, 75.

galapagensis, 75.

palliatus, 75.
Haliaeetus leucocephalus, 88.
Halocyptena microsoma, 31.
halophilus, Ammodramus, 139-141.

234

BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

harrisi, Parabuteo unicinctus, 82.
Harris's Hawk, 82.
Hawk, Cooper's, 82.

Desert Sparrow, 90.
Duck, 89.

Ferruginous Rough-legged, 10.
Fish, 5.
Harris's, 82.
Marsh, 81.
Pigeon, 89.

St. Lucas Sparrow, 5, 90.
Sharp-shinned, 5, 81.
Zone-tailed, 87.
Hed\'meles raelanocephalus capitalis, 159.
heermanni, Larus, 21.
Heermann's Gull, 5, 6, 21, 36. •
Heleodytes brunneicapillus, 199.

affinis, 197.
bryanti, 199.
Helminthophila celata, 178.

lutescens, 178, 179.
Helodromas solitarius, 67.

cinnamomeus, 67.
Hermit Thrush, Alaska, 211, 213.
Audubon's, 212.
Dwarf, 212.
herodias, Ardea, 50.
Heron, Anthony's Green, 54.

Black-crowned Night, hi.
Frazar's Green, 7, 53.
Great Blue, 5U.
Louisiana, 52.
Snowy, 51.

Yellow-crowned Night, 55.
hesperia, Progne subis, 164, 170.
Heteractitis incanus, 68.
Himantopus mexicanus, 60.
Hirundo erythrogaster, 166.
hirundo. Sterna, 25.
Hooded Merganser, 41.

Oriole, Arizona, 131.
Horned Owl, Dwarf, 10, 96.
hoskinsii, Glaucidium, 98.
Hoskins's Pygmy Owl, 10, 98.
House Finch, St. Lucas, 7, 133.

Wren, Western, 201.
Hudsonian Curlew, 7, 70.
hudsonicus, Numenius, 70.
hudsonius, Circus, 81.
Hummingbird, Allen's, 5.

Costa's, 5, 112.
Xantus's, 5, 7, 8, 10, 113.
Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis, 26.
Hylocichla aonalascensis, 212.

aonalaschkae, 212, 213.
slevini, 213.
verecunda, 213, 214.

Hylocichla guttata, 211, 213.

auduboni, 212, 215.

nana. 211, 212, 214.

sequoiensis, 212.
nstulata, 210. 214.

oedica, 211.
hyloscopus, Dryobates villosus, 106.
h_vpogaea, Speotyto cunicularia, 97.
hypoleuca, Aphelocoma californica, 123.
hypoleucus, Brach}'ramphus, 15-19.

Ibis, White, 48.

-faced Glossy, 48.
Wood, 7, 49.
Icteria virens longicauda, 190.
Icterus cucullatus nelsoni, 131.

parisorum, 128.
igneus, Cardinalis cardinalis, 155.
imber, Gavia, 15.
incanus, Heteractitis, 68.
inornata, Symphemia seniipalmata, 67.
Intermediate Sparrow, 144.
interpres, Arenaria, 74.

Jamaicexsis, Erismatuka, 46.
Jay, 10.

Xantus's, 7, 123.
Junco, bairdi, 147.

Baird's, 10, 99, 147.

KiLLDEER, 7. 71.

Kingbird, Cassin's, 116.
Kingfisher, Belted, 102.
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned, 208.
knudseni, Puffinus, 30.

Laguxa Spakrow, 148.
laguuae, Sitta carolinensis, 203.
lamprocephalus, Auriparus flaviceps, 206.
Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides, 172, 173.

gambeli, 172.
Large-billed Sparrow^ 5, 7, 138.

Wood Pewee, 10, 120.
Lark Bunting, 163.

Sparrow, Western, 142.
Larus atricilla, 22.

californicus, 20.

delawarensis, 21.

heermanni, 21.

occidentalis, 20.

Philadelphia, 22.
Laughing Gull, 22.
lazula, Guiraca caerulea, 159.
Lazuli Bunting, 160.
Least Bittern, 50.

Petrel, 6, 31.

Sandpiper, 5, 62.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 235

Least Tern, 26.

Vireo, 176.
lentiginosus, Botaurus, 49.
lepida, Tachycineta, 167.

thalassina, 167, 169.
Lesser Scaup Duck, 46.
leucocephalus. Haliaeetus, 88.
leucogastra, Sula, 34, 35.
leucophrys, Zonotrichia, 143, 144.
leucoptera, iMelopelia, 79.
leucopterus, Mimus polyglottos, 194.
leucotis, Basilinna, 115.
Limosa lappoiiica baueri, 64.
lincolnii, Melospiza, 149, 150.
Lincoln's Sparrow, 149.
lobatus, Phalaropus, 58.
loculator, Tantalus, 49.
Long-billed Curlew, 7, 70.
Dowitcher, 61.
-tailed Chat, 190.
longicauda, Icteria virens, 190.
longirostris, Numenius, 70.
Loon, 15.

Lophodytes cucullatus, 41.
Lophortyx californicus, 76.

vallicola, 76, 87.
Louisiana Heron, 52.

Tanager, 8, 163.
Lower California Flycatcher, 117.
lucasauus, Buteo borealis, 83-86.

Dryobates, 102.

Vireo solitarius, 174.
ludoviciana, Piranga, 163.
lunifrons, Petrochelidon, 165.
lulescens, Helminthophila celata, 178, 179.
Lutescent Warbler, 179.

Macgillivray's Warblek, 185.
Macrorhamphus scolopaceus, 61.
macroura, Zenaidura, 78.
macularia, Actitis, 69.
maculata, Tringa, 61.
magnirostris, Pipilo maculatus, 150.
Mallard, 42.

Mangrove Warbler, 7, 181.
Man-o'-war Bird, 7, 40.
Mareca americana, 43.
Marsh Hawk, 81.
W^ren, 12.

Western, 202.
Martin, Western, 10, 164.

Purple, 170.
maxima, Sterna. 23, 24.
Meadowlark, Western, 128.
mearnsi, Toxostoma cinereum, 197.
megalonyx, Pipilo maculatus, 151.

Megascops asio, 94, 95.

bendirei, 94, 95.
cineraceus, 94, 95.
cooperi, 95.
trichopsis, 94, 95.
vinaceus, 94, 95.
xantusi, sp. nov., 93.
Melanerpes angustifrons, 103, 105, 205.
formicivorus, 107.

bairdi, 107.
uropygialis, 107, 109.
melania, Oceanodroma, 32.
melanocephala, Arenaria, 74.

Zamelodia, 158.
melanocorys, Calaniospiza, 163.
melanoleucus, Aeronautes, 112.

Totanus, 65.
Melopelia leucoptera, 79.
Melospiza lincolnii, 149, 150.

striata, 150.
Merganser, Hooded, 41.

Red-breasted, 41, 42.
serrator, 41.
Merlin, Richardson's, 90.
Merula continis, 216.

migratoria, 215.

propinqua, 215.
mesoleucus, Pipilo fuscus, 152.
Mexican Ground Dove, 79.
mexicanus, Accipiter, 82.

Astragaiinus psaltria, 136.
Falco. 89.
Himantopus, 60.
Pyrocef)halus rubineus, 123.
Micropallas graysoni, 99.
whitneyi, 99.
mierosoma, Halocyptena, 31.
migratoria, Merula, 215.
ISIimus polyglottos, 195.

leucopterus, 194.
minor, Turdus, 214.
minutilla, Tringa, 62, 63.
Mniotilta varia, 178.
Mockingbird, Western, 5, 194.
Molothrus ater, 126.

obscurus, 126.
montanus, Oroscoptes, 194.
morcomi, Dendroica aestiva, 179, 180.
morinella, Arenaria, 74.
Motacilla ocularis, 192.
Mountain Towhee, 10, 150.
Mourning Dove, 78.
Murrelet, Craveri's. 6, 16.

Xantus's, 15.
Myiarchus cinerascens, 118.

pertinax, ,117.
pertinax, 118.

236

BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPAEATIYE ZOOLOGY.

NAE^^us, Ntcticorax ntcticorax, 54.

nana, Hylocicbla guttata, 211, 212, 214.
nanus, f urdus, 213, 214.
K arrow-fronted Woodpecker, 10.
nebouxii, Sula, 35.
Nectris amaurosoma, 29.
neglecta, Sturnella magna, 128.
nelsoni, Icterus cucullatus, 131.
Nettion carolinensis, 43.
neutralis, Agelaius phoeniceus, 127.
Night Heron, Black-crowned, 54.
Yellow-crowned, 55.
Nighthawk, Texan, 110, 164.
nigrescens, Dendroica, 183.
nigricans, Saj'ornis, 119.
niteuR, Phainopepla, 171.
nitidus, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii, 109.
nivosa, Aegialitis, 64, 72.
Northern Phalarope, 58, 59.

Violet-green Swallow, 167.
notabilis, Seiurus noveboracensis, 184.
noveboracensis, Seiurus, 185.
nuchalis, Sphyrapicus varius, 104.
Numenius hudsonicus, 70.

longirostris, 70.
Nuthatch, 10.

St. Lucas, 10, 203.
nuttalli, Zonotrichia leucophrys, 143, 144.
nuttallii, Phalaenoptilus, 110.
Nycticorax nycticorax naevius, 54.

violaceus, 55.

Oberholser's Yelloav-throat, 186.
obscura, Aphelocoma californica, 125.

Polioptila caerulea, 209.
obscurus, Empidonax, 123.

Molothrus ater, 126.
obsoletus, Rallus, 56.

Salpinctes, 199.
occidentalis, Coccyzus americanus, 101.

Ereunetes, 63.

Geothlypis trichas, 187.

Larus, 20.
Oceanodroma melania, 32.

townsendi, 33.
ocularis, Jlotacilla, 192.
oedica, Hylocicbla ustulata, 211.
opisthomelas, Puflinus, 20, 29.
Orange-crowned Warbler, 5, 178.
Oregon Vesper Sparrow, 137.
Orenrtyx pictus pluiniferus, 76.
Oreospiza chlorura, 154.
Oriole, Arizona Hooded, 131.

Scott's, 128.
Oroscoptes montanus, 194.
Osprey, American, 92.
Owl, American Barn, 92.

Owl, Burrowing, 97.

Dwarf Horned, 10, 96.
Elf, 99.

Hoskins's Pygmy, 10, 98.
Short-eared, 93.
Xantus's Screech, 93.
Oyster-catcher, 69.

Black, 75.
Frazar's, 5, 74.

Pacific Gobwit, 64.

pacifica, Amphispiza bilineata, 148.

Tringa alpina, 63.
pallescens. Bubo virginianus, 97.

Columbigallina passerina, 79.
palliatus, Haematopus, 75.
pallida, Spizella, 145.
paludicola, Cistothorus palustris, 201, 202.
Pandion haliaetus carolinensis, 92.
Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi, 82.
parisorum, Icterus, 128.
parkmanii, Troglodytes aedon, 201.
Parkman's Wren, 201.
Partridge, Valley, 76.
Parus inornatus cineraceus, 204, 206.

griseus, 204, 205.
passerinus, Amniodramus savannarum, 142.
Pectoral Sandpiper, 61.
Pelecanus californicus, 38.

erythrorhynchos, 37.
fuscus, 38.
Pelican, 12.

American White, 37.
California Brown, 7, 36, 38.
penicillatus, Phalacrocorax, 37.
peninsulae, Contopus richardsonii, 120.

Pyrrhuloxia sinuata, 157.
peninsularis, Falco sparverius, 90.
pensilvanicus, Anthus, 193.
perpallidus, Coturniculus, 142.
pertinax, Myiarchus, 118.

cinerascens, 117.
Petrel, 12.

Black, 6. 31, 32.
Least, 6, 31.
Socorro. 31, 33.
Petrochelidon lunifrons, 165.
Peucaea ruticeps boucardi, 149.
Pewee, Black, 5.

Large-billed Wood, 10, 120.
Phaethon aethereus, 33.
Phainopepla, 5, 171.

nitens, 171.
Phalacrocorax cincinnatus, 36.

dilophus albociliatus, 36.
pelagicus resplendens, 37.
• penicillatus, 37.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 237

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii, 110.

californicus, 110.
nitidus, 109.
Phalarope, Northern, 58, 59.
Red, 58, 59.
Wilson's, 59.
Phalaropus lobatus, 58.
Philadelphia, Larus, 22.
Phoebe, Black, 119.
Say's, 118.
phoeniceus, Agelaius, 127.
Pied-billed Grebe, 7, 14.
Pigeon Hawk. 89.

Viosca's, 8, 10, 76.
pileolata, Wilsonia pusilla, 191.
Pileolated Warbler, 191.
Pine Siskin, 136.
Pintail, 45.
pinus, Spinus, 136.
Pipilo erythrophthaimus, 151.
fuscus, 152.

albigula, 151.
crissalis, 153, 154.
mesoleucus, 152.
senicula, 153.
maculatus magnirostris, 150.
megalonyx, 151.
Pipit, American. 193.

Red-throated, 193.
Piranga ludoviciana, 103.
Plegadis guarauna, 48.
plesius, Cistothorus palustris, 202.
Plover, 12.

American Golden, 71.
Black-bellied, 5, 6, 70.
Semipalmated, 7, 72.
Snowy, 72.
Wilson's, 5, 7, 73.
plumbea, Polioptila, 210.
Plumbeous Gnatcatcher, 210.
Plumed Quail, 76.
plumiferus, Oreortyx pictus, 76.
podiceps, Podilymbus, 14.
Podilymbus podiceps, 14.
Polioptila caerulea, 209.

ob=cura, 209.
californica, 210.
plumbea, 210.
Polyborus cheriwa}-, 91.
polyglottos, Mimus, 195.
Pooecetes gramineus affinis, 137.

continis, 137.
Poor-will, Frosted, 109.
Porzana Carolina, 56.
Prairie Falcon, 89.
pratincola, Strix, 92.
Progne subis hesperia, 164, 170.

propinqua, Mernla migratoria, 215.
psaltria, Astragalinus, 135, 136.
Psaltriparus grindae, 205.

minimus californicus, 206.
PufBnus auricularis, 28, 31.

cuneatus, 30.

griseus, 29.

knudseni, 30.

opisthomelas, 26, 29.
pulchra, Cyanospiza versicolor, 100.
punctulatus, Catherpes mexicauus, 200.
Purple Martin, Western, 170.
pusillus, Vireo, 176.
Pygmy Owl, Hoskins's, 10, 98.
Pyrocepbalus rubineus mexicanus, 123.
Pyrrhuloxia, St. Lucas. 7, 157.
sinuata, 158.

peninsulae, 157.

■V
Quail, Plumed, 76.

Querquedula cyanoptera, 44.
discors, 44.

Rail, 12.

Belding's, 6, 7, 55.
Carolina, 56, 57.
Virginia, 56.
Rallus beldingi, 55.
obsoletus, 56.
virginianus, 56.
Raven, American, 5, 125.
Recurvirostra americana, 59.
Red-backed Sandpiper, 63.
-billed Tropic Bird, 6, 33.
-breasted Merganser, 41, 42.
Snipe, 61.
Teal, 44.
-naped Sapsucker, 104.
Phalarope, 58, 59.
-tail, Western, 83.
-throated Pipit, 193.
-wing, Sonoran, 127.
Reddish Egret, 7, 52, 53.
Redhead, 45.
Redstart, American, 192.
Regulus calendula, 208.

grinnelli, 208.
resplendens, Phalacrocorax pelagicus. 37.
richardsonii, Coiitopus. 120.

Falco columbarius, 90.
Richardson's Merlin, 90.
Ring-billed Gull, 21.

-necked Duck, 46.
riparia, Clivicola. 170.

Riparia, 170.
Riparia riparia. 170.
Road-runner, 101.

238

BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Robin, St. Lucas, 8, 10, 216.

Western, 215.
Rock Wren, 199.

rostratus, Ammodramus, 138, 140, 141.
Rough-Leg, Ferruginous, 88.

-legged Hawk, Ferruginous, 10.

-winged Swallow, 170.
Royal Tern, 7, 24.
ruber, Sphyrapicus, 105.
ruberrimus, Carpodacus mexicanus, 13-3.
rubiginosa, Uendroica aestiva, 180, 181.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 208.
Ruddy Duck, 46.

Turnstone, 74.
rufescens, Ardea, 52.
ruficeps, Aimopliila, 149.
ruficollis, Ardea tricolor, 52.
ruiinucha, Aegialitis wilsonia, 73.
Russet-backed Thrush, 210.
ruticilla, Setophaga, 192.

Sage Thrasher, 194.
St. Lucas Cactus Wren, 7, 197.
Cardinal, 7, 155.
Flycatcher, 7, 10, 121.
House Finch, 7, 133.
Nuthatch, 10, 203.
Pyrrhuloxia, 7, 157.
Robin, 8, 10, 216.
Solitary Vireo, 174.
Sparrow, 139.

Hawk, 5, 90.
Swallow, 7, 10, 167.
Thrasher, 7, 195.
Towhee, 7, 151.
Woodpecker, 7, 102.
Salpinctes obsoletus, 199.
San Benito Sparrow, 5, 141.
sanctorum, Ammodramus, 141.

rostratus, 140, 141 .
Sanderling, 64.
Sandpiper, 12

Baird's, 62.
Least, 5, 62.
Pectoral, 61.
Red-backed, 63.
Solitary, 67.
Spotted, 5, 69.
Western, 63.

Solitary, 67.
Sapsucker, Red-naped, 104.
saturatus, Bubf) virginianus, 96.
savanna, Ammodramus sandwichensis, 138.
Savanna Sparrow, Western, 137.
saya, Sayornis, 118.
SayornJs nigricans, 119.

semiatra, 119.

Sayornis sa3^a, 118.

Say's Phoebe, 118.

Scaup Duck, Lesser, 46.

scirpicola, Geothlypis trichas, 186, 187.

Scolecophagus cyanocephalus, 133.

scolopaceus, Macrorhamphus, 61.

scottii, Aimopliila ruficeps, 149.

Scott's Oriole, 128.

Screech Owl, Xantus's, 93.

Seiurus noveboracensis, 185.

notabilis, 184.
Selasphorus alleni, 113.
semiatra. Sayornis nigricans, 119.
semipalmata, Aegialitis, 72.

Symphemia, 68.
Semipalmated Plover, 7, 72.
senicula, Pipilo fuscus, 153.
sequoiensis, Hylocichla guttata, 212.
serrator. Merganser, 41.
serripennis, Stelgidopteryx, 170.
Setophaga ruticilla, 192.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 5, 81.
Shearwater, 12.

Black-vented, 6, 26, 29.

Dark-bodied, 29.

Townsend's, 28.

Wedge-tailed, 30.
Short-eared Owl, 93.

-winged Grebe, 13, 47.
Shoveller, 45.
Shrike, California, 172.

White-rumped, 172.
sinaloensis, Cardinalis cardinalis, 156.
sinuata, Pyrrhuloxia, 158,
sinuatus, Corvus corax, 125.
sinuosa, Geothlypis trichas, 186, 187.
Siskin, Pine, 136.
Sitta carolinensis aculeata, 203.
lagunae, 203.
slevini, Hylocichla aonalaschkae, 213.
Snipe, Red-breasted, 61.

Wilson's, 60.
Snowy Heron, 51.
Plover, 72.
Socorro Petrel, 31, 33.
socorroensis, Buteo borealis, 83, 85.
solitarius, Helodrfmias, 67.
Solitary Sandpiper, 67.

Western, 67.
Vireo, St. Lucas, 174.
Sonora Yellow Warbler, 180.
Sonoran Red-wing, 127.
sonorana, Dendroiea aestiva, 179, 180.
sonoriensis, Agelaius phoeniceus, 127.

Carpodacus mexicanus, 134.
Sora, 56.
sororia, Aimophila ruficeps, 148.

BREWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 239

Sparrow, Black-chinned, 146.
Brewer's, 5, 145.
Clay-coloretl, 145.
Desert, 5, 148.
Forbush's, 150.
Intermediate, 144.
Laguna, 148.
Large-billed, 5, 7, 138.
Lincoln's, 149.
Oregon Vesper, 13".
St. Lucas, 139.
San Benito, 5, 141.
Western Chipping, 144.

Grasshopper, 142.
Lark, 142.
Savanna, 137.
White-crowned, 143.
Sparrow Hawk, Desert, 90.

St. Lucas, 5. 90.
sparverius, Falco, 91.
Spatula clypeata, 45.
Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea, 97.
Spbyrapicus ruber. 106.
varius, 106.

nuchalis, 104.
Spinus pinus, 136.
Spiza americana, 162.
Spizella atrogularis. 146.
breweri, 145.
pallida, 145.
socialis arizonae, 144.
Spotted Sandpiper, 5, 69.
Squatarola squatarola, 70.
squatarola, Squatarola. 70.
Steganopus tricolor, 59.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 170.
stephensi, Vireo huttoni, 176.
Stephens's Vireo, 176.
Sterna antillarum. 26.
caspia. 23.
elegans, 24.
forsteri, 25.
hirundo, 25.
maxima. 23. 24.
Stilt, Black-necked, GO.
streperus, Chaulelasmus. 42.
striata, Melospiza lincolnii, 150.
strigatus, Chondestes grammacus, 142.
Strix pratincola, 92.
Sturnella magna neglecta, 128.
Sula brewsteri, 34.

leucogastra. 34, 35.
nebouxii, 35.
sula. 35.
sula, Sula, 35.

sulcirostris, Crotophaga, 100.
superbus, Cardinalis cardinalis, 156.

surinamensis, Hydrochelidon nigra, 26.
swainsoni, Vireo gilvus, 174.
Swallow, Bank, 170.

Barn. 166.

Cliff, 165.

Northern Violet-g^een, 167.

Rough-winged, 170.

St. Lucas, 7, 10, 167.

Tree, 166.
Swift, Vaux's, 111.

White-throated, 112.
Swinhoe's Wagtail, 192.
Symphemia semipalmata, 68.

inornata, 67.

Tachycixeta bicolok, 166.
lepida, 167.
thalassina, 167, 169.

brachyptera, subsp.

nov., 167.
lepida, 167, 169.
Tanager, Louisiana, 8, 163.
Tantalus loculator, 49.
Tatler, Wandering, 68.
Teal, Blue-winged, 44.
Cinnamon, 44.
Green-winged, 43.
Red-breasted, 44.
Tern, 12.

Black, 26.
Caspian. 7. 23.
Common, 25.
Elegant, 24.
Forster's. 25.
Least, 26.
Royal, 7, 24.
Wilson's, 25.
terrestris. Turdus, 213.
Texan Nighthawk, 110, 164.
texensis, Chordeiles acutipennis. 110.
thalassina, Tachycineta, 167, 1G9.
Thrasher, Sage, 194.

St. Lucas, 7, 195.
Thrush, Alaska Hermit, 211, 213.
Audubon's Hermit, 212,
Dwarf Hermit, 212.
Russet-backed, 210.
Titlark, 6, 193.
Titmouse, 10.

Ashy, 10, 204.
tolmiei, Geothlypis. 185.
Totanus chilensis, 65.
flavipes, 66.
melanoleucus, 65.

frazari. subsp. nov.,
05, 66.
Towhee, Green-tailed, 154.

240

BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Towhee, Mountain, 10, 150.
St. Lucas, 7, 151.
townsendi, Dendioica, 184.

Oceanodroma, ^3.
Townsend's Shearwater, 28.

Warbler, 184.
Toxostoma cinereum, 195.

mearnsi, 197.
Tree Swallow, 160.
trichas, Geothlypis, 187.
trichopsis, Megascops, 94, 95.
tricolor, Agelaius, 127.

Sieganopus, 59.
Tringa alpina pacitica, 63.
bairdii, 62.
maculata, 61.
minutilla, 02, 03.
Troglodytes aedon aztecus, 201.

parkmanii, 201.
Tropic Bird, Red-billed, 6, 33.
Tiile Wren, 201.
Tardus minor, 214.

nanus, 213, 214.
terrestris, 213.
wilsonii, 214.
Turkey Buzzard, 88.
" Vulture, 80.
Turnstone, 6.

Ruddy, 74.
Tyrannus verticalis, 117.
vociferans, 116.

Uropygialts, Melanerpes, 107, 109.
ujtulata, Hylocichla, 210, 214.

Valley Partridge, 70.

vallicola, Lophortyx californicus, 70, 87.

varia, Mniotilta, 178.

varius, Sphyrapicus, 100.

vauxii, Chaetui-a, 111.

Vaux's Swift, 111.

velox, Accipiter, 81.

Verdin, 5.

Baird's, 7, 206.
verecunda, Hylocichla aonalaschkae, 213,

214.
Vermilion Flycatcher, 123.
versicolor, Cyanospiza, 161, 162.
verticalis, Tvrannus, 117.
Vesper Sparrow, Oregon, 137.
vicinior, Vireo, 177.
vinaceus, Megascops, 94, 95.
violaceus, Xycticorax, 55.
Violet-green Swallow, Northern, 107.
vioscae, Columba fasciata, 76.
Viosca's Pigeon, 8, 10, 76.
Vireo gilvus, 174.

Vireo gilvus swainsoni, 174.

Gray, 177.

Imttoni stephensi, 170.

Least, 176.

pusillus, 170.

albatus, 176, 177.

St. Lucas Solit.irj-, 174.

solitarius cassinii, 175.

lucasanus, 174.

Stephens's, 176.

vicinior, 177.

Western Warbling, 174.
virescens, Ardea, 53, 54.
Virginia Rail, 50.
virginianus. Bubo, 90, 97.
Cardinalis, 157.
Rallus, 50.
vocifera, Aegialitis, 71.
vociferans, Tyrannus, 116.
Vulture, Turkey, 80.

Wagtail, Swinhoe's, 192.
Wandering Tattler, 08.
Warbler, Alaskan Yellow, 181.
Audubon's, 182.
Black and White, 178.

-throated Gray, 183.
Lutescent, 179.
Macgillivray's. 185.
Mangrove, 7, 181.
Orange-crowned, 5, 178.
Pileolated, 191.
Sonora Yellow, 180.
Townsend's, 184.
Y'ellow, 179.
Warbling Vireo, Western, 174.
wardi, Ardea, 50.
Water-Thrush, Grinnell's, 7, 184.
Waxwing, Cedar, 171.
Wedge-tailed Shearwater, 30.
Western Blue Grosbeak, 159.

Chipping Sparrow, 144.
Flycatcher, 120.
Gnatcatcher, 209.
Grasshopper Sparrow, 142.
Gull, 5. 7, 20.
House Wren, 201 .
Lark Sparrow, 142.
Marsh Wren, 202.
Martin, 10, 104.
Meadowlark, 128.
Mockingbird, 5, 194.
Purple Martin, 170.
Red-tail, 83.
Robin, 215.
Sandpiper, 63.
Savanna Sparrow, 137.

BKEWSTER : BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 241

Western Solitary Sandpiper. 67.
Warbling Vireo, 174.
Willet, 67.
White-ciowned Sparrow, 143.
-faced Glossy Ibis, 48.
-fronted Goose, American, 47.
Ibis, 48.

Pelican, American, 37.
■rumped Shrike, 172.
-throated Swift, 112.
-winged Dove, 77, 79.
whitneyi, Micropallas, 99.
Widgeon, American, 43.
Willet, 61.

Western, 67.
wilsonia, Aegialitis, 73.
Wilsonia pusilla pileolata, 191.
wilsonii, Turdus, 214.
Wilson's Phalarope, 59.
Plover, 5, 7, 73.
Snipe, 60.
Tern. 25.
Wood Ibis, 7, 49.

Pewee, Large-billed, 10, 120.
Woodpecker, Gila, 107.

Narrow-fronted, 10.
St. Lucas, 7, 102.
Wren, Dotted Caiion, 200.
Marsh, 12.
Parkman's, 201.
Rock, 199.
St. Lucas Cactus, 7, 197.

Wren, Tule, 201.

Western House, 201.
Marsh, 202,
wrightii, Empidonax, 123.

Xaxthocephalus xanthocephalus, 127.

xanthocephalus, Xanthocephalus, 127,
xantusi, Basilinna, 113.
Megascops, 93.
Xantus's Hummingbird, 5, 7, 8, 10, 113.

Jay. 7, 123.

Murrelet, 15.

Screech Owl, 93.

Yellow-crowxf.d Night Heron, 55.
-headed Blackbird, 127.
-legs, 66.

Gray, 7, 65.
Greater, 66.
-throat, 12.

Belding's, 8, 187.
Oberholser's, 186.
Warbler, 179.

Alaskan, 181.
Sonora, 180.

Z.\MELODIA MELAXOCEPHALA, 158.

Zenaidura macroura, 78,
Zone-tailed Hawk, 87.
Zonotrichia leucophrys, 143, 144.

gambelii, 143, 144.

nuttalli, 143, 144.

VOL, XLI. — xo. 1

16

Lower California and adjacent Regions.

Slightly modified from the map of Hendges, published by the Bureau of the

American Republics, 1900.

The dotted lines define the Cape Region.

^.■..Zi^,->^^-^:SfJ^,,s^,.U^:^-'^ .:-^.'^,<,»R!^-,- : ^.■^.-.u^^.i^^W^^'-r^^ -

^

(I! 'i:

!

^

The following" Publications of the Museum of Comparative Zoology

are in preparation : —

Reports on the Results of Dredging Oiierations in 1877, 1878, 1879, and 1880, in charge of Alex-
a>'di:r Agassiz, by the U. S. Coast Survey Steamer "Blake," as follows: —

E. EHLERS. The Annelids of the "Blake."

C. HARTLAUB. The Coniatulje of the "Blake," with 15 Plates.

H. LUDWIG. The Genus Pentacrinus.

A. MILXE EDWARDS and E. L. BOUVIER. The Crustacea of the " Blake."

A. E. VERRILL. The Alcyonaria of the " Blake."

Reports on the Scientific Results of the Expedition to the Tropical Pacific, in charge of
Alexaxdek Agassiz, on the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer "Albatross," from August,
1899, to March, 1900, Commander Jefterson F. Moser, U. S. N., Commanding.

Illustrations of Xorth American MARIXE INVERTEBRATES, from Drawings by Bukk-
H.\UDT, SoNREL, and A. Agassiz, prepared under the direction of L. Agassiz.

LOUIS CABOT. Immature State of the Odonata, Part IV.
E. L. MARK. Studies on Lejiidosteus, continued.

" On Arachnactis.

R. T. HILL. On the Geology of the "Windward Islands.
W. :McM. wood worth. On the Bololo or Palolo of Fiji and Samoa.
A. AGASSIZ and A. G. rsiAYER. The Acalephs of the East Coast of the United States.
AG.A.SSIZ and WHIT.^IAN. Pelagic Fishes. Part II., with U Plates.
J. C. BRAXXER. The Coral Reefs of Brazil.

Reports on the Results of the Expedition of 1891 of the IT. S. Fish Commission Steamer
"Albatross," Lieutenant Commander Z. L. Taxxek, U. S. N., Commanding, in charge of
Alexander Agassiz, as follows: —

A. AGASSIZ. The Pelagic Fauna.
The Echini.
" The Panaraic Deep-Sea Fauna.

K. BRANDT. The Sagittae.

" The Tlialassicolae.

C. CHUN. The Siphonophores.

" The Eyes of Deep-Sea Crustacea.

W. H. DALL. The Mollusks.
H. J. HANSEN. The Cirripeds.
W. A. HERDMAN. The Ascidians.
S. J. HICKSON. The Antipathids.
W. E. HOYLE. The Cephalopods.
G. VON KOCH. The Deep-Sea Corals.
G. A. KOFOID. Solenogaster.
R. VON LENDENFELD. The Phospho-
rescent Organs of Fishes.

H. LUDWIG. The Starfishes.
J. P. :McMURR1CH. The Actinarians.
E. L. MARK. Branchiocerianthus.
JOHN' MURRAY. The Bottom Specimens.
P. SCHIE:MENZ. The Pteropods and Hete-

ropods.
THEO. STUDER. The Alcyonarians.
M. P. A. TRAtJTSTEDT. The Salpidse and

Doliolidse.
E. P. VAN DUZEE. The Halobatidae.
H. B. WARD. The Sipunculids.
H. V. WILSON. The Sponges.
W. iloM. WOODWORTH. The Nemerteans.
" The Annelids.

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MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY

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Vols. XXXVIII., XXXIX., XL., and XLI. of the Bulletin,
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The Bulletin and Mejioius are devoted to the publication of
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Reports on the Scientific Results of the Expedition to the Tropical Pacific, in
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These publications are issued in numbers at irregular inter-
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MAR 1004

Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology
AT HARVARD COLLEGE.

Vol. XLI. No. 2.

THE CHIMAEROIDS (CHISMOPNEA RAF, U<iii ; HOLOCEPKALA

MULL., 1S34), ESPECIALLY RHIXOCHIM.\EItA

AND ITS ALLIES.

By Samuel Gabman.

With Fifteen Plates.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U.S.A.:

PRINTED FOR THE MUSEUM.

March, 1904.

Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology
AT HARVARD COLLEGE.

Vol. XLI. No. 2.

THE CHIMAEROH)S (CHISMOPNEA RAF., 1815; HOLOCEPHALA

MULL., 1834), ESPECIALLY RHINUCHIMAEUA

AND ITS ALLIES.

By Samcel Garhan.

With Fifteen Plates.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U.S.A.:

PRINTED FOR THE MUSEUM.

March, 1904.

No. 2. — The Chimaeroids (Chmyiopnca Raf., 1815 ; Holocephala-
Miill., 1834), especially Bhiiiocldmaera and its Allies. By
Samuel G arm ax.

There are few of the marine animals that on account of structure and
relationships to other forms living ami extinct hive as great interest for
zoologists and palaeontologists as the Chimaeroids. Their line of descent
extends to Devonian times and away beyond and back to a meeting with
that of the Plagiostoraia near the point at whicli the latter separated from
the bony fishes. That the line has been well traced fur a long distance
through the fossils only makes it the more interesting. Item after item
of information relating to the group has been carefidly gathered, dis-
cussed, and placed on record, but the advances among the recent have
been very slow, and those among the fossils, though in some ways much
more extensive, have left much to be desired. The type species of Chi-
niaera and Callorhynchus have been known since the establishment of
these genera by Linne and Gronow, in 1754. jNIore recently other species
have been added to each of them. A most important addition to the
knowledge of the group dates from the capture of the types of the genus
Harriotta, by the United States Fish Commission, and their description
by Messrs. Goode and Bean, in 1894, and a little later another was made
by the discovery of a Japanese species, by Professor Mitsukuri, in 1895,
which was placed in the same genus, named but not described. The
importance of the species from Japan was not recognized for some years,
until Dr. Alexander Agassiz, returning from one of his explorations of
the Coral Islands, saw and purchased a second specimen from a dealer in
Tokyo. Dissection of this specimen supplies the reason for existence of
this paper; it brings to liglit a number of interesting details concerning
Chimaeroids, and some wliich pertain to other forms than that directly
under consideration. The following are among the results and conclu-
sions, brought prominently forward at this moment, that appear to be
most worthy of attention.

The species, Rhinochimaera pacifica, is described and figured with
details of skeletal and other anatomy.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 2

246 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE Z05lOGY.

A new geuus, Ehiiiochimaera, is established, also a new family, Rhino-
chimaeridae, to contain Riiiuochimaera and Harriotta, and still another
new family, Callorhyuchidae, to include the genus Callorhynchus.

The body of Rhinochimaera is typical of that of most Chimaeroids ;
the proboscis is an ancestral feature that has become much reduced in
Callorhynclius and is obsolescent in Chimaera.

The rostral cartilages are articulated to the skull and are not prolon-
gations of it, as in certain Platosomia, Raiae, or in Antacea, Sharks, on
some of wliich tlie rostral cartilages resemble a tripod, but with two legs
superior, unlike Chimaeroids.

The nearest approach, so far as noted, of recent Chimaeroids to Pla-
giostomes, as attested by brains, dorsal spines, etc., is made toward
Squalus and Heterodontus of the Antacea.

The teeth of Rhinochimaera resemble the embryonic and ancestral
more than those of the other rpceut genera of Chimaeriforms ; they are
cutters rather than grinders, and probably are most like those of the
Myriacanths and Rhyncodonts among the fossils.

In Harriotta the tritors are grouped like the grinders of certain Placo-
dout fishes more than those of other Chimaeroids.

The tritors originated on the horny dental plate through stress
or impact, much as the molars of Placodonts and others were oric-
inated from the indurated membranes of the jaws, or their hardened
papillae.

To judge from the dentition alone, the extinct Myriacanths were
Yiearer the ancestral stem on which farther back tlie four-toothed forms
Rhynchodus and Rhamphodus may likewise be found.

The brain of Rhinochimaera, like its rostrum, is nearer that of Callo-
rhynchus than to that of Chimaera, reduction in the head of the last
having brought the hemispheres and the olfactory lobes in contact.

The notochord of Rhinochimaera is provided with rings like that of
Chimaera ; it is unlike that of Callorhynchus, which shows no rings and
is probably the more primitive type.

The males of living Chimaeroids are subject to a certain metamor-
phosis in acquiring secondary sexual cliaracters as they become mature;
a frontal tenaculum and two ventral tenacula are developed as the
claspers approach functional maturity.

A more primitive form of tlie frontal tenaculum is that of the extinct
form Sqnaloraia; in its inception the organ was merely a transverse fold
of the skin on the forehead.

The frontal tenaculum, being a sexual character, is not to be homolo-

GAEMAX: THE CHIMAEKOIDS. 247

gized with dorsal spines, or with the illicia of the Lophioids, though
treated as if of similar nature by early authorities.

The function of the tenacula below the bases of the ventral fins is
somewhat like that of the series of erectile hooks on the upper sides of
the pectorals of some Platnsoiuia, Raia ocellata, for instance.

The lateral canal systems of Rliinochimaera and Harriotta are made
up of pseudotubules, tubes narrowly slit outwardly ; tliat of Callorhyn-
chus consists of tubes, and that of Chimaera is a system of grooves.

The spiral intestine of Rhinochimaera is similar to that of the other
livin<r Chimaeroids.

Tlie first dorsal is short, erectile, and has a spine and radials in all
members of this group.

The second dorsal is long in the Chimaeridae, of medium length in
the Rhinochimaeridae, and short in the Callorhynchidae.

The armature of the supracaudal fin is peculiar to Rhinochimaera.

The claspers of Rhinochimaera and Harriotta resemble one another ;
except in being simple, they are unlike those of Callorhynchus ; in those
of the Chimaeridae the cartilages are trifid.

The claspers, intromittent organs, are possessed by "both Plagiostomes
and Chimaeroids ; the tenacula of the latter are peculiar to them.

The position of the clasper of the Chimaeroid is rather above the edge
of the ventral ; that of the Plagiostome is below it.

Certain peculiarities of the Chimaeroids, especially of skull and brain,
are perhaps best accounted for by supposing the group to have been
derived primarily from a short-snouted and short-faced form, acquisition
of the long snout and the prognathous condition of the skull afterward
carrying the olfactory lobes and the hemispheres forward and separat-
ing them from the balance of the brain and from one another, and in
Chimaera a still later loss of the snout and shortening of the anterior
part of the skull bringing the lobes and the hemispheres together into a
single mass.

D

Rhinochimaera pacifica.

Plate 1, Fig. 1.

Hariotla pacljica Mitsukuri, 189,5, Zool. Mag. Tokyo, VII., without description.
Rhinochimaera pacijica Garman, 1901, Proc. N. E. Zo<"il. Clul), II., 75.

The specimen here describeil is a fully developed male of about tliii'ty-?ix
inches in length, before a slight loss from the filamentary e.xtremity of the tail.
On account of the figure some of the details of shape need not be dwelt upon

248 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE 'ZOOLOGY.

in the text. In a general way the form is tliat of a Chimaera with a long pro-
boscis from the forehead. The amount of compression in the head and body is
not very great ; the body cavity is included in the anterior half of the total
length ; the head is massive, rather longer than the abdominal portion of the
body, and has a long tapering rostrum which is subtriangular in cross-section,
placed pretty well up on the forehead, flattened and provided with special
sensory apparatus on the lower side, depressed and slender forward, and
pointed at the end; the caudal region occupies half or more of the total len"-th,
is compressed and tapers regularly to a filamentary extremity, is encroached
upon by the second dorsal fin, is surmounted in part by a low rudimentarv fin,
the upper edge of which bears an armature, and is subtended by a longer,
deeper, and unarmed subcaudal fin. The skin is soft and smooth ; there are
four vertical fins and two pairs ; the anterior dorsal is erectile and has a strong
serrated spine and distinct radials. The length of the head is more than one-
fourth, the length of the caudal section is about one-half, the length of the
snout is little more than onesi.\th, the depth is nearly one-tenth, and the width
is nearly one-fifteenth of the total length. The oral portion of the head is
prominent ; the mouth is similar to that of Chimaera. As in the other recent
Cliimaeroids, there are three pairs of the teeth, one of palatines, one of vcmer-
ines and one of mandibulars, Plate 5, Figures 1 and 2. Mere dot-like points, to
be seen under a lens, on the sharp edges of the tet-th, are the only approaches
to tritors ; they have the appearance of the ends of small pores. By compari-
son of the tongue figured on Plate 12 with those on Plate 5 and Plate 13, it will
be seen that this organ attains a somewhat greater development in the present
form. 'Ihe eye is large and is placed on the side of the head in such position
as to conimnnd views outward, forward, and upward without hindrance. On
the first and the second arches there are five well- developed gillrakers, with
several rudiments; they are short, hardly one-sixth as long as the eye, and are
acuminate; on the third arch and the fourth all of the lakers are more or less
rudimentary. This individual, being a mature male, possesses a frontal ten-
aculum, armed with about ten series of hooked spines, above the front edge
of the orl)it on the forehead. The liaik is nearly straight. The dorsal spine
is situated above the bases of the pectoi-als ; it is strong, has a narrow ridge in
front, and is smooth on all edges with the exception of slight roughnesses on the
hinder angles near the outer end, possible indications of sharp hooks on young
individuals. Four rays appear in the first dorsal behind the spine, and a low
membrane connects this fin with the second dorsal, which last rises gradually
to less than half the height of the first and terminates abruptly more than twice
the length of the eye forward from the origin of the upper fin of the tail. 'J'he
upper caudal fin rises gradually, and, descending even more so, terminates
more than twice the length of the orbit forward of the end of the tail, on this
specimen. On the upper edge of this fin. which is somewhat rudimentary,
there is a peculiar arrangement of small spines, Plate 4, Figure 2 ; a pair of
larger ones are placed side by side and directed laterally, and behind each pair,
between it and the next, there is a couple (1-3) of smaller spines placed longi-

GARMAN: THE CHIMAEROIDS. 249

tuilinallv and pointin;^; upward, forward, or backward. This armature con-
tinues to within a short distance in front of the end of the tail, and behind its
point of disappearance there is a low ridge to the extremity. The subcaudal
fin is much deeper than the supracaudal ; it originates below the termination
of the second dorsal, rises gradually, becomes deepest in the anterior half of
the length, then slowly tapers to the caudal filament. The pectoral fins are
long, more than two and one-half times as long as wide, and when extended
the sharp outer angle reaches to the bases of the ventrals. The length of the
ventral fin is about equal to the height of the first dorsal and the width is less
than half of the length : tlie claspers are simple, slender, nearly four times as long
as the eye, subround in trans-section, very muscular near the base, enlarged
into an oblong rounded spine-covered bulb at the extremity, and jointed so as
to be turned directly forward, Plate 3, Figures 1, 4 and 5 ; each ventral tenacu-
lum has three strono- hooks on its inner ed^re. There is no distinct anal tin.

On the sides and the lower surfaces thecolor is a light olivaceous or plum-
beous more or less silvered; toward the back and on the tail it is more brown ;
the fins are darker to blackish outwanl.

Total length, 35.5 ; snout, G.5] snout to dorsal spine, 10.8; snout to second
dorsal fin, 15.4; snout to upper caudal armature, 24.4; snout to vent, 17.2.
depth, 3.5; length of pectoral fin, G 5 ; length of ventral fin, 3 5 ; snout to anal,
20 ; snout to pectoral fin, 10.3; snout to eye, 8.3 ; length of orbit, 0.8; length of
dorsal spine, 3.6 ; length of clasper, 3.1 ; width of gill aperture, 1 1 ; width of
body or head, 2.4 ; length of cephalic tenaculum, 0.6 ; length of head, 0.5 ; depth
of body at axil of ventral fin, 2.2; width above axil of ventral fin, 1.1 : and
length of caudal section (probably after a slight loss), 17.5 inches.

Specimen described from Tokyo, Japan. Other specimens are said to have
been purchased in the same market that were caught near by, in water of two
hundred fathoms or more in depth, off oNlisaki.

. Lateral Canal System, Plate 1, Figure 1 ; Plate 2; Plate 4, Figure 3.

The structures ami functions of these canals are similar in the Chimaeroids
and the Plagiostomia. The excessive differentiations of structure and the com-
plexities of function obtaining on some of the deep-sea bony fishes do not occur
on either of them. In tlie distribution of the canals, however, there are cer-
tain peculiarities in all the members of the group that distinguish the Chimae-
roids from both Plagiostomes and bony fishes. A description of the system on
Rhinochimaera applies fairly well to all the genera of its kindred, for even in
the strange form of Callorhynchus one has but to apply the foliation of the
snout to the lower side of the rostrum to make the similarity at once apparent.
For comparisons and for nomenclature see this Bulletin, Vol. XVIT., No. 2, Gar-
man, 1888, On the Lateral Canal System of the Plagiostomia and Holocephala,
Plates T. to LTIL, and Mem. ]\Ins. Comp. Zool, Vol. XXIV., Garman, 1899, Deep
Sea Fishes, Plates LXIX. to LXXXIV. On the Chimaeroid the aural branch
of the system, which crosses the back of the head, lies in front of the orbital,

250 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

■which latter passes down behind the eye. and connects directly with the cra-
nial ; this places the short occipital behind the aural, and consequently the orbital
does not meet the cranial. On Plagiostomes and on bony fishes the occipital is
in front of the aural, and the orbital meets the cranial at some distance in front
of the aural. In one case the occipital can be regarded as a portion of the
lateral line, in the others it must be considered as a continuation of the cranial
branch. On Chimaeroids again, the mouth being forward from the eye, the
anijular branch passes down and forwanl from the orbital to meet the nariah
but on Plagiostomia having the mouth backward from the eye the angular passes
backward. In tlie Rhinochimaeridae the canals have the appearance of tubes
that have been longitudinally slit on the outer side, Plate 4, Figure 3 ; they are
thus intermediates between the more open grooves of the Chimaeridae, and the
tubes of the Callorhynchidae. As is seen on Rhinochimaera. Plate 1, Fioiure 1 ,
the iusular meets the orbital, and the angular descends from the orbital and

JO ' ~

passes downward and toward the front to meet the nasal and the oral : the
same is true in Ilarriotta, Plate 2, Figure 4. In Chimaera the oral meets the
ano-ular. Lat. Canal Svst., Plate II . Fiirures 3 and 4, but on Callorbvnrhus it
starts from the orbital. 1. c, Plates III. and IV., Fifrure 1. On both Rhinochi-
maeridae and Callorhynchidae the jugular starts from the orbital ; on Chimae-
ridae it starts either from the angular or the orbital. On the individual from
which the description of Rhinochimaera is taken, the aural is not continuous
across the head, but is in two parts, which pass one another and overlap for
some distance, Plate 2, Figure 1 ; the cranials and rostrals pass from the junction
of aurals and occipitals forward to the end of the snout, bending toward one
another between the eyes: the subrostral lies at the side of the snout and meets
the orbital below the middle of the orbit ; the occipital passes down and back-
ward from the aural ; the orbital goes down and forward from the occipital ;
and the angular goes down, then bends forward to the oral and the nasal. The
jugular meets the orbital, and, like the oral, is more or less broken and dis-
connected behind the symphysis. On this specimen the narials of the two
sides are continuous across the lower side of the snout, forming the only com-
plete connection, e.xcept the neural, Ijetween the system of the right side and
that of the left. On specimens of Harriotta the narials appeared somewhat
broken at this point, orals and an:iulars also were broken, but the aural? were
undivided, Plate 2, Figures 3 and 5. On both Rhinochimaera and Harriotta
the line makes some descent backward from aural and cranial to orbital and
thence proceeds nearly straight back to a point below the origin of the supra-
caudal fin, where it turns toward the upper edge of the subcaudal fin and con-
tinues along the lower edge of the side on the muscular portion to the end of
the tail. The close general correspondence of the lateral systems of these
genera is very evident if the figures of Rhinochimaera pacifica, Plate 1, Fig-
ure 1, and Plate 2, Figures 1 and 2, are placed side by side with those of
Harriotta raleighana, Plate 2, Figures 3 to 5.

GARMAN: the CIIIMAEROIDS. 251

The Clampers, Plate 3, Figures 1, 4, 5.

The claspors of Rliinochimaera are similar in construction to those of Callo-
rhvnc'hus; they differ greatly from those of Chimaera. They have the ap-
pearance of beinii formed of a narrow strip of cartilage rolled into a tube, then
twisted so that the joined edges, indicated externally by a shallow groove, are
given a complete turn in the length of each clasper. In the distal half each is
rmmd, hard, and slender; proximally each is much thickened by the strong
m'lscles that surround its base and include the receptaculum, the opening to
which is hardly visible on the outside. At the free end, the tube from the re-
ceptaculum opens in the cleft extending from the interior of a small, fleshy,
spine-covered bulb. As the claspers lie at rest, the clefts open outward from
one another ; but when in function the claspers are turned down and forward
with a slight rolling motion, Plate 3, Figure 4, making the clefts to open
inward, more toward one another, and the spine-covered surfaces to be carried
outward so as not to come in contact. The spines at the extremities are erec-
tile and hook toward the bases of the organs, thus forming effective holders.
Turning the claspers down and forward from the body ajjpears to open the
mouths of the receptactila and bring them near the openings of the spermatic
ducts. For comparison with those of Rliinochimaera the intromit tent organs
of a skate, Raia laevis, are figured on Plate 4, Figure 5 ; they are turned toward
the head as in function, without indicating the peculiar structures of the carti-
lages near the outer ends. The position of the clasper with regard to the ven-
tral fin may be a matter of no great importance, yet it adds to the number of
peculiarities distinguishing recent Chimaeroids from the Plagiostomes. The
clasper of the Chimaeroid, Plate 3, Figures 1 and 2, occujjies a position above
the edge of the ventral fin. in a measure between the fin and the body ; that of
the Plagiostome (Plate 3, Figure 3, a young specimen of C'archarinus terrae-
novae) lies below the edge of the fin, which extends between the clamper and
the body.

The Skull, Plate 1, Fig. 2.

In the skull of Rliinochimaera pacifica there is little or no departure from
the general type of Chimaeroid skull. The shapes .as outlined, either from
above, below, or from the side, may be described in similar terms, and the
minor differences are not much greater tlmn are to be seen in the different
species of Chimaerae, or even than those obtaining in the different stages of
an individual of a species of Callorhynchus. The parietal region is broader
than that of Chimaera monstrosa, and narrower than that of Callorhynchus
callorhynchus ; the frontal region is thicker, wider, 'and rounder, and does not
form a blade- like crest as in Callorhynchus. The facial portion, oral and
olfactory section, is more jiroduced than that of Chimaera monstrosa; in this
respect it more resembles that of Callorhynchus callorhynchus, in which the
narial portion of the skull is much farther forward from the eye than in Chi-
maera monstrosa, Plate 11. In the young of Callorhynchus callorhynchus,

252 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Plate 10, and in the young of other Chimaeroids the facial region of the skull
is shorter than in the adult.

Whether a distinct rostral prolongation is developed or not, the rostral carti-
lages are similar in all the genera of recent Chimaeroids. The upper rostral
cartilage of Pihinochimaera rests on the frontal crest, about midway from the
orbital to the narial section, and has a more robust development than on any
other of the known Chimaeroids, Plate 1, Figure 2. On Chimaera colliei the
point of attachment of this cartilage is about the same, but on Chimaera mon-
strosa, Plate 11, it is higher on the forehead, and on Callorhynchus callo-
rhvnchus it is much nearer the nasal sacs. Though Plate 10 was drawn from
a very young specimen, which had not attained the great facial prolongation of
individuals of the same species at greater age, it shows the lower rostral carti-
lages with a proportional development approaching that seen in Rhinochi-
maera, Plate 1. As shown on Plate 11, in Chimaera monstrosa, and in other
species of the same genus, the lower or subrostral cartilages are much dwarfed
in size, as also is the case with the upper or suprarostral, though in much less
degree. The fact that these cartilages are present and so well developed in
the species of Chimaera, in the absence of a rostrum, suggests that a rostrum
existed in ancestral forms and has become obsolete. The three rostral carti-
lages are present, in varying degrees of perfection, on each genus of the
Chimaeroids. The bases of these cartilages are attached to the skull by liga-
ment in such a way as to admit of considerable movement of the distal ex-
tremities up and down. On Chimaera monstrosa, Plate 11, the suprarostral
cartilage presents the appearance of having originally been attached near the
nasal capsules, as in Callorhynchus, and of having the basal portion, for a short
distance, brought back against and fused with the frontal region of the skull ;
the ligamentous attachment, however, is at the base of the free portion.

The labial cartilages, present on all the genera, are the same in ninnbers
and positions, but vary greatly in size. They have been worked out in Chi-
maera and Callorhynchus by ^lidler. On Rhinochimaera the lower labial car-
tilages— that is, the larger ones (called by Miiller the unterer unpaarer Lip-
penknorpel in Callorhynchus, but actually paired in this genus as in the other
genera) — are smaller than those of Callorhynchus callorhynchus, Plate 10,
and larger than those of. Chimaera monsti'osa, Plate 11, said to be absent by
Miiller. By some authorities the remnants of the intermaxillaries and the
maxillaries are to be found in the superior labial cartilages. In all of the
genera examined there is a pair of lower labial cartilages. This pair is closely
bound together in large specimens of species of Callorhynchus, but in young
individuals the two are distinct, and in very young ones of Callorhynchus cal-
lorhynchus there appears to be an additional pair of slender bars of cartilage
crossing immediately in front of the large ones. These are distinctly shown
on Plate 10 ; on later stages they have apparently fused with the larger ones
behind them. The excessive development of the chin cartilages, the unterer
unpaarer Lippenknorpel of JMiiller, in Callorhynchus is no doubt connected
with feeding habits which necessitate grubbing or picking food off the rocks or
out of the sands.

gaeman: the chimaeroids. 253

Branchial Skeleton^ Plates 12, 13.

In orencral the branchial skeleton of Chiniaeroids does not reach so great a
degree of perfection as that of the Flagiostome. This is especially evident in
the basibranchials, copulae, which in all the species of Chiniaeroids are more or
less undeveloped, some of them being mere lumps of cartilage in the tissues
attached but remotely to the hypo- and cerato-branchials. A marked con-
trast in these respects is to be seen on comparison of the species figured on
Plates 12 and 13 with such a shark as Chlamydoselachus anguineus, one of
the lowest of its order, possessing the greatest degree of perfection in the
branchial skeleton, in which basibranchials and hypobranchials are fully de-
veloped and intimately connected. On the other hand, the epibranchials of
Chimaeroids are commonly better developed than those of the Plagiostomia.

The branchial cartilages of Rhinochimaera pacifica, Plate 12, are typical of
its entire group. Such differences as there are lie mainly in the inferior con-
nections among the copulae. With exception of the hindmost one, the basi-
branchial copulae are more remotely connected with the hypobranchials than is
the case in the sharks; they are rounded lamps or disks of cartilage which
do not form close articulations. In the branchial cartilages of this species,
Plate 12, the three copulae between the first liasibranchial and the fifth are
represented by two pairs of small lumps of cartilage and a larger odd one, the
connections of all of which are ligamentous and remote. The glossohyal is
wedge-shaped and does not entirely separate the basihyals, as in case of Cal-
lorhynchus callorhynchus, Plate 13, Figure 3 ; it differs also from that species
in that it is produced forward into the tongue. The hindmost copula is broad
anteriorly; in the posterior third it tapers to a sharp point ; it is shaped much
like that of species of Chimaera, Plate 13, Figures 1 and 2, and is not so nar-
row and slender as that of Callorhynchus on the same plate, Figure 3. Appar-
ently there is considerable individual variation to be considered in connection
with all the Chimaeroids, especially in regard to the basibranchials. The first
two and the last one of the copulae appear to be regularly present, but between
these there are a couple which in cases are present as pairs, in others as single
lumps. Instead of the single copular lumps present in Callorhynchus callo-
rhynchus, Rhinochimaera pacifica has two pairs, Chimaera monstrosa has a
pair and a single large shield preceded by a small pair, and Chimaera colliei
has a pair and a single large shield followed by a piir. while the shield or
lump preceding the hindmost has a pair of small cartilages in front of it and
another pair behind it, Plate 13, Figure 2. Among other variations obtaining
among the species, that of the glossohyal is noted in connection with the
tongue, and those of the epibranchials from elongate and narrow in Rhinochi-
maera, Plate 12, Figure 2, to short and broad in Callorhynchus callorhynchus,
Plate 13, Figure 3, are readily to be seen on examination of the mentioned
figures.

254 BULLETIN : MUSEUxM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Tongue, Plates 12 and 13.

The tongue of Rhinochimaera is larger than that of either of the other
species dissected; it is prominent, free from the floor of the mouth, and is well
supported by a forward prolongation of the glossohyal cartilage. At the for-
ward extremity it is truncate ; the upper surfaces are covered with papillae,
Plate 12. In both of the species of Chimaera dissected the tongue is seen to
be much smaller, sharper in front, and to have much less of the glossohyal
within it, Plate 13, Figures 1 and 2. The tongue of Callorhynchus callorhyn-
chus, Plate 13, Figure 3, is greatly reduced or quite rudimentary, and the
glossohyal is not produced into it as in the other forms desci ibed. From the
shape of the tongue of Harriotta raleighana, it is evident that the glossohyal
is produced into it; the skin of the organ is peculiarly thickened and folded on
its upper surface, Plate 5, Figure 5, a consequence probably of rough contact
and severe pressure by the hard portions of the food that has established the
tritors on the teeth. The tongue of Harriotta is markedly different on the
surface from that of either of the other genera, as is sufficiently obvious on
comparison with the tongues figured on Plates 12 and 13, all of which are fur-
nished with numerous papillae.

Teeth, Plates 5, 6, 7.

In all the known recent Chimaeroids the individual possesses three pairs of
teeth, vomerines, palatines, and mandibulars, one pair of each ; that is, two
pairs of upper and one pair of lower teeth. Some of the fossil forms appear
to have had a greater number, and some of the earliest of the extinct tvpes
apparently had a single pair of lower opposed to a single jiair of upper teeth.
Rhynchodus of the Corniferous and Hamilton limestones, Devonian, descrilted
by Newberry from Ohio, is said to be limited to the two pairs, vomerines and
mandibulars, so also is Rhamphodus of Jaekel. from the Upper Devonian.
These orenera are of some interest in connection with this writino; because their
tooth-characters are in certain respects similar to those of Rhinochimaera,
which among recent species possesses the most primitive features of dentition.
Of living forms the resemblances in the outlines of the teeth are closer thnn in
their details of structure. While the differences in these last are excessive,
they are so distributed among the genera most closely allied in regard to other
peculiarities as to prevent use in distinguishing hiizher groups. This is well
illustrated by the teeth of Rhinochimaera and Harriotta, members of a single
family, Plate 5, — instances respectively of the least differentiated and the most
specialized in dental structures. An abundance of fossil Chimaeroid teeth sug-
gests that they may have been shed at times by individuals as in Plagiostomia.
"While a periodical shedding of teeth might be expected from what obtains in
other forms, we have as yet no evidence of its existence. The worn condition
of the teeth in all specimens at hand points rather towar 1 a continuous growth

GARMAN : THE CHIMAEROIDS. 255

from the nourishing tissues and a continuous grinding away on the side toward
the moutli cavity.

The mouth of Rhinochimaera is narrower and more pointed than that of its
fellows, probahly in these respects approaching that of Rhynchodus, or of
Rhamphodus, consequently its teeth are narrower and more elongate, Plate 5,
Figures 1 and 2. Altogether the mouth resembles in a measure the beak of a
bird of prey ; the teeth pass one another like the edges of a pair of shears and
in front the vomerines are turned downward in a sharp hook. As the teeth
are used entirely for cutting and holding and not for crushing, the stress comes
on the sharp edges. The unassisted eye may hardly detect the existence of
tritors, but with a lens, where the edges have been somewhat worn away, a
series of the extremities of minute calcigerous tubes or pores is to be recog-
nized. The dental plates are thin ; in appearance tliey recall the horny fin
rays, though they are not fibrous and are much harder and more brittle. The
vomerines are small, convex outwardly, concave inwardly, in contact forward,
hooked downward in front of the lower jaws, and feebly notched on the lateral
cutting edge by contact with the mandibulars. The palatines are not in con-
tact on the median line of the mouth ; eaeh of the pair is long and narrow,
concave on the lower surface, blunt on the inner angle, slender and acute pos-
teriorly, straight on the cutting edge except at the forward extremity where it
curves upward, and but little bent upward on the inner edge. The man-
dibulars are longer, more slender, and more pointed than the palatines ; they are
concave on their upper surfaces, rounded instead of angled inwardly, slightly
in contact at the symphysis, very little bent downward at the. inner edges, and
straiirht on the cutting edires except when curvinsr down and inward below the
vomerines. The only tritoral areas on these teeth are on the cutting edges.
ProbaV)ly the teeth of Rhinochimaera do not vary greatly from the type pos-
sessed by the ancestral C'himaeroid, and no doubt the changes undergone in the
teeth from very young to adult stages are comparatively slight. The indicated
food of this C'himaeroid is crustacean and other life, of considerable depths of
the ocean, in wliich the skeletons have no great degree of hardness.

Harriotta, in most respects the nearest ally of Rhinochimaera, differs radi-
cally in regard to the teeth, Plate 5, Figures 3, 4, G-9. The dental plates are
similar in shape and alike in number, but the tritors, even though they owe
their existence to the common causes, stress and impact without perceptible
differences in regard to exertion or reception, differ in arrangement from those
of any other known Chimaeroid either fossil or recent. The mouth being
wider in this genus than in Rhinochimaera and the function depending on the
side of the tooth, rather than on the edge, the teeth are broader and much
less sharpened at their extremities. The vomerines are of moderate size,
somewhat broad, convex outward, concave inward, slightly hooked down in
front of the mandibulars, and bear a marginal series of small tritors about
nine in number. They are in contact forward, and rather widely separated
backward on the median line. The palatines are broad, broadly rounded in
front and at the inner angle, more or less sharp posteriorly, and bear more or

256 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

less of a prominence, due to the median series of tritors, on the hinder margin.
The tritors with some irregularity are distributed in four rows: an outer series
at the edge of the tooth of about six rounded tritors, an inner series of about
three near the front end, a median series of several parallel with the inner,
and a ])osterior series of about nine broad, short, closely placed tritors extend-
ing: from the hind margin forward over more than half of the tooth and to
some extent resembling the dental series of certain jNIyliobatidae. The mandi-
bulars are pointed at each end and convexly curved on both outer and inner
margins; they bear an outer series of small rounded tritors anteriorly, along
about two-thirds of the edge of the tooth, and a median or posterior series of
broad, short, closely packed tritors in the hinder three-fifths of the toath, ex-
tending to the hind margin, but not to the posterior extremity. The descrip-
tion immediately foregoing is taken from a specimen that had almost reached
maturity, and may be said to fairly represent conditions in an adult, Plate 5,
Figures 3 and 4. The appearance of the teeth in a half-grown specimen are
indicated on Plate 5, Figures 6 and 7. Of such immature specimens the teeth
are farther apart and on each tooth the angles are less developed. The tritors
also are farther apai't and much smaller, some of the hindmost of the wide
ones of the inner series being very faintly indicated or altogether absent.
Each of the teeth at this stage may be described as shorter, broader, and less
angular than the corresponding tooth of the adult. In quite young specimens,
such as that of which the teeth are figured on the same plate, Figures 8 and 9,
the teeth are less broad and more angular and tritors have not appeared. This
in all likelihood represents the condition obtaining in the adult of some ances-
tor ; and this stage is nearer to the permanent type in Rhinochimaera. While
there are no tritors on these teeth the positions they finally occupy are already
indicated by slight ridges or swellings. A still earlier stage would probably
bear teeth on which these ridges would not be developed.

The teeth of very young Callorhynchidae, Plate 6, Figures 3 and 4, before
the tritors af)pear, are similar to those of a like stage in the Rhinochi-
maeridae, as represented by Harriotta, Plate 5, Figures 8 and 9. In later
stages the tritors appear on the ridges of palatines and mandibulars and on
the cutting edges of the vomerines. This condition appears to be retained
by the adult in the type here identified with Callorhynchus smythii Benn., of
which the teeth are shown on Plate 6, Figures 1 and 2. In the other species
of the genus, however, the hinder portions of the tritors of the palatine teeth
enlarge and fuse, while the forward portions remain as two prongs that may
apparently become less extensive toward the front; at the same time the tritor
of each mandibular tooth shortens and broadens until in cases somewhat angu-
lar or nearly round, as in Callorhynchus milii, Plate 7, Figures 7 and 8. If in
addition to the individual variations those shown to occur in the five species of
this genus at hand are also considered, we get a hint of what may be expected
amons other genera, recent or extinct. Teeth from the various stages of indi-
viduals, or of the different species detached and described, as is necessarily
done with fossils, might readily lead to multij^lication of synonyms for both

garman: the chimaeroids. 257

species and genera. Three of the known Hving species are reported from the
soutliwestern coasts of South America; tlie other two are from Tasmania and
the Cape of Good Hope respectively. Tlie younger stages of all are similar.
Callorhynchus callorhynchus, Plate 7, Figures 7 to 9, is the species most widely
known ; in it the tritor of each palatine tooth occupies the greater part of the
entire length of the dental plate and sends forward two prongs, the inner of
the two being the longer. C. smythii, Plate 6, Figures 1 to 4, as already men-
tioned, has two distinct parallel tritors on each of the palatine teeth. Both of
these forms occur at Valparaiso and Talcahuano. C. tritoris is a new species
from the INIejillones ; one of its palatines and the vomerines are drawn on
Plate 6, Figure 9, where the tritor of the first is seen to be placed far back
on the tooth, to be broader than long and hardly notched anteriorly. In
C. milii, Plate 6, Figures 7 and 8, the prongs are short ; and the tritors have
a considerable forward extension on the palatine teeth, while the mandibular
tritor is short, rounded, or oblong, and like those of the palatines situated near
the posterior edge of the tooth. This is the Tasmanian species first named,
described, and figured by Bory, 1823, and later described by Richardson, 1841,
under the name C. tasmanius. Callorhynchus capensis, Plate 6, Figures 5 and
6, is marked by very slender and sharp forward extensions of the tritors on
both palatine and mandibular teeth ; these prongs are elongate and tapering,
and the hinder portion of the tritor on the palatine is comparatively short, but
on the mandibular teeth the posterior swollen portion of the tritor appears to
be longer than that of the tooth above it. This species was described by
Dume'ril, 1865, from specimens secured at the Cape of Good Hope; the figures
cited above were drawn from an individual sent by E. L. Layard, Esq., from
the same locality. Interest in C. capensis is heightened by the fact that traces
of its existence have been found in Cretaceous formations and in a locality
which greatly widens its distribution. For the species described by Xewton,
1876, in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, p. 326, Vol. 3, and
figured and described by the same author, 1878, in the Memoirs of the Geologi-
cal Survey of the United Kingdom, IV., p. 41, Plate XII., Figures 11 and 12,
under the name Callorhynchus hectori, from a fossil palatine tooth found at
Amuri Bluff, New Zealand, in a fine conglomerate, believed to be of the age of
the Lower Greensand, of the Cretaceous, is not to be separated from C. capen-
sis by any of the characters at present known. This is the earliest positive
evidence of the existence of a species of now living Chimaeroid.

The teeth of Chimaerae are more differentiated than those of any other
genus of the group. Judging from the dentition, the evolution of Chimaera,
as in the reduction of the rostrum, would appear to have gone a stage farther
than that of the species of Callorhynchus, and in doing this to have acquired
the peculiar laminated structure and the palatine and mandil)ular tritors on the
forward edges of the teeth. The ridges on the inner sides of these teeth may
be looked upon as remains of tritors, similar to those of Callorhynchus smythii,
Plate 6, Figures 1 and 2. If the rise of Chimaera were to be traced, there
would probably be found among its ancestors some with teeth like those of the

258 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

very } oung Callorbynclu, and others of a later period in which tritors, like those
of Callorbynchiis suntbii, were present on the sides of the teeth, and yet others,
still later, in which by change of feeding habits the impact had been changed
to the front edges of the palatine and the mandibular teeth, where the stress
or impact is generally exerted, and where tritors now are in all except very
early stages of Chimaera. Xo better way at present suggests itself to account
for the differences in dental structure found in Chimaera and Callorhynchus.
On Plate 7, Figures 1 to 3, the much-worn teeth of an old individual of Chi-
maera monstrosa are drawn. If the palatine and the mandibular teeth of this
species are compared with the same teeth of Callorhynchus smythii, or of the
very young of the other species of that genus, or even of the very young of
Harriotta, it will be seen that the two lateral ridges of each palatine and the
single lateral ridge of each mandibular are in the same positions, but in the
later stages of individuals of Chimaera the impact is applied to the forward
extremities of the ridges, and in the other genera mentioned it is exerted on
their sides. Yet if the account of the dentition of Chimaera is carried no
further it will be incomplete and misleading, for as the anterior edges and tritors
of the palatine and mandibular plates are ground away by use in aged indi-
viduals, the impact is more and more applied to the inner sides of these plates,
farther and farther backward. Consequently tritors develop, later in the lives
of such individuals, on the sides of calcigerous tubes the extremities of which
were the tritors of earlier stages. On the teeth, of a specimen of Chimaera
monstrosa more than thirty inches in length, shown on Plate 7, Figures 1-3,
the tritors of the forward edges are the only ones that appear; the ridges of
the inner sides are present, but evidently they had not served as grinders
and they bear no tritors. On old individuals of Chimaera colliei the tritors of
these ridges are prominent and more swollen than those of Callorhynchus
smythii, 1 late 6, Figures 1 and 2, and possibly in this or other species of
Chimaera they may with greater use become much expanded, or even may
become confluent somewhat as in most species of Callorhynchus.

The Viscera. Plate 1, Figure 2 ; Plate 4, Figure 4 ; Plates 8 and 9.

The stomach and the inside walls of the body cavity of Rhinochimaera
pacifica are blackish ; behiuil the stomach the intestines are lighter in color.
The alimentary canal is but little longer than the abdominal cavity ; the extent
of the difference in the two lengths is indicated in the short transverse portion
of the valvular section of the intestine in Plate 1, Figure 2. The distinctions
between the stomach and the intestine are not particularly well marked, though
the walls of the former are darker and are provided on the inside with longi-
tudinal folds or striae, less noticeable when distended, which disappear at the
pylorus. The intestine properly so called may be divided into two sections ; a
longer one containing the first turn of the spiral fold, which originates close
behind the stomach at the point of the entrance of the bile duct and as a mere
fold of the inner membranes, attached to the wall, gradually makes the turn as

GAKMAX: THE CHIMAEKOIDS. 259

it oxtenils backward to the first valve ; and a shorter one beginning at the valve
and containing two other valvular constrictions which respectively end the
second and the third turns, included between the first valve and the third.
On Plate 8, the intestine is slit open from the j)\loric end of the stomach to
the vent to show the long, spiral fold, the three muscular and valvular con-
strictions, and the two short spirals. The portion of the intestine occupied by
the longest spiral is more than twice as long as that occupied by the two short
ones. The diagrammatic figure 4 of Plate 4, by means of a dotted line, traces
the course taken by the food from the pylorus to the cloaca. The intestines
of Callorhyuchus callorhynchus, Plate 10, are in most respects similar to those
of Khinocliimaera. The numerous points of resemblance common to those of
Ohimaera are quite as readily seen. Professor T. J. Parker, 1880, gives a
"■ood figure of the spiral folds of Chiraaera monstrosa, and describes this portion
of the canal in these words, '• I found a valve of only three and a half turns,
remarkable from the fact that the attached edge did not form a regular spiral,
but for a part of its course (namely, during the first turn) formed a slightly
sinuous antero-posterior line. In consequence of this, the second compartment
of the intestine was fully half as long again as the bursa entiana."

The pancreas of Khinochimaera is small and elongate ; in Figure 2 of
Plate 1, it lies above the intestine immediately behind the left lobe of the liver.
As it appeared in the specimen, it was bent backward upon itself, though it
may be that normally it is nearly straight. Apparently the spleen is closely
bound with it. Above the pancreas, in the figure, and somewhat forward, lies
the left testicle, from which the seminal tubes a-e traced back to the seminal
vesicle immediately below the enlarged and lobed hinder extremity of the
kidney. The reticulated seminal vesicle, the lobulated kidney, the disk-like
testicle, and the complex of seminal ducts are shown more distinctly on Plate 8.
A lower view of these organs appears on Plate 9, Figure 2, in which the re-
ticulation of the vesicle is not seen.

The liver is drawn in Figure 1 of Plate 9. It has three lobes, the right one
of which is much the longer and is notched at the tip. The gall bladder lies at
the right side of the stomach and its duct enters the intestine close behind the
stomach at the forward extremity of the spiral fold.

In the bulbus of the heart, Plate 9, Figure 3, there are two rows of valves,
the anterior of which contains three valves, the posterior four, Plate 9,
Figure 4.

Generally the visceral features of Khinochimaera are in close correspond-
ence with those of the other genera of the group. And this is quite as true of
the internal sexual organs as of other internal organs, contrary to what might
perhaps have been expected from the great external differences in the claspers.
To fully estal)lish this, one has but to compare the present figures of Khinochi-
maera with those of the sexual organs of Chimaera monstrosa published by
Hyrtl, 1854.

VOL. XLI. — NO. 2 2

2G0 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology.

The Brain, Plates 14, 15.

The brain of recent Chimaeroids is crowded together posteriorly. The
optic and inferior lobes are close to the medulla oblongata and are below the
cerebellum. The hemispheres are remote from the optic and inferior lobes,
and the connections with them are slender and nerve-like. This shape of the
brain, the massing that has taken place backward with the remoteness that
obtains forward, is characteristic of the group, so far as known living genera
are concerned. A similar crowding of parts of the brain is common among
Plagiostomes, but the wide separation of the hemispheres from the o]3tic lobes
is peculiar to Chimaeroids. In some genera of the latter the olfactory bulbs are
distant from the hemispheres, so also in particular Plagiostomia, but in one
genus each hemisphere is closely connected with an olfactory bulb. In these
cases either remoteness or the absence of separation of the olfactories serves
to distinjiuish the frenera.

The brain of Rhinochimaera pacifica, Plate 14, from the medulla oblongata
forward to the optic lobes differs comparatively little from that of its allies.
The posterior mass is similar in shape and in the positions of its component
parts. Compared with Chimaera colliei, Plate 15, Figures 1 and 2, or Callo-
rhynchus milii, Figures 4 and 5 of the same plate, the l)rain of the present
specimen is somewhat smaller in the cerebellum, which does not cover the
optic lobes so completely as in the other cases ; this deficiency in size, however,
may be a feature of the individual and not a character of the species. The
nerve-like connections with the hemispheres are more slender in Rhinochimaera
than is the case in the other genera. In the distance between hemispheres
and olfactory bulbs Rhinochimaera pacifica agrees with Callorhynchus milii,
Plate 15, Figures 4 and 5, though the connections are even more slender than
in the latter species and the olfactory bulbs are smaller. Between the hemi-
spheres and the olfactory bulbs in Rhinochimaera the distance is about twice
that between the hemispheres and the optic lobes ; in Chimaera colliei the dis-
tance between olfactories and hemispheres has vanished, while that between
the latter and the optic lobes remains. Similar comparisons may be made with
the brain of Chimaera monstrosa, which has been worked out by Dr. Wilder
and others.

Miscellaneous.

The first mention of the species described above, and a full-grown male of
which is figured on Plate 1, in one-third of its life size, was ])ublished by Pro-
fessor K. Mitsukuri in the Tokyo " Zoological Magazine," No. 80, Vol. VII.,
June, 1895, with an outline sketch on Plate IG of the same volume. The more
important portion of this notice, containing all the description, is reprinted
below. By some mistake the outlines were said to be those of a male ; they
are evidentlv those of a female. Professor Mitsukuri's remarks are given in
Lis own words : —

GAHMAN: THE CIIIMAEEOIDS. 261

"The specimen (male) was bought in the Tokyo market and is marked as from
Kurihama, Province of Sagami ; there can be no doubt that fishermen of tiiat villaj;e
cauglit it in the deep waters (two hundred fathoms or more) ccmtiguous to ilisaki.
Its unique characters liad long been noted by us.

" Unfortunately, I am not yet in possession of the original description of Hariotta
ralelghana by Messrs. Goode and Beax. But the sliort description, ' the extremely
elongate muzzle and tlie feeble claspers' as well as the comparison of the two
figures leave no doubt in my own mind that the two individuals figured belong to
the same genus.

" Tliere can also be very little question that they belong to different species.
(1) Tiie general shape of the body, (2) the shape and size of the pectoral and ven-
tral fins, ('i) the point to which these fins reach when laid back, (4) the shape and
disposition of the dorsal fins, (5) distribution of the lateral-line sense-system all
seem to point to the specific distinction of the Atlantic and Pacific specimens.
The name Hariotta pacijica will be most appropriate to the Japanese species."

It would be a matter of some difficulty from tliis notice, or from the outlines
accompanying it, to make a satisfactory identification ; it was only by com-
parison with the type that it might be done. No other description had been
published when the specimen of which the present writing treats was brought
by Dr. Agassiz from Tokyo. This specimen was dissected from one side and
drawings and descriptions were made from the preparations. In the second
volume of tlie Proceedings of the Now England Zoological Club, page 75, a
short preliminary to the present paper was published, in 1901, under the title
" Genera and Families of the Chimaeroids," in which it was shown that Pro-
fessor Mitsukuri's species did not belong to the genus Ilarriotta, known from
the Atlantic, that it represented a new genus, which was then characterized
and named Rhinochimaera, and that it with Harriotta constituted a new family,
the Rhinochimaeridae, of equal rank with the Chimaeridae and the Callorhyn-
chidae, the last also a new family. The genera and the families were briefly
characterized in the preliminary; the characterizations, of greater length and
slightly modified by the anatomical studies, are repeated in the present paper.
One question raised by the subsequent studies relates to the presence or ab-
sence of tritors in Rhinochimaera. On teeth the cutting edges of which have
not been worn with hard usage no tritors are visible; but if the extremities of
the minute calcigerous tubes to be seen with a lens on the cutting edges of
worn teeth are to be accepted as tritors, it is incorrect to say Rhinochimaera
has no tritors. Besides the possession of several series of molar-like tritors,
the structure of the proboscis in Harriotta, depressed instead of compressed, is
a very patent distinction. It was stated in the preliminary that the frontal
tenaculum is present on the males of Harriotta, as on males of Rhinochimaera,
Chimaera, and Callorhynchus, a fact which was denied in the original diag-
nosis of that genus. It was added that the frontal tenaculum is only acquired
by the young male somewhat late in his existence, about the time he becomes
sexually mature and the intromittent "claspers" have approached functional
maturity, the advent of the tenaculum coinciding nearly with the beginning of

262 BULLETIX: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

its period of utility in the congress of the sexes. This was in relation to all
the genera of the group. It was overlooked at the time that Giinther, in 188 7,
had reached a similar conclusion in regard to Chimaera. The following is a
repetition of his statement.

" The development of ttie prehensile organ on tlie upper part of the snout, which
is peculiar to tlie male sex in Chimaera, keeps pace with tliat of the claspers. This
organ is visible in our youngest specimen, wliich evidently was hatched only a few
days, as a narrow cartilage of whitish colour entirely covered by the skin, but
visible through it. It has not made as great progress in the largest of the young
specimens, and therefore does not seem to become detached from the head before
the individual attains to sexual maturity."

" Detached from the head " in this may mean either detached from the skull,
or attains to partial freedom above the skin, probably the latter.

The frontal tenaculum of the Chimaeroid male is not a modification of a fin
ray, as in the Pediculati, but is an accessory sexual organ, in its inception in
all probalulity merely a transverse fold of the skin of the forehead. ]f it were
a modification of a fin spine or radial, it would at the first appear as such,
without waiting for sexual maturity, and the embryo would be likely to exldbit
traces of its evolution. The frontal tenaculum of Squaloraia, a fossil from the
Lower Lias, is to be regarded as an intermediate form between the primary
transverse fold and the much-differentiated frontal tenacula of the living
Chimaeroids. In the fossil the base of the organ is transverse, and without
the simple elongate slender distal portion would sufficiently resemble a trans-
verse fold.

Naturally the higher groups are less clearly outlined in the fossil forms than
in the recent, and the farther back attempts are made to distinguish them,
along the converging lines to a common ancestry, the less definite the dis-
tinctions, until among tlie earlier they may not be recognized, and the more
prominent and numerous the intergradations. The modern tendency of empha-
sizing divergent features leads to multiplication in the number of families.
"Woodward, 1891, in the Catalogue of Fossils in the British Museum, Vol. II.,
distributes the Chimaeroids in four families, Ptyctodontidae, Squaloraiidae,
Myriacanthidae, and Chimaeridae. Only the last of these contained species
that are now living. If the recent forms are arranged in three families, as ia
the present writing and in the preliminary, Rhinochimaeridae, Callorhynchi-
dae, and Chimaeridae, the known fossil species will be distributed in five fami-
lies, by leaving Chimaera pliocenica and C. javana in the Chimaeridae, and
placing Callorhynchus hectori in the Callorhynchidae. Undoubtedly future
studies will increase the number of families to which even the known fossils
are credited. Kot much can be done in comparing the recent with the extinct
forms, since so little is known of the latter. In most cases the fact of existence
has been established only through remnants of the dental apparatus. Of the
characterized families the Ptyctodontidae are distinguished by two pairs of
teeth, one above and one below, and no spines are known ; the Squaloraiidae

GAKMAN: THE ClilMAEllOIDS. 263

have two pairs of teeth above and one pair below, like recent members of the
group, but the dorsal spine is absent, the body is depressed, and the frontal
tenaculum of the male is t-longate st\liforni, much as the proboscis itself; and
the Myriacanthidae have the dorsal spine, have dermal plates on the head,
and have two pairs of teeth above and one pair an 1 a single symphyseal tooth
below.

A number of features are possessed in conuuou by the living forms, features
by which they are closely linked together and by which they arc readily dis-
tinguished from their nearest allies of the Plagiostomia. The form of body or
the general shape, the mandibular susjiensorium, the teeth, the lateral system,
the lack of shagreen, the erectile first dorsal, the frontal tenaculum, and the
ventral tenacula of the males, the wide separation of hemispheres and optic
lobes of the brain, the articulation of rostral cartilages; these go to distin-
guish the Chismopnea from the Plagiostomia. For family characters depend-
ence is placed on the differences in regard to the proboscis, on differences iu
the structure of the notochord, on differences in the claspcrs, and on differ-
ences in the brain and in the lateial line. The generic and the specific sepa-
rations are made by differences in the details of tritoral development, by the
slighter variations in forms of rostra, or in the structure of claspers, by minor
differences in the distribution of the lateral line, in the lengths and shapes of
the fins, in colors, etc.

The partial descriptions given below are introduced not as redescriptions
but as additions to knowledge of several species, rare or not easily secured, to
which references have been made in this paper. The lists of genera and
species recognized herein are given under the classification.

Harriotta raleighana.

Plate 3, Figs. 3-5; Plate 4, Fig. 1; Plate 5, F;ss. 3-9.

Hamolta raleighana Goode and Bean, 1894, Proc. U. S. Mus., xvii. 472, Plate XIX.

Figs. 1-4.

The authorities of the United States National Museum have kindly permitted
examination of some of the types from which this genus and species were origi-
nally descrilied. In consequence it is possible to add some items to the data
already published. Xecessarily they are limited to external features, as the
specimens could not be dissected.

Specimen 35631, from the Xorth Atlantic (Lat. 39° 12' N.; Lon. 72° 3'
30" W.), at a depth of seven hundred and seven fathoms, is the original of
Figs. 1 and 2 on Plate XIX. of Vol. xvii. of the Proceedings of the Xational
Museum, 1894, or of Figs. 37 and 38 on Plate XI. of the Oceanic Ichthyology;
it has the following measurements : Total length, 15.5, head, 3.5, snout to vent,
G.5. and snout to mouth, 2.5 inches. The individual is an immature male, too
young to have acquired the frontal tenaculum, the ventral tenacula. or the

264 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

functional development of the claspers. Its teeth are represented by Figs. 6
and 7 on Plate 5 of the present work. In ii umber of plates and their general
outlines these teeth are somewhat like those of a young Chimaera, but in
regard to the tritoral surfaces they are very different. On the palatine and
the mandibular teeth there are prominent series of tritors, like small rounded
molars ; on each of the palatines a series appears, the next to the outer, in
which the tritors from the third counting backward are broadened into trans-
verse bars, or in which two small tritors, or more, have United into one bro;id
one. On each jjalatine tooth there are four more or less comj)lete series of
the tritors, the outer two or three of which are extended farthest backward.
On the outer edge of each mandibuLir tooth there is a series of about ten of
the tritors or cusps, and from the sixtli and the seventh two shorter series
extend back nearly parallel with the inner edge of the tooth. The vomerine
teeth resemble in outline those of Chimaera. Medially in front each hooks
downward in a sharp point ; laterally from the point the edge lies higher and
has three rounded tritors, the hindmost of which forms the hinder edore of the
tooth. The claspers are but partially developed ; they are short, without
spines, stout and muscular at the bases, and in the distal three fifths of the
length are slender, cylindrical, and rounded. The groove is distinct to the
end. Tlie positions of the ventral tenacula are indicated by the openings, but
within the tenacular cavities the organs are (juite undeveloped ; the spines, of
course, are entirely absent. The frontal tenaculum, being of later develop-
ment than the claspers, is not yet differentiated. Though there appears to be
nothing on the sides of the forehead of this individual to distinguish it from a
female, if looked at from above the shape of the tenaculum appears to be
faintly outlined beneath the skin in its proper position. The dorsal spine has
a sharp compressed keel on its front edge ; it is triangular in a cross-section ;
each of the hinder edges turns directly outward at the side, is sharp, and is
barbed by sharp teeth hooking toward the base of the spine. At each side of
the postorbital space on the crown there are three or four spines in irregular
series, and there are four in longitudinal series at each side of the anterior
portion of the base of the second dorsal. The upper margin of the third
dorsal is like the others and has no such armature as that of Rhinochimaera
2)acifica (Plate 4, Fig. 2).

The lateral line system resembles that figured on Plate 2, Figs. 3-5, from
specimen 39415, but shows individual variation in several points. The upper
rostral tract meets the lower at a short distance behind the tip of the snout ;
they pass into one another at each side of the rostrum. Behind the transverse
band of sensory papillae or villi, on the left side of the lower surface of the
snout the subrostral line extends back between the suborbital and the prenarial,
but does not join with the latter like its fellow of the other side, and the pre-
narial does not curve out to meet it. Behind the mouth on the chin the line
is broken into dashes instead of being entire and transverse; similarly on the
throat the transverse line is broken more or less, and is discontinued for a short
distance about the middle. Below the middle of the supracaudal fin the lateral

GARMAN : THE CIIIMAEROIDS. 265

liuc suddenly drops to the lower edge of the muscular portion of the tail where
it continues to the end. The line is similar in structure to that of Rhinoclii-
maera pacifica, as figured on Plate 4, Fig. 3 ; it is an open groove with closely-
set ribs, which do not quite meet over the cavity. The aural portion of the
line bends forward at each side from the lateral, and passing inward turns
sharply back to meet its fellow in an acute angle, with the apex backward,
from which a short line is extended farther backward toward the dorsal spine.

Specimen 39415 of the National Museum is a female, taken in north lati-
tude 3d° 44' 30" and west longitude 70° 30' 45" at a depth of lOSl fathoms.
Its measurements are : total length, 25 ; length of head, 6 ; length of snout to
mouth, 4 ; snout to vent, 10.5; snout to dorsal spine, 6.5; snout to anal, 14.25;
snout to end of second dorsal, 14.25; length of dorsal spine, 2.75; length of
pectoral fin without base, 4.5; length of ventral fin, 2; depth of body between
dorsals, 2 75 ; width of pectoral, 2.75 ; width of ventral, 1.5 ; depth of tail, 1.4 ;
width of jiroboscis, 1.1 ; depth of orbit, 0.56 ; length of orbit, 0.75; and length
from snout to beginning of the upper fin on the tail, 14.9 inches. The dorsal
spine has sharp retrorse denticles on both of the hinder edges, and it has longi-
tudinal striations along its sides. It has a smooth, rather sharp ridge in
front, and close behind this in a transverse section it is concave and then slightly
convex. The spine has a more ])roininent anterior ridge and more distinct
denticles than on the young, but it is stouter in proportion to the fin on the
latter. The tongue is subtriangular, Plate 5, Figure 5, and it has a peculiar
structure, induced by feeding habits in connection with which its most im-
portant function may be performed in sorting out the softer tissues from the
harder portions or broken shells of the prey. The teeth show a considerable
advance from what obtains on 35631, as shown in Plate 5, Figures 6 and 7.
In the outlines the hindmost angles are sharper, from extension backward
on the edge of the jaw, and the tritors are broader, longer, and closer together,
Plate 5, Figures 3 and 4. They have expanded until those posteriorly on the
median ridge have come to resemble the dental cards of species of Mylio-
batis to which they suggest a similarity also in feeding habits. Possibly the
tritors coalesce and their dividing lines become obliterated in greater ages,
for this would be in line with the development traced through 35520 and
35631 to the present specimen ; in one the tritors are merely suggested, in
another they are well grown but separated, and in still another they are much
enlarged and in contact, Plate 5, Figures 3-9. Each of the vomerine teeth
hooks downward in front and has 9 or 10 tritors on its cutting edge. There
are three series of tritors on each palatine and but two on each mandibular
tooth, Plate 5, Figures 3 and 4 ; in this they differ from what obtains on the
teeth of 35631, Plate 5, Figures 6 and 7, a difference which may be due to
coalescence of tritors on the older individual.

Xumber 35520 of the National Museum collection is a young male of about
4.1 inches in length; it was ca])tured at a depth of 991 fathoms in north lati-
tude 39° 3 7' 45" and west longitude 71° 18' 45". The specimen was secured
near the time of extrusion from the eggshell, and so marks a depth at which

266 bulletin: museum of compaeatiye zoology.

tlie eggs are laid. It is the type from which Figures 3 and 4 of Plate XIX in
the Proceedings of the U. S. Xational Museum for 1894, and Figures 39 and 40
of the Oceanic Ichthyology were drawn. Apparently it has lost the tip of the
snout and the caudal filament. The lower fin of the tail is rather indistinct
anteriorly, but evidently it originates some distance farther forward than the
upper. Probably the specimen was torn from the egg and mutilated in the
dredge. The claspers and the tenacula are undeveloped. The parietal spines
and those between the dorsals and between the second dorsal and the fin on
the tail are quite prominent. They rise above the level of the head and of
the dorsal fins and the dorsal spine, as these last are closely applied to the
back ; their function appears to be aid in escape from the eggshell and to pro-
tect the back and fins at the time and later. The teeth of this individual are
figured on Plate 5, Figures 8 and 9, in four times natural length. They exhibit
slight differences in outline from those of older specimens, the principal one of
which is a backward extension from the median ridges of palatines and man-
dibulars; a marked distinction also occurs in the apparent lack of tritors. On
e.ich of both palatines and mandibulars there is a symphyseal, a median, and an
outer ridge extendino; to the hind edire of the tooth. Close examination dis-
closes, even in this comparatively undeveloped stage, indications of the molar-
like tritors in these ridges, in positions similar to those shown in Figures 6
and 7 of Plate 5. In each case the inner ridge is formed by the incurved edge
of the tooth. The vomerine teeth are less hooked than those on the older
specimens, and the tritors are hardly visible.

Callorhynchus milii.

Plate 6, Figures 7, 8; Plate 13, Figures 4, 5.

Calhrhi/ncluis milii Bory, 1823, Diet, class. d'Hist. Nat., TIL, 62, pi. y.
Cullorhi/iichus tasmaniiis Rich., 1841, Trans. Zooi. Soc. Lend., III. 174.

A specimen belonging to this species, sent by IMr. W. Robertson from
Hobart Town, has a total length of 1C.5, a length of head of 4, a length from
snout to dorsal spine or to base of pectoral of 4.25, from snout to ventral of
7.4 and to second dorsal of 7.75, a depth of body of 2.5, a length of dorsal
spine of 2.75, a length of pectoral of 4, a length of base of second dorsal of 3,
a distance from origin of supracaudal to end of base of anal of 0.6, and a
length of caudal of 4.75 inches.

The form is compressed, and is massive about the hend ; seen from the side
the outline is very convex and prominent above the front edge of the eye and
forward for a short distance. The foliate extremity of the proboscis is broad-
est near the hind margin, where it is subtruncate and slightlv notched. The
dorsal spine is situated above the origin of the, pectoral ; it is compressed and
sharp in front. In a trans-section it is concave immediately behind the sharp
front edge, then becomes convex ; the posterior edges have sharp retrorse ser-

GARMAN : THE CIIIMAEIIOIDS. 267

rations. The pectoral reaches behind the origin of the second dorsal, and
behind the bases of the ventrals, Avliich last extend little farther backward than
the origin of the second dorsal. Hinder margin of ventral and upper margin
of second dorsal concave. Base of anal short, close to subcaudal, with which
its base is united by a membrane; anal depth about e([ual to height of second
dorsal. The bases of the anal and the subcaudal of this specimen are about a
quarter of an inch apart, excepting the membrane, yet when the anal is at
rest its hind border is in contact with nearly the whole anterior edge of the
fin behind it. The color of the flanks is silver, of the back is light brownish,
and of the fins is brown. Probably the colors vary with age and sex.

On a specimen of five and three-fourths inches in length the canals of the
lateral system are not completely covered, as in the sixteen-incli individual ;
they are slit lengthwise, as on Rhinochimaera, but on the larger one they are
closed tubes with pores leading to the interior. The pectoral in this example
does not reach backward of either the origin of the second dorsal or the base
of the ventral. The arrangement of the spines on this small specimen is like
that on the larger one ; above the hind edge of the orbit on the outer side of
the cranial canal there is a short longitudinal series of two or three ; just inside
of this at the inner side of the canal a series begins and extends forward for
about twelve spines to the front end of the interorbital space, where it crosses
to meet a similar series on the other side of the crown ; close to the inner sides
of the posterior extremities of these series there are several spines, sometimes
but one ; at each side of the median line, between the dorsals, there is a longi-
tudinal series of fourteen or fifteen spines ; a similar row of fourteen spines
occurs at each side of the vertebral line between second dorsal and supracaudal.

Classification.

The intention in this section is to favor that nomenclature which was first
applied with approximate correctness, and to follow the rules of priority in
regard to designations for the higher groups as for the lower, the appeal for
fair treatment in relation to credit and recognition being admitted to be quite
as woithy in the case of the larger as in that of the smaller. It does not ap-
pear entirely just to carefully credit authorities for the names of species and at
the same time to disregard the claims of those who have determined the values,
affinities, and classification. Besides, a general acceptance of prior names tends
to abate the multiplication of synonyms.

The history of the Chimaeroids begins at a much earlier date than that of
Linne, as is seen in recognizable figures of Chimaera by Clusius, 1G05, Exoti-
corum, page 137, by Aldrovandi, 1613, De Piscibus, Lib. III., pages 402 and
403, and by others; but it is no purpose of this writing to present either a
complete history, bibliography, or synonymy. A few words on the origin of
each of the terms adopted will suffice.

Linne used the name Chondropterygii in the first edition of his Systema, in
1735. lie divided the fishes, as he knew them, into Plagiuri, Chondropterygii,

268 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

Brancbiostegi, Acanthopterygii, and Malacopterygii. The same arrangement
appears in bis edition of Artedi's work, 1 738, and iu subsequent editions of tbe
Systema up to and induding tbe seventb, 174S. His Cbondropterygii were
the genera Raia, Squalus, Acipenser, and Petromyzon.

Gronow, 1754, following Linnc, recognized tbe horizontal-tailed fishes, the
Plagiuri, and tbe perpendicular-tailed fishes : the latter be subdivided into
those with bony-rayed fins, under the names ^lalacopterygii, Acanthopterygii,
and Brancbiostegi, and those with cartilaginous-rayed fins, the Chondrop-
terygii, which latter included the genera Callorhyncbus, Acipenser, Squalus,
Raia, and Petromyzon. He bad adopted most of his groups and genera from
Artedi and Linne : among tbe additions tbe jrenus Callorbvnchus is of most
present interest. It is from Gronow's band that that genus appears in the
ninth edition of the Systema, 175G, without mention of Chiraaera, though tbe
latter was established by Linne in 1754, two years before the publication of
that edition.

Linne dropped tbe name Chondropterygii in the tenth edition of the Sys-
tema, 1758, for Amphibia nantes, and there tbe group contains Petromyzon,
Raia, Squalus, Chimaera, Lophius, and Acipenser. Callorhyncbus of Gronow,
1754, was buried in Chimaera of Linne, 1754. Tbe arrangement is similar in
tbe twelfth edition, with addition for the worse of Balistes, Ostracion, Tetro-
don, Diodon, Cyclopterus, Centriscus, Syngnatbus, and Pegasus.

Gmelin, 1 788, in his edition of the Systema, returned to the name Chondrop-
terygii, and, dropping the name Amphibia nantes and taking out tbe genus
Lophius, constitutes the group as in tbe tenth edition with these exceptions.
Tbe other fishes, practically the bony fishes, be j)laced in tbe groups Apodes,
Jugulares, Thoracici, Abdominales, and Brancbiostegi. The group Chondrop-
terygii, with varying inclusiveness, has persisted.

Cuvier, 1798, in the Tableau Elementaire, improved the arrangement by so
much as concerns the removal of Acipenser from the Chondropterygii, and by
retaining in the order Petromyzon, Raia, Squalus, and Chimaera His orders
were Les cliondroplerygiens, Les birinchiosteges, Les apodes, Les jugulaires, Les
thorachiques, and Les ahdominaux. This distribution with Latin names was
followed by Gravenhorst, 1807, who added to the Chondropterygii the genus
Gastrobranchus of Blocb, 1795, for Myxine glutinosa of Linne, 1754.

La Cepede, 1798, divided the class into cartilaginous fishes and bony fishes.
He accepted the Chondropterygii of his predecessors, but wrongly included
various bony fishes, and though he carefully subdivided tbe groups he desig-
nated the minor divisions only by tbe names, apodes, jugulaires, thoracins, and
abdominaux in each case, repeating these names over and over again.

Dumeril, 1806, in the Zoologie Analytique, gave French names, derived from
the Greek, to La Cepede's subdivisions. His first order of tbe cartilaginous
fishes was the Trematopnes, with two families, the Cyclostomes and tbe Pla-
giostomes. His second order, and third family, he named Chismopnes; its
contents were tbe so-called genera Baudroie, Lopbie, Baliste, and Chimere.
His third order, and fourth family, Eleutheropomes, included Polyodon, Aci-

GARMAX : THE CHIMAEEOIDS, 2G9

pensfere, aud Pegase, and Lis fourth and last order of the cartilaginous fishes,
the Tdlecbranches, contained three families properly belonging to the bony
fishes. It is not necessary to follow the remainder of the orders, as they are
outsitle of the limits of this paper. It will be seen that if the bony fishes im-
properly included are withdrawn from the second order, the Chismopnes,
the only reason for its existence lies in the genus Chimaera. Dume'ril gives
the derivation of the word Chismopnes as " de Xla-fir) fente et de Uveas res-
pirant." If he had derived it from XdcTfj.a or Xdcrfir] and made the word Chas-
matopnes or Chasmopne's, or from ^xi-crfxa or "^x^iafxi], making the word to be
Schismatopnes or Schismopnes there might have been less (juestioning of the
etymology. It is only a change of a letter in either case, but authorities differ
as to wliether a correction should be applied.

llafinesque, 1815, also lost sight of the limits between the cartilaginous and
the bony fishes. He took Dumeril's thir<l order for his own sixth, and latinized
the Frenih name Chismopne's in the form Chismopnea. He placed in this
order the family Branchismea, with three subfamilies, the Chimeria, the Balis-
tia, and the Lophidia, and the family Meiopteria, with two subfamilies of eels,
the Echelia and the Chlopsidia. All of this order except the Chimeria be-
longed among the bony fishes. His seventh order, the Tremapnea, was with
considerable additions Dumeril's first, the Trematopnes. Rafinesque put into
this order (1) the Ophictia, consisting of three subfamilies of eels, (2) the Pla-
giostomia, Dumeril's Plagiostomes, with two subfamilies, the Antacea, Sharks,
and the Platosomia, Skates, and Rays, and (3) the Cyclostomia, with two sub-
families, the Lampredia and the Myxinia. As in case of Dumeril's Chismop-
nes, the future of Rafinesque's Chismopnea depended wholly on his Chimeria.

Cuvier, 1817, again made a more exact separation of the Chondroptei-ygii
and the bony fishes, in Avhich Rafinesque's Chismopnea were widely scattered;
the Balistia became Plectognathes (Plcctognatha Latr., 1825, Plectognathi
Bonap., 1831), the Lophidia became Acanthopterygiens, the ^Meiopteria became
Malacopterygiens apodes, and the Chimeria were placed in the Chondropt^-
rygiens a branchies fixes under Les Chimeres. The two genera Chimaera and
Callorhynchus were accepted by Cuvier. His changes notwithstanding, the
order Chismopnea still existed by virtue of the Chimaeroids contained in it.

Latreille, 1825, made use of the name Ichthyodera for his third class,
Cuvier's Chondropterygiens a branchies fixes, plueing in this class two orders,
the first, Selacii, Dumeril's Plagiostomes, with three families, the Squalides,
the Platysoma, and the Acanthorhina (Chimaerae), and the second, Cyclos-
toma, with two families, the Auloedibranehia (Petromyzonidae) and the Diporo-
branchia (Mvxinidae). The name Acanthorhina cannot be looked upon as
particularly appropriate since BlainviUe, 1816, had used Acanthorhinus for
Spinacoid sharks.

Bonaparte, 1831, subdivided his subclass Chondropterygii into Section 1
Chismopnei (Branchiati) and Section 2, Trematopnei (Spiraculati). In the
first he placed his order 6, Eleutheropomi (Sturiones), Family 32, Acipenseri-
dae, and his order 7, Acanthorrhini, Family 33, Chimaeridae ; and in the second

270 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology,

he put his order 8, Plagiostonii (Selacii), Family 34, SquaUdae, and Family 35,
Kajidae, and his order 9, Cyclostomi, Family 36, Petromyzonidae. The same
objections apply in the case of his order Acanthorrhini as in that of Latreille's,
Family Acanthorhina.

j\J tiller, 1834-35, settled the question of priority so far as concerned him by a
name of his own, Holocephala. lie included in this order only Thienemann's
1828, Family Chimaerae, Bonaparte's, 1831, Chimaeridae, containing the two
genera discovered in 1754. The new name was supposed to be more appro-
priate for these Chondropterygii on account of the suspensorial connections of
the lower jaws. However, if it be taken into consideration that the rostral
cartilages of the Antacea, Sharks, and of the Platosomia, Skates and Rays, are
outgrowths of the skull, and not articulated to it, while the same cartilages of
the Chimaeroids are articulations, and not solid outgrowths from the skull, it
will appear that the term Holocephala would be quite as appropriate for
Plagiostomia as for Chismopnea.

The living Chimaeroids may be classified as below.

CHISMOPNEA Raf., 1815.

Chisiiiojincs Dum., 1806.
Holucephala Miill., 1834.

Chondropterygii, with a compressed and massive body, an attenuated caudal
region, a single external branchial cleft on each side, an erectile first dorsal
spine and fin, a cartilaginous skeleton, a notochord not divided in vertebrae, a
brain in which the hemispheres are remote from the optic lobes, a rostrum of
which the cartilages are articulated to the skull, a dentition of two pairs of
upper and one pair of lower dental plates, a frontal tenaculum, ventral tenac-
ula and claspers on the male, and without distinct suspensorial cartilages for
the lower jaws, without shagreen on the skin and without a diverticular gland
on the intestine. Oviparous, the egg deposited in a horny case.

EHINOCHIMAEEIDAE Garm., 1901.

Chismopnea, with an elongate, pointed, movable proboscis, with olfactory bulbs
and hemispheres of the brain remote from one another, with a notochord sur-
rounded by narrow cartilaginous rings, with a simple cartilage in each clasper
of the male, and with subtubular lateral canals opening outward through a
narrow slit. At present this family contains two genera of a single species
each.

Species with compressed proboscis and having teeth with cutting edges and
without tritors on the sides of the plates.

Elunochimaera pacijica Mils.; Garm., 1901.

GARMAN: THE CHTMAER0ID3. 271

Species with depressed proboscis and with palatine and mandibular teeth
bearing numerous tritors in several series on the sides of the plates.

Harriotta raleighana Goode & Bean, 1894.

CALLOEHYNCHIDAE Garm., 1901.

Chismopnea, with a short proboscis ending in a retrorse leaf-shaped extrem-
ity, with palatine and mandibular teeth bearing one or two large tritors on the
side of each plate, with a notochord not surrounded by narrow cartilaginous
rings, with a simple cartilage in each clasper of the male, and with lateral
canals that in the adult become tubular, opening outward through pores. Only
one genus now known.

CALLORHYNCHUS Gnoxow, 1754, 1763.
From the teeth of the specimens at hand five species are to be distinguished.

CaUorhynchus callorhtjnchus Linne, 1758.
Callorhynchus milii Bory, 1823.
CaUorhynchus smythii Benn., 18-39.
CaUorhynchus capensi's Dum., 1865.
CaUoihynchits tritoris Garm.

CaUorhynchus antarcticus La C, C. australis Shaw, and C. peronii Dum. ap-
pear to be synonyms for C. CaUorhynchus. CaUorhynchus iasma7iius Rich, is
not to be separated from C. mUii. Dr. Filippi, 1892, described two species
without giving the dental characters; one of these, his C. antarhcus, resembles
C. smyUiii, the other is much like C. CaUorhynchus. Dr. Alcock, 1891, secured
indications of the existence of another species from the Bay of Bengal ; it was
named C. mdicus by Garman, 1899, from the horny egg case, and is probably
to be found only at great depths. The fossil species C. hectori Xewton, 1876,
is to be placed with C. capensis, at least until more than the dentition is known
about it.

CHIMAEKIDAE Thien., 1828.

Chimaerae Thien., 1828.
Chimaeridae Boxap., 18.31.

Chismopnea without a proboscis, with tritors situated anteriorly on the
edges of all the dental plates, with hemispheres and olfactory bulbs of the brain
in contact, with a notochord surrounded by narrow cartilaginous rings, with a
trifid cartilage iu each clasper of the male, and with sulcate lateral canals.

272 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

CHIMAERA LiN-NE, 1754, 1758.
Six living species of this genus are recognized.

Chlmaera rnonstrosn Linnc, 1754, 1758.
Chimaera phantasma Jordan & Snyder, 1900.
CInmaera uffinis Cnpello, 1868.
' Chimaera colliei Lay & Bennett, 1839.

Chlmaera ogilbi/i Waite, 1898.
Chimaera mitsukiirii (Dean) Jordan & Snyder, 1904.

The sj-nonymy of Chimaera inonstrosa includes C. argentea Ascan., 1772,
C. horeaUs Shaw, 1804, C. medilerranea Risso, 1826, C. cristata Faber, 1829,
and Callorhynchus centrina and Call, atlantica of Gronow and Gray, 1854 ; and
that of Chimaera affinis contains C. plumbea Gill, 1877, and C. ahhreviata Gill,
1883.

Chimaera monxtrosa and C. phantasma have the anal fin distinct from the sub-
caudal ; they differ in this respect from the other species. One of the latter,
C. colliei, has been made the type of a new genus, Hydrolagua, by Gill, 1862.
This genus was originally " distinguished from Chimaera by the absence of an
anal fin and the triple division of the sexual organ of the male." The absence
of the triple division of the clasper is more apparent than real, since the carti-
lage of that organ is trifid in males of all the species of the genus. On
Chimaera colliei two of the divisions of the cartilage are wrapped together by
the skin so as to present the appearance of a single division. If absence of
the anal fin is to make generic separation necessary, then Clmnaera affinis
would be placed with C. colliei, though actually farther removed by structure
from the latter than C. mnnstrnsa. As may be seen by comparison of the
figures published here, in dental characters and in those of the brain and the
skeleton Chimaera colliei agrees closely with C. monstrosa. In some respects
Chimaera mitsukurii accords with C. colliei, as in the apparently bifid claspers
and the lack of an anal fin, but it has a much longer caudal filament than that
species.

The right of Chimaera to be considered the most differentiated of the Chis-
mopnea will hardly be questioned. By rostrum, dentition, brain, claspers, and
lateral system it is the farthest removed from Rhinochimaera.

Gabman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 1.

Rhinochimaera pacijica Mits. ; Garm.

Fig. 1. Side view, | natural length.

Fig. 2, Side view of trunk, showing intestines and skeletal features, | nat.

Oarman-Chihsroids

PUTE I

r

Gasman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 2.

Fig. 1. Head of Ehinochimaera pacifica, seen from above, | natural length.

Fig. 2. Head of Rhinochimaera pacifica, seen from below, | nat.

Fig. 3. Head of Harriotta raleigliana G. & B., seen from above, | nat.

Fig. 4. Head of Harriotta raleigliana, seen from the side, | nat.

Fig. 5. Head of Harriotta raleigliana, seen from below, | nat.

Garm,

Plate 2.

£Masel.liih BBston

Gaeman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 3.

Fig. 1. Rhinochimaera pacifica, ventrals, claspers, and ventral tenacula, | natural
length.

Fig. 2. Callorhynchus callorhynchus Linne, ventrals, claspers, and ventral tenac-
ula of young, nat. size.

Fig. 3. Carcharliinus terrae-novae Rich., ventrals and claspers, nat. size.

Fig. 4. Rhinochimaera pacifica, diagram of claspers and ventral tenacula, nat.
size.

Fig. 5 Rhinochimaera pacifica, ventral fin and clasper, as seen from above,
I natural length.

GARMAN- GHIK;«R0ID3

Plate 3.

/

^

J Henry Blake, del

BMeiseUittiBosM.

Gaekan. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 4.

Fig. 1. Harriotta raleighana, appearance of skin on the flank, 4 times natural

length.
Fig. 2. Ehinochimaera pacifica, armature of upper edge of supracaudal fin, 3 times

nat.
Fig. 3. Rliinochimaera pacifica, lateral canal and rings, 8 times nat.
Fig. 4. Ehinochimaera pacifica, intestine slit open to show spiral and valves.
Fig. 5. Eaia laevis Mitch., ventral fins with claspers turned forward.

GARMAN- GHIM/EROTDS

Plate 4.

f^."-

«

JHepijBlake.del

BMselJittiBBStiin.

Gaeman. — Chiinaeroids.

PLATE 5.

Fig. 1. Rhinoclnmaera pacifica, vomerine and palatine teeth from below, nat.

size.
Fig. 2. Rhinochimaera pacifica, mandibular teeth, seen from above, nat. size.
Fig. 3. Harriotta raleigliana, vomerine and palatine teeth, seen from below, twice

nat. length.
Fig. 4. Harriotta raleighana, mandibular teeth, seen from above, twice nat.
Fig. 5. Harriotta raleighana, tongue showing upper surface, twice nat.
Fig. 6. Harriotta raleighana, vomerine and palatine teeth of young, twice nat.
Fig. 7. Harriotta raleighana, mandibular teeth of young, twice nat.
Fig. 8. Harriotta raleighana, vomerine and palatine teeth of very young, 4 times

nat.
Fig. 9. Harriotta raleighana, mandibular teeth of very young, 4 times nat.

GARMAN- GHIM/EROIDS.

Plate 5.

f,--'

M^- ^1

S%

JHeniyBlake.dei,

RMe!S8l.iitli.Bi!steiL

Gasman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 6.

Figs. 1 and 2. Callorhynchus smythii Benn., vomerine and palatine and mandibu-
lar teeth, nat. size.

Figs. 3 and 4. Callorhynchus smythii, vomerine, palatine, and mandibular teeth
of very young, nat. size.

Figs. 5 and 6. Callorhynchus capensis Dum., vomerine, palatine, and mandibular
teeth, nat. size.

Figs. 7 and 8. Callorhynchus milii Bory, vomerine, palatine, and mandibular
teeth, nat. size.

Fig. 9. Callorhynchus tritoris Garm., vomerine teeth and one palatine tooth,
nat. size.

GARM AN- CHIM/SROIDS .

Plate 6.

/

\

\

JHeiuyBlake.del

E-}fesel.litli.BDston.

Gabman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 7.

Figs. 1 and 2. Chimaera monstrosa Linne, vomerine, palatine, and mandibular
teeth, nat. size.

Fig. 3. Chimaera monstrosa, much-worn mandibular tooth from the inner side,
nat. size.

Figs. 4 and 5. Chimaera coUiei Benn., vomerine, palatine, and mandibular teeth,
nat. size.

Fig. 6. Chimaera colliei, outlines of inner side of mandibular tooth, nat. size.

Figs. 7 and 8. Callorliynchus callorhynchus Linne, vomerine, palatine, and man-
dibular teeih, nat. size.

Fig. 9. Callorhynchus callorhynchus, mandibular tooth, from inner side, nat. size

;;-liHIM€ROIDS

Plate 7

.y

Av

i--^

-^%

V

^(

frX

-/

\

V

-r.e del

Gasman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 8.

Rhinochimaera pacijica.

Intestine, slit open to show valves and spiral, sperraaries, and kidneys, with liver

and pancreas in outline.

Garman-Ghim^roids.

Plate 8.

\

tl

III

\

I

!■

J. Henry Blake, dei

BMeselJitli. Boston.

Gasman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 9.

Rhinochimaera pacljica.

Fig. 1. Liver, gall-bladder, and ends of stomach and intestine, with heart in out-
line, nat. size.

Fig. 2. Lower view of genital and urinary organs, with intestine outlined, nat.
size.

Fig. 3. Heart, nat. size.

Fig. 4. Bulbus sht open to show the rows of valves, 4 times natural length.

Garman- Ghim^roids.

Plate 9.

.0

\

f

JHemyBlake.del

RMeiselJilh. Boston

Gabjian. — Ohimaeroids.

PLATE 10.

Callorhynchus callorhynchus.
Skeletal features and viscera of very young specimen, from the side, twice nat.

Garman-Ghim^roid-

Plate 10.

/

J.HemyBlake.dei

Gaeman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 11.

Chimaera monstrosa.

Skeletal features of head and anterior part of body, from the side, nat. size.

.RMAN-GHIMiEROIDS.

Plate U.

/

/

^, \

^fj f

f-

/ .

ieniyBlakfi.

del

:stfln.

Gaeman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 12.
Rhinochimaera pacijica.

Fig. 1. Branchial cartilages of left side from below, nat. size.
Fig. 2. Branchial cartilages of left side from above, nat. size.
Fig. 3. Glossohyal, ceratohyal, epihyal, and anterior basibranchial from the side,
nat. size.

Barman- ChiM/Eroids

Plate 12.

5" ' _'

T«''>»-

<

^^:^^

°nr)r Blake, del

Bifeisel.lilii.Bflsttn.

PLATE 13.

Fig. 1. Cliiruaera monstrosa, branchial skeleton, seen from above, nat. size.

Fig. 2. Chimaera colliei, branchial skeleton, upper view, nat. size.

Fig. 3. Callorhynchus smythii, branchial cartilages, upper view, nat. size.

Garman-Ghir^roids.

Plate 13.

J.HeiuyBioke.deL

li.Meiset.iitn mw

Garman. — Chimaeroida.

PLATE 14.

Rhinochhnaera pacifica.

Figs. 1 to 3. Brain, from the side, from below, and from above, nat. size.
Figs. 4 to 7. Otoliths, 4 times natural length.

GARMAN- GHIM/EROIDS.

Plate 14.

ieniyBiake.del.

BJfesel,ii'.n SasBt:

Gaeman. — Chimaeroids.

PLATE 15.

Figs. 1 and 2. Chimaera colliei, brain from the side and from above, nat. size.

Fig. 3. Chimaera colliei, otolitli, 4 times nat. length.

Figs. 4 and 5. Callorhynclms milii, from the side and from above, nat. size.

Garman-Ghim^roids.

Plate 15.

'f

\

J. Henry Blake, del.

The following Publications of the Museum of Comparative Zoology

are in preparation : —

Ueports oil tlie Results of Dredging Operations in 1877, 1878, 1879, and 1880, in charge of Alex-
ander AGAS9IZ, by the U. S. Coast Survey Steamer " Blake," as follows: —

E. EHLEKS. The Annelids of tlie " Blake."

U. HAUTLAUB. Tlie Coiuatulte of the "Blake,"' with 15 Plates.

H. JA'DWIG. The Genus Pentacrinus.

A. MILXE EDWARDS and E. L. BOUVIER. The Crustacea of the "Blake."

A. E. VEKKILL. The Alcyonaria of the " Blake."

Reports on the Scientific Results of the Expedition to the Tropical Pacific, In charge of
Alexandkr Ag.*ssiz, on the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer "Albatross," from August,
1899, to March, 1900, Commander Jetterson F. Closer, TJ. S. N., Commanding.

Illustrations of North American 3IAIUNE INVERTEBRATES, from Drawitigs by BUUK-
HAUDr, SoxRiiL, and A. Agassiz, prepared under tlie direction of L. Agassiz.

LOUIS CABOT. ImmatureStateof theOdonata, Part IV.
E. L. :MARK. Studies on T-epiilosteus, continued.

" On Arachnactis.

R. T. HILL. On tlie Geology of the Windward Islands.
W. McM. WOODWORTH. On the Bololo or Palolo of Fiji and Samoa.
A. AGASSIZ and A. G. :\IAYER. The Acalephs of the East Coast of the United States.
AGASSIZ and WHITMAN. Pelagic Fishes. Part II., wiUi 14 Plates.
J. C. BRANNER. The Coral Reefs of Brazil.

Re[)orts on the Results of the Expedition of 1891 of the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer
"Albatross," Lieutenant Commander Z. L. Taxser, U. S. N., Commanding, in charge of
Alexander Agassiz, as follows: —

A. AGASSIZ. Tlie Pelagic Fauna. H. LUDWIG. The Starfishes.

The Echini. J. P. McMURRICH. The Actinarians.

" The Panamic Deep-Sea Fauna, j? j^ MARK. Branchiocerianthiis.

K. BRANDT. The Sagitt». JOHN MURRAY. The Bottom Specimens.

The Thalassicolae. P. SCHIEMENZ. The Pteropods and llete-
C. CHUN. The Siphonophores.

" The Eyes of I )eeivSea Crustacea. ropods.

W. H DALL. The Mollusks. THEO. STUDER. The Alcyonarians.

H J. HANSEN. The Cirripeds. M. p. A. TRAUSTEDT. The Salpidae and
W. A. HERDMAN. The Ascidians. Doliolidje. "

S. J. HICKSON. The Antipathids HBWARD. Tlie Sipunculids.
G. VON KOCH. The Deep-Sea Corals.
C. A. KOFOID. Solenogaster.

H. V. WILSON. The Sponges.

R. VON LENDENFELD. ThePhospho- W. McM. WOOD WORTH. The Nemerteans.
rescent Organs of Fishes. " The Annelids.

PUBLICATIONS

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AT HARVARD COLLEGE,

There have been i)ublishe(l of the Bulletin Vols. I. to XLI. ; of
the Memoirs, Vols. I. to XXIV., and also Vols. XXVIII., and XXIX.

Vols. XLIL, XLIII., XLIV., XLV., and XLVI. of the Bullktik,
and Vols. XXV., XXVI., XXVII., XXX., and XXXI. of the
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The BuLLiiTiN and Memoius are devoted to the publication of
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investigations carried on bv students and others in the different
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Tlie following publications are in preparation : —

Reports on the Kesults of Dretlging Opei-atioiis from 1877 to 1880, in diarge of
Alexander Agassiz, by the U. S. Coast Surve\' Steamer " Blake," Lieut.
Commander C. 1). Sigsbee, U. S. N., and Commander J. 11. Bartlett, U. S. N.,
Commanding.

Reports on the Results of tlie Expedition of 1891 of the U. S. Fish Commission
Steamer "Albatross," Lieut. Commander Z. L. Tanner, U. S. N., Com-
manding, in charge of Alexander Agassiz.

Reports on the Scientific Results of the Expedition to the Tropical Pacific, in
charge of Alexander Agassiz, on the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer
"Albatross," from August, 1899, to March, 1900, Commander Jefferson F.
Rloser, U. S. N., Commanding.

Contributions from the Zoological Laboratory, Professor E. L. Mark, Director.

Contributions from the Geological Laboratory, in charge of Professor N. S.
Shaler.

These publications are issued in numbers at irregular inter-
vals ; one volume of the Bulletin (8vo) and half a volume of the
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