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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS
ZOOLOGY
WILLIAM EMERSON RITTER AND
CHARLES ATWOOD KOFOID
EDITORS
VOLUME 10
WITH 10 PLATES
(Contributions from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY 1912-1913
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CONTENTS
PAGE Report on a Collection of Birds and Mammals from Van- couver Island, by Harry 8. Swarth, with plates 1-4 ........... 1-124 A New Cony from the Vicinity of Mount Whitney, by eose plies Gurtnin ellipses eee oes ee ee Bee ee RES att na 125-129 The Mole of Southern California, by Joseph Grinnell and H. 8. SWAT CLs pvt Ln rt @ Retr OLN OS yee cc ene 131-136 Myotis orinomus Elliot, a Bat New to California, by Joseph Grinnell and H. 8. Swarth. With 2 text figures —.................. 137-142 The Bighorn of the Sierra Nevada, by Joseph Grinnell. With AN BOX Ef OUNCES x 5: cee ce res ssn ceceno tne g- sar aatn oe Sonateeiateaniee cles pecteseccSessneeestces 143-153 A New Perognathus from the San Joaquin Valley, California, by Walter Po Taylor.) Wath) IS text) figure) ee aeesneee ene 155-166
The Beaver of West Central California, by Walter P. Taylor 167-169
The Two Pocket Gophers of the Region Contiguous to the Lower Colorado River, in California and Arizona, by Joseph
Gmimmelle Wate ate: 60.222 s cee cee seer cease ee 171-178
The Species of the Mammalian Genus Sorex of West Central California, with a Note on the Vertebrate Palustrine Faunas of the Region, by Joseph Grinnell. With 6 text
PLUTO SS cance nn Ss cecn sce cance ees ctees oa ance ances pee sore Pees anoaesecsen eae esau 179-195
An Account of the Birds and Mammals of the San Jacinto Area of Southern California, with Remarks upon the Be- havior of Geographic Races on the Margins of their Hab- itats, by Joseph Grinnell and H. S. Swarth. With plates
GhOhandlShtex bef gr es ie oS eee ee acon seats ase enee 197-406 INI GL pes RnR ES oe sao 28 EN Bae dd CaS eR she Ne 407-417
7 |
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oreg irje ocernentth het ‘ RB. FREIEDLAENDER & SOHN, IPZIG, : i BERLIN, i “\ Agent for dine series in American Arch: eat for the series in American acology and Ethnology, Classical Philology, ' aéology and Ethnology, Botany, sdeatony.
Education, Modern Philology, Philosophy, Mathematics, Pathology, Physiology, Zool-
Psychology, History. 08% and: Memoirs, _
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Cited as Univ. Calif, Publ. Zool,
Volume 1, 1902-1905, 317 pages, with 28 plates .cc.sc.ccscccicclescceslercsstseseseeertetepeeateesd $8.50.
Volume 2 (Contributions from the Laboratory of the Marine Biological Associa- tion of Sam Diego}, 1904-1906, xvii + 382 pages, with 19 plates 2.02. $3, 50
Volume 3, 1906-1907, 383 pages, with 23: plates: ./.222..0..200.2 Le ee $3.50 A list of titles in volumes 1-3 will be sent on request. a
Vol. 4. 1. The Ascidians Collected by the United States Fisheries Bureau steamer - Albatross on the Coast of California during the Summer of 1904, by
William Emerson Ritter. Pp. 1-52, plates 1-3. October, 1907.0... 50 ©
2. (XVIII)* Behavior of the Starfish Asterias forreri de Lorriol, by. H. S.
Jennings. Pp. 63-185, 19 text figures. November, 1907.00.20. 1.00 8. (XIX) The Early Life-History of Dolichoglossus pusillus Ritter, by ‘B. Pee M. Davis.. Pp. 187-226, plates 4-8. March, 1908....000.0 22k. 60
4, Notes on two Amphipods of: the Genus Corophium’ from the Pacific. Coast, by J. Chester Bradley. Pp. 227-252, plates 9-18. April, 1908. .30 5. (XX) The Incrusting Chilostomatous Bryozoa of the Western Coast of North America, by Alice Robertson. Pp. 253-344, plates 14-24, May, 1908 FSi eS Le fabri vea dy we eC AU ee eA ege Bt 6. (XXI) On Exuviation, ‘Autotomy, ‘and. ‘Regeneration in Ceratium, by ‘ Charles.Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 345-386, with text. figures. 7. (XXL) Notes on some Obscure Species of Ceratium, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 387-393. Nos, 6 and 7 in one cover. April, 1908-020. 2003. oe Re eee Index, pp. 395-400.
Vol. 5. (Contributions from *he Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.) 1. The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp.
1-170, plates 1-24. December, 1908 sou io..cc cece eel eeletee 2.00 2. Birds and Mammals of the 1907 Alexander Expedition to Southeastern Alaska. Pp. 171-264, pls, 25-26, figs, 1-4. February, 1909 2-2... PY (>) 8. Three New Song Sparrows from California, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 26642693) April 9))d 909). 3:0 ae ae a ae 05 4, A Ne\s Harvest Mouse from Petaluma, California, by Joseph Dixon. Py..271-278. August TA O08 ee ee 05
5. A New Cowbird of the Genus Molothrus, with a note on the Probable Genetic Relationships of the North American Forms, by nice Grinnell. Pp. 275-281, 1 text figure. December, 1909......-..5..:...2. 05
*Eoman numbers indicate sequence of the Contributions from the Laboratory of the Marine Biological Association of San Diego.
® " I ¥ %
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS
IN ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 1-124, pls. 1-4 February 13, 1912
REPORT ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND
BY HARRY S. SWARTH
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
CONTENTS
PAGE
ANA RO CLIC PTO Me ert senna cease ene ereeseercesceneeeeene 1 Itinerary and Descriptions of Loealities 3 CTV ye) TSSACE IS) ce ia cate ceccen a een be se ee cee BP Ree RE a ae he ae oe Ore Renae CESS 13 (GQ) iver ZeliiSpe opel oyey Sve 6 th eeeeneeee mee eens Aer ee ee oe eee Meee eee Bi Seeccece 13 Generali Accoumtsiof the oir) see cec cece ecco sawn cece nw enn ne ee ee 15 TREATIES ATT TET S| arte Pk ee aR a Se or Bae eR oP oe ee EBT Ore 85 Cheek-list of the Mammals ............ 85
General Accounts of the Mammals ... General Remarks on Distribution -.... TERN SURE UU EI UO rela WN kl see a UE SERRE EEE eS
INTRODUCTION
In 1910 Miss Annie M. Alexander organized and financed an expedition for the purpose of collecting the higher vertebrates on Vancouver Island. This she led in person during a large part of the summer. Miss Alexander, accompanied by Miss Louise Kellogg, left Berkeley on April 18, beginning the work of collecting at Parksville, April 24. Here they secured the services of Mr. BE. Despard, an expert hunter and trapper, who remained with the party throughout the summer and who secured nearly all of the larger mammals taken. The writer left Berkeley on June 4, arriving at the expedition’s camp at Beaver Creek on June 9. On July 1 Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg returned
2 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
home, while the writer, together with Despard, continued the work at various points until September 28. The accompanying map (pl. 1) shows the country traversed and the various col- leeting stations.
The material collected consists of 554 mammal skins with skulls, 1142 birds, three sets of birds’ eggs and four nests, twenty-three reptiles and two batrachians. In addition to these, two marten skins with skulls were purchased from Despard, and a wolf and a wolverine skin from the storekeeper at Nootka Sound, after the termination of the trip. Owing to the small number of reptiles and batrachians collected, and to the total lack of comparable material from the neighboring mainland, it was not thought advisable to include them in this report, which consequently deals solely with the birds and mammals. The collections of the expedition were all donated by Miss Alexander to the University of California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and together with the field notebooks of the various members of the party, form the basis of the present report.
One hundred and eleven species of birds are listed, eighty- nine of which were collected. This is in no sense to be taken as a complete catalogue of the birds of Vancouver Island. Many other species are known to occur, but only those actually en- countered by our party are included in the lst. Specimens were secured of each of the twenty species of mammals included in the report, but there are additional species known to occur on Vancouver Island, with which we did not meet.
The elk (Cervus canadensis occidentalis), formerly abundant over the entire island, is still to be found in many of the wilder parts, but it is strictly protected, and, lacking permission to take specimens, we made no attempt to penetrate its haunts. The English rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) was introduced into Vancouver Island years ago (see Brown, 1868, p. 417), and I was told by several people of the occasional occurrence of rabbits as far north as the vieinity of Alberni, but we saw none our- selves. There are also species of bats that should occur here, which we did not secure. i
In color descriptions Ridgway’s Nomenclature of Colors, 1886 edition, has been the basis of comparison. All measure-
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 3
ments are in millimeters unless otherwise specified. For manner of taking measurements see Taylor (1911, pp. 206-207).
It is proper here to express our appreciation of the courtesies received from Mr. A. Bryan Williams, J.P., the Provincial Game Warden. He extended permission to our party to collect speci- mens of protected species of birds and mammals, gave us letters of introduction to local officials on Vancouver Island, and also. . aided us with information and advice.
ITINERARY AND DESCRIPTIONS OF LOCALITIES VANCOUVER On the mainland of British Columbia. While delayed here for several days, Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg placed lines of traps on the outskirts of the city, April 20 to 22, and secured
a few specimens of several species of mammals.
NANAIMO A seaport on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Miss Alex- ander and Miss Kellogg were here April 23 and 24, and had a line of traps set out in the vicinity, and the writer had occasion to make several short visits to the town, on June 8, June 15-17, June 28-30, and September 28, 29.
PARKSVILLE A small settlement on the east coast of the island, some twenty miles north of Nanaimo. Considerable land has been cleared in this region, and a good deal of farming is carried on. Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg remained here from April 24 to May 7; and it was at this point that Despard joined the party.
LITTLE QUALICUM RIVER. Some eight or nine miles northwest of Parksville. Camp was established here from May 7 to 16. FRENCH CREEK
A small stream about midway between Little Qualicum River and Parksville. Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg camped about a mile from the mouth of the stream, remaining here from May 16 to 20.
4 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
ERRINGTON
A post-office about four miles west of Parksville. Camp was established on what is known as the Swain Ranch, some three miles west of the post-office. Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg were here from May 20 to 27, and I returned and made a base camp at this same place at the end of the summer, August 29 to September 28. There are farms scattered at intervals of several miles, where there are small areas of cleared land, grain fields and pastures, the rest of the region (and by far the greater part of it) being covered with forest. The woods are not so dense, however, but that they can be traversed with comparative ease. The bulk of the forest is made up of conifers, of course, but there are thickets of alder and willow in the low spots, and a number of wild cherries in many places. There are also a good many madronas scattered through the woods, some of them of large size. About Beaver Creek wharf (some six miles from Errington) there are a number of oaks, but I saw none more than a few hundred yards back from the shore. There are also large areas of low-lying marsh land, submerged in winter, but quite dry at the time we were there, covered with patches of willow and spiraea. This whole region, near the coast, is low and quite level and unbroken, but toward the southwest it rises into hills which culminate in high mountains, of which Mount Arrowsmith, some ten miles inland, is the highest and most conspicuous peak.
MOUNT ARROWSMITH
September 6 to 8 were devoted to the ascent and descent of Mount Arrowsmith. We drove from Errington to the east end of Cameron Lake, where the trail leads up the mountain to a long-abandoned mine. From this point, though there is no trail, traveling is fairly easy for the most part. We camped in a thicket just at the edge of the timber, and at the foot of the southernmost rocky peak. The extensive hillsides are covered with heather, intersected by numerous little streams descending from the surrounding snowbanks. Across the ridge from where we were camped was a little lake, with heather-covered slopes on all sides.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 5
ALBERNI
On the west side of the island, at the head of Alberni Canal. We did no collecting in the immediate vicinity of the town, but used it as a base for the greater part of the summer. Our first camp in this region was at Beaver Creek, fifteen miles north- west of Alberni, and not to be confused with the harbor of the same name near Parksville, on the east coast, which we also visited. It is a common name in the northwest. This is a broad, level valley, containing one large stream and innumerable small ones, draining into the head of Alberni Canal. It is heavily timbered, mostly with Douglas fir and cedar, both of which attain a great size, while the creek beds and swamps are thickly grown up with willow and alder, with a dense undergrowth of devil’s club, skunk cabbage, and other vegetation, and with many thickets of salmon-berry. A large part of the region has been burned over in years past, and there are innumerable tall, dead stumps standing everywhere, while the ground is strewn with logs and fallen trees.
In the immediate vicinity of Alberni much land has been cleared, and throughout the valley, between the town and our camp, there were cleared tracts, at gradually lengthening inter- vals, as the town was left behind. Many of these were deserted and the fields choked with rank second growth, Near the camp there were some extensive grassy meadows, intersected by numerous small streams, and on all sides there were many swamps, mostly caused by beaver dams.
About two miles to the east a low range of timbered hills arose somewhat abruptly. Above camp the valley rapidly nar- rowed, the ground became rocky and broken, with a rather steep ascent, and the road, terminating where we were camped, changed to a poorly defined trail winding through the hills. The forest became uniformly dense and animal life was consequently much less abundant and varied than in the more open country below.
In the town of Alberni, and in the immediate vicinity, birds were numerous, and of many species. The open fields and meadows, the partly cleared woods nearby, and the maples along
6 University of California Publications in Zoology | Vou. 10
the roads, and shrubbery in the gardens, sheltered quantities of the smaller species, while the quiet waters of the harbor, with the streams flowing into it, attract many water birds.
The road between Alberni and the east coast, traversed by stage, lies mostlv through forest, and a part of the distance (on the west side of the divide) through stands of prodigiously large trees. Even on a bright sunny day it is dark and gloomy in these woods, and the stillness is impressive. The ground is remarkably free from underbrush, and bird life almost totally lacking.
GOLDEN EAGLE BASIN
In the mountains about twenty miles southeast of Alberni. These mountains center in a tall, rocky peak, Mount Saunders (altitude 5500 feet), streams draining from it in all directions, and the various cafions terminating at the base of the peak in large circular amphitheatres, or “‘basins’’ as they are called (see pl. 2). The Golden Eagle Basin and the cafon draining from it (China Creek) were years ago the scenes of mining activities which entailed the building of a road into the moun- tains. The mines were failures and have long since been aban- doned, and the road is now choked with vegetation and otherwise allowed to deteriorate, but it is still passable and our outfit was hauled over it without difficulty. Camp was established in one of the mine buildings through the courtesy of the caretaker in charge of the property, who resides there alone throughout the year.
The road into the mountains, ascending China Creek Canon most of the way, passes through dense coniferous forests for its entire length, but the character of the landscape changes abruptly in the basin at its head. This is grown up with thickets of willow, elder and alder, interrupted with patches of erass and veratrum, while there are places where all vegetation has been destroyed by rock slides descending from the surround- ing slopes and covering everything with gravel and boulders. The mountains rise precipitously on all sides except where the stream finds an outlet. There are tongues of scattered and dwarfed conifers on some of the ridges, but the slopes are clothed mostly with thickets of alder, salmon-berry and devil’s club, with
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island U
many steep rock slides, or towering faces of sheer, unscalable rock. The higher slopes of the mountains, from about 4000 feet upward, are plentifully covered with heather and blueberries.
Mount Saunders forms the southwestern wall of the basin, while just north of this peak, connected by a comparatively low ridge and directly overlooking the site of our camp, is a lesser mountain, Hansen Height, altitude 4952 feet.
The canon to the westward, King Solomon’s Basin, is prac- tically a replica of the one we were in, but somewhat smaller ; the two canons are separated by the ridge running up to Hansen Height and Mount Saunders, and come together at a point some four miles below our camp.
The summers are short at this altitude (Golden Eagle Basin is from 1900 to 2200 feet elevation). During our stay here (July 1 to 20), snow lay deep on the ground; most of the floor of the basin was covered; the ravines on the slopes held drifts thirty or forty feet deep, and there was snow everywhere on the higher peaks. The veratrum and grass were just pushing up, and when we left, the willows and alders had not yet fully leaved out, while the salmon-berry bushes were still in blossom, though we had eaten berries in the lowlands six weeks before.
MOUNT DOUGLAS
.
The highest point on the ridge extending from Mount Saun- ders to the westward of King Solomon’s Basin. The summit (4245 feet) is gently rounded, and comparatively easy of access, once the ridge is attained, but the slopes from the canon bottom to the ridge are steep and brush-covered, presenting a stiff climb. The ridge and slopes above are quite open, covered with moss and heather, and with many groves of stunted conifers. We found here two little lakes, one about an acre in extent, the other, just below, about half as large, both fed by surrounding snow banks. At the upper end of the lakes these drifts were from twenty to thirty feet high, rismg sheer from the water like miniature glaciers. From the summit both coasts of the island can be seen.
Though the weather was clear and sunny the air was de- cidedly chilly at this height, and ice formed on the water in the night. Birds were abundant, much more so than in the
8 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
cafions below, but we failed to find any of the smaller species of mammals. A string of mouse traps was set out, but with no results, and I could find no runways or any other indication of the presence of either mice or shrews.
Despard visited the mountain on July 3, and again July 7 to 9, and he and I together were there July 14 to 16.
NOOTKA SOUND
There is hardly a spot in the Pacific Northwest of greater historical interest than this remote and almost forgotten inlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The history of British Columbia practically begins with Captain Cook’s discovery of the bay in 1778, while for years afterwards it was the objective point of most of the traders and explorers in the region, and was regarded as the strategic key to the whole northwest coast. The naturalist’s interest in the spot is due to the fact that some of the early explorers brought back with them specimens of animals and plants which were new to the scientists of the period, and many species in various branches of natural history were described from examples taken there.
With the opening up of more promising regions, and the decline of the fur trade, Nootka Sound ceased to be of political or commercial importance, and today the little Indian village of Friendly Cove is probably in many respects very similar to what it was when Captain Cook anchored nearby in the spring of 1778, or as John Jewitt saw it during his two years’ captivity there in 1803-5. Except for the infrequent visits of the coast- ing steamer that runs from Victoria up the west coast, and an occasional fishing schooner driven in by stress of weather, the harbor is abandoned to the fleet of canoes belonging to the village; the only white man residing there at the time of our visit was the storekeeper, though there is a mission there and a priest during the winter months.
Nootka Sound is enclosed between Vancouver Island and Nootka Island, and the village of Friendly Coye lies on a little spit projecting from the southeastern extremity of the latter. This peninsula is unforested, level and grass-covered, affording a splendid site for the town, while a string of rocky islets extend-
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 9
ing to the eastward, at right angles with the line of the beach, gives the shelter that forms the cove. On the sheltered side, where the town is placed, there is a strip of beach several hundred yards long, composed of coarse gravel in which one sinks ankle deep at every step, but a beach of any sort is some- thing to be appreciated on this rocky coast. On the exposed side of the island is another strip of beach some two miles long, also composed mainly of the same coarse gravel, though in one or two places there are stretches of firm sand.
At the north end of the outer beach, about two miles from the village, is a large lagoon, opening into the sea and affected by the tides, but with freshwater streams flowing into it at the upper end, and with grassy flats on all sides. About half a mile behind the village, entirely surrounded by the forest, is a shallow freshwater lake, several acres in extent. This pond is described by Jewitt, in the narrative of his captivity, but though he speaks of it as being at that time surrounded by open woods, with no underbrush, at present the banks are so overhung and hidden by willows and salal that it is only at occasional intervals that the water’s edge can be reached. Most of our collecting was done about this lake and along the edge of the timber on the outer beach. The whole island is densely covered with good-sized timber and impenetrable underbrush, the salal, devil’s club, and other brush forming impassable thickets higher than a man’s head.
There are several large inlets opening from the sound, Muchalat Arm extending due east, Tlupana Arm, northeast, and the Tahsis Canal, due north. We ascended the Tahsis Canal to its head, where we established camp, about twenty-five miles from Friendly Cove. The shores of the canal, as elsewhere about the sound, are rocky and abrupt, except for one or two level spots occupied by Indian shacks, but at the extreme head of the inlet there are some rather extensive grassy flats, and two valleys containing large streams. There is an abandoned marble quarry at this point, and we found a solitary trapper residing here, with whom we made our home.
This proved to be a difficult place to work, for animal life was scarce, and the forests gloomy and all but impassable. The
10 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
grassy meadows, though attractive to the eye, were deceptive, for the rank grass was more than waist high, and concealed innumerable logs, stumps and pitfalls, while narrow winding cullies intersected the flats in all directions. There was a cluster of Indian houses here, unoccupied during the summer months, and around a spring nearby were dense thickets of elder, salmon- berry and other brush.
There is said to have been formerly a trail from the head of the Tahsis Canal across the island to Alert Bay, on the east side, but we were unable to find any trace of it, though the trapper with whom we were camping had blazed a trail over a portion of the ground it was supposed to traverse.
The steamer on which we departed having occasion to ascend the Muchalat Arm about twelve miles, gave me an opportunity of seeing this branch of the sound, which, like the Tahsis, has abrupt, rocky sides, with rough, timber-covered hills surrounding.
We arrived at Friendly Cove on the evening of July 23, and on the following day traveled up the Tahsis Canal, where we remained until August 2. August 3 to 11 were spent at Friendly Cove. While here we were the recipients of many courtesies from Mr. H. L. W. Smith, the storekeeper. When we shifted camp from the Tahsis Canal he came in his canoe from Friendly Cove, twenty-five miles, to assist in the moving; he provided us with a cabin in which to stay at the latter point, and gave us all the information and assistance possible. In short, he did everything in his power to render our stay pleasant and profit- able, and I gladly take this opportunity of expressmg my appreciation of his acts.
GREAT CENTRAL LAKE
A narrow sheet of water, twenty-four miles in length, the lower end of which lies twelve miles northwest of Alberni. The lake is surrounded by hills and mountains, and though there are occasional stretches of rocky beach, the shores are precipitous for the most part, the only level ground being at the two ends. At the upper end, where we camped, several large streams empty, and at their mouths are limited areas of grassy flats, but so grown up with willows and underbrush as to be
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island idl
impassable. The forest growth is dense, but there is compara- tively little underbrush, so the woods are fairly easy to traverse. Seattered along the north shore of the lake I noticed several madronas at different points, the only place on the west side of the island where we saw this tree; there are none around Alberni, none nearer than the east end of Cameron Lake. We were at Great Central Lake from August 17 to 26.
DELLA LAKE
In the high mountains, some twelve or fifteen miles north- west of the upper end of Great Central Lake. From our camp at the latter point we made a short trip here in search of ptarmigan, the country being so rough that we were unable to transport enough camp equipage to enable us to remain more than a day or two; in fact it is a sufficiently hard trip without any load. Most of the way the trail leads through thick woods, over rolling country, gradually ascending, but with no very steep grades. There are a number of streams to be crossed over very precarious bridges, some of them at dizzy heights above the water. One of these, composed of two fir trees felled across a narrow gorge, with split slabs laid across about three feet apart, spanned a waterfall, dropping below a sheer seventy or eighty feet; and the roar of the water, together with the trembling of the rickety strueture formed a combination that would be decidedly unnerving to a person inclined to be dizzy. The hard climb came at the farther end of the trail, which led to the base of a towering rocky cliff, over which a stream tumbled in a series of tremendous falls. A fragment of rotten rope dangling from a ledge at one side showed where the ‘‘trail’’ ascended, and the climb (of about 2000 feet) was a series of scrambles up the face of the cliff, with the occasional aid of ropes or leaning trees, and with short intervals of rocky slides where walking was possible. Our dog was unable to follow, and remained at the foot of the trail. Arrived on top we found ourselves in a rocky, bowl-shaped valley, nearly filled by the lake whose waters cascaded over the cliff we had ascended, while on every other side snow-covered mountains rose precipitously, some scrubby timber on their heather-covered lower slopes, but the summits
12 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
snowy and barren of vegetation. The lake itself was more than half filled with masses of snow and ice, and probably remained so throughout the rest of the summer.
A view from a mountain top in this region, even in mid- summer, gives one the impression that the island is mostly snow and glaciers, so wintry is the aspect, while from the warm valleys below, looking toward the mountains, there is but little of this to be seen.
About Della Lake are several mining claims, the occasion of the trail we had followed, none of which have been worked with any profit. Our visit to this point consumed three days, August 19) to: 21.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island
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THE BIRDS
CHECK-LIST OF THE BIRDS
. AAchmophorus occidentalis (Lawr.) . Podilymbus podiceps (Linn.)
. Gavia immer (Briinn.)
. Brachyramphus marmoratus (Gmel.) . Cepphus columba Pall.
Larus philadelphia (Ord)
. Mergus americanus Cass.
. Lophodytes cucullatus (Linn.)
. Anas platyrhynchos Linn.
. Nettion carolinense (Gmel.)
. Charitonetta albeola (Linn.)
. Histrionicus histrionicus (Linn.) . Ardea herodias fannini Chapm. . Grus canadensis (Linn.)
. Rallus virginianus Linn.
. Pisobia minutilla (Vieill.)
. Ereunetes mauri Cab.
. Actitis macularius (Linn.)
19. . Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus (Ridgw.)
. Bonasa umbellus sabini (Dougl.) 99
ADgialitis semipalmata (Bonap.)
Lagopus leucurus leucurus (Swains.) Phasianus torquatus Gmel.
Columba fasciata Say
Zenaidura macroura earolinensis (Linn.) Cathartes aura septentrionalis Wied
27. Cireus hudsonius (Linn.)
28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43.
Acecipiter velox (Wils.)
Astur atricapillus striatulus Ridgw. Buteo borealis calurus Cass.
Haliaeétus leucocephalus alascanus Towns. Faleo columbarius columbarius Linn. Faleo columbarius suckleyi Ridgw. Falco sparverius sparverius Linn. Pandion haliaétus carolinensis (Gmel.) Asio flammeus (Pont.)
Otus asio kennicotti (Elliot)
Bubo virginianus saturatus Ridgw. Glaucidium gnoma californicum Sclater Ceryle aleyon caurina Grinn.
Dryobates villosus harrisi (Aud.) Dryobates pubescens gairdneri (Aud.) Sphyrapicus varius ruber (Gmel.)
13
14 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
44, Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola (Bangs) 45. Colaptes cafer saturatior Ridgw.
46. Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmel.) 47. Cypseloides niger borealis (Kennerly) 48. Chaetura vauxi (Towns.) 49. Selasphorus rufus (Gmel.)
50. Nuttallornis borealis (Swains.)
51. Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni (Swains.) 52. Empidonax difficilis difficilis Baird
. Empidonax trailli trailli (Aud.)
. Empidonax hammondi (Xantus)
. Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri (Gmel.) . Perisoreus obscurus obscurus Ridgw. . Corvus corax prineipalis Ridgw. 58. Corvus brachyrhynchos caurinus Ridgw. . Agelaius phoeniceus caurinus Ridgw. . Sturnella neglecta Aud. . Euphagus eyanocephalus (Wagl.) 62. Pinicola enucleator flammula Homeyer
. Carpodacus purpureus californicus Baird . Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm) 5. Spinus pinus (Wils.)
. Calearius lapponicus alascensis Ridgw.
. Passerculus sandwichensis savanna (Wils.) . Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli ( Nutt.) . Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli Ridgw. . Zonotrichia coronata ( Pall.) . Spizella passerina arizonae Coues . Junco oreganus oreganus (Towns.) . Melospiza melodia rufina (Bonap.) . Melospiza lincolni gracilis (Kittl.) Passerella iliaea fuliginosa Ridgw. . Passerella iliaca insularis Ridgw. . Passerella iliaca townsendi (Aud.) . Pipilo maculatus oregonus Bell . Zamelodia melanocephala (Swains.)
80. Piranga ludoviciana (Wils.) 81. Progne subis hesperia Brewst.
82. Hirundo erythrogastra palmeri Grinn. 83. Tachycineta thalassina lepida Mearns 84. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Aud.)
5. Bombycilla cedrorum Vieill. 86. Vireosylva olivacea (Linn.)
7. Vireosylva gilva swainsoni (Baird)
oo oo NA or Ww
aD oO He Oo Oo
DAAGAADAARAH SONG Oke
awe WD Oo
SN NAN NNN A
oo on
88. Lanivireo solitarius cassini (Xantus) 89. Vermivora celata lutescens (Ridgw.) 90. Dendroica aestiva rubiginosa (Pall.) 91. Dendroica coronata hooveri MeGregor 92. Dendroica auduboni auduboni (Towns.)
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 15
93. Dendroica townsendi (Towns.)
94. Oporornis tolmiei (Towns.)
95. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis Brewst. 96. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata (Pall.)
97. Anthus rubescens (Tunst.)
98. Cinelus mexicanus unicolor Bonap.
99. Thryomanes bewicki calophonus Oberh. 100. Troglodytes aédon parkmani Aud.
101. Nannus hiemalis pacificus (Baird)
102. Certhia familiaris occidentalis Ridgw. 103. Sitta canadensis Linn.
104. Penthestes rufescens rufescens (Towns.) 105. Regulus satrapa olivaceus Baird
106. Myadestes townsendi (Aud.)
107. Hylocichla ustulata ustulata (Nutt.) 108. Hylocichla guttata nanus (Aud.)
109. Planesticus migratorius caurinus Grinn. 110. Ixoreus naevius naevius (Gmel.)
111. Sialia mexicana occidentalis Towns.
GENERAL ACCOUNTS OF THE BIRDS
ichmophorus occidentalis (Lawrence) Western Grebe Seen only in the harbor at Beaver Creek wharf (near Parks- ville) on September 28, where they were abundant.
Podilymbus podiceps (Linnaeus) Pied-billed Grebe Only a single bird secured, at the head of Great Central Lake, August 22 (no. 15553). This bird is in first winter plumage, with the throat and sides of the head and neck variously streaked with dusky markings. Its stomach was filled with a mass of what appeared to be its own feathers.
Gavia immer (Briinnich) Common Loon Two seen in a little mountain lake on the west slope of Mount Douglas on July 8. Quite common at the head of Tahsis Canal during the last week in July. At Friendly Cove, August 2 to 11, one was seen daily in a little lake in the woods. Every day at precisely the same time it left the lake, circled about once or twice, and then flew out to sea, calling as it went. I watched it
16 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
repeatedly, and it invariably took the same line over the trees, nor did it vary its time of departure more than five minutes. At the head of Central Lake, August 18 to 23, loons were seen and heard daily.
Brachyramphus marmoratus (Gmelin) Marbled Murrelet A few seen from the steamer on the west coast of the island between Port Alberni and Nootka, July 22 and 23, and August 11 and 12. Common at the head of the Tahsis Canal during the last week in July, and in the vicinity of Friendly Cove, August 3 to 11. Cepphus columba Pallas Pigeon Guillemot A single bird was seen in the harbor at Friendly Cove on August 3. Larus philadelphia (Ord) Bonaparte Gull Several seen August 22 at the head of Central Lake, evidently migrating. They appeared late in the afternoon and remained until dark, circling about and feeding on the surface of the water. Large gulls were seen from the steamer at various points between Alberni and Nootka Sound, and along the outer beach at Friendly Cove, but they were all birds in various stages of the immature plumage, and seen at too great a distance to permit of their identification.
Mergus americanus Cassin American Merganser
A female with a brood of downy young was seen in the swift rushing stream by our camp at Beaver Creek, on the evening of June 23. They gathered together on the river bank, evidently preparing to spend the night; in the morning they were gone.
Several broods of half-grown young, attended by the parent birds, were seen in the several streams at the head of the Tahsis Canal, the end of July, and individuals were observed in the lake at Friendly Cove, at various times from August 2 to 10.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 17
Lophodytes cucullatus (Linnaeus) Hooded Merganser A single bird, an adult female, taken at Errington, May 23 (no. 15552). Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus Mallard
A nest containing nine eggs was discovered by Miss Alexander at Errington, on May 21. On May 24 the nest was deserted and the eggs gone, though the old bird was still seen in the vicinity. Four were seen swimming together on several occasions at Central Lake, August 18 to 22. At Errington on September 2 and 22 flocks of eight or ten were flushed from a little lake in the woods.
Nettion carolinense (Gmelin) Green-winged Teal
Small flocks and some single birds seen at Errington during the latter half of September. Two were shot on September 22, and the skeleton of one of them preserved (no. 15549).
Charitonetta albeola (Linnaeus) Buffle-head
Only two females, seen at Della Lake, August 20.
Histrionicus histrionicus (Linnaeus) Harlequin Duck
Three seen in the Tahsis Canal, Nootka Sound, on July 24.
Ardea herodias fannini Chapman Northwestern Blue Heron Apparently fairly common, as a few individuals were seen at all suitable points visited. Miss Kellogg saw one on the Little Qualicum River, May 10, and seeured an adult female at the same place, May 13 (no. 15554). I saw one feeding on the beach between Nanaimo and Parksville on June 8. In the vicinity of our camp at Beaver Creek they were occasionally seen flying over- head or feeding about the ponds and streams, and an adult male
18 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
was secured on June 19 (no. 15555). Several were seen from the steamer at different points on Clayoquot Sound, July 23. A number were seen at different times from July 24 to August 11, at points on the Tahsis Canal and in the vicinity of Friendly Cove. Two full-grown juvenals were secured, one at the head of Tahsis Canal, July 30 (no. 15556), and one at Friendly Cove, August 4 (no. 15557).
The four specimens obtained are indistinguishable in color and markings from examples from southeastern Alaska, but the two adults are a trifle larger than any from that region. Their measurements are as follows:
Middle toe
No. Sex Wing Tarsus and claw Culmen 15555 J 532 174 138 149 15554 2 493 146 113 123
Grus canadensis (Linnaeus) Little Brown Crane On September 24 and on several occasions during the next few days, flocks of cranes, presumably of this species, were seen flying southward. On September 27 a flock of twenty-five birds lit in a grain field near our camp, and remained there, feeding in the stubble, until late in the afternoon, when they were frightened away. Rallus virginianus Linnaeus Virginia Rail A pair of adults and a downy juvenal secured in a swamp near Errington on May 19 were the only ones of the species seen at this pomt. At Beaver Creek there was a small swamp near our camp where the rails appeared to be quite abundant. Speci- mens were secured and others seen or heard calling at various times. Six specimens in all were preserved (nos. 15558-15563).
Pisobia minutilla (Vieillot) Least Sandpiper Seen only at Nootka Sound. A small flock was observed on the beach at Friendly Cove, July 24. At the head of Tahsis Canal, July 25 to August 1, single birds appeared on the mud
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 19
occasionally ; on the outer beach at Friendly Cove, August 3 to 11, small flocks were seen on numerous occasions. One specimen was preserved (no. 15564), immature male, Friendly Cove, August 3. Ereunetes mauri Cabanis Western Sandpiper Met with only at Nootka Sound, a few scattered individuals at the Tahsis Canal, and small flocks on the outer beach at Friendly Cove, July 24 to August 11. Two specimens were pre- served (nos. 15566, 15565), an adult male and female, in worn breeding plumage, the latter beginning to molt into the winter garb. Actitis macularius (Linnaeus) Spotted Sandpiper
One only, seen at the head of the Tahsis Canal, July 26.
Aigialitis semipalmata (Bonaparte) Semipalmated Plover A single bird seen on the Tahsis Canal, July 26. At Friendly Cove, August 3 to 11, small flocks and single individuals were occasionally seen on the outer beach. One specimen was pre- served, an immature male, Friendly Cove, August 3 (no. 15567).
Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus (Ridgway) Sooty Grouse
Common at most of the points visited. At Parksville and Errington many were seen and specimens secured in April and May. At Beaver Creek, in June, though not common, they were met with on various occasions, and toward the end of the month several broods of downy young were seen. A nest containing six eggs was found by Despard on June 3, placed close by the road, and discovered through the female flying up as he passed. As the nest was apparently deserted the next day, he took the six eges it contained (no. 1075). In the Golden Eagle and King Solomon basins females with broods of young were seen on various oceasions during July.
Nootka Sound was the one point visited where the species was
20 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
not found. It probably does occur there but is certainly un- common, as the storekeeper at Friendly Cove had not seen one during a residence of two years. At Della Lake (altitude about 3000 feet), August 20, feathers and droppings were noted at various points, but no grouse were seen.
The species is locally migratory, descending into the valleys during the breeding season, and retreating into the higher moun- tains at the end of the summer. The old males go first, beginning to leave about the time the females are bringing their young from the nest. At Beaver Creek a few still lingered through June and could occasionally be heard hooting. In the mountains south of Alberni, in July, no old males were seen at the bottoms of the basins, or in the canons, where females with young were frequently met with, but on the higher slopes and the summits of the surrounding ridges they were quite abundant. At the top of Mount Douglas (altitude about 4200 feet) several were heard hooting July 14 to 16.
At Errington, early in September, sooty grouse were abun- dant and gathered in flocks, usually of from six to ten indi- viduals, though as many as fifteen were seen in one gathering. At this time there were no males in the lowlands, these flocks being in all probability composed usually each of a female with her brood; but a trip to the summit of Mount Arrowsmith, Sep- tember 6 to 8, disclosed the presence of the cock birds in numbers everywhere on the higher slopes of the mountains. About the second week in September the others began to follow, and they soon became quite scarce in the lowlands. By the end of the month but very few remained.
This seasonal movement is extraordinary. For a bird to descend into the lowlands during the summer, and then to retreat to the bleak, exposed ridges at the advent of cold weather seems contrary to all expectation and is the opposite of the usual migratory movement of the birds of the high mountains. Neither does it seem to be analogous to the autumnal dispersal of birds, in which many lowland species ascend to high altitudes. Although under primitive conditions this would seem to be any- thing but an advantageous move on the part of the bird, at the present time it undoubtedly does save the lives of many grouse
a
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 21
which would otherwise be killed by sportsmen; for though they are abundant about the farms and on the outskirts of the towns during the breeding season, at the beginning of the shooting season most of them have withdrawn to the wilder and more inaccessible regions.
The male birds collected are indistinguishable from compar- able specimens from southeastern Alaska, but the females from the two regions show conspicuous differences of coloration. The Alaska birds are of a decided reddish tone as compared with the gray and brown of Vancouver Island specimens. This is especi- ally noticeable on the dorsal surface of the body, on the head and neck, and on the tarsi. It appears to be a constant differ- ence between females from the two regions, the only Alaska specimens showing an approach toward the other type of colora- tion being individuals in very worn plumage, which condition is probably largely accountable for the departure from the usual character. No Vancouver Island specimens are of the reddish color of the Alaska birds.
Eighteen specimens were preserved (nos. 15547, 15568- 15584) : seven adult males, seven adult females, one immature male (molting from juvenal into first winter plumage), two in natal down, and one adult female saved as a skeleton.
Bonasa umbellus sabini (Douglas) Oregon Ruffed Grouse
Common at many of the points visited, but apparently con- fined to low altitudes. About Parksville and Errington on the east coast, and about Alberni, near the center of the island, it was abundant in the woods. At Nootka it was uncommon, all that were seen being two old males, one at Friendly Cove and one at Tahsis Canal, and a female with a brood of young at the latter place. There were none in the Golden Eagle and King Solomon basins, nor on the surrounding mountains. <A number were seen between Alberni and Central Lake, but at the head of the lake and in the mountains beyond no ruffed grouse were encountered. Thus on Vancouver Island it appears to be a bird of the lowlands. At Errington, in September, they were abundant in the woods, in small flocks, probably family groups,
22 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10 and frequenting dense thickets of willows or erab-apples. They lay close and were hard to flush without a dog, when startled usually flying up to some low limb, where they remained in utter disregard of approaching men or dogs.
The male birds were heard drumming about Parksville and Errington in April and May, and at Beaver Creek in June; but not thereafter. A female shot near Parksville on April 27 had an egg in the oviduct. At Beaver Creek broods of downy young began to appear during the second week in June, and were seen daily thereafter, for the species was numerous at this point. The old birds were fearless in defense of their broods, and often the first intimation of the proximity of a grouse family was the sudden onslaught of the perturbed mother, who did not hesitate to hurl herself at any intruder, while her brood effaced themselves in the underbrush. Very young birds usually lay perfectly still when alarmed, and, if visible, suffered themselves to be picked up, but as soon as their wings could support them they flew to some distance when startled.
September birds were all molting, and it was not until near the end of the month that any were secured with the rectrices grown out to their full length. Most of the immature birds taken during this month were stubby-tailed and with the head and neck still mostly in juvenal plumage. A young one shot on September 4 was still almost entirely in the juvenal plumage.
The dichromatism of the species is very apparent in the series collected, the gray and the red-colored birds being conspicuously different. Those in the gray phase are quite uniform in color and markings, but the reddish birds show considerable variation. The former all have black ruffs, and gray tails with a black subterminal band. Of the reddish birds some have red _ rufts, some black, and others are variously intermediate. Some have a gray tail with a red band, some a red tail with a dark band, and one a red tail with a darker red band. These different styles of coloration are not indicative of age, sex, or season, for both phases are represented among adults and immatures of both sexes.
The stomachs and crops of birds collected in September con- tained some berries, but were filled for the most part with fern leaves and clover. A young bird shot in a tidal meadow on the
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 23
Tahsis Canal had its crop filled with small snails swallowed whole.
Twenty-two specimens were secured (nos. 15585-15606) : six adult males, three adult females, two immature males, three immature females, two females in juvenal plumage, and six birds in the natal down.
Lagopus leucurus leucurus (Swainson) White-tailed Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan probably oceur on all the higher mountains, where favorable conditions prevail, but they do not appear to be numer- ous. We searched for them at various points, with but moderate success. The regions they inhabit are so extremely wild, rugged and difficult of access that we were never able to conduct as thorough a hunt as I should have liked. In each ease it meant a trip of several days from our base camp, over mountains so steep and rough that we were able to carry but a very limited amount of supplies, even the bedding being left behind, while twice our hunts were brought to an abrupt end by sudden storms that forced us to descend hurriedly to the lowlands.
The caretaker at the Golden Eagle Mine told us that he had occasionally seen ptarmigan on the high surrounding ridges, but we failed to secure any at this pomt. On July 11 Despard saw one on a high ridge south of Mount Saunders. This appeared to be a female, and from its actions it undoubtedly had a brood of young near by. Numerous feathers and droppings were noted in the vicinity, but a later visit to the place was unproductive of results, no ptarmigan being seen.
The next place where we had an opportunity of hunting them was in the high mountains northwest of the head of Great Central Lake. Here, on the afternoon of August 20, a small flock was encountered on a steep mountain side overlooking Della Lake, at an estimated altitude of about 4000 feet, and three birds secured. The next morning the remainder of the flock was found again at the same spot, and three more were shot. This covey was composed of nine individuals, probably a pair of adults with their brood. They were found at the lower edge of deep snow banks which cover all these high ridges, where numerous small, terrace-like breaks in the steep, rocky hillside held sufficient soil
24 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
to support a scanty growth of grass and heather. The melting snow kept all these places saturated, the water trickling over the rocks. The numerous, deep gulches seaming the mountain side at frequent intervals were filled with snow, the depth of which we had no means of ascertaining, but in places faces of snow banks were exposed, forty feet high or more.
The birds were wild and difficult to approach, scattering to some distance when flushed, and alighting on projecting rocks where approaching danger could be watched. There they stood observant, with outstretched necks and nervously twitching tails, uttering an occasional cackle.
This was the only flock seen here, and before we could hunt farther the weather suddenly turned cloudy, and threatening fog banks settled over the peaks, making traveling dangerous over the slippery, dripping ledges; so, while we could still dis- tinguish directions and landmarks, we hastily descended the mountain.
Our last effort to secure ptarmigan was made on Mount Arrow- smith, September 6-8. They are known to occur on this moun- tain, and I talked with people who had seen them there, but we failed to find any. The greater part of a day was spent hunting in wind, rain and storm, but with no results, and as, after a wretched night, the storm showed no signs of abating, we gave it up and descended the mountain empty-handed. We tramped over large areas of open, heather-covered slopes well adapted to the species, and with a little more time and under somewhat more favorable circumstances there is no doubt but that they could be found there.
The six specimens secured on August 20 and 21 (nos. 15607— 15612) are all young birds, four males and two females, no adults being obtained, unfortunately. They are largely in the intermediate plumage between the juvenal and the pure white winter plumage, that designated by Dwight (1900, p. 149) as
99
“first winter plumage, preliminary.’’ This has replaced the soft juvenal plumage on the head, neck, upper breast, and to some extent on the back. The white winter plumage is beginning to appear on the wings, some partly grown lesser wing coverts and
the two outer primaries being white. Head, neck, and upper
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 25
breast are coarsely mottled, black and white, the feathers being barred with these colors in about equal amounts, and with a little ochraceous intermixed. Abdomen, white, suffused with dusky. Flanks barred with pale ochraceous and black. The general appearance is of a gray colored bird, with a suffusion of buffy on the back. The six specimens are almost precisely alike, having advanced to the same stage in the molt almost feather for feather.
The lack of comparable specimens prevents the comparison of these with mainland examples of lewcuwrus. The conditions surrounding the Vancouver Island white-tailed ptarmigan are very similar to those under which Lagopus rupestris dixoni of southeastern Alaska has developed dissimilarities from true L. r. rupestris of the interior, and it seemed natural to suppose that there might be a humid coast race of leucurus perceptibly different from the mainland form. The determination of this, however, will have to await the obtaining of additional material. Through the kindness of Mr. Frank M. Chapman, Curator of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, I have been enabled to compare my birds with some young of Lagopus l. peninsularis from the Kenai Mountains, Alaska. These are not so far advanced in the change into the transition plumage, but in the comparable parts there is surprisingly little difference between the two series. On the head and neck, however, where the juvenal plumage has been discarded, the Vancouver Island birds seem to be more purely gray, that is, more decidedly black- and-white-barred, and with less admixture of ochraceous, than is the case with any other white-tailed ptarmigan at hand, either adult or young.
Phasianus torquatus Gmelin Ring-necked Pheasant
Introduced in the southern part of Vancouver Island, where it appears to be increasing in numbers and extending its range. Miss Kellogg saw one at French Creek, May 18, and a number were observed about Errington in September. We were told that there were a few in the vicinity of Alberni, but none was encountered there by any member of our party. At Errington they were usually seen in the grain fields, but took refuge in the timber when flushed. Unlike the native grouse they were
ho for)
University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
exceedingly wary and difficult to approach. When startled they flew long distances, lit in dense cover, and probably ran, for I was never able to flush one a second time. Several broods were seen, never composed of more than four or five young. One specimen was secured (no. 15613), a juvenal male, about half grown, shot on September 1.
Columba fasciata Say Band-tailed Pigeon
Common in the vicinity of Parksville and Errington in April and May, when several specimens were taken. On May 24 Miss Alexander saw near Errington a flock numbering about a hundred birds. Common at Beaver Creek but no longer gathered in flocks, and probably breeding in the vicinity, though the females secured did not appear to be breeding birds. They frequented certain patches of swampy lowlands, feeding on salmon-berries and gooseberries, and were vigilant and hard to approach. At the first alarm they took refuge in the tops of the numerous tall dead fir trees standing everywhere in the valley, where they were quite safe from molestation.
In the Golden Eagle basin two birds seen on July 12 were the only ones noted, but the caretaker at the mine told us that later in the summer, when the berries were ripe at this altitude and about exhausted in the lowlands, the pigeons became quite numerous for a few weeks.
At Nootka Sound but a single bird was seen, at the head of the Tahsis Canal on July 27. At Errington in September only occasional small flocks or single birds were seen, and I was told that they departed altogether during the winter months. <A single bird was seen near the summit of Mount Arrowsmith on September 7.
Seven specimens were secured (nos. 15614-15620), two males and five females, all adult.
Zenaidura macroura carolinensis (Linnaeus) Mourning Dove I saw a single bird in the town of Alberni on the evening of June 14, feeding in the road near the hotel. The species was not met with elsewhere during the summer.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 27
Cathartes aura septentrionalis Wied Turkey Vulture
Common during the summer months in the southern part of Vancouver Island. I saw it in the vicinity of Alberni on numerous occasions in June and July, usually soaring about over the neighboring tide flats. At our camp on Beaver Creek, fifteen miles to the northward, it was seldom observed, probably not more than five or six being noted during the month we remained there. It apparently remains in the warmer lowlands, for none was seen in any of the mountain regions we visited. Neither were any observed at Nootka Sound.
Miss Alexander observed it at Errington in May, as many as ten being seen at once on May 25, and at the same place, in September, I saw some almost daily.
Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus) Marsh Hawk Seen only at Errington, where, during September, several were observed evidently migrating.
Accipiter velox (Wilson) Sharp-shinned Hawk
Apparently of rather rare occurrence in summer, as we met with it on very few occasions until the fall migration had begun. Miss Alexander saw one at Errington on May 26. Several were noted in the Golden Eagle and King Solomon basins during our stay there, and two secured on July 17, one an immature female, the other an adult male. The adult was one of a pair that suddenly appeared, circling over our heads as we were walking along a trail, screaming and scolding at us most vociferously. Although their actions intimated the proximity of a brood of young ones, we were unable to find them.
Several were seen at the head of the Tahsis Canal, the end of July, and one at Friendly Cove the first week in August. At Errington, during September, they were seen on various occa- sions, but were never abundant. At the last-mentioned point one was observed in pursuit of a flock of ruffed grouse, and
28 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
another was seen to catch a Savannah sparrow late one evening, when it was almost dark.
Three specimens were secured (nos. 15621-15623), an adult male and two immature females.
Astur atricapillus striatulus Ridgway Western Goshawk
Seen only at Errington, in September. First noted on Sep- tember 13, and subsequently observed on several occasions, though they never became at all numerous. Two secured on September 15 (nos. 15624, 15625), both immature males, and both in pursuit of poultry when they were shot. The species has an evil name as a chicken hawk among the ranchers of the region.
Buteo borealis calurus Cassin Western Red-tailed Hawk Seen on but two occasions during the summer, one at Beaver Creek, June 19, and another at Errington, September 20. Both were adults, as the red tail was distinctly visible as they flew, though neither ventured within shotgun range.
Haliaeétus leucocephalus alascanus Townsend Northern Bald Eagle
Fairly common on or near the coast; much less abundant inland. Seen in the vicinity of Parksville and Errington in May, and again in September. <A few observed in Alberni valley in June. A number were seen from the steamer at various points on the west coast between Port Alberni and Nootka. On the Tahsis Canal and at Friendly Cove, July 24 to August 11, one or two were observed almost daily. A single bird was seen cir- cling about over the summit of Mount Arrowsmith, September 7.
Falco columbarius columbarius Linnaeus Pigeon Hawk One specimen, a male, apparently immature, secured at Errington, September 16 (no. 15626), is typieal columbarius. Pigeon hawks were quite abundant in this vicinity during Sep- tember, but the difficulty of distinguishing between columbarius
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 29
and suckleyi in life made it impossible to determine the propor- tional abundance of the two subspecies.
Falco columbarius suckleyi Ridgway Black Pigeon Hawk
Seen only after the autumnal migration had begun. The first was noted at Central Lake, on August 22, in pursuit of a swallow. Another was observed near Cameron Lake on August 28, and thereafter, during the remainder of my stay on the island, they were seen daily in the vicinity of Errington and Parksville.
In habits and actions they were exactly like pigeon hawks as observed elsewhere. The cleared fields seemed to attract them and they were fond of sitting in elevated, exposed positions while at rest, and of sweeping along the edge of the brush, close to the ground, while hunting. They were frequently observed pursuing flocks of Steller jays, but were never seen actually to seize one, while the moment a hawk lit he was sure to be surrounded by the jays and pestered until he moved away.
Five specimens were secured (nos. 15627-15631), all taken at Errington during September. Two are males and three females, and apparently none are in fully adult plumage. They are all very uniform in appearance, sooty above, and very heavily marked below, as compared with true columbarius. In all, the transverse bars on the tail feathers are reduced to disconnected spots; in one (no. 15627) the middle rectrices and the outer webs of the others are unmarked.
Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus
Sparrow Hawk Fairly common at several of the points visited. One was seen by Miss Kellogg at French Creek, April 28, and one by Miss Alexander at the Little Qualicum River, May 9, while a number were observed at Beaver Creek during June. At Errington they were common early in September, but had nearly all disappeared before the end of the month. Not met with at Nootka Sound,
nor elsewhere in the higher mountains. Sparrow hawks were usually seen about patches of cleared land, never in the thick woods; and the dense and uninterrupted
30 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
nature of the forest on the west coast of the island probably accounts for the absence of the species from that region.
Five specimens were preserved (nos. 15548, 15632-15635), four as skins and one as a skeleton.
Pandion haliaétus carolinensis (Gmelin) Osprey
At Friendly Cove there was at least one pair of ospreys, the birds being seen daily circling overhead. Others were observed from the steamer at points on the west coast between Friendly Cove and Port Alberni. One passed over the boat in Clayoquot Sound, July 23, close enough for me to see that it was carrying a branch in its claws, as if nest building, though the season is certainly unusual.
The only others noted were two single birds seen, one near Parksville, June 8, and the other at Central Lake, August 22.
Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan) Short-eared Owl A female only, secured at Errington on September 17 (no. 15636). It was shot late in the evening, as it was following the course of a thicket-bordered ditch stretching across a grain field, a shelter for numerous small birds as well as for rats and mice.
Otus asio kennicotti (Elliot) Kennicott Sereech Owl At Errington, during September, unmistakable screech owl notes were heard on many occasions, but I was never able to catch sight of one of the birds. They were not heard at any other point visited during the summer.
Bubo virginianus saturatus Ridgway Dusky Horned Owl At Beaver Creek, June 9, Despard brought in a horned owl that a neighboring rancher had shot and hung on a fence a week or ten days before. It was a conspicuously dark-colored bird, with heavily marked feet and toes, and was of very large size.
1912) Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 31
At Errington, during September, they were frequently heard hooting at night, but I never saw one and failed to secure a specimen.
Glaucidium gnoma californicum Sclater California Pigmy Owl
Observed only in the vicinity of Errington, in September, except as noted beyond. At this point it was heard ealling daily, and it is rather remarkable that the call notes were not heard elsewhere. The species is in all probability quite generally dis- tributed over Vancouver Island, and the fact that it was not heard calling until September would seem to indicate that the call note is not given very frequently during the summer months. The notes were heard most often about dusk, but also quite frequently during the day.
Three specimens were secured, two males and a female (nos. 15637-15639). The first, secured on September 11, about 10 a.M., was perched on a pole by some abandoned ranch houses. Its stomach contained a few feathers. The second was taken on September 22. I was clambering over a mass of windfall by the edge of a lake in the woods when the agitation of some chicka- dees at the other end of the tangle attracted my attention. At first there was nothing to be seen, but finally a pigmy owl flew out and lit on a nearby limb, where it was secured. This was the middle of the day and the bird’s stomach contained a large dragon fly, evidently just swallowed, sufficient evidence of. diurnal hunting. The third bird was shot after dark, Septem- ber 23. The collection contains a fourth specimen (no, 15640), killed by Despard near Parksville in September, 1909, and pre- sented by him to the Museum. One was heard calling near Cameron Lake on August 28, and a dried-up wing of a pigmy owl was picked up on the trail at the head of Central Lake.
The four specimens at hand have just finished the annual molt, are consequently in perfectly fresh, unfaded plumage, and present an extremely dark appearance. The general ground color of the dorsal surface is between sepia and bistre, while the streakings of the under parts are still darker, clove brown in two, and more nearly the color of the back in the others. The
32 University of California Publications in Zoology \Vou- 10
only two other adult specimens of Glaucidiwm gnoma califor- nicum at hand, one from Seattle, Washington, the other from Marin County, California, present a decidedly more reddish appearance than these Vancouver Island birds.
Ceryle alcyon caurina Grinnell Northwestern Belted Kingfisher
A common species on or near the seashore but not so fre- quently seen farther inland. Some were observed or secured by Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg at the mouth of French Creek, at Englishman’s River, and at Little Qualicum River, in May; and several were seen at Beaver Creek in June. While we were at Nootka Sound they were evidently beginning to migrate south, and kinefishers were of daily occurrence, some along the beach, but more often by the little pond in the woods behind the village.
Ten specimens were preserved, six males and four females (nos. 15641-15650). Through the courtesy of the U. S. National Museum I have been able to compare these with a series of birds from various points in the eastern United States and the West Indies. The seven specimens at hand from Alaskan points (Prince William Sound and the Sitkan district), meluding the type of C. a. caurina, have also been carefully examined in this connection. Following are the measurements of kingfishers from the eastern United States and from the northwest coast region.
Bend of carpus to longest Bill from Depth of secondary in
Wing Tail Culmen nostril bill closed wing Average of six males from Vancouver Id., 159.3 90.5 58.5 45.6 14.5 132.9
(157-162.5) (87-93) (54-61) (40.5-48.5) (13-15) (132-134) Average of eight males from eastern U. 8. and West Indies, 154.4 84.4 56.8 44.0 12.8 118.8 (150-159) (78-89) (53-59) (39-47) (12-13) (112-127) Average of five females from Vancouver Id. and Alaska, 161.4 92.8 58.0 44.6 13.6 132 (159-166) (89-97) (56-62) (41.5-48) (13-14) (128.5-138) Average of fifteen fe- males from eastern U. S. and West Indies, 155.4 85.1 56.8 44.5 13.2 116.5
(152-162) (78-88) (51-60) (40-48) (12-14) (105-129)
4
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 33
From these measurements it is apparent that while the birds from northwestern America are a trifle larger than eastern speci- mens, the differences are very slight. One character of the western birds is quite apparent, however,—the greater length of the secondaries as compared with eastern birds, shown in the closed wing by the diminished space between the tip of the longest secondary and the tip of the longest primary. As shown in the accompanying table, there is almost no overlapping of measure- ments in this regard in the specimens examined by me. This difference was figured and described by Grinnell (1910, p. 388) in his deseription of cawrina, and is constantly present in all the specimens examined by me. It seems to be, however, the only character that can be relied upon in separating the two races, for occasional eastern birds are as large as the largest western ones, and there are no differences in color or pattern.
Dryobates villosus harrisi (Audubon) Harris Woodpecker
Of fairly common occurrence at every point visited, except at high altitudes. Many were seen at Beaver Creek in June, in- cluding full-grown juvenals, which began to appear by the middle of the month. In the higher mountains, the Golden Eagle and King Solomon basins, in July, a few were noted, but they were not common. Seen almost daily at Nootka Sound, both on the Tahsis Canal and at Friendly Cove; and quite abundant in the woods at the head of Central Lake. At Erring- ton, during September, they were common everywhere in the woods.
Compared with a series of hairy woodpeckers from south- eastern Alaska the Vancouver Island birds are slightly smaller, and decidedly darker and more smoky on the ventral surface. None of the series shows the light-colored underparts distinguish- ing the former. In two specimens, no. 15664, Great Central Lake, August 23, and no. 15667, Errington, September 14, both adult males, the white dorsal stripe is very restricted, and streaked with black; in another, no. 15658, Errington, May 24, an adult female, it is distinctly barred. All three, as well as some others in the series, have flank markings, usually black
34 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
streaks, but occasionally ill-defined bars. This is an apparent approach toward the characters of D. v. picoideus of the Queen Charlotte Islands to the northward.
Wear and fading produces a great change in the color of the under parts, the extent of the difference being well shown in some molting birds. An adult male shot at Central Lake on August 24 (no. 15664) has nearly finished the annual molt, but has a patch of old feathers still remaining in the center of the breast. The color of this patch is about ecru drab; that of the rest of the under parts about no. 4 slate color.
Eighteen specimens were collected (nos. 15651-15668), from various points on the east and west coasts, and from the center of the island.
Dryobates pubescens gairdneri (Audubon) Gairdner Woodpecker
Apparently of rare occurrence in the region traversed. Two specimens were collected, an adult male secured by Miss Alex- ander at Parksville, April 26 (no. 15669), and an adult female taken by Miss Kellogg at the same place April 25 (no. 15670).
Noted subsequently on but one occasion, on May 28, when Miss Alexander saw a pair in the woods by the roadside between Parksville and Alberni.
Of the two birds collected the female shows but a few white spots on the wing coverts; the male has numerous spots on the coverts, and all of the remiges are conspicuously spotted on both webs. Both birds have the under parts smoke gray, of about the same tint as the Harris woodpeckers.
Sphyrapicus varius ruber (Gmelin) Red-breasted Sapsucker Though looked for carefully at every point visited, this bird was noted on but two occasions, so the species would seem to be of rare occurrence on the island, at least during the summer months. Miss Kellogg found a nest at Beaver Creek, in a huge dead stump in the more open woods. This nest, on June 26, contained two young birds nearly ready to leave, and the carcass of a third, which had been dead several days. Both young and
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 35
the female parent were secured (nos. 15671-15673) ; the male was not seen at any time. The only other occasion on which the species was seen was at Errington, September 26, when one was shot in a cherry tree near our tent. This bird (no. 15674) is an immature female in first winter plumage, with a few juvenal feathers still lingering on the breast.
I searched carefully for the species at Nootka Sound, but failed to find it, though there were old sapsucker workings on trees in the woods. None of this work was at all fresh, and as the perforations are visible for years after they are made, they are of little assistance in determining the abundanee of the bird. Old workings were seen at other points on the island also, at Great Central Lake, Golden Eagle Basin, and at Errington.
The Vancouver Island birds, as represented by the four speci- mens at hand, belong to the northern race of the red-breasted sapsucker, though they are not quite as deeply colored as are Alaskan birds. The color characters of the race are as strongly marked in the two young birds as in the adults. Compared with juvenals of daggetti from California the two young ones from Beaver Creek are much darker toned throughout, being decidedly sooty in appearance. One has the back almost uniformly black, there being only one or two tiny flecks of -white, nearly hidden in the black feathers.
According to prevailing usage the name ruber is applied to the southern race of this sapsucker, but I think that the facts fully warrant its restriction to the northern subspecies. Picus ruber of Gmelin (1788, p. 429) was based on Latham’s (17 pp. 562, 563) description of the Red-breasted Woodpecker. I am indebted to Dr. C. W. Richmond for a manuscript copy of this
description. It reads as follows:
““Somewhat less than the last. The bill is an inch long, and of a brownish horn-color: the head, neck, and breast, crimson: from each nostril is a line of buff, passing under the eye, where it finishes: the back part of the neck mixed with dusky: back and wings black: several of the lesser wing coverts, near the outside of the wing, are tipped with white, and others of the greater coverts have the outer webs white, mak- ing a streak of this color parallel to and near the edge of the wing: most of the scapulars marked with an obscure yellowish spot at the tip: the first quill feather black, marked on the inner web half way from the base
36 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
with round spots of white; the others spotted on both webs with white; the secondaries spotted on the inner web only: under wing coverts black and white mixed: the middle of the belly dusky yellowish white: the sides of this last color, mixed with dusky: the tail and legs were wanting.
““This specimen came from Cayenne, and is in the collection of Capt. Davies.’’
That this bird came from Cayenne was, of course, a mistake, but what grounds are there for arbitrarily assuming, as has been done, that it was procured from some point on the coast of Cali- fornia? None that I know of—at least I have seen no published information bearing on the subject—while there is much to be said on the other side. .
First, to examine the evidence contained in the description itself, which is remarkably clear as to details. It is not often that descriptions of that date are so lucid as to be eapable of appheation to any one of closely related forms of a species, but it seems to be so in this case. ‘*The bill is an ineh long.’’ Of sixty California examples of the red-breasted sapsucker at hand not one has a bill of that size. The average length in the males is about seven-eighths of an inch, or a little less; in the females it is smaller. Alaskan specimens have the bill almost precisely an inch long.
““Most of the secapulars marked with an obseure yellowish spot at the tip.”’ Daggetti has the back conspicuously variegated with white, sometimes overcast with yellowish, but frequently quite as extensively and clearly white as in S. varius. Birds from the northwest coast of California are darker, and those from Oregon and Washington still darker, but it is not until Vancouver Island is reached, and from there northward, that they are found with only obscure yellowish spots on the back. This deseribes the northern bird exactly.
“The first quill feather black, marked on the inner web half way from the base with round spots of white; the others spotted on both webs with white.’’ On most of the southern birds the first (outermost) primary is definitely white-spotted on the outer web. Sometimes there are only one or two spots near the base of the feather and sometimes it is clearly spotted to the very tip, but in only one or two instances in the extensive series at hand is there a total absence of white spots on the outer web.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island — 37
The thirteen adult specimens at hand from Alaska and Van- couver Island all have the outer web of the first primary un- spotted.
Thus in this description every detail which may be definitely referred to one race or the other points toward the northern form.
Latham’s supplementary description (1787, p. 106) includes the tail, and it is on this that Suckow’s Picus ruber notkensis is based.
All of the early accounts of the species that can be traced at all lead back to Captain Cook’s statement of its occurrence at Nootka Sound. In view of Latham’s description of the specimen from ‘‘Cayenne’’ being of a tail-less and legless bird, the fol- lowing excerpts from Cook’s (1784, 2, pp. 292, 293) narrative are of interest :
‘As the season of the year was unfavorable to our gaining much knowledge of the vegetable productions of this country, so our own situa- tion while there, put it out of our power to learn much about its animals. For as the want of water made it necessary that we should enter the Sound at first, the unforeseen accidents which happened afterwards, though they lengthened our stay, were rather unfavorable to our obtaining any knowledge of this kind... . The account, therefore, that we can give of the quadrupeds is taken from the skins which the natives brought to sell; and these were often so mutilated with respect to the distinguishing parts, such as the paws, tails, and heads, that it was impossible even to guess at the animals to whom they belonged; though others were so per-
fect, or, at least, so well known, that they left no room for doubt about them.’’
And again (1784, p. 296) :
‘«Birds, in general, are not only rare as to the different species, but very scarce as to numbers; and these few are so shy, that, in all proba- bility, they are continually harassed by the natives; perhaps to eat them as food, certainly to get possession of their feathers, which they use as ornaments. . . . Amongst some other birds, of which the natives either brought fragments, or dried skins, we could distinguish... .
”
ete.
All things considered, it seems to me that the name ruber should be applied to the northern race. If the evidence, as given above, is not considered conclusive, then the name should be disearded entirely, for there is absolutely nothing to connect it with the California bird. In any event, Sphyrapicus varius
38 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
daggetti Grinnell (1901, p. 12) should be the accepted designa- tion of the breeding bird of California.
As to the specific distinction of S. ruber and S. varius, speci- mens showing various degrees of intergradation between ruber and S. v. nuchalis are of common occurrence. Coues (1903, p. 591) accorded ruber specific rank on the grounds that, although the males of the two species intergraded, the sexes were alike in ruber and different in varius, hence there was no intergradation in the females; but occasional females of S. v. nuchalis are very slightly, or not at all, distinguished from the males, which would seem to overcome that objection.
Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola (Bangs) Northern Pileated Woodpecker
Seen at Parksville, Errington, French Creek, Little Qualicum River, Alberni, and Central Lake. At most of these points not more than two or three birds were observed, and the species did not appear to be common at any point visited. None was seen at Nootka, nor anywhere in the higher mountains. Possibly six or seven were encountered in the vicinity of Errington at various times during September. They were usually wary and hard to approach, and as they remained much in the tops of the tallest trees, it was difficult to obtain specimens.
Wherever the birds were seen, sign of their work was also in evidence, particularly on rotten or charred trees, which often had large areas closely covered with punctures made by the woodpecker.
The pileated woodpecker of the northwest coast region has been separated by Bangs (1910, p. 79) as Phloeotomus pileatus picinus, type from Sumas, British Columbia, distinguished from P. p. abieticola by darker color, and restriction of white mark- ings, especially on the throat. Most of our Vancouver skins are darker than specimens at hand from California, Minnesota, and Illinois, but they vary somewhat among themselves. A male and a female shot at Errington in September, in fresh winter plumage, are appreciably darker and more sooty than those taken in April and May. Some of the Vancouver birds have the throat purely and extensively white; in two it is mixed with a good
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 39
deal of dusky. We secured six specimens, four males and two females (nos. 15675-15680). There is not available sufficient material representative of typical abieticola to afford a basis for comparison.
Colaptes cafer saturatior Ridgway Northwestern Flicker.
A common species at nearly every point visited. Miss Alex- ander reported them as abundant in the vicinity of Parksville in April. At Beaver Creek, in June, they were numerous, and by this time the young birds were out of the nests and scattered through the woods. Very few were observed in the Golden Eagle Basin, but on the summit of Mount Douglas, July 14-16, a number were observed. A few were seen at Nootka Sound, both on the Tahsis Canal and at Friendly Cove. At Errington, in September, the species was abundant, much more so than at any other point.
Thirteen specimens were collected (nos. 15681-15693). All show the dark coloration of saturatior to a marked degree, but six of the thirteen exhibit markings similar to those encountered in C. auratus. No. 15683 has two yellow rectrices; nos. 15686, 15687 and 15689, all adult males, have more or less distinctly marked red nuchal crescents. No. 15691, juvenal female, has a well-defined nuchal crescent, and no. 15692, Juvenal male, besides having such a mark, has a great deal of red on the anterior portion of the crown also. It is interesting that characters. of auratus should appear so often in specimens of cafer secured in a region far distant from the point of junction of the two species.
Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmelin) Nighthawk Seen in the vicinity of Alberni at different times from June 14 to August 27, and at Errington in September, but nowhere else. Though the birds were observed every time I visited the town of Alberni, they were not seen at all at our camp on Beaver Creek, fifteen miles north of town. On one occasion one was heard calling at a point some three miles south of camp. None was seen in the mountains south of Alberni, nor at the head of
40 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Central Lake, some thirty-five miles from the town, though the surface of the lake might be supposed to form an attractive feeding ground. Not met with at Nootka.
Although not common at Errington, some were observed nearly every evening during the first half of September. They appeared about dusk, hawking over the grain fields, and in diminishing numbers until September 15, when the last was seen. Though generally observed sailing about in the usual manner of the species, several were seen to alight on the ground, and from there to make occasional flights after passing insects, much in the manner of the poor-will. One of them when secured proved to be an immature bird, so it may be that the young nighthawks feed in this manner until their wings become strong enough to support them in more prolonged flights.
Four specimens were secured (nos. 15694-15697), two males and two females, an adult and an immature of each. The two adults, taken at Errington, August 29 and 30, are in worn breed- ing plumage, the male just beginning to molt, as shown by a few pin feathers on the forehead. The immature male differs from the adult principally in lacking the subterminal white tail band, and in having the white throat patch much obscured by black or brownish markings. The immature female differs from the other three birds in being much more ochraceous on all parts.
The adults are markedly different from any nighthawks avail- able from more southern localities in the west. C. v. hesperis as illustrated by specimens from California, Oregon, and Nevada, is more grayish, while C. v. henryi from southern Arizona is decidedly more brown in general tone of coloration. The Van- couver birds are very dark colored, and are not to be dis- tinguished from examples of C. virginianus virginianus at hand from Illinois and Wisconsin.
In defining the ranges of the western varieties of the night- hawk, our latest authority, the A. O. U. Check List of North American Birds, 1910 edition, states that C. v. hesperis occurs in southwestern, and C. v. henryi in southeastern British Columbia. If that is the case, C. v. virginianus has an interrupted range disappearing on the mainland of southwestern Canada to re- appear on Vancouver Island. As it is stated to occur in southern
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 41
Yukon, it may, however, range from that point southward through British Columbia, nearly to the southern boundary of the province, where it is replaced by the other two forms, as stated. In all probability the migration route of the Vancouver Island nighthawk lies to the eastward of the coast ranges, as is the case with other species of somewhat similar distribution.
Cypseloides niger borealis (Kennerly) Black Swift
Observed at most of the points visited. A single bird seen at Alberni on June 9, and a large flock at Beaver Creek on June 10. At Alberni, August 12 to 16, they appeared in numbers every evening together with the nighthawks. Large flocks were observed at Nanaimo, on June 17 and 30, circling about over some fields at the outskirts of the town. A few seen at Nootka Sound, on the Tahsis Canal, July 28, and at Friendly Cove, August 6. At Errington, in September, they were common, ap- pearing at dusk with the nighthawks and circling about until after dark. They diminished in numbers before the middle of the month, and the last was seen September 20.
The presence of these birds, feeding in flocks in the lowlands of the region throughout the summer, would lead to the inference that they were breeding at higher altitudes nearby, but none was observed anywhere in the mountains. They were not seen other- wise than in flocks, nor did their actions at any time suggest the probability of their breeding in the immediate vicinity of the place where they were encountered. Usually they were cireling about overhead, far beyond gunshot. One specimen was secured, an adult female (no. 15698), taken at Errington, August 30.
Chaetura vauxi (Townsend) Vaux Swift Fairly common at Beaver Creek in June, flocks being fre- quently observed feeding over marshy meadows in the vicinity. Not met with again until we reached Errington, in September. At this point small flocks were seen on various occasions early in the month, but all had disappeared before September 15.
42 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Selasphorus rufus (Gmelin) Rufous Hummingbird
An abundant summer resident on Vancouver Island. Numer- ous in the vicinity of Parksville and Little Qualicum River in April and May, as reported by Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg. At this time they were noted as frequenting thickets of gooseberry bushes. At Beaver Creek, in June, they were abundant every- where. Many were seen in the Golden Eagle Basin, July 1 to 19, but mostly immature birds, only one or two adult males being observed.
This was one of the species of birds of which we were anxious to obtain a good series of specimens from Nootka Sound, but at the time of our visit there the adult males had already departed, and the females and immatures were becoming decidedly scarce. Mr. Smith told us that earlier in the summer they were quite abundant, and frequently to be seen hovering over the flowers in his garden.
The last hummingbird observed during the summer was one seen at the head of Great Central Lake on August 22. Thirty specimens were collected (nos. 15699-15728), nineteen adult males, five adult females, and six immatures. Seven specimens were taken at Nootka Sound.
Nuttallornis borealis (Swainson) Olive-sided Flycatcher Seen and heard daily in the vicinity of our camp at Beaver Creek in June. They were not really abundant, but were scattered throughout the valley, individuals frequenting the same localities, frequently the same favorite perch, day after day, and though no nests were found they were undoubtedly breeding in the vicinity. The only other place where the species was observed was at the head of the Tahsis Canal, a single bird, apparently migrating, being seen on July 26. y Our failure to find the species at the other points visited on the island is rather strange, environmental conditions at these places being so very similar, and the bird being sufficiently con-
spicuous as not to be readily overlooked if present.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island — 43
Three specimens were collected (nos. 15729-15731), a male and two females, all adults.
Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni (Swainson) Western Wood Pewee.
Though fairly common at Beaver Creek and in the vicinity of Alberni during the time we spent at these points, it was seen nowhere else. Usually observed at the edge of clearings and meadows, and in more open places in the woods. The two speci- mens preserved (nos. 15732, 15733), adult male and female, are in no wise to be distinguished from others taken at more southern points.
Empidonax difficilis difficilis Baird Western Flycatcher
The range of the western flycatcher on Vancouver Island, as observed by us, presents certain points of interest, compared with its manner of occurrence farther south. In California dificilis is found in summer in high Upper Sonoran Zone and the lower part of Transition, a lower faunal area than that occupied by the wrighti-griseus-hammondi group of flycatchers. On Vancouver Island these conditions appear to be reversed. In midsummer difficilis was absent from the lowlands, where ham- mondi was breeding in some numbers, while we found it in the only high mountain locality we visited during the nesting season —a place where hammondi was not observed.
Specimens of EF. difficilis, evidently migrants, were taken at the Little Qualicum River and at French Creek, at various times from May 8 to 18. At Beaver Creek, in June, I looked for it carefully, but without success, and the call-note of the bird is sufficiently loud and distinet to render it probable that it would have been noticed. At the Golden Eagle Basin, altitude 2200 feet, and on the surrounding mountains, it was quite common in July. It was a hard matter to get sight of the birds in the dense woods in that loeality, but they could be heard calling incessantly.
A few seen at the head of the Tahsis Canal during the last week in July were probably individuals that had already begun to move from their breeding grounds, as were several others secured
along the beach at Friendly Cove, the first week in August.
44 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
None was seen at any point visited subsequent to our de- parture from Nootka Sound on August 11.
Ten specimens were secured (nos. 15734-15743), taken at the Little Qualicum River, French Creek, and Friendly Cove.
Empidonax trailli trailli (Audubon) Traill Flycatcher
Breeding in numbers in the bottom lands at Beaver Creek. The numerous willow thickets in this locality constitute a suitable summer home for the species, and the call note was frequently heard, though the dense vegetation rendered it difficult to catch sight of the birds. About the town of Alberni, also, Traill fly- catchers were noted on many occasions.
At the head of the Tahsis Canal, July 24 to August 1, several were met with, easily recognizable as they were calling con- tinuously, but here again I was prevented from securing speci- mens on account of the impenetrable nature of the vegetation they frequented. These appeared to be migrants, and as none was observed at any point subsequently visited, they probably depart from the region rather early in the fall.
Five specimens were collected (nos. 15744-15748), four males and one female, all taken at Beaver Creek on dates ranging from May 31 to June 25. They are indistinguishable from comparable specimens from California.
Empidonax hammondi ( Xantus) Hammond Flycatcher
An abundant species at many of the points visited. Many migrating birds taken in the vicinity of Parksville and French Creek in April and May, the earliest arrival noted being on April 29.
At Beaver Creek they were breeding in some number's, at a slightly higher altitude than our camp. At this point the valley becomes more narrow, steep, and broken, rising up into higher hills beyond, and this change in the character of the country is accompanied by certain changes in the bird population. Our camp was about at the dividing line between the ranges of E. hammondi and E. trailli, and the abruptness with which one
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 45
species was replaced by the other was strikingly apparent in a walk along the trail.
The Hammond flycatchers remained almost altogether high up in the fir trees, where they could be heard calling continuously, but they were very difficult to see. In all respects their actions, habits, and manner of occurrence were exactly like those of ZL. griseus as observed in the mountains of southern California, and many of the call-notes also seemed to me to be exactly the same. They appeared to be quite regularly distributed throughout the region where they were observed, and, in a walk along the trail, pairs of the birds would be encountered at intervals of about three hundred yards. A female secured on June 20 (no. 15759) was evidently sitting on a full complement of eggs, judging from her denuded abdomen, but I failed to find the nest.
There werea few in the woods at the head of the Tahsis Canal, Nootka Sound, and an adult and two juvenals secured are sufficient indication of their breeding at this point. As an old bird was observed feeding the young ones secured, they were probably not long out of the nest. A few were observed at the head of Central Lake, but none secured.
I saw none at Errington when we arrived there, August 29, but they appeared a few days later; one was shot on September 3, and shortly after they became fairly common. The last was taken on September 20.
The three species of Empidonax encountered on Vancouver Island appear to occupy distinct areas during the breeding season. Trailli oceurs in the lowlands of the southern part of the island, difficilis at high elevations—possibly of general distribution in the north—while hammondi occupies an intermediate zone. Our observations were not sufficient to demonstrate conclusively that this is the case, but the evidence certainly points in that direc- tion. The sharply defined ranges of hammondi and trailli as observed at Beaver Creek, the replacement of both these species by difficilis at the higher elevations visited, and the occurrence of hammondi apparently as a migrant only in the lowlands around Errington, are all corroborative of such a view.
Twenty-nine specimens of Hammond fiycatchers were secured (nos. 15749-15777): eighteen adults from Parksville, French
46 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou 10
Creek, Errington, Beaver Creek, and Nootka; four juvenals, two from Nootka Sound, and two from Errington, September 3, 4 (these latter apparently migrating) ; six immatures, in fresh fall plumage, taken at Errington in September, and one adult female in fresh fall plumage, shot at Errington, September 4.
Cyanocitta stelleri stelleri (Gmelin) Steller Jay
A common species at most of the points visited. Found in greatest abundance about Parksville and Errington, and also at Alberni and Beaver Creek, being probably the commonest species of bird at the latter point. Very few were seen in the high mountains. At our camp in the Golden Eagle Basin a family of Steller jays hung about the camp daily, entering the cabins and stealing odds and ends of food, but only one or two were seen elsewhere in the vicinity.
We were particularly anxious to obtain a good series of jays from Nootka Sound, the type locality of the species, but found them unexpectedly rare, as I was told was the case along the whole west coast of the island. At our camp at the head of the Tahsis Canal in one week’s time I secured one bird, and heard another calling in the distance. At Friendly Cove I was rather more successful, collecting eight specimens, but this was only through a special effort, following up every bird heard calling, and letting pass no opportunity of getting one. Not more than two or three were seen or heard in addition to the eight secured.
At Errington, in September, the jays were exceedingly abun- dant, particularly about the edges of the pastures and grain fields. Harvesting operations were in progress at this time, and a wheat field near our camp had just been cut and the grain piled in shocks. On those nearest the edges of the field, close to the shelter of the woods, the jays were feeding by scores; when startled most of the birds departed, carrying one or more long straws with them, to be thrashed out at their leisure in the nearby woods. Certain favorite stumps and logs were well covered with straws from which the grain had been eaten.
It seems probable that the partial settlement and cultivation of the country is favorable to the increase of the species, not so
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island — 47
much by diminishing the number of predaceous birds and mam- mals, for I doubt if these affect the jay population appreciably, but through the supplying of an abundance of food and more congenial surroundings. They certainly prefer partly cleared or fairly open woodland to the dark, uninterrupted forest, and this is, I believe, the main reason for their much greater abundance about the outskirts of civilization on Vancouver Island than on the densely forested west coast. At the latter point they were present in about the same numbers as on the coast of southeastern Alaska, where conditions are very similar.
Forty-nine specimens of Steller jays were collected during the summer (nos. 15778-15826), twenty-three summer adults. eighteen juvenals, and five adults and three immatures in fresh fall plumage. Most of the young were taken at Beaver Creek during June; none at any of the earlier camps. The Nootka series (nos. 15813-15821) consists of three adults and six young. The young birds (taken from July 28 to August 10) are all well advanced in the post-juvenal molt. The three adults (two shot on August 8, and one on August 10) are in fresh winter plumage. This seems to me to be a very early date at which to have com- pleted the post-nuptial molt, but only one of the three has any pin feathers remaining, and this one but a few. The large flocks seen at Errington in September were all in perfect winter plumage.
I have compared the large series of Steller jays we collected on Vancouver Island with the Alaskan material in the Museum with much interest, especially so with the birds from the more southern Alaskan islands (Prince of Wales, Dall, ete.). TI still (see Swarth, 1911, p. 78) do not see that we are justified in con- sidering the Prince of Wales birds the same as carlottae. They are slightly larger than the average of typical stelleri (though well within the range of variation of the subspecies), and some individuals are, perhaps, a slightly deeper blue, but the differ- ences are too slight and impalpable to warrant our considering these individuals as carlottae (see Osgood, 1905, p. 70) and thus extending the range of this subspecies over part of an island (widely separated from the rest of its habitat), when there is nothing to hinder its occurrence over the rest of this and on adjacent islands.
48 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Winter-plumaged examples of stelleri from Vancouver Island, especially the three adults from Nootka Sound, are quite as dark colored as the darkest of the birds from the southern Alaskan islands.
MEASUREMENTS OF SERIES OF Cyanocitta stelleri FROM VARIOUS POINTS ON THE NORTHWEST COAST
No. Wing Tail Culmen Tarsus Three adult males from Nootka 15818 150.0 141 30 42 Sound, 15819 150.5 137 30 41
15820 148.0 138 31 45 Average of seven males from vari- ous points on Vancouver Island, 148.6 140.1 30.5 42.6 Average of four males of C. s. car- lottae from Queen Charlotte Is-
lands (Ridgway, 1904, p. 354), WG ceca 30.4 48.0 Average of four males from Prinee
of Wales and Dall islands,
Alaska, 152.9 142.2 31.1 46.5 Average of six males from Baranof
and Admiralty islands, Alaska, 148.7 1375 30.7 43.5 Average of five males from Prince
William Sound, Alaska, 148.2 136.2 30.3 41.1
Perisoreus obscurus obscurus Ridgway Oregon Jay
In the summer, at least, a resident at high altitudes only, and of rather uncommon occurrence. We first met with the species in the mountains south of Alberni. On July 3 Despard saw several on the trail below King Solomon’s Basin, and again, July 9, on Mount Douglas. On July 15 we were together on Mount Douglas, when he killed a bear. While we were engaged in skinning the animal, entirely hidden by the surrounding trees and underbrush, a flock of Oregon jays suddenly appeared, to feed on the refuse. There were five in all, a pair of adults and three young ones, evidently a family gathering. Thé species was not again met with until August 18, when several were seen flitting through the shrubbery at the edge of Great Central Lake. A few days later, August 21, three were secured on the moun- tain slope above Della Lake, at an altitude of about 4000 feet. On September 8 a flock of four or five individuals was seen in a
dark canon on the north side of Mount Arrowsmith. On the few occasions we had to observe them, the Oregon jays
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 49
showed the absolute indifference to human presence that is so characteristic of the genus. They were not seen until almost within arm’s reach, dropping silently about us from the trees like huge, feathery snowflakes. They had, however, a discon- certing way of keeping on about their own business and were not to be distracted by appeals to their curiosity, such as are so suecessful with Cyanocitta and Aphelocoma. Thus the flocks observed at Great Central Lake and below Mount Arrowsmith were evidently traveling somewhere, and though they suddenly appeared within a few yards of where we were sitting, they dis- appeared, fading away, before we realized it, and were not to be recalled by any amount of ‘‘squeaking,’’ such as would bring the Steller jay back, headlong, to investigate.
Eight specimens were preserved (nos. 15827-15834). two adults and three juvenals from Mount Douglas, July 15, and two adults and one juvenal from Della Lake, August 21. The adults were all undergoing molt, showing patches of old and new plumage. The three young birds from Mount Douglas are in the juvenal plumage purely; the one from Della Lake is in the midst of the post-juvenal molt.
Compared with a large series from Humboldt Bay, California, the Vancouver Island birds are decidedly larger, with especially larger bills, being nearly the size of P. o. griseus, of the interior. The type locality of P. 0. obscurus is Shoalwater Bay, Washing- ton, almost exactly midway between the points where these two series of jays were collected. The measurements of typical obscurus, as given by Ridgway (1904, p. 372) are intermediate between those of the two series at hand, and it is probable that the Vancouver Island birds and the Humboldt Bay birds, taken at the extreme north and south points of the known range of the species, represent the extremes in size. I cannot detect any color differences between the specimens from the two regions.
MEASUREMENTS OF THE VANCOUVER ISLAND ADULTS
No. Sex Wing Tail Culmen Tarsus 15830 fof 140 132 22 34 15832 3 140 131 21 35 15831 io) 138 136 20 33 15833 2 142 135 ore 34
50 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
AVERAGE OF Four ADULT MALES FROM HuMBOLDT BAY, CALIFORNIA
Wing Tail Culmen Tarsus 133.75 123.37 18.25 30.87
AVERAGE OF Four ADULT FEMALES FROM HuMBOLDT Bay, CALIFORNIA 132.25 124.0 18.25 31.12
Corvus corax principalis Ridgway Northern Raven
Nootka Sound was the only place where ravens were seen in any numbers. Here, both at Friendly Cove and on the Tahsis Canal, they were very abundant, feeding in flocks on the mud flats and along the beaches. Two specimens were secured on August 1, juvenals, molting into the first winter plumage (nos. 15835, 15836).
At Beaver Creek a few were seen at different times during June, probably not more than five or six altogether. They were not observed elsewhere.
Corvus brachyrhynchos caurinus Baird Northwestern Crow
Common everywhere near salt water but not observed at any point very far inland. Miss Alexander saw them at Parksville, April 25, and I met with them in numbers at Nanaimo, on June 8. At Nootka Sound there were numerous good-sized flocks feeding on the mud flats at low tide, frequently in company with the ravens.
The only inland point where crows were met with was at our camp near Errington, about five miles from the coast. Early in the morning of September 26 large flocks, numbering probably several hundred individuals, suddenly appeared anc settled on the trees in the vicinity. After a stay of several hours they departed, but as they flew directly northward this can hardly be considered as indicative of any regular migratory movement.
Agelaius phoeniceus caurinus Ridgway Northwestern Redwing Miss Kellogg shot five red-winged blackbirds, three males and two females (nos. 15837-15841) on the Little Qualicum River.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 51
May 9 and 10. They were evidently breeding, the ovaries of the females containing well-developed eggs, but the five birds secured apparently formed the entire colony as they were all that were seen. The species was not encountered at any other point.
The specimens secured have the extremely slender, sharp- pointed bill characteristic of the race caurinus, and appear to be typical examples of that form.
Sturnella neglecta Audubon Western Meadowlark
A fairly common species in the more settled portions of the southeastern part of the island, and to a lesser degree as far west as Alberni. Seen in the fields about Parksville on numerous occasions in May and June.
In the Beaver Creek Valley, extending some fifteen miles north of Alberni, there are scattered tracts of cleared land, some under cultivation, others formerly cultivated but now abandoned. Meadowlarks occur in small numbers to the limit of these open places. Most of these tracts were cleared but a few years ago, and I was told that the birds appeared after the land was de- forested. In all probability this is what has happened over the entire range of the meadowlark on Vancouver Island. Before the settlement of the region by white men, there could have been but very small areas sufficiently free from forests to support the species, whereas the clearing of the land for farming purposes has undoubtedly enabled it to establish itself on the island, and to extend its range yearly.
At Errington, in September, a flock of thirty or forty fre- quented some grain fields in the vicinity of our camp, where they were seen daily. They were exceedingly wary and unapproach- able and I had difficulty in obtaining specimens.
In all, eleven meadowlarks were secured (nos. 15842-15852), five in April and May, and six in September in fresh fall plumage. They are quite indistinguishable from comparable specimens from various parts of California, environmental differ- ences apparently having been so far unable to produce any appreciable modifications of color or markings. These birds, in a region whose climate is supposedly productive of the dark
52 University of California Publications in Zoology \Vou. 10
style of coloration seen in many of the forms occurring therein, are not to be distinguished from others of the species residing in the most arid parts of North America. The transplanting of this species to altered surroundings has not been immediately followed by the appearance of those adaptations supposedly most advantageous to the inhabitants of the region. In other words, the coloration of this bird appears to be an inherent, deep-seated character, and one that surrounding conditions have not directly affected. Euphagus cyanocephalus (Wagler) Brewer Blackbird
A common species on the east side of Vancouver Island. especially in the vicinity of settlements and clearings. A very few were seen near Alberni, but on the west coast they appeared to be entirely absent, for none was observed. A breeding colony was discovered in a swamp near Errington on May 20; the several nests examined at this date all contained young. One nest was placed in a bunch of grass at the edge of a ditch, and others were up in the bushes.
I revisited this place in September, and saw flocks of black- birds almost daily. They were then feeding in nearby grain fields which had just been harvested.
At Beaver Creek, in June, there were a few scattered pairs breeding in pasture land in the vicinity, but no colonies. From the solicitude shown by the old birds when we appeared in their vicinity it was evident that they had young somewhere near, but we did not discover any nest.
Fifteen specimens of Brewer blackbirds were collected (nos. 15853-15867), four adult males, six adult females, four juvenals, and one immature female in first winter plumage.
Pinicola enucleator flammula Homeyer Kadiak Pine Grosbeak Seen at only one point, on the ridge leading up to Mount Douglas, at an altitude of about 4200 feet. Early in the morning of July 15 I heard one singing in a tree top near camp, but he ceased before his exact whereabouts could be ascertained. Later in the day a single bird was seen sitting on the top of a scrubby
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 53
little fir tree, such as are seattered all along the ridge, and, with a little trouble, was secured. An hour or two later another was observed in a similar location, but was too wary to be approached. They did not appear to be feeding, but sat quietly on the tree tops, giving utterance to an occasional low whistle. These three were all that were observed.
The specimen secured (no. 15868) is a male in juvenal plumage, just beginning to molt into first winter plumage. It is rather a dark colored bird, compared with the juvenals of P. e. californica at hand, but the distinguishing feature of the speci- men is the large, swollen bill. In this, as well as in other respects, it is indistinguishable from comparable examples of P. e. flam- mula from the coast of Alaska, to which race it is apparently to be referred.
While the capture of this young bird does not in itself con- stitute a breeding record, it makes it seem highly probable that the species does breed in some parts of the island. This is far south of the breeding range of flammula as defined heretofore, but a pine grosbeak breeding on Vancouver Island would, reason- ing from analogy, be more apt to be related to the bird of the Sitkan district of Alaska, directly to the northward, than to the one residing in the interior of British Columbia.
Carpodacus purpureus californicus Baird California Purple Finch
A fairly common species on the east side of Vancouver Island, but not seen on the west coast. The second week in May, on the Little Qualicum River, male birds were observed, singly, sitting in the tree tops singing. Two females collected at this time by Miss Alexander contained eggs in their oviducts. At Errington, in September, small flocks and single birds were seen from time to time throughout the month, usually feeding in clumps of willows.
Fifteen specimens were collected (nos. 15869-15883). Eight are adult males, two are breeding males, but in the brown, streaked plumage, four adult females, and one an immature female in first winter plumage. In both sexes the colors are appreciably darker than in most California examples of the
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species; the red in the adult males more intense, the ground color of the females more olivaceous. Occasional California specimens, however, are not to be distinguished from the Vancouver birds.
Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm) Crossbill
Common at many of the points visited. Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg collected a number of specimens at Parksville and Errington, in April and May, when they were gathered in large flocks. A few were seen at Beaver Creek from time to time in June, but they were not abundant. At the Golden Eagle Basin, in July, they were quite numerous, gathered in flocks of old and young together, but usually feeding in the tree tops, where they received the benefit of the sunshine, and seldom descending to the ground below where the sun’s rays rarely penetrated. None was seen either at Nootka Sound or at Great Central Lake, but this was probably fortuitous, as the species is in all probability of general distribution over the island. A few were noted at Erring- ton, during September, but not in any numbers.
Although at the Golden Eagle Basin they were feeding almost exclusively in the tree tops, at other points they frequented the ground. Near Parksville they were frequently observed on the beach, sometimes in the sand or gravel, or in the beach grass, and sometimes feeding in the drifted kelp. At Errington some were shot with their mouths filled with mud and sand, and at Beaver Creek a small pile of gravel under the shelter of a barn on an abandoned ranch, was an attraction that was visited daily by crossbills.
If Loxia curvirostra sitkensis Grinnell (1909, p. 223) turns out to be a recognizable form it will probably prove to be re- stricted to southern Alaska, for I do not see how the Vancouver Island erossbill ean with certainty be distinguished from birds from eastern North America. :
The expedition collected ninety-two specimens (nos. 15884— 15975), of which fifty-seven are adult males, twenty-two adult females, and thirteen juvenals. Of the old males about one-half are rather brilliantly red, quite as much so as those from eastern poimts. The others are variously greenish-yellow, orange, or
on on
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island
parti-colored, some of them quite similar to some of the Alaskan birds on which the deseription of sitkensis was based. Possibly further collecting will produce Alaskan ecrossbills in the bright red plumage, but however that may be, no color difference can be maintained to exist between Vancouver Island and eastern birds, nor do I find that there are any notable differences in the measurements of specimens from the various regions.
The duller colored, presumably younger, males, show consid- erable variation. Some are quite uniformly dull red or orange, while others have the body plumage of about the greenish yellow color of the female, but interspersed with patchés of quite brilliant red. It accordingly seems possible that the brightest plumage may be acquired through a single change, rather than after a series of molts into successively brighter red plumages.
One bird with many red feathers in the greenish yellow body plumage, still retains on the abdomen the streaked feathers of the juvenal plumage. Two adult females also have similar tracts of juvenal feathers still lingering. Several males shot during April and May, and early in June, are undergoing a slight molt about the head and neck. One bird with comparatively few yellow feathers in the red plumage, is nevertheless acquiring additional yellow ones by this change.
Streaked young were taken in April, May, June and July. One shot at Parksville, May 4, is already changing into first winter plumage.
MEASUREMENTS OF Loxia curvirostra minor FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND
Wing Tail Culmen Depth of bill Tarsus
Average of ten 86.36 49.38 15.75 9.05 15.39 adult males, (83.8-90.0) (46.0-51.8) (15.0-17.0) (8.5-9.8) (14.0-16.0)
Average of ten 82.49 46.65 14.77 8.5 15.53
adult females, (79.0-85.2) (44.5-50.5) (14.0-16.8) (8.0-9.0) (14.2-16.8)
Spinus pinus ( Wilson) Pine Siskin Fairly common, and observed at nearly every collecting station except at Nootka Sound. Specimens were collected at several points on the east coast—Parksville, Errington, and Little
56 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Qualicum River. Two stubby-tailed juvenals collected at Erring- ton on May 25 were evidently not long out of the nest, and had undoubtedly been hatched in the immediate vicinity. Toward the west side of the island they became less common, but in the Golden Eagle Basin (altitude 2200 feet) it was one of the few species of birds that were fairly abundant.
A solitary siskin seen feeding on a snowbank (probably on seeds blown from adjacent shrubbery), on the mountain side above Della Lake (about 4000 feet), August 20, was noteworthy as being one of just three species of birds seen during a half day’s hunt, the other two being the white-tailed ptarmigan and buffle-head duck.
Nine specimens were preserved (nos. 15976-15984), five adults and four juvenals.
Calcarius lapponicus alascensis Ridgway Alaska Longspur
Seen only at Errington. First observed on September 15, and thereafter, in small companies of six or eight, on various occasions up to the end of the month. They frequented the stubble fields in the vicinity, and were rather shy and difficult to approach, so much so that I failed to secure any specimens.
Passerculus sandwichensis savanna (Wilson) Savannah Sparrow -
Abundant as a migrant, but observed nowhere under cireum- stances that led us to believe they were breeding. Numerous in the spring in the fields about Parksville, Little Qualicum River, and French Creek, evidently migrating; and specimens were taken at various times up to May 19. None seen in midsummer at any point.
There were none at Errington upon our arrival there August 28, but on September 6-8, when we ascended Mount Arrowsmith, we found them in numbers on the heather-covered slopes near the summit. There was a heavy storm at this time, September 7-9, and immediately thereafter the Savannah sparrows began to appear in the fields about Errington. By the end of the month
“a
oO
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island
they were exceedingly abundant. Thirty specimens were pre- served (nos. 15985-16014), twenty-two being spring adults, and six immatures and two adults in fresh winter plumage. They are precisely like birds from the coast of southeastern Alaska ; in all probability most of them are migrants from that region. As already pointed out by Grinnell (1909, p. 227) and myself (191la, p. 85), the Savannah sparrow of the northwest coast is practically indistinguishable from P. s. savanna of eastern North America, and I continue to use this name for the form. The additional material obtained does not furnish obvious means of distinguishing the races, and I am unable to do so; from P. s. alaudinus these coast birds are. widely different, and should not be lumped under the same name.
~ Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli (Nuttall) Intermediate Sparrow
Seen at Errington in September, evidently migrating. The first was taken on September 17, and for a short time thereafter a few could usually be found in thickets and brush piles about the edges of the cleared fields. Nearly all had disappeared before the end of the month. Two specimens were preserved (nos. 16015, 16016), an adult female and an immature male.
.
Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli Ridgway Nuttall Sparrow
A common species on the east coast of Vancouver Island, but observed nowhere on the west side. In driving between Nanaimo and Alberni, as I had occasion to do several times during the summer, the Nuttall sparrows were conspicuous along the road- side to a point a little beyond Parksville, some thirty miles north of Nanaimo, but soon after the road turned to the westward they ceased to be seen.
Though no nests were found the species was undoubtedly breeding in this region. A female collected by Miss Alexander at French Creek, on May 13 (no. 16024), is entered in her note- book as containing eggs in its oviduct. None were seen during June, July and August, spent on the west side of the island, and
58 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
when we returned to the east coast, in September, they appar- ently had migrated, an immature male, shot at Errington, Sep- tember 9 (no. 16027) being the only one noted. A day or two later a few white-crowned sparrows began to appear in the thickets but all that were shot proved to be gambeli, evidently just arriving from the north. This would indicate that nuttall was a summer resident only, in the region.
Eleven specimens were preserved (nos. 16017-16027), ten in summer plumage and one immature male in first winter plumage.
Zonotrichia coronata (Pallas) Golden-crowned Sparrow
Evidently a common migrant on Vancouver Island. Seen in the vicinity of Parksville in April and May, and at Errington in September. Six specimens taken by Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg at Parksville and the Little Qualicum River (nos. 16028— 16033), the last on May 10, were all females, possibly an indica- tion that the males had already passed through.
Common at Errington the latter part of September. First seen on September 13 and thereafter observed daily in the thickets and brush piles. Two immature females in first winter plumage secured (nos. 16034, 16035). They were still abundant when I left, at the end of September, though the white-crowned sparrows had nearly all gone.
Spizella passerina arizonae Coues Western Chipping Sparrow
Four adults taken at Parksville in April and May (nos. 16036— 16039), where the species was probably breeding. It was not seen anywhere on the west side of the island, though there was no obyious reason why it should not occur about Alberni, enyviron- mental conditions being very much as they were on the east coast, and apparently quite as favorable.
Subsequently met with only at Errington, where, on Sep- tember 18, a number suddenly appeared, apparently migrating, and one in juvenal plumage was secured (no. 16040). They disappeared as quickly as they came, and were not seen again.
The five specimens secured, both adult and juvenal, are not
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 59
to be distinguished, either by coloration or size, from comparable specimens from California.
Junco oreganus oreganus (Townsend) Oregon Junco
Juncos were found in abundance at every point visited, except Nootka Sound, where none was seen. That they occur here, too, however, is evident from the description given by Captain Cook (1784, p. 297) of a finch seen at this point in April, 1778. Full- grown juvenals were taken at Errington the last week in May; and at Beaver Creek in June, they were in evidence everywhere. Juncos were fairly common in the Golden Kagle Basin in July, frequenting the willow thickets and underbrush in the compara- tively open ‘‘Basin,’’ though but seldom seen in the dense woods of the cafons below. A number were seen on Mount Douglas (4200 feet), July 14, and a nest was found containing four eggs. It was just off the ground, in a mass of heather, and completely hidden in the vegetation.
Juncos were abundant at Errington throughout September, gathered in large flocks, composed principally of young birds, which by this time had assumed the first winter plumage.
The breeding junco of Vancouver Island has been referred to J. 0. shufeldti (see Ridgway, 1901, p. 285), but I cannot with certainty distinguish our series (sixty-one specimens—nos. 16041— 16101) from breeding birds of J. oreganus oreganus taken in southern Alaska. Selected Alaskan specimens have the brown and vinaceous areas somewhat more richly colored than any of the Vancouver Island birds, and certain of the latter have those areas less rufescent than any of the Alaska birds, but many specimens in the two series are quite indistinguishable. Furthermore, Sep- tember birds from Alaska and from Vancouver Island, in fresh fall plumage, unworn and unfaded, are precisely alike. It may be argued that birds taken on Vancouver Island in September might have migrated from points farther north, but there is an adult male in the series (no. 16091, Great Central Lake, August 24,1910), in the midst of the molt, and obviously not a migrant, which is acquiring a plumage as dark as fall examples of oreganus from Alaska.
60 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Winter specimens of shufeldti from southern Arizona, aside from the color differences distinguishing them from the series under discussion, are appreciably larger, or at least have con- siderably longer wings. There is no size difference between the Alaska and Vancouver Island birds.
It seems more reasonable to regard as shufeldti (a pale colored bird with a long wing) the form inhabiting the more arid interior of British Columbia, forced by the severe winter climate to migrate far southward; and as oreganus the breeding bird of the humid coast region, south to include Vancouver Island.
This is the course adopted by Mr. Frank M. Chapman in his treatment of the junecos contained in the collection of British Columbia birds reported upon by him (1890, pp. 145-146) ; and it is certainly to be expected that the junco of this coast region should be more nearly like the southern Alaska race, climatie and environmental conditions being so nearly similar, than that it should resemble the bird from the widely different interior of British Columbia.
Melospiza melodia rufina (Bonaparte) Rusty Song Sparrow
Abundant everywhere except in the high mountains. The numerous water courses, lakes and swamps, with the profusion of sheltering underbrush, both characteristic of Vancouver Island, provide ideal surroundings for song sparrows, and we found them in numbers at almost every point visited. At Parksville, the last week in April and early in May, females were taken which contained eggs nearly ready to be laid, and at the Little Qualicum River, a nest built in a rose-bush was found on May 11, with three small young. Another nest with young, possibly a second brood, was found at Beaver Creek a month later, June 12. Young birds taken at Nootka Sound during the last week in July are just beginning the post-juvenal molt; those taken at Errington, in September, are, with the exception of one or two shot early in the month and still showing traces of the
juvenal plumage, in complete first winter plumage. Adults taken at Nootka between July 24 and August 11 are mostly in the midst of the annual molt. One or two, in exceed-
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 61
ingly worn plumage, have hardly begun to change, and one, shot on July 28, is nearly through.
At every point visited on the east coast, song sparrows were found in numbers in suitable places. At Beaver Creek and around Alberni they were also very abundant. In the Golden Eagle and King Solomon basins, in July, I saw quite a number, mostly full-grown young, but I am inclined to believe that these birds were wanderers from the lowlands, and that they were not hatched at that altitude.
At Nootka Sound, both on the Tahsis Canal and at Friendly Cove, they were very abundant, one of the few species that was really common at these points. None was seen at the head of Central Lake, nor in the high mountains beyond. At Errington, in September, they were present throughout the month.
Song sparrows were collected in some numbers at every point where they were encountered, the resultant series amount- ing to 148 specimens (nos. 16102-16245, 16683-16686). Of these, ninety-seven are summer adults, thirty-eight juvenals (four in alcohol), and nine immatures and adults in fresh winter plumage. The post-nuptial and post-juvenal molts are fully illustrated. After careful comparison of these birds with a series of forty specimens of the breeding form of song sparrow of southeastern Alaska, I am quite unable to perceive the differences supposedly distinguishing morphna from rufina (see Ridgway, 1901, p. 373), and have consequently referred the Vancouver Island birds to the latter form.
Certain individuals in the Alaskan series show a decided tendeney toward the characters of caurina, and are thus quite different from any of the Vancouver Island specimens, but taking the majority of the skins from the two regions, and comparing birds of the same stage of plumage, so far as I can see there are no discernible differences in color or markings. This is true of the juvenal plumage as well as the adult.
The measurements of the two series are as follows:
Wing Tail Culmen Tarsus Average of eight males from southeastern 68.37 63.75 12.34 23.0 Alaska, (66.0-71.2) (60.5-68.0) (11.5-13.0) (22.0-23.5) Average of eight males from Vancouver Is- 66.04 64.9 11.85 21.87
land, (64.0-68.8) (62.0-67.0) (11.0-12.8) (21.0—-22.5)
62 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Melospiza lincolni gracilis (Kittlitz) Forbush Sparrow
Surprisingly rare. This species should oceur as a common migrant throughout the region, but it was encountered by us on only two occasions. Miss Kellogg secured an adult male at Parksville on April 26 (no. 16246), and I shot an immature male in first winter plumage, at Errington, on September 11 (no. 16247). These are indistinguishable from comparable Alaskan specimens.
Passerella iliaca fuliginosa Ridgway Sooty Fox Sparrow
Encountered at just two of our collecting stations and in very limited numbers. Evidently breeding in the mountains south of Alberni. They were seen and heard singing on the brush-covered slopes surrounding the Golden Eagle and King Solomon basins, and a few were noted in the willow thickets along the creek bottom, but they never ventured into the dense forests below. On Mount Douglas, July 14-16, several were heard singing in the brush just below the ridge. They were very shy, and clung to the thickets of dense underbrush, so that it was difficult to get sight of one. Singing birds were usually perched on a projecting branch, about the center of an impenetrable thicket of salmon- berry or alder, into which they plunged at the first intimation of danger.
At Nootka Sound, the only other place where they were ob- served, a few were seen at the head of the Tahsis Canal, and also at Friendly Cove. Although at every opportunity special efforts were made to obtain specimens, I succeeded in killing only four birds, two males in juvenal plumage, at the Golden Eagle Basin, July 13 (nos. 16251, 16252), and two females at Friendly Cove, one (no. 16254, August 10) in juvenal plumage, the other (no. 16253, August 4) in first winter plumage. It is rather singular that none was seen on the east side of the island, where it might be expected to occur, at least as a common migrant.
There is some variation in the three juvenals, one of them being appreciably darker than the other two, but all three are
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 63
much darker colored and more heavily marked than any juvenal example of townsendi at hand. The one in winter plumage is of intensely deep coloration, about clove brown on the head, and very shghtly more castaneous on the lower back. The lateral under surface of the body and the spots on the breast are also dull and sooty, with hardly an indication of reddish. It is markedly different from examples of townsendi in corresponding plumage. Passerella iliaca insularis Ridgway Kadiak Fox Sparrow A single specimen, an adult female, taken by Miss Alexander at Parksville, April 26 (no. 16255). It was caught in a mouse trap, and was the only one of the species secured.
Passerella iliaca townsendi (Audubon) Townsend Fox Sparrow Two specimens taken by Miss Alexander at Parksville, April 26 and 28, were evidently migrants. The species was not again encountered until September 24, at Errington, when two fox sparrows were seen. The one secured proved to be of this sub- species. These two were the only ones noted in September, though they might be supposed to migrate commonly through the region. Possibly they pass through at a somewhat later date. The three birds from Vancouver Island (nos. 16248-16250) are typical examples of townsendi, as compared with specimens from southeastern Alaska.
Pipilo maculatus oregonus Bell Oregon Towhee
An abundant species on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Many were seen and specimens collected at all the various points visited from Nanaimo to Alberni—Parksville, Errington, French Creek, and Little Qualicum River. At Nootka the towhees were absent, together with many other common east coast birds.
In the vicinity of Beaver Creek and Alberni, in June, they were fairly numerous in the shrubbery, and at this time many young ones began to appear. At Errington, in September, they were also quite common.
64 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vow 10
This is a species that must have increased in numbers and greatly extended its range on the island with the settlement of the region. It was observed almost exclusively in the neighbor- hood of civilization, in the brushy second growth on abandoned clearings, in pastures, along the edges of fields, and in bushes by the roadside. None was seen anywhere in the more dense forests, or very far from human habitations.
Thirty-five specimens were collected (nos. 16256-16290), of which twenty are breeding adults, four in juvenal plumage, and eight immatures and two adults in fresh fall plumage. An adult female taken on September 5 is still in the old, abraded summer plumage, having hardly begun to molt, though others shot at the same time are in the fresh, winter plumage throughout.
In the darkest colored males the white markings of the upper parts are so reduced in size and number as to be hardly notice- able; the wing bars reduced to a row of small, disconnected spots, and the scapular markings nearly hidden under the feathers.
Zamelodia melanocephala (Swainson) Black-headed Grosbeak
Observed with certainty only in Alberni Valley, though it may be supposed to oceur throughout the southern and eastern portion of the island. In the vicinity of our Beaver Creek camp, during June, several were seen or heard singing at various times, probably not more than eight or ten individuals being noted altogether. They frequented the willow thickets along the stream, where they were undoubtedly breeding. Three speci- mens were secured at this point, two males and a female, all breeding adults. They exhibit the same characters as Cali- fornia examples of the species, rather than those of the Rocky Mountain birds, having the relatively small bill and, in the males, the post-ocular stripe commonly found in the former.
Piranga ludoviciana (Wilson) Western Tanager Met with at Alberni and in the adjacent Beaver Creek Valley during June. They were not abundant, but were only occasion- ally observed or heard singing in the tree tops. That the species
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancowver Island 65
breeds in the region is shown by the fact that the ovary of a female bird collected June 4 contained partly developed eggs. Two were seen at Errington, one on August 31, the other on September 13. Three specimens- were collected, an adult male and female (nos. 16294, 16295) and an immature male in first winter plumage (no. 16296).
Progne subis hesperia Brewster Western Martin At Nanaimo, on several oceasions during June, western mar- tins were seen in considerable numbers circling over the city, or sitting on telegraph poles or on the roofs of the buildings, where they were probably breeding. Not observed at any other point.
Hirundo erythrogastra palmeri Grinnell Western Barn Swallow
Evidently a common summer visitant. Seen in numbers about Parksville and Errington, and also at Alberni, almost in- variably in the vicinity of human habitations. A barn near the Little Qualicum River, and one at Errington, held many nests; at Alberni the bridge across the river south of town sheltered numerous pairs. No barn swallows were noted at Nootka, nor in any of the wilder regions visited.
The seven specimens collected (nos. 16297-16303), four males and three females, all breeding adults, are precisely like birds from southern Alaska, and together with these exhibit the in- tensely deep rufous coloration below, and the broad, deeply colored band on the forehead, characteristic of the western barn swallow as compared with true H. e. erythrogastra of eastern North America. The differences between these two forms are at least as well marked as those in several others given general
recognition.
Tachycineta thalassina lepida Mearns Northern Violet-green Swallow A common species at most of the points visited during the summer. Many were seen and specimens collected at Parksville and Errington in April and May, and at Alberni and Beaver
.
66 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Creek in June. At the latter point the numerous dead stubs standing everywhere in the woods, results of a forest fire of a previous year, afforded an abundance of nesting sites, and the swallows were frequently seen entering holes therein. A number were seen flying about in the streets of Nanaimo, in June. They were entirely absent from the higher mountains visited at the head of China Creek, and above Great Central Lake.
A few were observed at the head of the Tahsis Canal the end of July, the last that were seen. The species probably leaves for the south before the end of August, for none was observed at Erring- ton in September when other migrants were passing through in numbers. Eleven specimens were preserved (nos. 16304-16314), all adults in breeding plumage.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon) Rough-winged Swallow
Several were seen on June 8 flying about a eut on the road between Nanaimo and Parksville. In the vicinity of Alberni they were fairly common, particularly along the nearby river. At this point, on July 21, many young birds were seen perched upon the telegraph wires stretched across the stream, where they were being fed by their parents.
One specimen was preserved (no. 16315), an adult male taken by Miss Alexander at French Creek on May 13.
Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot Cedar Waxwing
Seen in some numbers in the town of Alberni, but not met with elsewhere in the vicinity. I visited the town on numerous occasions in June, July and August, and never missed seeing cedar waxwings in the shade trees along the streets, or in the shrubbery in the gardens, but we never met with them in the wilder surrounding country. Seen at various points on Nootka Sound. On the Tahsis Canal several small flocks were seen during the last week in July. At Friendly Cove single birds and small flocks were noted almost daily. Most of these were in the trees and bushes in the more open spots about the houses, but one or two flocks were seen in the tops of cedar trees in the
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 67
dense woods. One shot in such a place was found to have its stomach filled with small beetles.
Two specimens of the cedar waxwing were preserved (nos. 16316, 16317), both adult males taken at Friendly Cove. They did not appear to be breeding birds.
Vireosylva olivacea (Linnaeus) Red-eyed Vireo An adult male (no. 16318) secured by Miss Kellogg at Beaver Creek on June 24. This was the only one of the species definitely identified, but at Alberni on June 9, and again on July 21, I heard notes that I believe were uttered by this vireo. The one secured had every appearance of being a breeding bird.
Vireosylva gilva swainsoni (Baird) Western Warbling Vireo
One specimen taken at Parksville, May 3. At Beaver Creek it was fairly common, usually observed in the willows and alders along the banks of the streams. The only other poimt where it was met with was at Errington, where one was secured on September 13. Four specimens in all were taken (nos. 16319— 16322), three adult males in breeding plumage, and an immature female in first winter plumage.
Lanivireo solitarius cassini (Xantus) Cassin Vireo
Not observed on the west side of the island. One was taken at French Creek, May 19 (no. 16324), two at Errington, May 23 and 26 (nos. 16323, 16325), and another, an adult male in fresh autumnal plumage (no. 16326) at Errington on September 3. Another was seen at the latter point on September 22, evidently migrating.
Vermivora celata lutescens (Ridgway) Lutescent Warbler A common species, generally distributed, and met with in some numbers at every point where collecting was done. Thirty- two specimens were preserved (nos. 16327-16359), taken at
68 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Parksville, Little Qualicum River, Errington, Alberni, French Creek, Golden Eagle Basin, and Nootka Sound. Two females taken by Miss Kellogg at the Little Qualicum River, May 7, and at Errington, May 24, are each marked as containing eggs in the oviduct. A juvenal, out of the nest, was collected at Errington on May 27; at Beaver Creek, during June, the young birds were quite abundant. In the Golden Eagle Basin, in July, old and young together were fairly numerous in the willow thickets, but I believe from their actions that they were at this time just moving up into the mountains from the valley below. At Nootka Sound, both at the Tahsis Canal and at Friendly Cove, lutescent warblers were seen daily during our stay, July 24 to August 11, and were evidently moving southward. At Errington, during September, they were observed throughout the month though not particularly numerous.
A male in first winter plumage, a migrant, taken at Erring- ton September 11 (no. 16356), shows an evident approach to V. celata celata in the decidedly grayish coloration of the head and throat, but the general color elsewhere is of a brighter greenish-yellow than is seen in that race.
Dendroica aestiva rubiginosa (Pallas) Alaska Yellow Warbler
At Beaver Creek, in the willow and alder thickets of the numerous swamps, yellow warblers were fairly numerous, the only place where we found them so. An immature male taken at Friendly Cove on August 7 (no. 16369) was the only one seen at this point, and was also the last individual of the species seen during the summer. The ten specimens collected (nos. 16360-16369) are indistinguishable from Alaskan examples of rubiginosa at hand.
Dendroica coronata hooveri McGregor Alaska Myrtle Warbler An adult male was taken by Miss Alexander at Parksville on May 2 (no. 16370). The species was not met with again until the middle of September, at the beginning of the southward migration, when it became very abundant. The first were seen
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 69
on September 13, a few scattered individuals in flocks of D. audubom, but their numbers increased greatly during the next few days, and as the Audubon warblers were rapidly leaving at this time, conditions were reversed before the end of the month, when only an occasional auduboni could be found in the flocks of hoovert. The two species are so nearly alike in the winter plumage as to render it difficult to distinguish between them in life, especially in the case of the immature birds, but the call notes are sufficiently different to be distinguished without any difficulty.
D. coronata has been reported as occurring in the northern part of Vancouver Island in June (Brown, 1868, 420), but this was probably a mistake, as it is doubtful if the species breeds anywhere in the northwest coast region.
Five specimens were taken at Errington in September (nos. 16371-16375), all immatures in first winter plumage.
Dendroica auduboni auduboni (Townsend) Audubon Warbler
A common species at the various points visited on the east side of the island in April and May. In the Beaver Creek Valley and about Alberni in June and July it was exceedingly abundant. Young out of the nest were observed at Errington, May 25; about Alberni, in June and July, they were numerous. An area along the water front in this vicinity, cleared of timber for a new town site seemed particularly attractive to these warblers, and scores of them were seen flitting about the piles of brush and timber. Nine-tenths of the birds were in the juvenal plumage.
No Audubon warblers were seen in the higher mountains, nor at Nootka Sound. They were abundant at Errington early in September, usually feeding in the willow thickets bordering the swamps, but after the middle of the month their numbers diminished rapidly, and though some were seen up to the last day of my stay (September 28), it was evident that they would soon all be gone.
Twenty-eight specimens were preserved (nos. 16376-16403), eighteen adults in breeding plumage, nine in juvenal plumage,
70 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou 10
and one immature female (Errington, September 3) which has not quite completed the change from the juvenal into the first winter plumage.
Dendroica townsendi (Townsend) Townsend Warbler
Seen on but a few occasions, and in very small numbers. Two collected, and one or two others seen by Miss Alexander at Errington, May 22 and 24, during the migration period, may have been transients, but as several were seen in Beaver Creek Valley during June the species probably breeds on the island. At Nootka Sound several small flocks were encountered near Friendly Cove, flitting through the shrubbery along the outer beach. Subsequently observed only at Errington, September 19, when an immature male was secured, evidently a migrant. Five specimens in all were preserved (nos. 16404-16408), two of these being adults.
A young bird, sex indeterminable (no. 16407), taken at Friendly Cove on August 7, is still largely in the juvenal plum- age. Above it is dark olive-green, below soiled yellowish, with indistinct stripes on the sides. There is a dirty grayish super- cilary stripe. The throat, breast, and superciliary stripe are invaded by numerous bright yellow feathers of the first winter plumage, just beginning to be acqtired. The white-tipped greater and middle wing coverts are just beginning to appear. Another specimen (no. 16406, an immature female, Friendly Cove, August 6) has completed the change into the first winter plumage.
Oporornis tolmiei (Townsend) Tolmie Warbler
A common migrant, numerous specimens being taken during April and May about Parksville, Little Qualicum River, and Errington. They were undoubtedly breeding in the Beaver Creek Valley, and about Alberni, for, though not at all numerous, occasional individuals were seen at various times during June. A single bird was seen in King Solomon’s Basin (altitude 2000 feet), on July 5, and several were observed at the head of the
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 71
Tahsis Canal between July 24 and August 1. During the fall migration it was met with on but two occasions, single birds being seen at Errington on September 2 and 10, respectively.
Sixteen specimens were preserved (nos. 16409-16424), all adults in breeding plumage.
Geothlypis trichas occidentalis Brewster Western Yellowthroat
Common in the swampy meadows at Errington and at Beaver Creek. -Not met with elsewhere, though at Nootka Sound at least, there was plenty of ground suited to the species. Young out of the nest were taken at Beaver Creek on May 30, and subsequently during June. On June 14 Miss Kellogg found a nest with four eggs (no. 1076). It was in a elump of grass at the edge of a small stream flowing through an open meadow, and was built of grass blades, lined with finer stalks of grass and one or two horse hairs.
Yellowthroats were abundant at Errington early in Sep- tember, evidently migrating; by the end of the month they had nearly all disappeared.
Thirty-seven specimens were collected (nos. 16425-16461), twenty-one summer adults, seven juvenals, and seven immatures and two adults in fresh winter plumage.
This series of yellowthroats does not coincide with the ac- cepted deseriptions of Geothlypis t. arizela, the form supposed to inhabit the region. In fact, none of the series of western yellowthroats in this Museum (except G. ¢. sinwosa) lend them- selves to the divisions of the species as generally accepted.
The latest authority (A. O. U. Check-List, 1910, pp. 322, 323) gives the breeding range of G. t. occidentalis as follows: ‘‘Breeds .... from central Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and South Dakota to southeastern California, northeastern Lower Califor- nia, Chihuahua, and western Texas’’; of G. t. arizela: ‘‘ Breeds .... from southern British Columbia to southern California and east to Fort Klamath, Oregon.”’
The differences between occidentalis and arizela, according to the original deseriber of the latter (Oberholser, 1899, p. 256), and according to Ridgway (1902, p. 670), are briefly as follows:
72 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Occidentalis—larger ; coloration brighter; with yellow of under- parts usually more orange; whitish posterior margin of black facial mask, broader. Arizela—smaller, with much smaller bill; coloration duller, with yellow of underparts less orange; whitish margin posterior to black mask, narrower.
Occidentalis was deseribed from Truckee River, Nevada (Brewster, 1883, p. 159). There are no exact topotypes avail- able, but I have considered a series of eleven breeding birds from Humboldt County, Nevada, as typical of the race. Com- paring these with the Vancouver Island adults I can appreciate absolutely no differences of color or pattern, while the differences in size are too slight to merit recognition by name. Chapman, in commenting upon some yellowthroats from British Columbia (1890, p. 151) also expresses his inability to distinguish between birds from the coast and from the interior.
There appear to be, however, two races of yellowthroats on the Pacific Coast with differences such as are supposed to dis- tinguish occidentalis and arizela. The breeding bird of southern California and southern Arizona is of very bright colors, some- times with the yellow of the ventral surface extending over almost the entire abdomen and flanks. This bird was designated Geothlypis t. scirpicola by Grinnell (1901b, p. 65; type from El Monte, Los Angeles County, California), a name now rele- gated to the synonomy of G. t. arizela (see Ridgway, 1902, p. 672)—which is deseribed as a small, dull-colored form!
The material at hand points toward the following disposal of these two western races of yellowthroats, as being probably the correct solution of the question :
Occidentalis—small billed, and duller colored, with the yellow of the throat and breast not extending posteriorly over the flanks and abdomen; whitish posterior margin of black facial mask narrow and rather sharply defined. Range (approxi- mately) from central Nevada and California north through British Columbia (including Vancouver Island) to southeastern Alaska (Swarth, 191la, p. 101). Arizela thus becomes a pure synonym of occidentalis.
Scirpicola—with larger bill and brighter colors; yellow of throat and breast brighter, extending over the entire abdomen,
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island — 73
and sometimes tinging the flanks. Broad whitish margin pos- terior to the black facial mask, not sharply defined but frequently extending backwards over the entire crown, and to the nape. Ranges through southern California and southern Arizona. It is possible that the bird found in southern Arizona is recognizably distinet from scirpicola, but the material I have at hand (four adult males, breeding birds, San Pedro River, Cochise County, Arizona) is not sufficient to determine this. It shows the ex- treme accentuation of the color characters of scirpicola, thus approaching the Mexican form G. ¢. melanops, and is noticeably different from typical occidentalis, which occurs commonly in the same region as a migrant (see Swarth, 1904, p. 56).
Following are measurements of breeding males of G. t. occi- dentalis and G. t. scirpicola, from various localities :
Geothlypis t. occidentalis
Wing Tail Culmen Tarsus Eight males from Vancouver Island, 54.1 51.1 10.07 18.4 Seven males from Humboldt Co., Nevada, 55.8 53.0 10.8 20.4 Five males from southeastern Alaska, 55.1 51.3 10.8 19.7
Geothlypis t. scirpicola
Five males from Los Angeles Co., Cali- fornia, 54.6 51.1 11.2 19.5
5 Four males from Cochise Co., Arizona, 55.6 51.5 11.4 18.9
Wilsonia pusilla pileolata (Pallas) Pileolated Warbler
Seen at various points, but always in limited numbers. Speci- mens taken at Errington and the Little Qualicum River in May were probably migrants, but a few were seen about Alberni, and in the Beaver Creek Valley in June, when they were undoubtedly breeding. The few that were seen in the willow thickets in the Golden Eagle Basin in July had, in their manner of occurrence, the appearance of being casual visitants to the region, probably migrants from the valleys below.
At Friendly Cove, early in August, the species was more abundant than at any other point visited, and a few were seen daily in the willows and shrubbery surrounding the lake back of the village. It was not seen at any point after we left Nootka Sound.
74 University of California Publications in Zoology \|Vou. 10
Thirteen specimens were collected (nos. 16462-16474), nine adults and four immatures. An adult male shot at Friendly Cove, August 6, is in fresh winter plumage throughout, but an adult female taken the same day has not yet begun to molt from the old breeding plumage.
Anthus rubescens (Tunstall) Pipit
Met with only while migrating southward, in September. The first was observed at Errington on September 3, and from: then on their numbers increased rapidly ; toward the end of the month vast flocks frequented the open fields and swampy pastures of the vicinity. On September 7 and 8, a few were seen near the summit of Mount Arrowsmith, on the heather-covered slopes above the timber, at an altitude of about 5000 feet.
One bird observed at this point flew to the top of a stunted hemlock tree some fifty feet high, where it remained for some time sitting on the topmost branch. This was an action I had never before seen performed by a pipit, and I was uncertain what the bird was until he finally flew down to earth again close enough to me to be easily recognized.
One specimen of the species was preserved (no. 16475), an immature male in first winter plumage.
Cinclus mexicanus unicolor Bonaparte Dipper
Fairly common in suitable localities. A nest containing five young was found on the Little Qualicum River on May 15. It was built of moss, and was located among the roots of a tree, on a bank overhanging the river. At this time the young were about ready to leave the nest. Dippers were seen quite frequently at the head of China Creek in July, possibly, however, all belonging to a single family. Four or five were usually seen at once, wan- dering up and down the stream for long distances, and seldom staying long in one place. Many were observed along the various streams emptying into the head of Tahsis Canal, probably three or four broods within a radius of a mile or two. <A single bird
~I
ol
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island
was seen on the shore of Great Central Lake, August 18, the only individual seen anywhere except along swiftly rushing streams. Vancouver Island, with its innumerable streams, large and small, affords peculiarly congenial surroundings to the dipper, and it is abundant and of general distribution. Ten specimens were collected (nos. 16476-16485), three adults and seven in juvenal plumage.
Thryomanes bewicki calophonus Oberholser Seattle Wren
Apparently restricted to the east side of the island. Although occurring in numbers at the various points visited in the vicinity of Parksville and Errington, it was entirely absent in Alberni Valley, some thirty miles to the westward, a region not obviously different in its characteristics.
Young, out of the nest, were taken at French Creek May 19, and later. Probably in some cases two broods are raised in a summer, as young birds at about the same stage of development were collected in the last week of May and early in September. The birds were quite common at Errington during the first two weeks in September, but by the end of the month nearly all had disappeared.
Eighteen specimens were collected (nos. 16486-16503), eight breeding adults, seven in juvenal plumage, and two immatures and one adult in fresh winter plumage.
Troglodytes aédon parkmani Audubon Western House Wren
Fairly abundant at Parksville and neighboring points the last week in April and during May. Seen in Alberni at various times in June, and also in the Beaver Creek Valley. Just below our camp at the latter point a nest was found in a huge, dead stub by the roadside. On June 9 it contained young birds, as was evident from the sounds, but the entrance was too small and the hole too deep to admit of further investigation. The species was not seen at Nootka Sound, nor in the higher mountains we visited. They must leave for the south at a rather early date in
76 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
the fall, for the last seen was a single bird taken at Errington on September 1.
Ten specimens were taken (nos. 16504-16513), eight adults, one in juvenal plumage, and a young male molting into first winter plumage. They are quite indistinguishable from com- parable specimens from various points in California and Arizona.
Nannus hiemalis pacificus (Baird) Western Winter Wren
A few specimens taken at Parksville and the Little Qualicum River in April and early in May were very probably migrants through this region, since none was collected here toward the end of May. Elsewhere during the summer, they were found at a somewhat higher altitude. At Beaver Creek I saw a few, at elevations where the Hammond flycatcher, Canada nuthatch, and creeper replaced the Traill flycatcher, yellow warbler, song sparrow, and house wren.
At the head of China Creek (1900 feet) winter wrens were quite abundant, being one of the very few species that were at all numerous in the dark, gloomy forests of that region. They frequented the creek bottoms and tangles of windfall and drift, and were entirely absent from the more open and sunny areas found in the basins and on the ridges.
At Nootka Sound, both at Friendly Cove and the Tahsis Canal, they were decidedly scarce, not more than four or five being seen at either place. <A single bird was seen at the head of Great Central Lake, August 22. At Errington, in September, it was not seen until the 22nd; during the last week of the month about six or eight were observed, apparently migrating.
Eight specimens of the winter wren were preserved (nos. 16514-16521), six summer adults and two in juvenal plumage.
Certhia familiaris occidentalis Ridgway Tawny Creeper Seen in small numbers at Beaver Creek in June and at the head of China Creek in July, at both points in flocks composed each of a single family, the young attended by their parents. At Friendly Cove, early in August, there were a few seen from
=~] ~]
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island
time to time at the edge of the woods along the beach. At Errington in September, they were evidently migrating, and in increasing numbers toward the end of the month. Usually seen in mixed flocks of chickadees, nuthatches and kinglets, the whole assemblage keeping together and moving rather rapidly through the forest.
Thirteen specimens were taken (nos. 16522-16534), four sum- mer adults, five juvenals, and four immatures in freshly acquired winter plumage.
Sitta canadensis Linnaeus Red-breasted Nuthatch
A fairly common summer resident of the western side of the island at least; possibly of general distribution, but from its habits as observed by us, very difficult to secure, or even to see. At Beaver Creek during June, the familiar nasal note was fre- quently heard, but always from the tops of the tallest fir trees, far out of gun range, and it was long before I had so much as a glimpse of one flitting from tree to tree. They were not observed in the dense woods at the head of China Creek, but on July 14-16, on the summit of the neighboring Mount Douglas, several were met with in the open woods along the ridge.
At Friendly Cove they were again heard calling in the tree tops, but only one or two were seen and none secured. They were fairly abundant at Errington in September, but under the same disadvantageous circumstances as elsewhere, and though seen or heard nearly every day I was able to secure only three specimens. These are two males and a female, all adults in fresh winter plumage (nos. 16535-16537).
Penthestes rufescens rufescens (Townsend) Chestnut-backed Chickadee About the most abundant and most generally distributed species of bird encountered. Met with at every point visited, sometimes in considerable numbers. A female taken at Parks- ville, April 28, contained eggs nearly ready to be laid. The first young out of the nest was taken at Beaver Creek, May 31, and thereafter the broods of young were seen everywhere in the
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University of California Publications in Zoology \Vou. 10
woods. The species was occasionally met with in the woods at the head of China Creek, but was not common there. At Nootka Sound it was not common at the head of the Tahsis Canal, though quite abundant at Friendly Cove. A few were seen at the head of Great Central Lake.
By September the flocks encountered were of larger size, being probably composed each of several families. Such flocks were frequently met with in the woods at Errington.
An adult female taken at Friendly Cove on August 9 is just beginning the post-nuptial molt; adults shot at Errington on September 19 and 24 have completed the change, except for a few scattered pin feathers. The young birds molt from the juvenal into the first winter plumage before the end of August; those taken during the first week in September are in the first winter plumage throughout, and externally are indistinguishable from adults.
Forty specimens of this chickadee were collected (nos. 16538— 16577), twenty summer adults, fifteen juvenals, and two adults and three immatures in fresh, winter plumage. In coloration these Vancouver Island birds are indistinguishable from the series at hand from southern Alaska (the Sitkan district), but they have decidedly longer bills. In this respect they show an interesting approach toward Penthestes r. vivax of Prince Wilham Sound (Grinnell, 1910, p. 414), though the character is not quite so accentuated as in that race. The birds of the Sitkan district, occupying an intermediate region, have thus much smaller bills than the birds to the northward or to the southward. In other external measurements and proportions the Vancouver birds and the Sitkan district birds are indistinguish- able.
Regulus satrapa olivaceus Baird Western Golden-crowned Kinglet
A fairly common species, and quite generally distributed. Adults were seen and taken at points near Parksville; at Beaver Creek adults and juvenals in flocks together were frequently encountered. A young female collected August 7 at Friendly Cove has nearly accomplished the molt into the first winter
4 To)
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island
plumage. At the head of China Creek, in July, the species was met with in some numbers, but always on the high slopes and ridges leading up to Mount Saunders and Mount Douglas, and never in the darker and more densely wooded canons. It was fairly common in the woods at Nootka Sound.
Six specimens were collected (nos. 16578-16583), four sum- mer adults, one juvenal, and one in first winter plumage.
It is rather singular that the Sitka kinglet (Regulus calendula grinnelli) was not met with at any time during the summer, though it certainly should occur in this region, at least as a migrant.
Myadestes townsendi (Audubon) Townsend Solitaire
Observed on but three occasions, each time a single bird. One was seen on the Beaver Creek road, about five miles north of Alberni, on June 9; another along the road near Errington on June 30; while a third was secured at Errington on September 23 (no. 16584). The last mentioned was feeding in a wild cherry tree, and had its stomach filled and its intestines discolored with the fruit. It is an immature bird in first winter plumage, a few spotted feathers of the juvenal plumage still lmgering on the lower surface of the body.
The fact that the species was present in June would seem to imply that it was breeding in the region, but our observations would indicate that it occurs in very small numbers.
Hylocichla ustulata ustulata (Nuttall) Russet-backed Thrush
One of the most abundant species of birds encountered. Specimens were taken on the east coast in May (the first at Errington, May 19), while in the vicinity of Alberni and Beaver Creek in June the ringing song could be heard issuing from every clump of underbrush. In the Golden Eagle Basin (2000 feet) during July it was seen daily, but was not nearly so abundant as at lower altitudes. A few were seen on the Tahsis Canal, and at Friendly Cove it was quite numerous, particularly in the thickets surrounding the little lake near the village.
80 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
A nest was found at the head of Tahsis Canal, July 31. It was placed in a bush at the edge of the woods, about five and one-half feet from the ground. The nest was quite unconcealed by any vegetation, but bore such a strong resemblance to a bunch of moss, such as could be seen on every tree and bush, that it was only the sudden departure of the parent bird that disclosed it. A few small fir twigs enter into the composition of the struc- ture, but it is mainly composed of green moss, with a very slight lining of small rootlets and dried leaves. It contained three young birds, not yet able to fly, and one rotten egg.
The russet-backed thrush must leave the region rather early in the fall, for none was seen after leaving Nootka, August 11, though it was so abundant at that point. The ensuing two weeks were spent at Great Central Lake, a region poorly adapted to the species and where I did not expect to see it. When we reached Errington, at the end of August, I thought it would surely be present as it had been early in the summer, but none was seen or heard anywhere.
Thirty-four specimens were preserved (nos. 16585-16618), nineteen adults and fifteen in juvenal plumage. An adult male shot at Friendly Cove on August 10 is far advanced in the post- nuptial molt, with most of the flight feathers gone and with stubby tail, less than an inch long, but none of the other seven adults taken here have even begun to molt. Young birds taken at the same place during the first two weeks in August are some of them in juvenal plumage purely, while the others have nearly. accomplished the change into the first winter plumage.
Hylocichla guttata nanus (Audubon) Dwarf Hermit Thrush
Of unexpectedly rare occurvence in the region. A single bird taken by Miss Kellogg at Parksville, April 26 (no. 16619) was the only hermit thrush observed anywhere until I reached Nootka Sound in August. They were not common at this point; I saw none on the Tahsis Canal but secured six (nos. 16620-16625) in the vicinity of Friendly Cove between August 4 and 10, and saw and heard several others. Those secured are all young birds, in the juvenal plumage or molting into the first winter plumage,
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 81
so the species may be said to breed at some points at least on the west coast of the island. Three were collected at Errington, an immature male (no. 16626) on September 15, and an adult male (no. 16627) and immature female (no. 16628), on September 22, all that were seen here.
These Vancouver Island hermit thrushes present an extreme of dark coloration. Compared with birds from the Sitkan dis- trict, Alaska, they are appreciably darker throughout, this in all stages but most noticeably so when birds from the two series in fresh winter plumage are compared. A juvenal female from Nootka, which has almost completed the autumnal molt has the upper parts dark, olivaceous brown, between sepia and bistre; the upper tail coverts and rectrices, mummy brown.
There is as much difference in coloration between these bir !s and specimens of H. g. nanus from the Sitkan district, as between the latter and examples of H. g. guttata from the Prince William Sound region.
Planesticus migratorius caurinus Grinnell Northwestern Robin
Robins were abundant at nearly every point visited, and apparently breed throughout the region. At Parksville, during the last week in April, they were, as observed by Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg, the most abundant species of bird, frequenting the vicinity of the farm houses, and also the woodland. They were breeding at the time, as some were seen carrying food to the young. Common about Alberni and in the Beaver Creek Valley. In the Golden Eagle Basin they were seen daily, but in small numbers, but I found them quite numerous on the com- paratively open ridges on the south side of Mount Douglas (about 4000 feet).
In the village of Friendly Cove, at Nootka Sound, robins were exceedingly abundant about the houses. They were probably the most abundant species of bird at this point, certainly the most conspicuous.
There were a few in the pastures about Errington early in September, but after the middle of the month they increased greatly in numbers. There were many wild cherry trees in the
82 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
vicinity of our camp, loaded with fruit at this time, and during the last two weeks in September they were filled from morning to night with garrulous, quarreling flocks or robins.
Twenty-six specimens were collected (nos. 16629-16654), eighteen summer adults, seven in juvenal plumage, and one young male molting into first winter plumage. The series of robins now at hand from the northwest coast region emphatically justifies the recognition of the race cawrinus (see Grinnell, 1909, p. 241). There are fifty specimens in the Museum collection, both in adult and juvenal plumage, and in neither stage is it to be confused with P. m. propinquus, to the synonomy of which the name caurinus is at present relegated (see Fifteenth Supple- ment A. O. U. Check-List, 1909, p. 302). The dark coloration of t e coast race distinguishes it at once, and this is quite as apparent in the juvenals as in the adults. There are at hand comparable series of young birds from Vancouver Island and from the Warner Mountains, California, and the difference in the general tone of coloration, both above and below, is quite noticeable. The latter series is assumed to be representative of propinquus; the type locality of the subspecies is Laramie Peak, Wyoming.
Ixoreus naevius naevius (Gmelin) Varied Thrush
Not observed on the east coast during April and May. First met with at the upper end of the Beaver Creek Valley, about the center of the island, where they were fairly common and breed- ing. Full-grown young were flying about early in June, and became more numerous toward the end of the month. At the head of China Creek, in July, we found the varied thrush one of the very few species of birds that seemed at home in the dense forests of this region. They were by no means common, but were conspicuous through the absence of nearly all other species. Pairs of birds were encountered at intervals, extremely solicitous for the young, which at this altitude were hardly able to fly at a time when broods hatched in the lower valleys were caring for themselves. Full-grown juvenals were observed in the willow thickets of the open basins, and it seemed to me that these had
io 2)
1912] Sqwarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 3
probably moved up into the mountains from the lower valleys. They were seen together with other species that appeared to be migrating in a similar manner—song sparrows, lutescent and pileolated warblers, and robins. On the higher slopes and on the summit of Mount Douglas (July 14-16), varied thrushes were observed in greater numbers than was ever the case in the dark canons below.
At Nootka Sound they were decidedly scarce during our stay, and the few that were seen were extremely wild. Although a special effort was made to obtain a good series from this point, heeause of its being the type locality of Gmelin’s Turdus naevius, I was able to secure only five specimens, one adult male and four young birds, three of the latter being well advanced in the post- juvenal molt.
On August 28 we moved to Errington, on the east coast. ‘There were absolutely no varied thrushes in the lowlands in the vicinity at this time, but on September 6-8, which we spent on Mount Arrowsmith, we observed them in considerable numbers on the higher slopes of the mountains. They first appeared in the lowlands on September 11, when several were seen; from then on they were seen in small numbers daily until September 20, when they suddenly became abundant.
Sixteen specimens were preserved during the summer (nos. 16655-16670), of which three are adult males, one an adult female, and the remainder young birds, some in the juvenal plumage and others variously advanced in the post-juvenal molt.
Sialia mexicana occidentalis Townsend Western Bluebird
Fairly common on the east side of the island, where it was met with in some numbers in the vicinity of Nanaimo and Parks- ville. The western and northern limit of the species is reached about at Alberni. I saw several near this town on June 9, and Miss Kellogg saw a single bird at Beaver Creek, some fifteen miles to the northward, on June 23, the only place on the west coast where it was met with. Next observed at Errington in September. They were not at all numerous then, but an occa- sional small flock would appear from time to time during the
84 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
month. The wild cherries were an attraction to them, as to several other species of birds, and they were generally seen in the vicinity of these trees.
Eleven specimens were collected (nos. 16671-16681), five males and three females in summer plumage, and two adult females and one young one molting into winter plumage. Of the five males three have no chesnut on the back, one has a little on each shoulder, and one a little on the middle of the back.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 85
THE MAMMALS
CHECK-LIST OF THE MAMMALS
. Odocoileus columbianus columbianus (Rich.) . Sciurus hudsonius vancouverensis Allen
. Marmota vancouverensis Swarth
Castor canadensis leucodontus Gray Epimys norvegicus (Linn.)
. Peromyscus maniculatus austerus (Baird) . Evotomys caurinus Bailey
. Microtus tetramerus (Rhoads)
9. Felis oregonensis Raf.
10. Canis oecidentalis Rich.
11. Lutra canadensis periclyzomae Elliot
12. Gulo luseus Linn.
13. Lutreola vison energumenos (Bangs)
14. Putorius streatori C. H. Merriam
15. Mustela caurina C. H. Merriam
16, Ursus americanus americanus Pall.
17. Proeyon psora pacifica C. H. Merriam
18. Sorex vancouverensis C. H. Merriam
19. Myotis lucifugus alascensis Miller(?)
20. Eptesicus fuscus (Beauv.)
NAR wpe
co
GENERAL ACCOUNTS OF THE MAMMALS
Odocoileus columbianus columbianus (Richardson) Columbian Black-tailed Deer
Abundant nearly everywhere, though from accounts I heard of conditions as they existed twenty or twenty-five years ago, deer were far more numerous at that time. At Beaver Creek, during June, many were seen, mostly does, sometimes accompanied by their fawns. A buck shot at this point on May 30 was shedding the winter coat, and had acquired a little of the red summer hair. The horns were grown out about six inches.
At the Golden Eagle Basin, in July, we saw numbers of deer daily. Despard counted twenty in about four hours one morning, and it was a common occurrence to see them crossing open spots on the hillside opposite camp while we were at breakfast. At this time the big bucks were mostly on the high, snow-covered ridges, in comparatively open country, presumably to protect their tender antlers from injury which they would be apt to
86 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10 receive in the forests below. The does were usually lower down, and I came across several spotted fawns, some apparently but a few days old, in thickets along the streams. But one adult was killed at this point, on July 1, and this one, together with many others seen at close enough range to distinguish details of their condition, was shedding the winter coat so as to be nearly naked in spots, while but little of the summer coat had as yet grown in. The deer in the lower valleys were already in the red summer pelage.
At Nootka Sound deer were remarkably scarce. I saw fresh tracks of a single animal at the edge of the lagoon near Friendly Cove, and Despard saw a little fresh sign at the Tahsis Canal, but no deer were encountered at any time. Toward the end of our stay the Indians brought in one that they had killed on an island in the sound.
Deer were also extremely scarce at the head of Central Lake, but at the other end, between the lake and Alberni, I saw an abundance of fresh sign.
During September, in the vicinity of Errington, we saw some almost daily. They came into the grain fields in the neighbor- hood of our camp every night, and I frequently saw tracks about the barns and outhouses. Seven specimens were collected here, between August 30 and September 16. These were just begin- ning to lose the sammer coat, patches of gray hair appearing on various parts of the body; the bucks still had strips of dried “‘velvet’’ adhering to their horns.
The effect of the weather on the habits of the deer was quite noticeable here. On bright, sunny days there were none to be seen, though from the numerous fresh tracks it was evident that there were many in the vicinity, but if there was even a light shower one was sure to encounter deer in the woods before going very far. All the bucks that were seen here were small, or of medium size, but on Mount Arrowsmith, September 6 to 8, several large bucks were observed, and from the tracks seen it was apparent that there was a much greater proportion of large- sized animals at this altitude than in the lowlands.
It was noticeable throughout the summer that deer were most abundant in the regions that had been partially settled and
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island — 87
farmed. In such places, on the outskirts of civilization, the wolves and panthers are hunted and driven back, and the deer prosper accordingly, while in the wilder regions these predaceous animals are abundant enough to be a serious menace to them.
Eleven specimens were preserved (nos. 12052-12061, 12603), two adult males, two adult females, three immature males (shot in September, one of them still retaming some ill-defined spots), two spotted fawns, one skull of an adult male, and a fragment of a skull with a deformed antler.
Sciurus hudsonius vancouverensis Allen Vancouver Island Squirrel
Generally distributed and, in places, quite abundant. Miss Alexander and Miss Kellogg found them common on the east coast in April and May, and secured specimens at Parksville, French Creek, and Little Qualicum River. In the Beaver Creek Valley they were not so abundant. This country had been burned over in years past, and it may be that the altered con- ditions were not as favorable to the species as in places where there was not so much dead and burned timber. Here, after the middle of June, young squirrels began to appear, the first that were seen. In the Golden Eagle Basin there were a few, usually observed near the edge of the woods, in the vicinity of the more open ground. This was the highest altitude (about 2000 feet) at which I saw them. At Nootka Sound they were seen daily, both at the Tahsis Canal and at Friendly Cove, but never in any numbers. When we returned to Errington in September red squirrels were more abundant than I had seen them at any other point. They were seen everywhere in the woods and at the edges of the clearings, the bulk of them evidently young and not yet full grown, and almost always exceedingly tame.
We collected twenty-eight specimens during the summer (nos. 12062-12089), all but two being adults. Those taken on the east coast in April and May are all in the winter pelage. Of eight collected in Beaver Creek Valley from May 31 to June 25, one (no. 12074, May 31) is in complete summer pelage, two (nos. 12078, 12079, June 23) are in winter pelage, and the others variously advanced in the change, and showing molt lines and irregular patches of old and new hair over parts of the body. Of
88 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
the two specimens taken in the Golden Eagle Basin, one collected on July 3 is in summer pelage, the other, July 4, in complete winter pelage, rather worn in appearance, and just beginning to change to the summer coat. One taken at the Tahsis Canal July 31 is still entirely in the winter coat. All the others taken at this point are in summer pelage.
A comparison of these Vancouver Island squirrels with a series in corresponding pelage from southeastern Alaska, pre- viously referred by me to vancouverensis (1911la, p. 120) reveals certain appreciable dissimilarities. The squirrels from the two regions are hardly distinguishable in summer pelage, but in the winter coat the following differences are apparent: typical van- couverensis is darker above, nearly uniform dull chestnut, with the reddish stripe ill-defined; the tip of the tail is much more extensively black; the center of the tail, on the ventral surface, is decidedly grayish. Alaskan specimens are brighter colored, with a fairly well defined, bright hazel dorsal stripe; center of tail, below, reddish, nearly as bright as the upper surface. In all pelages the Alaska squirrels have the tip of the tail much less extensively black, and have the black lateral stripe on the body much more prominent.
Thus in color they are intermediate between typical van- couverensis and petulans, and a comparison of the skulls shows the same to be true of the cranial characters. Petulans has a sharp indentation on the orbital arch (see Osgood, 1900, p. 27, pl. 5) which is nearly or quite obsolete on the Vancouver speci- mens at hand. On nearly all the skulls from southeastern Alaska it is quite as apparent as in typical petulans. As the red squirrel “anges uninterruptedly along the northwest coast it is, of course, to be expected that intergradation between the races should appear in the intermediate localities.
EXTERNAL MEASUREMENTS OF Sciurus h. vancouverensis
Length Tail Hind foot Eight males from Vancouver 293.5 111.5 48.12 Island, (280-310) (92-124) (45-50) Eight males from southeastern 312.37 125.37 50.75 Alaska, (308-317) (123-128) (49-53) Hight females from Vancouver 302.37 117.0 48.87 Island, (285-313) (110-124) (45-51) Eight females from southeast- 308.25 123.0 51.25
ern Alaska, (292-821) (114-132) (46-55)
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 89
Marmota vancouverensis Swarth Vancouver Island Marmot
We found marmots in the high mountains south of Alberni, and nowhere else. In the more open portions of the King Solomon and Golden Eagle basins, and on the surrounding peaks and ridges they were fairly abundant, but we met with them at no other point, nor could we learn of their presence in other parts of Vancouver Island. Of course the greater part of the interior of at least the northern two-thirds of the island is a wilderness of forest and glacier-covered mountains, of which very little is known, and the species may possibly be found else- where, but the summer’s investigations proved at least that it does not occur in all apparently suitable localities. Mount Arrowsmith, in the same range of mountains, and in an air line not more than fifteen miles distant from the peaks where we found the marmots, was ascended later in the summer and no trace of the animals found, though conditions were apparently favorable. The same was true of the high mountains we visited northwest of Great Central Lake.
On the west coast of the island I talked with several timber cruisers, men who had been exploring the wilder parts of the island for years, and could find none who had ever seen a marmot.
We found them in the mountains at the head of China Creek, some twenty miles south of Alberni, in the Golden Eagle Basin, and King Solomon Basin, and on the surrounding slopes and ridges. They were most abundant on Mount Douglas, the peak to the west of King Solomon’s Basin. Wherever the ground was bare of timber, or but sparsely covered, as is the case over exten- sive areas at this point, the marmots had established themselves, burrowing under the rocks, and apparently never wandering very far from home.
They were vigilant and unapproachable; all secured were shot by Despard with his 30-30 rifle, as we were never able to approach within shot-gun range, and it was impracticable to use traps. They were also very tenacious of life, and it was necessary to use soft-nosed bullets on them, as those shot with the hard points struggled down their burrows in every instance. These are large
90 Uniwersity of California Publications in Zoology Vou. 10
enough and descend steeply enough to permit the animals to tumble in and out of sight and reach with very little effort, and the ground is far too rocky to permit of their being dug out. Their extreme wariness is correlated with conspicuousness, for the dark brown pelage shows in marked: contrast against either gray rocks or green grass. The only condition under which they could be regarded as colored protectively was when one lay still, sprawled on a boulder in the sunshine; one or two seen thus might easily have been passed by unnoticed as bunches of brown moss on the rocks. They whistled but seldom, only one or two being heard during the three weeks we spent in their territory.
At the time we were in the region, the first three weeks in July, no young ones had yet emerged from the burrows, but several of the females secured were nursing. They are thus somewhat later in their breeding than M. caligata, as observed in southern Alaska, where young were seen running about the middle of June. The period of hibernation must be long in these mountains, for the snowfall is heavy, covering the ground to a great depth. Even at the end of July there were snow banks twenty or thirty feet deep lingering in many places.
Eleven specimens were collected (nos. 12090-12100), five males and six females, all adults. Two complete skeletons were preserved. Two of the marmots are in fresh pelage, the others variously advanced in the change from the old coat to the new. The color of the fresh pelage is very dark brown, above and below, the tip of the nose and chin and an irregular streak along the center of the breast and abdomen, white; a few white hairs scattered over the back. The old, faded pelage is much paler, nearer a cinnamon or wood brown. For a detailed description and measurements of the species see Swarth, 1911b, p. 201.
Castor canadensis leucodontus Gray Pacific Beaver As a result of a number of years of protection beavers have multiplied on Vancouver Island so as to be really abundant in many places. We found them at several points in greater or less numbers, and at other places saw remnants of dams and houses as evidence of the former occurrence of the species. There was
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 91
a small colony at a point near Errington, but we found them in far greater numbers at Beaver Creek, near Alberni, and here secured a series of specimens. There was old beaver work along the streams throughout this valley, and from the size of some of the old dams they must have existed here in immense numbers at one time, but at present, though there are a good many left still, they are more scattered, apparently not more than one or two families at any one point, and such groups separated by intervals, sometimes of several miles.
Nearly all the smaller streams were obstructed by their dams, and most of the adjoining low lying land flooded as a conse- quence. Most of our specimens were taken from two houses, which I, together with Despard, examined and photographed on June 22. They were surrounded by shrubbery to such an extent as to be difficult of access, the water in which they were standing being grown up with weeds and grasses, and the dryer ground adjoining with willows and alders and a few scattered fir trees, and with tall ferns everywhere underfoot. The first house (see pl. 3), about fifty yards up-stream from the dam, was built over a huge, moss-covered log lying in the water. Its greatest height was about five and a half feet, that is, from the surface of the water; from the top of the log it was built up about three feet. The greatest outside diameter was about ten feet. The material used, such as could be seen, was sticks cut into lengths of from three to ten feet, the largest about three inches in diameter. No mud was visible anywhere on the outside.
The second house examined was on an abandoned farm, the ground now covered with second growth timber to such an extent that neither farm house nor barn was visible at a greater distance than a few yards. The beaver house was in what had been a grain field several acres in extent, now flooded by the beavers to a depth of several feet, and thickly grown up with small willows. This house was somewhat larger than the first, about six or seven feet high, but built in deeper water; the same sort of materials went into its construction, but it was rather more symmetrically shaped.
Both houses were occupied at the time by several beavers, at least, and we could plainly hear them grunting and snuffling
92 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
within. We did not examine into the internal arrangements of the structures, as we were desirous of obtaining more specimens, but made our observations and took our Bueioempis with the least noise possible.
At another part of the valley there was a pond formed by a prodigiously large beaver dam, evidently once occupied by a large number of animals, but at the time of our visit apparently by one solitary old beaver, who was far too wary to venture into a trap. f
It was no easy task to obtain an adequate series of specimens of this animal, but one calling for an immense amount of labor and no small degree of skill in trapping; and we were fortunate in having in the party a man possessing the requisite ability and energy. It took days of tramping before any occupied houses were found, while the intervals at which they were scattered and their distance from our camp made it an all-day tramp to make the round of the traps. Then, too, it was disagreeable work, wading for hours in the cold streams, or struggling through dense and frequently dripping vegetation.
When they were finally located several discouraging days passed before any were trapped. Finally Despard obtained some oil of rhodium (largely used among trappers to attract the smaller carnivores, but something of an experiment as regards beaver) and secured one the first night he used it. After that they came more easily, for the castor obtained from the first was a most efficient lure to draw others into the traps.
Steel traps were used, placed in shallow water or on the dams, and set in such a way that the captured animal could flounder into deep water, where he would speedily drown, hampered as he was by the weighted trap. Otherwise an adult beaver will in- variably cut off the pinioned foot and make his escape. One of the younger animals secured had the front leg and breast cut to ribbons, as Despard supposed, by an older one endeavoring to effect its release.
Ten specimens were collected at Beaver Creek during June (nos. 12101-12110), three adult males, three adult females, and four juvenals. Besides these, two young ones were caught, too small to drag the traps into deep water; and as they were un-
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 93
injured they were brought to camp alive and kept for several days. One of these, as we approached it in the trap, slapped the water sharply with its tail and endeavored to dive. That failing, he put up a most spirited resistance, and it was only after a sharp struggle that he was projected head first into a tied-up coat sleeve and in that fashion carried home. The two were put into a box, and given various green stuff, some of which they ate, but the second night they escaped. I heard them moving about in the night, mewing much lke kittens, and enawing the sides of the box, but they made their escape by forcing up the lid; and, as the river was but a few yards distant, they doubtless swam down the stream.
The beavers secured apparently represent at least three generations: the six very young ones, apparently but a few weeks old, three males and two females, fully adult, but prob- ably not as large as they would eventually become, for the re- maining specimen, an old female (no. 12107) is very much larger than any of the others. The accompanying table of measure- ments shows the differences, both in size and weight. This very large one, two of the medium sized animals, and two juvenals were all taken from the same house, and very possibly represent three generations of the same family.
The young ones, all about the same age, are about the size of musk rats. One caught on June 20 (no. 12105) measures: length 503, tail vertebrae 162, hind foot 93, ear 24; weight four pounds. They are covered with soft, thick fur, paler colored than the adults, about hazel above, and more grayish brown below.
We saw no beavers at Nootka Sound, but were told that there were many at Vernon Lake, some eight or ten miles inland from the head of the Tahsis Canal. The next place we encountered them was at the head of Central Lake, where there were a few, possibly only a single family, at the river mouth near our camp. No houses were seen, but one or two beavers were swimming about nearly every evening, and Despard finally captured one, an old male, on August 25 (no. 12111).
The Vancouver Island beavers differ from those from south- eastern Alaska (C. c. phaeus, Heller, 1909, p. 250), principally in slightly paler coloration. The Alaska skins, though collected
94 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
at the same season of the year, are nevertheless in better pelage, with longer hair and thicker underfur. For the application of the name lewcodontus to the Vancouver Island beaver see Osgood, 1907, p. 47.
EXTERNAL MEASUREMENTS OF Castor c. leucodontus FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND
Weight No. Sex Length Tail Hind foot Ear in pounds
12101 3b 1000 340 175 31 38
12102 3 932 350 173 31 28
12104 Sg 900 580 165 22 22
12111 fof 990 395 175 30 nae
121038 2 925 350 170 25 28
12107 ie) 1157 450 200 33 49%
12108 2 967 400 170 38 25
CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS OF Castor c. leucodontus Basilar Inter- Length Width length of Zygomatic Mastoid orbital of of No. Sex Hensel width width width nasals nasals
12101 3 112.0 O50 eee 23.0 45.5 23.0 12102 Jb 106.0 87.5 66.5 22.2 41.0 21.0 12104 é 98.0 82.0 62.5 22.0 39.0 20.0 12111 rot 111.5 92.0 75.0 24.0 43.5 23.0 121038 2 103.0 83.8 65.0 22.5 38.8 20.5 12107 °) 123.5 HOLDS ence 25.0 55.5 24.5 12108 2 101.0 88.0 67.5 25.0 38.0 21.0
Epimys norvegicus. ( Erxleben) Norway Rat
Probably oecurs at all the seaports, as we encountered it far inland at several points. I was rather surprised to find Norway rats in considerable numbers in the vicinity of our camp at the head of the Tahsis Canal, where they had probably been carried from Friendly Cove. The distance is not great, about twenty- five miles, but all the travel up the canal is in small boats, and it is difficult to conceive how the rats escaped observation in transit. The several Indian houses at this point sheltered in- numerable rats, but as the buildings are occupied but a brief portion of the year the animals must obtain other sustenance than the garbage and scraps they are most fond of. They were living in the woods in the immediate vicinity of the cabin in
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 95
which we were camped, and a number were caught in traps, many of them early in the evening, long before dark.
At Errington they were abundant in the grain fields, and I saw many of their burrows in the walls of the dramage ditches, but I was told that in the winter much of this land was flooded, or so saturated with water that the rats were all driven to higher ground.
Two specimens were preserved (nos. 12447, 12448), an adult male and female, collected at the Tahsis Canal, July 27.
Peromyscus maniculatus austerus (Baird) Puget Sound White-footed Mouse
Very abundant almost everywhere; in fact, the majority of specimens secured were trapped in self-defense in and about our various camps. During the month spent at Beaver Creek three or four mice were caught every night in the tent where the provisions were kept. Most of those taken at Nootka Sound were trapped in the cabin, and at Central Lake twenty-three were caught in two nights in the cabin we occupied.
Two hundred and three specimens were preserved (nos. 12112-12309, 12597-12601), 198 as skins, and five in alcohol, from Vancouver, Nanaimo, Parksville, Little Qualicum River, French Creek, Errington, Alberni, Golden Eagle Basin, Tahsis Canal, and Friendly Cove.
The Nootka Sound specimens are appreciably larger than those from the east side of the island. Comparative measure- ments are as follows: average of nine adults from Tahsis Canal and Friendly Cove, length 191.8, tail 103.3, hind foot 22.6; average of nine adults from the vicinity of Parksville: length 167.4, tail 84.1, hind foot 20.6.
Evotomys caurinus Bailey Northwestern Red-backed Mouse An adult female of this species was trapped by Miss Alex- ander on the outskirts of the city of Vancouver, on the mainland of British Columbia, on April 22 (no. 12310). It measures as follows: length 136, tail 34, hind foot 18.
>
«
96 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Microtus tetramerus (Rhoads) Vancouver Island Meadow Mouse
A large series was collected at Beaver Creek, and a few at other points. None was secured, nor did we see runways or other signs of their presence at any of the points visited on the east side of the island. Some extensive grassy meadows at Beaver Creek harbored large numbers of the animals, but the runways were few and rather ill-defined, considering the extent to which they were used. <A large proportion of the specimens collected here during June were young of various ages. Many of the females were pregnant, containing five, six or seven embryos. In the Golden Eagle Basin (altitude 2000 feet) the ground in many places showed traces of the old burrows which had been used under the snow during the previous winter, plugs of dirt and dry grass enabling one to trace their courses easily. There were many of these around the mine buildings, where the piles of lumber, wood and rubbish had evidently been used as shelters, but at the time of our visit the mice had all left this place, and none was caught about the houses. I found them in patches of grass and veratrum in the open basin, but there were almost no runways, and they did not appear to be abundant. <A line of traps was set out for two nights near the summit of Mount Douglas, but no mice were secured, nor did I see any sign of their presence. >
One specimen was taken at Friendly Cove, but they may be more abundant here than this would indicate, for we did com- paratively little trapping at this point.
One hundred and forty-two specimens were preserved (nos. 12311-12446, 12591-12596), 136 skins and six in alcohol. Adults measure somewhat larger than the dimensions given by Bailey (1900, p. 47) of specimens from the vicinity of Victoria. Ten adults from Beaver Creek, five males and five females, average as follows: length 198.2 (185-205), tail 62.7 (59-64), hind foot 24.4 (24-25).
Felis oregonensis Rafinesque Northwestern Puma
An abundant species, for an animal of this type, throughout
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 97
the wilder parts of Vancouver Island, and frequently seen near many of the smaller towns also. Everywhere we went we heard accounts of panthers seen nearby, but none was encountered by any member of our party. They are shy and secretive, of course, and in the dense growths of ferns and other underbrush that obscure everything during the summer months, are easily able to avoid observation.
A good specimen, skin and skull, of an adult male (no. 12449) shot in the vicinity of Parksville on April 24, was pur- chased from the man who killed it. In the Beaver Creek Valley, near Alberni, they are evidently abundant, as one farmer resid- ing a few miles from where we camped had killed thirteen during the previous winter. He shot two more during the month we were there, but we were unable to obtain either of them from him. He had two good dogs, by which the panthers were all treed, and held at bay until the hunter ‘arrived. The dogs were apparently very small for such work, one of them about the size of a fox terrier, and the other somewhat larger, and it seems curious that an animal the size of a panther should run from such small assailants, the more so as they have the reputation of preferring dog meat to almost anything else as a diet, and are said to carry dogs away from the ranches fre- quently. The panthers probably fear the man, who they realize is apt to be near at hand, more than they do the dogs, but it may be that the fearless and noisy onslaught of the latter is also not without its demoralizing effect on animals that prefer to hunt in the dark and in absolute quiet.
At Beaver Creek a panther got into a beaver trap one night, but broke the chain by which it was fastened and went off with the trap. Fresh sign was seen several times in the vicinity of the Golden Eagle Basin and on the China Creek road, between that point and Alberni. I saw several skins in the store at Friendly Cove and was told that many were killed about Nootka Sound during the winter months. I obtained four skulls here (nos. 12450-12453), two at Friendly Cove and two at the Tahsis Canal.
The specimen secured at Parksville was in good condition, and, according to the man who shot it, with a thick covering of
98 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
fat over the entire body. It measures as follows: total length, 6 feet 7 inches; tail 30 inches, hind foot 11 inches. Its appear- ance is as follows: General body color cinnamon rufous, becom- ing darker on the middle of the back (chestnut), and on the top of the head (hazel) ; chin, throat, median line of abdomen, and inner surface of thighs, rather abruptly pure white, interrupted on the breast, which is like the sides but somewhat duller; mner surface of fore legs more grayish. Face about the color of sides; black patches at the base of whiskers sharply defined and con- spicuous; upper lips, between this marking and nostrils, pure white. A whitish area above the eye, and another below, the latter merging into the white of the throat; upper surface of ears very dark, almost black. Tail, the color of the back on the dorsal surface, duller below; abruptly black tipped, this mark extending about 90 mm. from the tip above, about 50 mm. below.
One of the skulls obtained at Friendly Cove (no. 12450), has the top of the head very much malformed, apparently as the result of an injury received years before. There is a deep groove extending diagonally from just behind the left post-orbital process to just above the right one, and this whole part of the skull is distorted and with portions of the bones missing. The three left upper incisors with the portion of the premaxillary in which they grew, are gone, and the edges of the bone smooth and rounded. It is difficult to see how the animal could have survived such injuries. E
Another skull (no. 12452) was taken from the careass of an animal killed by strychnine, and the whole frontal region is torn to shreds, the injuries having been done by the animal’s own claws, in the agonies induced by the poison. The nasals are torn through nearly to the palate, and even the thick heavy bones above and surrounding the eyes are torn away or pierced through in a score of places.
There is not at hand material to indicate the relationship of the Vancouver Island puma to the animal oceurring on the main- land farther south. A skull of a male from Mount Shasta, however, is not to be distinguished from those in the former series, and some female skulls from points still farther south in California are very similar to the single female from Nootka Sound.
Number
= bo es ts .o
OQ. Sex
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 99
Two skins from central California, one from Tulare, the other from El Dorado County, are decidedly different in color from the single Vancouver Island skin, being very much duller and without the reddish appearance of the latter.
CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS OF Felis oregonensis FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND
a] a S g ay ie E 3 < == 5 : = 83 = i ec poe i eS ee Se cee Be = on os aS) £28 5 ane) as as Bac = 2 2 =o Ss 5S ee p ota aD me orn ~~ & ee Aer | ae Baa 2 Saf ge 88 Bebe #5 = &5 Ha 22 2 “Soe (se Sse) pe Fo nee Ss S $5 S88 $8 2 See sf Sto SS sy ERPs fe 5 ms NE 48 24 Ess of HEA Of Fs PSSs ws 213.0 171.5 138.0 39.2 45.0 69 188.0 81.0 64.0 20.0 140 23 DOALQ: es 154.0 46.0 46.5 91 UGG) 86 Fe. 7 AA: 146 8623 SEOO) Li20 1465) ee ee a 187.0 79.0 645 21.0 148 23 APTEOM gee kca-- 158.0 49.2 46.0 86 O80. 870) © ase 22.0 150 24.0 172.5 145.5 119.5 36.0 39.0 63 TEXAN) VPA) yh wey alalyf {0
Canis occidentalis Richardson Gray Wolf
Wolves are quite abundant in the wilder parts of at least the northern two-thirds of Vancouver Island, sufficiently so to be a serious menace to the deer in many places. While at Parksville Miss Alexander was presented with the skull of a wolf killed near by, on Englishman’s River, some time before. At Beaver Creek one was heard howling one night, and I was told that they were occasionally seen in the valley during the winter, but very seldom in summer. At Nootka they were said to be abundant. On the Tahsis Canal we stayed at the camp of a trapper who made it his principal oceupation during the winter to hunt wolves and panthers, and who evidently secured enough to make it pay. The Provincial government pays a bounty of fifteen dollars a head on these two species, and this added to the value of the fur makes it, if not a very lucrative pursuit, at least sufficiently so to induce some men to devote considerable of their time to it. This man used poison exclusively, and seemed to have no trouble in killing the animals. In several years hunting he had seen but two or three alive, for they are extremely cunning in keeping out of sight. ;
T secured three skulls from him, of animals killed during the
> carnassial
uy
f left upper carnassial
Greatest diam-
po etero
—
bo
N
12454
t 3 2 3 2 = = Lo = os 3 we 4 5 bores = S8 R a N= roi HS sa 249 134.0 118.0 30.0 12455 J 248 128.0 120.5 31.0 12456 fof 259 142.0 125.0 32.2 257 143.5 122.0 106.0 29.0
12457
100 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou 10
previous winter, picking these up in the woods at the points where he had killed and skinned them. Of two he was able to tell me the sex. I also purchased from Mr. Smith, at Friendly Cove, the skin of a wolf brought in by the Indians during the previous winter, and killed somewhere in the immediate vicinity. At this point wolves had been so abundant for some years past that the deer had been almost completely driven out. During the two weeks of our stay here we saw fresh deer tracks on only one or two occasions. No live deer were seen by either of us, but the Indians killed one on an island nearby, where another was seen.
At Great Central Lake, on the night of August 23, a wolf was heard howling nearly all night.
The skin secured at Nootka (no. 13005) was evidently of a large specimen; the tanned skin measures 1850 mm. in length. The general appearance is of a gray animal, lighter on the sides and legs, and darker on the head, back and tail. Head, muzzle, and ears dark ‘‘pepper-and-salt.’’? Hairs on neck, back and upper surface of the tail, yellowish-white basally, and black tipped for about the terminal third of their length. A small proportion of the hairs on the back, and a great many of those on the sides of the neck, are entirely white; those at the tip of the tail, black almost their entire length, so that the tail appears decidedly black-tipped. Sides, belly and legs abruptly paler, yellowish white. Inner surface of fegs almost pure white. There is a narrow, dusky streak on the front of each fore leg. The hind legs are immaculate. Hair between the toes chestnut. The body is everywhere covered with thick gray under fur. The long hairs of the neck and back are from three to four inches in length.
CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS OF Canis occidentalis FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND
~, Height at
os WwW oS CO
oh
ronoid
to © process
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 101
Lutra canadensis periclyzomae Elliot Island Otter
One was trapped by Despard near Parksville the last week in April (no. 12475). This specimen, an adult female, measures as follows: length, 1219; tail, 495; hind foot, 127; weight, twenty- four pounds. The skull is not to be distinguished from specimens from southeastern Alaska, but in color the skin is appreciably darker than any of our specimens from the latter locality. The general color of the upper surface is very dark brown, between seal brown and clove brown; below it is about Prout brown.
The species is probably of general distribution over the island, though we did not meet with it elsewhere. I saw a skin at Friendly Cove that had been procured somewhere in the vicinity.
Gulo luscus (Linnaeus) Wolverine
There are a few wolverines on the higher mountains of Vaneouver Island, but they are rare, and but very seldom trapped. Despard saw the tracks of what appeared to be this species near the summit of Mount Saunders, on July 2, and I was told of one or two that had been killed in the mountains near Alberni in years past. Mr. Smith, the storekeeper at Friendly Cove, told me that the Indians usually brought in one or two every year, and promised to save me the next one he received. In accordance with this promise he later shipped to the Museum the skin of a wolverine caught by an Indian some- where in the immediate vicinity of Nootka Sound, during the winter of 1910-11 (no. 13006). Unfortunately he was unable to get the skull for us.
This animal is extremely dark colored as compared with two skins at hand from the Alaska Peninsula. These latter (the only additional ones available) are summer specimens, however. The Nootka wolverine is colored as follows: Forehead and muzzle very dark brown, almost black. Top of head, from between the eyes, abruptly paler, more grayish. Dorsal stripe from neck to rump glossy black. Lateral stripes, meeting on rump, grayish over the shoulders, and becoming more yellowish posteriorly at
102 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
the base of the tail. Terminal half of tail black. Legs and feet glossy black. Under surface of body dull black; throat, breast, and sides of neck extensively but irregularly blotched and streaked with white, the neck blotches strongly suffused with ochraceous buff.
The fur is very much finer and softer than that of the two Alaskan skins mentioned above, to an extent that does not seem entirely due to the different seasons at which they were collected.
Lutreola vison energumenos (Bangs) Pacifie Mink
Six specimens (nos. 12476-12481), all males, collected during May and June, two at French Creek, three on the Little Qualicum River, and one at Beaver Creek. Besides these I picked up a skull on the beach at Nootka Sound (no. 12605).
These skins, compared with mink from southeastern Alaska (L. nesolestes) taken at the same season of the year, are apprec- iably paler and more reddish. The general body color is van- dyke brown, darker on top of the head, the median line of the back, and the tip of the tail. The under fur is paler, about wood brown. On each specimen there are disconnected and somewhat variable patches of white on the chin, throat, breast and abdomen.
The specimens collected measure as follows:
EXTERNAL MEASUREMENTS OF Lutreola v. energumenos
No. Sex Length Tail Hind foot Weight 12476 rol 630 213 77 4 lbs. 1 oz. 12477 3 559 166 64 2lbs. 1 oz. 12478 ref 557 183 70 12479 ret 596 190 80 12480 rot 640 200 82 12481 3 563 161 70» Lasseter
Putorius streatori Merriam Puget Sound Weasel The dessicated carcass of a small weasel was picked up at French Creek, May 1 (no. 12482). It is in summer pelage, brown above and white below, but too weather-beaten to afford an exact
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 103
criterion of the color characters of the species. I saw a weasel at Friendly Cove, but was unable to secure it. As I was skinning birds in our cabin in the late afternoon of August 8 he suddenly appeared on the doorstep and stood there for a few moments, but at my first movement he disappeared and was not seen again. Frequently at night I heard the mice scurrying about over the floor, as though something was after them, so in all probability he used the house regularly as a hunting ground.
Mustela caurina ©. H. Merriam ’ Pacifie Marten
Apparently fairly common in the higher mountains, but in summer at least not found in the valleys and lowlands. Four specimens, all males, were secured by Despard (nos. 12471— 12474), one near Errington, May 25, and three in the Golden Eagle and King Solomon basins, taken on July 6, 16, and 20, respectively. At least one other marten pulled loose from the trap and eseaped at the latter locality, and one was seen in the woods by Despard on July 3. He remarked that in his many years of trapping it was only the second or third he had ever seen at large in the woods.
Two females were subsequently trapped by him in the hills near Errington on January 10 and 21, 1911, and acquired by the Museum (nos. 13002, 13003).
The six specimens thus obtained are referable to the species caurina, judging from the published description (Merriam, 1890, pp. 27-29). The four males are in summer pelage, and conse- quently short-haired and with scanty under fur. In general appearance they are uniform dull brown (about Prout brown), darkening somewhat on rump, feet, and tail, where the long, dark-colored hairs more effectually hide the yellowish-brown under fur. The tip of the tail, of conspicuously longer hairs, is black. The inner surface of the ear is very slightly grayish. On the throat there is an irregular patch of pale orange-rufous, disconnected spots of the same interspersed with a few white hairs, extending onto the breast.
The two winter skins are much more richly colored. They,
104 University of California Publications in Zoology \Vou. 10
too, are uniform brown, with no trace of gray on the head, but the pelage is darker and much more glossy than the summer specimens. Long outer hairs dark brown, about mummy brown; under fur paler, about raw umber; tail black. There are numerous white hairs scattered over the entire skin. The throat patch is of about the same color as in the summer skins.
There are at hand, of interest in this connection, two speci- mens of Mustela from southeastern Alaska, recently donated to the Museum by Mr. Allen E. Hasselborg, of Juneau, Alaska. These are an adult female, skin and skull, taken on Admiralty Island, Alaska, December 12, 1910 (no. 12674), and an adult male, skull only, also from Admiralty Island, December 15, 1910 (no. 12675). These, together with a skull from Kuiu Island, Alaska (no. 8814), I have provisionally referred to MW. nesophila (see Swarth, 1911a, p. 139).
These three skulls are much like those from Vancouver Island, but somewhat larger, with smaller and less inflated audital bullae, and with appreciably larger last upper molar, thus closely resembling the description and figure of M. nesophila (Osgood, 1901, p. 33, pl. 5). The one skin from Admiralty Island is quite different from any of the Vancouver Island specimens. It is of about the same shade of brown, but the whole body, except along the median line of the back, is strongly suffused with orange-red (somewhat darker than Chinese orange), giving a very rich effect —a character, however, that, according to Merriam (1890, p. 27), is sometimes present in caurina. Feet, legs, and tail, are lustrous black. The head is abruptly grayish, drab on the chin and lower jaw, broccoli brown, mixed with white hairs, above; tip of muzzle darker; inner surface of ears white. A large spot of orange- rufous on the throat and breast.
Nesophila was based on cranial characters only, no skins having been seen by the describer, but, taking this Alaska speci- men as a representative of the species, it may be readily dis- tinguished from the more southern form (caurina) by its gray head, and from the more northern one (americana) by its
intensely dark coloration otherwise.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 105
EXTERNAL MEASUREMENTS OF Mustela cawrina FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND
No. Sex Length Tail Hind foot Ear 12471 Jb 602 190 90 12472 3 638 195 90 38 12473 rot 610 200 100 40 12474 rot 590 200 90 40 13002 2) 590 190 100 30 3003 2 585 180 100 30
EXTERNAL MEASUREMENTS OF Mustela nesophila FROM ADMIRALTY IsLAND, ALASKA
12674 fc) 565 185 90
CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS OF Mustela caurina FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND Width across Least
Basilar Post- post- post-
length of Palatal palatal Zygomatic orbital orbital
No. Sex Hensel length length width processes breadth 12471 rt 72.5 38.8 33.7 51.0 25.5 16.0 12472 3 75.5 41.0 34.5 53.0 26.0 LSS 12474 ref 69.5 38.0 Oilee 50.0 24.0 17.9 13002 2 65.0 34.2 30.8 44.2 22.5 16.6 13008 ie) 66.2 34.2 32.0 43.5 24.0 15.0
CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS OF Mustela nesophila FROM SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
8814 = 75.0 42.0 33.0 51.5 26.0 17.2 12674 g 68.5 36.0 32.5 47.0 23.0 16.2 12675 J 76.0 41.2 34.8 50.0 24.8 18.0
Ursus americanus americanus Pallas Black Bear
We found bears in some numbers in the mountains south of Alberni, and saw abundant sign of their recent presence at nearly every other place visited. Eight specimens were preserved (nos. 12458-12464), as follows: an adult male, Errington, June 20, 1909, shot by Despard and presented to the Museum, skin of the head, with skull; male, Englishman’s River, May 9, skin and skull; female, King Solomon’s Basin, July 12, skin only; female, Mount Douglas, July 14, skin and complete skeleton; male, King Solomon’s Basin, July 15, skin and complete skeleton; and two skulls, one from Mount Douglas, July 15, and the other from Nootka Sound, July 25.
106 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
In the vicinity of the Golden Eagle Basin, during the three weeks spent at this point, we saw between us probably eleven or twelve bears. They were met with at all times of the day, several being encountered about noon, when the sun was beating down with intense heat. July 14 to 17 we spent on Douglas Mountain, and several were seen each day. On the 14th, while crossing King Solomon’s Basin, about nine in the morning, a bear was seen leisurely picking his way up a rocky gulch across the canon, but it was too far to risk a shot and he disappeared in the brush without becoming aware of our presence. Later in the day, on the summit, a bear swam across a corner of the little lake by which we were encamped, and waded out on the mossy bank, where he stood not more than twenty-five yards distant. It made a beautiful picture, the black animal, with the drops of water sparkling in the sunshine on his shaggy coat, standing on the green moss, partly out of the water, with a background of snow banks on the farther margin of the lake. He quite evidently had not scented us at all, though we had a fire burning, but almost at once he caught sight of our black dog who sat quietly regarding him with placid curiosity. The two stared at each other, while we sat unseen in the shadow of the trees, but Despard reached for his rifle and fired without without awaiting any further developments. The bear disappeared in the brush with a erash, but went only a few yards before it dropped dead. The same evening another was seen from the ridge leading up to Mount Douglas, feeding in the bottom of the canon far below..
On July 17, on our return trip, one was secured in King Solomon’s Basin. We were picking our way, heavily laden, along the edge of a snow slide, when the tall grass on the side was violently agitated by some animal coming toward us, only about thirty yards distant, but entirely hidden by the vegetation. We stood still and waited, and almost at once a black head was poked up, sniffing suspiciously in all directions. Despard fired and the head disappeared, but although everything was quiet, it was some time before we ventured into the grass to investigate. Then we sent the dog on ahead to reconnoiter, and as nothing happened to him, followed, with caution. However, the bear was quite dead, with a broken neck, and had not moved out of his tracks. This
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 107
was at noon, in the hot sunshine, and it was the third we had seen in three days feeding in the middle of the day.
The three secured here all had their stomachs filled with grass. The vegetation was Just coming up at this altitude, where the spring growth was much later than in the lowlands, and there were quantities of rank, green grass everywhere.
These bears are in remarkably fine pelage, considering the season, being almost like winter skins. The outer hair is from four to five inches long, over the entire animal, and there is fairly thick under fur. Despard informed me that the lowland animals were at this season thin-haired and of shabby appear- ance, and that their skins had no commercial value. The differ- ences in environment seem to be the cause of the variation, for though the weather was exceedingly hot in the lowlands at this season, at the altitude where these bears were collected the snow still lay deep on the ground, and much of it would probably remain throughout the year.
On August 17 I saw one on the shore of Great Central Lake ; on the following day another was observed near the head of the lake.
The skins obtained, and others seen, were all black, and I was told that the brown phase was unknown on the island.
Although I have provisionally referred these bears to Ursus americanus americanus, which they seem to resemble more nearly than they do the various western subspecies, judging from pub- lished descriptions, it is possible that comparison with material from eastern North America would show that they are a distinct form; especially so as an apparently well-marked race occurs in the intervening area on the adjacent mainland. The Vancouver Island bear is not at all like U. a. altifrontalis (Elhot, 1903, p. 234) from Washington, which it might be expected to resemble. The skulls at hand have not the tall, rounded forehead of that form, but in their superior outline closely resemble specimens from the Alaskan mainland (Yakutat Bay and Kenai Peninsula). They differ from these constantly in greater proportional width (zygomatie width) and in larger size of the teeth. In the latter characters they approach the southeastern Alaska island form pugnac, differing from that again in the same degree as they resemble the Yakutat Bay and Kenai Peninsula specimens.
12463 12464 12460 12462
108 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
The combination of characters presented by the Vancouver Island bear appears to be: invariably black coloration, somewhat rounded skull, with proportionally wide spreading zygomata, and very large teeth.
The specimens secured measure as follows:
EXTERNAL MEASUREMENTS OF Ursus americanus americanus
No. Sex Length Hind foot Ear 12461 eH 1540 252 107 12464 3 1880 254 110 12459 2 1250 22 104 12460 9) 1380 232 137
CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS OF Ursus americanus americanus
ls
Sea8
= 2 ¢ Soe, 2
2 ae RF SSeo8 a3
5 ° £3 woaS re
2 ‘S on 3S KOEES «cs
ve as Se an = 28258 =F
s Bs 606 = os ab Al
5 = SS Bes 0g gSBSR BR D iH Ne Fas A) Meese Os Ge tehe 14 | wee 185.0 101.0 67.5 80.0 26.5 a 248 139 109 182.5 102.0 68.0 80.2 26.5 a 260 144 116 193.0 109.2 68.5 81.2 28.2 ei 247 135 1D peseneass 92.0 70.0 78.0 27.8 9) 220 121 99 141.0 81.5 64.0 73.0 24.8 225 124 101 146.0 78.2 60.5 72.0 27.0
Procyon psora pacifica C. H. Merriam Pacific Racoon
Probably of fairly common occurrence in suitable places over the entire island. We secured six specimens (nos. 12465-12470), at Parksville, Little Qualicum River, French Creek, Errington, and Beaver Creek. At Friendly Cove I saw three young ones in the possession of Mr. Smith, the storekeeper, who had just got them from the Indians and intended to keep them as pets.
One was killed at Errington on September 12 while making a raid on the poultry yard at the ranch where we were staying. The intervention of the dog drove the raccoon up a tree, where it was easily secured.
These racoons are very dark colored, though not appreciably more so than specimens from the northwest coast of California.
Ratio % of zygo- matic breadth to basilar length
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 109
The dark tail rings are very broad and black, and the tail is extensively black-tipped.
Sorex vancouverensis C. H. Merriam Vancouver Island Shrew
Found in abundance at nearly every point visited. We collected in all 105 specimens on Vancouver Island (nos. 12485— 12587, 12602-12604), from Parksville, Little Qualicum River, French Creek, Errington, Beaver Creek, and the Golden Eagle Basin. The only places where trapping was carried on, and where we failed to find shrews, was on Douglas Mountain and at Nootka Sound. At the former locality we secured nothing in the traps, and at Nootka the small mammal trapping was some- what neglected in favor of bird collecting.
Two species of shrews are supposed to occur on Vancouver Island, Sorex vancouverensis and S. obscurus (Merriam, 1895, pp. 70, 72), but I am unable to distinguish more than one form in the material we collected. Two specimens were trapped on the mainland, in Stanley Park, Vancouver (nos. 12483, 12484) which, for geographical reasons, should belong to the subspecies S. obscurus longicauda (see Merriam, l.c., p. 74), but although they are larger than any of the individuals composing the island series, they do not differ from them in color or proportions. They measure respectively: length, 120, 117; tail, 52, 52; hind foot, 13, 14. The average and extreme measurements of ten males from Vancouver Island are as follows: length, 106.9 (104— 112) ; tail, 46 (41-52) ; hind foot, 13 (12-15).
©
Myotis lucifugus alascensis Miller Alaska Brown Bat
A brown bat taken at Errington, August 31 (no. 12588), I have provisionally referred to this form. The specimen is so imperfect as not to admit of exact identification.
Small bats (apparently some species of Myotis) were fairly common at several points. At Beaver Creek I saw but few, and the days being very long then, it was not dark enough for bats to appear until nearly ten o’clock, so there was little chance to
110 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
secure them. One was seen at Friendly Cove, the evening of July 23.
At the head of Great Central Lake, August 17 to 25, bats were irregularly abundant, sometimes six to eight suddenly appearing at once, skimming over the surface of the water, to disappear again as quickly as they came. They were quite numerous at Errington, throughout September, but seldom came out until late in the evening, and remained in the woods where it was almost impossible to shoot them. The one secured was shot at such close range as to be badly mutilated.
Eptesicus fuscus (Beauvois) Brown Bat
Two specimens taken at Errington (nos. 12589, 12590) on August 30 and September 25, respectively. The species was fairly common here, but was not positively identified at any other point.
The two collected are darker colored than most examples from southern California, but are exactly like specimens at hand from Humboldt County. The dorsal surface is Vandyke brown, the under surface wood brown.
GENERAL REMARKS ON DISTRIBUTION
Though the one season’s work js not sufficient to supply data for the accurate definition of the life-zones of Vancouver Island, it is in general confirmatory of the division indicated on the zone map in the 1910 edition of the A. O. U. Check-List. That is, that the extreme southern tip of the island, and a narrow strip on the east coast, south of the center, is Transition Zone; the remainder, by far the greater part of the island, Canadian, with the exception of the limited area of Hudsonian and Alpine- Arctic on the mountain tops. The following generalizations, and the accompanying lists are tentative, to the last degree, and will probably require extensive revision with additional work in the region. They represent conditions as noted during brief visits at various points during a single season, and as such may serve for comparison with further observations.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 111
The following species of birds were found by us on the east coast only, in the vicinity of Parksville and Nanaimo. They are characteristic of the Transition and Upper Sonoran zones, else- where, and find here their northern limit on the Pacific Coast.
Dryobates p. gairdneri Agelaius ph. caurinus
Carpodacus p. ealifornicus
Zonotrichia |. nuttalli
Spizella p. arizonae Progne s. hesperia Lanivireo s. cassini Thryomanes b. calophonus
Vireo huttoni obscurus also occurs at the southern extremity of the island, but was not encountered by our party.
A number of other Transition and Sonoran Zone species found on the east coast, extend across the divide of the island and find their northern and western limit in Alberni Valley.
Some of the more conspicuous of these are:
Rallus virginianus
Cathartes a. septentrionalis
Sturnella neglecta Euphagus cyanocephalus Pipilo m. oregonus Zamelodia melanocephala
Stelgidopteryx serripennis Vireosylva g. swainsoni Dendroica a. auduboni Troglodytes a. parkmani Sialia m. occidentalis
The species which we found breeding on the west coast only
(Canadian Zone) are as follows:
Sphyrapieus v. ruber Empidonax difficilis Empidonax hammondi Passerella i. fuliginosa
Dendroica townsendi Nannus h. pacificus Hylocichla g. nanus Ixoreus n. naevius
There were two species encountered in a manner possibly indieative of a distinguishable belt of Hudsonian Zone :
Perisoreus 0. obscurus
Pinicola e. flammula
One Alpine-Arctie species of bird was met with:
Lagopus |. leucurus
The long list of birds of general distribution over Vancouver
Island during the breeding season includes the following species,
of particular abundance :
Bonasa u. sabini
Dendragapus o. fuliginosus
Columba fasciata Ceryle a, caurina Dryobates vy. harrisi
Colaptes ¢. saturatior Cypseloides n. borealis Selasphorus rufus Nuttallornis borealis Empidonax t. trailli
112 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Cyanocitta s. stelleri Dendroica ae. rubiginosa Corvus b. caurinus Oporornis tolmiei
Loxia ¢. minor Wilsonia p. pileolata Spinus pinus Cinelus m. unicolor Junco o. oreganus Penthestes r. rufescens Melospiza m. rufina Hylocichla u. ustulata Bombyeilla cedrorum Planesticus m. caurinus
Vermivora ¢. lutescens
These are all wide ranging species, many of them occurring from southern California to Alaska, and most of them are not distinetive of any one zone.
Of the mammals, the following appear to be distributed over the length of the island, both in the Canadian and Transition zones, but usually at low altitudes, in the valleys and along streams.
Sciurus h. vancouverensis Putorius streatori Castor ¢. leucodontus Procyon ps. pacifica Peromyscus m. austerus Sorex vancouverensis Microtus tetramerus Myotis (three species) Lutra ¢. periclyzomae Eptesicus fuseus
Lutreola v. energumenos
The following four species are of general distribution, in all zones and at all altitudes; they are all great wanderers: Odocoileus columbianus Ursus americanus Felis oregonensis Canis occidentalis Three species are apparently restricted to high altitudes:
Marmota vancouverensis ; Mustela caurina Gulo luseus
Two conspicuous trees, very noticeable on the southeastern coast, are lost sight of on the west side of the island—the Garry oak (Quercus garryana) and the madrona (Arbutus menziesic). The former occurs in abundance about Victoria, and I saw trees as far north as Beaver Creek (near Parksville). The madrona is common along the stage road between Nanaimo and Parksville, and for some distance north of the latter point, but stops rather abruptly near the east end of Cameron Lake. I saw none in Beaver Creek Valley, nor in the immediate vicinity of Alberni, and was consequently rather surprised at encountering a few trees scattered along the north shore of Great Central Lake.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 113
To sum up: There seems to be a well-defined area of Tran- sition Zone at the southern extremity of Vancouver Island, extending up the east coast at least to a point ten miles north of Parksville, probably some distance farther. The great bulk of the island elsewhere is Canadian, except that in Alberni Valley, on the west coast, there is a decided infusion of Transition species. The presence of the wolverine, marmot, marten, pine grosbeak, and Oregon jay, at the altitudes where we found them, is perhaps indicative of a recognizable, though restricted, timberline belt of Hudsonian Zone. The ptarmigan is apparently the only species restricted to the Alpine-Arctic mountain tops, though the pipit also may be found to breed there.
Vancouver Island is but slightly separated from the mainland and has but few species peculiar to it. There are no birds of this class, but the following mammals are not known to occur elsewhere: Microtus tetramerus, Marmota vancouverensis, and Sorex vancouverensis. The marmot, singularly isolated in the center of the island, is a strongly marked species. The shrew and meadow mouse are not so widely different from allied main- land species. Peromyscus maniculatus austerus ranges un- changed on the island and on the adjacent mainland, though singularly enough there are two distinct subspecies known from Saturna and San Juan islands in the separating channel (see Osgood, 1909, pp. 61, 62). In view of the presence of such genera as Marmota, Gulo, Mustela, and Felis, the non-occurrence of Erethizon, Lynx, and Evotomys, as well as several others from the nearby mainland, seems rather remarkable. The presence of the elk on Vancouver is also of interest.
114 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
LITERATURE CITED
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION COMMITTEE.
1909. Fifteenth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American birds. Auk, 26, 294-803.
ALLEN, J. A., and BREwsTER, W. 1883, Lists of birds observed in the vicinity of Colorado Springs, Colorado, during March, April, and May, 1882. Bull. Nutt.
Orn. Club, 8, 151-161, 189-198.
BAILEY, V. 1900. Revision of American voles of the genus Microtus. U.S. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 17, 1-88, 5 pls., 17 figs. in text.
Banas, O. 1910. A new race of the pileated woodpecker. Proce. New Engl. Zool. Club, 4, 79-80.
Brown, R. 1868. Synopsis of the birds of Vancouver Island. Ibis, n.s., 4, 414— 428. 1896. [See Jewitt, J.]
CHAPMAN, F. M. 1890. On a collection of birds made by Mr. Clark P. Streator in British Columbia, with field notes by the collector. Bull. Amer. Mus, Nat. Hist., 3, 123-158.
’
Cook, J. 1784. A voyage to the Pacifie Ocean undertaken by the command of his majesty for making discoveries in the northern hemis- phere .... performed under the direction of Captains Cook, Clerke and Gore, in the Resolution and Discovery .... 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779 and 1780 . . . . volumes 1 and 2 written by Cook, volume 3 by James King. (London, Strahan), 1, 8 + xevi + 421 pp., 7 pls.; 2, 549 pp., 11 pls; 3, 558 pp., 7 pls. Cougs, E. 1908. Key to North American birds, fifth edition, 1, i-xli, 1-536, 2 pls., figs. in text, 1-853; 2, i-vi, 587-1152, 1 pl., figs. in text, 354-747. Dwicur, J., JR.
1900. The moult of the North American Tetraonidae (quails, part- ridges and grouse). Auk, 17, 34-51, 143-166, pls. 4, 5.
1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 115
Exuior, D, G. 1908. Descriptions of apparently new species of mammals of the genera Heteromys and Ursus from Washington and Mexico. Field Col. Mus., publ. 80, Zool. Ser., 3, no. 138, pp. 233-237.
GMELIN, J. F., ed.
1788-1789. Linné, Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differ- entiis, Synonymis, locis, (cura Jo, Frid. Gmelin, Lipsiae, Beer), 1, [x] + 1032.
GRINNELL, J.
1901a. Two races of the red-breasted sapsucker. Condor, 3, 12.
1901b. The Pacifie Coast yellowthroats. Condor, 3, 65-66.
1909. Birds and mammals of the 1907 Alexander expedition to south- eastern Alaska. The birds. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 5, 181— 244, pl. 25,.2 figs. in text.
1910. Birds of the 1908 Alexander Alaska expedition, with a note on the avifaunal relationships of the Prince William Sound dis- triet. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 5, 361-428, pls. 32-34.
HELLER, E. 1909. Birds and mammals of the 1907 Alexander expedition to south- eastern Alaska. The mammals. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 5, 245-264, pl. 26, 2 figs. in text.
JEWITT, J.
1896. The adventures of John Jewitt only survivor of the crew of the ship Boston during a captivity of nearly three years among the Indians of Nootka Sound in Vancouver Island edited with an introduction and notes by Robert Brown, Ph.D., M.A., F.L.8S., Commander of the first Vancouver ex- ploring expedition with thirteen illustrations. (London, Clement Wilson), 256 pp., 18 figs. in text.
LatuHam, J. 1782. A general synopsis of birds. (London, White), 1, pt. 2, pp. 417- 788, [-+ 32], pls. 17-35. Published as ‘‘ Vol. IT.’’ 1787. Supplement to the General Synopsis of Birds. (London, Leigh and Sotheby), 1, pp. i-iii, 1-298, [+ 13], pls. 107-119.
Merriam, ©. H.
1890. Descriptions of twenty-six new species of North American mammals. Description of a new marten (Mustela cauwrina) from the northwest coast region of the United States. U.S. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 4, 27-29.
1895. Synopsis of the American shrews of the genus Sorex. U. S. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol Sury., N. Amer. Fauna, 10, 57-98, 12 pls.
116 University of California Publications in Zoology Vou. 10
OBERHOLSER, H. C. 1899. Description of a new Geothlypis. Auk, 16, 256-258.
Oscoop, W. H.
1900. Results of a biological reconnoissance of the Yukon River region. General account of the region and annotated list of the mammals. U. 8. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 19, 1-45, 7 pls.
1901. Natural history of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. U. S. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 21, 1-45, 7 pls.
1905. In Alaska’s rain belt. Condor, 7, 68-71.
1907. Some unrecognized and misapplied names of American mam- mals. Proe. Biol. Soe. Wash., 20, 1907, 438-52.
1909. Revision of the mice of the American genus Peromyscus. U. 8. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 28, 1-285, 8 pls.
Ringway, R. 1901. The birds of North and Middle America. U. 8. Nat. Mus. Bull., no. 50, part 1, xxx + 715 pp., 20 pls. 1902. Ibid., part 2, xx + 834 pp., 22 pls. 1904. Ibid., part 3, xx + 801 pp., 19 pls.
Swarts, H. S. 1904. Birds of the Huachuea Mountains, Arizona. Pacific Coast Avifauna, 4, 1-70. 191la. Birds and mammals of the 1909 Alexander Alaska expedition. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 7, 9-172, pls. 1-6. 1911b. Two new species of marmots from northwestern America. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 7, 201-204.
TayLor, W. P. 1911. Mammals of the Alexander Nevada expedition of 1909. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 7, 205-307.
[ Nore: The author is indebted to Dr. C. W. Richmond for the citations of Linné’s ‘‘Systema Naturae,’’ and Latham’s ‘‘General Synopsis’’ and ‘*Supplement.’’ |
god .
EXPLANATION OF PLATES
PLATE 1
Map of the portion of Vancouver Island traversed by the expedition. ~ Dotted line shows the route followed; crosses indicate collecting stations.
[118]
UNIV. CALIF. PUBL, ZOOL. VOL.
[SWARTH] PLATE |
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UNIV. CALIF, PUBL. ZOOL. VOL. 10 [SWARTH] PLATE 2
‘/ i
PLATE 3
Beaver house. Beaver Creek Valley; June 22, 1910. Built over a log, in shallow water. Though beavers were numerous in the valley they were not congregated in numbers in any one place. Single houses were scattered at wide intervals along the smaller streams, so hidden by the surrounding vegetation as to be difficult to see.
UNIV. CALIF. PUBL. ZOOL. VOL. 10 [SWARTH] PLATE 3
a |
' pe wf
PLATE 4
Indian deadfall trap. The type generally used by the coast Indians of British Columbia and southern Alaska, for the capture of the smaller fur bearers, such as marten, mink, and weasels. Head of Tahsis Canal, Nootka Sound; July 31, 1910.
[124]
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age of Strix occidentalis occidentalis (Xantus), by Harry 8, Swarth, Pp, 1-8. May,.1910 ioe eS UNI BS MOSS ESN ie RE Ree RM SENS | 1S 2. Birds and Mammals of the. ‘T909 ‘Alexander Alaska Expedition, a) MEU) Harry 8. Swarth. Pp. 9-172; plates 1-6; 8 text-figures, January, 1911.
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County, Nevada, with a Discussion of Seme of the Faunal Features ; of the Region, by Walter’ P. Taylor. Pp, 319-486, plates 7-12.) | PebYtary L012 panei aie plese nsvnpencttennathde senptnae ats optechubiantscress sno iernabsyeseaieaterees |e
1. The Vertical Distribution of Eucalanus elongatus in the San Diego = Region during 1909, by Calvin O. Esterly. Pp. 1-7. May, 1911... ..10 >.
2. New and Rare Fishes from Southern California, by Edwin Chapin rks Starks and William M. Mann. Pp. 9-19, 2 text-figures. July, 1911 10. | 8. Classification and Vertical Distribution of the Chaetognatha of the San. _~ Diego Region, Including Redescriptions of Some Doubtful Species of.’ e').% the Group, by Ellis L, Michael. Pp, 21-186, pls. 1-8, December, 1911 1.75 4, Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, IV. The Genus Gonyaulaz, with ». Notes on Its Skeletal Morphology and a Discussion of Its Generic and Specific Characters, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp, 187+ 286, plates 9-17. . 5. On the Skeletal Morphology of Gonyaulaz catenata (levander), by. Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 287-294, plate 18. ‘ 6. Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, V. On Spiraulax, a New Genus ~ of the Peridinida, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 295-300, plate 19. Nos. 4, 5, and’6 in one cover. September, 1911 000 2.c. a 1,50 7. Notes on Some Cephalopods in the Collection of the University of Cal- ifornia, by 8. 8. Berry. Pp. 301-310, plates 20-21. September, 1911 .10 . 8. On a Self-closing Plankton Net for Horizontal Towing, by Charles At- wood Kofoid. Pp. 311-348, plates 22-25. 9. On an Improved Form of Self-closing Water-bucket for Plankton In- vestigations, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 349-352. Nos. 8 and 9 in one cover. November 18, 1911. 2000... 40
1. The Horned Lizards of California and Nevada of the Genera Phryno-
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(Contributions from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.) 1. Report-on a Collection of Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island,
by Harry S. Swarth. Pp. 1-124, plates 1-4 wl 1,00
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tion of San: Diego), 1904-1906, xvii + 382 pages, with 19 plates .2.0.2.0.-0,422... $3,50 « - Vol. 3. 1. Some Observations on the Nervous System of Copepoda, by ©. O. Esterly. Pp. 1-12, plates 1-2. January, 1906.52.02. o.c. ees pececnmecvecssen 25 2. ([X)* Ostracoda of the San Diego Region, 1. Haiocypridae, by : Chancey Juday. Pp. 13-38, plates 3-7. April, 1906)..20222 Lu. 80
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3. (X) The California Shore Anemone, Bunedactis zanthogrammica, by 4
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6. (X11) Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, I. On Triposolenia, a New Genus of the Dinophysidae, by Charles Atwood Kofoid, Pp. 98-116, plates 15-17. i 7. A Discussion of the Species Characters in Triposolenia. I. The Nature of Species Characters. Il. The Adaptive Significance of Species Characters. IDI. The Coincident Distribution of Related Species. By Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 117-126. 8. On the Significance of the Asymmetry in Triposolenia, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp, 127-133. Nos, 6, 7, and 8 in one cover. December, 1906...2.0-..02...0... 36 9. (XIV) Ostracoda of the San Diego Region. I. Littoral Forms, by Chancey Juday. Pp. 135-156, plates 18-20, 10. (XV) Oladocera of the San Diego Region, by Chancey Juday. Pp. 167-158, 1 text figure. Nos; 9 and 10 in one cover. Jannary, 1907..........0...2.02. Set ea ae 11. (XVI) The Marine Fishes of Southern California, “by Edwin “Chapin Starks and Earl Leonard Morris. Pp. 169-251, plate 21, March, 1907. .75 12. Biological Studies on Corymorpha. Il. The Development of C. palma from the Egg. By Harry Beal Torrey. Pp. 253-298, 33 text figures. Be Seyi SOOT ic Se CRN ee Ee POEL add dositeoptna as teased hi nedh rane diedode 50 18. (XVII) Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region. ITI. Descriptions of New Species. By Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 299-340, plates 22-23. Miserals: 1907 2 ss Na Be ar AN ies ees i 14, The Structure and Movements of Condylostoma patens, by John F. Boyard. Pp. 343-368, 21 text figures. September, 1907... aM Index, pp. 369-383.
Vol. 4, 1. The Ascidians Collected by the United States Fisheries Bureau steamer ‘Albatross on the Coast of California during the Summer of 1904, by William Emerson Ritter. Pp. 1-52, plates 1-3. October, 1907........... 50
2. (XVIII) Behavior of the Starfish Asterias forreré de Lorriol, by H. 8. Jennings. Pp. 63-185, 19 text figures. November, 1907......... Ros pe . 1.00
* Roman numbers indicate sequence of the Contributions from the Laboratory of the Marine Biological Association of San Diego. {
& 8
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS IN
ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 125-129 January 31, 1912
A NEW CONY FROM THE VICINITY OF MOUNT WHITNEY
BY JOSEPH GRINNELL
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
The expedition of the Museum to the Mount Whitney region of California in the summer of 1911 produced, among other things of special interest, a small series of a species of cony. During the summer of the previous year field work by Annie M. Alexander and Louise Kellogg in the central Sierra Nevada provided a practically topotypie series of the Lagomys (—= Ocho- tona) schisticeps of C. H. Merriam (1889, p. 11). It is thus possible to make direet comparison of the Mount Whitney material with specimens in corresponding seasonal pelage from the type locality of the most nearly situated species. The results of such comparison show the southern animal to be a well marked new form.
Ochotona albatus, new species Mount Whitney Cony
Type: Female adult; no. 16223, Mus. Vert. Zool.; near Cottonwood Lakes, 11,000 feet, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Inyo County, California; September 3, 1911; collected by J. Grinnell; orig. no. 1741.
Diacnostic Features: Differs from Ochotona schisticeps, of the central Sierra Nevada, in larger ears and much paler coloration throughout, creamy whitish above instead of brown and slate.
DeEscrRIPTION OF Type: General coloration, all over dorsal
126 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
surface, hoary white, with a tinge of cream-color on the head and back. There are faint dusky tippings to the new hairs on the anterior parts, but otherwise the continuity of paleness is only interrupted by the dark under-fur where it shows through. This under-fur is nearly slate-gray of Ridgway’s Nomenclature of Colors (1886), and not the blackish slate as in schisticeps. The type-specimen of albatus is in process of molt, with a con- spicuous V-shaped molt-line showing across the back behind the shoulders. The hair behind this molt-line is much shorter, with a scorched appearance, evidently due to wear. In front of the line, the new hair is longer, in color clearer white, grizzled by the dusky tippings. The large ears are much paler colored than in schisticeps, due in part to the sepia, instead of black, ‘‘ ground color,’’? and to the intermixture of very many more white hairs. Beneath, the type-specimen of albatus is whitish, with a creamy suffusion mid-ventrally and between the fore legs; there is also an irregular patch on the throat of a raw umber tinge. The color above, below, and laterally is very nearly uniform. The front feet are white above and below, the hind feet white above, and hair-brown on the soles, instead of blackish sepia as in schisticeps. The naked balls of the toes of both front and hind feet in the dried skin are slate-gray in albatus, instead of black as in schisticeps.
GENERAL REMARKS: The conspicuous peculiarity of albatus is the entire lack of buffy or fulvous tints both above and below, this rendering the conies of Mount Whitney unique among all other North American species of Ochotona. The general pecu- liarities of the type as deseribed above are shared, with scarcely any variation, by the other six examples in our collection from the Mount Whitney region. These specimens are listed in the accompanying table, together with the collector’s measurements. The only appreciable difference in size between albatus and schisticeps is found in measurements of the orbicular ears, the southern series offering to the eye in mass effect a marked superiority in this respect, much more than might be indicated by the single measurement of the pinna given in the table. Judging from deseriptions, albatus appears to have no close relationships with O. cinnamomea (Allen, 1905, p. 121), from the Beaver
1912] Grinnell: A New Cony from Mount Whitney 127
Range, Utah, or with O. saxatilis (Bangs, 1899, p. 41), from the Snowy Range, Colorado, the two species named being the south- ernmost forms previously deseribed.
As far as it goes, the cranial material at hand discloses no significant variations. Unfortunately nearly all the skulls in the series of both schisticeps and albatus were badly shattered by shot.
DisTRIBUTION: Specimens representing albatus are at hand only from the localities listed in the table of measurements. In our field work in the vicinity of Mount Whitney we found plen- tiful evidence of the presence of conies close to timber-line, from the immediate slopes of Mount Whitney south to Cottonwood Pass. None were seen above 12,000 feet altitude nor below 10,600, except at one point on the Inyo side of the mountains near Little Cottonwood Creek, where unmistakable sign was seen and the characteristic bleat of the animals heard at about 9500 feet. In all this area the conies lived in the interstices of loose piles of huge granite rocks, especially as left in moraines by former glaciers. In such retreats the animals could often be heard, when it proved impossible to eateh sight of them. Two specimens were trapped in ‘‘Out-o’-Sight’’ rat-traps baited with rolled oats and set for wood rats. There is no evidence, however, that the conies were attracted by the bait. The rest were shot by dint of much stalking. Usually only the head of the animal would be exposed and then only momentarily. This resulted in snap shooting with heavy charges of shot at long range, a very unsatisfactory method of capture, for the skulls were invariably badly damaged.
The rodent here deseribed adds another name to the list of alpine mammals having distinet, though not distantly related representatives both in the Mount Whitney region and in the central and northern Sierra Nevada. Attention is called to Thomomys, Microtus, and Eutamias as genera affording examples of this. The faunal distinctness of the Mount Whitney region of the southern Sierra Nevada may in part be due to its much more arid climate, and in part to its long existence as a land mass of high elevation.
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1912] Grinnell: A New Cony from Mount Whitney 129
LITERATURE CITED
ALLEN, J. A. 1905. Mammals from Beaver County, Utah, collected by the Museum expedition of 1904. Brooklyn Inst. Arts and Sci., Sci. Bull, 1, 117-122.
Bangs, O. 1899. Deseriptions of two new pikas from western North America. Proce. New Eng. Zool. Club, 1, 39-42.
MERrRIAM, C, H. 1889. Description of a new species of pika (Lagomys schisticeps) from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, N. Amer. Fauna, 2, 11-18.
Vol. 5,
Vol. 6.
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS— (Continued)
3. (XIX) The Early Life-History of Dolichoglossus pusillus Ritter, by B. M. Davis. Pp. 187-226, plates 4-8. March, 1908.00.00
4. Notes on two Amphipods of the Genus Corophium from the ‘Pacific Coast, by J. Chester Bradley. Pp. 227-252, plates 9-18. April, 1908. © .$0
5. (XX) The Incrusting Chilostomatous Bryozoa of the Western Coast of North America, by Alice Robertson. Pp. 253-344, plates 14-24, May, es BL) PERLE OT BOB Se on 23 SDA UE DNA R ROR a Sees ec TE ROO ALATA ARAN. Serle .
6, (XXT) On Exuviation, Autotomy, and Regeneration in Ceratium, by
Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp..345-386, with text figures. 7. (XXII) Notes on’some Obscure Species of Ceratium, by Charles Atwood Kofoid.. Pp. 387-393, Wy Nos. 6. and 7:in one cover, An W908. ease PRS SMe | 50 Index, pp. 395-400; (Contributions from the Museum ‘of eters Zoology.) 1. The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp.
1-170, platés 1-24. “December, 1908 .....0.200. ie * 2:00 2. Birds and Mammals of the 1907 Alexander Expedition to Southeastern
Alaska, Pp. 171-264, pls. ‘25-26, figs, 1-4, February, 1909 220000002. . .78 3. Three New Song Sparrows from) California, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp.
2O5Z69. | Ara D, PONG i eB ce Aas te ies eee aha .05 4. A Ne,; Harvest Mouse from Petaluma, California, by Joseph Dixon.
Bye STls27S8s AMe MSR AR OOS ee ea a .06 6. A New Cowbird of the Genus, Molothrus, with a note on the Probable
Genetic Relationships of the North American Forms, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 275-281, 1 text figure. December, 1909.00... csck ceca 05 6, Two New Rodents from Nevada, by Walter P. Taylor. Pp. 283-302, plates’ 27-29. . A Northern Coast Form of the California Gray Fox, by Joseph Dixon. Pp. 303-305, Nos. 6, and 7 in one cover. February, 1910-02 20 Two Heretofore Unnamed Wrens of the Genus Thryomanes, by Joseph Grinnell; Pp. 307-309. , The Savannah Sparrow of the Great Basin, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 311-316,
10. A Second Record of the Spotted Bat (Huderma maculatum) for Call- fornia, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 317-320, plate 30.
Nos. 8, 9, and 10 in on cover. February, TSO ae eet 15
11. Mammals. of the 1908 Alexander Alaska Expedition, with Descriptions of the Localities Visited and Notes on the Flora of the Prince Wil- liam Sound Region, by Edmund Heller, Pp: 321-360, plates $1-32. .,
12, Birds of the 1908 Alexander Alaska Expedition, with.a Note on the Avifaunal Relationships of the Prince William Sound District, by Joseph Grinnell, Pp. 361-428, plates’ 33-34, 9 text-figures.
Nos..11 and 12 in one cover. March, 1910 2.0. ko ek $1.00 Index, pp. 429-440.
1: (XXIII) On the Weight of Developing Eggs. Part I, The Possible Significance of Such Investigations, by William E. Bitter; Part 0, Practicability of the Determinations, by Samuel E. Bailey. Pp. 1-10. pS Fe} das] 1 gags 8] t) GPa Ai sma sk age ate PU ARE MISE. Oh Met Riel UAL RDC Cr RasM Sta RAR NAN 10
(XXIV) The Leptomedusae of the San Diego Region, by Harry Beal
Torrey. Pp. 11-31, with text figures. February, 1909 ....000000 20
(XXV) The Ophinurans of the San Diego Region, by J. F. McOlen- don.: ‘Pp. 33-64, plates, 1-6.) July, 1909.20 30.
(ZXVI) Halocynthia johnsoni n.sp.; A comprehensive inquiry as to the extent of law and order that prevails in a single animal species, by Wm. EH. Ritter. Pp. 65-114, plates 7-14. 'November, 1909......).... 50
(XXVII) Three Species of Cerianthus from Southern California, by H,.B. Torrey and F, L. Kleeberger. .Pp. 115-125, 4 text-figures. December) POO: 5 ct Ceo i ES LA eras SON Pac a Dated 10
6. The Life History of Trypanosoma dimorphon Dutton & Todd, by Edward Hindle. Pp, 127-144, plates 15-17, 1 text-figure. December, nA [02 BUS ease a Reaper SP iy eG GPEC IS Sha Ale BURGE Was SAU OR TOBA tun Al 60
7. (XXVIII) A Quantitative Study of the Development of the Salpa Chain in Salpa. fusiformis-runcinata, by Myrtle Blizabeth Johnson,
J
© 9»
| eitiel Page sce
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Ppelsb-176 ‘March; TSt0 ei yin eee a ee ae Bonar Sieh 35 8 A Kevision of the Genus Ceratocorys, Based on Skeletal Morphology, by Charles:Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 177-187. May, 1910 00. 10
9. (XXIX) Preliminary Report on the Hydrographic Work Carried on by the Marine Biological Station of San’ Diego, by George F. McEwen. Pp. 189-204; text-figure and map. May, 1910-0820. 0 15
40. (XXX) Biological Studies on ‘Corymorpha. . mt Regeneration of ‘Hy:
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Vol. 9.
Vol, 10.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS (Continued >
hase and Holdfast, by Harry Beal Torrey. Pp. 205-221; 16 text. a : ' figures eis 3 Dri yer 11, (XXXI) Note on Geotropism in Corymerpha, by Hany Beal, Torre Pees ab Pp, 223-224; 1 text-figure. ea »Nos:.10:and.11 in one cover, August, a: | a POs eps tere fe 12, The Cyclostomatous Bryozoa of the West Coast of North America, Se - Alice Robertson. Pp. 225-284; plates 18-26. December, 1910... 3. Significance of White’ Markings. in Birds of the Order Passeriformes, Lavaen, by Henry Chester Tracy. Pp. 285-812. December, 1910............2...-. a 14. (XXXII) Third Report on the Copepoda of the San Diego Region, Lp Ace Calvin Olin Esterly. Pp. 318-352; plates 26-32. February, 1911 ..... 15. The Genus Gyrocotyle, and Its Significance for Problems of Cestode - Structure and Phylogeny, by Edna Earl Watson, Pp. 33-468; plates Wet e $8-48,|. June; 29}1 oo. AOR SONY imac nh pee 2.00 (Contributions from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.) ze : 1. Two New Owls from Arizona, with Description of ‘the Juvenal. Plom- tek h SOS age of Strix occidentalis occidentalis (Xantus), by Harry S. Swarth. SBN GS Pp. 1-8." May, 1910 2... Wak Son Vay Sonne re Vi TES
2. Birds and Mammals of the 1909 Alexander Alaska "Expedition, by -
Harry 8. Swarth. Pp. 9-172; plates 1-6; 3 text-figures, January, 1911. 1.50 $8. An Apparent Hybrid in the Genus Dendroica, by Walter P.. Taylor. ap
Pr TTS-177.) 8 ODIAaTY, AON) ns ene ae ee 05> 4. The Linnet of the Hawaiian Islands: a Problem in Speciation, by SORE Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 179-195. February, 1912 -.3.i.cc ieee so eae 5. The Modesto Song Sparrow, by Joseph Grinnell, Pp: 197-199. Fete so, ‘ WRary,: 19T ass a pranis. Wiss a | 05 wes 6. Two New Species of Marmots. from. “Northwestern ‘America, ‘by H. & : Swarth. Pp. 201-204. February, 1910 onic ed 06 7. Mammals of the Alexander Nevada Expedition of 1909, by. Walter P. "Paylor. « Pp. '205-807; June, TOIT a a re RU pes 1.00 8, Description of a New Spotted’ Towhee from the Great Basin, by a. : Grinnell. Pp, 309-311... August, LOUD cocoon eh eec aceon .05 9, Description of a New Hairy Woodpecker from Southeastern Alaska, ee H. S:-Swarth, Pp. 318-318. October, 1912 2.) ee ace /.05 1. The Vertical Distribution of Hucalanus elongatus in the San Diego ~ Pee Region. during. 1909, by Calvin O, Esterly.. Pp. 1-7. May, 1911.....: 10
2. New and Rare Fishes from Southern California, by Edwin Chapin ‘ Starks and William M. Mann. Pp, 9-19, 2 text-figures. July, 1911 <,10 8. Classification and Vertical Distribution of the Chaetegnatha of the San Diego Region, Including Redescriptions of Some Doubtful Species of the Group, by Ellis L. Michael: Pp, 21-186, pls, 1-8. December, 1911 1.75 4, Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, IV. The Genus Gonyaulax, with Notes on Its Skeletal Morphology and a Discussion of Its Generic and Specific Characters, by Charles Atwood Kofoid; Pp. 187-286, plates 9-17. f 5. On the Skeletal Morvhology of Gonyaulax catenata (Levander), by exe Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp, 287-294, plate 18, has aa 6. Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, V. On Spiraulaz,a New Genus of the Peridinida, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 295-300, plate 19. aah Nos. 4, 5, and 6 in one cover. September, 1911 .22.2....,0. eu 1.50 . 7. Notes on Some Cephalopods in the Collection of the University of Cal- ifornia, by S. 8. Berry. Pp. 301-310, plates 20-21. ‘September, 1911 -.10 8. On a Self-closing Plankton Net for Horizontal Towing, by Charles At- wood Kofoid. Pp. 311-348, plates 22-25. 9. On an Improved Form of Self-closing Water-bucket for Plankton In- vestigations, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 349-352. Nos. 8 and 9 in one cover. November 18, 1911 222.00 40
1. The Horned Lizards of California and Nevada of the Genera Phryno-
soma and Anota, by Harold C. Bryant. Pp. 1-84, pls. 1-9. December,
MOLT ee NS oe hn Ses ae al aaa ain ob cat aered aad ea at Das. eae ge tot as 75 2. On a Lymphoid Structure Lying Over the Myelencephalon of Lepisos-
teus, by Asa CO, Chandler. Pp. 85-104, plates 10-12, .December, 1911 . .25 (Contributions from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.) ; 1. Report on a Collection of Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island,
by Harry 8. Swarth. Pp. 1-12+, plates 1-4, \(In press.)
. A New Cony from the Vicinity of Mount Whitney, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 125-329." /Famvarys POA et a Loe eat cd ensay eee slka shard .05
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2. (XVIII)*. Behavior of the Starfish Asterias forrert de Lorriol, by H..8. Jennings. Pp. 53-185, 19 text figures. November, 1907........_...... 3, (XIX) The Barly Life-History of Dolichoglossus pusillus Ritter, by B. M, Davis. Pp. 187-226, plates 48. March, 1908....... ULL rs 4. Notes on two Amphipods of the Genus Corophium from the Pacific Coast, by J. Chester Bradley. Pp. 227-252, plates 9-13. April, 1908. 6. (XX) The Incrusting Chilostomatous Bryozoa of the Western Coast of North America, by Alice Robertson. Pp. 253-344, plates 14-24, May,
DB ee acon asnc theta Saeneantnas deatep ters ites na enatlewenh ai nnytiiian brantith tans case ble oes 1,00
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Vol. 5.. (Contributions from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.) 1. The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 1-170, plates 1-24. December, 1908 2nd ee eee 2.00 2. Birds and Mammals of the 1907 Alexander Expedition to Southeastern Alaska. Pp. 171-264, pls. 25-26, figs. 1-4. February, 1909 —........ +76 . Three New Song Sparrows from California, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 265-269: April 9, 10008 cic See ee a eC 05 4. A New Harvest Mouse from Petaluma, California, by Joseph Dixon. Pye S727 Re 18S TOO a ee Sasi cncnet .05 5. A New Oowbird of the Genus Molothrus, with a note on the Probable Genetic Relationships of the North American Forms, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 275-281, 1 text figuré.. December, 1909_.......-.-...-.... 05 6. Two New Bodents from Nevada, by Walter P. Taylor. Pp. 283-302, plates 27-29. 7. A Northern Coast Form of the California Gray Fox, by Joseph Dixon. Pp. 303-305. Nos. 6 and 7 in one cover. February, 1910.0... 1 20
* Boman numbers indicate sequence of the Contributions from the Laboratory of the Marine Biological Association of San Diego.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS IN
ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 131-136, 2 text-figures * April 13, 1912
THE MOLE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
BY J. GRINNELL anp H. 8S. SWARTH
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
As far as is known the family Talpidae has but a single representative in California south of the 35th parallel. This species, a member of the genus Scapanus, is plentiful locally, both in the lowland districts and on the mountains, reaching an altitude of 9000 feet in both the San Bernardino and San Jacinto ranges. The capture of specimens, however, is not an easy matter, though surface ridges marking the tunnels of the animals are conspicuous indications of their presence, especially soon after rains. In fact, repeated attempts to catch moles by various means have often failed altogether, even where signs were numerous. As a consequence of this difficulty in securing specimens, material representing the form found in southern California is still scant, but enough has accumulated to warrant our present systematic treatment. Our efforts in identifying the Museum collections from the San Jacinto region have led to the recognition of the following new form.
Scapanus latimanus occultus, new subspecies Southern California Mole
Type: Female, young adult; no. 2369, Mus. Vert. Zool.; Santa Ana Canon at 400 feet altitude, Orange County, Cali- fornia; September 20, 1908; collected by H. 8. Swarth, orig. no. 7051.
Dragnostic CHARACTERS: Most nearly lke Scapanus lati- manus latimanus (Bachman) (see Osgood, 1907, p. 52), but
132 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
differs from it in much smaller size throughout, particularly small hands and narrow rostrum, and in browner color. Re- sembles Scapanus anthonyi J. A. Allen (1893, p. 200; see also True, 1896, pp. 53, 57, pls. 1-3) in small size, but differs from it in paler coloration, slightly different dimensions, narrower cranium in interorbital region, extremely narrow rostrum, and in presence of all four upper premolars.
GrNERAL REMARKS: In dentition all of the available material of the new form shows the condition normal in latimanus, save that in one (no. 2733) one upper unicuspid on the left side is wanting, apparently the canine. In all, the first upper premolar is much reduced in size, and the unicuspidate teeth are irregu- larly spaced, in these respects as well as in others, differing decidedly from Scapanus townsendi of the northwestern corner of California.
So far as we are aware, the only specimen of S. anthonyt thus far obtained in any collection from Lower California is the type. This specimen is described and figured in greatest detail by True (1896). There are some discrepancies in the measure- ments as given by Allen (1893, p. 200) and True (1896, p. 67), but discounting these, there remain sufficient differences in proportions of the cranium to provide alone an adequate basis for separation of occultus from anthonyi.
The new form is fifteen per cent smaller than latimanus. The individuals examined are remarkably uniform in all respects.
Fig. 1. Right hand of Scapanus latimanus latimanus (Bachman), 9; no. 3859; La Honda, San Mateo County, California. X 1.33.
Fig. 2. Right hand of Scapanus latimanus occultus, new subspecies, 2; no. 2089; Strawberry Valley, San Jacinto Mountains, California. X 1.33.
1912] Grinnell-Swarth: The Mole of Southern California — 133
The accompanying drawings, as well as the tables of measure- ments serve to show differences in size between latimanus and occultus. The extremely small hands with relatively weak claws constitute an excellent character of the newly named form. Both Allen and True had examples of the southern Cali- fornia mole. The former referred casually to his single speci-
ce
men from San Bernardino as “‘similar’’ to his anthonyi. True
(1896, pp. 57, 66, 67) ineludes the few southern California
‘
examples at his disposal under ‘‘californicus’’ (=latimanus), remarking upon the *
series in the Museum collection indicate that all the individuals
‘wide range in variation in size.’’ The
of the species of Scapanus under discussion from any one geographic area show extremely narrow range in variation. This is not only true of size but of proportions of skull, and colora- tion. In judging of color tone it is almost superfluous to urge that age and state of wear of pelage should always be given due consideration.
Scapanus californicus (=—latimanus) minusculus Bangs (1899, p. 70) was deseribed from a single specimen from Fyffe, Eldorado County, California. Of course it is quite possible that a separate race of latimanus occupies the Sierra Nevada area. Bangs’s description, and our single example from Yosemite Valley, leave no doubt in our minds, however, that a previously named Sierran form would in no degree compromise the separate recognition of the southern California mole; there appear to be adequate characters to distinguish the two.
Besides the ten specimens of S. 1. occultus listed in the table of measurements, there are four other skins in the Museum not listed because of imperfect data or lack of skull. These are as follows: nos. 7758, 7759, Los Angeles, April 13, 1909; no. 9058, Arroyo Seco near Pasadena, November 30, 1906; no. 4036, Ven- tura, May 6, 1906. The latter is without skull or collector’s measurements, but in size of hands and feet and in color is (as are the other three) typically occultus.
We would be quite justified in using a binomial name for the new form if it were not for a specimen of intermediate nature towards latimanus and obtained in an interlying region between the ranges of occultus and latimanus. This is no. 14645,
in Zoology (Vou. 10
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136 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
male, taken at Santa Margarita, San Luis Obispo County, June 3, 1911. In general dimensions and cranial proportions it is nearest latimanus; in size of hands and feet it is almost exactly intermediate; in color it is nearest occultus. On the whole, it is closest to latimanus and is so labeled. But it gives strong basis for belief that there is complete geographic intergradation between occultus and latimanus, as indicated in the trinomial form of name proposed by us.
LITERATURE CITED
ALLEN, J. A. 1893. On a collection of mammals from the San Pedro Martir region of Lower California, with notes on other species, particularly of the genus Sitomys. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 5, 181-202. Bangs, O. 1899. Descriptions of some new mammals from western North America. Proe. New. Engl. Zool. Club., 1, 65-72.
Oscoop, W. H.
1907. Some unrecognized and misapplied names of American mammals. Proce. Biol. Soe. Wash., 20, 43-52.
TRUE, F. W. 1896. A revision of the American moles. Proe. U. 8S. Nation. Mus., 19, pp. 1-111, pls. 1-4.
Transmitted January 31, 1912.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS IN
ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 137-142, 2 text-figures April 13, 1912
MYOTIS ORINOMUS ELLIOT, A BAT NEW TO CALIFORNIA
BY J. GRINNELL anv H. 8S. SWARTH
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
While working up the collection of vertebrates obtained by the Museum parties in the San Jacinto region of southern Cali- fornia in the summer of 1908, the authors of the present paper found some difficulty in determining certain small bats of the genus Myotis. This led to an overhauling of all the specimens of this genus thus far accumulated by the Museum, with the result that one species was distinguished which hitherto had not been credited to the mammalian fauna of the state.
This form does not belong to any of the species included by Miller (1897) in his revision of the Vespertilionidae. A review of the subsequent papers dealing with species of Myotis accounted for all proposed names except Myotis orinomus Elliot (1903, p. 228). ‘
Elliot’s description applies to our unnamed bats from the San Jacinto region in certain important respects; but in others, such as cranial dimensions, there is marked disagreement, so that comparison of specimens themselves became indispensable.
Through the kind offices of Mr. Wilfred H. Osgood, we have been permitted to examine a topotype and two additional speci- mens of Myotis orinomus, from the Field Museum of Natural History. These are all from the San Pedro Martir region, north- ern Lower California, Mexico, and bear data as follows: Skin and skull, ¢, no. 10849 (Field Mus.), La Grulla, Lower Cali- fornia, September 11, 1902, collected by KE. Heller; skin and
138 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
skull, 2, no. 10850 (Field Mus.), Santa Eulalia, L. C., August 22, 1902, E. Heller; skull only, 2, no. 15927 (Field Mus.), Val- lecitos, L. C., September 26, 1902, E. Heller.
After comparison of this material with that from the San Jacinto Mountains, we are convinced that the latter belongs with Elliot’s species. Furthermore, we have collected specimens from other localities in California. These are listed in the accompanying table of measurements, and the following discus- sion of characters is based upon this California material.
Myotis orinomus Elliot La Grulla Brown Bat
Basis or Diaenosis: Male adult, no. 2045, Mus. Vert. Zool. ; Garnet Queen Mine, 6000 feet, Santa Rosa Mountains, Riverside County, California ; June 26, 1908.
Diagnosis: Similar in general characters to Myotis califor- nicus californicus, but size slightly larger, colors paler, cranium flatter and rostrum much broader.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Size small, decidedly less than any other Myotis inhabiting California excepting M. c. californicus, M. c. pallidus and M. yumanensis. As compared with yumanen- sis, orinomus is but very slightly smaller in general dimensions, but with distinetly smaller thumb, and much smaller feet, length of foot being seven instead of nine millimeters.
In color above, orinomus is tawny olive (of Ridgway’s Nomenclature of Colors, 1886) instead of broccoli brown, as in yumanensis. Beneath, the difference is less marked, but a tawny suffusion is apparent in a much brighter tinge of brown than in any of a very large series of ywmanensis.
M. orinomus differs from M. californicus and M. c. pallidus in decidedly larger size throughout; ears, thumb and feet being particularly large; the latter seven instead of five millimeters in length. In color orinomus is paler than californicus, except below, and very much darker than pallidus. Californicus, as represented by a specimen (no. 12981) from Yosemite Valley, is deep mummy brown above; orinomus is bright tawny olive; while pallidus is pale wood brown.
1912] Grinnell-Swarth: A Bat New to Califorma 139
The cranial peculiarities of or‘nomus are marked. The most prominent general feature is the extraordinary flattening of the skull, more extreme, even, than in M. occultus. In ywmanensis, californicus and pallidus the braincase is relatively inflated, bulging dorsally, so that there is a comparatively deep ‘‘saddle”’ or angle formed by the rostrum and forehead. The accompany- ing drawing shows this peculiarity of orinomus, im comparison
Fig. 1. Myotis californicus pallidus Stephens (1900, p. 153), topotype, ©; no, 7350; Vallecito, San Diego County, California; May 21, 1909; col- lected by F. Stephens. X 3.
Fig. 2. Myotis orinomus Elliot (1903, p. 228), g; no. 2047; Garnet Queen Mine, Santa Rosa Mountains, California; June 26, 1908; collected by H. S. Swarth. X 3.
with pallidus.’ In addition, as viewed from above, the rostral region of the skull is very much broader than in either ywmanen- sis, californicus, or pallidus. Beneath, this breadth is occupied to so large a degree by the molars, which are of greater trans- verse diameter even than in yumanensis, that the palatal width is but little greater than in californicus. The tooth row, how- ever, is much longer in orinomus than in californicus. Although in bulk of skull orinomus exceeds californicus and pallidus, the interorbital constriction in the three species named is about the same, that is, much less than in ywmanensis. The width of brain- case is nearly as great in orinomus as in ywmanensis, but the height is very much less.
Our ten specimens of Myotis orinomus from California show a moderate amount of individual variation in the characters pointed ovt above. In flatness of braincase and broadness of rostrum there is such uniformity as to preclude the possibility of intergradation with any other species of Myotis known by us to inhabit California. Its occurrence in the San Jacinto, San Bernardino and Mount Whitney regions, in each of which areas
140 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
californicus, yumanensis, and longicrus have also been found, shows distributional ground for considering orinomus as distinct a type as either of these. The evidence at hand is meager, con- sisting chiefly in the fact that where orinomus was obtained in most numbers (Garnet Queen Mine, Santa Rosa Mountains) no other Myotis was taken. As far as the facts have appeared, they point to its occupying a zonal position perhaps separate from that of any of the other species, namely, high Upper Sonoran, and this in a semi-arid faunal division.
The material from Lower California is insufficient for a satis- factory basis of comparison, which might lead to detection of slight differences from the northern representative. The two skins are slightly darker than the California series. There is no doubt that both series belong to one species, though there is possibility of subspecifie distinction.
It seems strange that this little bat has been so long over- looked. It is quite probable that it has been repeatedly confused with other species, as in the case of our specimen from Doble, in the San Bernardino Mountains (no. 6941), which had been previously lumped in with Myotis 1. longicrus ‘(see Grinnell, 1908, p. 158)! It is possible, of course, that some earlier name - will be found to be applicable. But Miller (1897, pp. 20-38) appears to have satisfactorily disposed of all of the many names proposed by H. Allen, these including all the synonyms which seem to require consideration in this connection.
The manuseript of the present paper was submitted, together with two specimens of the bat in question, to Mr. Gerrit 8. Miller, Jr., who writes us in part as follows:
‘*T have never seen Elliot’s M. orinomus, so that I am unable to confirm your identification. The animal that you have sent is quite different from any of the recognized species in our collection [that is, United States National Museum], though I find a skull from Dulzura, California (no. 35660), which evidently belongs to the same animal.
““You will notice that in my account of M. californicus, I speak of con- siderable variation in size. I was always puzzled by the Dulzura series which now proves to consist of the two species; but at the time of writing my monograph I was unable to come to any positive conelusion.’’
141
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142 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
LITERATURE CITED
ELuioT, D. G.
1903. A list of mammals collected by Edmund Heller, in the San Pedro Martir and Hanson Laguna mountains and the accompanying coast regions of Lower California, with descriptions of appar- ently new species. Field Columbian Mus., publ. 79, zool. ser., 3, pp. 199-232, pls. xxxili—xxxviii.
GRINNELL, J. 1908. The biota of the San Bernardino mountains. Univ. Calif, Publ. Zool., 5, 1-170, 24 pls.
MILLER, G. S., JR. 1897. Revision of the North American bats of the family Vespertilion- idae. N. Amer. Fauna, 13, 140 pp., 3 pls., 40 figs. in text.
STEPHENS, F.
1900. Description of two new mammals from southern California. Proe. Biol. Soe. Wash., 13, 153.
Transmitted March 19, 1912.
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Vol. 8.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS IN
ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 5, pp. 143-153, 4 text-figures May 9, 1912
THE BIGHORN OF THE SIERRA NEVADA
BY JOSEPH GRINNELL
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
There is plenty of unquestionable testimony indicating the former occurrence of mountain sheep widely through the high Sierra Nevada of California, almost uninterruptedly from the vicinity of Mount Shasta southward to the Mount Whitney region. But the more recent published statements (Stephens, 1906, p. 58, and Allen, 1912, p. 25) have been to the effect that the form represented is now probably extinct.
Members of the Sierra Club, however, have reported the presence of sheep within a few years in the precipitous area at the extreme headwaters of the Kings and Kaweah rivers; and in the late summer of 1911, the author learned from cattlemen and others in Inyo County that sheep, far from being extinet, still oceur in bands of as many as forty individuals along the Sierran divide in the Rae Lake and Kearsarge Pass country.
Since the specific identity of the sheep of the high Sierras appeared to be quite unknown, it became highly desirable that specimens be obtained. To this end the California Fish and Game Commission granted the necessary permit for the collect- ing of some specimens for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Miss Annie M. Alexander provided a special fund to meet the expenses of the trip, and H. A. Carr was detailed to do the field work necessary.
In the persons of E. H. Ober and J. W. Drouillard, of Big Pine, and C. J. Walters, of Independence, who knew thoroughly the country to be visited, Carr found all that could be asked for in the way of practical assistance. The three succeeded in
144 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
locating a band of sheep in the vicinity of Mount Baxter, twelve miles in an air line northwest of Independence, Inyo County. Four of the animals were secured during October, 1911, and these, together with the Museum’s specimens of the desert and Rocky Mountain bighorns enumerated in Table I, form the basis of the present study.
Ovis cervina sierrae, new subspecies Sierra Nevada Bighorn
Type: Male, age about five years; skin, horns and complete skeleton, no. 16360, Mus. Vert. Zool.; east slope Mount Baxter, 11,000 feet, Sierra Nevada, Inyo County, California; October 20, 1911; collected by H. A. Carr; orig. no. 659.
DiaGNnostic CHARACTERS: Resembles Ovis c. nelsoni C. 1. Merriam (1897, p. 217) but general size greater, ears and tail shorter, coat grayer and very much heavier, and horns in cross- section at base more nearly of a circular outline than triangular. Resembles Ovis c. cervina Desmarest (see Allen, 1912, p. 23), but size slightly less, pelage not quite so heavy, coloration very much paler, and horns in eross-section at base not triangular.
CompaRATIVE Fratrures: Pelage—The sheep of the high Sierra “Nevada, as just characterized, shows an important adaptive feature evidently correlated with the coldness of its habitat, namely, superabundant pelage. This alone readily dis- tinguishes it from O. c. nelsoni. Seasonal variation has of course been taken into account in determining this difference. In detail, this greater degree of hairiness shows itself conspicuously on the rump, Where the hair of the white patch is 47 millimeters deep instead of only 20 millimeters as in nelsoni of the same season ; the ears of the Sierran form are far more abundantly clothed both outside and inside; the nuchal mane is prominent, the con- stituent hairs 200 millimeters back of the ears being 82 mill- meters long as against 45 in nelsoni; the scrotum and insides of thighs are well clothed with hair in sierrae, where nelsoni is scantily haired. In fine, the whole hirsute equipment of sverrae as compared with that of nelsoni corresponds to what one would expect in animals of cold and warm regions respectively. In
1912] Grinnell: The Bighorn of the Sierra Nevada 145
this matter of pelage sievrae much more closely resembles cervina than it does nelson.
Coloration—In general tone of coloration sierrae is dis- tinetly grayer, more ashy, than either nelsoni or cervina, of comparable pelage. The Sierran form is perceptibly paler in color than either, though the contrast is strongest with cervina. The white of rump area, belly, and hind sides of legs appears to be purer in sierrae; but this is probably more apparent than real, and is explanable because of the much longer hair, which, especially when separated, shows a great extent of clean surface. The rump patch is so much heavier haired in sierrae than in nelsoni, that the effeet reminds one strongly of the antelope. There is no appreciable difference between the two sheep, how- ever, in relative extent of light and dark areas.
Ears.—The smallness of the ears in the Sierran sheep as contrasted with the relative largeness of these members in the desert form, has several parallels among other mammals. The conditions of sound transmission in the two sorts of environment are probably to be called into account, so that as with quantity of pelage, the differential feature in question is adaptive. The differences in size of ears in the two forms are readily appre- ciable upon comparison of the dry skins; the collectors’ measure- ments of ¢“height of ear,’’ although probably not ascertained in the different instances upon a uniform basis, give a fair index of the amount of difference (see table of measurements).
Tail—tThe tail as shown from the external measurements is distinetly shorter in sierrae than in nelsoni. In the latter it is scantier haired, so that in effect it resembles the tail of Odocoi- leus hemionus as compared with O. columbianus, though the difference is not so extreme as between these two deer.
General size-—The tables of measurements show sierrae, as compared with nelsoni, to be distinctly larger, always considering age; for it appears that sheep keep on growing throughout their lifetime, though at a decreasing rate as age advances. Total leneth, hind foot, and leneth of hoofs are all greater in sierrae. In these respects, the approach is again towards cervina.
Horns.—A single feature of the horns is apparently of differ- ential value, namely their form in cross-section at the base. In
10
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148 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
nelsoni this is approximately triangular, with the orbital angle less than a right angle; furthermore, this corner is produced far down onto the forehead. In sierrae the form in cross-section is more nearly circular, with the orbital and medial angles both obtuse and neither corner produced. The condition of the
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Fig. 3. The same horn viewed from directly behind, across orifice; note production of corner at orbital angle. %.
Fig. 2. Ovis cervina sierrae, no. 16360: right horn as viewed direetly towards orifice, anterior edge at top; note rounded outline with upper angles both obtuse. X 1%.
Fig. 4. The same horn viewed from directly behind, across orifice; note evenly balanced outline, neither corner being produced. X ¥%.
—_—
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1912] Grinnell: The Bighorn of the Sicrra Nevada 149
corner, whether produced or not, is clearly consequent upon the angularity of the horn at base. The two older rams of sierrae (nos. 13360, 13357) agree in the peculiarity indicated, as com- pared with nelsoni especially of nearly the same age (nos. 10593, 4740, 2319, in particular). All of the nelsoni over four years of age and the single cervina, show this distinct triangularity, and the orbital angle is always acute.
Crania—The writer has attempted to establish cranial char- acters for the three subspecies of sheep available in the present study. C. H. Merriam (1901, p. 30) and Elliot (1903, p. 239), especially the former, in describing new races of sheep, point to various cranial features as providing specific characters. The present writer confesses his inability, with the material in hand, to establish any one cranial character to his satisfaction. He is impressed with the considerable changes in the proportions correlated with inerease of the mass of the horn-cores with age. It seems clear that interorbital width, occipital proportions, and other adjacent dimensions must undergo important differential modification with age. And to separate out any character of systematic value would be possible only with very large series of each race, so that the results of individual growth with advancing age could be properly discerned.
The following are some cranial dimensions of a selected skull of each of the three forms of sheep here treated. As will be seen upon a perusal of the table of general measurements, the first two are nearly of an age, while the last is somewhat older. Ave determination, however, is not possible to any close degree of aeceuraey, especially in the older individuals.
I ~ z = ie mae Name 52 = Ea So el e BS a D A Sa rd uroaee a ea) ge SS Es OF 3 08 Ovis c. nelsoni 4740 249 82.0 51.6 115.8 100.0 47.6 94.9 50.7 201 Ovis c. sierrae 16360 249 88.6 52.7 122.5 110.6 52.8 95.8 49.7 209
Ovis ¢. cervina 4375 278 85.6 49.6 130.9 120.7 54.4 107.2 61.8 237
150 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
The chief inference to be drawn from the above table is the same intermediate position of sierrae in regard to size of skull as is shown by the general body measurements. It is possible that relatively lone tooth-row, great size of molars, narrow palate, and narrow rostrum are specific features of sierrae; but, as intimated above, the material at hand is insufficient to warrant any assertions in regard to cranial characters.
NOMENCLATURE AND GEOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS: In an important paper just published, dealing with the nomenclature of the North American sheep, Allen (1912, pp. 20, 25) revives the old name Ovis californianus, of Douglas, for a hypothetical race ‘‘formerly’’ inhabiting ‘‘the Cascade Mountains of southern Washington and Oregon, and Mount Shasta and the moun- and
tainous country to the eastward in northern California,”’
“now probably extinet.’’ Allen establishes ‘Mount Adams, b]
as the type loeality of ‘‘Ovis ‘as it
Yakima County, Washington,’ cervina californiana.’’ He states (1912, p. 22) that ‘ {this form] is now probably extinct at the type locality and is unrepresented by typical specimens in Museums, its real status in relation to other forms can probably never be satisfactorily determined.’”’
The existence of a distinct race, with the above range, for which the name californiana is usable, is suggested by Allen thus
,
wholly ‘‘on geographical grounds.’? On the same grounds the present writer would point out the probability of the former existence of separate races in the Cascades, and in the Sierra Nevada, especially southerly in the latter mountain system. It does not appear logical to assume the identity of the new form here characterized with that of Washington. The employment here of the name californiana would be dependent upon such assumption.
In the mind of the present writer, the geographical prob- abilities are that the range of sierrae extended north to include the Mount Shasta region. If there was a hiatus between a Caseade race and a Sierran, both being Boreal in zonal oceur- rence, the line of demarcation was more probably north of Shasta than south. This is in accord with the conclusions of C. H. Merriam (1899, p. 83) that the Klamath Gap to the north has
1912] Grinnell: The Bighorn of the Sierra Nevada 151]
operated as a more efficient barrier to the distribution of Boreal forms north and south than the Pitt River or Feather River gaps to the south, or both the latter combined.
A pertinent query would be as to the geographic relation- ship of sierrae with nelsoni. The latter was described (Merriam, 1897, p. 218) from the Grapevine Mountains, Nevada, just over the state line from California, adjacent to Inyo County. In an air line the type loealities of sterrae and nelsoni are less than 95 miles apart. The possibility suggests itself that the same individuals can easily wander back and forth between the desert ranges and the high Sierra Nevada, and may have done so in recent times.
First, to establish the distinctness of actual topotypes of nelsoni from sierrae, request was made of H. W. Henshaw, Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey, for the loan of topotype material. This was freely granted, with the result that two out of the very series upon which Merriam based his description, have been available for comparison at this Museum. These
; es _ 28384 specimens are: Skin and skull 9, aged three years, no. 70488 (U.S. Nat. Mus.) ; skin and skull ¢, aged two years, no eeene
5. 3 » ag : » ~~ 40486
(U. 8S. Nat. Mus.). Both were taken June 4, 1891. As regards pelage they are extremely worn and faded. Our two examples from the Santa Rosa Mountains, of same season, precisely re- semble them in all pelage characters. Enough of the summer pelage is left on one of the Mount Baxter sierrae (no. 16358), to demonstrate that even in summer the alpine and desert forms show the differential features of pelage. Because of the youth of the exact topotypes of nelsoni, nothing is ascertainable from general size or cranial dimensions. But the Museum’s five-year- old ram skull and horns (no. 4740) from the Funeral Range, which is merely the southward extension of the Grapevine Moun- tains, making the points of capture not to exceed 25 miles apart, can be considered a practical topotype. And it is identical with the comparable rams from elsewhere on the southeastern deserts. To sum up, there is a desert race of sheep as distinet from the Sierran, and the name nelsoni was based upon examples of the desert form.
152 University of California Publications in Zoology {Vou 10
In the second place, there are practically no exceptions to the rule that the Boreal zones on the Sierras possess species and usually genera distinct from those of the Sonoran zones of the desert. We may cite here the coyotes, foxes, rabbits, wood-rats, and spermophiles. If isotherms are so potent as barriers in the case of other organisms it seems reasonable to expect the sheep to have been limited in their distribution by these same factors. It is thus, on distributional grounds, improbable that sheep wander indiscriminately back and forth between the high, cold Sierras and the hot desert ranges, general assumption to the contrary notwithstanding.
Mr. Carr was especially instructed to gather all obtainable information as regards this very point. Without here going into detail, the gist of the information gathered by him from mountaineers and residents of Owens Valley is that the Sierra Nevada bighorns in the Mount Baxter region at the present time do not range north of Taboose Pass, nor east across Owens Valley, though they do descend the east slope of the Sierras to the foothills in midwinter.
It is probable, therefore, that the Sonoran and Boreal forms of sheep do not intermingle, although their ranges in the Inyo region closely adjoin.
The treatment of the forms under discussion as subspecies of one species, and the consequent adoption of the trinomial form of name for each of them, is in accord with the now dominant view of mammalogists. The most recent expression (Allen, 1912, pp. 20, 21), is that there are two groups of sheep in North Ameriea, the northern Ovis dalli group, and the south- ern Ovis cervina group. These two groups are treated as distinet species. It is to the second that the two forms inhabiting Cali- fornia belong. It is not, however, to be inferred that anyone has proven actual intergradation between cervina and sierrae, sierrae and nelsoni, or nelsoni and cervina. Whatever may have been the geographié relations between these forms a century ago is probably now beyond the possibility of proof. The forms persist merely as isolated colonies of very much restricted range.
1912] Grinnell: The Bighorn of the Sierra Nevada 153
LITERATURE CITED
ALLEN, J. A. 1912. Historical and nomenclatural notes on North American sheep. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 31, pp. 1-29, 4 figs. in text. Exuiot, D. G. 1903. Descriptions of twenty-seven apparently new species and sub- species of mammals, all but six collected by Edmund Heller. Field Columbian Mus., zool. ser., 3, pp. 239-261, 2 figs. in text. Merriam, C, H.
1897. Ovis nelsoni, a new mountain sheep from the desert region of southern California. Proe. Biol. Soc. Wash., 11, pp. 217-218.
1899. Results of a biologieal survey of Mount Shasta, California. Dept. Agrie., Div. Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 16, 180 pp., 5 pls., 46 figs. in text.
1901. Two new bighorns and a new antelope from Mexico and the United States. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 14, pp. 29-82. STEPHENS, F.
1906. California mammals (San Diego, West Coast Publishing Co.), 351 pp., frontispiece, many figures in text.
Transmitted March 28, 1912.
“UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIGATIONS—(Contiaued)
“8 Two Heretofore Unnamed Wrens of the Genus Thryomanes, by, Joseph
Grinnell. Pp.’ 307-309. ae shee Savannah Sparrow! of the Great Basin, by aoeehh Grinnell. Pp. by 811-316, 10, A Second Record of the Spotted’ Bat uate macutatum) for Gall- fornia, by: Joseph Grinnell,, Pp, 317-320, plate 30. »~ Nos..8, 9, and 10 in one cover, February, Pb: pL Spas fecha Me aha ts RS . Mammals of the 1908 Alexander Alaska Expedition, with Descriptions of the Localities Visited and Notes on the Flora of the Prince Wil- liam Sound Region, by Bdmund Heller. Pp. $21-360, plates’31-32, 12, Birds of the 1908*Alexander ‘Alaska Expedition, with a Note on the
ae |)
Avifaunal Relationships of the Prince William Sound District, by ~
Josepn Grinnell, Pp. 361-428, plates 38-34, 9 text- desc Nos, 11 atid 12 in one cover. March, 1910... et a DD RIS incre ; Index, pp. 429-440,
- Vol. 6. “1. (XXITI) On the Weight of Developing Eggs. Part I, The Possible Significance of Such Investigations, by William E. Ritter; Part DO, Practicability of the Determinations, by Samuel EB. Bailey. Pp. 1-10. OCranery 1 90R. ss ee Os oe heaseatac im tcl ate h cathy
2. (XXIV) The Leptomedusae of the San Diego Region, by Harry Beal Torrey. Pp. 11-31, with text figures. - February, 1909 20.0200.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS IN
ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 155-166, 1 text-figure May 21, 1912
A NEW PEROGNATHUS FROM THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
BY WALTER P. TAYLOR
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
During the months of March, April, and May, 1911, a party from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology carried on biological exploration in the northern, central and southern parts of the San Joaquin Valley and also in the Carrizo Plain of San Luis Obispo County. The existence in the San Joaquin Valley of two races of Perognathus longimembris is one of the first results apparent.
Perognathus longimembris neglectus, new subspecies MeKittrick Pocket Mouse
Type: Male adult, no. 14526, Mus. Vert. Zool.; McKittrick, Kern County, California, altitude 1111 feet; May 18, 1911; ecol- lected by H. S. Swarth and W. L. Chandler; orig. no. 8986.
Diagnostic CHARACTERS: Larger in all dimensions than its nearest relative, Perognathus longimembris longimembris (see tables of measurements, pp. 164, 165), being in total length 12.25 per cent larger; tail vertebrae 8.43 per cent; occipito-nasal leneth 7.84 per cent; mastoid breadth 7.18 per cent; interorbital con- striction 14.37 per cent. Paler than Perognathus l. longimem- bris. The tone of coloration is approximately the same in the two subspecies, the evident dissimilarity between them being due to a difference in extent of black tipping on the hairs.
156 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Mareriau: The basis for this description is as follows: Forty- nine specimens of Perognathus longimembris longimembris: Corral Hollow, eight miles southwest of Tracy, San Joaquin County, 5; Sweeney’s Ranch, 22 miles south of Los Banos, Mer- ced County, 3; Lane Bridge, ten miles north of Fresno, Fresno County, 2; Raymond, Madera County, altitude 940 feet, 3; Jesbel, 540 feet, eight miles west of Raymond, Madera County, 1; Tipton, altitude 266 feet, Tulare County, 6; Earlimart, or Alila, altitude 280 feet, Tulare County, 5; eight miles north- east of Bakersfield, 21; Tejon Canon, 1; Rose Station, 1; San Emigdio, 1; the last four stations in Kern County, and the last three specimens from the Biological Survey collection, U.S. National Museum. Forty-one of Perognathus longimembris neg- lectus: McKittrick, Kern County, 37; Carrizo Plain, seven miles southeast of Simmler, San Luis Obispo County, 3; San- tiago Spring, Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, 1.
Descriptive Remarks: Coloration——All the specimens con- sidered were collected between March 16 and May 28, so pre- sumably all the adults exhibit the same pelage, the more or less worn winter coat. The new form, Perognathus longimembris neglectus, is very much lighter than P. l. longimembris. The ground coloration is apparently the same in both, and comes nearest the ochraceous-buff of Ridgway’s Nomenclature of Colors (1886). The dissimilarity in appearance, as already noted, is the result of a difference in extent of black tipping on the hairs. P. 1. neglectus is practically pure ochraceous-buff in coloration, there being merely a suggestion of black. On the other hand, P. 1. longimembris is much darkened, the pure ochra- ceous-buff being discernible only along the lateral line, in a spot behind each ear, and on outer sides of fore and hind limbs. Ears in neglectus not so dusky on inner surface. Tail lighter colored than in longimembris.
Fore and hind feet and underparts pure white. Two speci- mens of longimembris from Earlimart (nos. 14501, 14503) are unlike the rest of the series, in that they lack the dorsal darken- ing. The tone of their coloration approaches ochraceous instead of ochraceous-buff, however, so making them distinct from neg- lectus. They are smaller, too, than the specimens of the latter.
1912] Taylor: A New Perognathus 157
The two specimens, possibly belonging to longimembris, from Sites, Colusa County, were not included in the table of measure- ments, as they are aberrant in respect to size. Their teeth show them to be younger than the other adults measured, and yet their measurements are comparatively great, decidedly above the average for the rest of the series. These examples suggest that another form of longimembris exists in the Sacramento Valley.
Our series of young animals of the two forms are for the most part not comparable. The few juvenals of P. 1. longimem- bris in the Museum are with some exceptions younger than any of our extensive series (comprising thirty specimens) of P. 1. neglectus. One of the latter contained seven embryos. Two specimens (nos. 14540 from McKittrick, and 14519 from Bakers- field) seem to be comparable as to age. The example of longi- membris is slightly darker in general coloration than the speci- men of neglectus. Two very young specimens (nos. 14514 from Bakersfield, and 14548 from MeKittrick) exemplify an excep- tional color relation, the specimen of neglectus being darker than the one of longimembris. Four other specimens of longi- membris (nos. 14506, 14520, 14521, 14523) are properly not comparable with the series of neglectus. They are somewhat darker than the McKittrick series. The coloration toward the tip of the tail in juvenals of longimembris is definitely darker than in neglectus.
On the whole the series of juvenals, or adolescents, of the new subspecies is uniformly pale in coloration. They are near drab-gray dorsally, lightening to drab or ecru drab laterally; a definite lateral line of buff; sides of face and top of nose buff, modified slightly with black in the latter region; the buffy colora- tion of the lateral line extends nearly to the heel on the outside of the hind leg, sometimes extending a short distance onto the fore-limb externally; feet white; a small white spot under the ear, and a light spot just back of the ear, varying from white to buff; tail buff, thinly haired, sometimes gray dorsally, but in most eases not clearly bi-color, becoming gray toward tip;
158 University of California Publications in Zoology Vou. 10
underparts pure white. In the adult pelage the hair is not so silky and soft, the tail is more thickly haired, and the coloration of the tail and upper parts becomes rich ochraceous-buft.
Cranial Characters—The skulls of P. 1. longimembris and P. 1. neglectus are similar in shape. Interorbital constriction in the new form actually broader. The table of measurements shows the dimensions of neglectus to be uniformly greater than those of longimembris, and indicates that on the average the ratio of the greatest mastoid breadth to the basilar length is less in neglectus.
Measurements.—As indicated above, the percentage differ- ence in leading measurements is considerable. Osgood’s state- ment (1900, p. 13) that individual variation is not great in the group does not seem to be borne out by a study of twenty-eight males of longimembris. In these the range of variation amounts to 25.4 per cent of the total length, and 30.5 per cent of the leneth of tail vertebrae. These figures are of course subject to correction, for the specimens came from different localities, and some of the variation is doubtless due to age, though care was exercised in selecting the comparable adults. Stage of pelage and degree of wear of the teeth were the chief characters used in determining age. The fact of the comparatively large varia- tion thus reduces the importance of the size distinction between the two forms.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Specimens of P. 1. neglectus were secured at McKittrick, Kern County; at Santiago Spring, Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County; and seven miles southeast of Simmler, San Luis Obispo County. Statement of range is not possible beyond the region implied in the position of these three localities, one in the southwestern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, the other two in the Carrizo Plain district. The subspecies is apparently Lower Sonoran chiefly, though its occurrence at Santiago Spring indicates that it may invade lower Upper Sonoran.
P. 1. longimembris was taken by the Museum party at the localities above mentioned (p. 156). Osgood (1900, p. 34) ex- amined specimens from the following additional localities: Lodi
1912] Taylor: A New Perognathus 159
and Ripon, San Joaquin County; Oakdale, Stanislaus County ; Livingston, Mereed County; Huron, Fresno County; Three- rivers, Tulare County; and Walker Basin, Delano, and Bakers- field, Kern County. Consequently the range of Perognathus 1. longimembris may be said to be the Lower Sonoran and lower Upper Sonoran zones of the San Joaquin Valley, except the southwestern portion.
STATUS
Perognathus longimembris neglectus is the largest member of the panamintinus group in California, in size equalling Pero- gnathus amplus Osgood (from Fort Verde, Arizona). It is cer- tainly, as would be expected, most closely related to its nearest neighbor, longimembris, and for the following reasons: (a) In general coloration it is very close to longimembris; (b) the lat- ter form, as regards size, approaches it more closely than does any other member of the panamintinus group in California; (ec) the skull is in the main similar, though larger; (d) the geo- eraphieal probabilities so indicate.
Neglectus need be confused with no other member of the panamintinus group. Larger size serves to distinguish it from P. p. panamintinus C. H. Merriam. From P. p. bangsi Mearns it is differentiated by a more ochraceous-buff coloration and larger size. Lighter coloration and larger size separate it from P. p. brevinasus Osgood. The uniformity of coloration which is so evident in longimembris (see Osgood, 1900, p. 33) is em- phasized to a still greater degree in neglectus.
The question arises as to the status of the new form from the current point of view of processes of evolution. Is it merely an environmentally induced geographic race or an ontogenetic one, of such a nature that, were it transported into the area inhabited by Perognathus l. longimembris, it would revert immediately to the type exhibited by that subspecies? Or does it represent a true germinal variant? Experimental investigation might fur- nish illuminating data on these points.
It is possible that isolation has been a condition in the differentiation of the two forms. Buena Vista Slough, which probably constitutes a partial barrier, extends from Tulare Lake
160 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
to Buena Vista and’ Kern lakes. It should be noted that the representatives of the genera Dipodomys and Perodipus, as well as of the subgenus Perognathus, are different on the McKittrick and Bakersfield sides of the slough. On the other hand, the species of the genera Citellus and Ammospermophilus, and of the subgenus Chactodipus, of Perognathus, are the same on the two sides. These facts would indicate that while the barrier in question is not highly efficient, taking all the forms into con- sideration, it may have been of some importance in the forma- tion of the McKittrick pocket-mouse. On the other hand it should be noted that specimens of longimembris from Huron, Fresno County, west of the San Joaquin River farther north- ward, were examined by Osgood, and that examples of longi- membris from Tracey and Los Bafios, also west of the river, are not appreciably different from those from districts east of the stream. This, of course, militates against the possibility of the river’s being a barrier of sufficient importance to be a con- dition in the divarication of the two forms.
Large, dark races of a species are sometimes found in the humid coast belt, when small, light forms oceur in the arid in- terior. For example, in northern North America, the smaller, lighter subspecies of Peromyscus maniculatus (see Osgood, 1909), namely nebrascensis, arcticus, and artemisiae, occur in the more arid interior regions, while the larger, darker ones, oreas, hylacus, keeni, macrorhinus, and the closely related sitkensis and prevos- tensis, are found in the more humid coast districts. The new sub- species of Perognathus here described, which occurs in a locality more arid than that in which Perognathus 1. longimembris is found, is paler, but also larger, which condition is contrary to what might be expected from the contemplation of such a case as that cited above.
In the diagram of the distribution of variation, specimens of Perognathus 1. longimembris are represented by Arabic numerals placed in the upper portions of the squares, and in the frequeney curves by black dots and solid lines. Perognathus 1. neglectus, on the other hand, is indicated by Roman numerals placed in the lower portions of the squares, and in the frequency curves
by open cireles and dotted lines.
1912] Taylor: A New Perognathus 161
Thirty-seven specimens of Perognathus |. longimembris and ten of P. 1. neglectus, all comparable adults, furnish the basis for the diagram. As practically no dimensional differences between males and females are apparent, both sexes are in- eluded.
avy Jo diz y9v]q JO YRduaT
Total length of the animal 2) 46) 8e OM i214
Fig. 1.—Correlation of variation in length of black tipping on hairs and
total length of individual in Perognathus 1. longimembris and Perognathus
l. neglectus.
Reference to the diagram shows a general correlation between large total length and short black tipping of the hair. Hxamina- tion of the hairs with a binocular microscope disclosed two types, one including spiny hairs apparently solidly pigmented for their entire length; the other, hairs with plumbeous bases, ochraceous-
162 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
buff shafts, and black tips. The measurements of black tip were made by ocular micrometer on hairs of the second type only.
In the frequency curve for black tipping of the hairs, the mode of neglectus, while different from that of longimembris, is seen to fall within the normal range of variation of the latter. The curve does not, however, adequately show the difference in pigmentation, for the following reasons: it does not record (a) the different density of pigment in the black tips of the hairs in the two subspecies; nor (b) different width of the black tipping, for in many instances the tip was not solidly black, but had rather a line of black upon it; nor (c) the different proportions of the two types of hairs, namely those having the shafts solidly pigmented from base to tip, and those having tips only black.
NOMENCLATURAL HISTORY
Apparently no specific name already given to western pocket- mice of this subgenus is available for the new subspecies. The name Perognathus parvus (Peale) formerly applied to the San Joaquin form now regarded as Perognathus 1. longimembris, has been definitely shown to be correctly assigned to the much larger species taken in Oregon, probably in the neighborhood of The Dalles, by the Wilkes Exploring Expedition (see C. H. Merriam, 1889, p. 3, and Osgood, 1900, p. 35). The following authors have referred San Joaquin Valley specimens to Perognathus parvus: Baird (1857, p. 425), specimen from Kings River, California; Coues (1875, pp. 303-305) based the name on Baird’s Kings River specimen and dissected an alcoholic specimen from Fort Tejon; True (1882, p. 474) discussed Baird’s parvus and published data on additional specimens from Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley. Coues’ (1875, p. 305) provisional name for the race exemplified by his specimen from Fort Tejon, namely longimembris, must therefore stand (see Osgood, 1900, p. 34) for the darker subspecies of the San Joaquin Valley.
Oseood (1900, p. 34) based his description of Perognathus 1. longimembris on specimens from Fresno, the type locality of inornatus C. H. Merriam. The type of longimembris, from Fort Tejon, is said to be immature, but is stated to show the narrow
1912] Taylor: A New Perognathus 163
interorbital space peculiar to the San Joaquin Valley form. This would practically preclude the possibility of the Fort Tejon specimens being referable to the subspecies inhabiting the San Joaquin west of Buena Vista Slough, since the latter race has a broad interorbital space. As will be noted from the table of comparative measurements, the percentage difference between the averages of the males of the two forms is greater, with respect to interorbital constriction, than in the case of any other skull measurement given, and this character( broad interorbital space ) is uniform throughout the series of adults of neglectus.
Osgood (1900, p. 34) further states that the only available topotype of Perognathus l. longimembris is a young adult whieh agrees perfeetly with specimens from Fresno and other points in the San Joaquin Valley. Also that two young specimens from San Emigdio and Rose Station, both being near Fort Tejon, are also clearly the same as those from Fresno. These statements are confirmed by an examination of the three specimens in ques- tion, kindly loaned to the writer from the Biological Survey col- lection through the courtesy of Mr. H. W. Henshaw, Chief of the Bureau.
Osgood concludes that the name longimembris should be ap- plied to the animal recently called inornatus (C. H. Merriam, 1889, p. 15). It thus becomes apparent that Perognathus inor- natus, type locality Fresno, California, was based on this darker subspecies described from Fort Tejon, and that the MeKittrick form is the one to which the new name should be given.
ity of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
nivers
=
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166 University of California Public
LITERATURE CITED -
Bairp, 8. F. General report on the mammals of the Pacific Railroad suryey-
1857. ing parties (appeared in vol. 8, Pacifie Railroad series), reprint in Mammals of North America (Philadelphia, J. Be Lippincott and Co., 1859), part Tk pp. XXV—Xxxii, “es pls. I-LX, 35 figs. in text. Cougs, E.
1875. <A critical review of the North American Saccomyidae. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 27, pp. 272-327, 1 fig. in text.
Merriam, C. H. _ 1889. Preliminary revision of the North American pocket mice (genera Perognathus et Cricetodipus auct.) with descriptions of new species and subspecies and a key to the known forms. U. 8. Dept. Agric. Div. Biol. Surv. N. Amer. Fauna, 1, vii + 37, pls.
1-4,
Oscoop, W. H. 1900. Revision of the pocket mice of the genus Perognathus. U. 8. Dept. Agrie. Div. Biol. Surv. N. Amer. Fauna, 18, pp. 1-74,
pls. I-IV, 15 figs. in text.
1909. Revision of the mice of the American genus Peromyscus. U. 8. Dept. Agric. Bureau Biol. Surv. N. Amer. Fauna, 28, PP. 1- 285, pls. I-VIII, 12 figs. in text.
Taytor, W. P. 1911. Mammals of the Alexander Nevada Expedition of 1909. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 7, 205-307, 2 figs. in text. ) TRUE, F. W. Proce.
1881. On the rare rodent, Cricetodipus parvus (Baird) Coues. U. S. Nation. Mus., 4, pp. 474-475.
Transmitted March 25, 1912
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS IN
ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 7, pp. 167-169 "May 21, 1912
THE BEAVER OF WEST CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
BY WALTER P. TAYLOR
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
The interest of Miss Annie M. Alexander in the problem of the status of western beavers resulted in her securing for the Museum the material on the basis of which this description is drawn up. This consists of a series of ten skins and skulls, with several complete skeletons, from the region of the confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers. Comparison with pertinent specimens from elsewhere shows that the California material belongs to a species distinet from other beavers. The status of western beavers will be considered in more detail in a later paper.
Castor subauratus, new species
Golden Beaver
Type.—Collected at Grayson, Stanislaus County, San Joaquin River, California; no. 12654, Uniy. Calif. Mus. Vert. Zool.; 2 adult, skin and complete skeleton; February 21, 1911; trapped by Jack Doyle.
GENERAL CHARACTERS.—In size equals the largest examples of western beavers at hand. Coloration lighter than in Castor canadensis lewcodontus, but not so light as in Castor canadensis frondator. Slalls with nasal bones more expanded, and foramen magnum wider in proportion to length, than in any other western beaver.
168 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
CoLor.—Similar to Castor canadensis frondator but darker. The hair dorsally is much the same in coloration, which is hazel to clay color of Ridgway’s Nomenclature of Colors (1886). The underfur is in swhawratus nearer chocolate than seal brown, while in frondator it approximates Prout brown. Ventral underfur in subauratus sepia, in frondator gray, varying about drab gray, ecru drab and drab.
Castor subauratus possesses a golden sheen dorsally and ven- trally, which is nearly lacking in leucodontus. Hair ventrally in the new species varies about buff (ochraceous-buff to pinkish buff), while in leuwcodontus it is chestnut. Coloration of the area about the base of the tail not so deep in swhawratus as m leucodontus.
Castor subauratus has less hair than has Castor c. leucodontus, but more than Castor c. frondator.
Skuutu.—There are many differences between the skulls of Castor subauratus, Castor c. leucodontus, and Castor c. frondator, the most important of which are the form of the nasals, which are more expanded in swbauratus than they are in either of the other two subspecies; and the shape of the foramen magnum, which is proportionally very wide as compared with its height in the California species, much more so than in the two sub- species with which it is here compared. The ratio of the width of nasals to basilar length is 22.4 per cent in the type of subauratus (no. 12654, Mus. Vert. Zool.) ; in leucodontus (no. 12107, Mus. Vert. Zool.) it is 19.8 per cent; while in frondator (no. 60354, U. S. Nation. Mus.) it is 20.9 per cent. The ratio of the vertical diameter of the foramen magnum to basilar length is 8.0 per cent in the type of subauratus (no. 12654, Mus. Vert. Zool.) ; in lewcodontus (no. 12107, Mus. Vert. Zool.), it is 11.25 per cent; while in frondator (no. 60354, U. S. Nation. Mus.) it is 12.4 per cent.
Tait.—Proportions of tail separate Castor subauratus from Castor c. frondator. Average ratio width of tail to length in Castor subauratus is 42.42 per cent (extremes 37.6-45.2); in frondator (no. 20751, U. S. Nation. Mus.) 49.1 per cent; in
leucodontus, 41.32 per cent (extremes 31.8-51.0).
1912] Taylor: The Beaver of West Central Califorma 169
M®asuREMENTS OF Type.—Total length, 1171 mm., hind foot, 196, ear, 31; length scaled portion of tail, 320; basilar length of Hensel, 126.3; zygomatic width, 103.4; mastoid width, 70.5; inter- orbital constriction, 28.3; length of nasals, 54.4; width of nasals, 28.3; maxillary tooth-row, 34.5; height of foramen magnum, 10.1; transverse width of foramen magnum, 18.1; greatest length of mandible, angle to anterior surface alveolus of incisor, 111.3; angle of mandible to coronoid, 62.3; ratio width of nasals to basilar length, 22.4 per cent; ratio maxillary tooth-row to basilar length, 27.3 per cent.
Remarks.—The golden beaver is a strongly marked species, the characters of which are evident throughout our series of specimens. At the present time the species is approaching extinction, although the enforcement of the present protective law may enable it to regain a foothold.
Transmitted May 16, 1912.
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ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 8, pp. 171-178, pl. 5 June 7, 1912
\
PE Iwo POCKHE COPHERS .OF THH REGION CONTIGUOUS TO THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER, IN CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA
BY JOSEPH GRINNELL
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
The explorations carried on in 1910 along the lower Colorado River from Needles to the Mexican line produced large collec- tions of mammals, which, however, included but few specimens of the genus Thomomys. Only one individual was obtained on the Arizona side, and on the California side none was found above the apex of the delta region below Yuma.
An attempt to fix the specific status of these gophers resulted in a fair degree of certainty that distinct forms were represented on the two sides of the river, and that the specimens from the California side were identical with our material already at hand from several points in the Imperial Valley.
It happened, however, that the Museum contained but two specimens of gopher from the type locality of Thomomys per- pallidus C. H. Merriam, described from specimens obtained at Palm Springs, at the extreme northwestern end of the Colorado desert. Correspondence elicited the information that the material in the Biological Survey collection was also unsatisfactory for comparison. And as a proper knowledge of the characters and variation in the first deseribed species of the general area, namely, Thomomys perpallidus, seemed an essential basis for treatment of the other species from the desert regions of the
UG University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
southwest, it became necessary for the time being to defer action upon the Colorado River material.
In February, 1912, the writer was fortunately able to pay a brief visit to Palm Springs in the interests of the Museum, and he succeeded in securing a quite satisfactory series of thirty-eight specimens of Thomomys perpallidus. Twelve of these are com- parable males. The entire material provides the requisite basis for comparative treatment of the forms from the Colorado River region, and proves them to be distinet one from the other, and both different from perpallidus.
Thomomys albatus, new species Imperial Valley Gopher
Type: Male adult; no. 10618, Mus. Vert. Zool.; California side of the lower Colorado River at the old Hanlon Ranch, near Pilot Knob, Imperial County; May 7, 1910; collected by J. Dixon; original no. 1396.
Dragnostic CHARACTERS: As compared with Thomomys per- pallidus, colors extremely pale; size large; tail long; feet broad; zygomata most widely spreading in maxillary portion, that is, anteriorly.
DESCRIPTION OF T'yPE: Coloration very pale cream buff above (very much whiter than in 7. perpallidus, and in T. perpes of the Mohave Desert), becoming dusky around nose and mouth; a small patch of slaty hairs beneath ears; tail and feet scantily clothed with whitish hairs; inside of ears with fine slaty hairs, but outside with coarser hairs of the color of back; vibrissae whitish; lower surface white, tinged with straw yellow on throat, fore legs, and anal region; the white of the lower surface extends high on the sides, blending gradually with the cream buff of the mid-dorsal region; hairs of the dorsal region pale plumbeous at base. There are evidences of molt; the newly appearing hairs are faintly dusky-tipped, but there is no evidence of diverse seasonal coloration.
Skull (as compared with 7. perpallidus and T. perpes) large (see table, p. 176, and plate 5) ; rostrum heavy ; incisors massive and more incurved; nasals and premaxillary tongues broad
1912] Grinnell: Two Pocket Gophers of the Colorado River 173
posteriorly; zygomata widely spreading; zygomatic breadth greatest anteriorly, that is, across maxillary portion; this por- tion also projecting ventro-laterally, so that there is conspicu- ously deep ventral excavation of the anterior zygomatic root as viewed from in front (shown also in slight degree in ventral view, fig. 3, pl. 5) ; auditory bullae relatively depressed.
MEASUREMENTS: See table, p/ 176.
DistriBpuTION: There are in the Museum, twenty-three speci- mens of this form, as follows, all from Imperial County : Colorado River bottom near Pilot Knob, 8; Salt Creek, 8; southern side of Salton Sea, 6; Carrizo Creek, 1.
Remarks: In the original deseription of Thomomys per- pallidus (C. H. Merriam, 1886, p. 588), no exact type locality was designated; but Stephens (1906, p. 138) gives it as Palm Springs, he having collected the material upon which Merriam based his description. Vernon Bailey informs me that the Biological Survey considers Palm Springs, once called Agua Caliente, as the type locality. Hence I use the series in the Museum from that exact place as representing perpallidus in the most restricted sense. A perusal of the literature shows that, as 1s usual in similar cases, the earliest name for a pale-colored gopher has at different times been attached to specimens from a large area around the Colorado desert, even to northeastern Arizona. But as material has accumulated, various forms have been cut out from the periphery, with successive studies more and more narrowing the area of application of the name perpallidus.
My present study is a still further refinement, wholly justifi- able with the new material in hand. The material as yet avail- able, is, however, insufficient to establish whether or not the ‘anges of the different reeognized forms are sharply defined or whether the distribution is practically continuous, and is accom- panied by intergradation in characters.
Two conclusions, however, seem probable: one is, that per- pallidus as redefined does not occur east of the Colorado River; the other, that on the lower parts of the Colorado desert it is replaced by the form here named albatus. It may even be prob- able that perpallidus is restricted to a narrow belt along the eastern base of the mountains lying west of the Colorado desert.
174 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Its range is possibly determined by the presence of alluvial soil at the mouths of the canons whose streams vanish into the desert below. :
Thomomys albatus is apparently confined to that portion of the Colorado desert occupied by the delta of the Colorado River and hence having fine alluvial soil, and further, to that portion of the delta region lying west of the main channel of the Colorado River, and above the reach of recent overflow.
Albatus is, Judging from descriptive literature as well as from all available material, the whitest gopher known, and this peculiarity is quite as pronounced in very small young as in adults. This extreme pallor in an animal of subterranean habits, one which is seldom exposed to the light, is difficult of explana- tion, when it is borne in mind that the gophers of the coast belt of California are very dark colored. The soil of the habitat of albatus is usually perceptibly moist, not conspicuously less so than that in the San Diegan district. It would appear that in this case relative humidity could not so well be called into account, nor intense light, as in the cases of mammals foraging above ground. Yet this gopher is whiter than any other mammal of the Imperial region, though all are pale-colored as compared with
relatives in neighboring zoogeographic areas.
Thomomys chrysonotus, new species Ehrenberg Gopher
Type: Male young adult; no. 10617, Mus. Vert. Zool.; Ehren- berg, Yuma County, Arizona; March 27, 1910; collected by F. Stephens; original no. 2540.
DrAGNostic CHARACTERS: Size small; colors pale; similar to Thomomys perpallidus, but dorsal coloration with a distinctly golden cast, ears very small, and skull in proportion to size much heavier.
DESCRIPTION OF TyPE: Coloration ochraceous-buft above, with a tinge of ochraceous-rufous or golden mid-dorsally ; facial region the same, slightly obscured with dusky around the nose; beneath whitish with much plumbeous of the bases of the hairs showing through; feet and tail white; dorsal color rather
1912] Grinnell: Two Pocket Gophers of the Colorado River 175.
abruptly defined along sides against white of lower surface; dorsal pelage at base deep plumbeous; vibrissae whitish; ears thinly clad with fine slaty hairs, but not surrounded by dusky patch.
Skull (as compared with 7. perpallidus and 7’. albatus) small, but relatively massive (see table, p. 176, and plate 5); rostrum short and broad, broadest in its middle portion; incisors heavy and ineurved; posterior ends of premaxillary tongues reaching scarcely beyond nasals; zygomata not spreading conspicuously, nor prominently angled; jugal bars approaching one another anteriorly, that is, zygomatic width greatest posteriorly ; inter- orbital constriction very wide; auditory bullae relatively much inflated.
MEASUREMENTS: See table, p. 176.
Distripution: Type and only specimen from Ehrenberg, Yuma County, Arizona.
ReMARKS: I sent the type specimen to Vernon Bailey, of the United States Biological Survey, who marked it tentatively Thomomys perpallidus. Comparison, however, of this specimen with the topotype series of perpallidus now available, discloses differenees which fall far outside of the range of individual variations in perpallidus. The distinct golden color of chryso- notus, even brighter than in 7. perpes, together with certaim cranial peculiarities, lead me to suggest its near affinities, not
with perpallidus or albatus, but with forms to the east and north.
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1912] Grinnell: Two Pocket Gophers of the Colorado River 1
LITERATURE CITED
MeERRIAM, C. H. 1886. Preliminary description of a new pocket gopher from California. Science, 8, 588.
STEPHENS, F.
1906. California mammals (San Diego, West Coast Publishing Co.), 351 pp., frontispiece, 6 pls., many unnumbered figures in text.
Taytor, W. P.
1911. Mammals of the Alexander Nevada Expedition of 1909. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 7, 205-307, 2 figs. in text. ‘
Transmitted February 28, 1912.
PLATE 5
Dorsal and ventral view of same skull in each case; very close to natural size.
Fig. 1. Thomomys chrysonotus, type; male, no. 10617; Ehrenberg, Arizona; Mareh 27, 1910. Note small size, short heavy rostrum, wide interorbital constriction, narrow and rounded zygomatic arches, evenly terminating nasals and premaxillary tongues posteriorly, and rounded auditory bullae.
Fig. 2. Thomomys perpallidus, topotype; male, no, 16500; Palm Springs, California; February 10, 1912.
Fig. 3. Thomomys albatus, type; male, no. 10618; Colorado River bot- tom near Pilot Knob, California; May 7, 1910. Note large size, widely spreading zygomatic arches flaring anteriorly, broad nasals and premaxillary tongues, deep baying in anterior zygomatic root, and depressed auditory bullae.
Vig. 4. Thomomys perpes, probably not typical; male, no. 4663; Vietor- ville, Mohave Desert, California; December 27, 1906.
UNIV. CALIF, PUB. ZOOL. VOL.
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- ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 9, pp: 179-195, figs. 1-6 March 20, 1913
=
THE SPECIES OF THE MAMMALIAN GENUS SOREX OF WEST-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
WITH A NOTE ON THE VERTEBRATE PALUSTRINE : FAUNAS OF THE REGION
BY
JOSEPH GRINNELL
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ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 9, pp. 179-195, figs. 1-6 March 20, 1913
THE SPECIES OF THE MAMMALIAN GENUS SOREX OF WEST-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
WITH A NOTE ON THE VERTEBRATE PALUSTRINE FAUNAS OF THE REGION
BY
JOSEPH GRINNELL
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
CONTENTS
PAGE Vera Gone ta UG Wa ee 2 ae es ep eee cee cep 179 Key to the shrews of west-central California .............-.--------:-----s----0--- 181 (@irpediri earn 3 an © Ta ti cece aac eR een ee eee 182 ONO XAm Va Om ON Se OT AT Shel LT Cl eee eee eee ee ene eae ee Ce neers 183 Sorex halicoetes nis p lO Vey erect seee neces ence ste ereve se ane pe tee eens 183 Sorex californicus C. H. Merriam 185
SOLE XeS UMD OS US i Sp sim veep ees eee nsec eeee see tea ene = ISH
Sorex montereyensis montereyensis C. H. Merriam .. 188
Sorex monterey.ensis: MATIPOSAe, SSps WOW. s-ce--neccese see caceeecen sees ceceeeeeeeee ane 189
CSIPE ROR ONO RDEV EUSf ed Yaa UR ae a eR SSR en nan 190
Note on the palustrine faunas of west-central California -....................... 191
Mbiteraitur e's Cub deme ee cece cece a2e eat ooo a ince ea en ede eases nce Cee een se aceeessss saee 195 : INTRODUCTION
Insectivores are surprisingly scarce in most parts of Cali- fornia as compared with the eastern United States. The aridity of the Pacific district, especially as concentrated into the long dry season, seems to be the deterrent factor; for within the state named we find a remarkably close parallel between amount of rainfall and degree of abundance of shrews and moles. Thus
180 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
the southeastern deserts are practically without any representa- tives of these groups at all; a very few, relatively, occur in the southern coast district; the numbers increase up the Sierra Nevada and towards the northwest, until a state of extreme plenitude is met with in the higher parts of the Sierra Nevada and in the Humboldt Bay region.
It is evident that these geographic relationships in numbers may show limitation by temperature as well as humidity. Tak- ing numbers of individuals into account, rather than species, though both hold in a way, there appears to the writer to be closest dependence of insectivore population upon dampness of climate if not also upon the permanent presence of standing or running water.
It may be said of the restricted genus Sorex, as far as west- central California is concerned, that all of the six species are at least semi-aquatic. Their peculiarly interrupted local distribu- tion thus becomes explicable.
That shrews regularly inhabit the salt marshes of San Fran- cisco Bay was to the writer’s knowledge first established in 1908 by Mr. Joseph Dixon, who eaptured a number of specimens in the vicinities of Palo Alto and Petaluma in his search for repre- sentatives of the rodent genus Reithrodontomys. Dixon’s speci- mens were acquired by Miss Annie M. Alexander and presented by her to the University of California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, where they form part of the basis of the present paper.
More recently Miss Alexander and Miss Louise Kellogg dis- covered the presence of shrews in the marshes at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. By repeated efforts these collectors obtained for the Museum the series of ten speci- mens enumerated beyond under the description of the remark- able new species Sorex sinuosus.
From the uplands of west-central California only scattering examples have been secured, most of these being from the humid coast belt. To show the scarcity of shrews away from the humid coast belt, attention may be called to the fact that in three months’ trapping in the summer of 1912, the two Museum col- lectors so engaged found but two specimens of shrews among
the many hundreds of small mammals captured.
1913] Grinnell: Californian Species of Sorex 181
It would appear, however, that the present study is war- ranted, even though far from an ideal quantity of material is as yet available. Since difficulty has been experienced by the author in learning how to determine the species of shrews described in previous literature, he has tried to provide here a ready means for identifying at least those six species thus far known to occur in the restricted region roughly indicated in the term west- central California.
I have given up trying to use tooth characters among the species here dealt with, because of the smallness of the available series of each, and because of the extraordinary amount of wear to which shrews’ teeth are subject, with resulting profound modifi- cation in relative size and pattern. Inexperience in studies upon teeth is another good reason for my refraining from expressing opinions based upon dentition.
The opportunity is taken in this paper to describe and name a race of the Monterey shrew, from the western flank of the Sierra Nevada, and also to offer a few comments upon the general faunistie peculiarities of the marshlands of west-central California. -
KEY TO THE SHREWS OF WEST-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA By SIZE Extremely small (total length about 90 mm., hind foot about 11 mm.) ee Ea Sn ae op hs a aren Se eR oe Sane ess Wes he Sorex californicus Fairly small (total length about 102 to 105mm., hind foot about 12 mm.)
Color swarm’ or win s.2 222s eee ccc t was ckece te cestacsceniec <3 ae ucuesssUsnce ent staeseuseeceeee S. vagrans Color sooty brown or black BANC AIS Gig Ne Layee oe ae weet et nade Senn. ees een S. halicoetes Branncase) flattened. secs. teeece cs cca cer nc ore ce eccs sarees ee nee S. sinwosus
Medium-sized (total length about 116mm., hind foot about 15 mm.) ee ore ea SE RE ee ee S. montereyensis
Large (total length about 146 mm., hind foot about 17 mm.)......S. pacificus
By Coor Grayish brown, with pepper-and-salt effect; silvery beneath; size EXPMEMMe lives Sm a [ee see ee eee ee ee eee oe eee om ee Sees Sorex californicus Warm brown; brownish gray beneath Bright rusty brown; size very large (length about 146 mm.).......... eee ee a ec tame cee ae Le oe se oe ee ENG Be ee S. pacificus Vandyke brown; size small (length about 105 mm.)..........2...... S. vagrans
182 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
Sooty brown, or black; dull dark brownish beneath Tail sharply bicolor, dusky above, whitish beneath; body above varying from slate-black to dull seal brown, beneath washed WICH. SOP eh osscccce ace Se tee Sacco cee eee ee S. montereyensis Tail uniform in color, dusky both above and below Body black dorsally with steely reflections; ears colored like
1 0 ae See er ee ere oe Pe oe seer ecre ete S. sinuosus Body sooty brown dorsally; ears warm brown in contrast with
DOG CO] ON. x. sce oe cpcce cee cc ects cs a seep a eee ee S. halicoetes
=
2 CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS1 at, “a2 Sa | 2s =} 8 es’ 6.8 TS Mus. as mS OS Name No. Sex Age Locality oo BS 5 Sorex vagrans ...... 11,826 g yg.ad. Eureka, Calif 161 8.2 5.4 Sorex halicoetes .. 3,639 g yg.ad. Palo Alto, Calif. 17.5 85 5.3 Sorex californicus.. 10,847 ¢ yg.ad. Petaluma, Calif. 16.4 7.8 4.6 Sorex sinuosus ...... 16,470 @ yg.ad. Grizzly Island, Calif. 168 7.6 4.3 Sorex montereyensis 3,467 92 yg.ad. Monterey, Calif. UG EO) 53) Sorex pacificus........ 11,749 g oldad. Eureka, Calif. 22.4 10.9 6.0
1 Measurements of single, selected skulls are given rather than averages because of the paucity of exactly comparable (as to age), and at the same time unbroken, material. All measurements are in millimeters.
2 Including incisors.
DD @® @® @®D &®
Figs. 1-6. Braincases of shrews, as viewed in outline from directly behind; note varying ratio of height to width, in other words, degree of ‘‘inflation.’’ All x 1%.
1. Sorex vagrans vagrans, 9; Ferndale, Humboldt County, Cali- fornia; no. 11830, Mus. Vert. Zool.
Sorex halicoetes, 2; Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California; no. 3635, Mus. Vert. Zool.
3. Sorex sinuosus, 9; Grizzly Island, Solano County, California; no. 16470, Mus. Vert. Zool.
4. Sorex californicus, f; Petaluma, Sonoma County, California; no. 10848, Mus. Vert. Zool. (This skull is broken on top.)
5. Sorex montereyensis, 9; Monterey, Monterey County, California; no. 3467, Mus. Vert. Zool.
6. Sorex pacificus, g; Trinidad, Humboldt County, California; no. 11,791, Mus. Vert. Zool.
to
oa o Ratio, height to & to width of a& a braincase
59%
on a x
61% 55%
1913] Grinnell: Californian Species of Sorex 183
Sorex vagrans vagrans Baird Wandering Shrew Original deseription—Sorex vagrans (Cooper MS) Baird (1857), pp. 15- 18, pl. 18, figs. 5, 6. Type loecality—Shoalwater Bay, Pacific County, Washington.
Coloration.—Above uniform vandyke brown (darker, approaching bistre, in winter pelage); lower surface grayish brown approaching drab in tone; fur at base everywhere slate black; feet and tail dull drab above, slightly paler beneath.
Cranium.—In lateral outline high; brainease inflated, with height great in proportion to width. See figure 1 and table of cranial measurements.
Measurements.—Nine specimens, from Humboldt County, California, measure, average and extremes: Total length 105.5mm. (102-110), tail vertebrae 42.2 (31-48), hind foot 12.8 (12-13).
Range.—Riparian and palustrine associations of the Transition zone in the northwestern humid coast belt. Localities represented by specimens in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology are: Eureka, Areata, Ferndale, and Cuddeback, Humboldt County; Novati Point, Marin County. Merriam (1895, p. 68) records specimens from Crescent City, Del Norte County; Monterey, Monterey County; and San Mateo, San Mateo County. The latter is a locality close to the known range of the form here named SN. halicoetes, and Merriam’s specimen from there may possibly have belonged to this form.
Sorex halicoetes, sp. nov. Salt Marsh Shrew
Type.—Skin and skull, ¢ young adult; no. 3,638, Mus. Vert. Zool.; salt marsh near Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California; May 6, 1908; collected by J. Dixon; orig. no. 218.
Diagnosti¢ characters.—Nearest like sorex vagrans vagrans eranially, but in color very much darker, being deep bistre on both surfaces, with an approach to sooty seal brown dorsally; ears of a different color from rest of head. ;
Coloration—Above deep bistre changing to sooty seal brown dorsally, nearly black on rump; lower surface bistre, slightly paler on chin and throat, and blending rather abruptly along sides with deeper tone of back; ears fringed with vandyke brown hairs, in marked con-
184 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
trast with color of rest of head; fur at base slate-black; feet and tail unicolor, dull sepia; whiskers blackish. Winter skins are some- what darker than summer ones.
Cranium.—Of the high, arched type, as in S. vagrans. See figure 2 and table of cranial _.measurements.
Measurements.—See table.
Range.—Salt marshes bordering the south arm of San Fran- cisco Bay, at least from near Belmont, San Mateo County, around to Melrose, Alameda County. For localities see table.
Remarks.—Sorex halicoetes resembles S. sinwosus in notably blackish coloration ; but sinwosus is most extreme in this respect. The larger size, brown ears, and totally different cranial outline in halicoctes separates it from sinuosus. From SN. v. vagrans, hali- coetes is distinguished at a glance by its dark colors, sooty instead of warm vandyke brown above, and bistre instead of silvery brown beneath; the ears of halicoetes are of the same color as the whole dorsal surface (including ears) of vagrans. While these differences in coloration are considerable, comparison of skulls shows no differential features of moment; so that the near rela- tionship of halicoetes with vagrans seems probable. When the pelage of halicoetes is very much worn, the general color is dulled by the slaty bases of the hairs showing through, the super- ficial colored portions being much reduced. In fresh pelage there is some variation in the purity of the sooty brown tone of coloration. In some skins there is a distinct mottling in fine pattern, due to an admixture of minute hair-tippings of light brown.
Grinnell: Californian Species of Sorex
List AND MEASUREMENTS IN MILLIMETERS OF Sorex halicoetes
1913]
Mus.
No. Sex Locality
3,627 ¢ Belmont, San Mateo Co., Calif.
3,632 g Redwood City, San Mateo Co., Calif.
10,844 g Redwood City, San Mateo Co., Calif.
10,845 g Redwood City, San Mateo Co., Calif.
3,634 ¢ Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., Calif.
3,635 92 Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., Calif.
3,636 92 Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., Calif.
3,637 92 Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., Calif.
3,638 g Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., Calif.
3,639 g Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., Calif.
16,611 Haywards, Alameda Co., Calif.
3,628 2 Elmhurst, Alameda Co., Calif.
3,629 9 Elmhurst, Alameda Co., Calif.
3,630 92 Elmhurst, Alameda Co., Calif.
3,631 g Elmhurst, Alameda Co., Calif.
12,728 g Melrose, Alameda Co.,
Calif.
Date Mar. 21, ’08 Feb. 1, 708 Dec. 19, 708 Dee. 19, 708 Feb. 15, ’08 May 6, 708 May 6, ’08 May 6, ’08 May 6, ’08 May 6, ’08 Avorn 208 Apr. 1, ’08 Apr 0s Apr. 1, ’08 Dee. 16, °10
Collector
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
Cy
. Dixon
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
W. O. Emerson
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
J. Dixon
A. M. Alexander
Average of 15 specimens
Sorex californicus C. H. Merriam
California Shrew
12, figs. 6, 7.
Tail Total verte- Hind length brae foot 110 340 13 108 41 13 LOS Os 105 39 13 100 38 13 105 39 12 104 38 12 108 40 12 108 40 12 106 40 13 109 41 13 100 40 12 109 41 13 108 39 12 100 «37 12 105-5) 39:5) 12:5
Type locality—Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California.
Coloration—Above drab, approaching sepia mid-dorsally and paling later- ally; a mixture of whitish-tipped hairs gives a decided pepper-and-salt effect; lower surface silvery whitish, with a faint drab tinge; tail and
feet dull drab, slightly paler beneath; fur at base plumbeous.
Original deseription.—Sorex californicus Merriam (1895), pp. 80, 81; pl.
186 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Cranium.—Small; braincase much flattened, in ‘lateral outline on top together with rostrum approaching a straight line; width great in proportion to height. See figure 4 and table of cranial measurements.
Measurements.—See table.
Range.—Riparian and palustrine associations chiefly of the uplands, along the inner coast ranges from Rumsey, Yolo County, south to near Los Banos, Merced County; also margins of salt marshes around San Francisco Bay. For localities represented by specimens in this Museum, see table. Other record stations are: Glen Ellen, Sonoma County (Merriam, 1895, p. 81) ; Berke- ley, Alameda County (Merriam, 1. ¢., and Stone, 1904, p. 587) ; La Honda, San Mateo County (Allen, 1896, p. 269).
List AND MEASUREMENTS IN MILLIMETERS OF Sorex californicus
Tail Mus. Total verte- Hind No. Sex Locality Date Collector length brae foot
18,481 9 Rumsey, Yolo Co., Calif. June 25, 712 W.P. Taylor 93 38 12 3,642 9 Petaluma, Sonoma Co.,
Calif. Mar. 28, 708 J. Dixon Gey eal all 10,846 92 Petaluma, Sonoma Co.,
Calif. Dee. 22, ’08 J. Dixon 90 35 12 10,847 ¢ Petaluma, Sonoma Co.,
Calif. Dec. 24, ’08 J. Dixon 93°" 30> 7 ail 10,848 ¢ Petaluma, Sonoma Co.,
Calif. Dee. 24, 08 J. Dixon 92° 33) 1 10,849 2 Petaluma, Sonoma Co.,
Calif. Dee. 29, 08 J. Dixon 92, 33 1 3,640 g Redwood City, San Mateo,
Co., Calif. Jan. 11, 708 J. Dixon 89 35 i1 3,641 g Redwood City, San Mateo
Co., Calif. Jan. 11, ’08 J. Dixon 86 32 10 3,633 9 Palo Alto, Santa Clara
Co., Calif. Feb. 15, ’08 J. Dixon 8 28 10 16,612 .. Haywards, Alameda Co.,
Calif. Jan. 25, ’?06 W.O. Emerson 16,613 Q Haywards, Alameda Co.,
Calif. Dee. 26, ’06 W.O. Emerson 16,614 ¢ Haywards, Alameda Co.,
Calif. Feb. 9, 707 W.O. Emerson 18,482 9 Walnut Creek, Contra
Costa Co., Calif. July 14, 712 W.P. Taylor 99 37 12 16,662' .. Byron, Contra Costa Co.,
Calif. May 16, 712 R.R.Houston 81 31.4 11.6 14,642 g Los Banos (22 mi. south), Mar. 30, 711 C.H. Richard-
Merced Co., Calif. son 86 . 30 M11
1 Aleoholic. Average of 12 specimens 90 32.8 11.1
1913 | Grinnell: Californian Species of Sorex if
lo 6) =]
Sorex sinuosus, sp. nov.
Suisun Shrew
Type—Skin and skull, 9 young adult; no. 16,470, Mus. Vert. Zool.; Grizzly Island, near Suisun, Solano County, California; January 5, 1912; collected by A. M. Alexander; orig. no. 1,902.
Diagnostic characters.—Nearest like Sorex californicus cranially, but in color totally different, being blackish, with steely reflections dorsally; peculiar also in general size, ratio of tail to body and size of foot.
Coloration.—Above black mid-dorsally, with a distinet steely sheen; sides and lower surface, in general effect, deep clove brown; viewed closely there is to be seen an intermixture of bistre and grayish; fur at base slate-black; tail unicolor, sooty seal brown; feet (dried) hair brown; whiskers black.
Cranium.—Like that of S. californicus, nearly straight-topped in lateral profile, conspicuously flattened. See figure 3 and table of cranial measurements.
Measurements.—See table.
Range-—Known only from the type locality, namely, the brackish marshes of Grizzly Island, bordering Suisun Bay. See list of specimens.
Remarks.—Sorex sinwosus resembles S. californicus m shape of skull, but is larger, and very much darker; californicus is silvery gray beneath, conspicuously different from the deep clove brown of the same area in sinwosus; the former exhibits a grayish, pepper-and-salt appearance above, as contrasted with the black- ish hue above in sinwosus. In spite of these external differences, of great degree as compared with conditions among other species of shrews, the similarity in cranial outline argues the nearest relationship of sinwosus to be with californicus. Sinuosus in external appearance resembles halicoetes closely, but cranially the latter belongs to the vagrans group of species. I am unable to detect dental characters usable to my satisfaction in separating any of these species. Winter skins of sinwosus are blackest, with metallic sheen most conspicuous. In late summer pelage. there is pronounced dulling of the sheen, apparently because of loss of hair-tips.
16,469 16,470 16,471
16,472
18,702
18,703
188 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
List AND MEASUREMENTS IN MILLIMETERS OF Sorex sinwosus
Tail Total verte- Sex Locality Date Collector length brae
2 Grizzly Island, Solano Co. Calif. Nov. 25, 711 A.M. Alexander 102 42
2 Grizzly Island, Solano Co. Calif. Dee. 15, 711 -A.M.Alexander 92 37
2 Grizzly Island, Solano Co. Calif. Jan. 4, 712 A.M.Alexander 99 39
© Grizzly Island, Solano Co., Calif. Jan. 5, 712 A.M. Alexander 99 37
© Grizzly Island, Solano Co., Calif. Jan. 13, 712 A.M.Alexander 99 38
2 Grizzly Island, Solano Co., Calif. Nov. 25, 711 L. Kellogg 100. 41
3 Grizzly Island, Solano Co., Calif. Aug. 24, 712 A.M. Alexander 111 41 2 Grizzly Island, Solano / Co., Calif. Aug. 25, 712 L. Kellogg 106 37
gd Grizzly Island, Solano Co., Calif. Sept. 6, 12 A.M.Alexander 113 37
2 Grizzly Island, Solano Co., Calif. Sept. 7, 712 A.M.Alexander 103 38
Average of 10 specimens 102.4 38.7
Sorex montereyensis montereyensis (. H. Merriam Monterey Shrew
Original description.—Sorex montereyensis Merriam (1895), p. 79.
Type locality—Monterey, Monterey County, California.
Coloration——In summer pelage, dull seal brown, in some specimens ap- proaching sepia; in winter pelage sooty clove brown. Beneath but slightly paler in either pelage and of same shade; fur at base slate- black; tail sharply bicolor, seal brown above, dull white beneath; feet (dried) drab; whiskers plumbeous.
Cranium.—Large; brainease moderately inflated, though not conspicu- ously arched. See figure 5 and table of cranial measurements.
Measurements.—Fourteen specimens, from Monterey, Santa Clara, Ala- meda, Marin and Mendocino counties, measure, average and extremes: Total length 116.1 mm. (111-126), tail vertebrae 51.5 (46-55), hind foot 14.7 (13-16). Nineteen specimens from Humboldt County, measure: Total length 125.8 (116-133), tail vertebrae 59.9 (54-65), hind foot 14.7 (14-16). It looks as though there were a separately recognizable race in the Humboldt Bay region, but lack of specimens of the near-related. Sorex trowbridgei, from the coast district of Oregon and Washington, prevents determination of this point at this time.
Hind foot
12
™
1913 | Grinnell: Californian Species of Sorex 189
Range—Upland riparian association in the Transition and high Upper Sonoran zones of the humid coast belt. Specimens in the Museum represent the followmg localities: Monterey, Mon- terey County; Stevens Creek Canyon, Santa Clara County; Berkeley, Alameda County; Nicasio and Point Reyes, Marin County; Sherwood, Mendocino County; Eureka, Fair Oaks, Areata and Trinidad, Humboldt County. Merriam (1895, p. 79) records specimens from the following additional localities: Cres- cent City, Del Norte County ; Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County ; Morro and San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County. The latter two are the southernmost record stations for the species. The species has also been recorded from Portola and La Honda, San Mateo County (Allen, 1896, p. 269) ; and I have examined speci- mens (in collection of C. P. Streator) taken at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County. Elhot (1907, p. 471) records specimens, supposedly of this form, from: Mount Hamilton, Santa Clara County; Petaluma, Sonoma County; Mendocino, Mendocino _ County; also from five localities previously enumerated.
In consideration of the above data it would appear that Sorex montereyensis 1s, within its well-defined habitat, abundant, and more easily trapped than any others of the shrews of west- central California.
Sorex montereyensis mariposae, ssp. nov.
Yosemite Shrew
Type.—Skin and skull, 2 young adult; no. 12,979, Mus. Vert. Zool.; Yosemite Valley at 4,000 feet altitude, Mariposa County, California; May 27, 1911; collected by J. and H. W. Grinnell; orig. no. 673.
Diagnostic characters.—Closely similar to Sorex montereyensis mon- tereyensis in all characters; differs from this form in paler, distinctly grayer coloration.
Coloration—In summer pelage, above hair brown mixed with drab gray; ears and top of head clear hair brown; lower surface drab gray with a silvery sheen; fur at base slate-gray; tail bicolor, drab above, dull white beneath; feet drab; whiskers plumbeous.
Measurements of type.—Total length 121 mm., tail vertebrae 51, hind foot 14, greatest length of skull 19.3, width of braincase 9.3, height of brainease 5.5.
190 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Range.—Specimens are at hand from the following localities, all in the Transition zone of the central Sierra Nevada: Dutch Flat, 3,400 feet altitude, Placer County; Glen Alpine Springs, 7,000 feet, Eldorado County; Yosemite Valley, 4,000 feet, Mari- posa County. There is also in the Museum a specimen (no. 11347) from Parker Creek, 5,500 feet, Warner Mountains, Modoe County, California, which is for the time being referred to the subspecies here characterized.
Sorex pacificus Baird Pacifie Shrew
Original deseription.—Sorex pacificus Baird, in Coues (1877), p. 650. Type loeality—Fort Umpqua, mouth of Umpqua River, Douglas County, Oregon.
Coloration—Both above and below rich warm prout’s brown inelining towards cinnamon-rufous. The brightest color is exhibited by August specimens; in winter pelage the shade is darker, approaching seal brown dorso-posteriorly. In both pelages the lower surface is slightly paler than the dorsal; fur at base, blackish slate; the tail is seal brown, unicolor; feet (dried), wood brown; whiskers plumbeous.
Cranium.—Very large and massive; braincase nearly straight-topped in lateral profile, relatively flattened. See figure 6 and table of cranial measurements.
Measurements.—Forty-five specimens, from Humboldt County, measure, average and extremes: Total length 146mm. (135-159), tail vertebrae 61.6 (50-70), hind foot 17.5 (16-19).
Range—Upland riparian association in the Transition zone of the northern humid coast belt; not so far discovered south of San Francisco Bay, and not numerous south of the Humboldt Bay region. The southernmost record station is Point Reyes, Marin County, whence Merriam (1895, p. 87) reports two speci- mens. Elliot (1907, p. 472) records specimens from Mendocino, Mendocino County; Requa and Crescent City, Del Norte County. The series in the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology comes altogether from Humboldt County: Eureka, Fair Oaks, Ferndale, Cuddeback, Arcata, and Trinidad.
1913] Grinnell: Californian Species of Sorex 191
NOTE ON THE PALUSTRINE FAUNAS OF WEST-— CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
With the descriptions of the two shrews named in the present paper, two more species are added to the list of the higher verte- brate animals known to be restricted to the marshes of west- central California. These palustrine forms are enumerated below with salient facts as to relationships and distribution.
Birps
1. Geothlypis trichas sinuosa (Salt Marsh Yellowthroat).
Inhabits the marshy borders of San Francisco Bay both around the south arm and along the north side; occurs also locally away from salt water, as at Lake Merced. Characterized by small size and dark colora- tion. Nearest relative is G. t. occidentalis of the riparian and fresh-water palustrine associations of central and northern California generally.
2. Passerculus sandwichensis bryanti (Bryant Marsh Sparrow).
Inhabits open salicornia flats on the salt marshes all around San Francisco Bay, and adjacent low-lying pastures; oeurs also on the sali- cornia marshes back of Monterey Bay. Characterized by small size and dark coloration. Nearest relatives are an unnamed form on the marshes of Humboldt Bay, P. s. nevadensis of the alkali sinks in the Great Basin region, and P. beldingi of the coastal salt marshes of southern California.
3. Melospiza melodia pusillula (Salt Marsh Song Sparrow).
Inhabits exclusively the salicornia flats of the salt marshes bordering the south arm of San Francisco Bay, from South San Francisco around to West Berkeley. Characterized by small size, black streaking, grayish ““oround’’ color, and yellow suffusion beneath. Nearest relative, M. m. santaecrucis of the fresh water riparian association of the uplands im- mediately adjacent.
4. Melospiza melodia samuelis (Samuels Song Sparrow).
Inhabits exclusively the salicornia association of the salt marshes on the north side of San Francisco Bay, from Larkspur to Vallejo. Characterized by small size and dark coloration. Nearest relative, M. m. gouldi of the fresh water riparian associations of the immediately adja- cent uplands.
5. Melospiza melodia mazxillaris (Suisun Song Sparrow).
Inhabits exclusively the marshes west of the confluence of the Sacra- mento and San Joaquin rivers, centering in the Suisun Bay region; occurs west to Benicia and Port Costa. Characterized by great size and exceedingly dark coloration. Nearest relatives, M. m. mailliardi and M. m. heermanni, of the San Joaquin River region east and south.
192 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
6. Rallus obsoletus (California Clapper Rail).
Inhabits the salt marshes of the south arm of San Francisco Bay. Characterized by large size and pale tone of coloration. Nearest relative, Rallus levipes of the salt marshes of the coast of Southern California.
(Should close study be accorded the Marsh Wrens (Telmatodytes) of the San Francisco Bay marshes, it is not improbable that differences would be found. This Museum still lacks material for such inquiry.)
MAMMALS
1. Reithrodontomys raviventris (Red-bellied Harvest Mouse).
Inhabits the salicornia flats on the salt marshes surrounding the south arm of San Francisco Bay, at least from Redwood City around to Mel- rose. Characterized by small size and dark colors, reddish beneath. Nearest relative, R. longicauda of the fresh water riparian and meadow associations of the immediately adjacent uplands.
2. Reithrodontomys halicoetes (Tidal Marsh Harvest Mouse).
Inhabits the salt marshes on the north side of San Francisco Bay, at least at Petaluma, and the brackish marshes of Suisun Bay from Cor- delia Slough to Grizzly Island. Characterized by great size and dark coloration. Nearest relative, R. longicauda of the fresh water riparian and meadow associations of the adjacent uplands on all sides.
3. Microtus edax (Tule Meadow Mouse). Inhabits the marshes of the Suisun district, from Cordelia Slough
eastward to the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, and up each of these streams for an unknown distance. Characterized by great size and dark coloration. Nearest relative, M. californicus of the adjacent uplands on all sides.
(The meadow mouse of the marshes on the north side of San Fran- cisco Bay resembles edax in slight degree, but has not so far been recognized as separable from californicus. The meadow mouse of the marshes of the south arm of San Francisco Bay is at present considered the same as californicus of the surrounding uplands.)
4. Sorex halicoetes (Salt Marsh Shrew).
5. Sorex sinuosus (Suisun Shrew).
These two species are dealt with in detail on preceding pages.
INFERENCES The foregoing data point towards the existence of three differentiation areas in the salt or brackish marshes of the San Francisco Bay region, each cut off by barriers (to palustrine animals) from both of the other two. These areas are: (1) the marshes bordering the south arm of San Francisco Bay; (2) the marshes along the north side of San Francisco Bay (including
1913] Grinnell: Californian Species of Sorex 193
San Pablo Bay); and (3) the marshes lying east of the Straits of Carquinez and extending thence to the confluence of the Sacra- mento and San Joaquin rivers, hence including the Suisun Bay district.
The first-named area of differentiation is wholly cut off from the second by the open water-way leading from the Straits of Carquinez out through Golden Gate. The third area of dif- ferentiation centering in the Suisun marshes, is cut off from both of the other areas by the ranges of hills which rise abruptly from the shore on either side of the Straits of Carquinez, there being thus an extensive littoral interval lacking any trace of palustrine conditions.
Attention to the eleven species of birds and mammals above enumerated shows allotment by areas, as follows: (1) South arm of San Francisco Bay, six species: Geothlypis t. sinuwosa, Passer- culus s. bryanti, Melospiza m. pusillula,* Rallus obsoletus,* Reith- rodontomys raviventris,* and Sorex halicoetes.* The four species starred are found only in this area. (2) North side of San Francisco Bay, four species: Geothlypis t. sinwosa, Passer- culus s. bryanti, Melospiza m. samuelis,* Reithrodontomys hali- coetes. Of these only the single species starred is restricted to this area. (3) Suisun district, five species: Passerculus s. bryanti, Melospiza m. maxillaris,* Reithrodontomys halicoetes, Microtus edax,* Sorex sinuosus.* The three starred species are confined exclusively to this area.
It will be observed that the mammals show more restriction than the birds; which is to be expected from the relative abilities in the two classes to transgress geographic barriers. It is further to be seen that the first and third differentiation areas have produced the greatest number of, and most divergent, types, while the second area is of smaller size and is approximately intermediate in location; both of these contingencies may account for its poverty in species and ineffectiveness, as a center of dif- ferentiation.
The most interest attends those cases where the salt marsh has produced races distinct from the supposedly parent stock of the immediately adjacent uplands, no obvious barrier being
interposed. Most pertinent in this regard are the following seven
194 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
species: Welospiza m. pusillula, Melospiza m. samuclis, Melospiza m. maxillaris, Reithrodontomys raviventris, Reithrodontomys halicoetes, Microtus edax, Sorex sinuosus. In each case the habitat of the upland near relative adjoins that of the salt or brackish marsh form, the palustrine conditions being in some cases actually confluent from fresh to salt water.
It would appear that we find here a form of isolation not referable to the ordinary geographic kind, but dependent upon some factor other than separation by long distance or interposi- tion of impassable barriers. There seems to be existent a strong preferment on the part of individuals for the fresh-water condi- tions on the one hand or the salt-water on the other; and this preferment is a racial trait.
The halophilous species of all three differentiation areas show community in one character: depth of color, that is, quantity of pigmentation, as compared with their near relatives. Only one exception presents itself, that of the clapper rail. In matter of size, all four of the species of the Suisun district (3) are giants” as compared with their near relatives; while around the south arm of San Francisco Bay (1) four of the palustrine species are distinctly dwarfs. The only obvious allocation of cause and effeet is shown in the association of the dark coloration with halicoetie habit. But we find without exception that the blackest species are in the Suisun area where the water of the marshes is least salt !
These facts are called to the attention of students of speciation with the hope that parallels may be reported from elsewhere. Through the cataloging of instances of such interrelationships, especially where conspicuous physical peculiarities of the environ- ment are involved, it is to be confidently expected that much clearer insight is to be gained into the behavior of species in nature.
1913 | Grinnell: Californian Species.of Sorex 195
LITERATURE CITED ALLEN, J. A. 1896. On mammals from the Santa Cruz Mountains, California. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 8, pp. 263-270.
Bairp, S. F.
1857. Mammals of North America; the descriptions of species based chiefly on the collections in the museum of the Smithsonian Institution. U. 8. Pac. R. R. Expl. and Surv., vol. 8, part Il, pp. xxxiv + 764, 87 pls.
Cougs, E. 1877. Precursory notes on American insectivorous mammals, with descriptions of new species. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geog.
_ Surv. Terr., 3, pp. 631-653.
Evuiot, D. G.
1907. A catalogue of the collection of mammals in the Field Columbian Museum. Field Columbian Mus., Zool. Ser., 8, pp. viii + 694, 92 figs. in text.
MeErRRIAM, C. H.
1895. Synopsis of the American shrews of the genus Sorex. N. Amer.
Fauna, 10, pp. 57-124, pls. 4 to 12. STONE, W. 1904. Notes on a collection of Californian mammals.
Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1904, pp. 586-591.
Vol. 7.
Vol. 8.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. PUBLICATIONS— (Continued)
3. (XXV) The Ophiurans of the San Diego Region, by J. F. McOlen- «don, Pp. 33-64, plates 1-6. Tully, 1909.02 ce ete pte cnceeane 4, (XXVI) Halocynthia johnsoni n.sp.:. A comprehensive inquiry as to the extent of law and order that prevails in a single animal species, by Wm. E. Ritter. Pp. 65-114, plates 7-14, November, 1909......... 5. (SXVII)° Three Species of Cerianthus from Southern California, by H. B. Torrey and F..L. Kleebergers Pp. 116-125, 4 text-figures. DOCOWM NOY, “UPOG =e a es Sa a ee eae 6. The Life History of Trypanosoma dimorphon- Dutton & Todd, by Haward Hindle. Pp. 127-144, plates 15-17, 1 text-figure. December, 2) 8) NA aca eel eo SR Po peice Nae aU PTs AR, 4 TSI 2s 1 Ri era het DE TERE %. (XXVUI) A Quantitative Study of the Development of the Salpa Chain in Salpa fusiformis-ruicinata, by Myrtle Elizabeth Johnson. Pps-145-176= Maret 19106 see a eS ne Se ae 8. A Revision of. the Genus Ceratocorys, Based on Skeletal Morphology, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 177-187; May, 1910 1.2.0.2... 9. (XXIX) Preliminary Report on the Hydrographic Work Carried on by the Marine Biological Station of San Diego, by George F. McEwen. Pp. 189-204; text-figure and map. May, 1910 .22 eo. 10. (XXX) Biological Studies on Corymorpha. III. Regeneration of Hy- dranth and Holdfast, by Harry Beal Torrey. Pp. 205-221; 16 text- figures. 11. (SXXI) Note on Geotropism in Corymorpha, by Harry Beal Torrey, 5 “Pp. 223-224; 1 text-figure. ' Nos, 10 and 11.in one cover:.. August, 1910° 22). 12. The Cyclostomatous Bryozoa of the West Coast of North America, by Alice Robertson. Pp. 225-284; plates 18-25. December, 1910...... 138. Significance of-White Markings in Birds of the Order Passeriformes, by Henry Chester Tracy. Pp. 285-312. December, 1910.......2...... 14, (XXXII) Third Report on the Copepoda of the San Diego Region, by Calvin Olin Esterly. Pp. 313-352; plates 26-32. February, 1911... 15, The Genus Gyrocotyle, and Its Significance for Problems of Cestcde Structure and Phylogeny, by Edna Earl Watson. Pp. 353-468; plates SS-4B> Sime TO a es Pe ca eee ea pace ex
(Contributions from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoolcgy.)
1, Two. New Owls from Arizona, with Description of the Juvenal Plum- age of Strix occidentalis occidentaus (Xantus), by Harry 8. Swarth, Pps 3-8. May, 191 tase ON a soca oa ee on a
2. Birds and Mammals of the 1909 Alexander Alaska Expedition, by Harry.S. Swarth. Pp. 9-172; plates 1-6; 3 text-figures. January, 1911.
8. An Apparent Hybrid in the ‘Genus Dendroica, by Walter P. Taylor.
Pparts-1 77. February, Jor os ee ee a ek 4, The Linnet of the Hawaiian Islands: a Problem in Speciation, by
Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 179-195. February, 1911 W022... § The Modesto Song Sparrow, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp, 197-199. Fob-
fo) Che Agee bt) Bs Rear oe PRR LD ana octet se cae eR Eee Alan BOL lay Ni 5 eA CIO
6. Two New Species of Marmots from Northwestern America, by H. 8. Swarth. Pp. 201-204... February, 1990 <..on.oo eect cece
7. Mammals of the Alexander Nevada Expedition of 1909, by Walter P. Paylors Pp. <ZOS-SOT. Suse, SEOT: ee o saa Shak sean stot paspeecannecenctotasdenspetes
8. Description of a New Spotted Towhee from the Great Basin, by. 7. Grinnell “Pp. °309-3117' August, 1911-25 ke
9. Description of a New Hairy Woodpecker from Southeastern Alaska, by H.. S..‘Swarth,:. Pp: *+3$18-318.-.-October; 1911 > <0 ee
10. Field Notes on Amphibians, Reptiles and Birds of Northern Humboldt
County, Nevada, with a Discussion of Some of the Faunal Features
of the Region, by Walter P, Taylor.. Pp. 319-486, plates 7-12. Ss} tg vec wa: ie th le pata ty kh Rane i ca Ds ae RCT Wes ene to ws
1, The Vertical, Distribution of Hucalanus elongatus in the San Diego Region. during 1909, by Calvin O. Esterly. Pp. 1-7, \ May, 1911... 2. New and Rare Fishes from Southern California, by Edwin Chapin Starks and William M. Mann. Pp, 9-19, 2 text-figures. July, 1912 8. Classification and Vertical Distribution of the Chaetognatha of the San Diego Region, Including Redescriptions of Some Doubtful Species of the Group, by Ellis L. Michael. Pp. 21-186, pls, 1-8. December, 1911
0
mt)
10
1,75
Vol. 9.
VoL 10.
Vol, 11.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS — (Continued)
4, Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, IV. The Genus Gonyaulaz, with Notes on Its Skeletal Morphology and a Discussion of Its Generic
and Specific Characters, by. Charles Atwood- Bofoid. Pp. 187-286, plates 9-17. E
6. On the Skeletal Morphology of. Bonyauiak: catera a (Levander), = i a “
Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp, 287-294, plate 18. . 6. Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, V, On Spiraulaz, a New Genus
of the Peridinida, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp, 295-300, plate 19. ie :
Nos. 4,-5, and 6 in one cover. September, 1911 - oP eo
7. Notes on Some Cephalopods in the Collection of the University of Cal-
ifornia, by S. S. Berry. Pp. 301-310, plates 20-21. September, 1911 8. On a Self-closing Plankton Net for Horizontal Towing, by Charles At- wood Kofoid. Pp, 311-348, plates’ 22-25. 9. On an Improved Form of Self-closing Water-bucket for Plankton In- vestigations, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 349-352. E. Nos. 8 and 9 in one cover. November 18, 1911 ..22..t, ee
1. The Horned Lizards of California and Nevada of the Genera Phryno- soma and Anota, by Harold C. Bryant. Pp. 1-84; pls, 1-9. December, LOT Oa a te pce Dee en A Soe ee mee
2. On a Lymphoid Structure Lying Over the Myelencephalon of Lepisos- teus, by Asa C. Chandler. Pp, 85-104; plates 10-12. December, 1911
$. Studies on Early Stages of Development in Rats and Mice, No. 3, by~
E. L. Mark and J. A. Long. The Living Eggs of Rats and Mice with a Description of Apparatus for Obtaining and Observing Them (Pre-
liminary paper), by J. A. Long. Pp. 105-136, plates 13-17. February, ~ 1912 ‘
een nen cn nese edbteman anes wun npeads saenancsanepssuceesa-censegeoscsenenseGn= cagensoescbntretageeseakénsasus--seensnesueg
4.-The Marine Biological Station of San Diego, Its History, Present Con- ditions, Achievements, and Aims, by Wm. E. Ritter. Pp. 137-248,
pls,.18-24, and 2 maps. March, 1912 . se eke
5. Oxygen and Polarity in Tubularia, by Harry Beal. “Torrey. “Pp. “249- Aa DE 1 ES ages © 9 De ite MR PR Rese A AC BPS Sad na LE cate aA
6. The Occurrence and Vertical Distribution of the Copepoda of the "San Diego Region, with particular reference to Nineteen Species, by Cal- vin O. Esterly.. Pp. 253-340, 7 text-figures. » July, 1912 -..2 22...
7. Observations on the Suckling Period in the Guinea-pig, by J. Marion
Read. Pp-841-851.. “September, < 1912 5.2 nae nat wapemeeceet 8. Haeckel’s Sethocephalus Ducecryphalus (Radiolaria) a Marine Ciliate, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 353-357. September, 1912 22... sata
(Contributions from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.) 1. Report on a Collection of Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island, by Harry S. Swarth. Pp. 1-124, plates 1-4. February, 1912 _.w.... 2. & New Cony from the Vicinity of Mount Whitney, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 125-129. January, L912 cen. nner ann eh ee odeneenisett nnn neumanensdnamaonenpe 3. The Mole of Southern California, by J. Grinnell and H. 8. Swarth. Pp. 131-136, 2 text-figures. 4, Myotis orinomus Elliot, a Bat. New to California, by J. Grinnell and H. S. Swarth. Pp. 137-142, 2 text-figures. Nos. 3 and 4 in one cover. April, 1912 22.000 . The Bighorn of the Sierra Nevada, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 143-153, @. text-fentes sc MAG 6 1012 cS a tats pcan mab oacaredsnseretrenpatlng 6. A New Perognathus from the San Joaquin Valley, Sere, by. Walter P. Taylor. Pp. 155-166, 1 text-figure, . The Beaver of West Central California, by Walter P. Taylor. Pp. 167-169, Nos: 6-and 7 in one cover. May, 1912 .02..2.0.0 ace 8. The Two Pocket Gophers of the Region Contiguous to the Lower Colo- rado River, in California and Arizona, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 171- py g soar 3 (Waal AP /-eaarts Ae Se ve WE Pe tam AP NR AR Op oN Pa ark: Shen SI 9. The Species of the Mammalian Genus Sorex of West-Central Cali- fornia, with a note on the Vertebrate Palustrine Faunas’ of the Region, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 179-195, figs. 1-6. March, 1913......
1, Birds in Relation to a Grasshopper Outbreak in California, by Harold C. Bryant: <-Pp.-1-20,° November, D912 apiece rsa as sailors stam chenmaesserenee 2. On the Structure and Relationships of Dinosphaera Palustris (Lemm.), by Charles Atwood Kofoid and Josephine Rigden Michener. Pp, 21- OS; -Decem pers IO 1 gis eye eB eas etn takepart eta ons cinay obgcaateceonen ae 3. A Study of Epithelioma Contagiosum of the Common Fowl, by Clifford D. Sweet. Pp. 29-51, January, 1913 «222-2 ccc eccteereectenee
- «75 ;
1,00
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS IN
ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 10, pp. 197-406, pls, 6-10, °3 text figs. October 31, 1913
AN ACCOUNT OF THE BIRDS AND MAMMALS ) OF THE SAN JACINTO AREA OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
WITH REMARKS UPON THE BEHAVIOR OF GEOGRAPHIC RACES ON THE. MARGINS
OF THEIR HABITATS
BY
J. GRINNELL ann H. S. SWARTH
eens onan Tiss
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS
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Vol. 6. 1, (XXIII) On the Weight of Developing Eggs. Part-I, The Possible Significance of Such Investigations, by William EB, Ritter; Part Il, Practicability of the Determinations, by Samuel E: Bailey.’ Pp. 1-10, ; OrcEOH ET DOR ar en ge ee eS Set a 10
2. (XXIV) The Leptomedusae of the San Diego Region, by Harry Beal Torrey. Pp. 11-31, with 11 text-figures. February, 1909 222.00... 20 8. (XXV) The Ophiurans of the San Diego Region, by J. F. McClen-
don. Pp. 33-64, plates 1-6: July, 1909 42.2.0... .iekeceeee ete eet ones conden «30 4, (XXXVI) Halocynthia johnson n.sp.: A comprehensive inquiry as to -. the extent of law and order that prevails in a single animal species, by Wm. EB, Ritter, Pp. 65-114, plates 7-14. November, 1909 .......... 50 - 5. (XXVIII) Three Species of Cerianthus from Southern California, by H. B. Torrey and F. LL. Kleeberger. Pp. 115-125, 4 text-figures. Deceniber, LOO is pe er ee ape Tk SE ecw thts enemas deepsea ae poten 10. 6. The Life History of Trypanosoma dimorphon Dutton & Todd; by Edward Hindle. Pp. 127-144, plates 15-17, 1 text-figure. December, 46 SITs [02 Mae, erecta tase hc ESR ASP URn SA corp atnine fs emer) Ape EY peal SSA: AAR a2 P 7, (XXVIII))A Quantitative Study of the Development of the Salpa - Chain in Salpa fusiformis-runcinata, by. Myrtle Elizabeth Johnson.
Pp.7145-47Ge = Mater, SE S1O saat oS acts a anaes cater ameter aaa 235 8. A Revision of the Genus Ceratocorys, Based on Skeletal Morphology, : by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 177-187. May, 1910 Wn. 10.
9. (XXIX) Preliminary Report on the Hydrographic Work Carried on by the Marine Biological Station of San Diego, by George: F. McEwen, Pp. 189-204; text-figure and map. May, 1910 — 2.20. ee “L5 10. (XXX) Biological Studies on Corymorpha. -IIl, Regeneration of Hy- _ dranth and Holdfast,-by Harry Beal Torrey. Pp. 205-221; 16 text- figures. 11. (XXXI) Note on Geotropism in Corymorpha, by Harry Beal Torrey. Pp. 223-224; 1 text-figure.
Nos 10 and 11 in one cover. Augtist, 1910.0... ccc ccelcsceteetsceeeeee eee 20
12. The Cyclostomatous Bryozoa of the West Coast of North America, by Alice Robertson. Pp, 225-284; plates 18-25. December 1910 —.......... 60
13. Significance of White Markings in Birds of the Order Passeriformes, by Henry Chester Tracy.. Pp. 285-312. December, 190°... 25
14. (XXXIII) Third Report on the Copepoda of the San Diego Region, by Calvin Olin Esterly. Pp. 313-352; plates 26-32. February, 1911 -.... 40
15. The Genus Gyrocotyle, and Its Significance for Problems of Cestode Structure and Phylogeny, by Edna Earl Watson. Pp. 353- 468; plates SBA x Tune, VOL cence a ceca coenten ton gp piae cca dece etnatnnnmnwagenccpegs 1.00
Index, pp. 469-478.
* Roman numbers indicate sequence of the Contributions from the Laboratory of the Marine Biological Association of San Diego. ;
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS IN
ZOOLOGY Vol. 10, No. 10, pp. 197-406, pls. 6-10, 3 text figs. October 31, 1913
AN ACCOUNT OF THE BIRDS AND MAMMALS OF THE SAN JACINTO AREA OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
WITH REMARKS UPON THE BEHAVIOR OF GEOGRAPHIC RACES ON THE MARGINS OF THEIR HABITATS
BY
J. GRINNELL anp H. 8. SWARTH
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California)
CONTENTS
PAGE FESR co CLAY CL pe sens ee eee ee ee eo ga a eee 198 IDYererajoninKoNMS) WIE NOLIN ANS) ace rence See cn eee cece cece ener Mor ostee eee aSREEE 201 Life areas of the region (life zones, faunas, and associations) —-........ 215 @heck-list yok Ghai Duns) excesses cess os ease ee haste teen enscenee saat est ennanaceotencaet ---. 220 (Generalleaccoumtisiots sb lem 1M CS) pec sc meena teres eeeeee cease a sete ewan eceee ere ees 22 Cieckalis tro feb be marie S yeseeeeecee sees een canen ew enerrencan ne Ceneey nace eer ease meee sees 319 General faccountsr oie the im stm als acs eee ae maces cee ean ne ene eaeeaee ee 321
Boreal fauna of San Jacinto Peak compared with that of other moun- famsy or southern! (California) 22eccccnc-cee! aes se ascenae sone eee eee eee nee anor ceeaeee 383
Sonoran fauna of the San Diegan District compared with that of the YOU FNC NENG GUSSET ccpeeneese corte pese cece cece er ocer Recerca recnee seeeROee Secor eceecoe eet eaeoa Se 388 The behavior of geographic races on the margins of their habitats.......... 393 THUGS TAL UTE CLEC My eee owen ase css, eee ten fon cence So zpna eect aehat cen ducawsnvusetacvoecessectenenceaeee 395
4 cal
198 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
INTRODUCTION
The first field work formally undertaken by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, after its inauguration in March, 1908, was centered in the San Jacinto Mountains of southern California. The contiguous regions on both the desert and Pacifie sides were included in the explorations. This program was settled upon in part because this particular area remained at that time the least known part of southern California as regards its vertebrate fauna, and in part because there were likely to be presented here in accentuated degree peculiar distributional features dependent upon the great altitude of the mountain itself and the close juxta- position on either hand of the sharply contrasted faunas of the desert and coast regions.
Furthermore, there were already available the collections and information resulting from the senior author’s work in the San Bernardino Mountains, sinee published (Grinnell, 1908). This afforded a basis for a systematic plan of action looking towards verification of certain previously entertained hypotheses.
During the five years’ interim, from the date of concluding the San Jacinto field work until the final compilation of the present report, much pertinent data has been secured from studies of related areas. These additional sources of information have enabled us to interpret the distributional problems con- cerned with the San Jacinto area as we could not have done otherwise. All of this contributory faunistic work, as well as the main undertaking, has been made possible through the con- tinued financial support provided by Miss Annie M. Alexander, who has thus shown in an effective way her belief in the ultimate value of efforts expended in this line of scientific inquiry.
The San Jacinto Mountains form a sharply segregated sec- tion in the series of high ranges which cut off the fertile coast valleys of southern California from the arid deserts of the interior. The San Bernardino Mountains le directly to the northward, with the gap formed by San Gorgonio Pass between. To the southward is the Santa Rosa range, separated but slightly from the main San Jacintos, and farther south are various smaller
mountain chains (see profile, plate 7).
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 199
Practically all the drainage on the western side of the San Jacintos goes into the canon formed by the San Jacinto River. From Hemet Lake down, this stream occupies a rough, narrow and rather steep cafion; above the lake there is no running stream, and the canon opens out into the broad, level Hemet Valley, extending nearly to Vandeventer Flat. On the east side of the range is Palm Canon extending along almost the entire desert base of the mountains and emptying onto the Colorado Desert near Palm Springs; at the south it heads just below Vandeventer Flat. The latter point is thus at one apex of a rudely defined triangle, the three sides of which are formed by San Jacinto River Canon, Palm Cajon, and San Gorgonio Pass. The main mass of the San Jacinto Mountains, including all the higher parts of the range, is contained within this triangle.
In the course of our season’s work practically the entire outline of this triangular area was traversed, and many collect- ing stations were established within its borders. Some work was done also at points outside the triangle, for example, in the Santa Rosa Mountains.
During the summer of 1908 two parties engaged in the field exploration here concerned. The two authors of the present paper entered the region from the west, and began work on the Pacific side of the mountain. Our stations were as follows:
Hemet, May 18 Tahquitz Valley, July 19 to
Kenworthy, May 19 to May 25, June 2 to June 11
Dos Palmos Spring, May 25 to June 2
Palm Canon, June 11 to June 18
Carrizo Creek, June 18 to June 23
Garnet Queen Mine, June 25 to June 28
Santa Rosa Peak, June 28 to July 1
Strawberry Valley, July 3 to July 19
August 5
Hemet Lake, August 6 to August 16
Thomas Mountain, August 16 to August 20
Carrizo Creek, August 22 to August 27
Vallevista, August 29 to Septem- ber 5
Only the junior author remained in the field until the last indicated date. The senior author left July 31; and Harry EH. Wilder, of Riverside, took his place August 15. During the last
visit to Carrizo Creek, the party was further augmented by
200 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
George Ferguson, of Colton, and Harry G. Rising of Los Angeles. Although in the mountains merely for pleasure, they rendered valuable assistance. During June the writers were accompanied by L. Hollister Jones, as assistant, and during June and July. by Fordyce Grinnell, Jr.
Walter P. Taylor and Charles H. Richardson, Jr., with Charles L. Camp as assistant during a portion of the season, penetrated the region from the north. Their collecting stations, with the time spent at each, are as follows:
Cabezon, May 1 to May 25 Schain’s Ranch, June 16 to June 30 Snow Creek, May 25 to June 3 Fuller’s Mill, June 30 to July 5 Whitewater, June 3 to June 6 Round Valley, July 6 to July 12
Banning, June 6 to June 16
The party entering upon the mountains from the west trav- eled to Kenworthy by wagon. From this point as a base, pack animals were used to reach the stations in Palm Canon and the Santa Rosa Mountains. Strawberry Valley, reached by wagon, served as a starting point for pack trips to Tahquitz Valley, Round Valley, and the summit of San Jacinto Peak. In San Gorgonio Pass the Southern Pacifie railroad was used to reach the series of collecting stations nearby. From Banning, Schain’s Raneh and Fuller’s Mill were reached by wagon. The latter point was used as a base from which pack trips were made to higher parts of the mountains.
The objects of all this field work were to gather collections of mammals, birds and reptiles, and to record all information practicable to obtain in regard to them, especially that in line with problems in distribution. The specimens obtained by the Museum parties number: mammals, 1099; birds, 1533; sets of birds’ eggs with nests, 15; reptiles, 437.
Information based upon mammals obtained by the senior author at Palm Springs in December and January, 1903 and 1904, and February 9 to 13, 1912, is also included in the present report; but inasmuch as the birds observed at these times have already been published upon elsewhere (Grinnell, 1904 a, pp. 40— 45; 1912 b, p. 154) they are omitted from this account. They are, however, taken into consideration in the discussion of the
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 201
composition and relationships of the fauna of the San Jacinto area. This will explain the mention of species of birds which are not formally listed in the body of the report beyond.
A cireumstance which materially aided our work with the vertebrate animals was the previously accomplished Botanical Survey of San Jacinto Mountain, carried on and reported upon by Harvey Monroe Hall (1902). Not only was a guide to the flora of the higher parts of the San Jacintos thus made available, but an admirable exposition of the life zones of the area left little need for the expenditure of our own efforts in this direction. In our present contribution it is presumed that the reader will have already familiarized himself with Professor Hall’s invaluable paper; we have avoided repetition of everything already set forth satisfactorily in published lterature.
DESCRIPTIONS OF LOCALITIES
KeENWorRTHY AND Hemet VALLEY
Kenworthy is an abandoned mining camp near the upper end of Hemet Valley, at an altitude of 4500 feet. Hemet Valley is broad and nearly level, from one to two miles wide, and extends from Hemet Lake nearly to Vandeventer Flat, a distance of about ten miles. Thomas Mountain hems it in on the southwest, while on the northeast are Hemet Peak and the series of ridges leading down from Tahquitz Peak. The floor of the valley is covered mostly with sage (Artemisia tridentata) and widely scattered yellow pines, while at irregular intervals there are grass-covered areas. The largest of these tracts of meadow land is at the head of Hemet Lake and on the adjoining Thomas Ranch; there are other smaller meadows at Kenworthy and Vandeventer Flat. The hills on both sides are covered with Upper Sonoran chap- arral: greasewood (Adenostoma fasciculatum and A. sparsi- folium), manzanita, ceanothus and scrub oak. The slopes to the northeast of Kenworthy, culminating in Hemet Peak, are extremely rocky, and the brush is more sparse, with scattering Coulter pines and a few four-leaf pifions. The hills west of the valley are more thickly brush-covered, with many dense clumps of serub oak at their base. Toward Vandeventer Flat these oak
202 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
thickets are more numerous and cover larger areas, In many places extending out upon the floor of the valley. At Vandeven- ter Flat there are many large-sized live oaks. The sealy-barked, reddish-colored Adenostoma sparsifolium is about the most con- spicuous feature of the chaparral of this region, while the fact that it was always found in association with the gray vireo (Vireo vicimor) brought it forcibly to our notice. The ranges of the two in the San Jacinto Mountains were found to be abso- lutely the same (see p. 291).
There are settlements in Hemet Valley: at the Thomas Ranch, a large and prosperous ranch just above Hemet Lake; at Ken- worthy, where there are several small ranches and the mines above mentioned, the latter abandoned, but mills and other build- ings still standing; and at Vandeventer Flat, a single ranch.
We established a base camp at Kenworthy on May 19, making it our headquarters until July 5. Collecting was prosecuted in the vicinity from May 19 to 25 and from June 2 to 11.
Dos PaLmMos SPRING
On the desert slope of the Santa Rosa Mountains, at 3500 feet altitude. Two palm trees in a narrow, rocky gulch mark the source of a trickle of water which flows over the rocks for a few hundred yards and sinks in the sand where the canon opens out upon the more level mesa. This station, below the belt of pinon and sage, is about on the upper margin of the Lower Sonoran zone, with an abundance of typical desert plants and animals. The rolling mesa of hard gravel or sand, with ocea- sional rocky outcroppings, traversed by many sandy washes and oulches, supports a fairly dense growth of brush, creasote, several species of cactus, pluchea, yucea, and other plants of low zone (see pl. 10, fig. 1). Along the water courses are dense thickets of desert willow (Chilopsis), mesquite and catclaw ; in several rocky eulches, clumps of two or three palms; and on the stony hills some two miles below the spring the uppermost limit of the ocotilla is reached.
Two miles to the northward Black Hill, a conspicuous land- mark, rises abruptly from the mesa, a jumbled pile of loose, black rocks, almost destitute of vegetation. The stream flowing from
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Dos Palmos Spring, Carrizo Creek, circles the western base of this mountain, the rocky formation here once more forcing the water to the surface.
About three miles west of the spring hes the tremendous gorge of Deep Cafion, the walls of which drop from the sur- rounding mesa to a depth of from five hundred to a thousand feet, and so abruptly that from a distance of a few hundred yards on the plain above, there is little or no indication of the break in the topography. Throughout most of the year there is a fairly large stream in the canon, but no grass or underbrush. A few solitary cottonwoods and ash trees are scattered along the creek.
This region was reached from Kenworthy by means of pack animals. Camps were established here from May 25 to June 2, June 18 to 23, and August 22 to 27. Heavy rains fell in the interval between our second and third visit, swelling the stream in Deep Canon and bringing up an abundance of bunch grass everywhere on the mesa.
Pautm CANON
Palm Canon extends for its entire leneth, some twelve or thirteen miles, along the eastern base of the San Jacinto Moun- tains, serving as the dividing line between that range and the Santa Rosa Mountains. The cafion is broad and open, affording little shelter from the hot glare of the desert sun, and the stream of water it contains is unpleasantly warm and brackish.
Between June 11 and 18 three camps were established in this region: at the mouth of the cahon (about 700 feet altitude), near “Tittle Paradise’? (2500 feet), and at about 3000 feet. Our reconnoiters did not include a stretch of about five miles imme- diately below the head of the canon at Vandeventer Flat.
The most conspicuous feature of the country at our lowest camp was the forest of Washington palms (see pl. 9, fig. 2), which extends in a narrow line along the stream, from the mouth of the eanon (700 feet) up to about 1000 feet. There was almost a swamp of cat-tails and willows along the stream, while the banks and nearby hillsides were covered with dense thickets of mesquite,
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eatclaw, screwbean, and arrowweed, with an occasional cotton- wood along the creek.
Farther up the canon, at our higher camps (2500 to 3000 feet), we were above the region of palm trees, and in the agave belt. Great numbers of these plants were in full bloom in June on the sunny sides of the surrounding ridges, especially east of the stream, while the shaded slopes were grown up with a rather seattered growth of yuceas, junipers, and scrub oaks. Along the stream were willow, desert willow (Chilopsis), and a few eotton- woods.
At the termination of our stay in Palm Canon, we traveled directly to Dos Palmos, leaving Palm Canon at ‘‘Little Paradise,’’ ascending a draw to Potrero Spring, skirting Asbestos Mountain on the west and south, and then crossing the northern portion of Pinon Flat. At the summit of the ridges the north sides are seantily clothed with pinon and serub oak, the south sides and flats down to 2500 feet with juniper, agave, a species of Prunus, catclaw, yucca, several species of cactus, and other desert plants.
GARNET QUEEN MINE
On the western slope of Santa Rosa Mountain, at 6000 feet altitude. The mine is abandoned, and the old cabin pertaining to it proved to be a convenient place at which to camp. This was in a steep and rather narrow canon, at the extreme lower edge of the Transition zone, which is here very sharply defined against the Upper Sonoran just below, the change from grease- wood-covered Upper Sonoran hills to pine-timbered Transition being made within a distance of about one hundred feet. North of camp was a chaparral-eovered ridge, brushy down to within a hundred yards of the canon bottom, while the south slope (north facing) was timbered to the top, the usual effects of such slope exposure emphasized by the cutting off of the dry, hot desert air-currents by the first mentioned ridge. Some Transition zone plants at this poimt were the many incense cedars and silver firs, a few yellow pines and sugar pines, many golden oaks, willows, Amorpha, Ribes, and Symphoricarpus. The region was prolific in bird and mammal life, as well as in insects. In
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many instances Upper Sonoran and Transition species of birds could be seen or heard at the same time at the sharply defined boundary between the two zones; but each usually remained well within its own zone. We remained here from June 25 to June 28.
Santa Rosa PEak
Our camp at this point, two hours’ climb from the Garnet Queen Mine, was in a guleh about half a mile north of the sum- mit of Santa Rosa Peak, and at an altitude of about 7500 feet. We found here a small spring, barely sufficient for our needs, but the only water anywhere about the summit of the mountain. Collecting was carried on all along the ridge between Santa Rosa and Toro peaks. This divide, the highest part of the Santa Rosa Mountains, runs east and west. <A slightly higher eminence (Santa Rosa Peak, 8046 feet) is at the west end, and a still higher one (Toro Peak, 8705 feet), is about three miles away at the east end. On the south side of the ridge the slopes are steep, down to the chaparral-covered foothills; on the north side much less so down to the Pifon Flat country. The summit of the ridge and the northern slope down to about 6500 feet, on an average, are well timbered with large trees, the forest being usually open, with very little underbrush. The trees are sugar pine, yellow (or Jeffrey) pine, silver fir and incense cedar. On the summit of Toro Peak, and down two hundred yards from the top, there are stunted limber pines (Pinus flexilis), but firs and Jeffrey pines also extend to the summit.
On the whole we considered the entire timbered area of the Santa Rosa Mountains as Transition, with extreme Upper Transi- tion on Toro Peak. The limber pine seen at the latter point was the only higher zone plant observed, and there were none but Transition birds and mammals encountered. A possible exception to this statement was afforded by the observation of two Clarke nuterackers; but at this season of the year these may well have been wanderers from the nearby San Jacinto Mountains. In fact the species was also encountered in the sagebrush at Kenworthy.
We were on Santa Rosa Mountain from June 28 to July 1.
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STRAWBERRY VALLEY
We had two base camps at this point, the first, about half a * and at the edge of the cluster of buildings forming the Idyllwild summer resort, the second at some abandoned ranch buildings about a mile farther up the valley. The floor of the valley, at about 5500 feet elevation, a broad, gently sloping expanse, is covered with a scattering growth of pines, cedars, and black and golden oaks, lumbering operations
mile above the ‘‘ Bungalow
of former years having removed a large portion of the forest. The park-lke center of the valley is covered almost everywhere with a dense growth of brakes, with occasional meadows inter- spersed; along the two streams are many alders and some wil- lows, with a dense tangle of gooseberry, rose, and rhododendron bushes beneath; and the more broken ground at the base of the surrounding slopes is covered with large tracts of chaparral, clumps of manzanita and ceanothus, interspersed with open spaces dotted with golden oaks and occasional yellow and sugar pines (see pl. 8, fig. 2). We were in Strawberry Valley from July 3 to 19.
TaHQuitz VALLEY
Composed of several rather extensive meadows, at about 8000 feet elevation. In the bottom of the valley are the boggy meadows drained by numerous small streams, grass-covered, with borders of brakes, and in places with large tracts of skunk eab- bage (Veratrum). Along the streams and in places along the margins of the meadows, are thick clumps of willows and many gooseberry bushes. Above the meadow land, on the drier sur- rounding slopes, and on the several low ridges intersecting the valley, are extensively timbered areas. The prevailing trees are Jeffrey pine and silver fir, with some lodge-pole pine in places and with much chaparral, mostly chinquapin and buckthorn. On the higher, exposed rocky ridges leading up to Tahquitz Peak the brush is much more dense, and the timber is stunted and seattering, while on the north side of Tahquitz Peak there are a good many limber pines (see pl. 8, fig. 1; pl. 9, fig. 1).
The valley as a whole is high Transition, with a decided tinge of Canadian in the meadows. Birds were abundant here, both as
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to individuals and species. In many instances the breeding species were not the same as those encountered in Strawberry Valley, two thousand feet lower. These more boreal forms were Stephens sparrow, Williamson and red-breasted sapsuckers, golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets, and Lincoln sparrow ; but besides these there were the hordes of birds of the lower zones beginning the late summer movement into the high mountains. Such species as the Parkman and San Diego wrens, Cassin vireo, and black-throated gray warbler (to mention but a few) were abundant; while oceasionally one or two Bell sparrows and black- chinned sparrows, black phoebes, Bullock orioles, and even meadowlarks, were encountered. We were camped in Tahquitz Valley from July 19 to August 5.
Hemet Lake
At the extreme lower end of Hemet Valley. The lake, lying between lateral ridges, is a mile and a half long and a quarter of a mile across, and was formed artificially by the building of a dam, about two hundred feet high, across the narrow canon at the outlet of the valley. Lying between Thomas Mountain on the south, and Bald Mountain on the north, it is the natural reservoir and outlet of a vast surrounding area. At the lower (western) extremity of the lake the hills abut closely, the coun- try is rough and brushy, and the shores are steep and rocky ; but at the eastern end the valley opens more widely, and in the shallow water of the lake there is a thick growth of tules. Im- mediately above this end of the lake are stretches of marshy ground, rising gradually to the dry meadow land beyond.
Many large yellow pines surround the lake and dot the meadows above. The adjacent hill sides are densely covered with chaparral, of the same character as that upon the Ken- worthy hills; and over the valley southeast of the lake there is a dense growth of sagebrush. On Bald Mountain, to the north- ward, are many large golden oaks.
The presence of this large body of water in an otherwise rather arid region accounts for the presence here of numerous species of birds and some mammals which do. not find congenial surroundings elsewhere in these mountains. We did not. visit
208 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
the lake at the right time to ascertain what birds were breeding there, but numbers of migrating ducks and waders were seen during our stay. Old nests, possibly of herons, occupied dead trees about the water’s edge.
The lake and much of the surrounding country is the prop- erty of the Hemet Land Company. The owners allow no camp- ing or shooting on their holdings, thus affording refuge for species of birds which have no other place to turn to in the region, and which were evidently using the lake as a stopping place in their passage over the mountains.
We spent ten days at this point, August 6 to 16.
Tuomas Mountain
The row of hills bounding the south side of Hemet Valley, from Hemet Lake to Kenworthy, culminates in a high ridge, Thomas Mountain, about three miles south of the lake. The summit, 6823 feet altitude, is reached by a trail leading from the wagon road in Hemet Valley. Dense chaparral clothes the mountain sides nearly to the top, where the country opens out into a series of park-like glades. This stretch, about a mile and a half in length, is grown up with yellow pines and cedars, some Coulter pines at the edge of the brush, and some firs in the gulches at the heads of the canons, with an occasional clump of large golden oaks. Extensive grassy flats and side hills furnish abund- ant horse feed. The south-western slope of the ridge is even more brushy than the one we aseended, the chaparral extending quite to the summit of the ridge, and in many places growing to such a height as to cut off all view of Coahuila Valley below.
The drawback to the place is the absence of water, a small spring at the southern end of the plateau, where we camped, and a still smaller one at the northern end, being the whole supply. The eulches seaming the hillsides, all exceedingly steep, are in late summer absolutely dry.
The level summit of the ridge appears to be unalloyed Tran- sition, an area of small size, but sharply defined against the sur- rounding chaparral, and containing many Transition birds and mammals.
Collecting was carried on at this point from August 16 to 20.
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VALLEVISTA
Our camp at this point, the one Lower Sonoran station worked on the Pacifie side of the mountains, was at the base of the hills, and at the edge of the wash extending from Bautiste Creek, about a mile southwest of the little settlement of Valle- vista. Here was an extensive area covered with the Lower Son- oran chaparral once so characteristic of the southern California valleys, and now so nearly disappeared through the clearing and cultivation of the land. The gravelly mesa for an area several miles square was grown up with disconnected but Iuxuriant patches of brush, composed largely of sumac, white sage, wild buckwheat, elder and cactus, with an occasional cottonwood tree, and, toward the hills, a few live oaks. From the edge of this brush land stubble fields extended for miles, to give place in their turn to the extensive orchards about the towns of Hemet and Vallevista.
This proved to be an interesting spot in several respects, for besides being the only Lower Sonoran locality that we visited on the west side of the San Jacinto Mountains, and hence supply- ing much needed data regarding the distribution of animal life in the region, we found here certain species of mammals, birds, and reptiles characteristic of the same zone on the desert side, but, except in rare and isolated instances, not known to range west of the mountains.
We remained here from August 29 to September 5.
CABEZON
At the northern base of the San Jacinto Mountains hes San Gorgonio Pass, which joins the low coastal valleys with the desert plains to the eastward and separates the San Jacinto and San Bernardino mountain ranges. As it is one of the few low gaps piercing the mountains, it is a great highway for migrating birds passing through the region; and while, from its low elevation, it serves as a point of junction for the widely different Sonoran faunas of the desert and coast regions, it is also an effective barrier between the higher zones of the mountains on either side. These various considerations made it desirable that careful ob-
210 University of California Publications in Zoology | Vou. 10
servations be made and specimens acquired from the base of the mountains bordering the pass, and four camps were therefore established in this region, at Cabezon, Snow Creek, Whitewater and Banning. These were all on the desert slope. The San Diegan fauna and flora extend over the summit of the divide well down towards the desert, and it was the region of blending with the desert fauna that we wished especially to explore.
The first camp was at Cabezon. The railroad station of this name, about twelve miles from Beaumont at the divide, lies about midway between the summit of the pass and the floor of the desert. Camp was established in the foothills, a mile and a half south of the railroad, at an elevation of about 1700 feet. The precipitous slopes at this end of the mountains are clothed to their bases with the dense Upper Sonoran chaparral charae- teristic of the Pacific side of the range, while the canons are steep and narrow, containing comparatively few trees. This associa- tion carries with it many of the birds and mammals of the Pacific slope, these in most cases extending quite to the base of the hills, but not out upon the floor of the valley below. This latter area, also densely covered with brush and eactus, but of Lower Sonoran forms, is inhabited by a few desert species of animals though many of the most typical do not ascend this high in the pass. The vegetation here is of the character of the Lower Sonoran washes of the San Diegan district rather than that of the Colorado Desert, but some desert plants, such as the mesquite, were also found in small quantity.
Field work was prosecuted at Cabezon from May 1 to 25.
Snow CREEK
Snow Creek is an extremely precipitous cahon extending due north from the rocky summit of San Jacinto Peak and empty- ing onto the floor of the desert near Whitewater, about seven miles east of Cabezon. Camp was established at the mouth of the canon, at about 1500 feet elevation. San Jacinto Peak, towering above, at an altitude of 10,805 feet, was in an air line less than five miles distant, the mountain sides here being little less than a series of precipices. A narrow line of trees bordered the creek, mostly alder, with an occasional cottonwood. Away
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from the creek the canon was sparsely brush-covered and strewn with boulders and huge rock piles, being little more than a storm cone up to about 2000 feet, above which altitude it abruptly narrowed.
The vegetation at this station was more typically that of the desert than it was at Cabezon. Such desert plants as creasote, mesquite and catclaw grew in some profusion, while at the mouth of a canon just south of Snow Creek there was a small bunch of palm trees. The latter afforded our westernmost record station for this plant. Typically desert birds and mammals were also more numerous than they had been found to be a few miles farther up the pass. In Snow Creek Canon above the desert floor Upper Sonoran species extended downwards to the limit of chaparral, as at other points along this slope of the moun- tains.
Camp was maintained at the mouth of Snow Creek from May 25 to June 3.
WHITEWATER
From June 3 to 6 collecting was prosecuted at Whitewater, a station on the railroad about two and a half miles northeast of the mouth of Snow Creek, and at an altitude of 1130 feet. This point is the westernmost extension of the rolling sand-dune- covered country characteristic of the adjacent portion of the Colorado Desert, and here were found such exclusively desert species as Dipodomys d. deserti, Dipodomys m. simiolus and Citellus t. chlorus.
San Gorgonio Pass is noted as a region of heavy winds, and Whitewater is exposed to the full force of the gale from the west, more, perhaps, than any other portion of the pass.
BANNING Camp was pitched in the San Jacinto foothills about two miles southeast of the town of Banning and at an elevation of 2300 feet. The lower parts of the mountains at this point were covered with a dense growth of typical Upper Sonoran chaparral, mostly greasewood, with a good deal of white sage, some poison oak and elder, and a few scattering live oaks. The brush in
212 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
the valley below was largely composed of catelaw. Banning lies at the eastern end of the great grain and fruit growing region which occupies all of the center of San Gorgonio Pass to the westward. At this point the orchards and grain fields of estab- lished cultivation cease, and east of here the desert -conditions prevail, unbroken except for sporadic attempts at farming and for occasional limited oases at the mouths of canons.
But very few desert animals were found this far to the west- ward and in complementary fashion such typical San Diegan species as valley quail, Pasadena thrasher, western lark sparrow and wren-tit among birds, and Reithrodontomys m. longicauda, Perodipus a. agilis, and Citellus 6b. fisheri among mammals, occurred in great abundance. Of several widespread species of mammals having different subspecies on the coast and desert sides of the range, such as Neotoma intermedia, Perognathus panamintinus and Perognathus fallax, Banning specimens proved to be intermediate in characters, indicating that this was approx- imately on the line of mergence of the desert and coast faunas.
Collecting was carried on at Banning from June 6 to 16.
ScHAIn’s RANcH
The trip from Banning to Schain’s Ranch, about eleven miles, was made over a wagon road. Banning, at an elevation of 2200 feet, lies at the lower edge of the Upper Sonoran life zone, and Schain’s Ranch, 5000 feet, at its extreme upper limit. The road between the two points winds through chaparral-covered hills for most of the distance, except at Poppet Flat, 4000 feet, where a ranch is located. Here there is a great deal of open ground, extensive fields and meadows, dotted with large live oaks. Above this point buckthorn and manzanita begin to replace the grease- wood thickets of the lower hills.
Camp was established at the ranger’s cabin, about a quarter of a mile distant from Schain’s Ranch. This was situated on the summit of the broad ridge marking the divide between the San Gorgonio Pass and San Jacinto Valley drainages of the mountains. In every direction below camp extended Upper Sonoran chaparral; a short distance above there was a clump of yellow pines, and farther up, Transition pine forests covered
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the hillsides. Immediately about the cabin there were small areas of grass and flower-covered meadows. The majority of the birds and mammals collected here were of Upper Sonoran species, the Transition species, though but a short distance away, seldom straying down this far.
This camp was occupied from June 16 to 30.
FUuuLuer’s Minn
This station, about midway between Schain’s Ranch and Strawberry Valley, was at the same elevation as the latter point, 6000 feet, and well within the Transition Zone. Fuller’s Mill, on the western slope of the range, lies in a huge amphitheater, surrounded by high ridges except on the southwest. The streams all drain into the north fork of the San Jacinto River.
The region is, in its general characteristics, much lke Straw- berry Valley, being fairly level and grown up with open woods, with little underbrush. The forest trees are largely yellow pine, white fir, incense cedar, Coulter pine, and black and golden oaks.
It was at this point that the party ascending this section of the mountains first encountered such Transition species as the white-headed woodpecker, mountain chickadee, slender-billed nuthateh, Audubon warbler, and others found commonly from this altitude upward. Camp was maintained here from June 30 to July 5.
Rounp VALLEY
This little valley, the highest point at which a camp was established, 9000 feet, lies at the east base of San Jacinto Peak, the streams draining eastward down the exceedingly steep slopes above Palm Springs. Ft is timbered chiefly with lodgepole pine, though there is a good deal of fir and Jeffrey pine on the dry, rocky ridges to the northward, while the higher surrounding slopes are clothed with chinquapin, manzanita, and buckthorn. The center-of the valley is occupied by a small cienaga, a few aeres of grassy marsh bordered by veratrum patches and willow thickets.
214 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
To the northwest rises San Jacinto Peak, 10,805 feet, the highest point in the range. Ascending the mountain, limber pine extends, though in dwarfed or prostrate form, clear to the summit, where we saw also a very little chinquapin, Ribes, and a few tufts of Juncus and grass growing in the erevices be- tween the granite slabs. Otherwise the summit is a mass of huge, loosely piled boulders, with occasional patches of bare gravel. For a careful analysis of the flora of San Jacinto Peak see Hall (1902).
The abruptness of the eastern slope of the peak renders ascent from that side so difficult that we did not attempt to work the middle altitudes. The tremendous declivities to the desert below are so nearly vertical that, from the summit, we beheld the various desert stations previously explored spread out below us as on a gigantic relief map.
A consideration of the animal life did not enable us to distinguish the presence of any zone above Canadian. The area of sufficiently high altitude for more Boreal forms was probably too small to support any birds or mammals limited to these high altitudes.
In Round Valley gray squirrels and ground squirrels occur, as well as Eutamias speciosus, E. merriami, Peromyscus man- culatus sonoriensis and P. boylei rowleyi. Deer were seen on San Jacinto Peak up to nearly 10,000 feet, at the upper limit of Ceanothus cordulatus. Birds seen on the summit of the peak between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., July 27, were: many Sierra juncos, and a lesser number of mountain chickadees, violet-green swal- lows, and white-throated swifts, one family of pigmy nuthatches, one rufous hummingbird, two San Diego wrens, one western house wren, and an unidentified hawk which appeared moment- arily through a rift in the dense cloud bank overhead.
The members of the expedition who had ascended the moun- tains from San Gorgonio Pass, had a camp in Round Valley from July 6 to 12. The ‘two authors of the paper made a visit to Round Valley and the summit of San Jacinto Peak on July 27, from their camp in Tahquitz Valley, and the junior author repeated this trip August 1 and 2.
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LIFE AREAS OF THE REGION
The distribution of each one of the species of vertebrate animals inhabiting the San Jacinto area appears to respond to the influence of at least three entirely different orders of ecolog- ical delimitation. These three kinds of control are indicated by the adjectives: zonal, faunal, and associational. The conceptions involved in each are probably not subject to precise definition ; at any rate we do not find it feasible even to attempt such treat- ment with the limited data thus far accumulated. In each case the general notion may be conveyed by the citation of instances, and by mere suggestions as to causative factors.
Lire ZONES
The concept of life zones has been the most commonly recog- nized of the three. The various factors involved have been exhaustively discussed by C. H. Merriam, in his various papers, notably the one giving the results of his studies on Mount Shasta (see Merriam, 1899). Further discussion, particularly germane in the present connection, is contributed in Hall’s (1902) Botan- ical Survey of San Jacinto Mountain.
In a broad way the extent of life zones is dependent upon temperature, more particularly of the summer season. San Jacinto Peak rises to a height of 10,800 feet, from a base level on the west side of 1500 feet, and on the east side of less than 500 feet. This great increase in altitude brings commensurate but converse modification in temperature, varied locally, however, by a score of subsidiary factors.
The remarkable abruptness of the declivity on the northeast side of San Jacinto peak results in the crowding of all the zones from Lower Sonoran to Boreal into the extraordinarily narrow air-line distance of three miles. The zones represented on the immediate slopes of the mountain are thus (1) Lower Sonoran, (2) Upper Sonoran, (3) Transition, and (4) Boreal (see plates 6 and 7).
While we thus employ four zone names, Hall (1902) recog- nized five. Hall did not deal specifically with the Lower Sonoran zone, and hence omitted it in his enumeration. On the other
216 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
hand we have found ourselves unable to establish from our study of the vertebrate animals the presence of more than the lower division of the Boreal, namely, Canadian. Hall, from his study of the plants, recognizes all three divisions of the Boreal zone, namely, Canadian, Hudsonian, and Alpine-Arctic. His argument for the recognition of the last is based, it seems to us rather insufficiently, upon the presence of three species of plants peculiar to this zone. Since no exclusively Hudsonian species are listed by him, his recognition of the Hudsonian zone must rest on the presumption that if there is Alpine-Arctiec, the interlying zone between it and Canadian must be present also.
In our examination of the vertebrate portion of the biota of the same localities studied by Hall, we have failed to discover any representative of exclusively higher zonal position than Can- adian. Our use of the inclusive term Boreal in dealing with the animals appears to us both safer and more convenient than to use one or more separate designations for the divisions faintly indicated in the flora alone.
As a further consideration, there would appear to be small reason for the presence of anything above the Hudsonian at farthest. The relatively small area of sufficiently high altitude to bring even Hudsonian conditions might in itself be the cause of the absence of the requisite low temperature for the two higher zones, Save in extremely limited spaces in the north-facing gulch at the head of Snow Creek, where snow banks linger nearly through summer. It was here that Hall found the three Alpine- Arctic plants.
A law is probably indicated in this and similar cases, that the sharper an isolated peak, that is, the more abrupt the flank- — ing slopes, the higher extend the low zones; or, expressing the idea reversely, the larger the land mass of high altitude the lower extend the high zones. In the vicinity of Mount Whitney, 200 miles to the north of San Jacinto, the Canadian zone runs up to an average of 9000 feet, the Hudsonian to 11,200 feet. The highest point on San Jacinto is 10,800.
Thus altitude, latitude, and the above law all argue against the existence of zonal conditions on San Jacinto much higher than Canadian. The animal life certainly indicates this as far
1913] Grinnell_Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 217
as the vertebrates are concerned. Furthermore, the presence of a very small proportion of the elements of a higher zone may be better considered as a dilution of a lower zone rather than as justifying the formal recognition of the high zone.
We have found ourselves independently led to recognize an upper and a lower division of the Transition zone, this being in aecord with Hall’s proposal based upon the plants of the region. The modifying terms ‘‘upper’’ and ‘‘lower’’ will thus be fre- quently employed in the discussion of species. Transition, in its entirety, remains the same as in ordinary use.
In comparing our zone map with that of Hall’s (1902, plate 2), minor differences will be observed. The chief one is in the vicinity of Hemet Valley, where scattering yellow pines occur over the more nearly level tracts. We have decided this tree, unquestionably Transition in usual zone position, to be best treated as denoting a Transition infiltration into a prevailingly Upper Sonoran area. This is because we found nothing but Upper Sonoran birds and mammals in the debatable area. The location of certain tracts in Hemet Valley where pines grow most numerously is indicated on our map by blue spots, as the only practicable way of showing this Transition admixture, without undue emphasis. We feel secure in our grounds for showing Thomas Mountain to be capped, merely, by Transition, wholly disconnected from the main Transition area on San Jacinto proper. The slopes of this mountain on all sides are certainly Upper Sonoran and not Transition as indicated on Hall’s map. Remarks upon the zonal position of various other localities with reasons for our diagnoses will be found in our ‘*Deseriptions of Loealities.’’
FAUNAS
In the restricted sense in which we believe the term best employed, a fauna is a subdivision of a life zone, based upon conditions of atmospheric humidity. Thus in travelling east- ward across North America from the shore of the Pacific, at San Francisco, keeping within the same zone, say Transition, one passes through a series of belts possessing different assemblages of plants and animals. These divisions are no more sharply
218 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou 10
defined than are zones, but their existence is readily appreciable when one considers large areas, and the recognition of them in dealing with problems of distribution is expedient as a measure leading to relative accuracy of treatment.
In the San Jacinto region two areas of very different faunal complexion meet. But only the Lower and Upper Sonoran zones are involved in this junetion. Thus, to be absolutely cor- rect, four faunas should be distinguished by name, one for each faunal division of each zone. We have, however, found it more convenient to combine the two Sonoran sections on the arid side under one name, Colorado Desert fauna, calling the two on the Pacific side together the San Diegan fauna or district. The inter-relations of these two faunas are discussed at length in another chapter (see pp. 388-392).
While the positions of life zones are determined chiefly by latitude and altitude, faunas are delimited by factors dependent upon proximity of oceans, and air currents in connection with topographie features. Faunas in North America tend towards a longitudinal, or north and south position, and hence transect life zones, cutting them up into lesser life areas.
ASSOCIATIONS
The term ‘‘association’’ as applied to animals is allied in meaning to the ‘‘formation’’ of some botanists. Each association is inelusive of one or more of the botanist’s ‘‘formations’’; but it also includes the animal life present, even when, as happens with carnivorous forms, there may be no direct dependence upon plants.
The names employed in designating associations are taken from conspicuous or dominant permanent elements. Thus con- venience is the sole criterion in selecting names. As with zones and faunas, associations are often capable of subdivision; in fact such splitting may be carried logically to the point where but one species occupies each its own niche. However, at the present stage of study, the larger groupings, or major associations, are most serviceable, with, in a few cases, recourse to smaller or minor associations.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 219
The way in which the associational conception is made use of, will be more clearly perceived by reference to the distribu- fiona! treatment of individual species. Let it suffice here to list some of the conspicuous associations, and then cite some instances in illustration of how these terms are used.
ASSOCIATIONS IN THE SAN JACINTO AREA
Or Magor RANK Or Minor RANK Chaparral Adenostoma Sage-brush Serub-oak Chinquapin
Forest Live-oak Yellow Pine Silver Fir
Riparian Willow Chilopsis Mesquite
Rupestrine
Meadow
Sand-flat Aeolian Wash
It is thus patent that a given major association may be present in several zones and faunas, but its minor divisions are much more restricted.
In definitely diagnosing the faunistic position of a species it may become necessary to use all three of these distributional conceptions. As examples: (1) Sylvilagus b. cinerascens and Vireo vicinior in the San Jacinto area are members of the Aden- ostoma minor association, of the Chaparral major association, of the San Diegan Faunal district of the Upper Sonoran Zone ; (2) Passerella 7. stephensi belongs to the Chinquapin minor asso- ciation, of the Chaparral major association, of the San Ber- nardino Faunal division of the Transition zone; (3) Perognathus spinatus and Peromyscus c. stephensi belong to the Rupestrine association of the Colorado Desert fauna of the Lower Sonoran zone.
220 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Just as with life zones and faunal areas, we find many species, of wide dispersal through two or more of even the major asso- ciations. For such cases various modifying terms become neces- sary.
In thus attempting to bring some degree of order into the distributional treatment of the species of a large area, we would urge a reasonable limitation. For efforts of this sort serve to impress upon the student the fact that there is the reverse of uniformity in the behavior of species. In fact if we should carry our analytieal processes far enough, we should doubtless find that no two species anywhere exist under precisely the same set of conditions; hence the dependent conclusion that no two species occupy precisely the same area.
CHECK-LIST OF THE BIRDS
1. Colymbus nigricollis californicus (Heermann) 2. Podilymbus podiceps (Linnaeus)
3. Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus Ridgway 4. Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus ..
a
. Dafila acuta (Linnaeus) 224 6. Querquedula cyanoptera (Vieillot) ... 224 7. Marila affinis (Eyton) 225
bo
bo po b bo bo po & bo bo bo oN OU oN C
for)
ot
8. Erismatura jamaicensis (Gmelin) 9. Dendroeygna bicolor (Vieillot) ... 10. Plegadis guarauna (Linnaeus) 11. Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu) 12. Ardea herodias hyperonea Oberholser ~....................-- 13. Nyecticorax nycticorax naevius (Boddaert) 14. Butorides virescens anthonyi (Mearns) 15. Fulica americana Gmelin ... 16. Steganopus tricolor Vieillot -..
o
uo
uo
17. Reeurvirostra americana Gmelin
. Actitis macularius (Linnaeus) 23. Oxyechus vociferus (Linnaeus) ..... 24, Oreortyx picta plumifera (Gould) 25. Lophortyx californica vallicola (Ridgway) 26. Lophortyx gambeli Gambel 27. Columba fasciata fasciata Say 28. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis (Linnaeus)
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 221
29. Cathartes aura septentrionalis Wied 30. Accipiter velox (Wilson) 31. Aeccipiter cooperi (Bonaparte) 32. Buteo borealis calurus Cassin - 33. Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte ........ 34. Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus) -... 35. Faleo mexicanus Schlegel 36. Faleo peregrinus anatum Bonaparte 37. Faleo sparverius sparverius Linnaeus 38. Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte) -.. 39. Asio wilsonianus (Lesson) ..... 40. Strix occidentalis occidentalis (Xantus) 41. Otus asio bendirei (Brewster) 42, Bubo virginianus pacificus Cassin .... 43. Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea (Bonaparte) 44. Geococeyx ecalifornianus (Lesson) 45. Ceryle aleyon (Linnaeus) 46. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus Cabanis & Heine 47. Dryobates sealaris eactophilus Oberholser ........-...-.-..-.----------------------- 48. Dryobates nuttalli (Gambel) 49, Xenopicus albolarvatus gravirostris Grinnell 50. Sphyrapicus varius daggetti Grinnell -... 51. Sphyrapicus thyroideus (Cassin) . Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Ridgway . Colaptes cafer collaris Vigors . Phalaenoptilus nuttalli ealifornicus Ridgway -.......-.-....-.-.--- ae ee 246 . Chordeiles acutipennis texensis Lawrence __.. . Cypseloides niger borealis (Kennerly) . Chaetura vauxi (Townsend) . Aeronautes melanoleucus (Baird) . Arechilochus alexandri (Boureier & Mulsant) -.. 60. Calypte costae (Bourcier) 61. Calypte anna (Lesson) 62. Selasphorus rufus (Gmelin) 63. Selasphorus alleni Henshaw 64. Stellula calliope Gould .... 65. Tyrannus verticalis Say -. 66. Myiarchus cinerascens cinerascens (Lawrence) 67. Sayornis sayus (Bonaparte) 68. Sayornis nigricans (Swainson) 69. Nuttallornis borealis (Swainson) ~.............-..-....--- 70. Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni (Swainson) 71. Empidonax difficilis difficilis Baird 72. Empidonax trailli trailli (Audubon) -.. 73. Empidonax wrighti Baird 4. Empidonax griseus Brewster -...
5. Otoeoris alpestris actia Oberholser 6. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis (Ridgway) ....
oo wn oo on on cI GD Ol BP & LO
. Spizella breweri Cassin 2. Spizella atrogularis) (Callas) 22ers ene secesesee eee eeeec eee eeeeneeseeeeeremeerae . Juneo oreganus thurberi Anthony ................. . Amphispiza bilineata deserticola Ridgway .... 5. Amphispiza belli (Cassin) j. Melospiza melodia cooperi Ridgway —-....- 7. Melospiza lincolni lincolni (Audubon) . Passerella iliaca stephensi Anthony 9. Passerella iliaca schistacea Baird
. Pipilo erissalis senicula Anthony 2. Oreospiza chlorura (Audubon)
. Guiraca caerulea salicaria Grinnell 5. Passerina amoena (Say) 3. Piranga ludoviciana (Wilson) 7. Progne subis hesperia Brewster -..........-
3. Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons (Say) . Hirundo erythrogaster palmeri Grinnell __.. . Tachycineta thalassina lepida Mearns
2. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon) . Bombyeilla cedrorum Vieillot 24. Phainopepla nitens (Swainson) oc me csee occ cee cer cceeeeeeecees eterna 8
. Aphelocoma californica californica (Vigors) ...........-.--.-----0-0----0------- 261 . Corvus corax sinuatus Wagler . Nucifraga columbiana (Wilson) - . Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus (Wied), ............---2.----0ceeeeeecenneeceeeensene . Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonaparte) -.. 2. Agelaius phoeniceus neutralis Ridgway 83. Sturnella neglecta Audubon ... . Ieterus parisorum Bonaparte .... 5. Ieterus cucullatus nelsoni heey 6. Icterus bullocki (Swainson) . Euphagus eyanocephalus (Wagler) . Carpodacus purpureus californicus Baird .............22---2.<-see-e--sceeno-n= 2 . Carpodacus cassini Baird . Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say) . Woxia curvirostra bendinel Ridgway <----2o-. 22-2 cea cereeceeneacnenaseneesnereenee 2. Astragalinus tristis salicamans (Grinnell) . Astragalinus psaltria hesperophilus Oberholser .. . Astragalinus lawrencei (Cassin) . Spinus pinus pinus (Wilson) .............--------------
. Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus Bonaparte ... . Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus Swainson .... . Chondestes grammacus strigatus Swainson . Zonotrichia leueophrys leucophrys (Forster) -..-.-.-------------------- . Spizella passerina arizonae Coues
. Pipilo) maculatus mecallomy-x Bandy cescece neers tates eraser neers enema eras 282
283 283
. Zamelodia melanocephala capitalis (Baird) ~......---------------- 284
- 285 285
RM etre ea ref ev IL i (@PUaAITATY @ V1S)) eee nee $7
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 223
125. Lanius ludovicianus gambeli Ridgway
126. Vireosylva gilva swainsoni (Baird)
127. Lanivireo solitarius eassini (Xantus)
128. Vireo huttoni huttoni Cassin
129. Vireo belli pusillus Coues
VIBYOS Wirheere) aerator (OWES Saas cere ckceeee ee eecceceemsecece eee 131. Vermivora rubricapilla gutturalis (Ridgway) .. 132. Vermivora celata lutescens (Ridgway)
133. Dendroica aestiva rubiginosa (Pallas) 134. Dendroica aestiva brewsteri Grinnell 135. Dendroica auduboni auduboni (Townsend) ... 136: Dendroica; nigrescens: (Pow uSend)) eeeee-ccecccceaceseen cee cee sree ee eee 137. Dendroica townsendi (Townsend)
138. Dendroica occidentalis (Townsend) 139. Oporornis tolmiei (Townsend) 140. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis Brewster 141. Icteria virens longicauda Lawrence 142. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata (Pallas) .... 143. Wilsonia pusilla chryseola Ridgway 144. Anthus rubescens (Tunstall) 145. Cinelus mexicanus unicolor Bonaparte 146. Mimus polyglottos leucopterus (Vigors) 147. Toxostoma redivivum pasadenense (Grinnell) 148°-Toxostoma Leconte lecontet Wawreme -.ec.s.nce occ ccceecce cee cence nce 304 149. Heleodytes brunneicapillus couesi (Sharpe) -..........
150. Salpinetes obsoletus obsoletus (Say) 151. Catherpes mexicanus punctulatus Ridgway 152. Thryomanes bewicki charienturus Oberholser 153. Troglodytes aedon parkmani Audubon 154. Certhia familiaris zelotes Osgood
15%}, Sraney Cabeollteirreme), Rreuller ney CORICIS OY ssc ces seemenc err cee become eee ee teeeeeee obec 309
USGS Sitta, Canadensis eimn aes) eseesec see see ecec ener ce -.. 309 157. Sitta pygmaea leuconucha Anthony see oulll) 158. Baeolophus inornatus murinus Ridgway ax oHl()) 159. Penthestes gambeli baileyae (Grinnell) - dll 160. Psaltriparus minimus minimus (Townsend) 311 161. Auriparus flaviceps flaviceps (Sundevall) . 312
162. Chamaea fasciata henshawi Ridgway. .........--..2..2::.s0.2:c2---ce-eeeeee ence 313
163. Regulus satrapa olivaceus Baird --. 313 164. Regulus calendula cineraceus Grinnell . 314
165. Polioptila caerulea obscura Ridgway eae OLE 166. Polioptila plumbea (Baird) 67a, Boliopiilar californica Brewster) esses ean eee ene ne ee Oe
168. Hylocichla ustulata ustulata (Nuttall) —_.-.-- 2-2 -- nce eee 316 169. Sialia mexicana occidentalis Townsend ........-.-.2..--.2--------c-0--neeneenennee 316
224 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
GENERAL ACCOUNTS OF THE BIRDS
Colymbus nigricollis californicus (Heermann) Eared Grebe
One seen at Hemet Lake, August 8; apparently still in the breeding plumage.
Podilymbus podiceps (Linnaeus) Pied-billed Grebe
Seen only at Hemet Lake, where several were observed on August 10.
Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus Ridgway Farallon Cormorant At Cabezon, May 11, a flock of about fifty was seen flying westward through San Gorgonio Pass. At Banning, June 8, one was taken on a reservoir near the town, a male in the brown, presumably immature, plumage (no. 2054). Observed elsewhere only at Hemet Lake, where a single bird was seen August 9.
Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus Mallard
Seen only at Hemet Lake, where on August 10 a flock of five, and on August 21 several flocks of ten or twelve, were noted.
Dafila acuta (Linnaeus) Pintail Migrating pintails appeared at Hemet Lake in August, a flock of six being noted on the 8th, and several larger flocks on the 21st. Querquedula cyanoptera (Vieillot) Cinnamon Teal
Observed at Hemet Lake in August, flocks being noted on the 8th, 10th, and 21st.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 225
Marila affinis (Eyton) Lesser Seaup Duck
A male seaup duck, presumably this species rather than the rarer M. marila, was seen at Hemet Lake, August 10.
Erismatura jamaicensis (Gmelin) Ruddy Duck
Probably about fifteen individuals remained at the upper end of Hemet Lake during the first three weeks in August. They were seen almost daily, a large proportion of them being still in the bright breeding plumage, and were far too wary to per- mit a near approach.
Dendrocygna bicolor (Vieillot) Fulvous Tree-duck
One reported by Richardson as killed by a hunter near Cab- ezon, May 20! It was flushed from the grassy bank of an irrigating ditch, and was undoubtedly a migrant.
Plegadis guarauna (Linnaeus) White-faced Glossy Ibis One killed by a hunter at Banning, June 7, was examined by
Richardson. The owner would not part with the specimen, and the species was not otherwise encountered by the expedition.
Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu) American Bittern
One reported by Richardson as seen in a flooded alfalfa field near Cabezon, May 15; probably a transient.
Ardea herodias hyperonca Oberholser California Great Blue Heron Observed only at Hemet Lake, two seen on August 8 and one on August 10.
226 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Nycticorax nycticorax naevius (Boddaert) Black-crowned Night Heron
Migrating night herons were observed on numerous occa- sions on the east slope of San Gorgonio Pass, single birds being noted at Snow Creek, Whitewater, and Cabezon, on dates rang- ing from May 24 to June 3. Several seen at Hemet Lake early in August were also probably transients.
Butorides virescens anthonyi (Mearns) Anthony Green Heron Single birds, probably migrants, seen at Cabezon and White- water, on May 16 and 30, respectively. Next observed, a solitary individual, at Hemet Lake, August 15.
Fulica americana Gmelin Coot
Seen only at Hemet Lake, where, during the first two weeks in August, the species was fairly common at the marshy upper end of the lake.
Steganopus tricolor Vieillot Wilson Phalarope
Three seen together at the east end of Hemet Lake, August 11. One of these secured (no. 2946) is a female in juvenal plumage, with traces of first winter plumage appearing on the back. On August 22 a large flock of phalaropes was observed far out on the lake. From a distance they appeared to be too small for this species, and may have been Lobipes lobatus, but they could not be approached near enough for positive identification.
Recurvirostra americana Gmelin Avocet
Encountered only at Hemet Lake. On August 8 a flock of ten, and on August 21 several single birds were seen along the shore at the upper end of the lake. The one specimen taken, an adult female secured on August 8 (no. 2942), is molting into winter garb, the plumage of the head, neck and upper breast being a mixture of gray and cinnamon colored feathers.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 227
Himantopus mexicanus (Miiller) Black-neeked Stilt
Seen on Hemet Lake in August, a flock of five on the 6th and several single birds on the 21st. Probably only a migrant through the region.
Gallinago delicata (Ord) Wilson Snipe On August 14 one bird, probably a migrant, was flushed from some marshy ground at the east end of Hemet Lake.
Pisobia minutilla (Vieillot) Least Sandpiper Fairly common in small flocks on the mud flats at the eastern
end of Hemet Lake, August 6 to 16. One specimen was pre- served (no. 2949), an immature male in first winter plumage.
Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus (Brewster ) Western Solitary Sandpiper Migrating individuals were seen along the shores of Hemet Lake on several occasions from August 6 to 16. Two specimens were secured (nos. 2947, 2948), on August 10 and August 15, respectively, both immature males.
Actitis macularius (Linnaeus) Spotted Sandpiper
Apparently a migrant only. In the vicinity of Cabezon the species was noted on several occasions from May 12 to 20. Here they were seen alone the little streams near the mouths of the canons, usually single birds, though once as many as four were seen together.. At Hemet Lake, August 6 to 16, scattered indiv- iduals were observed alone the shores of the lake upon several occasions, and doubtless a little search would have revealed their presence at any time during this period. Two specimens were taken (nos. 1746 and 2067), both males in breeding plumage, the first secured at Cabezon, May 17, the second at Snow Creek, May 29.
228 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
Oxyechus vociferus (Linnaeus) Kulldeer
Seen on various occasions in the moister portions of Hemet Valley, between Hemet Lake and Kenworthy. They were not numerous, but some were ordinarily noted whenever we traversed these spots, as happened on several oceasions between May 19 and July 5, and they were probably breeding here. At Hemet Lake in August they were abundant, frequenting the sparsely covered meadows on the north side and the mud flats at the east end. Three specimens were taken at the lake (nos. 2943-2945), August 7 and 15, probably birds of the year.
Oreortyx picta plumifera (Gould) Mountain Quail
Of general distribution in the higher parts of the mountains, though seldom observed in any numbers. Near Kenworthy toward the end of May, small flocks of old and young together were frequently seen in the surrounding foothills, but never in the sage-covered valley. Near the summit of Santa Rosa Peak, the end of June, several small flocks composed entirely of adults, were seen. Not encountered in Strawberry Valley, though the species must occur there, but fairly numerous in the nearby Tahquitz Valley at the end of July. At Hemet Lake, in August, they were frequently seen in the rougher, more broken ground toward the lower end of the lake, but never in the open valley at the upper end, where Lophorty.« c. vallicola was common. On Thomas Mountain, the middle of August, mountain quail were abundant, large flocks of nearly full-grown young being flushed at many points along the ridge.
The party collecting on the northern slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains did not meet with the species until the vicinity of Sehain’s Ranch was reached. At this point and at Fuller’s Mill, the latter part of June, flocks of old and young together were seen occasionally, and specimens collected.
Near the east base of the mountains, at points in the lower reaches of Palm Cafion, and in the vicinity of Deep Canon,
mountain quail were several times observed amid the most arid,
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 229
desert surroundings. On May 27 a flock of six adults was encountered at a spring on the brink of Deep Canon, where a flock of Lophorty« gambeli had been flushed earlier in the day; and on May 29 a single mountain quail was again seen at the same place. On May 26 a flock of adults, and on May 31 a brood of young, was observed along Carrizo Creek, near Dos Palmos Spring. The mountain quail seen at these neighboring points were probably all wanderers from the nearby Upper Son- oran pinon belt, attracted by the occasional springs along the lower canons and washes.
On June 12 and 13 small flocks of adults were noted in dif- ferent gulehes in the vicinity of Potrero Spring, canons tribu- tary to Palm Canon, from the east. This again is a region where Lophortyx gambeli is abundant.
The flocks of half-grown young seen in Tahquitz Valley, and the older immatures observed later, on Thomas Mountain, when startled, frequently behaved in a manner quite different from the usual habit of the adult mountain quail, and much like that of the forest-inhabiting species of grouse. Instead of running they took to the trees, where they sat motionless, and were very hard to see or to dislodge.
In all, nineteen specimens were secured: Schain’s Ranch, four (nos. 1780-1783) ; Fuller’s Mill, two (nos. 1867, 1868) ; Tahquitz Valley, three (nos. 2869-2871); Hemet Lake, one (no. 2956) ; Thomas Mountain, seven (nos. 3008-38014) ; Kenworthy, one (no. 2250); and Santa Rosa Peak, one (no. 2469).
According to the A. O. U. Check-List (1910, p. 135) the habitat of O. p. confinis, described originally from the San Pedro Martir Mountains, Lower California, extends north to include the mountains of southern California, even to the San Gabriel Mountains. It will have been noted from the heading of this account that we are not in accord with the idea reflected in the statement just referred to. Although we have no material from the San Pedro Martir region, we are fortunate in being able to compare adequate series from southern and east-central Cali- fornia.
The two characters offered by the deseriber of confinis (An- thony, 1889, p. 74) are, as compared with plumifera, relatively
230 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
. ‘‘orayer upper parts and thicker bill.’’ We have tested the material at hand as regards these two characters and are abso- lutely unable to distinguish our birds from the San Jacinto Mountains and elsewhere in southern California, from perfectly comparable material as regards age and stage of plumage from various parts of the Sierra Nevada, central as well as southern The Museum’s series includes good specimens from extreme southern San Diego County: Campo, Mountain Spring, Cuya- maca and Volean mountains. These, also, are in no appreciable way different from plumifera.
In other words, we see no excuse for using any name other than plumifera for the mountain quail of southern California.
Lophortyx californica vallicola (Ridgway) Valley Quail
An abundant species in the San Jacinto Mountains, found at all suitable points from the Lower Sonoran valleys surround- ing the range, up into the lower edge of Transition. Twenty- two specimens were collected, as follows: Snow Creek, three (nos. 2160-2162) ; Cabezon, five (nos. 1657-1661) ; Banning, four (nos. 2018-2021) ; Vallevista, three (nos. 3094-3096) ; Dos Palmos, two (nos. 2491, 2492) ; and Palm Canon, five (nos. 3046-3050). Other points of record are Vandeventer Flat, Kenworthy, Hemet Lake, Thomas Mountain, Strawberry Valley, and Schain’s Ranch. Most of these localities are in Upper Sonoran, the highest points only— Strawberry Valley (6000 feet) and Thomas Mountain (6800 feet )—being at the lower edge of Transition.
This quail breeds in greatest abundance on the sage-brush covered floor of the upper Hemet Valley, the region from Hemet Lake to Vandeventer Flat being peculiarly adapted to the species. At Kenworthy, in this valley, they were numerous, and nearly all in pairs at the time of our arrival, May 19. A nest was found here on May 23 (no. 72), very imperfectly concealed at the base of a scanty clump of sage brush. The slight depression in the ground forming the nest was scantily lined with grass and weed stalks; at this date it contained ten fresh eggs. A second nest, containing eight eggs, was found on June 23 in the same locality,
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 231
and in a similar situation. At Cabezon, May 7, and at Banning, June 8, two others were discovered, each of these also containing eight eggs.
Broods of young were noted, first at Banning, June 8, then at Dos Palmos, June 21, and, after July 1, whenever the species was encountered. Specimens taken at Banning early in June are in juvenal plumage; some from Vallevista, the first week in Sep- tember, are in complete first winter plumage, but many half- grown juvenals were seen at the same time.
On Pinon Flat, at Dos Palmos, and at points in Palm Canon, the valley quail and desert quail (ZL. gambeli), were found at the same places, frequently in the same flocks. In Palm Canon at about 3000 feet, on June 12, and about the nearby Potrero Spring, 3500 feet, on the following day, the two species were seen flocking together. At Dos Palmos, in June and August, the same condition of affairs was noted. A frequent manner of occurrence here was for a female with her brood to be accom- panied by five or six adults of either species. In the desert regions quail were usually observed along those ravines which contained occasional slight seepages of water.
The stations at Idyllwild and on the summit of Thomas Moun- tain may be taken as marking the highest range of the species in the San Jacintos. At the former poimt three were seen on June 8, at the latter a small flock August 17, each time in the near neighborhood of areas of chaparral extending upward between tracts of conifers, thus invading Transition.
Lophortyx gambeli Gambel Desert Quail
A common species at the desert base of the mountains, rang- ing upward on the eastern slopes to the edge of Upper Sonoran. Our parties met with it at Pinon Flat, Dos Palmos, and Palm Canon; none was seen at Whitewater, Snow Creek, Cabezon or Banning, though the species has been recorded from all these points (Gilman, 1907, p. 148). At Cabezon, however, a member of the expedition was told that the species was sometimes seen there in winter.
232 University of California Publications in Zoology - (Vou. 10
We preserved six specimens, as follows: Pinon Flat, one (no. 2486) ; Dos Palmos, four (nos. 2487-2490) ; and Palm Canon, one (no. 3051).
Asbestos Spring, at the edge of Pinon Flat (altitude 4500 feet) and a point in Palm Canon about eight or ten miles from its mouth (altitude 3000 feet), were the upper limits at which we found this quail. On Pinon Flat desert quail were seen on various occasions in May, June and August, in Palm Canon (3000 feet), and Potrero Spring (3500 feet), June 12 to 14, at the mouth of Palm Canon, and in the nearby Murray Canon, June 14 to 17, and at Dos Palmos, in May, June and August.
A brood of small young was seen on Pinon Flat, June 2; toward the end of June, in the vicinity of Dos Palmos, several small flocks of old and young together were seen. A young male taken at the latter point on August 24 (no. 2489), is in the midst of the molt from juvenal to first winter plumage.
An adult male taken on Pinon Flat, June 2 (no. 2486), had its stomach and crop filled with ants and mistletoe berries from the surrounding junipers.
As mentioned under the previous species, there were points in Palm Canon and the vicinity of Dos Palmos, where L. gambeli and L. c. vallicola were seen together. In fact, on two occasions, at the edge of Deep Canon, May 27, and near Potrero Spring, June 13, these two species, together with Oreortyx p. plumifera, were all flushed from the vicinity of the same spring. In the overlapping of the ranges of the valley and desert quails, how- ever, both here and at other points, it will be noted that it is the coast form (L. c. vallicola) which has invaded the typically desert environment of the other form (L. gambeli). Although the valley quail ranges continuously throughout the length of Palm Canon, and over Pinon Flat, into Hemet Valley and on down to San Jacinto Valley, gambeli is stopped at the very edge of the Upper Sonoran zone, where the desert vegetation gives way to the coast chaparral, and it has not yet been found on the west side of the mountains.
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Columba fasciata fasciata Say Band-tailed Pigeon
Evidently now a rare species in the region traversed, at least during the summer months. Pigeons were seen in numbers, only in the vicinity of Schain’s Ranch and Fuller’s Mill, these being closely adjacent localities. Here, on various occasions from June 22 to July 4, single birds, or sometimes a pair together, were oceasionally seen flying overhead, or flushed from the trees.
At Fuller’s Mill (5900 feet) on July 1, a nest was found containing one eve (no. 67). The frail structure was placed on a large limb of an oak tree, about five feet from the trunk, and partly supported on one side by a small dead limb. The nest is a mere slight platform of sticks, mostly small dead twigs from pine and oak trees. The diameter of the mass is about 220 mm., though several straggling twigs extend far beyond this, the depth being 100mm. The egg was slightly incubated. The female bird was flushed from the nest, and secured (no. 1866) ; another, possibly its mate, was seen nearby. Dissection of the female showed no additional egg in process of development.
The only subsequent occasion on which the species was encoun- tered was on the summit of Thomas Mountain, on August 17, where a single bird was observed flying past. Pigeons were reported to have been numerous on an oak-covered mountain north of Hemet Lake. It is likely that at times they visit the mountains in numbers, possibly as migrants or winter visitants.
Zenaidura macroura carolinensis (Linnaeus)
Mourning Dove
Found in small numbers at most of the points visited in the mountains below Transition; at the desert base they occurred in great abundance. The highest points of record were Straw- berry Valley (6000 feet), and Thomas Mountain (6800 feet), both just at the lower edge of Transition; at neither point were they at all numerous.
In the vicinity of Dos Palmos, in May, June, and August, and along Palm Canon, clear to its mouth, in June, doves were of general distribution, though nowhere abundant. Along the
234 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
northern base of the mountains, at Whitewater, Snow Creek, Cabezon and Banning, this was one of the most common birds.
Nests containing eggs or young were found at Dos Palmos, Cabezon, and Snow Creek in May, and at Vallevista at the end of August. One discovered on the steep side of Deep Canon, May 30, was on the ground under the shelter of an overhanging agave. The nest was a collection of fine twigs, built up at the lower side so as to form a shelf on the steep slope, and con- tained two incubated eggs. Others were found, as follows: two at Cabezon, May 5, built in low bushes three or four feet from the ground, each with two eggs; two at Snow Creek, one, May 27, in a syeamore, seven feet up, the other May 29, on the ground, under a bush, each with eggs; and two at Vallevista, August 30, both in low bushes in the chaparral, and each containing small young.
At Dos Palmos, though only a few individuals were breeding in the vicinity, the scattered springs and seepages attracted many more, some probably from a long distance. One shot May 29 contained undigested barley in its crop, which must have been eaten many miles away.
Seven specimens were preserved: Cabezon, three (nos. 1606— 1608); Snow Creek, three (nos. 2163-2165); and Dos Palmos, one (no. 2493).
Cathartes aura septentrionalis Wied Turkey Vulture
Not a common species in the mountains. A few were seen at different times in Hemet Valley, at Kenworthy in May, and at Hemet Lake in August. At the northern base of the moun- tains, the eastern slope of San Gorgonio Pass, they were rather more numerous, as at Whitewater, Snow Creek, Cabezon and Banning. A few were observed at Dos Palmos in May and June. In the San Jacinto Valley, about Vallevista and Hemet, large flocks were noted in August and September.
The two examples preserved (nos. 2345, 2346) were both caught in steel traps set for carnivores, and baited with meat, the bodies of skinned birds and mammals. The first (no.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 235
2345, 2), killed at Kenworthy, May 22, got into a trap set in the chaparral, and with the bait entirely concealed from above by the overhanging bushes, so that the bird apparently must have discovered it by the sense of smell alone. The second one (no. 3138, ¢'), taken at Vallevista, was caught in the open wash, where the bait was in plain sight.
[Gymnogyps californianus (Shaw) California Condor
Was not encountered by any member of the expedition. Formerly abundant, their numbers were greatly reduced through their eating of poisoned meat placed out for bears and other carnivores, and they are now either wholly extinct or extremely rare in these mountains. We were told that a pair formerly nested in the cliffs above Snow Creek, on the north side of San Jacinto Peak.]
Accipiter velox ( Wilson)
Sharp-shinned Hawk The capture of a single bird at Round Valley, July 7, suggests the possibility of the species occasionally breeding in this region. Another was seen on Tahquitz Peak, July 22. These are the only records for the season. The one secured (no. 2074) is an immature male, just beginning to molt into the adult plumage, numerous blue feathers showing among the wing coverts
and secondaries.
Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte) Cooper Hawk
Common, for a hawk; generally distributed over the moun- tains and observed at most of the points visited. We have note- book entries relative to its oceurrence at Dos Palmos, Toro Peak, Garnet Queen Mine, Kenworthy, Thomas Mountain, Hemet Lake, Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley, Round Valley, Schain’s Raneh and Cabezon. Specimens were collected as follows: Gar- net Queen Mine, an adult female and three juvenals (nos. 2387— 2390), Strawberry Valley, an adult female (no. 2656), and Valle-
vista, an immature male (no. 3457).
236 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou 10
Two nests were found, one at the Garnet Queen Mine, June 27, containing three young in natal down, the other in Straw- berry Valley, July 9, also with young. The first, placed in a golden oak, thirty feet up, was a rather bulky structure, built of sticks and crooked twigs, and lined with cedar bark. The female parent had been shot two days previous to the discovery of the nest, but the male bird had evidently since kept the young supplied with food, for in the nest were two headless and care- fully plucked flickers, and fragments of another flicker, a Cali- fornia jay and a Merriam chipmunk.
The Strawberry Valley nest, also in a golden oak, was similar to the first one.
Buteo borealis calurus Cassin Western Red-tailed Hawk
A common species encountered at every part of the range visited by our parties, except at the very highest altitudes above 9000 feet. Individuals were seen circling over the desert at the mouth of Palm Cafon, and at the upper limit of Transition, just below Round Valley. No nests were found, but full grown young, two or three together, attended by the old birds, were seen at Kenworthy on June 5, and near Vandeventer Flat, June 25 and July 2.
No specimens were preserved.
Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte Swainson Hawk A dark-colored hawk, doubtfully identified as of this species, was seen at Kenworthy, May 22. At Hemet Lake, August 7, two were seen under circumstances permitting of absolute recognition, though neither was secured. One was very dark colored, the other in the light phase, showing the white throat and dark
pectoral band peculiar to the species.
Aquila chrysaétos (Linnaeus) Golden Eagle From the number of birds seen it seemed probable that there were several pairs of eagles breeding in the region covered
by us. Individuals were observed many times, at the San Gor-
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 237
gonio base of the mountains, at points in Hemet Valley, on Santa Rosa Mountain, at Deep Cafon, at Vallevista, and one bird, on July 7, quite fittingly circling over the very summit of San Jacinto Peak.
A nest was found May 20 in a narrow, rocky canon near Cabezon. It was placed on a small ledge projecting from an almost perpendicular cliff, about 150 feet from the bottom of the canon. The structural material was sticks and twigs solely, large, heavy branches in the outer walls (greasewood branches three feet long being distinguished), and smaller twigs interiorly, the whole mass being about four feet in diameter and from two to three feet thick. The single young bird it contained (no. 2134), much too small to fly, was fairly well covered with feathers, but with the natal down projecting between the feather tracts.
But one of the parent birds was seen, circling far overhead, and never venturing very near. In the nest were the frag- mentary remains of a skunk (Mephitis).
About the camps at Snow Creek, Cabezon and Banning, eagles were seen daily, but it is probable that the Cabezon pair covered at least this much territory in their foraging, so that the same birds may have been seen over and over again.
On Santa Rosa Mountain, June 28 and on several subsequent oceasions, two full-grown young and their parents were seen circling about, or sitting in the three tops. In all probability the young had been hatched somewhere in the vicinity.
Falco mexicanus Schlegel Prairie Falcon Observed only on the desert side of the range, single birds being seen at Dos Palmos, on May 27, at the mouth of Palm Canon, June 15, and at Black Hill (near Dos Palmos), June 18. The species probably breeds in the region.
Falco peregrinus anatum Bonaparte Dueck Hawk Eneountered on three occasions. On June 2 one was seen passing swiftly overhead on the trail a few miles east of Van- deventer Flat, at close enough range for us to determine with
238 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
certainty that the bird was of this species and not the somewhat similar F. mexicanus. At Hemet Lake. one was secured on August 8, and another seen on August 10.
The specimen taken (no. 2941) is a male in immature plumage. The stomach contained the remains of a small finch, apparently Amphispiza belli, swallowed feathers and all.
Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus Sparrow Hawk
A fairly common species in the mountains, through Upper Sonoran and into Lower Transition, sparingly at higher eleva- tions. On the Pacific slope it was seen at various points in Hemet Valley, Schain’s Ranch, Poppet Flat, Thomas Mountain, Strawberry Valley, and one bird at Round Valley on July 11. At the San Gorgonio base a few were seen about Banning and Cabezon, in May and June. At the desert base they were rare. A noisy pair was seen hovering about a rocky cliff at the mouth of Palm Canon, June 15. Later in the season, August 23 to 27, when birds were scattering more widely, several were met with in the vicinity of Dos Palmos.
Three specimens were preserved: no. 1776, adult male, Schain’s Ranch; no. 2574, adult female, Strawberry Valley; and no. 2575, immature male, Strawberry Valley. The two adults, shot on June 27 and July 10, respectively, are in exces- sively worn plumage; the immature, shot July 16, is full grown, and in fresh first annual plumage.
Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte ) Barn Owl At the Banning camp, on June 7 and again on June 10, barn owls were heard calling at night. At Hemet Lake, August 6 to 16, barn owls were frequently heard at night, and on August 11 one was flushed from a pine tree near the upper end of the lake.
Asio wilsonianus (Lesson) Long-eared Owl Seen but onee, at Round Valley, 9000 feet, on July 27, when
a family of four was routed out of a dense clump of willows at
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 239
the edge of the cienaga. Three were secured, one adult female (no. 3456) and two immature males (nos. 3454, 3455). All were in freshly molted plumage, the two young ones still showing slight traces of down about the head.
These birds, were, of course, wanderers from a lower elevation, but it is of interest that the individuals composing the family should have clung together in their wanderings. This species however, is known to be rather more gregarious than most owls.
Strix occidentalis occidentalis (Xantus) Spotted Owl
Call notes, undoubtedly uttered by individuals of this species, were heard in Strawberry Valley on the evenings of July 15, 16, and 30, and at Thomas Mountain, on the evening of August 18. At the former place the calls were all heard issuing from the same spot, a point on the steep, heavily wooded hillside bounding the east side of the valley, about a mile above the Idyllwild resort. At Thomas Mountain they were heard just once, on the wooded slopes surrounding the spring where we camped.
Otus asio bendirei (Brewster) California Sereech Owl
Though not seen at any time during the summer, the pres- ence of this species in the mountains was attested by unmis- takable notes heard at night at various scattered points. Places where it was thus recorded are as follows: Cabezon, May 9 and 14, Banning, June 10, Santa Rosa Peak, June 29, Strawberry Valley, July 4, and at Hemet Lake several times from August 5 to 14.
Bubo virginianus pacificus Cassin Pacifie Horned Owl Heard calling at various points in the mountains, but seen on only two oceasions, one at Kenworthy on the evening of June 2, and another at the brink of Deep Canon, August 26. Horned owls were heard hooting at night at Cabezon, May 12, Banning, June 9, Kenworthy, in May and June, Garnet Queen Mine, in
240 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
June, Strawberry Valley and Fuller’s Mill in July, and at Hemet Lake during the first two weeks in August. One or two unmis- takable horned owl feathers were picked up on June 15, in a dense tangle of shrubbery at the mouth of Murray Canon, just above the floor of the desert.
Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea (Bonaparte) Burrowing Owl
A common species in the lowlands on the Paeifie side of the mountains, and in San Gorgonio Pass to the north, but appar- ently very rare or entirely absent on the desert side of the range, and not encountered by us higher than the very base of the mountains. It is abundant on the extensive grain fields of San Gorgonio Pass, as at Banning, where it was observed daily; beyond that point, where desert brush replaces the cultivated fields, it becomes more rare, though seen as far as Cabezon.
On the west side of the range, at Vallevista, several were seen on the stubble fields or near the edge of the adjoining brush land. It is an abundant species farther out on the extensive plains forming the San Jacinto Valley.
Four specimens were preserved, two adult males, one from Cabezon, May 23 (no. 2129), and one from Banning, June 12 (no. 2053), and two immature females from Vallevista, Septem- ber 2 and 4 (nos. 3092, 3093). The two latter are in fresh fall
plumage.
Geococcyx californianus (Lesson) Road-runner
Observed at but one point within the mountains, at Ken- worthy (altitude 4500 feet), where, on May 27 and 28, one was noted ‘‘singing’’ near the base of the hills. It is not probable that the species ranges to a much higher altitude in these moun- tains. On the desert slope of the Santa Rosa Mountains, the last week in May, and about the middle of June, single birds were seen from time to time. They were encountered at Cabezon in May, at Whitewater in June, and at Vallevista in September.
One specimen was preserved, a half-grown juvenal taken at Whitewater on June 5 (no. 2072).
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 241
Ceryle alcyon (Linnaeus) Belted Kingfisher
Seen at but one point, at Cabezon, where, on May 22, an adult female, undoubtedly a migrant, was secured (no. 2130). The stomach of this bird contained grasshoppers and the bones of some small vertebrate. There are no fish in the small streams of the vicinity.
Dryobates villosus hyloscopus Cabanis & Heine Cabanis Woodpecker
Abundant throughout the timbered portions of the moun- tains; seen in some numbers at every point visited, from Hemet Valley up to the summits of San Jacinto and Santa Rosa peaks. Points of record are: Kenworthy, Hemet Lake, Thomas Moun- tain, Sechain’s Ranch, Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley, Round Valley, San Jacinto Peak, and Santa Rosa Peak. Nine speci- mens were preserved, two adults, six juvenals, and one immature in first winter plumage (nos. 2075, 2282, 2580-2582, 2866-2863, 29511).
After the first of July the young birds were much in evidence everywhere. The one immature (no. 2151,9), taken at Hemet Lake, August 7, has quite completed the molt from the juvenal to the first winter plumage. ‘
Dryobates scalaris cactophilus Oberholser Cactus Woodpecker
Of general distribution on the lower slopes of the desert side of the mountains, though apparently nowhere very abund- ant. The only breeding species of woodpecker in the region it inhabits. Observed at the following points: Snow Creek, Cab- ezon, Dos Palmos, Palm Canon (up to 3500 feet), all in the Lower Sonoran zone. It was conspicuously associated with the agave belt, the dried stalks of this plant and the yucea affording nesting sites in a region that is practically treeless. The birds forage freely on low bushes and cactuses, and are thus inde- pendent of trees, but require some larger woody growth in which to bore their nesting holes. An unoccupied cavity was found at
1%
242 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Dos Palmos, June 1, in a dead yueea stalk, about five feet from the ground. An occupied nest was discovered in Palm Cajon, at about 3000 feet, on June 14, placed in a dry last year’s yueea stalk about ten feet high and four and a half inches in diameter at the base. The entrance was forty-five inches above the ground, the total depth of nest cavity, twelve and three-quarters inches, and the diameter of the entrance one and one-half inches. It contained three small young, seantily covered with partly unsheathed feathers.
Along the railroad near Cabezon many telegraph poles were drilled into by these woodpeckers. From the number of perfora- tions observed in a short distance the damage from this source must be of considerable magnitude, as the poles used here are so small as to be materially weakened by a cavity of the size of a woodpecker hole.
The species was rather unexpectedly encountered at Valle- vista, at the Pacific base of the mountains. About six or seven of the birds were seen here between August 29 and September 5, all in the chaparral-covered washes and on the mesa near the foot of the hills. The surroundings are essentially desert-like, but it is doubtful if such conditions prevail in any continuous strip connecting this area with the desert proper east of the mountains. From the season at which these woodpeckers were observed here, they might be assumed to be wandering indiv- iduals, straying at random; but in this connection, and arguing against this assumption, it is interesting to note that certain other desert forms, a chipmunk (Ammospermophilus leucurus) and a lizard (Callisaurus ventralis), both certainly non-migratory, were also taken at this point (see page 326).
In all, twenty specimens of this woodpecker were collected, as follows: Cabezon, nine (nos. 1702-1710), Snow Creek, five (nos. 2062-2064, 2152, 2153), Palm Canon, three (nos. 3084, 3085, 15473), and Vallevista, three (nos. 3113-3115). Ten are adults, nine juvenals, and one an immature in first winter plumage. Very small young ones were taken from a nest on June 14, as mentioned above, but other juvenals were shot, while flying about, and, except on close scrutiny, indistinguishable from adults, as early as May 15, at Cabezon, and May 27 at Snow Creek.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 248
The adults, compared with a small series of topotypes of D. s. cactophilus from Tueson, Arizona, and with others from southeastern Arizona show some difference in the size of the bill, the San Jacinto birds having this member appreciably longer and heavier. Other birds in the Museum collection from Mecea, Riverside County, California (on the Colorado Desert), and a series from the Colorado River between Needles and Yuma, are also of this larger-billed form, as compared with birds from southeastern Arizona. The birds occupying the Colorado Desert region in California, are thus intermediate in this respect, between typical cactophilus and the larger-billed D. s. eremicus of northern Lower California (see Oberholser, 1911, pp. 151, 152), and not typically representative of D. s. cactophilus.
Dryobates nuttalli (Gambel) Nuttall Woodpecker
A decidedly uncommon species in the San Jacinto Moun- tains. Observed by us in limited numbers, and at but a few points, always in oak timber, in Upper Sonoran or the lower part of the Transition zone. Two broods, following the parent birds through the trees, were seen in the vicinity of our camp at Garnet Queen Mine, July 2; occasionally single birds were observed elsewhere: at Vandeventer Flat, May 25, at Oak Tree Spring (in the hills about midway between Kenworthy and Palm Canon), June 11, in Strawberry Valley, July 22, at Hemet Lake (two seen between August 5 and 14), at Thomas Mountain (two seen between August 16 and 21), and at Schain’s Ranch, June 18 to 28.
Four specimens were secured (nos. 1789-1791, 2395), three from Schain’s Ranch, two full-grown juvenals, June 18 and 26, and an adult male June 28; and a full-grown juvenal from Garnet Queen Mine, July 2.
Xenopicus albolarvatus gravirostris Grinnell Southern White-headed Woodpecker A fairly common species in Transition, occurring less com- monly above this zone, and not observed at all below. Thus in the San Jacinto Mountains it has a discontinuous range, occu-
244 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
pying three separated areas—the slopes and valleys south and west from San Jacinto Peak, down to about 6000 feet, a limited territory about the summits of Santa Rosa and Toro peaks with their connecting ridge, and the top of Thomas Mountain.
In Strawberry Valley white-headed woodpeckers were fairly common on the broken ground at the bases of the surrounding mountain sides, but were not seen out in the middle of the valley. In Round Valley and in Tahquitz Valley they were not common, though seen oceasionally ; on August 1 a few were noted on some high ridges just below San Jacinto Peak. Although the territory oceupied by this woodpecker on Santa Rosa Moun- tain and on Thomas Mountain is limited in extent, the species was abundant at both places, more individuals being seen at these points than in any other areas of similar extent.
Several of the birds collected were redolent of the wood ants upon which they had been feeding; the plumage is more or less stained and gummed with pitch from the trees they frequented.
On Santa Rosa and Toro young in the nest holes were observed June 30; full grown young flying about in the timber, but attended by their parents, were secured at Fuller’s Mill, July 3, at Strawberry Valley, July 7, and at Round Valley July 9.
Specimens were secured as follows: Fuller’s Mill, five (nos. 1992-1996), Dutch Flat, one (no. 2146), Strawberry Valley, two (nos. 2576, 2577), Round Valley, three (nos. 2186-2188), Thomas Mountain, three (nos. 3018-3020), Santa Rosa Peak, four (nos. 2419, 2422-2424), Toro Peak, two (nos. 2420, 2421), twenty in all.
Examination of all the adults of Yenopicus now available from southern California, in comparison with lately aequired material from the Sierra Nevada, shows the large bill of the former to be constantly diagnostic. In other words, the existence
of the race gravirostris is confirmed.
Sphyrapicus varius daggetti Grinnell Sierra Red-breasted Sapsucker Evidently a rare species in the mountains, or at any rate so quiet and secretive as to elude observation readily. Seen only at Fuller’s Mill (6000 feet), and at Tahquitz Valley (8000 feet).
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 245
At the former point an adult female was secured (no. 1997), at the latter an adult male (no. 2854) and two full-grown juvenals (nos. 2853, 2855). Several others were seen in Tahquitz Valley, always in the clumps of willows bordering the marshy cienagas. One such thicket had been worked upon by the sapsuckers until almost entirely destroyed, though the surrounding shrubbery was untouched, a parallel instance to the one described from the San Bernardino Mountains (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 63). Several adults were seen in this thicket, and one of the juvenals secured there, but as a rule the birds quietly slipped out on the far side of the bush before they could be approached closely. For the use of the name daggetti see Swarth (1912, p. 35).
Sphyrapicus thyroideus (Cassin) Williamson Sapsucker
A very few were seen and heard in Tahquitz Valley, July 19 to August 5, and in Round Valley, July 6 to 12. They were evidently uncommon in the mountains, and the few seen were difficult of approach.
Five specimens were secured, an adult male, two adult females, and a juvenal male from Round Valley, and a juvenal male from Tahquitz Valley (nos. 2077, 2078, 2189, 2190, 2852).
Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Ridgway California Woodpecker
Seen in moderate numbers at various points, all below 7000 feet, and almost invariably in large oak timber. Exact points of occurrence are: Stage road along San Jacinto River, at about 3000 feet, May 19; Kenworthy, a few seen in the hills on the west side of the valley, June 4; Vandeventer Flat, June 23, sey- eral; Schain’s Ranch, June 17 to 29, seen daily; Poppet Flat, June 20 and 24, numerous; Fuller’s Mill, June 30 to July 5, seen daily ; Strawberry Valley, July, abundant; Hemet Lake, August 5 to 15, a few seen or heard at various times; Thomas Mountain, August 16 to 21, abundant. Thomas Mountain, altitude 6800 feet, is the highest point at which the species was noted.
246 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Five specimens were preserved: An adult male from Fuller’s Mill (no. 1999), an adult female (no. 2578) and an adult male (no. 2579) from Strawberry Valley, and a juvenal female (no. 3016) and a juvenal male (no. 3017) from Thomas Mountain.
Colaptes cafer collaris Vigors Red-shafted Flicker
Not abundant anywhere until about the middle of July, when the young birds began to appear, and the adults, freed from the care of their families, wandered more widely and became more conspicuous.
A few were noted at Garnet Queen Mine, and on Santa Rosa and Toro peaks, toward the end of June and the first of July. A nest full of noisy young ones was discovered on the ridge just below Toro Peak, July 1.
In Strawberry Valley, early in July, and in Tahquitz Valley toward the end of the month, flickers were moderately abundant. In Round Valley also, during July, a number were seen. The party ascending the mountains from the San Gorgonio base first encountered the species at Schain’s Ranch (4900 feet), not having observed it at any lower altitude. About Hemet Lake and on Thomas Mountain, during August, they were abundant
Five specimens were collected: Schain’s Ranch, one (no. 1777), Poppet Flat, one (no. 1998), Garnet Queen Mine. one
(no. 2386), and Strawberry Valley, two (nos. 2572, 2573).
Phalaenoptilus nuttalli californicus Ridgway Dusky Poor-will
Observed in small numbers at various seattered localities. These ranged from the Lower Sonoran of the desert to the upper limit of Transition, but the birds seen at the highest altitudes in late summer were probably wanderers from below. The species was definitely recorded (occasionally seen, but more frequently heard calling in the evening or early in the morning) as follows: Cabezon, May 1-25, heard ealling almost nightly; Banning, June 8-16, occasionally heard calling; Kenworthy, May 19—July
4. an oceasional bird seen or heard ealling at long intervals;
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 247
Palm Canon, June 11-18, several seen or heard, from the mouth of the canon up to about 3000 feet; Garnet Queen Mine, June 25—July 1, several heard; Tahquitz Valley, July 19—August 5, two seen; Dos Palmos, August 22-27, several heard.
Three specimens were secured: an adult male, Kenworthy, June 5 (no. 2276), art adult male, Dos Palmos, August 23 (no. 2495), and a juvenal male, Tahquitz Valley (no. 2851). These examples are all clearly referable to the Pacifie Coast race californicus, rather than to the larger, paler nuttalli, or to the smaller, paler nitidus.
Chordeiles acutipennis texensis Lawrence Texas Nighthawk
Seen at various points in Lower Sonoran on the desert slope of the mountains, nowhere in any abundance. A few were noted along the lower reaches of Palm Canon, in June, the highest on a ridge above Potrero Spring, about 3500 feet. Near Cabezon, at the San Gorgonio base of the range, several were observed on May 5 and 13. At Kenworthy, late in the evening of May 23, a single nighthawk flew past, sailing close to the ground. This may possibly have been C. virginianus hesperis, but the hasty elimpse of the bird obtained in the twilight was insufficient definitely to establish its identity. It was the only nighthawk seen in the higher mountains. At Vallevista, at the Pacific base of the mountains, three Texas nighthawks were observed between August 29 and September 5.
Two specimens were preserved: an adult female, Cabezon, May 16 (no. 1772), and an immature female, Vallevista, Sep- tember 2 (no. 3098).
Cypseloides niger borealis (Kennerly) Black Swift In Strawberry Valley, from July 9 to 16, black swifts were noted overhead almost daily. They were in companies of from two to ten, invariably circling high up in the air, far out of eun range. Peculiarities of color, flight, and notes, however,
served to distinguish the species, even at a distance, and there
248 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
is no question as to the identification. The white-throated swift (Aéronautes melanoleucus), was frequently seen in the same place, occasionally at the same time that the black swifts were under observation, and there was never any difficulty in dis- tinguishing the two species.
The black swifts were noted only during a week of cloudy, showery weather; presumably they fed at other times at too high an altitude to be seen from the valley. E
Chaetura vauxi (Townsend) Vaux Swift Migrating birds, heading for the coast through San Gorgonio Pass, were seen daily in some numbers at Cabezon, May 10 to 16. Otherwise observed only at Vallevista, where a single bird was seen August 29, doubtless in the return migration.
Two specimens were taken, at Cabezon, May 10 and 11 (nos. i7Alals, Wyle)
Aéronautes melanoleucus (Baird) White-throated Swift
An abundant species throughout the San Jacinto Mountains; seen at practically every point visited, and doubtless breeding in suitable spots in all parts of the range. White-throated swifts were seen flying over the meadows in Hemet Valley, over the extreme summits of San Jacinto Peak and Toro Peak, the two highest points in the mountains, and over the desert, below Palm Canon, Snow Creek, and Cabezon. They were particularly numerous in and about Deep Canon, in June, the extremely high and precipitous enclosing cliffs supplying an ideal summer habitat.
Three specimens were preserved: an adult female, Cabezon, May 12 (no. 1713), an adult female, Kenworthy, June 3 (no. 2285), and an adult male, Hemet Lake, August 10 (no. 3002). The last is in the midst of the annual molt.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 249
Archilochus alexandri (Bourcier & Mulsant) Black-chinned Hummingbird
Seen at but a few points, and usually in limited numbers. Single birds (adult males, and hence easily recognized) were noted at Dos Palmos, the last week in May, at Strawberry Valley, July 10, and at Hemet Lake, August 15. The only locality where many were seen was at Hurley Flat, 3500 feet, situated on the north side of the mountains, southwest of Cabezon. Here, on May 9, they were numerous.
Two specimens, both adult males, were collected, one from Hurley Flat, May 9 (no. 1766), and one from Schain’s Ranch, June 21 (no. 1963).
Calypte costae (Bourcier) Costa Hummingbird
By far the most abundant species of hummingbird in the lower parts of the mountains, ranging upward to extreme upper Sonoran, Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, being the highest point of record. They were fairly common in the brushy hills at Ken- worthy, and also about Cabezon at the north base of the moun- tains, but on the desert side of the range, at Dos Palmos and Palm Cafion, they fairly swarmed in places. Here, in May and June, they were frequenting the thickets of desert willow (Chil- opsis), at that time in full bloom. Most of the birds seen at these latter points were young of the year. But very few hummingbirds were seen at Dos Palmos upon our later visit, in August.
Nests were found at Cabezon, May 9, with eggs, May 14, building, May 16, with young, and at Kenworthy, May 24, with eggs,
Thirty-seven skins of the species were collected, as follows: Cabezon, six (nos. 1760-1765), Whitewater, two (nos. 2068, 2069), Banning, one (no. 2048), Schain’s Ranch, thirteen (nos. 1842-1854), Kenworthy, three (nos. 2346-2348), Dos Palmos, eleven (nos. 2545-2555), Palm Canon, one (no. 3086).
bo On
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Calypte anna (Lesson) Anna Hummingbird
Nowhere abundant, though observed and found breeding in various parts of the mountains. Apparently most numerous on the northern slopes of the range, where they were seen at Cab- ezon (one bird, May 16), in some numbers at Schain’s Ranch, June 16-30, and occasionally at Fuller’s Mill, June 31 to July 6. About the summit of Santa Rosa Peak, the last week in June, several were noted. These were probably wanderers from below, but others were seen about half way up the mountain, at the Garnet Queen Mine (altitude 6000 feet), and at this point the species was breeding. A nest was found here, built on the branching limb of a golden oak, overhanging the trail, of the usual structure and covered with lichens. This nest contained two young on June 26.
In Strawberry Valley, in July, some were encountered from time to time, but they were not abundant. A single bird was taken in Round Valley, July 9. At Hemet Lake, August 5 to 15, and on Thomas Mountain, August 16-21, they were seen daily. At Dos Palmos, August 23-27, a few were noted along the creek bottom, though the species had not been seen here on our pre- vious visits early in the summer.
Seven specimens were collected: Schain’s Ranch, one (no. 1855), Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 2017), Round Valley, one (no. 2171), Santa Rosa Peak, one (no. 2438), Strawberry Valley, three (nos. 2722-2724).
Selasphorus rufus (Gmelin) Rufous Hummingbird
After the first week in July many hummingbirds of this and the closely related species, S. alleni, were seen in the higher parts of the mountains, and during the remainder of our stay here, nearly two months, they continued to be numerous. The two species are so nearly alike that it is ordinarily impossible to dis- tinguish them in life, and we were unable to ascertain their relative abundance; but of the specimens obtained the majority are 8. rufus. There can be no doubt that neither breeds in the
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 251
region; both are transients, wanderers, attracted to the higher mountains by the abundance of wild flowers there at a time when the valleys are parched and barren.
Necessarily lumping the two, through the impossibility of distinguishing them, we made field observations as follows: Straw- berry Valley, July 9, one immature seen; Round Valley, July 6-12, abundant; Tahquitz Valley, July 19 to August 15, abund- ant; on the summit of San Jacinto Peak, July 27, one seen; Thomas Mountain, August 16 to 21, seen daily.
Specimens referable to Selasphorus rufus were collected as follows: Tahquitz Valley, three (nos. 2762, 2764, 2765), Round Valley, two (nos. 2173, 2174), and Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3031).
Selasphorus alleni Henshaw Allen Hummingbird
Three specimens unequivocally belonging to this species were collected: no. 2172, adult male, Round Valley, July 10; no. 2760, adult male, Tahquitz Valley, July 20; and no. 2761, immature male, Tahquitz Valley, July 21.
Stellula calliope (Gould) Calliope Hummingbird
While this species probably breeds in the San Jacinto Moun- tains, we obtained no positive evidence to this effect, our few records being of individuals that might have wandered from distant points. An adult male was seen at Kenworthy, May 20, undoubtedly out of its nesting range at this low altitude. ‘wo specimens were collected, an immature female at Round Valley, July 7 (no. 2175), and an immature male at Tahquitz Valley, July 20 (no. 2763), both feeding in company with the numerous rufous and Allen hummingbirds which had just invaded the mountains, and possibly likewise migrants from a distance.
Tyrannus verticalis Say Western Kingbird
Abundant in the lower valleys, and breeding in the moun- tains in Hemet Valley, and noted in June at Kenworthy and
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Vandeventer Flat. Observed in some numbers at Cabezon and Snow Creek in May, and at Banning in June. In the late sum- mer they became still more numerous, and more widely spread, being met with at as high an elevation as Tahquitz Valley (8000 feet), where two were seen on July 20. Particularly abundant at Hemet Lake, August 5-15, where they were feeding in the open meadows surrounding the lake.
Four specimens were preserved, one from Cabezon, May 24 (no. 2131), two from Snow Creek, June 1 and May 31 (nos. 2147, 2148), and one from Hemet Lake, August 9 (no. 2986). The last mentioned, an adult female, is in exceedingly frayed plumage, but has not yet begun to molt.
Myiarchus cinerascens cinerascens (Lawrence) Ash-throated Flycatcher
An abundant migrant throughout the region, and breeding commonly from the base of the mountains at least as high as Strawberry Valley (6000 feet). A pair was seen at Garnet Queen Mine, 6000 feet, where it was probably nesting, but others observed a few days later on the summit of Santa Rosa Moun- tain, 2000 feet higher, were, with little doubt, wanderers from lower points. At Cabezon, early in May, and at Dos Palmos the end of May, they were migrating in considerable numbers. At Kenworthy, June 8, a pair was seen carrying building material, and on June 14, in Palm Canon at about 3000 feet, an occupied nest was found. By the first week in July the young began to appear.
In August migrating birds were abundant, at Hemet Lake. Dos Palmos and Vallevista, a large proportion evidently young of the year.
Twenty-five specimens were collected: Snow Creek, three (nos. 2149-2151), Cabezon, three (nos. 1679-1681), Schain’s Ranch, five (nos. 1926-1930), Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 2000), Dos Palmos, five (nos. 2496-2500), Strawberry Valley, five (nos. 2586-2590), Hemet Lake, two (nos. 2983, 2984), Vallevista, one (no. 3127).
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 253
Sayornis sayus (Bonaparte) Say Phoebe
Probably breeds alone the eastern base of the mountains, though we failed to find it doing so in the few places where it was encountered. Observed as follows: a few seen the first week in May in the vicinity of Cabezon; a single bird observed sing- ing on the brink of Deep Canon (3000 feet), May 31; a full- erown juvenal secured at Vandeventer Flat, July 2, undoubt- edly a wanderer from the desert below; numerous about Hemet Lake in August, when the late summer dispersal was well under way.
Two specimens were collected, both full-grown juvenals: Vandeventer Flat, July 2 (no. 2295), and Hemet Lake, August 11 (no. 2987).
Sayornis nigricans (Swainson) Black Phoebe
Distributed over the lower parts of the range, nowhere abund- ant, but present at all suitable spots. At Kenworthy on June 5a nest which the young had just left was found at the entrance of a small tunnel.
Found nesting in Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, probably the uppermost breeding limit of the species in these mountains. Here, on July 17, a nest was found built on the window casing of a deserted cabin, and containing four half-grown young. Although no nests were discovered on the desert side of the range the presence of a single bird in Palm Canon at about 3000 feet, on June 13, two families at the mouth of Palm Canon, June 14, and a single bird by one of the pools in Deep Canon, June 21, may be taken as evidence of the probable breeding of the species at these points. Adults, apparently breeding, were taken at Cabezon in May, where, however, they were not common.
In the late summer they increased in numbers, and also wandered to higher elevations, being seen in July in Tahquitz Valley (8000 feet) and in Round Valley (9000 feet). They were particularly abundant about the shores of Hemet Lake, in August.
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Eleven specimens were collected: Cabezon, two (nos. 1700, 1701), Schain’s Ranch, one (no. 1787), Poppet Flat, one (no. 2002), Strawberry Valley, two (nos. 2591, 2592), Round Valley, two (nos. 2216, 2217), Hemet Lake, one (no. 2988), and the mouth of Palm Cafion, two (nos. 3076, 3077).
Nuttallornis borealis (Swainson ) Olive-sided Flycatcher
Observed in some numbers over most of the range, migrating at the lower levels in May and June, and later on found breed- ing at the higher points visited. In Hemet Valley, at Ken- worthy and Vandeventer Flat, they were seen migrating up to June 2. On the north slopes of the mountains, at Cabezon in May, and at Snow Creek the first week in June, they were daily seen passing through. Birds observed at Fuller’s Mill toward the end of June, on Santa Rosa Peak at the end of June, in Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley, and Round Valley, in July, were undoubtedly nesting. In Strawberry Valley a nest was found on July 9, placed in a small clump of mistletoe near the end of a drooping cedar bough, about twenty feet above the hillside. It was not looked into, but probably contained young, as one of the parents arrived with insects in its bill.
In August they were seen about Hemet Lake, evidently begin- ning to wander from the breeding grounds, and also on Thomas Mountain. None was encountered at any time along the desert base of the mountains, at Dos Palmos or in Palm Cafion, though they might be expected to occur there during the migrations.
Ten specimens were collected: Cabezon, seven (nos. 1672-— 1678), Vandeventer Flat, one (no. 2302), Santa Rosa Peak, one (no. 2470), and Strawberry Valley, one (no. 2585).
Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni (Swainson) Western Wood Pewee A common species, nesting in abundance from high Upper Sonoran upwards. At lower points it was encountered migrating in some numbers, at Cabezon early in May, at Dos Palmos from May 26 to June 1, and at Snow Creek and Whitewater, June
1913) Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 255
3. At Kenworthy (4500 feet) a nest was found in course of con- struction on June 9. Other nests were found, one building at Garnet Queen Mine, June 26, and one with three eggs at Fuller’s Mill, June 22. At various collecting stations in higher parts of the range, Santa Rosa Mountain, Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley, and Round Valley, the birds were everywhere numerous, usually along the water courses. At Hemet Lake and on Thomas Mountain, in August, they were also abundant.
Twenty-three specimens were collected: Snow Creek, three (nos. 2143-2145), Cabezon, three (nos. 1682, 1683, 1685), Hur- ley Flat, one (no. 1684), Schain’s Ranch, five (nos. 1913-1917), Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 2001), Strawberry Valley, two (nos. 2583, 2584), Tahquitz Valley, one (no. 2803), Round Valley, two (nos. 2110, 2215), Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3036), Vandeventer Flat, one (no. 2303), Garnet Queen Mine, two (nos. 2474, 2475),
and Dos Palmos, one (no. 2506).
Empidonax difficilis difficilis Baird Western Flycatcher
Found breeding in small numbers at a few points in high Upper Sonoran and in Transition, usually being seen or heard in the dense vegetation along the streams. Migrating birds were taken at Cabezon early in May, and at Dos Palmos the end of May. A few belated migrants were noted at the desert base of the mountains the middle of June, one taken at Palm Canon (38000 feet), June 13, one taken at the mouth of Palm Canon, June 15, and one heard at Banning, June 10.
At Garnet Queen Mine a few were seen, and on June 26 a nest was found containing three small young, the nest being placed in the end of a broken-off log, about eight feet above the bed of the stream.
In Strawberry Valley, in July, a few of the birds were seen or heard daily along the streams. Occasional birds beginning to appear in Tahquitz Valley at the end of July were probably wanderers from lower points. On Thomas Mountain, August 16-21, they were noticeably abundant.
Twenty-one specimens were collected, eighteen skins, as follows: Cabezon, three (nos. 1697-1699), Snow Creek, one (no. 2139),
256 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Strawberry Valley, four (nos. 2593-2595, 2606), Tahquitz Valley, two (nos. 2801, 2802), Thomas Mountain, four (nos. 3038-3041), Garnet Queen Mine, two (nos. 2460, 2461), Dos Palmos, one (no. 2507), Palm Cafion, two (nos. 3079, 3080); and three newly hatched young taken at Garnet Queen Mine, and preserved in aleohol (no. 15475).
Empidonax trailli trailli (Audubon) Traill Flyeatcher
Seen only on the desert side of the mountains until the late summer movement began, when they appeared in numbers at other points. Migrating birds were taken at Cabezon in May. At Dos Palmos at the end of May, they were present in some numbers, migrating as we supposed; but since many more were seen at the same spot the third week in June, they were possibly breeding. Here they frequented the thickets of desert willow marking the course of Carrizo Creek. We found them in very similar surroundings in Palm Canon, the middle of June, at the mouth of the Canon and at various points up to about 3000 feet.
During the first two weeks in August they were noticeably abundant at Hemet Lake, the following week (August 16-20) a number were seen on Thomas Mountain (altitude 6800 feet), and later, August 22-27, many were observed along Carrizo Creek, below Dos Palmos.
Nineteen specimens, all adults, were preserved: Cabezon, six (nos. 1686-1691), Snow Creek, three (nos. 2140-2142), Banning, one (no. 2052), Dos Palmos, five (nos. 2501-2505), Palm Cafion, one (no. 3078), Hemet Lake, two (nos. 2989-2990), and Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3037).
Empidonax wrighti Baird Wright Flycatcher The status of the species of small flyeatecher breeding in the Boreal zone of the mountain ranges of southern California is a problem that can not yet be considered satisfactorily solved, in spite of the large amount of material accumulated during the last few years. It seems apparent, however, that the breeding
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 257
bird of this region is not Empidonar griseus Brewster, as it has heretofore been considered. Large, gray-colored birds appar- ently referable to this latter species occur regularly in southern California during the migrations, and in winter, but are never seen during the breeding season nor in the high mountains, while, on the other hand, individuals of the wrighti type are of extremely rare occurrence away from their nesting ground in the Boreal zone. The facet that the wandering examples of griseus are usually in quite fresh plumage, while of the summer specimens of wrighti in our collections a large proportion are juvenals, and the adults mostly in very worn condition, though the color differences are thereby accentuated, gave the impres- sion that these differences were mostly seasonal, or from wear. All the southern California breeding birds, however, are of the smaller size, with shorter, broader bill, and brown-colored lower mandible, characteristic of wrighti, while the migrants from the lowlands of the region which we now regard as examples of griseus, are of larger size, with longer and more slender bill, and with light-colored lower mandible.
It appears, therefore, that both species occur in southern California, griseus as a regular but rather uneommon migrant and winter visitant in the valleys, more commonly on the deserf, and wrighti as an abundant summer visitant in the comparatively limited area of high Transition and Boreal of the mountains. The fact that the latter species is of exceedingly rare occurrence, almost unknown, in the lowlands of the region, points to similar habits of migration to those of Passerella 7. stephensi, and Oreospiza chlorura, occupying precisely the same summer habitat. All three species depart from the region in fall and enter again in the spring, without visiting the adjacent plains and valleys.
The similarity of wrighti and griseus, both in appearance and habits, is such as to have caused them for years to be confused, but there is little doubt but that there are two such distinct forms, though the occurrence of numerous individuals with diffi- culty allotted to one or the other species seems to indicate the possibility of intergradation between them. Such intergradation, indeed, was pointed out by Brewster (1889, p. 88), in his deserip-
258 University of California Publications in Zoology | Vou. 10
tion of E£. griseus, not only between griseus and obscurus (=wrighti), but also between obscurus and hammondi, extremely small, dark-colored examples of hammondi at the one extreme, and large gray-colored specimens of griseus at the other, with wrighti occupying middle ground; all of which is abundantly illustrated in the collections of this Museum. As pointed out by the above author, however, species of Empidonax with difficulty distinguished in the cabinet skin, may be perfectly distinet forms. and it seems advisable for the present to treat the above three species as such.
Apparently nothing is known of the nesting habits of EF. griseus, the published breeding ranges being merely general statements, with no precise data to support them. The observed facts bearing on the migration and winter home of the species do not tend to shed any heht on the probable breeding ground of this large, pale-colored Empidonax. It is generally stated to breed commonly in southern Arizona, on just what grounds is unknown to us, but in this connection mention of a specimen in juvenal plumage (no. 5865, coll. H. 8. Swarth), apparently referable to E. griseus, taken in that region, may be of interest. This bird, a juvenal female, was secured in the foothills of the Huachuca Mountains, October 1, 1907, evidently a very late- hatched bird, and in itself no proof whatever of the species breeding in the immediate vicinity. Compared with juvenals of wrighti it shows differences exactly comparable with those dis- tinguishing adults of the two forms—decidedly grayer colora- tion, and longer, more slender bill, with conspicuously lighter colored lower mandible. It is quite unlike any juvenals at hand from the mountains of southern California, and the Museum eon- tains a number in comparable plumage. These well-marked characters appearing in the juvenal plumage strongly support the idea of the specifie distinetion of E. griseus.
The Wright flyeatcher was found breeding in abundance in the higher parts of the San Jacinto Mountains. On Santa Rosa Mountain it occurred down to the lowest edge of Transition, there sharply defined, numbers of the birds being seen or heard at the Garnet Queen Mine, altitude 6000 feet. On the higher slopes of Santa Rosa Peak and Toro Peak, though present, it was much
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 259
less numerous. The species was not observed in Strawberry Val- ley, low Transition and practically the same elevation as the Garnet Queen Mine, though found at Fuller’s Mill nearby; two thousand feet higher, in Tahquitz Valley, and from there upwards, it was a very common species. Some of the birds were seen but a few hundred feet below the summit of San Jacinto Peak.
In Round Valley during the first two weeks in July they were common. A nest was found here on July 10, contaiming on this date four newly hatched young. It was placed in a goose- berry bush, about two feet above the ground, and was imper- fectly concealed. In Tahquitz Valley toward the end of July, the birds were abundant, the broods of young being now out of the nests, and perched in the trees and bushes, attended by their parents.
Specimens were collected as follows: Cabezon, one (no. 1695) ; Garnet Queen Mine, Santa Rosa Mountains, three (nos. 2462— 2464); Fuller’s Mill, three (nos. 2003-2005) ; Tahquitz Valley, sixteen (nos. 2828-2832, 2834-2836, 2838, 2839, 2843-2845, 2856- 2858) ; Round Valley, twelve (nos. 2106-2109, 2218-2221, 2837, 2840-2842), San Jacinto Peak, one (no. 2833), thirty-six in all. Twenty-one of these are adults, fifteen im juvenal plumage. One of the adults, no. 2841, Round Valley, July 27, has begun the annual molt, patches of new feathers appearing on the breast, dorsum and crown, and the new plumage is noticeably dark in coloration, very different indeed from fall specimens of E. griseus.
Empidonax griseus Brewster Gray Flycatcher The collection includes four small flyeatchers taken near Cab- ezon, at the northern base of the mountains, which we have, with some hesitation, placed in a different category from the breed- ing F. wrighti of the higher elevations. These birds (nos. 1692— 1694, 1696) were collected, the first three on May 4, the last on May 16, and were, of course, transients at this locality. In pale coloration and color of bill they are referable to griseus,
260 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou 10
though none presents the extreme of characters of that race, and they may possibly be merely intergrades, or individual variants. At the same time (May 14) a typical example of EF. wrighti was taken at the same place.
Otocoris alpestris actia Oberholser California Horned Lark
Abundant on the extensive flats of upper Hemet Valley, at Hemet Lake, Kenworthy, and east nearly to Vandeventer Flat. At Kenworthy in June large flocks of old and young together were to be seen everywhere on the pasture land. A very few were noted at points on the desert side of the San Gorgonio Pass, three or four at Cabezon, May 4, and another small flock at Whitewater, May 25, at both places in small cultivated patches of ground. In the stubble fields about Banning, and from there westward, it was a very abundant species.
Six specimens were preserved: one from Banning (no. 2051), and five from Kenworthy (nos. 2296-2300), all adults.
Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis (Ridgway) Blue-fronted Jay
Notably abundant in Strawberry Valley, much more so than at any other point visited. At Schain’s Ranch, the lower edge of Transition, and at Tahquitz Valley, high Transition, they were present, but in lesser numbers. Very few were noted in Round Valley. On Santa Rosa Mountain they were also exceed- ingly scarce. At Hemet Lake, early in August, and on Thomas Mountain a little later, they were seen daily, at that time prob- ably beginning to scatter out more widely over the mountains.
Twenty-seven specimens were preserved from the following poimts: Schain’s Ranch, two (nos. 1778, 1779); Fuller’s Mill, five (nos. 1869-1873) ; Strawberry Valley, sixteen (nos. 2556— 2571); Tahquitz Valley, one (no. 2875) ; Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3015); Toro Peak, one (no. 2466); Santa Rosa Peak, one (no. 2467).
Of the sixteen specimens taken in Strawberry Valley, a large proportion were killed in rat traps set for flying squirrels in the branches of oak trees.
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Aphelocoma californica californica (Vigors) California Jay
A common species in Upper Sonoran chaparral. Observed in numbers throughout Hemet Valley, at Hemet Lake, Ken- worthy, and Vandeventer Flat, and ranging upwards commonly to the altitude of Schain’s Ranch (4900 feet), less numerously to that of Garnet Queen Mine (6000 feet). On June 2 many were seen on Pinon Flat. At Dos Palmos they were encoun- tered in small numbers along the ereek, at the end of May and early in June, and again at the end of August.
Along the San Gorgonio base of the mountains, at Cabezon, Snow Creek, and Banning, California jays were seen in the brush quite to the foot of the hills, but no farther, none being observed in the brush on the desert floor.
At Kenworthy, toward the end of May, families of small young were frequently met with in the thickets of scrub oak in the valley. At Hemet Lake, in August, specimens of juvenals were taken molting into the first winter plumage; a bird taken at Vallevista September 2 has quite finished the molt.
Eighteen specimens were preserved, as follows: Hurley Flat, one (no. 1745), Schain’s Raneh, four (nos. 1918-1921), Ken- worthy, seven (nos. 2257-2263), Dos Palmos, one (no. 2494), Hemet Lake, four (nos. 2952-2955), Vallevista, one (no. 3104).
A form of this jay supposed to be distinet from californica has of late years come to be recognized as occupying extreme southern California, namely A. c. obscura (Anthony, 1889, p. 75). The characters for the distinguishment of this form, as given by the latest critical student of the genus (Ridgway, 1904, p. 330) are, as compared with A. c. californica: smaller size (except bill) and darker coloration. We have no material from the San Pedro Martir region, but we do have large series of skins from Monterey and other localities in the type region, together with plentiful material from San Diego County and elsewhere in southern California.
We find that, as regards size, there is no perceptible difference in either mass or proportions. In coloration we have tested for shade of dorsum,.shade of blue on wings, head and tail, grayish
262 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou- 10
tints beneath, and tinge of blue on lower tail coverts. In not one of these respects do we find the least apparent difference, always taking perfectly comparable specimens into consideration, as regards age and stage of plumage wear. We cannot help but believe that misinterpretation has resulted from inadequate material; for there is a very great modification of colors through the year accompanying abrasion and fading of the plumage. Furthermore, comparison with birds from the Sierra Nevada area is not pertinent in this connection. Since the name cali- fornicus was applied to the coast form (Monterey, in the Santa Cruz district), and since, as we are thoroughly convinced our- selves, birds from the San Diegan district and the Santa Cruz district are identical, there is no justification for using the name obscura for the southern California Aphelocoma.
If distinetion is to be made anywhere among these jays in California, separate designation should more properly be given to birds of the Sierra Nevada area, which are somewhat paler and larger than the coast form.
Corvus corax sinuatus Wagler Western Raven
Not common. Seen in small numbers, single birds or two together, at various times and places, none at a higher elevation than Kenworthy, 4500 feet. At Deep Canon, June 19, two sud- denly appeared, circling overhead while we were working over the carcass of a mountain sheep, though none had been noted during the days previously spent at this point.
Single birds were seen as follows: near Hemet, May 19, at Whitewater, May 1 and June 3, and Cabezon, May 8. One was noted at Kenworthy, June 9, and several, feeding on the carcass of a ealf, August 9. Several at Dos Palmos, August 23 to 27.
Nucifraga columbiana (Wilson) Clarke Nuteracker Met with in but very small numbers and at few points. During July a few were seen daily in Round Valley and in Tahquitz
>
Valley; one on July 7 at the summit of San Jacinto Peak. In
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 263
a damp meadow near the summit of Toro Peak two were seen June 30, and a single bird July 1, the only ones noted in the Santa Rosa Mountains. A solitary strageler taken on the sage- brush flat at Kenworthy, June 8, was the only individual noted below high Transition.
Four specimens were secured: Kenworthy, one (no. 2256), Round Valley, one (no. 2073), Tahquitz Valley, one (no. 2846), and Toro Peak, one (no. 2468). All are adults in rather worn plumage.
Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus ( Wied) Pinon Jay
Seen only in Hemet Valley, where they were at times abund- ant. At Kenworthy, during the last week in May and the first half of June, large flocks appeared almost every day, feeding on the ground in the sagebrush covered valley. Flocks were encountered between Kenworthy and Hemet Lake, June 6, and at Hemet Lake, August 9.
Eleven specimens were preserved, all taken at Kenworthy (nos. 2239-2249). Three are adults, eight full grown juvenals.
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonaparte) Yellow-headed Blackbird
Observed as a migrant at Cabezon, during May. Four speci- mens were taken (nos. 1646-1649), an adult male and three females. Not encountered elsewhere.
Agelaius phoeniceus neutralis Ridgway San Diego Red-wing Seen only in the vicinity of Hemet Lake. As some were observed in June they were probably breeding on the marshy ground at the head of the lake. In August small flocks were noted here on several oceasions.
Sturnella neglecta Audubon Western Meadowlark
Breeds abundantly in the lower parts of the mountains. In San Jacinto Valley, to the westward, and in San Gorgonio Pass,
264 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
to the northward, it was exceedingly numerous, but we did not find it in the desert region at the eastern base of the range. Breeds in numbers as high as Kenworthy and Vandeventer Flat, in Hemet Valley, and at Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, where breed- ing birds were taken. In the late summer they were encountered at much higher elevations, at Round Valley, 9000 feet, July 9, and at Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, July 20. These were undoubt- edly wanderers from below, and not to be supposed to have nested at these altitudes.
Ten specimens were collected: Cabezon, two (nos. 1653, 1654), Whitewater, one (no. 2055), Banning, one (no. 2028), Schain’s Ranch, one (no. 1788), Round Valley, two (nos. 2079, 2080), Hemet Lake, one (no. 2950), Kenworthy, two (nos. 2293, 2294).
The two Round Valley specimens, taken July 9, are full grown juvenals. The Hemet Lake example, August 11. is well along in the post-juvenal molt.
Icterus parisorum Bonaparte Seott Oriole
Occurs in a fairly well-defined area on the desert slope of the mountains, where it was not uncommon. We encountered it at points in Palm Cafion, and in the adjacent Dos Palmos and Pinon Flat regions. Here it occupied the agave belt, about at the point of mergence of Upper and Lower Sonoran, not being once seen in the higher Upper Sonoran of the neighboring Van- deventer Flat and Hemet Valley just above, nor in the Lower Sonoran of the desert foothills just below where the agave was replaced by cholla cactus. It was most abundant in Palm Canon at about 3500 feet, and at Dos Palmos and Deep Canon, at about the same altitude. A few were seen on Pifion Flat (4000 feet) and at Asbestos Spring (4500 feet). Omstott Creek, just west of Pion Flat, is about the western limit of the species in the mountains, though on one occasion, June 23, a bird was heard singing half a mile farther west.
About our camps at Dos Palmos and in Upper Palm Canon, in May and June, the loud, ringing note of this oriole was one of the most conspicuous audible evidences of bird life. The male
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 265
birds were frequently seen, perched on the agaves or flying over- head, but they were remarkably shy, seldom permitting a near approach. In fact, the only specimen secured, an adult male (no, 2485) taken at Dos Palmos June 1, flew into a tree within gunshot of the collector, who was sitting, unobserved, near camp.
At the time of our last visit to Dos Palmos and Deep Canon, late in the summer, August 22 to 27, the orioles seemed to have already abandoned their breeding grounds, for none was to be seen. To all appearance food was more abundant then than earlier in the season, the plentiful summer rains having brought forth an abundance of vegetation, with a corresponding abund- ance of insect life.
Icterus cucullatus nelsoni Ridgway Arizona Hooded Oriole
Seen at but a few points, in the lowest parts of the range. On the desert side they were largely confined to the immediate neighborhood of the Washington palms. Thus at Dos Palmos Spring, the last week in May, there was a nest of the Arizona hooded oriole containing small young, in one of the palms by the spring, while the species was not seen elsewhere in the vicinity. At the mouth of Palm Canon they were common, and breeding in the palm trees, as also at the mouth of Murray Canon near by. They did, however, ascend Palm Canon somewhat farther up than the palm trees extended, being seen in cottonwoods at Little Paradise, about 2500 feet.
At Cabezon they were fairly abundant during May; toward the end of the month a number of nests were found, one or two in cottonwoods, but the majority in palm trees on deserted ranches in the vicinity. The species was seen at Banning, June 8, and at Hemet, May 19, undoubtedly nesting at both places.
Five specimens were taken: Cabezon, three (nos. 1726-1728), Snow Creek, one (no. 2155), and Vallevista, one (no. 3126). The Vallevista specimen, taken August 30, is in juvenal plumage throughout.
266 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Icterus bullocki (Swainson) Bulloek Oriole
Common nearly everywhere, up to the lower edge of Tran- sition. Abundant at Cabezon in May, migrating early in the month and found breeding a little later. At Kenworthy they were also numerous in May and June, feeding in the sagebrush to a great extent, and also frequenting the scattered clumps of yellow pines. On June 10 after a high wind, a nest with four broken eggs was found under a pine tree. Also seen at Van- deventer Flat, Banning, Schain’s Ranch, and Strawberry Valley, probably breeding at all these points. Single birds noted in Tah- quitz Valley, July 25 and 29, were undoubtedly wanderers from lower down.
Eleven specimens were preserved, as follows: Cabezon, three (nos. 1729-1731), Banning, one (no. 2047), Schain’s Ranch, one (no. 1786), Kenworthy, four (nos. 2286-2289), Dos Palmos, one (no. 2508), and Strawberry Valley, one (no. 2616).
Euphagus cyanocephalus (Wagler) Brewer Blackbird
Fairly common at many points in the lower parts of the mountains. Breeding colonies were observed at Cabezon, Ken- worthy, and Vandeventer Flat. Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, was the highest point at which the species was encountered in the San Jacintos. Here, in July, flocks of old and young together, frequented the corrals and pastures. At Hemet Lake, early in August, they were abundant.
Six specimens were preserved, three from Cabezon (nos. 1650— 1652), and three from Kenworthy (nos. 2290-2292).
Carpodacus purpureus californicus Baird California Purple Finch Fairly common in Strawberry Valley during July. The only other places where the species was encountered were a little meadow just below the summit of Toro Peak, where, on July 1, several were seen, and Tahquitz Valley, where two specimens were taken, an adult female, July 20, and a juvenal male, July
1913] Grinnell_-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 267
29. The latter two were probably wanderers from a lower elevation. Thus the California purple finch was found in the San Jacinto mountains under very similar conditions to those observed in the San Bernardino Mountains (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 88), occurring in both regions in a limited area of low Tran- sition on the Paeifie side of the mountains, and preferably in the vicinity of streams. Nine specimens were collected (nos. 2636-2642, 2727, 2731), seven from Strawberry Valley, and two from Tahquitz Valley.
Carpodacus cassini Baird Cassin Purple Finch
Fairly common in Tahquitz Valley (8000 feet), and in Round Valley (9000 feet), during July. A single adult male, secured at Fuller’s Mill (6000 feet), July 1, was the only one seen at any other point.
In Tahquitz Valley small flocks of full-grown juvenals fre- quented the grassy meadows. Twelve specimens were preserved : Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 1890), lower slopes of San Jacinto Peak, two (nos. 2081, 2082), Round Valley, three (nos. 2083, 2084. 2730), Tahquitz Valley, six (nos. 2726, 2728, 2729. 2732-2734).
Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say) California Linnet
A common species, encountered in some numbers at every point visited, up to the lower limits of Transition. Nests with eggs or young were found at Cabezon early in May, at Kenworthy toward the end of May, at the mouth of Palm Canon, and at Dos Palmos and Deep Canon, in the middle of June, and at Garnet Queen Mine at the end of June. Where houses were available the birds made use of them; thus at Kenworthy and yarnet Queen Mine, nests were placed in niches about the aban- doned mine buildings. At the mouth of Palm Canon, and in Murray Canon they were built in the palm trees and in eactuses ; in Deep Canon, May 30, a nest with four incubated eggs was
found in a eactus.
268 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
The highest points at which the species was observed were Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, where several were seen July 14, Santa Rosa Peak, 7500 feet, where a few visited a water hole at our camp, June 30, and on Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, where a few were noted at various times from August 16 to 21.
At Vallevista, during the first week in September, they were fairly abundant, and feeding on the ripe fruit of the yucea.
Eleven specimens were preserved, as follows: Cabezon, one (no. 1644), Schain’s Ranch, two (nos. 1863, 1864), Banning, one (no. 2046), Snow Creek, one (no. 2168), Kenworthy, two (nos. 2349, 2350), mouth of Palm Cafion, one (no. 3035), Vallevista, three (nos. 3121-3123).
Loxia curvirostra bendirei Ridgway Sierra Crossbill
In Round Valley, on August 1 and 2, several single birds, and companies of two or three together, were seen and heard, flying to and fro high overhead, and occasionally alighting for a few moments in the tops of the tallest trees. The incessant utter- ance of the loud callnote made them very conspicuous, but from their continually restless movements it was difficult to secure specimens. One was finally obtained as it darted from a tree top, where it had been calling, unseen, in the heavy foliage. During previous visits to Round Valley, three members of the expedition having established a camp there, July 6 to 12, and two others having visited it on July 27, no crossbills were seen. Had they been present, and acting as they were at the later visit, they could not have been overlooked.
The only other place where the species was observed was at Vallevista, where two were seen on August 31, and another September 3. This record station is extraordinary, the locality being a brush-covered Lower Sonoran sand wash at the base of the mountains; but there is no doubt as to the identity of the birds seen. The first two darted into a pepper tree under which camp was pitched, and sat in full view, calling continuously. They were off again at the first movement of the observer. The other bird seen, circled about overhead, calling at frequent inter- vals.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 269
The specimen secured (no. 2725) is an adult male, and prac- tically like examples from the San Bernardino Mountains (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 91), and from Mount Pinos (see Grinnell, 1905, p. 385). These birds are all sufficiently distinct both from Loxia c. minor and L. c. stricklandi to justify the use of the name bendirei in this connection. They are about intermediate in size between the very small minor, represented in the Museum collection by examples from the eastern United States and from the northwest coast, and the very large stricklandi, as represented by specimens from the mountains of southern Arizona.
Astragalinus tristis salicamans (Grinnell) Willow Goldfinch
Seen only along the San Gorgonio Pass base of the mountains. They were not numerous there, but small numbers were seen almost daily, at Cabezon during May, and at Banning early in June. A nest was found in an almond orchard at Cabezon. One specimen was preserved (no. 1642), an adult male taken near Cabezon, May 10.
Astragalinus psaltria hesperophilus Oberholser Green-backed Goldfinch
Fairly common at most points visited up to the lower edge of Transition. Seen during May and June at various points in Hemet Valley between Hemet Lake and Vandeventer Flat. A few were noted about Dos Palmos at the end of May and early in June. <A nest found in the nearby Deep Canon, May 30, was placed in one of the few cottonwoods scattered along the bottom of the gorge. Several birds were seen June 15 at the mouth of Murray Canon, just above the floor of the desert.
Found in abundance along the northern base of the moun- tains, at Snow Creek, Cabezon, and Banning.
The highest points of record are Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, Garnet Queen Mine, 6000 feet, and Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet.
270 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Nine specimens were collected: Hurley Flat, one (nc. 1643), Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 1894), Strawberry Valley, three (nos. 2662-2664), Garnet Queen Mine, three (nos. 2416-2418), and Vallevista, one (no. 3131).
Astragalinus lawrencei (Cassin) Lawrence Goldfinch
Observed at various points in the lower parts of the moun- tains, though seldom seen in any numbers. Most numerous in San Gorgonio Pass, at Cabezon and Banning, and also at Schain’s Ranch. Not seen at all on the desert slopes, Omstott Creek being apparently about the eastern limit of the species in this region. Found ranging up to the lower edge of Transition, as at Fuller’s Mill, Strawberry Valley, and Garnet Queen Mine, all about 6000 feet elevation.
A nest containing young was found at Cabezon, May 4. Full- erown juvenals were taken at Poppet Flat, June 24, and one was seen at Strawberry Valley, July 16.
Fifteen specimens were secured, as follows: Banning, three (nos. 2043-2045), Snow Creek, one (no. 2169), Schain’s Ranch, two (nos. 1859, 1862), Poppet Flat, three (nos. 1860, 1861, 1897), Fuller’s Mill, two (nos. 1895, 1896), Strawberry Valley, one (no. 2665), Garnet Queen Mine, two (nos. 2374, 2375), Omstott Creek, one (no. 2544).
Spinus pinus pinus ( Wilson) Pine Siskin
An abundant species in the higher parts of the San Jacinto Mountains. A few were seen at Schain’s Ranch (4900 feet), and at Fuller’s Mill (6000 feet). In Strawberry Valley (6000 feet) they were rather more abundant, while in the higher, Canadian zone valleys, Tahquitz (8000 feet) and Round Valley (9000 feet), numerous flocks were observed daily. A single bird taken near the summit of Santa Rosa Peak on July 1, was the only one seen in this part of the range.
No positive evidence was secured to prove the breeding of this species in the region explored, though the capture of full-
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 271
grown juvenals in Round Valley, July 26, and Tahquitz Valley, July 29, might be taken as such.
Small flocks encountered in Strawberry Valley in July were feeding on thistles. At Hemet Lake, August 5 to 14, they were several times noted feeding in weed patches in the open meadows about the lake.
Thirteen specimens were taken: Round Valley, four (nos. 2115, 2201, 2777, 2778), Tahquitz Valley, two (nos. 2776, 2779), Strawberry Valley, five (nos. 2657-2661), Hemet Lake, ore (no. 3003), Santa Rosa Peak, one (no. 2425).
Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus Bonaparte Western Savannah Sparrow Several, migrants undoubtedly, were seen in an alfalfa patch near the station at Cabezon, May 4. Small sparrows, not defin- itely identified but supposed to be of this species, were seen in the grassy fields at the upper end of Hemet Lake on several occasions between August 11 and 15.
Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus Swainson Western Grasshopper Sparrow
The discovery of this species breeding in the San Jacinto Mountains was an unexpected result of the season’s work. The birds were seen at but one point, in a meadow at Schain’s Ranch, altitude 4900 feet, where several were noted, and three secured. The specimens taken (nos. 1799-1801) were an adult male, June 28, and an adult male and a juvenile female, June 29. As several others were seen and as both adults taken were males, there were apparently at least two pairs of the birds with their broods in this little meadow. The young secured is in the streaked, juvenile plumage, and there seems little reason to doubt that it was hatched in the immediate vicinity.
Chondestes grammacus strigatus Swainson Western Lark Sparrow A common species in the valleys west of the mountains, extending eastward through San Gorgonio Pass. Seen in abund-
272 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
ance in the latter region as far east as Cabezon. In the moun- tains proper it was noted in fair numbers at Kenworthy in May and June, and, the highest record station, at Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, in May.
Eighteen specimens were taken: Cabezon, four (nos. 1622- 1624, 2132), Banning, two (nos. 2036, 2037), Snow Creek, one (no. 2167), and Schain’s Ranch, eleven (nos. 1815-1825).
Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys (Forster) White-crowned Sparrow
Observed migrating in fair abundance during May, at Cab- ezon, on the desert side of the range. Seen elsewhere only at Kenworthy, where a single bird was taken May 24. In southern California this species is largely confined to the desert regions east of the mountains, where it is a fairly common migrant. In the Pacific slope valleys it is of decidedly rare occurrence.
Six specimens were taken by the expedition, five at Cabezon (nos. 1617-1621), and one at Kenworthy (no. 2355).
Spizella passerina arizonae Coues Western Chipping Sparrow
An abundant species in the higher parts of the mountains. Seen commonly from the altitude of Schain’s Ranch (4900 feet) and Strawberry Valley (6000 feet) upward on San Jacinto Mountain, and from Garnet Queen Mine (6000 feet) upward on Santa Rosa Mountain. Not seen in Hemet Valley until after the termination of the nesting season. Early in August flocks composed largely of juvenals were noted in weed-grown fields about Hemet Lake. The middle of August they were conspicu- ously abundant on Thomas Mountain.
Though not encountered in the lower parts of the mountains proper, the species was noted, rather singularly, at one low zone station at the northern base of the range. In Banning (2300 feet) chipping sparrows were seen at various times during the second week in June, in orchards and gardens in the town, and it accord-
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 273
ingly seems possible that they were breeding there. The species is known to breed in similar situations in certain Upper Sonoran valleys west of the mountains.
Twenty-eight specimens were collected, as follows: Round Val- ley, one (no. 2200), Tahquitz Valley, two (nos. 2847, 2848), Strawberry Valley, nine (nos. 2666-2674), Fuller’s Mill, three (nos. 1891-1893), Schain’s Ranch, four (nos. 1908-1911), Hemet Lake, five (nos. 2966-2970), Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3030), Garnet Queen Mine, one (no. 2433), Toro Peak, two (nos. 2431, 2432).
One partial albino was secured: no. 2969, 2 juv., Hemet Lake, August 14. It is in the juvenal plumage, but with the following areas pure white: rump, upper tail coverts and all but two of the rectrices, most of the primaries, and the primary coverts of each wing, almost the entire under surface of the body, and some feathers on the nape. Some of the dusky juvenal streakings are present on the sides of the breast.
Spizella breweri Cassin Brewer Sparrow
At the end of May and during June this species was fairly common in the sagebrush of Hemet Valley. It was observed by us at Thomas Valley, Kenworthy, and nearly to Vandeventer Flat, and was undoubtedly breeding throughout this region. At Cabezon, early in May, small flocks of Brewer sparrows were seen on several occasions, apparently migrating. They were found nesting nowhere on the desert slopes of the mountains. Fairly common in the chaparral at Vallevista, August 29 to September 5.
Five specimens were collected, two at Cabezon (nos. 1634, 1635), and three at Vallevista (nos. 3118-3120).
Spizella atrogularis (Cabanis) Black-chinned Sparrow
A common species on the northern and western slopes of the mountains, but not encountered at any point on the desert side.
274 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou 10
They were particularly numerous in Hemet Valley, where the characteristic song of the male bird was to be heard on all sides, from Kenworthy to Vandeventer Flat, and beyond as far as Omstott Creek and the lower parts of Santa Rosa Mountain. As a rule they frequented the chaparral-covered hills, rather than the sage-brush of the valley, but were found in the latter also where the growth was particularly dense, as between Vande- venter Flat and Santa Rosa Mountain.
On the northern slopes of the range, in May and June, many were seen at Cabezon, Banning and Schain’s Ranch; as small juvenals were taken they were evidently nesting at these points.
Two nests were found, one at Kenworthy, May 21, the other between Vandeventer Flat and Santa Rosa Mountain, June 25. The two, very similar in construction, were both in sagebrush about two feet from the ground, well concealed, and discovered only by the sudden flight of the female. The first contained four eges, far incubated; the second, three eggs, one infertile, the others incubated. Of the first found, the nest and broken egg shells were saved (no. 78); the second nest was preserved with the eggs intact (no. 73). The shells of no. 78 are clear nile blue without a trace of maculation; those of no. 73 are nile blue with sparse dotting of sepia, cinnamon, and fawn color, these mark- ings being agglomerated around the large ends of the eggs. The latter set measures in millimeters: 17.9 x 14.3, 17.8 x 14.2, 17.6x aml
The parent birds were extremely shy, the male singing at a safe distance, the female hovering about uttering excited “‘chips,”’ but not permitting a near approach.
During May and June the male birds uttered their brief song at frequent intervals throughout the day. The song of the black- chinned sparrow is absolutely distinct from that of any other bird of southern California. A description may be attempted as follows: The male bird selects the tip of the tallest shrub in the chaparral in the vicinity of its nest. This perch is seldom more than six feet above the ground, usually on the rising slope above the nest. In one instance a singing bird was at the tip of a scrub oak at least fifteen feet above the ground; in another a male was observed at the extreme top of a dead pine, about
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 275
one hundred feet from the gound, where he sang for some time before descending to the brush beneath; but these are exceptional cases.
The song is a brief series of notes run together rapidly, the series repeated at irregular intervals, as often as fifteen seconds apart, but with occasional lapses of many minutes. All the notes of the series are on apparently nearly the same pitch. But the first three at least, which are uttered with relative deliberation and distinctness, are of rising inflection; the rest of the series are uttered so rapidly that individual intonation is lost. To deseribe the sequence in other words, the first note of the series receives most stress, the rest successively less stress until the last ones are scarcely distinguishable to the ear. The pitch is very high, wiry, but not loud or piercing. The general impression is of a weak song. It certainly does not carry far; on the con- trary, a bird may be singing close at hand, and give the impres- sion of great distance.
If comparisons be made, we should say that in length of song, and frequeney of repetition, the black-chinned sparrow is lke the Lazuli bunting; in sequence of notes, uniformity of pitch, and increasing rapidity of utterance it 1s like the wren-tit; in rising inflection of each of the first few notes of the series it is like the eahon wren; in high-pitched quality of tone and general weakness it resembles the western gnatcatcher. The song of the eastern field sparrow, according to memory, most nearly resembles that of the black-chinned sparrow.
Aside from the song of the male, the only other vocalization possessed by the black-chinned sparrow, is the chipping sparrow- like ‘‘chit’’ of both sexes, usually low but sharp, and as an expression of alarm, intensified.
The upward limit of the species in the San Jacinto Moun- tains during the breeding season appeared to be about 6000 feet, just at the lower edge of Transition. They were encountered at about this altitude at Fuller’s Mill, and near Garnet Queen Mine. That this species evinces the tendency, common to many low zone birds, to invade higher altitudes in late summer, was demonstrated by the capture of an immature specimen in Tah- quitz Valley, 8000 feet, on July 26.
276 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Early in August they were fairly common at Hemet Lake. Here they frequented certain open, gravelly areas near the shores of the lake, where there was a thin growth of low weeds in which the birds fed in seattered flocks of eight or ten.
Twenty-six specimens were taken, from the following points: Cabezon, five adults (nos. 1636-1640), Hurley Flat, one (no. 1641), Schain’s Raneh, one (no. 1865), Banning, two juvenals (nos. 2041, 2042), Kenworthy, five adults (nos. 2306, 2307, 2310- 2312), Vandeventer Flat, one adult (no. 2308) and one juvenal (no. 2309), Tahquitz Valley, one immature (no. 2849), Hemet Lake, nine immatures (nos. 2957-2965). The Tahquitz Valley and Hemet Lake specimens are all in complete first winter plumage, no adults being secured after the post-nuptial molt. The female taken with the set of eggs near Vandeventer Flat (no. 2308) is distinetly marked with black on the chin, quite as conspicuously as many male birds.
Junco oreganus thurberi Anthony Sierra Junco
A common species in the higher parts of the mountains, from the lower edge of Transition upwards. The lowest point at which juncos were seen was Sechain’s Ranch (4900 feet). At Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley, and Round Valley, and in the Santa Rosa Mountains, both at Garnet Queen Mine and on the ridge from Santa Rosa Peak to Toro Peak, they were numer- ous.
Two nests were found at Schain’s Ranch, June 22. They were in like situations, on the ground, near small streams, and well hidden in the shrubbery. One contained two eggs and two newly hatched young, and the other held three incubated eggs. Another nest was discovered in Tahquitz Valley, July 21. This was placed in a depression in a bank, adjoining a little stream, and concealed by overhanging grasses and ferns. As large young were seen by the third week in June, it accordingly seems prob- able that a second brood is sometimes raised. On Thomas Moun- tain, August 16 to 20, they were gathered in relatively large flocks. Specimens taken at this time were well advanced in the annual molt.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 277
Sixty specimens were preserved, as follows: Fuller’s Mill, eight (nos. 1964-1971), Round Valley, fourteen (nos. 2086-2092, 2191-2195, 2206, 2207), Tahquitz Valley, twelve (nos. 2928, 2930-2940), Strawberry Valley, four (nos. 2646-2649), Garnet Queen Mine, eight (nos. 2383-2385, 2406-2410), Santa Rosa Peak, seven (nos. 2411-2415, 2426, 2430), Toro Peak, three (nos. 2427-2429), Thomas Mountain, four (nos. 3026-3029).
Amphispiza bilineata deserticola Ridgway Desert Black-throated Sparrow
A common species on the desert foothills; one of the few birds that is even fairly abundant on the hot, dry mesas forming its habitat. Seen scattered through the brush at Dos Palmos, and in Palm Canon from the floor of the desert at the canon mouth up to about 3000 feet. In San Gorgonio Pass it was one of the characteristic birds at Whitewater, Snow Creek, Cabezon, and Banning.
A nest containing two eggs (no. 77) was found near the brink of Deep Canon, June 1. It was in a little gully, about a quar- ter of a mile from water, and placed in a clump of Dalea johnsonu, about one foot from the ground. It was loosely fas- tened among the forking branches, being held in place more by the general thorniness of the shrub than by any evident fore- thought in its construction. The material of the nest is mostly eray, weathered grass, and some fine weed stems. The parent bird slipped quietly off the nest, flew to some distance, and did not return.
This may have been a second set, full-grown juvenals being seen on the same date. As young birds at about the same stage of development were secured.in this locality late in the sum- mer, August 23 to 27, the nesting season appears to be rather protracted. Adults taken during the last week in August had nearly finished the annual molt.
The species was encountered at one place west of the moun- tains, a single bird being seen at Vallevista, September 4.
Twenty-six specimens were preserved: Snow Creek, two (nos. 2070, 2166), Cabezon, seven (nos. 1628-1633, 2125), Banning,
278 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
two (nos. 2038, 2039), Dos Palmos, eleven (nos. 2516-2526), Palm Canon, four (nos. 3042-3045).
Amphispiza belli (Cassin) Bell Sparrow
Fairly common, mostly in the sagebrush of the Upper Son- oran Zone. The species was first noted at an altitude of about 3000 feet as we entered the mountains from the west on the stage road following the course of the San Jacinto River. At Kenworthy, in May and June, it was noticeably abundant and undoubtedly breeding, though we found no nests. Here the birds frequented the denser growth of sagebrush on the floor of the valley. During the first week in June flocks of five or six individuals were occasionally encountered, possibly non-breeding birds, for the majority of the species were in pairs and scat- tered through the brush at fairly regular intervals. The birds forming flocks were silent, usually feeding on the ground, while of the paired birds the male spent a large portion of the time perched upon a projecting limb of a bush, and uttering his song at frequent intervals.
On the north side of the mountains Bell sparrows were fairly common in the greasewood of the foothills above Cabezon. In ascending the ‘‘Hall Grade’’ at this point, they were first seen at about 2000 feet, and from there on up to Hurley Flat. Also encountered during June at Banning and at Schain’s Ranch.
In the late summer, juvenals were secured at much higher altitudes than those frequented during the nesting season: in Tahquitz Valley (8000 feet), July 25, 28, 29, and in Round Valley (9000 feet), August 2. Abundant at Hemet Lake during August, and at Vallevista, at the western base of the mountains, August 29 to September 5. At the latter point they were gath- ered in flocks.
Adults taken at Schain’s Ranch the latter part of June are in the midst of the annual molt, while some collected at Hemet Lake, August 11, have nearly finished it. Full-grown juvenals were secured the last week in June, and others not yet molting
from the juvenal plumage, as late as August 6.
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Thirty-one specimens were collected: Hall Grade, two (nos. 1626, 1627), Schain’s Ranch, six (nos. 1902-1907), Poppet Flat, one (no. 2010), Banning, one (no. 2040), Kenworthy, seven (nos. 2356-2362), Tahquitz Valley, six (nos. 2859-2864), Round Valley, one (no. 2865), Hemet Lake, five (nos. 2971-2975), Vallevista, two (nos. 3116, 3117).
Melospiza melodia cooperi Ridgway San Diego Song Sparrow
Nowhere abundant, and yet represented in suitable places almost wherever such occur. Noted as follows: At Cabezon, May 20, one was seen in the canon bottom near camp; at a cienaga at about 2000 feet altitude in Snow Creek Canon, one was heard and seen repeatedly, May 28 and 31; near Banning, June 6, 8 and 14, single individuals were noted; several were heard or seen in ravines and meadows, and one (no. 1912) taken, at Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, June 18; in the canon of the San Jacinto River, near Oak Cliff, at 2000 feet altitude, one was heard, May 19; and in the lower Palm Canon, 800 to 1200 feet altitude, several were observed, and two (nos. 3053, 3054) taken, June 15 and 16. It is probable that the species was breeding at all these places.
The song sparrows in this region appeared to be restricted to Riparian or almost Palustrine associations, below the Tran- sition zone; this accords with the occurrence of the race cooper elsewhere in southern California. The thing of startling interest was its occurrence in the canons on the desert base of the moun- tains, without departing in its subspecific characters from the average of cooperi as occurring throughout the San Diegan dis- trict. The two specimens from Palm Canon are adults, in very gvood plumage for comparative purposes. They do not differ in appreciable degree from cooperi from the Pacific slope of southern California; in other words they show no perceptible approach towards the very different MW. m. saltonis of the Colo- rado desert around Mecea, at the northwest end of Salton Sea.
This is significant when it is considered that conditions of flora, temperature, and humidity, are to all appearances very
280 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
similar in lower Palm Cafion to what they are at Mecca; at least is this true of those conditions immediately surrounding the song sparrow. In Palm Canon, just the same as at Mecea, the plants foraged through are arrow-weed, mesquite, and small areas of wire grass.
It is probable that song sparrows in Palm Canon have been there for at least several generations, for the senior author col- lected a specimen typical of cooperi there December 28, 1903. It would therefore appear that the supposedly ‘‘susceptible’’ song sparrow (at any rate in this race) is in reality not sub- ject to quick modification of characters in the lifetime of the individual, or through several successive generations.
It is patent from geographie contiguity, as well as characters, that the colonies inhabiting Palm Canon and others of the canons of the desert drainage of the San Jacintos, were originally stocked from the Pacific side. The elapsed time has not been sufficient for the impress by the new and strange environment of modifications to a perceptible degree.
It would appear that here, under perfectly natural condi- tions, we have an experiment of just the sort demanded by experimentalists to prove whether or not subspecifie differences are subject to abrupt modification by changed environment. In this case the characters are much more stable than has been
supposed (see Beebe, 1907).
Melospiza lincolni lincolni (Audubon) Lincoln Sparrow
Found only in the Boreal meadows of Tahquitz Valley and Round Valley. Here during July we found them in fair abund- ance in the wet, veratrum-covered cienagas, though the birds were inconspicuous, and not readily seen. A large proportion of the specimens secured were caught in mouse traps set for meadow mice and shrews. Early in July, at the time of our arrival at the points where the species was encountered, the young were already out and flying about.
Twenty-two specimens were preserved, twelve adults and ten juvenals, nine from Round Valley (nos. 2097-2102, 2197-2199),
and thirteen from Tahquitz Valley (nos. 2916-2928).
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Passerella iliaca stephensi Anthony Stephens Fox Sparrow
Abundant in a comparatively limited area at high elevations. We found it in numbers in Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, and in Round Valley, 9000 feet, and a few were noted at a point on the North Fork of the San Jacinto River, near Fuller’s Mill, at altitudes varying from 6000 to 7500 feet. This was the lowest point of record in the San Jacintos; we found it nowhere else below 8000 feet. As in the San Bernardino Mountains (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 99), we found the distribution of the species in the San Jacintos to be nearly coextensive with that of the chinquapin (Castanopsis sempervirens), the only place where the birds were in different surroundings being near Fuller’s Mill. In the higher parts of Santa Rosa Mountain, where the fox sparrows might reasonably be expected to occur, there was no chinquapin, and none of the birds.
By the time we had reached the high altitudes frequented by the species, early in July, the young were out and flying about.
Twenty-seven specimens were collected: Fuller’s Mill, two (nos. 2006, 2009), Deer Spring (near Fuller’s Mill), two (nos. 2007, 2238), Round Valley, four (nos. 2096, 2212-2214), Tah- quitz Valley, nineteen (nos. 2876-2894).
Passerella iliaca schistacea Baird Slate-colored Fox Sparrow
A sparrow (no. 2008) unequivocally referable to this form was secured at Deer Springs (7500 feet), near Fuller’s Mill, on July 3. It has apparently just concluded the molt, with the plumage fresh and glossy, and in striking contrast to the worn, faded condition of the breeding examples of stephensi taken at the same time.
The occurrence here of an individual of this subspecies early in July is extraordinary, and the added fact of the unusual plumage condition emphasizes the abnormality of the specimen. Two possibilities present themselves: first, that it had, perhaps, finished breeding and the subsequent change of plumage at an unusually early date, then migrated southward to where it was
282 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
taken; second, that through a crippled condition this bird had not been able to travel back north to the regular summer habitat of the subspecies. No indication of injury was in evidence, however.
Whatever the explanation the bird is a perfectly typical example of P. 7. schistacea, as determined by comparison with extensive series of this form. The normal range of schistacea finds its southern limit in the White Mountains, Mono County, Salifornia, about 250 miles north of San Jacinto Peak, while another race, megarhyncha, occurs in parts of the interveniny region.
Pipilo maculatus megalonyx Baird Spurred Towhee
An abundant and characteristic species in the chaparral of the Upper Sonoran zone, particularly numerous about Ken- worthy, and eastward to Vandeventer Flat. A few observed along the stream at Dos Palmos late in May, probably wanderers from the adjacent hills, attracted by the water, as was the case with several other Upper Sonoran species at this point. On the northern slopes of the range the spurred towhee was found ranging downward as far as the abrupt base of the mountains in the San Gorgonio Pass, at Cabezon and Banning, but not out upon the floor of this valley.
On June 11 two nests were found at Oak Tree Spring, between Kenworthy and Palm Canon. Both were placed in the usual situation, on the ground under over-hanging bushes, and each contained three eggs. A nest with three eggs (no. 61) was taken at Cabezon, May 10, in a very similar situation.
At the time we reached the highest parts of the mountains, the late summer dispersal of birds was well under way, and the spurred towhees had ascended to points probably far above the normal breeding range. Full-crown juvenals were secured near the summit of Toro Peak (8000 feet), July 1, and at Round Val- ley (9000 feet), July 10.
Twenty-eight specimens were preserved, from the following
localities: Cabezon, one (no. 1609), Schain’s Ranch, sixteen (nos.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 283
1826-1841), Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 1901), Round Valley, one (no. 2211), Strawberry Valley, three (nos. 2613-2615), Ken- worthy, two (nos. 2351, 2352), Garnet Queen Mine, two (nos. 2471, 2472), Toro Peak, one (no. 2473), Hemet Lake, one (no. 2976).
Pipilo crissalis senicula Anthony Anthony Towhee
A common species from the base of the mountains upward through the Upper Sonoran zone. On the western slopes it was one of the commoner birds from Hemet and Vallevista up into Hemet Valley to the vicinity of Kenworthy and Vandeventer Flat. In San Gorgonio Pass it was found in abundance along the foothills at Snow Creek, Cabezon and Banning. On the desert side a number were seen along Carrizo Creek, near Dos Palmos, and in Palm Canon to its very mouth. The highest point of record was the vicinity of Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet.
Twenty-eight specimens were preserved: Cabezon, eleven (nos. 1662-1671, 1775), Schain’s Ranch, three (nos. 1922, 1923, 1925), Poppet Flat, one (no. 1924), Banning, three (nos. 2033— 2035), Snow Creek, two (nos. 2066, 2170), Kenworthy, two (nos. 2353, 2354), Dos Palmos, one (no. 2479), mouth of Palm Cajon, one (no. 3052), Hemet Lake, one (no. 2977), Vallevista, three (nos. 3110-3112).
Oreospiza chlorura (Audubon) Green-tailed Towhee
A common species over practically the same general territory as that occupied by the Stephens fox sparrow, and frequenting the same sort of ground. Abundant in Tahquitz Valley and in Round Valley, while a few were seen in Strawberry Valley and at Fuller’s Mill. As was the case with the fox sparrow, the green-tailed towhee was not found on Santa Rosa Mountain. A migrant was taken at the base of the mountains near Cabezon, May 13. The rest of the specimens secured were taken on dates ranging from July 1 to August 4, and a large proportion of them are young birds, some in full juvenile plumage, and others
284 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
variously advanced in the post-juvenal molt. An immature female secured August 2 (no. 2873) has already acquired com- plete first winter plumage.
Thirty-five specimens were collected: Cabezon, one (no. 1625), Fuller’s Mill, three (nos. 1898-1900), San Jacinto Peak, one (no. 2093), Round Valley, five (nos. 2094, 2095, 2208-2210), Tahquitz Valley, twenty-three (nos. 2873, 2874, 2895-2915), Strawberry Valley, two (nos. 2643, 2644).
Zamelodia melanocephala capitalis (Baird) Pacific Black-headed Grosbeak
A common species, except in the highest parts of the range. At Cabezon they were abundant early in May, but apparently did not remain to breed in this region, for by the end of the month the birds had nearly all departed. They were fairly com- mon at Schain’s Ranch and Fuller’s Mill. In Strawberry Valley during July they were numerous. <A few were seen in Tahquitz Valley, wanderers from lower zones, as were probably others observed on Santa Rosa Peak. Several seen on Thomas Moun- tain, August 16 to 21.
Twenty-six specimens secured: Cabezon, four (nos. 1613- 1616); Schain’s Ranch, seven (nos. 1792-1798); Poppet Flat, one (no. 1889) ; Banning, one (no. 2031) ; Snow Creek, two (nos. 2060, 2061) ; Santa Rosa Peak, one (no. 2476) ; Strawberry Val- ley, six (nos. 2607-2612); Tahquitz Valley, one (no. 2850) ; Hemet Lake, three (nos. 2980-2982).
Comparison of California specimens of the black-headed gros- beak with a satisfactory series of breeding birds from south- eastern Arizona, reveals differences justifying the separate nam- ing of the two races. The California birds, compared with true melanocephala of the Rocky Mountain region, have uniformly shorter wing length, smaller bills, and the black of the head invariably interrupted by a more or less distinct post-ocular stripe. The presence of these differences is, of course, no new discovery (see Ridgway, 1901, 618, 619; Grinnell, 1900, 128), but though long acknowledged to exist, the two forms have not
ee
1913) Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 285
usually been accorded separate names. There seems, however, to be abundant justification for so doing, and Baird’s name capitalis (1874, p. 70) is available for the California bird.
Guiraca caerulea salicaria Grinnell California Blue Grosbeak
Seen early in May in some numbers, evidently migrating, at Cabezon, and in the nearby hills at Hurley Flat (3500 feet). One noted at Whitewater, May 26. Birds observed in pairs about Banning the middle of June, were probably nesting nearby. An adult female taken at Hemet Lake, August 10, was the only one of the species encountered so far back in the mountains.
Five specimens were taken: Cabezon, three (nos. 1610— 1612), Banning, one (no. 2032), and Hemet Lake, one (no. AS).
Passerina amoena (Say) Lazuli Bunting
Fairly common at a few localities in the high mountains, as at Schain’s Ranch and Strawberry Valley. After the nesting season stragglers were taken, one at Tahquitz Valley, August 4, another at Carrizo Creek, on the desert side of the mountains, August 26. A nest containing three incubated eggs (no. 79) was found at Strawberry Valley, July 7. It was placed about two feet above the ground in a tangle of rose bushes overhanging a little creek.
Ten specimens were collected: Schain’s Ranch, four (nos. 1811-1814), Strawberry Valley, four (nos. 2652-2655), Tah- quitz Valley, one (no. 2872), and Carrizo Creek, one (no. 2536).
Piranga ludoviciana ( Wilson) Western Tanager A fairly common species in the Transition zone. Migrating in some numbers at Hemet, May 19, and at Cabezon during the first two weeks in May. Breeding at Strawberry Valley, where a small juvenal was secured July 8. One or two seen at Garnet
286 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Queen Mine the end of June, an adult male, a straggler, at Tahquitz Valley, July 25, and a number of migrants at Hemet Lake, August 5 to 14, and on Thomas Mountain, August 16 to 21. An adult male was taken on the desert side at Carrizo Creek, August 26, the only one seen at this point. It was still in the summer plumage, having not yet begun to molt.
Six specimens were taken: Strawberry Valley, four (nos. 2627-2630), Hemet Lake, one (no. 2978), Carrizo Creek, one (no. 2480).
Progne subis hesperia Brewster Western Martin
Abundant in Hemet Valley, where they were breeding in the clumps of yellow pines scattered over the floor of the valley. Especially numerous in the vicinity of Kenworthy. The highest record station in the mountains was Fuller’s Mill, 5900 feet, where the birds were fairly common. At Hemet Lake, early in August, many appeared daily, circling about over the surface of the lake.
Thirteen specimens were taken, all adults: Fuller’s Mill, three (nos. 1874-1876), Kenworthy, nine (nos. 2333-2341 )S Hemet Lake, one (no. 2996). The Hemet Lake specimen taken August 11, is just beginning the annual molt.
Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons (Say) Cliff Swallow
Abundant and breeding at many points in the lower parts of the mountains. Large colonies were seen, at that time build- ing nests, in a barn in the town of Hemet, May 18, on a cliff alongside the San Jacinto River road, at about 2000 feet, May 19, and in a deserted mine building at Kenworthy, at the end of May. Many were seen June 13 flying about a rocky gorge in Palm Canon, at about 3000 feet, where they were probably nest- ing, and a few on the following day at the mouth of the canon. Found breeding at Cabezon in May, and at Banning in June. Common at Hemet Lake, August 5 to 14, a large proportion of
those seen being young of the year.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 287
Twelve specimens were taken: Cabezon, two (nos. 1714, 1715), Kenworthy, eight (nos. 2325-2332), Hemet Lake, two (nos. 2997, 2998).
Hirundo erythrogastra palmeri Grinnell Western Barn Swallow
A single bird noted at Deep Canon, May 31, apparently migrating. At Vallevista, during the first week in September, several were seen passing overhead. One specimen, an immature female (no. 3125), was taken at the latter point.
Tachycineta thalassina lepida Mearns Northern Violet-green Swallow
An abundant species from about 4500 feet upwards. Seen in some numbers at Kenworthy, where they were nesting in the big pines in the valley. Encountered on Santa Rosa Mountain, from Garnet Queen Mine up to Santa Rosa and Toro peaks. At all the other points visited from Transition upwards, it was one of the commoner species. By the third week in July young birds began to appear on the wing, and in Tahquitz Val- ley at this time were in large flocks hovering about the meadows. Several violet-green swallows were seen at the summit of San Jacinto Peak, July 27. Sixteen specimens were preserved :. Ful- ler’s Mill, six (nos. 1877-1882), Toro Peak, one (no. 2436), Santa Rosa Peak, one (no. 2437), Strawberry Valley, one (no. 2645), Tahquitz Valley, seven (nos. 2749-2755).
Riparia riparia (Linnaeus) Bank Swallow
Seen at but one point, Hemet Lake, August 5 to 15, during which time several birds were observed. These were probably migrants through the region.
288 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon) Rough-winged Swallow A flock of about fifteen individuals, supposed to be of this species, seen at Schain’s Ranch on June 26. At Hemet Lake, August 5 to 15, migrating rough-winged swallows were noted
on several occasions.
Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot Cedar Waxwing
A flock of at least fifty seen in pepper trees bordering a street in the town of Hemet on the morning of May 19. The capture of a full-grown juvenal (no. 3001), at Hemet Lake, the morning of August 9, was an unexpected oecurrenee, difficult of explanation. This bird appeared immediately after an excep- tionally heavy storm, and was the only one of the species observed anywhere in the mountains. The capture of this specimen is not in itself evidence of the breeding of the species in the region, for though in the streaked juvenal plumage it was as strong on the wing as any adult, and hence eapable of travelling a long distance.
On the other hand, to assume that it had traveled as far as the distance from the nearest known breeding station of the species, northern Oregon, does not seem altogether warranted. It appears more reasonable to believe that the cedar waxwing will eventually be found to breed occasionally in parts of Cali-
fornia, though at present not known to do so.
Phainopepla nitens (Swainson) Phainopepla Encountered in numbers at various points in San Gorgonio Pass. At Cabezon, during May, they were seen daily, usually in small flocks, and evidently migrating. Also observed at Snow Creek, the end of May. and at Banning, early in June. At the latter point they were probably breeding. The few birds noted at Dos Palmos Spring the last week in May, and at Pinon Flat, June 2, were probably transients, as none were seen at these
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 289
points upon subsequent visits late in the summer. A very few were noted in the lower parts of Palm Canon, one being taken in the canon at an altitude of about 3000 feet. Seen in num- bers at Vandeventer Flat, August 27.
Four specimens were preserved: Cabezon, two (nos. 1724, 1725), Snow Creek, one (no. 2065), Palm Canon, one (no. 3081).
Lanius ludovicianus gambeli Ridgway California Shrike
Shrikes do not occur numerously anywhere in the mountains proper, though they are fairly common in the valleys east and north of the range. In San Gorgonio Pass they were moderately abundant eastward as far Cabezon, and decidedly scarce in the desert region beyond. In the vicinity of Dos Palmos and Deep Canon single birds were several times seen in June and August.
On May 19 a nest was found in Thomas Valley, 4400 feet altitude, not far from the head of Hemet Lake. It contained six egos, too far advanced in incubation to be saved.
Eight specimens were preserved, as follows: Snow Creek, one (no. 2059), Banning, two (nos. 2026, 2027), Dos Palmos, two (nos. 2477, 2478), Thomas Valley, one (no. 2301), Hemet Lake, two (nos. 2994, 2995).
Vireosylva gilva swainsoni (Baird) Western Warbling Vireo
Found breeding at several points in high Upper Sonoran or Transition. A nest was discovered at Garnet Queen Mine, June 27, and at Schain’s Ranch, June 21, and many of the birds were seen at Fuller’s Mill and Strawberry Valley. Migrants were passing through at Cabezon early in May, and at Dos Palmos during the last week in the month. By July 24 they appeared in Tahquitz Valley, beginning to seatter after the nest- ing period.
Fourteen specimens were taken: Cabezon, one (no. 1741), Snow Creek, one (no. 2158), Schain’s Ranch, one (no. 1808), Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 2015), Strawberry Valley, four (nos.
290 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
2714-2717), Tahquitz Valley, two (nos. 2786, 2787), Vandeven- ter Flat, two (nos. 2304, 2305), Garnet Queen Mine, one (no. 2445), Dos Palmos, one (no. 2542).
Lanivireo solitarius cassini (Xantus) Cassin Vireo
Found in fair abundance in such portions of the Tran- sition zone as were visited by our parties. Many were seen at Garnet Queen Mine, the last week in June, and in Strawberry Valley, during July; immature birds appeared in numbers in Tahquitz Valley the latter half of July. Other points of record were Keen’s Camp and Sehain’s Ranch during June. A small juvenal, but recently from the nest, was taken at Garnet Queen Mine, June 26.
Seventeen specimens were collected: Schain’s Ranch, two (nos. 1809, 1810), Strawberry Valley, four (nos. 2718-2721), Tahquitz Valley, six (nos. 2780-2785), and Garnet Queen Mine, five (nos. 2446-2450).
Vireo huttoni huttoni Cassin Hutton Vireo
Encountered at just one point in the region explored, at Garnet Queen Mine, Santa Rosa Mountains, altitude 6000 feet. Here, in high Upper Sonoran, the species was fairly abundant. Five specimens were taken (nos. 2401-2405), three adults in worn plumage and two full-grown juvenals.
Vireo belli pusillus Coues Least Vireo
An abundant species in suitable portions of the Lower Son- oran zone along the streams in the lower parts of the canons, where there was sufficient vegetation for shelter. In lower Palm Canon, the middle of June, they were particularly numerous, from its mouth up to Little Paradise Valley, altitude about 3000 feet. At the mouths of Palm and Murray cafons the least vireos fre- quented the dense thickets of mesquite and arrowweed. In Little Paradise Valley and at one or two other points in the canon,
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 291
extensive areas grown up with willow and guatemote (Baccharis glutinosa) formed their habitat. They were also common along the north base of the mountain, at Snow Creek, Cabezon and Banning, but only at the mouths of the canons. Found but once on the west slope of the range, along the San Jacinto River road at 2000 feet, where several were seen or heard singing on May 19.
A nest was found at the canon mouth near Cabezon, which, on May 20, contained three newly hatched young.
Ten specimens of the least vireo were preserved: Cabezon, three (nos. 1738-1740), Palm Canon, seven (nos. 3069-3075).
Vireo vicinior Coues Gray Vireo
This was probably the most important single species of bird discovered in the San Jacinto region, because previously little known as a bird of California. This vireo proved to be numerous in a very definite division of the Upper Sonoran zone chiefly on the Pacific side of the mountains. The distribution of Vireo vicinior 18 capable of more exact definition than is usually the ease with birds. It is, namely: the Adenostoma minor association, of the Chaparral major association, of the San Diegan faunal division, of the Upper Sonoran zone.
To recount in detail the localities of occurrence: we first met with the species as we entered the region May 19, on the road up San Jacinto canon, at about 3000 feet altitude. With little doubt a pair were nesting at this point. This was the westernmost record station. On the brushy slopes below Straw- berry Valley towards Hemet Valley, 4500 to 5000 feet, and on the opposite lower slopes of Thomas Mountain at about the same altitudes, the presence of the species was repeatedly detected. In the vicinity of Kenworthy, chiefly to the northeast, from 4500 to fully 6500 feet altitude, up over the Hemet Peak ridge, and thence down to the 3000 foot contour towards the head of Palm Canon, the gray vireo was perhaps fully as conspicuous a member of the Chaparral association as the western gnateatcher or black-chinned sparrow.
Crossing Palm Canon, one individual was noted on a ridge at 4200 feet near Potrero Spring and north of Asbestos Moun-
292 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
tain, June 13, this being the northernmost station of observation. Along the trail from Vandeventer Flat to Pinon Flat many were noted as far east as Omstott Creek, 4500 feet to 3000 feet, this being also about the limit in that direction of either species of Adenostoma. One bird was heard June 23 among the pinons on Pinon Flat, half a mile east of Omstott Creek. Several individuals were noted on a brushy ridge near Garnet Queen Mine at about 6000 feet altitude, this being the most southeastern point of observation.
As already intimated, this vireo is pre-eminently an inhab- itant of dry chaparral, thus conflicting in range with no other species of the genus. Along the road below Strawberry Valley, towards Keen’s Camp, both this and the western warbling and Cassin vireos were heard simultaneously. The notes of the latter two, however, resounded respectively from the alder-lined ravine bottoms, and from the golden or black oaks of the cool slopes, while the gray vireo sang from the chamissal on the hot, steep slopes near Chalk Hill. At Garnet Queen Mine, both the Hutton and gray vireos were heard from the same stand, the former, however, from the golden oaks, the latter, as usual, from the brush belt adjacent. In upper Palm Canon, both the gray and the least vireos were noted in one short stretch, the former in some chamissal straggling down the west wall to the lowest limit of its range, the latter species in some guatemote and chilopsis along the stream bed. The presence of no less than five closely related species of one family in so limited a region is obviously closely dependent upon the separate, sharp, associational and zonal preferments of each. The warbling, Cassin and Hutton vireos are arboreal foragers; the least and gray vireos brush foragers; but the least is riparian, while the gray is distinctly a dry-slope forager. We may surmise that the latter species has only been able to find its way into the avifauna of southern California from a Sonoran center of dispersal, through the exist- ence of an associational niche not occupied by another vireo.
It was in the vicinity of Kenworthy that most of our study of the gray vireo was carried on. Here the bird was a con- stant accompaniment of the belts of the two species of chaparral bushes, Adenostoma sparsifolium and A. fasciculatum. While
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 293
adhering closely to the cover of these plants, it foraged also through serub oak, manzanita, and ceanothus, occasionally into four-leafed pinon (Pinus parryana) or sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata). The forage depth of this vireo is between one and five feet above the ground, rarely any higher. A person may follow a bird around for twenty minutes, keeping track of it by the oft-repeated song, without catching a view of it above the level of the chaparral tops.
We estimated that there was a pair of gray vireos for every forty acres of suitable ground, thus giving an unusually large forage area for the individuals of this species. The impression was sometimes given that the population was much more dense, but we decided that the far-carrying song tended to mislead in this regard. Taking the above estimate as conservative, there would be 16 pairs to the square mile. We are of the opinion that there are about thirty square miles of the appropriate asso- ciation in the San Jacinto region; so that the total number of individuals of this rare bird in the region under treatment was, in 1908, before the advent of the new broods, close to 960.
As already to be inferred, the presence of the gray vireo is most easily ascertainable through the peculiar and far-reaching song. The birds themselves are very difficult to locate, except by means of this song. The truth of this statement will be per- ceived when it is further stated that after the close of the regular song season, when much of the same ground was repeatedly gone over by members of our parties, between August 5 and 27, but one bird was seen. Only once was the song heard during August, on the 16th, on the trail up Thomas Mountain from Hemet Lake. During the last of May, and June, the song was omnipresent in appropriate localities, from 5:15 A.M. in one case (May 21), to sundown. There seemed to be no cessation during midday.
The song of the gray vireo is loud and full-toned, in volume and quality. In these respects it reminds the hearer strongly of the Cassin vireo, yet with the twang and less deliberate utterance of a western tanager. In measure, and in the suggestion of alternate rising and falling inflection, it recalls the least vireo. No note at all was heard, besides this song, which was apparently
294 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
given only by the male. But it is, of course, probable that some sort of a location note, or food call in the case of the young, is possessed by this vireo, as with all other species of the family known to us.
Two nests were found in the vicinity of Kenworthy, both on May 21, each with three eges, in one case moderately incubated, in the other fresh. The field note account of the discovery of the first nest gives inferential clue to some of the traits of this vireo. After having followed up several singing birds without success, a particular individual was located by its song on a sparsely brushed hillside which gave promise of less difficulty than usual in catching sight of the bird itself. “‘The song led me up into the brush, and then stopped. After waiting some time, it began again volubly, and I got a glimpse of a vireo as it left a brush-clump and went off up the hillside through the bushes, singing the while. Search disclosed a nest in the upper tangle of a greasewood (Adenostoma fasciculatum), with the female bird sitting closely thereon.’’ Three photographs were secured of the nest, and one of the hillside. ‘‘The nest was 33 inches (about 850mm.) above the ground, here sloping, and was discernible for several yards, though well surrounded by the sparsely-leaved greasewood twigs. Many of the latter had to be snapped off in order to obtain uninterrupted view of the nest (see pl. 10, fig. 2). During all this commotion the bird only sat the closer, winking often and occasionally turning her head or twitching her wings. I touched her bill and head several times, and finally picked her bodily from the nest. Meanwhile the male remained at a distance, showing very little concern.’’ It will be observed that the general sequence of incidents is similar to that in one’s experience with other species of vireos.
The second nest was found under much the same cireum- stances. It also was built in a greasewood bush, 36 inches above the ground. The female was sitting, but was not so persistent in remaining as the other, probably due to the shorter propor- tion of the incubation period so far completed.
Both nests, with their complements of eggs, are preserved in the Museum (sets nos. 74, 75). They are similar to other vireo’s nests in shape and semi-pensile attachment. The main
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 295
support is at the rims, but their situation among the close-set, obliquely upright, stiffish stems of the greasewood afforded some support by minor twigs (see pl. 10, fig. 2). The measurements of the nests are, respectively, of each of the two nests in each respect: outside diameter, about 76, 73 mm.; inside diameter, 48, 47; outside depth, 54, 59; inside depth, 41, 43. The nests are composed largely of silvery gray weathered grass and plant fibers, usually with the vascular bundles unraveled. Some of these elements were evidently grass blades, some stems of plants, and others the shredded bark of weed-stalks. There is an admix- ture of tenaceous spider-web, and portions of spider cocoons; on the very outside, in both eases, are many unbroken, tridentate, eray leaves of the sagebrush. Internally the nests are lined with a distinct layer of slender, disintegrated, hair-like fibers of great leneth, so that the inner surfaces of the nests are firm and smooth, but porous.
The eggs are pure white in color, with numerous abruptly- defined minute dots and spots of not more than one-half milli- meter diameter, nearly all agglomerated around the large ends. In color these markings are mostly very dark, of cloye brown and sepia tones; a few approach drab. The eggs measure: no. 74: 18.3 x 14.5, 18.7 x 14.0, 18.8 x 14.1; no. 75: 17.8 x 14.7, 17.8 x 14.6, 18.2 x 14.7.
We obtained seventeen specimens of the gray vireo in the San Jacinto region, nos. 2313-2324, 2510, 2511, 3066-3068. All are adults, and all but two (taken with the sets) are males. There are five other skins of adults in the Museum (nos. 3631— 3635) collected by F. Stephens, May 13 to 18, 1908, near Campo, San Diego County. One of these is a female, the rest males. With the above unprecedented amount of material at command, it becomes expedient for us to look into the characters of the species, geographical and seasonal. This is especially desirable since a name, californicus, has been applied to the California bird as separate from that of Arizona, whence vicinior was originally described.
A series of ten specimens was loaned us by the authorities of the United States National Museum; these are from Arizona, New Mexico and Lower California, and include Coues’ type, from
296 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Fort Whipple, Arizona. Mr. Frank Stephens kindly loaned several specimens in his private collection, from southern Cali- fornia.
Comparison of the California material with that from Arizona and elsewhere gives at first-glance an impression of color differ- ence. Our San Jacinto series looks clearer gray above and purer white below. But close examination convinces us that the faint dull yellowish suffusion in the National Museum skins is adven- titious, due to repeated handling, or to local, natural but extra- neous, Causes previous to capture. Some old skins in Mr. Ste- phens’s collection from San Diego County, California, present precisely the same appearance. Coues’ type of vicinior is wonder- fully like no. 4465 of the Stephens collection, from Oak Grove, San Diego County. In fact, not the slightest difference in any respect is appreciable, save that the latter is if anything slightly more soiled. Coues’s type resembles also no. 2318, Mus. Vert. Zool., but the latter is cleaner white below. There does not appear to be the slightest difference in either proportions or general size; and the range of individual variation is small.
It thus appears that there are no grounds for the systematic separation of the California birds from those of Arizona. This is in accord with the conclusions of Ridgway (1904, p. 203) from the ‘‘few specimens’’ at his disposal. In justice to the pro- poser of the name californicus (Stephens, 1890, p. 159), it should be stated that the material available to him at that time was extremely meager; and there certainly are very good geographic grounds to back up any differential peculiarities that might be shown by specimens. From a consideration of its distribution as now known, it appears probable that the gray vireo has invaded California from the south-central plateau region of western North America, within relatively recent times.
Our California series of Vireo vicinior contains none in juvenal plumage; all are in more or less worn breeding plumage, except one. This is an adult male, no. 2316, secured at Vande- venter Flat, August 27, and is in nearly full fresh fall plumage. The annual molt is very nearly completed, only the outermost primaries being still partly unsheathed. Since there is in all probability no spring molt, even partial, this bird presents the
1913] Grinnell_-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 297
true color characters of the species. As compared with the better known spring plumage, conspicuous among various species of the family for its general plumbeous tone, the freshly acquired plumage is not so distinetly gray save about the head. The whole dorsum, the outer surface of closed wing, and, more appreciably, the rump and upper tail coverts, are pervaded with a tinge of green; the sides and flanks have a conspicuous tinge or mixture of primrose yellow; and there is a faint buffy suf- fusion across the chest. All these tints are evidently very much reduced, or obliterated altogether, through the intervening months of wear and fading, until spring brings the notable gray cast again.
As far as the records of the species in California show, the gray vireo is only a summer visitant north of the Mexican bound- ary. It is possible that the apparent searcity of the gray vireo in the San Jacinto region in August was due in part at least to the early departure of individuals, which had thus already inaugurated the autumnal migratory movement.
Vermivora rubricapilla gutturalis (Ridgway)
Calaveras Warbler Observed only during the migration in the spring, and at but one locality. Two were seen at Cabezon, May 7, and one of them, an adult female, secured (no. 1769). On May 15 a
single bird was noted at the same place.
Vermivora celata lutescens (Ridgway) Lutescent Warbler Observed nowhere under circumstances indicative of the breeding of the species in the region explored. In fact, except for a single migrant observed at Cabezon, May 3, none was seen until after the termination of the nesting season. About July 20 they began to appear in Tahquitz Valley, and during the last week of the month were exceedingly abundant there. They were fairly common on Thomas Mountain, August 16 to 21. Fifteen specimens were collected: Tahquitz Valley, fourteen (nos. 2805, 2815-2827), and Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3035).
Ww Ws} ioe)
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The Tahquitz Valley birds are all immature, one or two in juvenal plumage, and one or two in fully acquired first winter plumage, but most of them in the midst of the post-juvenal molt. The Thomas Mountain specimen, collected August 17, is an adult female in fresh winter plumage.
Dendroica aestiva rubiginosa (Pallas) Alaska Yellow Warbler
In the vicinity of Dos Palmos, May 26 to June 2, migrating yellow warblers were seen daily, usually flitting hastily along through the line of vegetation bordering the creek. Three secured, a male and two females (nos. 2539-2541), proved to belong to this northern subspecies. It seems probable that all of these late migrants were of this form, as at this time the breeding yellow warbler of southern California has already begun nesting.
Dendroica aestiva brewsteri Grinnell California Yellow Warbler
The vicinity of Cabezon, at the northern base of the moun- tains, was the only place where yellow warblers were observed in any numbers. They were abundant here during May, and nesting in the neighborhood, as some were noted carrying nest material. But few were seen elsewhere in the mountains. Some were noted at Keen’s Camp, July 5, apparently their eastward breeding limit in Hemet Valley, as the species was not encoun- tered at Kenworthy. There were a few in the trees along the streams in Strawberry Valley, where they could be heard singing, though seldom seen.
Other points of record were Snow Creek, Banning, and Ful- ler’s Mill in June, and a few migrants at Tahquitz Valley, July 25 and 28, at Hemet Lake, August 5 to 14, and at Dos Palmos, August 25 and 26.
Fifteen specimens were preserved: Cabezon, nine (nos. 1747— 1753, 2126, 2127), Snow Creek, one (no. 2156), Strawberry Valley, two (nos. 2604, 2605), Tahquitz Valley, one (no. 2804),
and Dos Palmos, two (nos. 2537, 2538).
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Dendroica auduboni auduboni (Townsend) Audubon Warbler
Seen migrating at Cabezon, at the north base of the moun- tains, during the first two weeks in May. Later in the summer found breeding numerously in the Transition zone and upwards. Exceedingly abundant in Round Valley, Tahquitz Valley and Strawberry Valley, and downward to a point a little above Schain’s Ranch, about 5000 feet altitude. The species was present in the higher parts of the Santa Rosa Mountains, on Santa Rosa and Toro peaks, but not numerous, not more than twelve or fifteen of the birds being seen during a period of several days.
Young birds began to appear in July, and specimens col- lected during the third week in July were well advanced in the post-juvenal molt. An adult male was taken July 16 in which the annual molt had already begun, apparently about ten days in advance of the majority of the species, as represented by our series.
Thirty-eight specimens were collected, as follows: Cabezon, one (no. 1768), Fuller’s Mill, three (nos. 1986-1988), Straw- berry Valley, nine (nos. 2617-2625), Tahquitz Valley, thirteen (nos. 2735-2738, 2740-2745, 2766-2768), Round Valley, ten (nos. 2111-2114, 2232-2236, 2739), Toro Peak, one (no. 2458) Santa Rosa Peak, one (no. 2459).
Dendroica nigrescens (Townsend) Black-throated Gray Warbler
Common in high Upper Sonoran, and in Transition. Here, as elsewhere in the mountains of southern California, closely associated with the golden oak during the nesting period. Abunid- ant at Garnet Queen Mine, June 25 to July 2, full-grown young molting into first winter plumage being secured, and a female seen carrying nesting material at about the same date. A few seen from time to time in the brushy hills above Kenworthy. Numerous and breeding at Fuller’s Mill and in Strawberry Val-
ley. They began to appear in Tahquitz Valley the third week
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in July, moving upward from lower altitudes. Small juvenals, evidently just from the nest, were taken at Garnet Queen Mine, June 26, and in Strawberry Valley, July 14.
Twenty-three specimens were preserved: Kenworthy, one (no. 2343), Hemet Peak, one (no. 2344), Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 1989), Strawberry Valley, eight (nos. 2706-2713), Tahquitz Val- ley, two (nos. 2757, 2758), Hemet Lake, two (nos. 2999, 3000), Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3033), Garnet Queen Mine, five (nos. 2451-2455), Santa Rosa Peak, two (nos. 2456, 2457).
Dendroica townsendi (Townsend) Townsend Warbler
Met with but once during the season, an adult female (no. 2342), a migrant, taken at Kenworthy, May 24. :
Dendroica occidentalis (Townsend) Hermit Warbler
Seen but once, an immature male (no. 3034), taken on Thomas
Mountain, August 19. Undoubtedly a migrant.
Oporornis tolmiei (Townsend) Tolmie Warbler Observed only during the spring migration. At Cabezon, during May, a few were seen almost daily until the 19th. Sey- eral were noted at Dos Palmos, in the dense vegetation along the creek, as late as May 27. Four specimens were secured: Cabezon, three (nos. 1754—
1756), Dos Palmos, one (no. 2543).
Geothlypis trichas occidentalis Brewster Western Yellowthroat Yellowthroats were fairly common in the vicinity of Cabezon during the first three weeks in May, and at Snow Creek during the ensuing week. From their actions these birds were evidently migrants, as they were Zenerally observed far from water, flitting through the desert brush. The only other place where the species was encountered was at Vallevista, at the western base of the
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 301
range. Here a single specimen was taken, again a migrant, shot in a desert wash, miles from the nearest stream.
Three specimens were secured, an adult male at Cabezon, May 19 (no. 1767), an adult female at Snow Creek, May 27 (no. 2157), and an adult female in fresh winter plumage at Vallevista, August 30 (no. 3130).
The male bird, in its small size and dull coloration, is quite different in appearance from the breeding bird of southern Cali- fornia, G. t. scirpicola, and it, we believe, should be referred to occidentalis. The females of the two forms are not easily dis- tinguished ; but as scirpicola on the coastal sides of the mountains begins nesting early in April, we are justified in considering the Snow Creek female, taken May 27, migrating, as also being occidentalis. Probably all of the migrants traveling along the eastern base of the mountains at this time were of this sub- species.
The Vallevista bird is not with certainty identifiable, but it was evidently a migrant, whereas scirpicola is resident in the San Diegan district. Yellowthroats were not found breeding at
any point visited by the expedition.
Icteria virens longicauda Lawrence Long-tailed Chat
Frequently seen during May in the vicinity of Cabezon, and doubtless breeding, as the males were in full song and as indiy- iduals could be found frequenting the same places, day after day. One was heard singing in a tangled mass of shrubbery at the mouth of Murray Cafion, near Palm Springs, June 15. Not encountered above the very base of the mountains at these points, and not seen at all at the localities visited on the western slope of the range.
Two specimens were preserved (nos. 1770, 1771), taken at Cabezon, May 7 and 19.
Wilsonia pusilla pileolata (Pallas) Pileolated Warbler At Cabezon, during the first three weeks in May, pileolated warblers were of daily occurrence, though not abundant, and
302 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
others were seen in the vicinity of Dos Palmos as late as May 27. Three specimens (nos. 1757-1759) secured at Cabezon on May 7, 13 and 15, are referable to the subspecies pileolata, as in all probability is the case with all of these late migrants travelling northward on the eastern side of the mountains.
Wilsonia pusilla chryseola Ridgway Golden Pileolated Warbler
A pileolated warbler taken at Tahquitz Valley, July 30 (no. 2788) is of this subspecies. Several others, presumably of the same form, were seen in Tahquitz Valley at this time. and on Thomas Mountain, between August 16 and 21.
Anthus rubescens (Tunstall) Pipit A single bird seen May 4 in a cultivated field near Cabezon.
Cinclus mexicanus unicolor Bonaparte Dipper
Several seen near the mouths of the canons at Cabezon and Whitewater, during May. Other points of record were Fuller’s Mill, where several were noted from June 30 to July 5, Straw- berry Valley, one seen July 30, and Tahquitz Valley, where single birds were met with occasionally during the last two weeks of July.
Three specimens were preserved, an adult and a juvenal from Fuller’s Mill (nos. 1990, 1991), and a juvenal from Tahquitz Valley (no. 2756). The latter, shot July 17, was full grown, and apparently caring for itself, as no adults were with it.
Mimus polyglottos leucopterus (Vigors) Western Mockingbird
A common species at the western base of the mountains, and in San Gorgonio Pass to the northward. In the latter region mockingbirds were seen commonly at Banning, and in dimin- ishing numbers eastward as far as Cabezon. In the mountains proper but a single individual was encountered, at Thomas Val- ley, altitude about 4400 feet, on June 6.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 303
The species apparently does not breed at the desert base of the mountains, as none was seen during our visits to the Dos Palmos region and Palm Canon in May and June. A single bird was observed at Dos Palmos, August 26, probably a wanderer. Mockingbirds were fairly abundant at Vallevista, August 29 to September 5. Here, in common with many other birds, they were feeding largely on the ripe yueea pods, and on the fruit of the cactus.
Two specimens were taken, one at Banning (no. 2030), and one at Vallevista (no. 3105).
Toxostoma redivivum pasadenense (Grinnell)
Pasadena Thrasher
Fairly common in the lower parts of the mountains: on the Pacific side ranging from the base of the range upward through the Upper Sonoran zone, on the desert side downward to the upper edge of Lower Sonoran. Many were seen or heard sing- ing in the brush about Kenworthy, and also at the nearby points, Vandeventer Flat and Oak Tree Spring. From these points they range continuously to the head of Palm Canon and to the Dos Palmos region. At the latter place birds were seen at various times in May, June and August, usually along Carrizo Creek. In San Gorgonio Pass they were fairly common in the foothills near Banning and Cabezon. In this region, though ranging downward to the extreme base of the mountains, the birds were never seen out in the brush of the valley below.
Our highest record point in the San Jacinto Mountains was the vicinity of Schain’s Ranch, altitude 4900 feet. The species was common at Vallevista, at the Pacific base of the mountains. At the time of our arrival in the mountains, at Kenworthy, May 19, full-grown young were already flying about. An immature taken at Vallevista, September 3, has not yet finished the post- juvenal molt.
Eleven specimens were preserved: Cabezon, one (no. 1655), Schain’s Ranch, three (nos. 1856-1858), Banning, one (no. 2029), Kenworthy, five (nos. 2251-2255), Vallevista, one (no. 3097).
304 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Toxostoma lecontei lecontei Lawrence Leconte Thrasher
This desert thrasher ranges westward in San Gorgonio Pass to the vicinity of Banning; but as most of our collecting in this region was carried on at the base of the hills, above the part of the desert floor usually frequented by the species, comparatively few of the birds were seen.
Single individuals were observed at Cabezon on various occa- sions from May 1 to 19, and at Whitewater, May 30, usually far too wary to admit of near approach. None was seen in the Dos Palmos region, which probably lies somewhat above the normal range of the species, both altitudinally and zonally. Neither were any encountered on the desert below the mouth of Palm Canon during our brief stay at this point, though they are known to occur in fair abundance in this general region, quite up to the base of the hills.
The one specimen collected, an adult male (no. 1656), taken May 6 at the base of the mountains near Cabezon, is not a nor- mal example of the species, being much darker in coloration than any other specimen in the fairly large series contained in the Museum. This darker coloration is apparent in all parts of the plumage, on the concealed portions of the rectrices and remiges, as well as on the exposed feathers, and it also shows in the slightly darker brownish yellow of the crissum.
There are none but color differences apparent, the bird being of the same size and proportions as typical examples of lecontez, but its darker hue is conspicuous in a species in which there is ordinarily so little variation.
The fact that this bird was taken at the western extremity of the range to 7’. lecontei, and at a point where the closely related T. r. pasadenense also occurs, together with the fact that its coloration distinctly approaches that of the latter species, suggest the possibility of its being an intergrade or a hybrid between the two forms. Lecontei was formerly regarded as a subspecies of T. redivivum, a belief that has been rejected of late years; but in color at least, this specimen comes near to bridging the gap between the two.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 305
Heleodytes brunneicapillus couesi (Sharpe)
Northern Cactus Wren
A fairly common species at many points in the Lower Son- oran brush land at the base of the mountains, both on the Pacifie and the desert sides. At the mouth of Palm Canon, and at Dos Palmos in June and again in August, they were seen, though in small numbers, and those observed were exceedingly wild. In San Gorgonio Pass, at Cabezon, Whitewater, Snow Creek and Banning, this was one of the typical birds of the chaparral. About Vallevista, at the western base of the mountains, many were seen during the first week in September.
Nests were found as follows: At Cabezon, May 5, with two young, May 13 with four eggs, and May 15 with four eggs; at Dos Palmos, June 1, with three eggs. The breeding season is of long duration, as, although young were found in the nest early in May, others but little older were taken near the end of August.
Twenty-four specimens were collected: Mouth of Palm Canon, one (no. 3065), Dos Palmos, four (nos. 2481-2484), Cabezon, six (nos. 1716-1719, 1773, 1774), Snow Creek, four (nos. 2056, 2058, 2154), Banning, four (nos. 2022, 2025), Vallevista, five (nos. 3099-3103).
Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus (Say) Rock Wren
We recorded the rock wren at but few places in the San Jacintos, though there were some of these localities where it occurred in fair abundance. Several were seen at Kenworthy during May. In Palm Canon, the middle of June, the birds were seen from 3000 feet down to the mouth of the canon, and two full-grown juvenals were taken. About Dos Palmos and in Deep Canon, during the last week in August, they were numerous.
Three specimens were preserved: Kenworthy, one (no. 2265), Palm Canon, two (nos. 3063, 3064).
306 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Catherpes mexicanus punctulatus Ridgway Dotted Cafon Wren
Although canon wrens were not really abundant anywhere, we found them where suitable ground existed, in all parts of the mountains from the floor of the desert to the summits of some of the highest peaks. A large proportion of the specimens collected, however, were wandering Juvenals, and it may very well be that the breeding adults are much more circumscribed in their summer habitat.
They were most numerous in the rocky canons on the desert side of the range. In Palm Canon they were seen from the desert below up nearly to Vandeventer Flat; about Dos Palmos and in Deep Canon they were encountered in some numbers in June and August; and occasional birds were noted along the base of the mountains at Cabezon, Snow Creek, and Banning. In the higher altitudes birds were seen at Kenworthy in May, in Tahquitz Valley in July, and on the summit of Toro Peak, July 1.
Though so exclusively rock dwellers that it is generally use- less to search for them amid other surroundings, canon wrens were several times seen feeding in unusual places. Near Potrero Spring, in Palm Canon, June 13, one was observed feeding in the branches of a pinon. At the mouth of Palm Canon they were sometimes noted in the tops of the palm trees, dodging in and out of the downturned masses of dead leaves.
A bird heard singing near the head of Palm Canon, June 12, when followed up and secured, proved to be a male in juvenal plumage. The song was similar to that of the adult, but softer and more subdued.
Fourteen specimens were taken, as follows: Snow Creek, four (nos. 2071, 2136-2138), points in Palm Canon, seven (nos. 3056— 3062), Toro Peak, one (no. 2465), Hemet Lake, one (no. 3006), Round Valley, one (no. 2231). Only three are adults, the remainder being all in the juvenal plumage.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 307
Thryomanes bewicki charienturus Oberholser San Diego Wren
Breeds in abundance everywhere in the Upper Sonoran chaparral belt of the mountains. At Kenworthy, Dos Palmos, Cabezon, and Snow Creek, in May, and at Palm Canon, Garnet Queen Mine, Banning, and Schain’s Ranch, in June, it was one of the commoner species in the brush. In midsummer, when the young birds were out, they appeared in great numbers in the higher parts of the range. In August they were noticeably abundant on the drier, brush-covered ridges surrounding Tah- quitz Valley; by ‘‘squeaking’’ for but a few moments one could have a score of these and the house wrens gathered around. Many were observed in Round Valley, and, on each of the several occasions on which members of the expedition ascended San Jacinto Peak, San Diego wrens were seen on or very near the summit. They were fairly numerous on Thomas Mountain, August 16 to 21, at Dos Palmos, August 23 to 27, and at Vallevista, August 29 to September 5.
Full-grown juvenals appeared during the last week in May, and one bird still in juvenal plumage was taken at Vallevista August 30. Immatures in first winter plumage, and adults also finished with the fall molt, were collected at Dos Palmos, August 26, and at Vallevista August 30.
Thirty-two specimens were collected: Cabezon, three (nos. 1736, 1737, 2128), Snow Creek, one (no. 2135), Schain’s Ranch, six (nos. 1949-1954), Kenworthy, two (nos. 2283, 2284), Garnet Queen Mine, five (nos. 2396-2400), Omstott Creek, one (no. 2512), Dos Palmos, three (nos. 2513-2515), Palm Cafon, three (nos. 3087-3089), Strawberry Valley, one (no. 2626), Tahquitz Valley, two (nos. 2806-2807), San Jacinto Peak, one (no. 2230), Vallevista, four (nos. 3106-3109).
Troglodytes aédon parkmani Audubon Western House Wren
A fairly common species in the mountains, and met with by us at every point visited; but as the higher parts of the range were explored by us rather late- in the summer, when the fall dis-
308 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
persal was under way, we did not ascertain the definite breeding limits of the species. Adults were seen feeding young out of the nest, at Kenworthy, on June 8. None was observed at Dos Palmos in May and June, and probably they do not breed in that vicinity; at the end of August several were seen there. One or two were noted at the base of the mountains at Cabezon, early in May, the only point on the desert side where the species appeared to be breeding. There were a few at the Garnet Queen Mine, in June, and two were seen on the summit of Santa Rosa Peak, June 30. At other high mountain points, Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley, and Round Valley, in July, they were exceedingly numerous, the majority of those collected being young birds. They were fairly abundant on Thomas Mountain, August 16 to 21.
A juvenal collected in Round Valley, July 10, is beginning to molt into winter plumage. One taken on Thomas Mountain, August 18, has completed the change.
Thirty-two specimens were collected, from the following points: Schain’s Ranch, four (nos. 1955-1958), Fuller’s Mill, two (nos. 2011, 2012), Strawberry Valley, seven (nos. 2689— 2695), Tahquitz Valley, seven (nos. 2808-2814), Round Valley, ten (nos. 2103, 2104, 2222-2229), Kenworthy, one (no. 2279),
Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3032).
Certhia familiaris zelotes Osgood Sierra Creeper
We found the creeper only at points in the Transition zone and upwards, and in but very limited numbers. In the Santa Rosa Mountains a few were seen near the summits of Santa Rosa and Toro peaks, probably not more than five or six altogether. Two broods were encountered in Strawberry Valley early in July, and a few were noted in Tahquitz and Round valleys at various times; but the species was never at all abundant.
On Santa Rosa Peak, June 28, one was seen to alight upon the face of a vertical rock, and ascend to the summit as if on the trunk of a tree, searching the crevices for insects.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 309
Sixteen specimens were collected: Fuller’s Mill, two (nos. 2013, 2014), Strawberry Valley, four (nos. 2702-2705), Tahquitz Valley, four (nos. 2769-2771, 2774), Round Valley, four (nos. 2118, 2772, 2773, 2775), Santa Rosa Peak, two (nos. 2434, 2435).
Sitta carolinensis aculeata Cassin Slender-billed Nuthateh
A fairly common species in parts of the mountains, being confined largely to the Transition zone. In the Santa Rosa Mountains we found them abundant at the Garnet Queen Mine, many juvenals being out and feeding in the trees at the time of our stay here, June 25 to 28; but higher up, near the summit of Santa Rosa and Toro peaks, but very few were seen. They were occasionally observed at Fuller’s Mill and Schain’s Ranch; a little higher up, at Strawberry Valley, they were more common. At still higher altitudes, in Tahquitz and Round valleys, although of daily occurrence, they were in smaller numbers: On Thomas Mountain, the middle of August, they were abundant.
Twenty-one specimens were collected: Schain’s Ranch, four (nos. 1959-1962), Fuller’s Mill, four (nos. 1978-1981), Straw- berry Valley, three (nos. 2699-2701), Tahquitz Valley, two (nos. 2746, 2747), Round Valley, one (no. 2179), Garnet Queen Mine, six (nos. 2368-2373), Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3024).
Sitta canadensis Linnaeus Red-breasted Nuthatch
Oceurs in small numbers in the limited area of Canadian zone in the highest parts of the mountains, the only places where we found them being in Tahquitz Valley and Round Valley. In Tahquitz Valley one was heard calling August 4. In Round Valley during July they were heard calling on various oc¢a- sions, but from their habit of remaining in the tops of the tallest trees, it was almost impossible to catch sight of them. But one specimen was secured, an adult male (no. 2196) taken in Round Valley, July 9.
310 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Sitta pygmaea leuconucha Anthony White-naped Nuthatch
A common species in the Transition zone and upwards. In the Santa Rosa Mountains it was noted from the Garnet Queen Mine up, being abundant in the open pine forests on the higher slopes of Santa Rosa and Toro peaks. In the San Jacinto Mountains proper it was encountered at Schain’s Ranch and Fuller’s Mill, and in greater numbers in Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley and Round Valley. At the time we entered the altitudes frequented by this nuthatch, the third week in June, the young had already left the nest, and small flocks of parents and young together were met traveling through the woods. One or two small flocks were seen at Hemet Lake the middle of August.
Nineteen specimens were collected, as follows: Fuller’s Mill, four (nos. 1982-1985), Strawberry Valley, five (nos. 2631-2635), Tahquitz Valley, one (no. 2748), Round Valley, three (nos. 2105, 2180, 2181), Santa Rosa Peak, four (nos. 2439-2442), Toro Peak, one (no. 2443), Hemet Lake, one (no. 3005).
The San Jacinto pygmy nuthatches clearly exhibit the size characters of lewconucha. Compared with typical pygmaca from Monterey Bay they are larger, with especially larger bill. The birds from all of the southern California mountain ranges, at least from the Sierra San Gabriel southward, resemble in their dimensions the Lower California form rather than the northern subspecies.
Baeolophus inornatus murinus Ridgway San Diego Titmouse
Most abundant on the desert slopes, but occurring also on the western side of the mountains, where it was encountered at various points up to 6000 feet. At Kenworthy, June 3, a pair of the birds were seen carrying insects into an old woodpecker hole thirty feet above the ground in a dead pine. At Garnet Queen Mine, the last week in June, flocks of old and young together were feeding in the trees. Other points of record are Vandeventer Flat, Schain’s Ranch, Strawberry Valley and Vallevista.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 311
Twelve specimens were collected: Schain’s Ranch, three (nos. 1784, 1785, 1972), Strawberry Valley, three (nos. 2696, 2698), Kenworthy, one (no. 2278), Garnet Queen Mine, four (nos. 2391-2394), Palm Cafion, one (no. 3090).
Penthestes gambeli baileyae (Grinnell) Bailey Mountain Chickadee
In the Transition zone and upwards, this was one of the most abundant species of birds in the mountains. By the time we first reached their haunts, during the last week in June, the young were already flying about, and, attended by their parents, were conspicuous everywhere in the woods. In the Santa Rosa Mountains, both at the Garnet Queen Mine and at the summit of the range, this chickadee was the commonest species of bird. In the San Jacinto Mountains proper, from about 5000 feet upwards, they were also exceedingly numerous, being noted in the hills above Kenworthy, and at Fuller’s Mill, Schain’s Ranch, Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley, Round Valley, and Thomas Mountain, and it was one of the species noted on the summit of San Jacinto Peak (10,700 feet), July 27. An immature male taken on Thomas Mountain, August 17, has completed the post- juvenal molt.
Forty specimens were preserved, as follows: Garnet Queen Mine, six (nos. 2363-2365, 2376, 2381, 2382), Santa Rosa Peak, four (nos. 2377-2380), Fuller’s Mill, five (nos. 1973-1977), Schain’s Ranch, five (nos. 1931-1935), Strawberry Valley, eight (nos. 2596-2603), Tahquitz Valley, five (nos. 2796-2800), Round Valley, six (nos. 2116, 2117, 2202-2205), Thomas Mountain, one (no. 3025).
Psaltriparus minimus minimus (Townsend) California Bush-tit A common species in the serub oak and chaparral of the lower parts of the mountains. On the desert side they were fairly abundant on Pinon Flat and at Dos Palmos. On the Pacific side we saw many at Kenworthy; and in the Santa Rosa Mountains as high as the Garnet Queen Mine, in the San Jacintos
312 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
as high as Strawberry Valley and, later in the summer, the summit of Thomas Mountain. A young bird taken in Round Valley, 9000 feet, July 11, and a flock seen on the ridge above Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, July 30, were undoubtedly summer wanderers from lower altitudes. At the San Gorgonio Pass side of the range they were found down to the very base of the mountains, but not out on the floor of the desert. Near Valle- vista, at the western base, they were of common occurrence during the first week in September.
A nest was found at the base of the mountains near Cabezon, May 6, presumably with eggs, as one of the parent birds was occupying it. At Dos Palmos, May 28, and at Kenworthy, June 4, flocks of old and young together were seen foraging through the shrubbery.
Twenty-one specimens were collected: Cabezon, eight (nos. 1732-1735, 2121-2124), Banning, one (no. 2050), Hurley Flat, two (nos. 1806, 1807), Kenworthy, two (nos. 2280, 2281), Dos Palmos, four (nos. 2529-2532), Strawberry Valley, two (nos. 2650, 2651), Round Valley, one (no. 2185), Vallevista, one (no. 3132).
Auriparus fiaviceps flaviceps (Sundeyall) Verdin
A few verdins were seen daily at the mouth of Palm Canon and on the desert below, June 14 to 17. Several nests were discovered in mesquite thickets at this point, some of them with the birds close at hand, but none containing either eggs or young. The species was not observed at Dos Palmos during our visits there in May and June, but later in the season, in August, several were encountered in the shrubbery along the creek. These two desert localities were the only record stations in the region.
Four specimens were collected, an adult male (no. 3083) and a non-sexed juvenal (no. 3082) from the mouth of Palm Canon, June 15, and two juvenals from Dos Palmos, August 23
and 26 (nos. 2527,
2528). The two latter are in the midst of the post-juvenal molt, with the yellow head and chestnut wing coverts partly acquired.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 313
We found them most elusive birds, hard to secure, or even to catch sight of, flitting through the bushes with hardly a sound; while the vegetation was so whipped about by the hard winds prevailing, that any small birds were extremely difficult to see.
Chamaea fasciata henshawi Ridgway Pallid Wren-tit
A common species in the chaparral throughout the mountains. On the San Gorgonio Pass side of the range the wren-tit, together with several other species of the same association, ranges down quite to the base of the hills, where it stops abruptly, not ven- turing out on the nearby desert floor. At Dos Palmos, about the point of mergence of the Upper and Lower Sonoran zones, an oceasional brood was seen wandering down from the brush to the pools in the cafion below. The birds were common at the Garnet Queen Mine, the upper limit of the brush belt in the Santa Rosa Mountains. Throughout Hemet Valley, from Vande- venter Flat to Hemet Lake, and from there on down the San Jacinto River road clear to the base of the mountains at Valle- vista, the call of the wren-tit was the most familiar and often heard bird note. In the late summer they were found straying upwards far above their breeding ground. One was seen on the Tahquitz trail at about 8000 feet, July 17, and on July 22 one was heard near the summit of Tahquitz Peak, 8826 feet. The upper limit of the breeding range in the San Jacinto Mountains is probably in the neighborhood of 6000 feet.
Eleven specimens of the wren-tit were secured, from the fol- lowing points: Cabezon, three (nos. 1645, 2119, 2120), Banning, one (no. 2049), Schain’s Ranch, one (no. 1805), Kenworthy, one (no. 2277), Hemet Lake, one (no. 3007), Garnet Queen Mine, one (no. 2366), Dos Palmos, one (no, 2533), Vallevista, two (nos. 3128, 3129).
Regulus satrapa olivaceus Baird
Western Golden-erowned Kinglet Seen on several occasions in Tahquitz Valley and in Round Valley. They were first noted on July 26, when a small flock,
probably a single family, was encountered in some willows border-
€
314 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
ing a cienaga in Tahquitz Valley. Two juvenals were secured, the rest taking refuge in the tree tops, where they easily eluded observation. The next day, July 27, another flock was seen in Round Valley, but in the tops of the pines out of reach. On July 29 one was taken in Tahquitz Valley. The first two speci- mens (nos. 2792, 2793), both females, are in juvenal plumage throughout. The last (no. 2795) is a young male molting into first winter plumage. The capture of these birds in the manner described is undoubtedly indicative of their breeding at this point. The southernmost breeding station previously recorded for California is the San Bernardino Mountains (Grinnell, 1908, p. 126), and the present instance carries the breeding range south- ward to the southernmost extension of the Boreal zone within the state.
Regulus calendula cineraceus Grinnell Ashy Kinglet
In Tahquitz Valley and in Round Valley, during July, king- lets were seen or heard almost daily, and the species probably breeds in fair abundance everywhere on the higher slopes leading up to San Jacinto Peak, from about 8000 feet upward. From their habit of frequenting the tree tops the birds were not easily or frequently observed, but the loud, clear song was evidence enough of their presence. After the young had left the nest they were more frequently seen in the willow thickets bordering the cienagas and streams.
Three adults were taken in Round Valley, July 8 and 11 (nos. 2182-2184). Two juvenals were taken in Tahquitz Valley, July 28 and 29 (nos. 2791, 2794), one in juvenal plumage throughout, the other with new feathers appearing on the throat and breast. Two were secured in Round Valley, August 2, a young male (no. 2789) just beginning the post-juvenal molt, and an adult female (no. 2790) which was in the midst of the annual molt.
Polioptila caerulea obscura Ridgway Western Gnateatcher An abundant species in the Upper Sonoran chaparral on the
Pacifie side of the mountains. About Kenworthy, at the end of May and early in June, they were noticeably numerous, probably
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 315
the most abundant species of bird, in full song, and undoubtedly breeding in the neighborhood. At Dos Palmos, on the desert side, occasional individuals appeared about the springs, but these had probably strayed down from the waterless Upper Sonoran chaparral slopes above. In the Santa Rosa Mountains one or two were seen at Garnet Queen Mine, and two individuals near the summit of Santa Rosa Peak, June 29.
The upper limit of the species in the San Jacinto Mountains may perhaps be indicated by its occurrence in fair abundance at Schain’s Ranch (4900 feet), in lesser numbers at Fuller’s Mill (6000 feet), and a single bird at Idyllwild (6000 feet), seen July 3. During the first week in May they were common at Cabezon, at the northern base of the mountains, but they may well have been migrating at that time, and no evidence was forthcoming of their breeding in the vicinity.
At Hemet Lake during the first two weeks in August gnat- catchers were migrating in large numbers, and on Thomas Moun- tain (6800 feet), during the ensuing week, they were also fairly numerous.
Twelve specimens were taken, from the following points: Cabezon, one (no, 1742), Schain’s Ranch, three (nos. 1802-1804), Fuller’s Mill, one (no. 2016), Kenworthy, six (nos. 2270-2275), Hemet Lake, one (no. 3004).
Polioptila plumbea (Baird) Plumbeous Gnateatcher Several were observed and an adult male secured (no. 3091), in a clump of desert willow between the mouths of Palm and Murray canons, June 15. About Dos Palmos during the third week in August, gnateatchers were occasionally seen in the brush, and the two specimens secured (nos. 2534, 2535), both in the juvenal plumage, proved to be of this species. These were the only occasions on which the species was encountered in the region.
Polioptila californica Brewster Black-tailed Gnateatcher
In the San Jacinto region this species proved to be confined strictly to the Lower Sonoran zone at the western and northern bases of the range, occurring nowhere above the very lowest foot-
316 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
hills. It was found in May and June at Banning and Cabezon north of the range in San Gorgonio Pass. The latter place is about at the point where the Pacific flora and fauna gives place to desert species, and the black-tailed gnateatcher is here at the eastern limit of its range, being replaced farther on by P. plumbea. In the brush about Vallevista, at the western base, it was one of the most abundant species.
Seven specimens were collected: Cabezon, two (nos. 1743, 1744), Vallevista, five (nos. 3133-3137). Adults and young taken at the latter point August 29 to September 5, have about completed the fall molt.
Hylocichla ustulata ustulata (Nuttall) Russet-backed Thrush
Oceurs in San Jacinto Mountains apparently as a migrant only. At the northern base of the range, at Snow Creek and Cabezon, during May, it was found passing through in some num- bers. At Dos Palmos, during the last week in May, one or two were seen or heard daily in the vegetation along the stream. It was not encountered at any higher point in the mountains.
Six specimens were collected: Cabezon, four (nos. 1720-1723), Snow Creek, one (no. 2159), Dos Palmos, one (no. 2509).
Sialia mexicana occidentalis Townsend Western Bluebird
We found bluebirds in fair abundance in the mountains at many points from 4500 feet upwards. At Kenworthy, the last week in May, they were seen daily, at this time already feeding young out of the nest. In the Santa Rosa Mountains, the last of June, we found them in some numbers from the lower edge of Transition (Garnet Queen Mine) up to the summit. On the desert side of the range the only ones noted were a pair seen in the upper part of Palm Canon, at about 3000 feet, June 12, probably wandered down from the higher slope to the west- ward, attracted by the water in the canon. In the higher parts of the San Jacinto Mountains, at Schain’s Ranch, Fuller’s Mill,
1913] Grinnell_Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 317
Strawberry Valley, Tahquitz Valley and Round Valley, blue- birds were encountered in abundance during June and July. In August numerous flocks were seen at Hemet Lake and on Thomas Mountain. Young, still in juvenal plumage throughout, were taken up to the middle of August. Adults and young col- lected on Thomas Mountain during the third week in August are in the midst of the fall molt.
Fifty-one specimens were collected, as follows: Fuller’s Mill, four (nos. 1883, 1884, 1887, 1888), Poppet Flat, three (nos. 1885, 1886, 1946), Schain’s Ranch, twelve (nos. 1936-1945, 1947, 1948), Strawberry Valley, fourteen (nos. 2675-2688), Tah- quitz Valley, one (no. 2759), Round Valley, five (nos. 2085, 2176-2178, 2264), Hemet Lake, three (nos. 2991-2993), Thomas Mountain, three (nos. 3021-3023), Kenworthy, four (nos. 2266— 2269), Garnet Queen Mine, one (no. 2367), Toro Peak, one (no. 2444).
The bluebird of southern California has of late been con- sidered by some writers to be the same as the Lower California form, Sialia m. anabelae, and we have therefore carefully seru- tinized our series of specimens for verification of this belief. No examples of true anabelae from the San Pedro Martir Moun- tains are available; but the Museum contains extensive series of breeding birds from the mountains of San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties and the Sierra Nevada, and small series from northern California, and from Vancouver Island. Measurements and coloration of these various series have been carefully compared, and the results do not seem to justify the recognition of a race in southern California distinct from occidentalis.
Occidentalis, compared with anabelae, shows the following characteristics: smaller size, with relatively smaller and more slender bill; adult male with blue of a different shade and with the chestnut areas of back and breast much more extensive.
Of twenty-three breeding males from the San Jacinto Moun- tains, twenty-one have the chestnut area on the breast extensive and continuous; in two it is divided by a narrow line of blue. Sixteen have the chestnut dorsal patch solid and extensive, and seven have it divided by blue interseapulars.
318 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
Five breeding males from Vancouver Island show much less chestnut on back and breast. Two have chestnut patch of small size on the dorsum, one has slight streaks on the scapulars, one but a few faint flecks of chestnut on the scapulars, and two are pure blue above. None have the underparts as extensively chest- nut as the average southern California bird, and in each there is a tendency for this tract to be divided into two patches. Five males from the Warner Mountains, and two from Shasta County, also show this restriction of the chestnut areas, quite as much so as individuals from southern California which have been referred to anabelae. Thus these northern birds, which may be considered typical occidentalis, do not by any means show a greater extension of chestnut markings, one of the supposed char- acteristics of this race.
As already noted by Grinnell (1908, p. 133) wear has a great deal to do with the extent of the chestnut, freshly molted speci- mens invariably showing it much more extensively than others. The shade of the blue is variable in any series, the five Van- couver Island specimens showing as great extremes as do the San Jacinto birds. Comparative measurements are given below.
On the whole, we have not been able to find grounds for recognizing a form anabelae as occurring in California. The characters ascribed to the subspecies are so elusive and unstable, and the variation, especially in coloration, in series from any one region is so great, that the use of separate names for northern and southern California birds does not seem to serve any useful purpose, but is merely confusing. We accordingly use the older
name, occidentalis.
COMPARATIVE MEASUREMENTS IN MILLIMETERS (MINIMUM, MAXIMUM, AND AVERAGE) OF Sialia m. occidentalis FROM CALIFORNIA AND VANCOUVER ISLAND
WING 5 males from San Diego County, Calif. 107 -110 (109.0) 20 males from San Jacinto Mts. 98.5-109.5 (105.9) 5 males from Sierra Nevada, Kern Co., Calif. 100.5-107 (103.5) 2 males from Shasta Co., Calif. 103.5-106 (104.7) 4 males from Modoe Co., Calif. 101.5-106.5 (103.9) 5 males from Vancouver Island 101 -108 (105.5)
1913] Grinnell_-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 319
9 females from San Jacinto Mts., Calif. 99.5-107.5 (103.8) 8 females from Modoe Co., Calif. 88 -104 (100.2) 5 females from Vancouver Island 99 -102 (100.6) CULMEN 5 males from San Diego County Calif. 12 —13 ( 12.5) 20 males from San Jacinto Mts., Calif. 11.5— 13 ( 12.4) 5 males from Sierra Nevada, Kern Co., Calif. 10.5- 13 ( 11.6) 2 males from Shasta Co., Calif. 11 —12 ( 11.5) 4 males from Modoe Co., Calif. 11 — 12.5 ( 11.8) 5 males from Vancouver Island 11 —12 (11.3) 9 females from San Jacinto Mts., Calif. 12 — 13.5 ( 12.8) 8 females from Modoe Co., Calif. 10.5— 12.5 ( 11.5) 5 females from Vancouver Island UO By (C alaley/))
CHECK-LIST OF THE MAMMALS
. Odocoileus hemionus ealifornicus (Caton) . Ovis canadensis nelsoni C. H. Merriam SCwUNUSs PRS eUSy ami DOM yaw NT eG arn eeeree eee eee een Pee Eutamias merriami merriami (Allen) Eutamias speciosus speziosus (Allen) - . Ammospermophilus leucurus leucurus (Cc. H. Miemrianm))\i see 326 = @itellus tereticandusschlorus SEO ty o.e-ccececee- eae eee ee eee
. Citellus beecheyi fisheri (C. H. Merriam) 9. Seiuropterus alpinus ecalifornicus Rhoads 10. Onychomys torridus torridus (Coues)
11. Onychomys torridus ramona Rhoads ...................-....-
Naar Wwe
wn
12. Peromyscus maniculatus sonoriensis (LeConte) .. 13. Peromyscus boylei rowleyi (Allen) 14, Peromyscus truei martirensis (Allen) Fy PeTOMYSCUS CLINE SUSLEPMEMSI eM GANT eeesees sees eer eae ee 334 16. Peromyscus californicus insignis Rhoads 17, Peromyscus eremicus eremicus (Baird) 18. Reithrodontomys megalotis longicauda (Baird) ... 19. Neotoma intermedia intermedia Rhoads 20. Neotoma intermedia gilva Rhoads .........-.........-..----- 21. Neotoma intermedia desertorum C. H. Merriam ... ; 22. Neotoma fuscipes mohavensis Hlliot -....-.-..2--..---cccc---scc--cceeenceeeeneeeeeenee 23. Microtus californicus californicus (Peale) 24. Thomomys perpallidus C. H. Merriam 25. Thomomys cabezonae C. H. Merriam 6. Thomomys nigricans Rhoads ................-.......-.--. ae 7. Thomomys altivallis Rhoads 8. Dipodomys merriami simiolus Rhoads
9° Dipodomiys! merrlamilparvus | HOA GS geese eer ee eee eee
320 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
PAGE 30. Dipodomys deserti deserti Stephens ...........-...---<--s--c--csseceesseceseeseeeeneeee= 358 Sle Perodipus as iis sap mls y (Gre mb Cll) eee eee sree sere ase eet tees eee ee eee ae 358 Se. -Perodipus cabezonaes ©. be eN vernon) eee eee eee 359 33. Perognathus panamintinus bangsi Mearns ............2.--..-------------- 360 34. Perognathus panamintinus brevinasus Osgood ................-2.---.-2.---- 360 35. Perognathus penicillatus angustirostris Osgood -.................-.------------ 361 36. Perognathus) fallax fallax (> He Merriam 2cccceetee eee eeeee 361 37. Perognathus fallax pallidus Mearns .............2..2:.:2.0220:2ceececeeeeeseceeeeeet 362 38. Perognathus californicus femoralis Allen -............---.-.-.c:c2.c-eeceenesse= 362 39. Perognathus spinatus spinatus C. H. Merriam ................-.--.-----.---- 366 40. Lepus californicus deserticola Mearns ..........2.......-::1cs-e-esceseeeeeeeeeeeee= 366 41. Sylvilagus auduboni arizonae (Allen) .............22...21.2-.2s:2ceeceeeeeeeseeeeseeeee 367 42. Sylvilagus auduboni sanctidiegi (Miller) ~.............-2-2-.-.----eess-eeeeoeee 367 43. Sylvilagus bachmani cinerascens (Allen) ................-2-.22:----20e2-teeseeee 368 44. Felis oregonensis oregonensis Rafinesque .........-.--..------2--------.-2---e 369 458 Thyme eremiicus: C@ltormicusy Mle ars) eects ene ecco eee teens ee 379 46. Canis ochropus ochropus Hschscholtz ou... ----- cc eee erence ecernee een 371 47 :, Noilpes Malerovis) ArSipus) BNO G esscee.c.ceeseccelaeneectesnceeeacecee ance eeee-eeereeceee 372 48. Uroeyon cinereoargenteus californicus Mearns ................-----...---- 372 49. Urocyon cinereoargenteus scotti Mearns .................---2.0---2:e-seneeceeneeees 372
psy
ocr Gr or 1 OL gy Or OT Ct 0) GS Ol HH oo bo
eer) I)
a bo
—)
. Mephitis occidentalis holzneri Mearns .... . Spilogale phenax phenax C. H. Merriam ... . Mustela arizonensis (Mearns) . Sorex ornatus C. H. Merriam 5. Notiosorex crawfordi Baird
Procyon psora psora Gray ...
. Seapanus latimanus oecultus Grinnell & Swarth .....-............--.-.-...-- 378 . Corynorhinus macrotis pallescens Miller —........---...2-2.-22.---2---0e---er-e-= 379 - Myotis! Inertueus) lonpierus (Dre) pene ree ee er eee 380 ; Miyotis' yumamensis! yumanensis (EI. Allen) eeessece acne eee 380 s, Miyotis:torimomus Riot o.-cceiceec-vetnseees none eee 381 . Myotis californicus californicus (Audubon & Bachman) .................. 381 = Eyptesicus fuscus -tusens)|(B Gavin) yee ese ese sence eee eee 381 . Pipistrellus hesperus hesperus (Hi. Allen), --.-...-..-20-22---.2cscececeeeeeen-enee 382
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 321
GENERAL ACCOUNTS OF THE MAMMALS
Odocoileus hemionus californicus (Caton) California Mule Deer
Sign was seen plentifully in nearly all parts of the Upper Sonoran chaparral belt, and thence up through Transition, both on Santa Rosa and the main San Jacinto Mountain. On the San Gorgonio Pass side no evidence of the presence of deer was seen below Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet. Here and at Fuller’s Mill a few tracks were seen, and a buck was jumped at the latter place June 30. In Strawberry Valley a doe with two fawns was seen July 7. In the vicinity of Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, during July and August, fully a dozen deer were seen, one being an old buek, the rest yearling bucks, does, and fawns. During the middle of the day the deer were staying on the sides of the low ridges margining the valley, mostly at the upper edge of the brush-patches, where these gave place to thickets of small firs interspersed with open stretches. Many beds were to be seen beneath young firs or pines, merely irregular bare places about two feet across scraped in the carpeting of pine needles. There are never any feces in or close about deer beds as there always are in the case of sheep. An occasional bed was situated on the crest of a ridge, but as a rule the animals seleeted locations down on the slope below, within fifty vards of the crest.
About the margins of the thickets of Ceanothus cordulatus, the numerous footprints showed plainly how the deer had stood and browsed. There were plenty of places where the new growth of this plant had been nibbled off. Heaps of feces along these feeding places showed that the deer defecate while browsing. In the stomach contents of a deer shot in this vicinity the only identifiable material consisted of leaves and newly grown twigs of Ceanothus cordulatus; it would seem that this is the chief, if not the only plant foraged upon in the Transition zone at this season.
No definite evidence was forthcoming that the deer ate grass in the meadows. Tracks showed that the streams and meadow mareins were often visited, but we thought solely for water. In
322 University of California Publications in Zoology | Vou. 10
one case three deer were seen in the evening standing out in an open meadow hardly one hundred yards from a band of grazing horses. The latter appeared to cause the deer no uneasiness. As far as we observed, however, the deer were not themselves grazing. Deer trails beaten into plain thoroughfares led across heads of ravines and over ridges diagonally, but seldom followed directly along the top of a ridge for any distance.
In the vicinity of Round Valley, 9000 feet, four deer were seen; sign was noted July 27 up the brushy side of San Jacinto Peak above Round Valley to an elevation of about 9800 feet, this being practically at the upper limit of Ceanothus cordulatus. Deer thus range in summer over the highest parts of the moun- tains, there being no apparent zonal limitation.
On Thomas Mountain and on the chaparral slopes in the vicinity of Hemet Peak and Oak Tree Spring above Kenworthy, sign was plentiful. On the Santa Rosa Mountains evidences of the presence of deer were not notably numerous, though the animals ranged over the whole ridge. But down on the north- east slope in the pinon belt sign was plentiful. On Sheep Moun- tain, about the head of Deep Canon and across Pinon Flat to the upper walls of Palm Canon deer were numerous. The lowest place of occurrence was at Potrero Spring, 3500 feet, near Asbestos Mountain; here one was seen June 13.
Hunting of deer is persistently carried on through each open season, and it is surprising that there are many deer left in such a limited area as is the portion of the San Jacinto region suitable to the animal’s needs. Their survival is doubtless due to the large areas of heavy
places freedom from pursuit with dogs.
chaparral, which afford cover, and in many
Our parties procured three specimens: a two point buck (no. 2336) with horns in the velvet, near Toro Peak June 29; an old doe (no, 2338) in Tahquitz Valley, July 24; and a spotted fawn, female (no. 2337), Thomas Mountain, August 20.
Ovis canadensis nelsoni C. H. Merriam Desert Bighorn
The desert sheep or bighorn was found to occupy a definite area on the desert slope of the region chiefly below the pinon
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 323
belt, and therefore not much overlapping the habitat of the mule deer. The range of the agave and desert sheep in this region closely coincided. Sign was first seen on the west wall of the upper Palm Cafion at about 3500 feet altitude, thus on the east base of Hemet Peak. It is probable that the sheep range from here almost continuously north along the precipitous east and northeast base of the main San Jacinto ridge at least to Chino Canon, for in February, 1912, definite information was obtained to the effect that several had been seen in lower Tahquitz Canon close to Palm Springs, and in lower Chino Canon.
To the east of Palm Canon sign was observed widespread over the hills below the 3500 foot contour. On the east slope near Little Paradise, on the ridges north of Asbestos Mountain, a few individuals had wandered within the few days previous to June 17, 1908. This was also the ease on and around Black Mountain. But it was the immediate vicinity of Deep Canon which, in May, June and August, 1908, was the metropolis of the sheep. On the steep walls and nearby mesa a few hundred yards back from the rim, 2500 to 4000 feet altitude, well worn trails, footprints, and feces were plentiful. In places it looked as though a herd of domestic sheep had been over the region. A lone ram was seen on the side of Deep Ganon on May 27; a band of twelve together, on May 28, a band of ten on June 19, a band of four on August 24, a lone ram on August 25.
Two specimens were obtained: a ram of about six years of age (no. 2319) June 19, and a ewe of about two years (no. 2320), August 24.
Sciurus griseus anthonyi Mearns Anthony Gray Squirrel Not a common species in the mountains, and seen only in the higher parts of the range, from one or two points in high Upper Sonoran upwards. Specimens were collected as follows: Round Valley, 9000 feet, two (nos. 1758, 1759) ; Strawberry Val- ley, 6000 feet, one (no. 2087) ; Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, one (no. 2216) ; Kenworthy, 4700 feet, one (no. 2309) ; Garnet Queen
Mine, 6000 feet, one (no. 2310). Additional points of record are
324 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Santa Rosa Peak, Tahquitz Valley, and-the road between Schain’s Ranch and Fuller’s Mill. It was not an abundant species at any point, two or three individuals being about as many as were seen anywhere in the course of a day’s collecting.
The six specimens preserved, all adults, taken on dates rang- ing from June 5 to August 17, are in extremely worn and ragged pelage, some of them showing the beginning of the growth of new hair on the head, and at points on the back.
Eutamias merriami merriami (Allen) Merriam Chipmunk
A common species on the coastal slope of the mountains, mostly in high Upper Sonoran and lower Transition, ranging upward in smaller numbers to upper Transition. Specimens were collected as follows: Poppet Flat, 4000 feet, two (nos. 1645, 1668); Sechain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, six (nos. 1643, 1644, 1646, 1647, 1669, 1670) ; Fuller’s Mill, 6000 feet, ten (nos. 1745-1754) ; Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, six (nos. 2091-2096) ; Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, two (nos. 2156, 2157); Round Valley, 9000 feet, two (nos. 1755, 1756); Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, two (nos. 2238, 2239) ; Kenworthy, 4500 feet, nine (nos. 1873-1881) ; Gar- net Queen Mine, 6000 feet, one (no. 1997); Santa Rosa Peak, 7500 feet, three (nos. 1994-1996); Toro Peak, 8000 feet, three (nos. 1991-1993) ; forty-six in all. Also observed on Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, but none collected there. One was heard calling in the brush of the foothills near Banning at the north base of the mountains, the lowest point where the species was noted.
The species was everywhere an inhabitant of the chaparral. Though common on the brush-covered hills surrounding Hemet Valley; as at Kenworthy and Hemet Lake, individuals were never seen in the clumps of timber seattered in the sagebrush of the valley just below. In Tahquitz Valley, and on some of the surrounding ridges, they frequented tracts of chinquapin and young fir trees.
Round Valley, 9000 feet, is an unusually high record station for the species, but tracts of brush such as were occupied com-
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 325
monly on Tahquitz Ridge, extend with but few breaks to the former point, in fact nearly to the summit of San Jacinto Peak, and having reached Round Valley, there seems to be little to hinder the animal from ranging over the Peak. The species was not observed at any point on the desert slopes of the moun- tains.
Though most of the specimens collected (taken from the middle of May to the middle of August) are in good condition, as regards pelage, there is one striking exception, an adult female (no. 1876) taken at Kenworthy, May 22. On this animal the hair is worn to such an extent that the color pattern has entirely disappeared. It looked entirely black as it darted over the rocks, and is in fact sooty over the entire upper surface of the body.
Eutamias speciosus speciosus (Allen) San Bernardino Chipmunk
Thirty-nine specimens were procured, as follows: San Jacinto Peak at 10,000 feet, one (no. 1757); Round Valley, 9000 feet, twenty (nos. 1768-1777, 1798-1807) ; Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, eighteen (nos. 2129-2137, 2158-2166).
This chipmunk adhered closely to the Boreal zone on the main San Jacinto Mountains, not being seen below an altitude of 8000 feet. It was not found on Santa Rosa at all. The range of this mammal closely coimcided with that of the chinquapin (Castan- opsis). While not seen on the actual summit of the peak, Eutamias speciosus was noted commonly on chinquapin slopes up to 10,000 feet, and in all probability occurred all over the uppermost heights.
No young were seen up to July 20, but on the 23rd juvenals were taken, and soon after were plentiful. Nothing ean here be added to the account of habits already given (Grinnell, 1908, p. 139).
The cursory examination given the series of specimens avail- able shows no differences which, perhaps, might be expected to appear between the two colonies inhabiting the San Jacinto and San Bernardino mountains respectively, with the San Gorgonio Pass intervening.
326 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
Ammospermophilus leucurus leucurus (C. H. Merriam) Antelope Chipmunk
An abundant species along the lower desert slopes of the San Jacintos. Beginning at the southeast, the species was first encountered on Pinon Flat well up into the pion belt. It was here observed as high as Asbestos Spring, 4500 feet. From there northeast all over the Dos Palmos and Black Mountain country it was plentiful, as also down Palm Canon from about the 3000- foot contour to its mouth. Numerous at Palm Springs, Snow Creek, and as far up San Gorgonio Pass as Cabezon, 1700 feet. Nothing was seen of this rodent at Whitewater, where Citellus t. chlorus was common. Apparently the antelope chipmunk does not far invade the open sandy stretches of desert, which are complementarily occupied by C. t. chlorus.
An interesting discovery was the existence of A. 1. lewcwrus as a colony, probably now isolated, in San Jacinto Valley. Here, around Vallevista, they oceupied a wash well out from the mouth of a canon entering the valley from the east.
Specimens of this chipmunk were taken as follows: Dos Palmos and Carrizo Creek, 3000 to 3500 feet, five (nos. 1933- 1937); Palm Canon, 3000 feet, one (no. 2058); Palm Springs, 450 feet, five (nos. 6048-6045, 6393, 6757); Snow Creek, 1500 feet, five (nos. 1508-1512) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, seven (nos. 1308— 1314) ; Vallevista, 1800 feet, four (nos. 2268-2271).
The specimens from Vallevista do not present appreciable differences from those from the desert base of the mountains. Although typically a member of the arid Lower Sonoran fauna, this rodent in places ranges higher than most other Lower Son- oran forms, even well through the Upper Sonoron, as on the north side of the San Bernardino Mountains (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 141). It is not difficult, therefore, to explain its occurrence in San Jacinto Valley by one-time invasion during a period of meteorologically favorable seasons over the intervening Upper Sonoran hills from the vicinity of Cabezon.
Both at Cabezon and Vallevista this chipmunk was observed in cactus plants, eating buds or fruits. The animals appeared to be well able to move about and handle the prickly fruits without incurring injury. In one ease, however, a stout thorn
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 327
was found firmly stuck in the roof of a chipmunk’s mouth. In August, when the fruits were fully ripe, the purple stain was found to have discolored not only the mouths of the chipmunks, but to have permeated the whole abdominal region internally.
Citellus tereticaudus chlorus Elliot Palm Springs Ground Squirrel
Numerous in a tract of sand dunes on the desert immediately south of the railroad station at Whitewater, 1130 feet. Here, June 3 to 5, eighteen specimens were trapped (nos. 1542-1559). Three of these are half-grown juvenals. Both young and old are distinctly grayer in color dorsally than in series of tereticaudus of corresponding season from the Imperial and Lower Colorado valleys, which are decidedly cinnamomeous in tone. Although we fail to detect any other differences, this pecuharity in color seems to be alone sufficient to warrant the use of the separate name, chlorus, of Elliot (1903, p. 242), type locality Palm Springs. The form is best regarded, in our opinion, as a subspecies of tereticaudus.
Citellus beecheyi fisheri (C. H. Merriam) Fisher Ground Squirrel
Twenty-eight specimens preserved as follows: Whitewater, one (no. 1560); Cabezon, nine (nos. 1405-1413) ; Banning, one (no. 1417); Schain’s, four (nos. 1635-1637, 2706); Thomas Mountain, one (no. 2217); Strawberry Valley, nine (nos. 2078— 2086) ; Tahquitz Valley, two (nos. 2154, 2155); Round Valley, one (no. 1760). The ground squirrel was noted also at 8500 feet altitude near the summit of Toro Peak, about Hemet Lake and through Hemet Valley, in Deep Canon, and around Asbestos Mountain. In Round Valley, at 9000 feet altitude, it was actu- ally abundant, as also in Strawberry Valley. The species thus ranged from the Pacifie to the desert base and from the lowest zone to the highest. It does not oceur, however, to the north and east far out on the desert floor, being apparently limited in that direction to the rocky foothills. This is essentially a Pacifie dis- trict species, though with remarkable ability to establish itself
328 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou- 10
under extreme arid conditions, and not only this but at an alti- tude of much lower temperature than in its usual zone, Upper Sonoran.
While at Cabezon half-grown young were taken on May 16, the young had but just appeared in Tahquitz Valley, July 21. The difference in zone accounts for this difference in breeding season.
We have compared our San Jacinto series with C. b. beecheyi, from Monterey and the vicinity of San Francisco, and with topotypes of C. b. fisheri from northeastern Kern County, finding the San Jacinto animal to be much nearer the latter. The features as compared with beecheyi of west-central California, are generally paler coloration, whiter and more extended shoulder stripes, and whiter, less buffy under surface. The latter appears to us to be the most constant and therefore reliable feature for the distinguishment of fisheri of southern California ‘rom
beecheyi.
Sciuropterus alpinus californicus Rhoads San Bernardino Flying Squirrel
Found at but one locality, Idyllwild, in Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet altitude. While camped here, July 4 to 15, we heard almost every night the chuckling of Sciwropterus in the black oaks and yellow pines around our beds. Number O steel traps and ‘‘Out-o-sight’’ rat traps were placed on stumps and branches around about, baited with dried prunes and fresh apricots; but these were not touched, except by jays in the daytime. On the night of July 12, four rat traps were baited with bread- butter-and-sugar and placed in crotches of black oaks about seven feet above the ground at the back of ‘‘ cottage number one.”’ Since various diurnal mammals regularly visited the garbage sans at the rear of this and other houses in Idyllwild it might be expected that nocturnal ones would also; and sure enough, the following morning our first and only flying squirrel rewarded our scheming.
The specimen (no. 2088) is an old female, at the date of capture long past breeding. Comparison with examples of cali- fornicus from the San Bernardino Mountains (see Grinnell,
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 329
1908, p. 138) shows not the slightest appreciable difference in colors: or proportions. The San Jacinto specimen measures: length 312, tail vertebrae 146, hind foot 38. The present instance furnishes the southernmost station for any flying squirrel along the western side of North America.
Onychomys torridus torridus (Coues) Arizona Grasshopper Mouse
Nine specimens of grasshopper mouse which we refer pro- visionally to this form were obtained, as follows: Snow Creek, 1500 feet, four (nos. 1570, 1571, 1573, 1574) ; Whitewater, 1130 feet, three (nos. 1572, 1575, 1576) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, two (nos. 1264, 1266). These stations are within the Lower Sonoran zone on the desert base of the mountains, this being probably the extreme western limit of the race of Onychomys inhabiting the Colorado desert. The paleness in coloration of the above examples, both adults and young, as compared with those from San Jacinto Valley, appears to afford sufficient ground for recog- nizing this and the following race from the San Jacinto region as here indicated, although no other differential features are apparent. But we are considerably in doubt as to what name to employ for the representative on the desert side. It is quite probable that this is not at all typical of true torridus; yet we fail to find conclusive evidence to warrant us in using the name perpallidus of Mearns (1896, p. 140). The Museum’s entire series of Onychomys is inadequate. Mearns himself does not appear to have had much material at his disposal, and his char- acterization 1s not convineing.
Onychomys torridus ramona Rhoads
San Bernardino Grasshopper Mouse Four specimens secured (nos. 2251-2254), September 1 to 5, at Vallevista, in San Jacinto Valley. These are quite lke examples from the vicinity of Riverside in their very dark tone of coloration and are evidently to be referred to ramona, thus adding another coast-belt form to the list of those occurring on the western slopes or base of the San Jacinto Mountains. One
330 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
of the above specimens is a half-grown juvenal. All were caught on the gravelly floor of the valley amone seattered brush, the station being within the Lower Sonoran zone.
Peromyscus maniculatus sonoriensis (LeConte) Sonora White-footed Mouse
A series of ninety-six specimens was preserved as follows: Round Valley, 9000 feet, three (nos. 1763-1765) ; Tahquitz Val- ley, 8000 feet, twenty-two (nos. 2168-2187, 9332, 9333) ; Straw- berry Valley, 6000 feet, three (nos. 2075-2077) ; Santa Rosa Peak, at 7500 feet, three (nos. 2038-2040); Kenworthy, 4500 feet, thirty-one (nos. 1811-1817, 1828-1847, 1858, 9329-9331) ; Valle- vista, 1800 feet, four (nos. 2255-2257, 9384); Fuller’s Mill, 6000 feet, two (nos. 1649-1650) ; Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, eight (nos. 1648, 1671-1677) ; Banning, 2300 feet, two (nos. 1463, 1464) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, fifteen (nos. 1265, 1270-1283) ; Snow Creek at 1500 feet, one (no. 1598); Whitewater, 1130 feet, two (nos. 1577, 1599):
The species was thus captured at almost every collecting sta- tion, from the highest point at which traps were set (Round Valley, 9000 feet) to both the Pacifie and desert bases of the mountains. As is notoriously the ease elsewhere, this mouse ignores zone limits in its dissemination, occurring in the San Jacinto region from Lower Sonoran to Canadian, inclusive of both zones. Furthermore, it ranges indiscriminately through different associations, being caught among cactus and ecreasote brush on the dryest desert floor, on sage flats, in chaparral, and in veratrum patches on wet Boreal meadows.
Our large series of specimens shows such a range of appar- ently individual variation, both as to color and size, as to baffle our attempts at segregation on geographical grounds. A paling desertwards, as with so many of the mammals of the region, might well be expected; and there may be such, if our senses or methods were refined enough to take proper account of the varia- tion from other than geographical causes.
Taking the whole series in mass effect, we feel justified in employing for it the one name sonoriensis, thus following Osgood (1909, p. 93) in the disposition of his material. Many individual
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 331
skins might upon their separate merits be referred to gambell, and it is patent that the mean of the whole aggregate might fall between typical sonoriensis and typical gambeli; but we feel that the leaning of the mode is most strongly toward the former. The San Jacinto region is again shown to le on the borderland between two faunal areas, their distinctive forms here blending or hybridizing, which, is not easy to say. Osgood (1909, pp. 68-70, 91) has admirably treated of the problem in similar situations in his revision of the genus Peromyscus.
Peromyscus boylei rowleyi (Allen) Rowley White-footed Mouse
Our collection contains 131 specimens apportioned hy loeali- ties as follows: Garnet Queen Mine, 6000 feet, twenty-three (2008-2028, 9334, 9335) ; Kenworthy, 4500 feet, five (nos. 1790— 1794) ; Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, twelve (nos. 2218-2228, 9337); Hemet Lake, 4300 feet, two (nos. 2242, 2243); Straw- berry Valley, 6000 feet, twenty-one (nos. 2098-2117, 2128) ; Tah- quitz Valley, 8000 feet, fourteen (nos. 2203-2215, 9336) ; Round Valley, 9000 feet, thirteen (nos. 1767, 1778-1789); Fuller’s Mill, 5900 feet, eighteen (nos. 1717, 1728-1744) ; Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, twelve (nos. 1678-1689); Cabezon, 1700 feet, four (nos. 1268, 1269, 1585, 9338) ; Snow Creek, 1500 feet, four (nos. 1584, 1586-1588) ; Dos Palmos Spring, 3500 feet, three (nos. 1910-1912).
This species would appear to be about as widely distributed through this region as Peromyscus m. sonoriensis; for it is recorded from fully as many stations. But P. b. rowleyi has much more marked associational restrictions, being very closely confined to the vicinity of water courses. Although ranging from Lower Sonoran, as at Cabezon, to the highest station in Boreal where any trapping was carried on, the low zone captures were made along streams where the contention might well be made that at least one zone higher was the one really present, although closely hemmed in on either side by the lower zone. The metrop- olis of rowleyi, jadging from its distribution elsewhere in south- ern California as well as in the area under consideration, is
332 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou- 10
evidently the riparian association within the Transition zone. From this focus it invades both above and below along favorable routes.
At Garnet Queen Mine this mouse was found up the shaded canon sides beneath golden oaks, as well as down along the stream. In Strawberry Valley many were caught along the alder-lined creeks, often beneath undercut banks overhung with gooseberries and tangles of roots. At still higher altitudes those caught eyvi- dently had their headquarters in the clumps of willows outlining the veratrum meadows.
The three specimens from the desert edge, at Dos Palmos Spring, were trapped along the water course marked for a short distance by a scanty seepage. A remarkable circumstance was the occurrence at this point, in fact within the course of one line of traps, of no fewer than four species of the one genus Peromys- cus, namely, stephensi, eremicus, martirensis, and rowleyt. This situation evidently resulted from the commingling of representa- tives from the two faunas which abut at this point, the first two species belonging to the arid contingent.
Fully as interesting as those cases where there is a clear transition through the San Jacinto region from one subspecies to another, as in certain species of Perognathus and Neotoma, are those cases where no trace of such modification is evinced. Peromyscus b. rowleyi offers an instance of the latter sort, as it ranges from one extreme of geographical conditions almost to the opposite, and as far as we are able to detect there is not the slightest variation displayed other than due to age, sex, and individual peculiarity.
As a possible explanation of this indifference we may offer, that the associational predilections are in this mammal of more weight than zonal, and the association followed is nearly uniform. Further, P. b. rowley’ is an animal whose focus of dispersal is in a high zone, so that upon a mountain hke San Jacinto its range fits over the topography like a mantle. It appears to be altogether those animals of Upper and Lower Sonoran, and of wide range in adjacent areas where they have separately differ- entiated, which exhibit geographical modification within the relatively short distance embraced in the north-and-south diam-
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 333
eter of the San Jacinto region. It is probable that in these animals the higher mountain ridge serves as a barrier. Although obviously of no great length and even not continuous, this barrier is doubtless to some degree effective in isolation.
It is the animals of the lowest zone which exhibit the most divergent characters at the two faunally most divergent bases of the mountain.
Peromyscus truei martirensis (Allen) San Pedro Martir Big-eared Mouse
As indicated by our trapping, this mouse is, with the exception of P. c. stephensi, the least common of the genus in the area explored. But fifteen examples were secured, as follows: Santa Rosa Peak, 7500 feet, six (nos. 2029-2034); Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, two (nos. 2127, 2138) ; Kenworthy, 4500 feet, five (nos. 1797, 1808-1810, 1913) ; Dos Palmos Spring, 3000 to 3500 feet, two (nos. 1914, 1915).
They were trapped only on dry chaparral-covered hillsides. As noted from the localities of capture there is considerable zonal range, Dos Palmos Spring being well down into the area of blending of Upper with Lower Sonoran, while the stations on Santa Rosa Peak and in Strawberry Valley were in areas of mingling of Upper Sonoran and Transition elements. It would appear that Upper Sonoran chaparral of the Pacific slope is the locally preferred habitat of this mouse.
We follow Osgood (1909, p. 171) in the name assigned to this mouse. The series is pale-colored as compared with repre- sentatives of trwei from Mount Pinos, Ventura County. The latter are evidently somewhat intermediate towards P. t. gilberti. Our examples, however, have not nearly so long tails as the measurements given for topotypes of martirensis. Thirteen adults give a tail leneth of 102.5 (83-111) as contrasted with “116.5 (112-122).’’ It is evident that the San Jacinto animals average somewhere between typical fruet and martirensis In sum total of characters, though not deserving of separate recognition in nomenclature.
334 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Peromyscus crinitus stephensi Mearns Stephens Canon Mouse
Detected at but one station, Dos Palmos Spring, 3500 feet, where two adults (nos. 1908, 1909) were trapped June 1, along the steep rocky wall of the ravine just below the two palms from which the place receives its name. These specimens are quite indistinguishable from the Museum series of the species from Victorville on the Mojave Desert and from the California side of the Colorado River.
Peromyscus californicus insignis Rhoads Southern Parasitic Mouse
Thirty-five specimens obtained, as follows: Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, one (no. 2198) ; Kenworthy, 4500 feet, two (nos. 1795, 1796) ; Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, fifteen (nos. 1690-1697, 1708— 1714); Banning, 2200 feet, three (nos. 1414-1416); Cabezon, 1700 feet, thirteen (nos. 1267, 13823-1332, 1581, 1582); Snow Creek, 1500 feet, one (no. 1583).
The distribution of this mouse is typically Upper Sonoran, coinciding with the chaparral belt of that zone. The single example from Tahquitz Valley was far up in Transition, though in actual distance the interval to be traversed in reaching the place was not great; a belt of cherry and manzanita brush was continuous down the slope to the east. Of casual interest is the fact that not one example of this mouse was taken as a result of all our trapping in Tahquitz Valley; the specimen obtained was found drowned in a pitcher of milk at the summer camp in the valley.
The occurrence of the species so far down zonally as Cabezon and Snow Creek is noteworthy, for especially the latter point is well into Lower Sonoran. As far as we are able to discern the series from the desert slope differ in no way from those from the Pacifie slope, and these in turn are identical with topotypes of insignis from Dulzura, San Diego County.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 335
Peromyscus eremicus eremicus (Baird) Desert White-footed Mouse
The seventy-five specimens collected represent localities as follows: Banning, 2300 feet, eight (mos. 1449-1456) ; Cabezon, twenty (nos. 1284-1300, 9339-9341) ; Snow Creek at 1500 feet, eight (nos. 1563-1567, 1578-1580) ; Palm Springs, 450 feet, three (nos. 5983, 5984, 6803) ; Palm Canon, at various altitudes, ten (nos. 2068-2074, 9342-9344) ; vicinity of Dos Palmos Spring, 3000-3500 feet, twenty-six (nos. 1940-1947, 1958-1967, 1998— 2005).
It is observable that all of these localities are on the desert side of the mountains, and all are either well within the Lower Sonoran zone, or at highest (Banning) in the belt of blending of that zone with the next higher. Thus, within the same genus, we find a species (sonoriensis) apparently oblivious of tempera- ture range, while the present, eremicus, is closely limited to the climatic conditions obtaining in one division of one zone.
The desert white-footed mouse appears to affect by preference sandy ground rather sparsely provided with clumpy xerophytic shrubs.
Our series of specimens is very uniform in the main observ- able characters, save as obviously due to age. The specimens from Banning are a trifle the darkest, a possible tendency towards P. e. fraterculus, the Pacific Coast race of the species. The latter, however, we failed to find in San Jacinto Valley, though we had anticipated its occurrence there. The series as a whole closely resembles material from the lower Colorado Valley. In mass effect the latter are faintly paler-colored.
Reithrodontomys megalotis longicauda (Baird) Long-tailed Harvest Mouse
Loealities of capture were: Banning, 2200 feet, five (nos, 1457-1461) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, five (nos. 1301-1305) ; Snow Creek, 1500 feet, one (no. 1569) ; Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, three (nos. 1632-1634) ; Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, one (no. 2097) ; Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, three (nos. 2244, 2245, 9345). The last
336 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou- 10
three stations were the highest at which the species was found to occur, these being barely within the limits of Lower Transi- tion. The species here as elsewhere seems to be_ essentially Sonoran, and affects grassy places of not too moist a character.
Examination discloses no obvious differences between speci- mens from the San Gorgonio Pass base of the mountains and the few from the Pacifie side. There is some variation, and, as in series from elsewhere in southern California, certain examples appear to be more reddish on the rump than any from the San Francisco Bay region. The general tone of coloration, however, is not decisively paler than in the northern animals; and the San Jacinto series, as far as it goes, is satisfactorily referable to R. m. longicauda.
Neotoma intermedia intermedia Rhoads Dulzura White-footed Wood Rat
Neotoma intermedia gilva Rhoads Banning White-footed Wood Rat
Neotoma intermedia desertorum C. H. Merriam Desert Wood Rat
One hundred and two specimens of wood rats of the inter- media-desertorum category are in our collections from the San Jacinto region. In spite of the fact that the genus Neotoma has been but recently monographed (Goldman, 1910), this portion of our material has given us much trouble in its determination. In Goldman’s paper referred to, intermedia (with its subspecies gilva) and desertorum are treated not only as distinct forms, but
‘
as species belonging to two ‘‘groups’’—and not nearly related ones—of the subgenus Neotoma within which the author recog- nizes six such subdivisions. This is a departure from the early views of C. H. Merriam (1894, pp. 117-120), who recognizes but four. groups, in one of which, ‘‘the desertorwm group,’’ he includes both intermedia and-desertorum. The results of our study prove to be most in accord with the latter view, and even suggest strongly the propriety of considering desertorum as but a subspecies of intermedia.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto — 337
Our material from the limited region under consideration hails from the following loealities: Garnet Queen Mine, 6000 feet, two specimens (nos. 2056, 2057); Kenworthy, 4500 feet, three (nos. 1868, 1871, 1872); Vallevista, 1800 feet, thirteen (nos. 2289-2301) ; Banning, 2200 feet, twenty-five (nos. 1424-1448) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, twenty-three (nos. 1333-1338, 1341, 1343— 1354; 1524, 9346-9348) ; Snow Creek at 1500 feet, thirteen (nos. 1513-1517, 1525-1532) ; Whitewater, 1130 feet, nine (nos. 1518— 1523, 1533-1535) ; Palm Springs, 450 feet, one (no. 6969) ; Palm Canon at 800 feet, two (nos. 2066, 2067; Palm Canon at 2500 feet, one (no. 2065); Dos Palmos Spring, 3500 feet, ten (nos. 1948-1957).
The first three localities are on the Pacific side of the moun- tains. The specimens from Garnet Queen Mine were trapped around a loose rotk wall serving to retain a roadway on an Upper Sonoran chaparral hillside. Those at Kenworthy, also in Upper Sonoran, were taken near crevices in huge boulders sur- rounded by chaparral. In the vicinity of Vallevista the animals were taken along banks of washes, where they lived in holes in the ground, with no vestiges of houses.
The remainder of the localities of capture are all on the desert slope of the mountains. The series from Banning, Cabezon, and Snow Creek were trapped along the foothills forming the southern margin of San Gorgonio Pass. Those at Whitewater and Palm Springs-were on the floor of the desert about patches of cactus and creasote bushes. Around Dos Palmos Spring the animals were inhabiting roek piles almost exclusively ; there were no stick houses, only oceasional scant accumulations of the shriveled remains of cactus fruits. Zonally, the Banning station is at the lower edge of Upper Sonoran, while all the other desert slope stations are in Lower Sonoran, Palm Springs, and White- water being far down in that zone.
In studying our series of white-footed wood rats we have reviewed appurtenant literature for the purpose of finding out what characters have been thought to be of service in distinguish- ing intermedia, gilva, and desertorum. The features so employed are: General coloration, quality of pelage, general size, relative size of ears, relative leneth of tail, general size and angularity
338 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
of cranium, shape of interparietal, width of interorbital constric- tion, development of supra-orbital ‘‘bead,’’ shape of nasals, rela- tive size of audital bullae, and outline of palate posteriorly.
First, as leading to clearness in the discussion to follow, we herewith present a comparative diagnosis of intermedia and desertorum, the former based upon a series from the vicinity of San Diego, the latter upon a series from along the Colorado River between Needles and Yuma.
DOUBLE-COLUMN DIAGNOSIS OF NEOTOMA I. INTERMEDIA VERSUS N. I. DESERTORUM
Neotoma i. intermedia
General coloration above dark: blackish mid-dorsally, mixed with clay color, this most pure along the sides and about the face; be- neath white, with much deep plumbeous at bases of hairs throughout (occasional examples with hairs on small pectoral patch white to base); ankles dusky; tail black above.
Pelage harsh: hairs relatively stiff and coarse.
Size large: average 13 males, length 336, tail vertebrae 159, hind foot 34.3, ear 30.4. (For fe- males and range of variation see figs. A-C).
Tail ‘‘long’’: ratio of tail to body in 13 males, 89%.
Skull large throughout, this in- volving all features, save that rostrum and nasals are relatively longer and narrower, while audi- tal bullae are actually as well as relatively less inflated.
Neotoma i. desertorum
General coloration above pale: sepia mid-dorsally, mixed with pinkish buff, this color clearest anteriorly and along sides; be- neath white, with slight amount of pale plumbeous at bases of hairs exeept on pectoral region and narrow line mid-ventrally which are pure white; ankles white; tail grayish brown above (variable to blackish).
Pelage soft: hairs relatively fine and silky.
Size small: average 10 males, length 288, tail vertebrae 134, hind foot 30.8, ear 28.5. (For fe- males and range in variation see figs. A-C).
Tail ‘‘short’’: ratio of tail to body in 10 males, 87%.
Skull small throughout, this in- volving all features, save that rostrum and nasals are relatively shorter and hence blunter, while the audital bullae are distinctly larger, more inflated.
Length of ear is not included in above tabulation, because found by us to be of inappreciable difference in size propor- tionally. It will be noted that the emphasized character of rela- tive tail length is really very small!
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 339
We have tested the matters of angularity of skull, shape of interparietal, width of interorbital constriction, development of supraorbital bead, and outline of palate posteriorly, and find all these features subject to much variation. Of course age has been taken into account in our examination, as indicated by degree of emergence and wear of the molar teeth. As far as our studies have gone none of the features just mentioned affords a character of tangible worth in distinguishing intermedia from desertorum. The general large size of intermedia covers much of the alleged difference in minor features.
According to Goldman in his revision (1910, p. 45) N. 7. gilva is identical with intermedia in cranial characters and gen- eral size, differing only in paler, more yellowish, coloration. It is further stated (Goldman, 1910, p. 76) that “‘in general appear-
‘ ?
ance’’ desertorum “‘closely’’ resembles gilva.
The above preliminary outline of the elements to be con- sidered brings us to the eritical treatment of our series of white- footed wood rats from the San Jacinto area. At the outset we are confronted by a baffling lack of uniformity exhibited through- out the material. Characters of NV. 7. intermedia, N. 7. gilva and N. i. desertorum are varyingly presented. The situation is there- fore best met by dealing with each locality separately.
Of the two specimens from Garnet Queen Mine, one is young, the other an old adult male. The latter measures small for intermedia; its skull is small with relatively blunt rostrum, like desertorum, but the audital bullae are small as in intermedia. In color both specimens are paler than intermedia and identical with examples from Banning, the type locality of gilva.
The three specimens from Kenworthy, two old adults and one young one, are in their dark colors throughout good intermedia But they are, again, rather small: male, 320 x 152 x 33; female, 295 x 130 x 32. [To appreciate size values, the appended charts, figs. a—c, should be consulted.| Cranially these examples are slightly smaller than average intermedia, but otherwise identical with this form, topotypes of which are at hand from Dulzura.
The Vallevista series of thirteen are eranially intermedia; im coloration they are pale like the Banning series, save that one example (no. 2293) is paler still, practically the same shade as
340 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
in desertorum. The pelage of this example is slightly harsher, however, and the skull is as in intermedia. These Vallevista wood rats average smaller than intermedia proper, in this respect again resembling the topotypes of gilva.
The name gilva was applied (Rhoads, 1894, p. 70) to a white- footed wood rat from Banning. Our series of twenty-five from that locality are thus topotypes. They bear out the single assigned character of gilva (as compared with intermedia), namely, general paleness of coloration. They show in addition an average smaller size than San Diego County intermedia, a slight resemblance to desertorum. An analysis of the color char- acters shows also in all respects an approach to desertorum: As compared with intermedia there is less of the black admixture mid-dorsally; the brown tones are paler, more buffy; ventrally the white is more extensive, in other words, the plumbeous occu- pies a less space on the individual hairs, and there is more frequently a pure white pectoral patch; the upper side of the tail is less black, more brownish. Contrary to Goldman’s state- ment (1910, p. 45) that eranially gilva is like intermedia, we find that Banning old adults have visibly smaller and lghter skulls than intermedia from the vicinity of San Diego, and the rostrum and nasals are shorter. Thus far the resemblance is. towards desertorum, but the audital bullae are notably smaller than in that form, and no larger than in intermedia.
Cabezon, farther down the San Gorgonio Pass towards the desert proper, furnishes twenty-three examples for our study. These are apparently identical in color with the Banning series, and hence the same general remarks apply. Cranially, too, the two series are practically alike. In measurements, the Cabezon males are larger, and the females are smaller, respectively, than in the Banning animals. These differences are likely therefore to
Fig. A (on opposite page). Diagram showing individual and geographic variation in total length (in millimeters) of certain adult white-footed wood rats. Solid lines, males; broken lines, females; figures at left and right of these lines, respectively, indicate numbers of individuals measured; length of lines shows range of individual variation; points connected by solid and broken lines, respectively, mark positions of averages. Note general reduction in the dimension geographically from the San Diegan district (at left) through the San Jacinto region to the desert.
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342 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
intermedia San Jacinto region desertorum
. on so) B z 2 re ial m7 n 2) »~ 2 os] o 2 50 | A 6s | 5 ape ee ae EP Sees a(S) ees Se a 50 & S i BS oe R a = S = o ge eS 6 oT ees = z H mM n = 1 Oe 2 Ona ic Oy) Si SS a eer eras Bo S a @ tw og = = & | oH 68 oO : ae 2 a tS) 5 = : ao gf re i= i=l is i] is) i 3 ip n =) = a D > “2 8 a o AY & So ase = Sy Sen cera, a eee ee my Ss 3A BR E 2 8. S| oe oe ce eee ee os] S) > oo] Gs} =| = = ° i Rn = S ~Q So ww S A > <4 1S) 190 185 180 175 170 165 160 155 150
145 140
135
130
125
120 115
Fig. B. Diagram showing individual and geographic variation in length of tail of certain adult white-f \oted wood rats. Solid lines, males; broken lines, females; figures at left and right of these lines, respectively, indi- cate numbers of individuals measured; length of lines shows range of individual variation; points connected by solid and broken lines, respec- tively, mark positions of averages. Again note general reduction in the dimension geographically from the San Diegan district (at left) through the San Jacinto region to the desert.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 348
intermedia San Jacinto region desertorum —'\
Yuma
Desert
Southwestern San Diego Co.
Hind Foot (length in mm.) Western Orange County Dos Palmos Spring Victorville, Mohave Desert Antelope Valley, Mohave Colorado Valley, Needles to
Vallevista Banning Cabezon Snow Creek Whitewater
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39
38
28
27
26
Fig. C. Diagram showing individual and geographic variation in length of hind foot of certain adult white-footed wood rats. Solid lines, males; broken lines, females; figures at left and right of these lines, respectively, indicate numbers of individuals measured; length of lines shows range of individual variation; points connected by solid and broken lines, respec- tively, mark*positions of averages. Again note general reduction in the dimension geographically from the San Diegan district (at left) through the San Jacinto region to the desert.
344 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
accrue from the smallness of the series involved, rather than to be of any deeper significance.
From Snow Creek, up in the foothills three miles southwest of Whitewater, there are thirteen specimens, including adults and young. These are distinctly paler than the average of the Cabezon and Banning series. All, in fact, are to be matched from desertorum in seasonally comparable pelage. In amount of black dorsally and white ventrally, tint of yellowish brown laterally, and dorsal color of tail, we are unable to distinguish them from desertorum. Also is this true in quality of pelage, though the series is in worn breeding stage, and hence not so soft as desertorum is in fresh fall pelage. In size some Snow Creek examples are well toward the upper limit of the range of variation in intermedia: the series averages large. Cranially old adult males are still large, like the ones from Cabezon and Banning, though not so large and long-snouted as intermedia proper. The audital bullae remain small, but with evident varia- tion.
From Whitewater station, on the floor of the desert sloping up toward San Gorgonio Pass, and only three miles from the station at Snow Creek, there are nine, mostly young. These all show the small size, pale coloration, and soft pelage of typical desertorum. |See charts showing variation in measurements, figs. A-c, which take account only of adults.]| Cranially we can see no difference from desertorum, except in audital bullae, which are appreciably smaller. This difference, however, van- ishes when selected examples of desertorum are lined up with the Whitewater crania in proper sequence; in other words, while there is average difference in this respect, individual variation (or the results of interbreeding) bring an overlapping or inter- gradation. From intermedia and gilva from Banning, the White- water crania are markedly distinguished by lesser bulk and shortness of rostra and nasals.
Unfortunately we have from Palm Springs, well out on the floor of the desert, but one example. This in all respects, includ- ing audital bullae, is quite typical of desertorum. It is note- worthy that an obvious intergrade between desertorum and inter- media has been described from Palm Springs. This is ‘‘ Veotoma
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 345
bella’’ (Bangs, 1899, pp. 66, 67). Judging from those of the aseribed characters which are at all pertinent, the type specimen was nearest desertorwm. Moreover, Goldman (1910, p. 78) syn- onymizes the name bella under desertorum.
The thirteen specimens from Palm Cafion are small, like desertorum, with small skulls just like the Whitewater ones, but are rather coarser pelaged and are dark, being almost facsimiles of Banning and Cabezon examples of corresponding age.
The series of ten adults and young from the vicinity of Dos Palmos Spring are indistinguishable in respect to size, quality of pelage, and coloration, from desertorwm. Cranially they are also duplicates save in one respect, that of audital bullae, which are plainly less inflated.
It is shown by the foregoing array of facts that, in the white- footed wood rats of the San Jacinto area, there are two diverse types on the remoter parts of the opposite sides of the mountains, namely, intermedia on the Paeifie side, most typically represented by the specimens from Kenworthy, and desertorum at the desert base, as illustrated at Whitewater, Palm Springs, and perhaps Dos Palmos. The point of emphasis is that our material, as interpreted by us, would seem to establish complete intergrada- tion between the extreme types named. Im all respects as enu- merated, we find transition through various intermediate degrees of difference from one extreme to the other. This is not in accordance with currently accepted notions as regards the rela- tionship between intermedia and desertorum (see Goldman, 1910) ; but were we without recourse to previous literature, we should unhesitatingly place one form as a geographic race of the other without considering any explanation of our position as called for.
That extensive intergradation between the above-named forms in the San Jacinto region is a fact, we are confident. The only argument in rebuttal of the subspecifiec idea is that our inter- mediates are in the nature of hybrids. This contention would find evidence for support in the narrowness of the area occupied by wood rats showing intermediate characters between inter- media and desertorum, and in the manifest lack of uniformity of variation from place to place.
346 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
But we would here express our grave doubts as to there being any intrinsie difference between the results of long-con- tinued hybridization, and ‘‘intergradation.’’
As illustration of the unevenness in variation from place to place, to be fair, we would instance that different localities pro- duced wood rats of such combinations of characters as: (1) small size, dark coloration and short rostrum; (2) large size, pale coloration and long rostrum; (3) pale coloration, short rostrum and small bullae; (4) pale coloration, long rostrum and small bullae; ete.
All sorts of degrees of characters in combination are pre- sented, that is, as limited only by the extent of our material, so that the above array of combinations is the result only of judi- cious selection on our part. In no instance were both typical intermedia and desertorum found in the same loeality with examples of intermediate nature. Again, it is to be observed that both on the Pacifie slope of southern California, and on the desert, intermedia and desertorum occupy almost identically the same ecologic niche, with resulting similarity in habits.
The above facts might be interpreted into some form of Men- delian behavior. At any rate they appear to support the theory of hybridization, though the process, of whatever nature, has obviously proceeded so far that the real history is not subject to solution with the data at hand. The possibility of ‘‘direct action of environment’’ in the area of intermediate conditions between the desert and Pacifie districts also enters the problem. As previously impled our data furnishes no criterion by which to distinguish here between the results of ‘‘geographie inter- gradation’’ and of hybridization.
All the facts herein set forth point, by our interpretation, to the probability that intermedia is a Paeifie slope race of the species represented also by desertorum of the arid interior, and that through the major portion of the San Jacinto region we find geographic intergradation comparable to the condition in certain species of Perognathus, Peromyscus, Dipodomys, and Onychomys, as elsewhere treated in the present paper.
The fact that in the white-footed wood rats the opposite extremes are much more diverse than in the cases of the rodents
1913) Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 347
just named, probably accounts for the greater conspicuousness of the irregularities in intergradation. These peculiarities thus involve less amounts of difference in characters in the rodents named, so that ‘‘uniformity’’ in blending may be more appar- ent in them than in the wood rats. The narrowness of the area of intermediate climatic conditions appears to us also to contribute to the causes of the lack of smoothness in the inter- gradation of the wood rats.
At any rate, systematically the proper thing is to employ the trinomial with the wood rats as well as with the rest, and since the name intermedia was first proposed in this group, it takes precedence in specific combination, as presented in the heading of this article.
As to the proper name to use for the majority of the San Jacinto specimens, namely, those of intermediate nature, diffi- eulty of determination is obvious. Feeling compelled to give some name to every specimen, we prefer to lump most of the intermediates under the name gilva, which was originally applied to some sort of intermediate. Thus the Kenworthy specimens alone merit the name intermedia, while the ones from Palm Springs, Whitewater, and Dos Palmos may be with reason included under the name desertorwm, all other locality series bearing the name gilva.
Neotoma fuscipes mohavensis Elliot
Mohave Brown-footed Wood Rat
An abundant inhabitant of the Upper Sonoran chaparral belt chiefly on the Pacific drainage. Our collections contain fifty-one specimens representing the following stations: Garnet Queen Mine, 6000 feet, eleven specimens (nos. 2035-2037, 2048-2055) ; Kenworthy, 4500 feet, ten (nos. 1851-1857, 1868-1870) ; Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, one (no. 2230); Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, five (nos. 2122-2126); Schain’s, 4900 feet, twenty (nos. 1698-1707, 1718, 1727) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, four (nos. 1339, 1340, 1342, 1355).
In Strawberry Valley and on Thomas Mountain, this wood rat was fairly numerous, and was associated with some Transi- tion zone elements as well as with other Upper Sonoran forms.
348 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
At Cabezon, the few animals captured were found in a belt of mingling of Upper and Lower Sonoran forms. The zonal position, Upper Sonoran, is indicated by these extremes.
At all points where the species was found, the characteristic stick houses were more or less in evidence. They were built up to especially large size beneath serubby golden oaks close around the Garnet Queen Mine. At Vandeventer Flat very large nests occupied positions high in the live oaks.
The series of fifty-one specimens of this wood rat, as com- pared with satisfactory material from the vicinity of San Diego, shows distinetly paler coloration, sufficiently different in degree to warrant the use of a separate name.
Our four specimens from Cabezon, the only ones from the desert slopes, are no paler than the Kenworthy and Garnet Queen Mine series. Some examples from each locality show nearly pure white feet and more distinctly bicolored tail than in average macrotis. Since the name macrotis should be re- stricted to the dark coast form, it appears necessary to use the name mohavensis for the pale brown-footed wood rats of the whole San Jacinto area, just as has been done with the speci- mens from the San Bernardino Mountains (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 147). This seems a better course than to inelude the San Jacinto series under the name macrotis, as done by Goldman (1910, p. 94).
Microtus californicus californicus (Peale) California Meadow Mouse
Found in small numbers in widely scattered localities, suit- able ground for this rodent being limited in this region. Two adults (nos. 2240, 2241) were trapped on grassy banks close to Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, August 7 and 10. Four adults (nos. 2199-2202) were taken in the veratrum patches in meadows in Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, July 24, 28 and 29. An immature (no. 1766) was secured at the meadow in Round Valley, 9000 feet, July 10. An adult (no. 2007), was taken at the edge of the little stream at Garnet Queen Mine, June 27. At the latter place faint runways were observable in the low vegetation close to the stream.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 349
We had anticipated finding Wicrotus mordax, or some related form, at least, at the upper elevations; but all the Microtus secured, as above specified, are unequivocally referable to the californicus group. In the San Bernardino Mountains, a repre- sentative of the mordax group is present in the Boreal zone, and californicus, also, is present but occupies a lower belt (up to 7500 feet altitude), the ranges of the two overlapping at several points (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 148). In the San Jacinto Moun- tains, mordaxr appears to be absent altogether, while californicus ranges up well into Boreal. This bespeaks a notable hardihood on the part of this latter species, greater than is suggested by its lower range elsewhere. It is possible that the existence of another Microtine representative in the Boreal zone elsewhere is the chief factor preventing invasion of californicus upward.
The San Jacinto skins of californicus, like those from else- where in extreme southern California, show a distinct mixture of reddish hairs in the dorsal pelage, giving a rusty effect as compared with californicus from the central portion of the state. This tendency is apparently in the direction of the character aseribed to Elhot’s Microtus c. hyperythrus, deseribed from northern Lower California. The peculiarity does not seem to be developed in the San Jacinto animals to a degree to merit taxonomie recognition.
Thomomys perpallidus C. H. Merriam Palm Springs Gopher
Palm Springs, the type loeality of this gopher, was visited in February, 1912, for the special purpose of obtaining an ade- quate series. Forty specimens were secured, nos. 16485-16524. Two other examples are in the Museum (nos. 4635, 4672), taken in the same locality in December, 1903.
The gophers were trapped only along the ditch leading down from Tahquitz Canon to the village, and in irrigated pastures and gardens in the town itself. The animals were actively throwing up earth only where the ground was moist. In both situations there was plenty of newly growing vegetation, par- ticularly Bermuda grass, the root-stalks of which seem to be especially sought for food. Old workings were observed on
350 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
fine-grained sandy ground away from cultivation, on the desert floor close to the base of the foothills, and up in the mouths of cafons. Fresh mounds are rarely distinguishable on the dry desert, and it is difficult to find the open burrows in the loose dry earth of the desert. No unmistakable signs of gophers were noted at all, far out on the desert floor away from the base of the mountains.
February 9 to 12 was evidently about the beginning of the breeding season. The testes of the males were enormously devel- oped. Three females were taken containing small embryos, four, four, and three, respectively. All the rest of the females had not yet bred, save one, which had a litter of half-grown young, one of which was captured on the 11th. In no case were males and females captured in the same burrow. Each burrow appeared to be oceupied by but one individual, save in the case where there were young. Out of the forty-two gophers, fourteen, or just one-third, were males. Two to one is the proportion of females to males in at least one other species of the genus (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 151). The dimensions of the comparable males have been given in another connection (Grinnell, 1912a, p. 176).
In our 1908 explorations, gopher workings were seen in the Pinon Flat and Deep Canon country, but we failed to secure specimens, and their identity remains conjectural. Thomomys perpallidus, as recently restricted (Grinnell, 1912a, p. 171), is still a well-marked form; but as far as material at command goes, it is found only in the immediate vicinity of Palm Springs.
Thomomys cabezonae C. H. Merriam Cabezon Gopher
Twenty-four of the gophers taken are referred by us to this species. Sixteen of these (nos. 1248-1263) were obtained at the north base of the mountains in San Gorgonio Pass, 1700 feet altitude, and close to Cabezon, the type locality of cabezonae, and are therefore topotypes. Two others are from Snow Creek (nos. 1561-1562) at 1500 feet, six miles to the eastward. Five are from Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet (nos. 1624, 1626, 1638-1640),
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 351
the same distance due south up over the northwestern spur from the peak. And one (no. 2288) is from Vallevista, 1800 feet, down at the south base of this spur. It would appear that the species occupies the arid Upper Sonoran zone on the San Gor- gonio and San Jacinto Valley sides of the mountains, possibly invading down into Lower Sonoran locally, but not as far down into that zone farther east, as at Palm Springs, where a totally different species occurs, Thomomys perpallidus.
The specimens of Thomomys cabezonae from Snow Creek and Schain’s Ranch differ in no important particular from topo- types of the species. But the lone example from Vallevista, a male, young adult, is very slightly more reddish in color. Other- wise, however, it departs towards no other species. Examination of the map, and consideration of the uninterrupted and almost uniform conditions extending over the hills between Cabezon and San Jacinto, makes the continuity in range of this species between the localities represented quite probable.
In addition to the above, there are at hand three gophers (nos. 16393-16395) taken at Whitewater Ranch, which hes a mile or so north of Whitewater Station. They were obtained by Mr. H. E. Wilder, December 17, 1911; and presented by him to the Museum. These are closely similar to topotypic cabezonae, and indicate the occurrence of this form along the northern wall of San Gorgonio Pass, possibly invading the southern foothill region of the San Bernardino Mountains, as it does the northern foothills of the San Jacintos.
The query arises as to the relationships of cabezonae with the other species of gophers of the general region. Our material has been gone over with this point particularly in view, without our ascertaining anything definitely. This failure is due chiefly to lack of appropriate material from a critical series of localities.
In a very general way the material at hand seems to indicate that cabezonae is more nearly related to nigricans than to either perpallidus or perpes. It is thus possible that cabezonae will turn out to be a pallid, and otherwise distinguished, desert race of nigricans, with very much the same relative ranges and char- acters as Perognathus f. pallidus and P. f. fallax, and also cer- tain other rodents.
352 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Our aseription of the two forms of gophers to Schain’s Ranch is, of course, not in harmony with this view; but our decision may well have been due to incorrect determination of the speci- mens concerned, which are immature; geographic intergradation between cabezonae and nigricans is not beyond possibility.
Thomomys nigricans Rhoads Tawny Gopher
Twenty-four of the gophers taken in the San Jacinto region have, after close comparison, been referred to this form. The localities represented are Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, four (nos. 1625, 1627, 1641, 1642) ; Fuller’s Mill, 5900 feet, one (no. 1715) ; Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, ten (nos. 2139-2148) ; Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, five (nos. 2233-2237): Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, one (no. 2232); Kenworthy, 4500 feet, two (nos. 1862, 1863) ; and Santa Rosa Peak, 7500 feet, one (no. 1990). It will be noted that these localities lie within a vertical range of 3100 feet (4400 to 7500 feet), also that the life zone is in each case high Upper Sonoran or Transition, or better expressed, the belt of blending of these two zones. The metropolis of Thomomys mgricans, judg- ing from the results of extensive field work in southern Cali- fornia, as represented by large suites of specimens in the Museum, is a corresponding zonal belt lying along the western slopes of the mountains of San Diego County. It is to be inferred that the range of nigricans here finds its northwestern limit. The San Jacinto nigricans are all from the Pacifie slope, as are also the San Diego County series. Since specimens were taken at Schain’s, where were also secured examples referred to cabe- zonae, it appears that the ranges of the two forms may overlap at least at this point. This was the only place where we found any evidence of the overlapping of the ranges of any two species of gophers, though this state of affairs is to be expected along the lines where distinct species meet. The only alternative is blending of forms through hybridization. This could be proved by the collection of gophers in a practically continuous line from one habitat into another up different sides of the mountain.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 353
The Strawberry Valley and Hemet Lake series are to all appearances identical in color and size with topotypes of nigri- cans. Unfortunately our series does not include old males. In the females, however, the skulls are distinctly lighter, with narrower brain-case, and less squarish zygomae than in topotypes of nigricans. The example from Thomas Mountain is unequiv- ocally nigricans like those from Hemet Lake. The two Ken- worthy gophers are very young. The only specimen from Santa Rosa Mountain, is a male, young adult, satisfactorily referred to nigricans from both cranial and external characters. The Ful- ler’s Mill specimen is a male, young adult; in color it strongly resembles altivallis, but its skull is altogether too hght for that species, and together with general measurements, coincides with nigricans. It is to be borne in mind, too, that the color differ- ences between nigricans and altivallis are slight. The same remarks apply to the four examples from Schain’s Ranch.
The conspicuous features of nigricans, as represented in the San Jacinto region, are very small size (see tables), very dark reddish brown colors, and light skulls with small audital bullae.
We cannot see the logie in calling nigricans a subspecies of fulvus, as it has heretofore been considered, even granting the close similarity; for, in addition to the fact that a broad area inhabited by unrelated forms intervenes between the ranges of the two, there is the further circumstance that nigricans and fulvus oceupy different life zones. These geographic consider- ations should be given weight in settling the status of forms. There is no continuity of range, and no intergradation possible.
All through the region including the specified localities of capture, signs of gophers were plentiful. The evident inactivity of adults after the breeding season probably accounts for our failure to secure good old examples.
354 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
LIsT AND MEASUREMENTS IN MILLIMETERS OF FULL-GROWN FEMALES OF Thomomys nigricans ~
Mus. Total _ Tail Hind No. Sex Locality Length Vertebrae Foot 2233 Q Hemet Lake, San Jacinto Mts. 202 71 28 2234 9 Hemet Lake, San Jacinto Mts. 185 63 25 2235 Q Hemet Lake, San Jacinto Mts. 206 59 27 2236 e9 Hemet Lake, San Jacinto Mts. 191 62 27 2237 Q Hemet Lake, San Jacinto Mts. 197 55 28 2139 Q Strawberry Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 195 63 26 2140 © Strawberry Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 200 70 28 2141 Q Strawberry Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 202 58 27 2143 Q Strawberry Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 187 66 26 2146 @Q Strawberry Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 191 68 27 2147 Q Strawberry Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 207 68 28 2232 Q Thomas Mt., San Jacinto Mts. 200 62 26 1625 2 Sehain’s Ranch, San Jacinto Mts. 215 68 29 1627 @Q Schain’s Ranch, San Jacinto Mts. 206 64 28 1642 2 Schain’s Ranch, San Jacinto Mts. 194 62 29
Average of the 15 9? 198 64 27
Thomomys altivallis Rhoads San Bernardino Mountain Gopher
The twelve specimens of gophers referred by us to this species were obtained at but two localities: Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, ten (nos. 2188-2197), and Round Valley, 9000 feet, two (nos. 1761, 1762). The latter is well within the Boreal zone and the former is at least high Transition. As no other gopher was obtained above low Transition, it is evident that altivallis is the Boreal representative of the genus on this mountain as it is on the San Bernardino range (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 150). Not one old male was secured on San Jacinto; but five females, as shown in the accompanying table, measure close to the average of San Bernardino Mountain females. In coloration both adults and young are identical with corresponding pelages in the San Bernardino series, save that there is more or less white on the throat and belly of several of the San Jacinto skins.
If our identification proves correct, Thomomys altivallis so far as now known exists only on the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains, with the deep San Gorgonio Pass separating these two colonies. Small differences may yet be found as a
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 35d
result of this isolation. The nearest relative of altivallis appears to be Thomomys alpinus of the Mount Whitney region, also a boreal species. The chief appreciable differences between the two le in the somewhat smaller size of alpinus, and in its slightly grayer general coloration and constantly white throat. The lat- ter peculiarity is possessed by some examples of altivallis from the San Jacinto mountains, as above noted.
All of our San Jacinto specimens were trapped on or around meadows, but gopher workings were also plentiful on well- drained ridges in the vicinity, as all through the lodge-pole pine belt surrounding Round Valley.
List oF MEASUREMENTS IN MILLIMETERS OF FULL-GROWN FEMALES OF
Thomomys altivallis
Mus. Total Tail Hind No. Sex Locality Length Vertebrae Foot 2188 2 Tahquitz Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 220 71 30 2190 2 Tahquitz Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 210 65 29 2193 Q ‘Tahquitz Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 230 80 30 1761 @Q Round Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 196 60 26 1762 2 Round Valley, San Jacinto Mts. 209 69 29 Average of the five 9? 213 69 29 Average of 44 992 of 7. altivallis from the San Bernardino Mts. 223 68 30.5
Dipodomys merriami simiolus Rhoads Allied Kangaroo Rat
Forty-six specimens of this four-toed kangaroo rat were obtained in the San Jacinto region, representing the following stations: Dos Palmos Spring, 3500 feet, ten (nos. 1920-1927, 1938, 1939); Palm Springs, 450 feet, seven (nos. 5348, 5355— 5359, 6928); Whitewater, 1130 feet, twelve (nos. 1600-1605, 1612-1617) ; Snow Creek, 1500 feet, ten (nos. 1606-1611, 1628— 1631) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, seven (nos. 13815-1321).
These localities will be seen to align themselves strictly within the Lower Sonoran zone on the desert slope of the mountains. At the highest station altitudinally—Dos Palmos Spring—this rodent was associated with Perodipus agilis, in our experience an unusual state of affairs, though this is clearly due to the local overlapping of ranges because of the juxtaposition of the desert and coast faunas. Young had appeared in numbers, during the
356 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
latter half of May, at the several localities, the earliest noted another chapter (see pp. 388-392).
Dipodomys merriami parvus Rhoads San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat
This form was found by us only at Vallevista, 1800 feet, at the Pacific base of the mountains. Here it was represented in fair abundance in tracts of brush on the level floor of the San Jacinto Valley. Eleven specimens were secured (nos. 2258— 2267, 9364), August 30 to September 3. Five of these are young- of-the-year, the remainder fully adult. All of these appear to be identical with practical topotypes of parvus from Cajon Wash, near San Bernardino.
Sinee there appears to be no adequate description of this species in literature, we offer the following account. In color, parvus is distinctly grayer, less ochraceous than simiolus; in the former the tint of the colored parts of the hairs dorsally is clay color, in the latter ochraceous buff. In parvus the color is much more obscured by the greater amount of dusky tipping to the hairs; this obscuration is greatest in the mid-dorsal region, leav- ing the sides more purely clay color. In parvus the dark mark- ings generally are heavier and hence better defined; the facial markings, soles of hind feet, and tail stripes and tuft are dis- tinetly sooty. The young of the two races show comparable differences, save that in the first pelage of parvus the facial markings are obsolete as in simiolus.
The accompanying table of measurements shows that in parvus and simiolus body length is the same, but that parvus has slightly shorter tail and hind foot. However, the ranges in dimensions overlap to such a degree that measurements indi- vidually have no diagnostic value. It is interesting to note that the range of variation in the size of the two forms appears to be about the same.
As to cranial characters, parvus has slightly the smaller skull; the audital bullae are distinctly smaller, and the brain case higher, more bulging on top. The latter two are obviously cor- related characters and there are doubtless other dependent
features.
307
Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto
1913] Grinnell—Swarth
MEASUREMENTS IN MILLIMETERS OF TWENTY-ONE SPECIMENS OF Dipodomys merriami parvus FROM THE PACIFIC DRAINAGE OF
RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA
Mus. Total Tail Hind Length i No. Sex Locality Date length vertebrae foot of body to body 2262 og Vallevista, San Jacinto Valley Sept. 3, ’08 241 146 37 95 154 2263 og Vallevista, San Jacinto Valley Sept. 3, ’08 234 140 36 94 149 2265 9 Vallevista, San Jacinto Valley Aug. 31, ’08 220 127 35 93 136 2266 dg Vallevista, San Jacinto Valley Sept. 2, 708 240 138 33 102 135 2267 ¢ Vallevista, San Jacinto Valley Sept. 3, ’08 232 132 36 100 132 2541 2 Cajon Wash, near San Bernardino Oct. 228 136 36 92 143 2542 @ Cajon Wash, near San Bernardino Oct. 219 129 35 143 2543 4 Cajon Wash, near San Bernardino Oct. 235 141 37 150 2545 4 Cajon Wash, near San Bernardino Oct. 235 142 36 153 2546 9 Cajon Wash, near San Bernardino Oct. 224 141 35 170 2549 og Cajon Wash, near San Bernardino Oct. 230 130 36 130 2600 og Reche Cajfion, near Colton July 238 146 36 146 2601 4 Reche Canon, near Colton July 234 142 38 2604. dg Reche Cafion, near Colton July 233 146 39 2606 2 Reche Cafion, near Colton July 224 135 36 2474 G Seven miles southeast of Riverside Sept. 7, ’08 240 140 36 2470 og Jurupa Mts., near Riverside Sept. 30, ’08 225 138 36 2471 Q Jurupa Mts., near Riverside Oct. 6, 708 243 147 37 2472 og Jurupa Mts., near Riverside Oct. 6, ’08 225 130 37 2475 fg Jurupa Mts., near Riverside Oct. 7, 708 232 128 35 7144. ¢ Jurupa Mts., near Riverside Feb. 4, ’09 238 132 36 Average of all (599 + 16¢¢) 232 137 36 95 145 Mean 231 137 36 94.5 146 Maximum 243 147 39 106 170 Minimum 219 127 33 83 123 Per cent of variation on either side of mean 5 uf 8 12 16
358 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
The geographical distribution of parvus, as indicated by the stations listed as part of the table of measurements, lies wholly west of the desert divide, and altogether within the Lower Son- oran zone of certain interior valleys hemmed in between the Santa Ana range of mountains on the southwest and the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains on the north and east.
MEASUREMENTS IN MILLIMETERS OF TWENTY SPECIMENS, BOTH SEXES, OF Dipodomys merriami simiolus FROM PALM SPRINGS, SNOW CREEK, WHITE- WATER AND CABEZON, ON THE DESERT SIDE OF THE SAN JAcINTO Moun-
TAINS. Ratio Total Tail Hind Length tail length vertebrae foot of body to body Average of all (8 99+ 12 g2) 238 142 38 95 149 Mean 241 144 39 94.5 148.5 Maximum 256 157 42 102 167 Minimum 227 131 36 87 130 Per cent of variation on either side of mean 6 9 8 8 8
Dipodomys deserti deserti Stephens Desert Kangaroo Rat
Found only at the desert base of the San Jacinto Mountains, whence the Museum contains nine specimens, three (nos. 5903, 6933, 6934) from Palm Springs, 450 feet, and six (nos. 1536— 1541) from close to the railroad station at Whitewater, 1130 feet. The species belongs to the Lower Sonoran zone, and does not in this region invade levels above the sand flats of the desert floor.
Perodipus agilis agilis (Gambel) Gambel Kangaroo Rat
Thirty specimens referable to this species were taken in the San Jacinto region, representing the following stations: Foot- hills one mile south of Banning, 2200 feet, six (nos. 1418-1423) ; Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, six (nos. 1662-1667) ; Kenworthy, 4500 feet, sixteen (nos. 1818-1827, 1848, 1850, 1859-1861) ; Car- rizo Creek, near Dos Palmos Spring, 3000 and 3500 feet, two (nos. 1916, 1917).
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 359
These localities are all within the Upper Sonoran zone; Ban- ning and Dos Palmos Spring are at the extreme lower edge of this zone, where occur also many Lower Sonoran elements; Ken- worthy is close to the upper limits of Upper Sonoran. It is of note that in this latter locality all of the kangaroo rats taken were from the sage-brush flat on the floor of the valley, none being found in the chaparral-covered hills on either side. One example here was found freshly caught at 5 p.m. on June 4, indicating unusual diurnal activity.
We have subjected the above-specified series to close scrutiny, both inter se, and in comparison with agilis from the Pacific slope of Los Angeles County. As far as we are able to discern, there are no good characters existing to warrant separation from agilis ; neither can we detect differences correlated with the desert and Pacifie slopes respectively. The examples from Banning are exactly like those from Kenworthy ; also the two from Dos Palmos Spring are indistinguishable from specimens from Kenworthy. As in the case of certain other rodents found at Dos Palmos, the presence of Perodipus agilis there may be accounted for as an extreme encroachment down into the edge of the desert area of a Pacifie slope form. As noted elsewhere an extraordinary mix- ture resulted.
Perodipus cabezonae C. H. Merriam Cabezon Kangaroo Rat
But one example of five-toed kangaroo rat was secured in the vicinity of Cabezon, the type loeality of Perodipus cabezonae. This specimen is an adult male, no. 1322, taken May 11. It accords closely with Merriam’s description. As compared with agilis, it is more yellow, with paler face, and hind feet with dusky instead of black soles. In size it is smaller, with especially short tail, measuring: total length 274, tail vertebrae 160, hind foot 40.
No other Perodipus secured by us in the San Jacinto region is referable to this form, those even from Banning, only six miles farther up through San Gorgonio Pass, being distinctly different. It is hazardous for us even to conjecture relationships and range upon such inadequate evidence, save that Cabezon is
360 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
more emphatically arid Lower Sonoran in its faunal and zonal position than any of the other stations where this genus was found.
Perognathus panamintinus bangsi Mearns Bangs Pocket Mouse
An abundant rodent on the Lower Sonoran desert base of the San Jacinto Mountains. Represented by specimens as fol- lows: Dos Palmos Spring, 3500 feet, six (nos. 1929-1932, 9354, 9355); Whitewater, 1130 feet, five (mos. 1487, 1488, 1505-1507) ; Snow Creek, 1500 feet, thirty (nos. 1471-1486, 1491-1504) ; Cabe- zon, 1700 feet, twenty-nine (nos. 1356-1364, 1366-1380, 9349- 9352) ; Banning, 2200 feet, two (nos. 1489, 1490). Two of these localities are at the upper edge of Lower Sonoran—Dos Palmos and Banning. The two specimens from Banning show slightly the darkest coloration, perhaps indicating intergradation towards brevinasus. This idea is further substantiated by cranial charac- ters, the Banning examples presenting shortish rostra. In neither of these features, however, is the divergence enough to warrant using the name brevinasus for the Banning specimens.
All the above listed examples of this pocket mouse were taken in May and June. Two weeks’ trapping at Palm Springs in December and January, 1903 and 1904, produced no Perognathus. It is evident that this rodent experiences a period of inactivity in winter.
Perognathus panamintinus brevinasus Osgood Short-nosed Pocket Mouse
Found at but one station, Vallevista, 1800 feet, in San Jacinto Valley. Eight specimens (nos. 2278-2285) were secured there August 31 to September 5. This material shows satisfactorily the characters ascribed to the form brevinasus, both as to color- ation and proportions of body and eranium. The locality of capture lies at the Pacifie base of the mountains, and together with the other known stations of occurrence indicates a range coinciding closely with that portion of the Lower Sonoran zone lying within the San Diegan faunal district. Other localities
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 361
represented in the Museum series of this form are: Reche Canon, near Colton; Garnsey, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County; near Wilmington, Los Angeles County.
Perognathus penicillatus angustirostris Osgood Colorado Desert Pocket Mouse
This species is represented in the collection by but two speci- mens: no. 1404, from Cabezon, 1700 feet, and no. 1622 from Snow Creek at 1500 feet altitude. This pocket mouse belongs to the low Lower Sonoran zone of the Colorado desert floor, and its relative searcity within the San Jacinto region as above indicated probably results from our localities of capture being on the extreme margin of its range.
Perognathus fallax fallax C. H. Merriam Short-eared Pocket Mouse
We refer to this race six specimens secured at Vallevista in San Jacinto Valley (nos. 2272-2277). These were taken in Sep- tember, and five of them are in fresh winter pelage, the sixth being a juvenal. While this condition of pelage probably ac- counts in part for their distinetly darker tone of coloration, as compared with the large series of the subspecifiec representative of the species fallax obtained in May and June on the desert base of the San Jacintos, the relative paleness of the latter as com- pared with the former cannot be altogether due to seasonal causes. The Vallevista specimens are identical with topotypes of fallax from Reche Cafion near Colton. Still, as pointed out by Mearns in his deseription of P. f. pallidus (1901, p. 135), the darkest individuals of the species come from still farther towards the coast, so that the Reehe Canon and Vallevista representatives may both be considered somewhat intergradient towards the pale extreme, pallidus.
Five adult specimens from Banning (nos. 1465-1469) are distinctly intermediate between fallax and pallidus, and might have been placed with equal propriety under the latter name. This again indicates that the San Jacinto region occupies a part of the area of intergradation between the coastal race fallax and the desert form pallidus.
362 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
Perognathus fallax pallidus Mearns Pallid Pocket Mouse
Our collecting showed this to be the most abundant species of coarse-haired pocket mouse around the desert base of the San Jacinto Mountains, where it was found to oceupy hilly ground in high Lower Sonoran. The local range of the species may be inferred from the localities of capture, namely: Dos Palmos Spring, 3000 to 3500 feet, twenty-six specimens (nos. 1968-1989, 9360-9363) ; Palm Canon at 3000 feet, six specimens (nos. 2059-2061, 2064, 9358, 9359); Palm Canon near mouth at 800 feet, two (nos. 2062, 2063) ; Snow Creek, 1500 feet, thir- teen (1589-1597, 1618-1621); Cabezon, 1700 feet, twenty-six (nos. 1865, 1381-1403, 9356, 9357).
As remarked under P. f. fallax, our small series from Ban- ning, well up towards the top of San Gorgonio Pass, are inter- mediate towards fallax. This is to a perceptible degree also true of some examples from Dos Palmos Spring. In other words, the Snow Creek and Cabezon series are palest; only these justify the employment of a separate name.
Perognathus californicus femoralis Allen Dulzura Pocket Mouse
Fifteen pocket mice of this species were obtained in the San Jacinto region, eleven (nos. 1651-1661) from Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, and four (nos. 2118-2121) from Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet. An additional specimen, believed to be of the same species, was trapped at Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, but was destroyed. All of these localities are close to the line of blending of the Upper Sonoran with the Transition zone. In consideration of the localities of known occurrence in San Diego County (Dul- zura, Santa Ysabel, Fair Oaks, Witch Creek, Foster, and War- ner Pass) this subspecies belongs clearly to high Upper Sonoran.
In our efforts to ascertain the status of this rodent, we were led to enquire into the relationships existing between the various pocket mice of the californicus group. The results of our study fail to coincide with the conelusions formulated in the last monograph of the genus (Osgood, 1900, pp. 57-59). The material
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 363
at hand consists of 159 skins with skulls of the californicus group from within the state, all catalogued in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. These are representative of the following localities: San Mateo County: Redwood City, Portola, and Corte Madera Creek; Santa Clara County: Black Mountain; Monterey County : Monterey and Salinas Valley; San Luis Obispo County: Santa Margarita; San Joaquin County: 8 miles southwest of Tracy; Merced County : 22 miles southwest of Los Banos; Madera Coun- ty: Raymond; Kern County: Piute Mts., Walker Pass, Weldon, Onyx, Bodfish and Fay Creek; Tulare County: Trout Creek and Jordan Hot Springs; Ventura County: Matilija, Cuddy Canon; Los Angeles County: Pasadena, Azusa, Glendora; San Bernar- dino County: Upper Santa Ana River, San Bernardino Moun- tains; Riverside County: San Jacinto Mountains; San Diego County: Warner Pass, Julian, Witch Creek, Cuyamaca Moun- tains, Foster.
Each of the characters used by Osgood in diagnosing the species concerned was tested by us with the following results:
(1) Coloration.—We find that in all of the forms, as far as indicated by available material, the fresh fall pelage is much darker, with more of the black hair-tipping, than the spring coat. Taking this fact into account, the coloration of the pocket mice from San Mateo County all the way to southern San Diego County is uniform. This coastal range includes the habitats of californicus, dispar and femoralis. In the original description of dispar (Osgood, 1900, p. 59) paleness of color was one of the emphasized characters. In the light of our material and the evident seasonal change, the character falls. There is, however, a significant paleness attaching to our specimens from the Kern River region. Here then in the arid interior, color does prove diagnostic, and serves to give basis for the recognition of a separate race, P. c. ochrus (Osgood, 1904, p. 128).
(2) Quality of pelage—No appreciable subspecifie variation detected by us.
(3) General size—In the accompanying table of measure- ments, which takes account only of old adult perfect specimens, it is to be observed that there is no important modification in size southward from the San Francisco Bay region, until the
364 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountain region is reached. From those points south through San Diego County, there is a distinct increase. The matter of size, therefore, fails to argue for a race dispar; but it is usable as a fairly good average char- acter for the distinguishing of a form in extreme southern Cali- fornia. It is of further note, however, that even then, the wide range in individual variation destroys the usefulness of this as a specific criterion in a number of individual instances. For example a male from San Mateo County (no. 3862) measures, length 211 mm., tail 120, hind foot 27, this being coincident with the largest of the specimens from Witch Creek, San Diego County (male no. 2983).
(4) Cranial features.—As with general size of body there is a slight increase in cranial mass in the series from extreme south- ern California. But we are unable to discern proportional differ- ences anywhere. The features mentioned by Osgood in this con- nection are: size of mastoids, degree of arching of cranium, mastoid width, interorbital width, width of nasals and degree of emargination of fronto-nasal sutures. In all these respects there is much individual variation but none that is elearly cor- related with geographic areas.
To summarize, there is not, from our material, warrant for recognition of a race dispar as distinct from californicus. This possibility was anticipated by Osgood (1904, p. 128) in his remarks when deseribing ochrus, where he says: ‘‘P. c. dispar is itself shghtly paler than californicus, but the principal reason for recognizing it is its larger size and cranial characters. Should these cranial characters prove inconstant on the acquisition of larger series of true californicus, dispar would fall as a synonym of californicus.”’
As a further conclusion there now appears no justification for considering femoralis as of more than subspecifie status, its relationship to be best expressed in the trinomial, Perognathus californicus femoralis. The main, if not the only, character of this race as compared with californicus is its large size, particu- larly of hind foot and ear. By our study, the range of the formerly recognized dispar becomes divided between that of californicus and that of femoralis, the range of the latter being
365
TABLE TO SHOW VARIATION IN SIZE OF RACES OF Perognathus californicus
Measurements in millimeters
* Only field measurements are here used; unfortunately they were not taken in those series where this space is left blank; but general ap- pearances point toward close correlation with hind foot.
Ss
~
SS
S
5
=)
s . s E *
nm * Nest Total length fa Tail wertshrae Bi Hind foot cee ee
= speci- Maxi- Mini- Maxi- Mini- Maxi- Mini- Maxi- Mini-
S mens Area represented Average mum mum Average mum mum Average mum mum Average mum mum
=~ . (13 Santa Clara, San Mateo, San
s a Joaquin, and Merced counties 202 219 192 111.3 120 101 25 27 25 ie :
= = A ee tee
3 S| 13 Santa Margarita, San Luis Obispo
sl = County 196.3 207 185 105.8 117 96 27 24 9.3 10 8
S SilWloeeNeamibasadenassoseAmeeles Go, 202) ) 217 1s7 Wis We7 100) 26 27 25 .. .. ..
n &
= 5 Near Azusa, Los Angeles County 199 221 185 112 124 100 26 27 25 aor se ai
as 4
ix) Ps 8 Santa Ana River, San Bernardino
BS rs Mts. 211 230 193 119 134 103 27 28 25 sac — eee
~ >
S = 6 Schain’s Ranch, San Jacinto Mts. 215 227 203 124 130 118 27.3 29 26 Bae 2
S 8 5 Warner Pass, San Diego County 216 227 200 133 143 121 27 28 26 12 13 11
| &
S 3 Witch Creek, San Diego Count 206 211 201 113 120 108 27 27 27 12 12 12
Sy My 8 iy
=
‘>
eS
S
oO
Lom!
a
inal
366 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
extended to include the San Jacinto and San Bernardino moun- tain regions. It is only fair to state that Stephens (1906, p. 173) argued a similar disposition of the ease.
Perognathus spinatus spinatus C. H. Merriam Spiny Pocket Mouse
But a single example of this species resulted from our col- lecting in the San Jacinto region: an adult male, no. 2006, trapped August 23 at 3000 feet altitude near Dos Palmos Spring on the desert slope of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The locality of capture was in high Lower Sonoran close to a rocky escarp- ment—just such a locality as is inhabited by this pocket mouse elsewhere. Our present record affords an extreme southwestern station for the species.
Lepus californicus deserticola Mearns Colorado Desert Jack Rabbit
Jack rabbits were preserved from the following localities in the San Jacinto region: Kenworthy, 4500 feet, four (nos. 1899, 1900, 2312, 2313) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, one (no. 2311); White- water, 1130 feet, one (no. 1568) ; and Palm Springs, 450 feet, one (no. 7040); seven in all. They are all typical examples of deserticola, except that the Kenworthy specimens in their slightly darker coloration, tend to approach the coast form bennetti (see Nelson, 1909, p. 136).
The species was observed, sometimes in fair abundance, at many points where specimens were not preserved. At Ken- worthy, in May and June, and near Hemet Lake in August, one or two were seen almost daily in the sagebrush of the valley. At Dos Palmos in June and in August, they were scattered in small numbers through the brush, as was also the case in the very similar region throughout the lower part of Palm Canon, and on the floor of the desert below. Noted in fair abundance at Cabezon and Whitewater in May. At Vallevista, August 29 to September 5, jack rabbits were very abundant in the brush of the valley. Nelson (1909, p. 140) records the species from Straw- berry Valley, a point where we failed to meet with it, though evidence of the presence of the animal was observed.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 367
The relatively well developed powers of locomotion of this rodent, even though a species primarily of the lowest zone at the arid base, might be held to account for its invasion Pacific- wards with its pallid coloration scarcely altered at the farthest station on the more humid side of the mountains. It would appear that the index of dispersal of the desert race deserticola is in this region greater than that of the Pacific coast race bennetti. As a result characters of desert origin are carried well over upon faunal ground more properly belonging to the darker coast race.
Sylvilagus auduboni arizonae (Allen) Arizona Cottontail
Judging from the results of our collecting, cottontails would seem to be rather uncommon along the desert base of the San Jacinto Mountains. But one specimen was taken, at Banning, 2200 feet (no. 1470) ; the species was noted at Cabezon, but none were collected there. There is also a skin from Palm Springs, 450 feet (no. 7036) taken December 31, 1903.
Nelson (1909, p. 220) has referred a specimen from Banning to S. a. sanctidiegi, but while our single example is evidently intermediate between that form and arizonae, its extremely pale coloration seems to justify its inclusion under the latter. The skull is small, and not noticeably different from those of San Diego specimens.
Evidently the eastern slope of San Gorgonio Pass is with these rabbits, as with several other species of mammals, a region of transition between pallid desert and darker coast forms.
The Palm Springs example, in winter pelage, is darker col- ored than summer skins of arizonae and with little buffy colora- tion anywhere, but it is distinctly grayish as compared with the richer-colored sanctidiegi. The large audital bullae also place it with the desert race.
Sylvilagus auduboni sanctidiegi (Miller) San Diego Cottontail
Two rabbits taken at Vallevista, 1800 feet, on August 30 and September 4, respectively (nos. 2286, 2287), are evidently
368 University of California Publications in Zoology |Vou. 10
referable to this coast form. Neither in coloration, proportions, nor characters of cranium can they be distinguished from speci- mens of S. a. sanctidiegi from western San Diego County.
Vallevista was the only point where this subspecies was with certainty recognized. Here the rabbits were exceedingly abund- ant, in the brush-covered washes and on the mesas at the base of the hills.
In the San Jacinto region the rabbits of the Sylvilagus auduboni group, represented by the subspecies sanctidiegi and arizonae, on the coast and desert sides, respectively, appear to be restricted to the Lower Sonoran zone at the base of the mountains, and probably occur nearly continuously around the range, though not uniformly abundant at all apparently suitable spots. Higher up, in the Upper Sonoran zone, the cottontail seems to be entirely replaced by the brush rabbit, S. bachmani
cinerascens.
Sylvilagus bachmani cinerascens (Allen) Ashy Brush Rabbit
Eight specimens collected, as follows: Kenworthy, 4500 feet, three (nos. 1901-1903); Dos Palmos Spring, 3500 feet, four (nos. 1904-1906, 2308); Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, one (no. 2229). Indications of the presence of the species were observed in the vicinity of the Garnet Queen Mine, on Santa Rosa Moun- tain, 6000 feet, where plentiful sign was noted in the greasewood along the road, at the extreme upper edge of the chaparral belt.
It seems probable that notebook records of ‘*cottontails’’ seen at Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, and Poppet Flat, 4000 feet, really pertain to this species. Several were seen at these points June 27 and July 15, but none taken, and as specimens of S. a. sancti- diegi were not secured elsewhere in the mountains at this alti- tude, there is little doubt but that S. b. cinerascens was the species observed.
At no point were many brush rabbits seen, a fact possibly due more to the timid and retiring disposition of the animal, and to the nature of its habitat, than to its actual scarcity. At Kenworthy during May and June they were seen from time to time, usually in the early morning or late afternoon, and invari-
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ably in the dense brush at the base of the surrounding hills. About Dos Palmos, in June, and again in August, they were occasionally jumped from their hiding places in the bushes, on the more brushy portions of the mesa. Here they were in typic- ally desert surroundings, in our experience a most unusual environment for the species, and due, apparently, to their down- ward dispersion from the nearby Upper Sonoran hills.
The one secured on Thomas Mountain, the only one seen at this point, is from an altitude (6800 feet) perhaps as high as any previously published record station. Nelson (1909, p. 252) states that in northern Lower California the species ranges up to 6000 feet, into Transition. The limited area of Transition zone along the ridge of Thomas Mountain, open forests of yellow pine inhabited by many Transition zone birds, was invaded at numer- ous points by tongues of dense Upper Sonoran chaparral, and it was doubtless this feature that carried the brush rabbit as high as the ridge of this mountain.
Nelson’s remarks (1909, p. 253) on examples of S. b. ciner- ascens from Dulzura, San Diego, and other points along the Mexican boundary, also apply in part to our San Jacinto Moun- tain specimens. With the color of typical cinerascens, the ears of some are distinctly longer than those of specimens from Pasadena and San Fernando. Measurements (ear from notch, in dried skin) in the eight specimens at hand are, average 58.8 mm., extremes 54 to 62. The bullae, however, are not appre- ciably different in the two series.
Felis oregonensis oregonensis Rafinesque Pacifie Cougar
Well known to the inhabitants of the region. Reported as having recently occurred near Schain’s Ranch, on the Strawberry Creek grade and near Hemet Peak, all being localities within the chaparral belt. No specimens were obtained, though indivy- iduals were twice encountered by one member of our party, and one was shot at but without result.
This incident occurred on May 27 on the. desert slope of the Santa Rosa Mountains at the edge of Deep Cafion close to Black Hill, 3000 feet altitude. The hunter was skirting the rim of
370 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
the canon peering cautiously over each ridge and scrutinizing the landscape for sheep, when the animal was descried bounding down a ravine leading into the canon. At the first shot the beast stopped short and crouched; at the second it sped on and out of sight down the gorge. On June 1, possibly the same lion or its mate was seen at a distance in almost the same place. This time the animal was executing apparently useless maneuvers across a levelish area sparsely covered with brush. It bounded sinuously across and back again, and in movement and attitudes reminded the observer of the capers of a cat leaping through and over tall grass.
Subsequently the bushes which the animal had hurdled were found to be four feet high; some, more. Lion tracks were seen in the vicinity, where the nature of the ground permitted, and it was presumed that there was a den somewhere down the gorge. Sheep sign was plentiful all about; in fact a band of twelve were jumped from the side of the identical ravine where the first lion was shot at, on the following day, May 28. It is not improbable that the association was voluntary, on the part of the felines.
Lynx eremicus californicus Mearns California Wild Cat
Reported by local residents from various parts of the region. Three specimens were captured by us: no. 2333, male, Carrizo Creek, 3000 feet, June 20; no. 2335, male, Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, July 18; No. 2334, male, Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, July 26. It is probable that wild cats range all over the moun- tain and that but one form is represented. Still, the skin from Carrizo Creek, on the desert slope, is so startlingly paler colored than the other two that there might seem good grounds for sus- pecting the existence of a desert and of a Pacific slope race.
It is evident, however, that. the Carrizo Creek animal is con- siderably more worn: the pelage is more ragged and not so heavy ; the tone of color may have been affected, as is believed to be the case in plumage, by the dryer atmosphere and intense light, granting that cats are here abroad in daylight, as they are known to be elsewhere.
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Canis ochropus ochropus Eschscholtz California Coyote
Five specimens of coyotes were obtained as follows: Adult female, no. 2303, at Cabezon, May 8; juvenal female, no. 4397, at Banning, June 8; immature male, no. 2317, at Hemet Lake, August 10; and juvenal male and female, nos. 2314, 2315, at Dos Palmos Spring, May 30.
This material is wholly inadequate for specific determination in so difficult a group, especially in view of the intermediate location of the San Jacinto region. The single adult is in worn and faded pelage; its skull shows characters more nearly of C. ochropus than C. estor, and this in spite of the locality of capture being at the desert base of the mountains where the latter species would be most likely to oceur. The example from Hemet Lake is acquiring clean fall pelage and the colors are more deeply fulvous, as in other examples from the San Diegan dis- trict. It is not improbable that all the San Jacinto specimens belong to the small-sized form inhabiting the San Diegan dis- triet, but whether or not such a form is to be properly included under the name ochropus, or provided with a separate name, has not been determined.
Coyotes, or signs of them, were noted as follows: In the vic- inity of Dos Palmos Spring, several adults were seen, singly; and on May 30 four youngsters were discovered on a sand wash near the mouth of a deep ravine heading among some rocky hills. Two of the animals were playing together, tumbling about and biting one another like puppy dogs. As soon as alarmed they all scurried for the ravine, one whining like a seared pup. The sand flat was plentifully sprinkled with their footprints for at least two acres, showing that it had served for some time as their playground. These youngsters were abroad thus in the open, late in the forenoon. No adults were seen at the time.
Coyotes were heard howling nightly around Kenworthy., Sign was seen on Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, the highest place of observed occurrence of this mammal in the region. One was seen in Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, July 15.
The stomach of the coyote trapped at Hemet Lake, August 10, contained manzanita berries and bones and fur of small
312 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
rodents. Judging from their nocturnal yelping, coyotes were abundant in the vicinity of Vallevista, as also around Cabezon. One was seen from the train between Whitewater and Banning, at noon, June 7.
Vulpes macrotis arsipus Elliot Mohave Desert Kit Fox
One specimen is in the Museum, obtained on the floor of the desert close to Palm Springs, 450 feet, December 26, 1903. This is an adult male, no. 7091; it resembles closely other examples from the Mohave desert and Colorado River valley. It measures: length 750 mm., tail vertebrae 287, hind foot 123, ear from inner base (in dried skin) 72.
Urocyon cinereoargenteus californicus Mearns California Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus scotti Mearns Arizona Gray Fox
Foxes proved to be numerous in the San Jacinto region. While this carnivore undoubtedly ranged all over the mountains from the lowest to the highest altitudes, our experience pointed towards the center of its abundance being in the Upper Sonoran chaparral association.
The following facts in regard to food were obtained. The stomach of a fox trapped in Palm Canon, June 16, contained some juniper berries and fragments of juniper twigs, a number of pieces of skin and bones of lizards, and some rabbit hair. All through the Pinon Flat and Upper Palm Canon region, feces of foxes were plentifully observed, and consisted largely of the hard seeds of the California juniper. The fruit of this shrub thus appeared to form an important proportion of foxes’ food.
Fifteen specimens of the gray fox were secured as follows, adults unless otherwise specified: Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, female, no. 2708 (skull only) ; Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, July 23, male, no. 2328 (both skin and skull although catalogued are
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 373
not now to be found) ; Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, August 18— 20, four: nos. 2324 male, 2325 female, 2326 female, 2327 female immature; Kenworthy, 4500 feet, May 24, female, no. 2330; Santa Rosa Peak, 7500 feet, June 30, female, no. 2331; Carrizo Creek, in vicinity of Black Hill, 3000 feet, three: male, no. 2332, May 26, female, no. 2318, June 22 (skull now missing), male, no. 2329, August 24; Palm Canon, 800 feet, June 16, female, no. 2316; Palm Springs, 450 feet, December 23, 1903, female, no. 7094; Snow Creek, 1500 feet, June 2 (skull only, not sexed) no. 7795; Cabezon, 1700 feet, May 8, male, no. 2304.
Two well-marked subspecies of the gray fox inhabit southern California, one occupying the San Diegan district (U. c. californi- cus), the other the Colorado desert (U. c. scott.). Of the latter the Museum contains a series of nine specimens; and there is also an adequate series of californicus from the Pacific slope of south- ern California.
The Colorado River series (scot{i) shows the following char- acters as compared with californicus: Coloration paler, less brightly rufous, and white endings of hairs on sides of body and tail, and on top of head, more extensive on each hair, resulting in a more silvery gray general effect. The skull is relatively more slender, the teeth slenderer and sharper; bullae more in- flated; that is, relatively higher and steeper-sided; rostrum con- spicuously narrower, possibly correlated with the weaker teeth.
The San Jacinto series of foxes, as we have found to be the case with so many other mammals, notably the white-footed wood rats, presents a condition of varied intermediateness, and includes also certain examples which are quite satisfactorily referable to one form or the other. As is to be expected on geographical grounds the good scotti are from the desert side, good californicus from the highest zones and the Pacifie side.
Unfortunately for color characters nearly all the San Jacinto skins are in very worn and more or less faded summer pelage. As in the case of the wildeats, the foxes from the arid side of the range had suffered much more in these respects than those from the Transition zone and Pacific side. August examples from Thomas Mountain are in good enough pelage to warrant certain diagnosis as californicus. Our one winter skin. from Palm
374 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
Springs, is, in its pale and conspicuously silvery hue, unequivo- cally scotti. In February, 1912, the senior author saw at Palm Springs five skins of foxes recently trapped at the rocky base of the foothills close by; these, also, were readily recognizable as the pale scotti, rather than californicus.
The skulls furnish the best basis for determining individuals. Those from Palm Springs and Carrizo Creek are very close to the average of scotti. One from Cabezon, however, and another from Palm Cajon, although also on the desert side. are much more nearly californicus. The relative inflation of the audital bullae is a particular feature of uneven variation, and on this character alone segregation by locality shows no geographical orderliness. In other words there is no regularly progressive change in the character from point to point in a direct line from one faunal area into the other.
Again, as with the desertorum group of wood rats, the foxes of the San Jacinto region appear to show the results of continued interbreeding of two low-zone races of animals whose habitats here abut. The line of faunal mergence is so narrow that there is no room for gradual blending as is usually exhibited between races when the faunal transition occupies a much wider extent of country (as compared with the powers of locomotion of the species concerned). Instead, the intermediates are heterogeneous in their exhibition of characters, and are thus more in the nature of hybrids than geographic intergrades, if each term be used in the sense in which it is commonly employed in systematic mam- malogy. In the San Jacinto foxes it is clearly just as much geographic intergrading in a real sense as if all the animals from any one point along a line from one habitat to the other were uniform, and as if similar representations from the series of points aligned themselves in even gradation from one extreme to the other, instead of there being a conspicuous irregularity in all respects, as is the case.
Salient facts are: the Colorado River series and a series from the coast district of California are each uniform within narrow limits of individual variation; the San Jacinto series is widely variable, including extremes referable to each subspecies and examples showing various combinations of characters.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 375
It is unfortunate that the name californicus was based on a type from the San Jacinto region (Mearns, 1897, p. 459). Said type is very likely not to have represented the best manifestation of the subspecies inhabiting the San Diegan faunal area. In other words the type was probably not typical of the race to which the name californicus is held to apply. Such a cireum- stance is common in the early history of the systematic mam- malogy of any country.
Procyon psora psora Gray California Coon
No specimens were procured; but fresh footprints were seen along the creek in Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, July 9; and we were assured of the occurrence of coons around Hemet Lake, 4400 feet. Both these localities are on the Pacific drainage.
[Ursus horribilis californicus Merriam California Grizzly
It is many years since bears have been seen in these moun- tains. The California grizzly was formerly abundant, so much so as to be a constant menace to the cattle belonging to the first settlers in the mountain valleys, and the bears were consequently shot, trapped, and poisoned upon every occasion, to their ex- tinetion, which took place in this range about 1890. A few old log bear traps may still be seen in the brushy hills bordering Thomas and Coahuila valleys.
The above statement is made chiefly upon the authority of H. E. Wilder.}
Mephitis occidentalis holzneri Mearns Southern California Striped Skunk
Fifteen specimens of this skunk were trapped, and preserved either as skins with skulls or skulls only. The localities and Museum numbers are as follows: Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, one (no. 2323); Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, two (nos. 2321, 2322) ; Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, two (nos. 2249, 2250); Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, five (nos. 1623, 8864-8867); Cabezon, 1700
376 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
feet, three (nos. 2305, 2306, 7796) ; Snow Creek, 1500 feet, two (nos. 2307, 8863). In February, 1912, a skin of one was seen at Palm Springs, caught recently at the base of the foothills near there. It will be observed that these stations are chiefly within the Upper Sonoran zone, though the species ranges a little above and a little below. This is wholly in accord with the preferences of Mephitis elsewhere in southern California.
Stomach examination showed in one case bones and fur of a Microtus; in another ease berries and leaves of manzanita to- gether with bones and fur of an unrecognizable species of small mammal; in a third ease the stomach was filled to distention
,
with ‘‘Jerusalem’’ crickets (Stenopelmatus), while there were fragments of legs and other hard parts of these msects in the
feces. A remarkably varied diet is thus indicated.
Spilogale phenax phenax C. H. Merriam California Spotted Skunk
Specimens secured as follows: adult male, no. 1898, Ken- worthy, 4500 feet, May 24; young male, no. 1907, Carrizo Creek, 3000 feet, June 22; adult male, no. 2302, Cabezon, 1700 feet, May 11. These localities range from high Upper Sonoran down well into Lower Sonoran—the usual zonal range of the species elsewhere in southern California.
Mustela arizonensis (Mearns) Mountain Weasel
A single specimen was captured in Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, July 23. It was caught in a gopher trap, of the box pattern, open at oneend, with heavy spring released merely by the animal’s pushing against the trigger. This trap had been set in the meadow sod in the usual way for gophers, and the fact that it produced a weasel gives insight into the forage methods of the carnivore. One other instance of the presence of weasels in the region came to our attention: A skin of one was seen in the possession of a cattle man at Fuller’s Mill, 5900 feet, July 2; it had been caught in the near vicinity a few days previously.
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Our one specimen (male, no. 2167) probably represents the form occupying the San Jacinto region above the Sonoran zone. _ Its features in comparison with arizonensis from northern Nevada, have been commented upon at length by Taylor (1911, p. 299). We now have for comparison four summer adults from the Mount Whitney region of the extreme southern Sierra Nevada. The San Jacinto animal is closely similar to these, but slightly paler, especially in the brownness of the head, and is somewhat smaller. It measures, length 328 mm., tail vertebrae 113, hind foot 37.
There is very great variation among all the California speci- mens of this species in extent of facial white markings; for instance, one example (no. 16272, female, Monache Meadows, 8000 feet, Tulare County) has as much white on the cheeks and between the eyes as the extreme of Mustela xanthogenys. It does not appear that good characters are to be sought in this direction, but rather in size, proportions, and general tone of coloration.
C. H. Merriam (1896, p. 25) has suggested that M. xantho- genys seems to grade into arizonensis up the mountains. If this be true (though not shown by our rather limited material) then arizonensis of San Jacinto Peak might be considered nearest related to xanthogenys of the adjacent lowlands of southern Cali- fornia—in fact merely a mountain form directly derived from that species, and not to be thought of as an isolated colony of a species having its nearest relative on the high southern Sierras. The same material lends itself equally to the two theories. Be- cause of parallel distribution among other mammals of the two regions in question, however, we lean to the latter notion.
San Jacinto Peak is the southernmost station for arizonensis in California.
Sorex ornatus C. H. Merriam Adorned Shrew Found only in Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, and Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet. Four specimens were trapped (nos. 2090, 2149-2151), the first in the former locality, July 18, and the last three in the later locality July 20, 25 and August 1. All are adults in summer pelage, and fairly typical of ornatus.
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In each ease the capture of a shrew was a wholly fortuitous event. When special pains were taken in setting and baiting, with shrews particularly in view, nothing resulted. All the shrews were trapped in mouse traps baited with rolled oats. In one case the victim was clipped over the rump backwards, show- ing that it had been merely running over the trap.
The specimen from Strawberry Valley was caught beneath an overhanging mat of roots four inches from running water, the whole place over-shadowed by alders. In Tahquitz Valley the shrews were caught beneath willows and veratrum plants on and around the meadows.
As far as shown by our collecting, this species in this region belongs to the riparian association of the Transition zone.
Notiosorex crawfordi Baird Desert Shrew
A single specimen secured (no. 1928) near Dos Palmos Spring, 3500 feet, May 31. This was caught in a mouse trap set on the bare sandy ground of a broad mesa among yueceas and cactus (see pl. 10, fig. 1). The trap was baited with rolled oats; but the fact that a grasshopper was found crushed in the trap along with the shrew makes it likely that first the insect was attracted by the oats, thus constituting itself a “‘live bait’’ which in turn attracted the shrew.
Other mammals found in the same line of traps the same morning were Perodipus, Dipodomys, two species of Perognathus, a Peromyscus, a Neotoma, and an antelope chipmunk—a most in- congruous assemblage! The shrew was not nearer than 150 yards to the nearest portion of the watercourse.
The specimen is a fully adult female in molt, the pelage dorsally being patchy, plumbeous and dull brownish. The meas- urements are: length 82 mm., tail vertebrae 28, hind foot 10. The mammae were large, evidently functioning.
Scapanus latimanus occultus Grinnell and Swarth Southern California Mole Signs of moles came to notice very generally over the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains. Surface runways were seen
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in Tahquitz Valley and on the trail leading from there to Round Valley; also on the summit of Santa Rosa Peak and around Hemet Lake. The lowest points at which evidences of their pres- ence were noted were on the desert slopes and base of the moun- tains, at Banning and Snow Creek, the elevation of the latter point being 1500 feet. These may be considered extreme east- ward stations for the species, as moles are unknown from the desert proper beyond.
But two examples were procured in the region under con- sideration: female, no. 2089, in Strawberry Valley, 6000 feet, July 15, and a female, no. 2231, on Thomas Mountain, 6800 feet, August 19. The first was captured as a result of the collector’s seeing a sight movement of the earth at the end of a mole ridge, the animal being impaled by a quick thrust of a pronged instru: ment. The second was caught in a special mole trap.
For the use of the name occultus for the mole of southern California, see Grinnell and Swarth (1912a, p. 131).
Corynorhinus macrotis pallescens Miller Pallid Big-eared Bat
Found only in a mine tunnel at about 6500 feet altitude, on the south face of Hemet Peak, and about two miles from Ken- worthy. The hillside upon which the tunnel opened was Upper Sonoran, but temperature conditions where the bats were roost- ing were certainly altogether different from those outside, both day and night. The tunnel was 600 feet long with a vertical shaft at the end admitting air from above. A strong and, even at midday, very cold draft descended the shaft and thence flowed out through the tunnel.
The bats were found by means of candle light, clinging singly to the side walls of the tunnel, from within a few feet of the entrance nearly to the end. Here seventeen Corynorhinus, the only species of bat found in this locality, were obtained, on May 22 and June 5, twelve being preserved as skins with skulls (nos. 1882-1893) and five as alcoholics (nos. 9365-9369). There were fifteen males and two females; one of the latter containing a single large foetus.
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On both dates all the bats when found were cold to the touch, and were apparently numb, being incapable of any but very slow movements. Within a few minutes, however, after being taken into the outside warmth, they became very active and squeaked gratingly. A curious position was that occupied by the ears when the bats were at roost. Although this was a species with relatively enormous ears, these structures were scarcely visible when the animals as first found hung against the rock surfaces head down. Upon close examination, the ears of the inverted pendant bat were found to be folded against the sides close to the body and almost completely hidden by the wings, which were held together in front, that 1s, against the rock. This means that the pinna was actually bent over sharply, a number of wrinkles resulting, but apparently in no degree incapacitating the conch from springing back into its wonted posture when released.
Myotis lucifugus longicrus (True) Long-legged Bat
A female adult (no. 1306) from Cabezon, 1700 feet, May 13. This occurrence is low, zonally, for the species, but the early date may indicate a migrant. Three adult females (nos. 2041— 2043), Santa Rosa Peak at 7500 feet, June 30. These were ob- tained in the vicinity of a spring, at late dusk, where they came to drink. There was a series of pools in the rocky bed of a s.eep ravine. These provided an open approach from down the canon, a bat flying directly to a pool, dipping to the surface of the water and hovering for an instant, leaving a slight ripple. One was caught in a butterfly net as it dipped to drink, the others were shot above open ground below the pools. One of the bats contained a foetus.
This species is usually found in summer in the mountains of southern California, in the Transition zone. The station on Santa Rosa Peak was in this zone.
Myotis yumanensis yumanensis (H. Allen)
Yuma Bat
Taken by us but once: male adult (no. 9374), Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, August 20; caught in a bunk house. This specimen
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is preserved as an aleoholic, but the skull has been removed and cleaned. Myotis orinomus Elliot
La Grulla Brown Bat
Five specimens secured: nos. 2044-2047, at Garnet Queen Mine, 6000 feet, June 25 and 26; no. 2248, Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, August 9. Both localities are in high Upper Sonoran on the Pacifie Slope; in both places some transition elements were pres- ent, and it is possible though not probable that this bat belongs to Transition.
Upon the basis of our San Jacinto material, this species was first credited to the mammal fauna of the state (see Grinnell and Swarth, 1912b, p. 137).
Myotis californicus californicus (Audubon and Bachman) California Little Brown Bat
Small bats were observed at several of the stations on the Pacific side of the mountains. Our inability to distinguish the species of Myotis out of hand necessitates the ignoring of all oc- eurrences except where specimens were actually obtained.
Of californicus only two examples were taken: adult male (no. 1894), Kenworthy, 4500 feet, June 8; female juvenal (no. 2707), Schain’s Ranch, 4900 feet, July 14. Both of these loeali- ties are at the extreme upper edge of Upper Sonoran.
Eptesicus fuscus fuscus (Beauvois) Big Brown Bat
Bats of this species were obtained as follows: Kenworthy, 4500 feet, May 24 and June 5, four (nos. 1864-1867) ; Tahquitz Valley, 8000 feet, July 22, two (nos. 2152, 2153); Hemet Lake, 4400 feet, August 13 and 14, two (nos. 2246, 2247) ; Lower Palm Canon, 800 feet, June 16, one (no. 9375). As elsewhere in south- ern California this bat is most numerous in the high Upper Sonoran and Transition zones, ranging highest of any member of the order. Yet it was also found well down into Lower Sonoran, though only along cahons down which individuals may fly nightly from roosting places higher up. Large bats presumed
382 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
to be of this species were seen at almost every station, so that taking into account the localities of fair certainty together with those of actual capture, a greater zonal and faunal range is indicated for Eptesicus than for any other bat of the region.
The specimens taken show much variation in color, and the remarks made in regard to a series from the San Bernardino Mountains apply here (see Grinnell, 1908, p. 159).
Pipistrellus hesperus hesperus (H. Allen) Western Bat
Eleven specimens were preserved as follows: vicinity of Dos Palmos Spring, 3000 to 3500 feet, May 28 and August 25, six (nos. 1895-1897, 1918, 1919, 9373) ; Palm Canon, June 13 and 16, three (nos. 9370-9372) ; Cabezon, 1700 feet, May 7, one (no. 1307) ; Banning, 2100 feet, June 9, one (no. 1462). There is also in the Museum a skin (no. 6938) taken at Palm Springs, 450 feet, December 29, 1903; this was shot at dusk as it flew overhead above a patch of mesquites. Several were seen in flight at early dusk in the same locality, February 9 and 13, 1912. The oceur- rence of the species abroad in midwinter is of interest, as we have no evidence otherwise as to whether or not the species is migra- tory.
This small bat was identified with certainty only on the desert side of the San Jacinto Mountains, and, as shown above, appeared to be restricted to the Lower Sonoran zone. Very many appeared at early dusk along Palm Cafion and in the neighborhood of Dos Palmos Spring, where they were seen to emerge from crevices of rocks. This was the only species of bat seen abroad after sunrise and before sunset; in fact one individual was seen in
flight about 9 a.m. in the bright glare of the forenoon sun.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 383
BOREAL FAUNA OF SAN JACINTO PEAK COMPARED WITH THAT OF OTHER MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Although the Boreal zone of the San Jacinto area is sharply cut off on all sides, and is thus completely isolated at the present time from other areas of similar fauna, there is good reason to suppose that during a more or less remote period, of cooler ch- mate, there was zonal continuity with the adjacent ranges and these in turn with the vast Boreal area believed to have once prevailed over the Great Basin region and to have included the Sierra Nevada. Changes in topography so modified meteorologi- cal conditions that the zones of life of necessity retreated north- wards and upwards until restricted to the higher elevations now distantly separated from one another.
The mammals and birds of the high mountains of southern California in every case are either identical with, or show close relationship to, forms now existing in the Sierra Nevada.
In reviewing the Boreal biota as found to occur on San Jacinto Peak, the first thing to attract particular attention was the relative paucity of types as compared with the number of types in the San Bernardino Mountains previously studied (Grin- nell, 1908). As shown in the accompanying table there are seven distinetly Boreal mammals and twenty-eight Boreal birds on the San Bernardinos, while there are but five mammals and twenty- two birds of like zonal restriction on the San Jacintos. Only one (Mustela arizonensis), out of the whole number belonging to the San Jacintos, has not been found on the San Bernardinos, and the probabilities poimt towards its existence there also. Otherwise all of the San Jacinto species are found on the other mountain mass. These relative conditions are closely paralleled in a study of the plants of the two areas (see Hall, 1902, pp. 47, 48).
This disparity in Boreal representation appeared to be with- out explanation, until it occurred to us that there might be some
correlation between size of the areas concerned and numbers of
384 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
species inhabiting them. Obviously the San Jacinto area of Boreal is much smaller than that on the San Bernardino Moun- tains.
We proceeded to compare corresponding conditions elsewhere in southern California, with the results shown in the aeceompany- ing tables and diagram (see pp. 386, 387, and pl. 7). Examination of a zone map of southern California shows the Boreal zone to be represented in a series of isolated areas of varying limited extent, these in most part marking the crest of the main divide separating the desert and Pacific drainages.
From the Mount Whitney region of the southern Sierra Nevada this divide swings more and more to the westward until the vicinity of Mount Pinos’is reached. Here it bends abruptly at almost right angles in a southeasterly trend, which is roughly maintained at least to the Mexican line. The diagram (plate 7) is constructed as though this backbone were in a straight line, and serves to show the relative extent of the isolated areas of Boreal included.
The Boreal life zone on San Jacinto Peak is seen to be larger in area than any others of the many mountain masses of southern California, excepting the San Bernardino Mountains; the number of Boreal types existing upon it exceeds those on any others of the mountains coming into the problem, excepting, again, the San Bernardinos.
It might be suspected that degree of remoteness from the very large Boreal area of the main Sierra Nevada would bear direct relation to number of species represented upon these detached mountains. According to this idea, the Sierras would have provided the mother fauna, and the farther the emigration of types along a possible line of dispersal, the fewer the survivors. Thus Mount Pinos would share with the Sierra Nevada a larger proportion of its species than any of the appropriate areas to the south. But we find no such condition in fact. There are two Boreal mammals and seventeen Boreal birds on Mount Pinos as compared with seven and twenty-eight, respectively, on the San Bernardinos, and five and twenty-two on the San Jacintos. Rather, does it appear that the number of forms is associated with the size of area concerned.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 385
According to the hypothesis already expressed, the detached tracts of the Boreal zone on the mountain masses of southern California are inhabited by residual faunas representative of that which was spread continuously along the divide in earlier times. The facts show that fewer types have been preserved in one place than another, and further that the followimg state- ment of a possible law appears to be justified: The smaller the disconnected area of a given zone (or distributional area of any other rank), the fewer the types which are persistent therein.
Although formulated upon the basis of study in a restricted region we believe the above generalization will prove of wide applicability. Reference to the fauna of such a continental archipelago as the Santa Barbara group of islands, shows that, among themselves and as compared with the mainland, in rich- ness of fauna as to species possessed (but not necessarily as to individuals), a very similar state of affairs exists. But this rela- tionship must not of course-be expected everywhere absolutely without exception, because of occasional extraordinary circum- stances of overwhelming effect.
If-our generalization is found to bear the test universally, then it is certainly fallacious to establish lines of dispersal and centers of distribution upon such data as the relative numbers of types found to occupy the regions studied, wnless size of the areas in question be taken into account.
It is highly probable that the extinction of species (and thus, of course, of larger groups) has been hastened by restriction of habitat. Comparison of areas of similar climatic conditions, with regard to size and number of endemic forms (such as has been made in the present article), comes very near to proving this point.
The query arises as to the cause of more rapid disappearance of types in such eases, even though they may hold, each, un- challenged possession of a separate ecologic niche. This cannot be answered from positive data. But it seems inevitable that the smaller the area available to a species (whether a sea-girt oceanic island or a patch of the Boreal zone completely sur- rounded by Sonoran, as on the San Jacintos) the greater the chance for complete extinction of the species from such causes
386 University of California Publications in Zoology
[ Vou. 10
as recurring periods of extreme food shortage, epidemic disease, and cataclysmic disturbances of either climate or topography.
Table (1) showing relative numbers of boreal mammals represented Note the correlation of numbers of types with size of the detached area of Boreal (and Transition) zone in each case (see profile, pl. 7).
on the different mountain masses of southern California.
Marmota flaviventer
Mt. Whit- ney
x
Callospermophilus chrysodeirus,
subsp. Eutamias alpinus Eutamias speciosus, subsp. Sciurus griseus, subsp. Sciurus d. albolimbatus Sciuropterus alpinus, subsp. Neotoma ¢. cinerea Microtus m. dutcheri Microtus mordax, subsp. Thomomys alpinus + T. alti- vallis Zapus t. alleni Erethizon epixanthum Ochotona albatus Lepus ¢. sierrae Canis lestes Vulpes necator Gulo luteus Mustela arizonensis
Neosorex p. navigator
Total number of species
San San San Gab- Bernard- Ja- Mt. riel dino cinto Region Pinos Mts. Mts. Mts. (not well known) x x x x d:& x x x x x x x x x x 2 1 7 5
Santa Rosa Mts.
Cuya- maca Mts.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 387
Table (2) showing relative numbers of boreal birds represented on the different mountain masses of southern California. Note the correla- tion of numbers of types with size of the detached area of Boreal (and Transition) zone in each case (see profile, pl. 7).
Mt. San San San
Whit- Gab- Bernard- Ja- Santa Cuya-
ney Mt. riel dino cinto Rosa maca
Region Pinos Mts. Mts. Mts. Mts. Mts. Dendragapus 0. sierrae x x
Otus f. flammeolus
w nw
Xenopicus albolarvatus, subsp. x x x Ki x x x Sphyrapicus v. daggetti x = xe 3
Sphyrapicus thyroideus
al wn
Chordeiles v. hesperis
3 x Stellula calliope x x x x x Nuttallornis borealis x X x x x x x
Empidonax wrighti
iw ial K Kh nA
Cyanocitta s. frontalis
“ “A cal K 4 vw w
Nucifraga columbiana
Mh K “ % “ M
Carpodacus cassini
I w wn % A
Loxia ¢. bendirei
x x x x Leucosticte t. dawsoni x
Spinus p. pinus x x x x x x Zonotrichia |. leacophrys x
Juneo o. thurberi
Mw n x“ Bw 7 at
Melospiza |. lineolni
tal tl rz)
Passerella i. stephensi
i wn tad * it
Oreospiza chlorura
M nw wn K tal
Dendroica a. auduboni
wv wn wn i I
Certhia f. zelotes
K cal al “4 iM i iv)
Sitta canadensis
w 4 tal
Sitta pygmaea, subsp. x x x x x x x Penthestes gambeli, subsp. x x x xe x x x
Regulus s. olivaceus
iv] w i)
Regulus e. cineraceus
“ “ K it
Myadestes townsendi
w A
Hylocichla g. sequoiensis
tal K
Mw Kh wh K
Planesticus m. propinquus
Sialia currucoides
| » | |
4
| | t I
~)
Total number of species 31 17 17 22 11
t bo |
388 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 10
SONORAN BIOTA OF THE SAN DIEGAN DISTRICT COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE ADJACENT DESERT
The San Jacinto area includes a section of the divide between the desert and Pacifie slopes of southern California. Only a small portion of this divide, however, is taken up by the Boreal zone (see pls. 6,7). Over a large part of the area the Sonoran zones are continuous over the divide from the desert to the Pacific side. It is almost altogether the upper division of the Sonoran zone which tops the watershed, a narrow and diluted strip of Lower Sonoran extending over the low San Gorgonio Pass.
While the Sonoran zone is thus continuous from the Pacific side over upon the desert, the fauna undergoes marked and rather abrupt change. To refer to basic causes, we may say that while aestival temperature is similar on the two slopes, degree of humidity is widely different. The great difference in dryness on the two sides of the San Jacinto Mountains is impressed upon the traveler in many sensible ways, so that recourse to a hygro- meter is unnecessary to prove to him the nature of the change. Species and genera replace one another wp the mountain, that is, from zone to zone, being segregated by temperature conditions ; species and subspecies replace one another across the divide, from faunal district to faunal district, being controlled in their re- spective distribution by atmospheric humidity.
That the metamorphosis in biotic complexion from the Pacific to the desert is correlated with decrease in relative humidity is proved by the fact that replacement of species occurs on an average along the line where the obviously humid and dry areas meet. In the San Jacinto area studies of faunal behavior can be prosecuted under particularly favorable conditions, because this line of mergence between humid and arid faunal districts takes place within such a very short distance, and further be- cause, while the Pacific side is not so very humid, as compared with the northwest coast belt of the United States, the desert side possesses an extraordinarily less percentage of humidity. The
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 389
degree of difference is so great that violent contrast is afforded _ in meteorological conditions and in their resultant effects on the plant and animal life.
The relatively semi-humid province occupying the Pacific slope of southern California has been termed the San Diegan District. The opposite slope leads down to the Colorado Desert, and this latter geographic name may be used for the faunal division which ineludes it.
The transition from semi-humid to extreme arid does not occur at the very summit of the divide at any point. Because of the prevailingly westerly winds the San Diegan condition and biota are carried over upon the desert slopes to varying distances beyond the crest according to steepness and trend of the ridges which deflect the moist air-currents.
An analysis of the Sonoran birds and mammals of the San Jacinto area by species leads to the following groupings accord- ing to nature of distribution: (1) Species which oceur regularly in both the San Diegan District and on the Colorado Desert, and which show no distinctive modifications in the two areas (see table A) ; (2) species which are separately confined to one or the other fauna, and so sharply delimited associationally that they do not even invade the strip over which the two faunas blend (see table B); (3) species which belong intrinsically to one or the other area but which penetrate across the strip of blending and even into the frontier of the opposite area (see table C) ; (4) species represented in each of the two areas, but by obviously closely related forms, either subspecies, or species but slightly differentiated (see table D).
The first category consists of species, all birds, of apparent indifference to conditions of humidity. They range for the most part widely over the western United States, and, with the notable exception of the cactus wren, either perform regular and ex- tended migrations, or are of strong flight and vagrant inclination.
The second category comprises species which occupy very narrow ranges of environmental conditions, so limited that in some cases the confines of a single association are not over- stepped. As examples of such extreme delimitation, Dipodomys deserti, of the aeolian sands, and the crissal thrasher, of the
390 University of California Publications in Zoology (VoL. 10
mesquite belt, may be cited, as from the desert fauna; and the Hutton vireo, of the live oak association, and Bell sparrow, of the Adenostoma association, as belonging to the San Diegan fauna. These species must be of extreme dependence upon one or more factors of their surroundings.
The third category shows an intermediate degree of adapta- bility or indifference as compared with the first and second. In four cases species of prevalently desert habitat range over on the Pacific side of the San Jacintos, either continuously, as with Lepus c. deserticola and Peromyscus m. sonoriensis, or are repre-
sented within ‘‘islands’’
of the Lower Sonoran zone, as with Ammospermophilus 1. leucurus and Dryobates s. cactophilus in the San Jacinto Valley. On the other hand, and in a greater number of cases, San Diegan species range to a considerable dis- tance down over the arid side of the mountains, becoming thus exposed, in some eases, to an extreme of desert conditions. All those listed are of practically continuous range, except the San Diego song sparrow, the desert side colonies of this riparian species being of necessity cut off from their parent stock (see p: 279).
The fourth category includes some of the species classified in the third. These and the additional ones are peculiar in that there are complementary forms in the two contiguous faunas. Some of these blend together gradually over the neutral strip and thus in each ease constitute subspecies of a common species, in accordance with the understanding of the term subspecies among American vertebrate systematists at the present time; tor example, the Lower Sonoran Perognathus panamintinus, with its subspecies bangsi and brevinasus intergrading through San Gor- gonio Pass. Others of the forms are connected by a broken series of intermediates (see under Neotoma intermedia and desertorum, pp. 336-347). Ina few cases there are unquestioned hybrids of more or less frequent occurrence, as between the quails, Lophortyx gambeli and L. c. vallicola. And finally there are perfectly distinet though obviously closely related forms in the two faunas, as, for example, Polioptila plumbea and P. californica, and Dryobates s. cactophilus and D. nuttalli.
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto
A
391
SPECIES WHICH ARE THE SAME IN THE SAN DIEGAN DISTRICT AND IN THE COLORADO DESERT REGION
Zenaidura m. carolinensis Cathartes a. septentrionalis Accipiter cooperi
Buteo b. calurus
Speotyto ec. hypogaea Geocoeeyx californianus Chordeiles a. texensis Aeronautes melanoleucus Archilochus alexandri Calypte costae Myiarchus ¢. cinerascens Empidonax t. trailli Corvus ¢. sinuatus Icterus ¢. nelsoni
SPECIES WHICH ARE SHARPLY DEFINED IN
B
Carpodacus m. frontalis Astragalinus p. hesperophilus Petrochelidon 1. lunifrons Stelgidopteryx serripennis Phainopepla nitens
Vireo b. pusillus
Ieteria v. longicauda
Mimus p. leucopterus Heleodytes b. couesi Salpinctes obsoletus
RANGE, ON EITHER THE DESERT
SIDE OR PACIFIC SIDE
Desert (with no Pacific race)
Ovis ¢. nelsoni
Citellus t. chlorus Peromyscus c. stephensi Thomomys perpallidus Dipodomys deserti Perognathus p. angustirostris Perognathus spinatus Ieterus parisorum Amphispiza b. deserticola Toxostoma crissale Auriparus f. flaviceps
Desert species which range notably
over into San Diegan conditions Ammospermophilus |. leueurus Peromyscus m. sonoriensis Lepus e. deserticola
Dryobates s. cactophilus
San Diegan (with no desert race) Perognathus ¢. femoralis
Calypte anna
Aphelocoma ce. californica (?) Amphispiza belli
Vireo h. huttoni
Chamaea f. henshawi Baeolophus i. murinus Psaltriparus m. minimus
San Diegan species which range
over into desert conditions
Citellus b. fisheri Peromyscus ¢. insignis Perodipus agilis Sylvilagus b. cinerascens Spilogale phenax Lophortyx e. vallicola Melospiza m. cooperi Pipilo m. megalonyx Pipilo ¢. senicula Toxostoma r. pasadenense Thryomanes b. charienturus
University of California Publications in Zoology [VoL 10
392
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supyped “F sny}yeuso1eg (4 )eeuozaqea sudipo.eg (4 )ovuozeqea sAmowoyy, e:sudARYOU “J BVULOJOON Toysy *q SN{[eFtO
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Bpooypea “a xAqaroydory
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1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 393
THE BEHAVIOR OF GEOGRAPHIC RACES ON THE MARGINS OF THEIR HABITATS
In explanation of the diversity in behavior of geographic races on the margins of their habitats, as pointed out in the preceding section of our report, we may suggest that the direc- tion of invasion of strains, whether from the desert towards the Pacific, or vice versa, may be dependent in part upon one or more of the following contingencies: (1) Continuity of the proper association from one side to the other. (2) Disproportionate representation of said association on one side as compared with the other, as for instance with the riparian song sparrow. (3) Lack of a complementary type on the opposite side, which would if present check invasion by competition; for example, the cases of the song sparrow and Ammospermophilus. (4) Unbalanced rate of dispersal in the representative races of the two abutting faunas; thus Lepus c. deserticola may have spread westwardly, through a period of time allowing for many generations, well into the margin of the habitat of L. c. bennetti because of greater
?
“intra-specific vigor,’’ the line of intergradation bemege thus forced over into the area where bennetti might be supposed to be best fitted to exist. According to this idea, in this and similar cases, unequal rate of distribution may carry one geographic race beyond the hmit of its area of differentiation, and yet the frontier individuals, even for a considerable series of generations, maintain their original characters. The unequal ‘‘intra-specific vigor’? may result from augmenting rate of reproduction, periodically reduced death rate (which would amount to the same thing), or from development innately of a greater degree of aggressiveness in disposition, as a specific trait—a proneness to wander, on the part of individuals. Peromyscus m. sonoriensis may be cited in the latter connection.
An assumption upon which the last consideration depends is contrary to the common conception among laboratory experimen- talists, namely, that most if not all of the characters recognized by the systematic student of birds and mammals are somatie, sub- ject to modification in the life-time of the individual or at least
394 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
within one or two generations. It is urged that should individuals be transplanted, say, from the desert to the San Diegan district, characters of color, quality of pelage or of plumage, size, and proportions similar to the race native in the new locality would promptly be acquired.
As an argument against this notion of the evanescence of sub- specific characters, we wish to eall attention to the numerous cases in Table C, where the ranges of forms extend in one direc- tion or the other over into opposite faunal areas with their sharply contrasted conditions more particularly of humidity. Some of the mammals are of probably slow locomotion as regards home centers; so that many generations must have been sub- jected to the foreign environment to have allowed invasion to the distance attained. And yet in the extreme cases the char- acters of the stock form have been retained with no perceptible “experiment’’ in the laboratory of nature (see
modification—an ‘
also table D).
As has already been made clear in the discussion on preceding pages, we cannot expect to derive universal laws for the behavior of species, to be applicable uniformly in any region like the San Jacinto area where two faunas meet. Perhaps the only general rule that ean be laid down is that there 7s no exact concordance in the distributional behavior of all the animals of a region.
Upon reflection it is difficult to conceive of precisely the same set of delimiting factors operating upon any two species alike. The condition of diversity is thus explicable, as regards inter- faunal invasion of individual species, degree of blending or dis- tinetness between adjacent representative forms, and restriction versus cosmopolitanism in general distribution.
Possible generalities are as follows: That the more restricted as to association a form is in its distribution, the more lable is it to manifest the phenomenon of geographic variation. In other words the less adaptable a species the more chance for the action of the factor of isolation which is essential for the multiplication of subspecies, and hence of specific types. Operating to offset the effects of isolation are the processes of hybridization, and its probable climax, intergradation (see pp. 345, 374), which only long distance between differentiation centers can counterbalance (see Grinnell, 1904b, p. 372).
1913] Grinnell-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 395
Where adaptable forms continuously through time and space invade radially towards one another, with but a narrow belt of intermediate conditions between the differentiation areas, specific distinction may be attained because of this very narrowness of the intermediate area. The intermediates being non-adapted and therefore relatively useless, would be eliminated. It is thus possible to account for the origin of such now separate forms as Toxostoma redivivum and T. lecontei, and Dryobates scalaris and D. nuttalli. These were doubtless not long ago intergradient forms, therefore subspecies.
By judicious observation it seems possible to select various degrees in the process of specific separation, on the margins of habitats. Some species are seen to blend perfectly, in others there is broken or mosaic intergradation, in others hybridization, as expressed in cases of fairly constant intervening type, and finally there are the distinct forms with no hybrids in evidence. In such a series we see the historical sequence in relationship
preceding the ‘‘full species.”’
LITERATURE CITED
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION COMMITTEE.
1910. Cheek-list of North American birds, ed. 3, revised (New York,
American Ornithologists’ Union), 430 pp., 2 maps. ANTHONY, A. W.
1889. New birds from Lower California, Mexico. Proe. Calif. Aead.
Sci., (2), 2, 73-82. BairD, BREWER, and RIpGway.
1874. A history of North American birds. Land birds. (Boston, Little, Brown, and Company), 2, pp. 1-590, i-vi, 30 pls., many figs. in text.
BANGS, O.
1899. Deseriptions of some new mammals from western North
America. Proc. New Engl. Zool. Club, 1, 65-72. BEEBE, C. W.
1907. Geographic variation in birds with special reference to the effects of humidity. Zoologica: N. Y. Zool. Soe., 1, 1-41, 5 pls., 1 fig. in text.
BREWSTER, W.
1889. Deseriptions of supposed new birds from western North
America and Mexico. Auk, 6, 85-98.
396 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vou. 10
E.uiot, D. G. 1903. Descriptions of twenty-seven apparently new species and sub- species of mammals, all but six collected by Edmund Heller. Field Columbian Mus., zool. ser., 3, 239-261, 2 figs. in text. GILMAN, M. F. 1907. The Gambel partridge in California. Condor, 9, 148-149.
GoLpMAN, E. A.
1910. Revision of the wood rats of the genus Neotoma. U. 8. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 31, 124 pp., 8 pls., 14 figs. in text.
GRINNELL, J.
1900. New races of birds from the Pacific Coast. Condor, 2, 127-129, 4 figs. in text.
1904a. Midwinter birds at Palm Springs, California. Ibid., 6, 40-45.
1904b. The origin and distribution of the chestnut-backed chickadee. Auk, 21, 364-382, 3 figs. in text.
1905. Summer birds of Mount Pinos, California. Ibid., 22, 378-391.
1908. The biota of the San Bernardino Mountains. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 5, 1-170, 24 pls.
1912a. The two pocket gophers of the region contiguous to the lower Colorado River, in California and Arizona. [bid., 10, 171-178, 1 pl.
1912b. February bird notes from Palm Springs. Condor, 14, 154.
GRINNELL, J., and Swarrn, H. 8.
1912a. The mole of southern California. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 10, 131-136, 2 figs. in text.
1912b. Myotis orinomus Elliot, a bat new to California. Ibid., 10, 137— 142, 2 figs. in text.
Hat, H. M.
1902. A botanical survey of San Jacinto Mountain. Univ. Calif.
Publ. Bot., 1, 1-140, 14 pls. Mearns, E. A.
1896. Preliminary diagnoses of new mammals from the Mexican border of the United States. Smithsonian Inst., U. S. Na- tion. Mus., Proe., 19, 137-140.
1897. Preliminary diagnosis of new mammals of the genera Lyna, Urocyon, Spilogale, and Mephitis, from the Mexican boundary line. Smithsonian Inst., U. S. Nation. Mus., Proe., 20, 457— 461.
1901. A new pocket mouse from southern California. Proe. Biol. Soe. Wash., 14, 135-136.
Merriam, C. H.
1894. Abstract of a study of the American wood rats, with descrip- tions of fourteen new species and subspecies of the genus Neotoma. Proce. Biol. Soe. Wash., 9, 117-128.
1896. Synopsis of the weasels of North America. U.S. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 11, 44 pp., 6 pls., 16 figs. in text.
1913] Grinnell_-Swarth: Birds and Mammals of San Jacinto 397
1899. Results of a biological survey of Mount Shasta, California.
Ibid., 16, 179 pp., 5 pls., 46 figs. in text. NEtson, E. W.
1909. The rabbits of North America. Tbid., 29, 314 pp., 13 pls., 19
figs. in text. OBERHOLSER, H. C.
1911. <A revision of the forms of the ladder-backed woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris |[Wagler]). Smithsonian Inst.. U. 8. Nation. Mus., Proc., 41, 139-159, 1 pl.
OsGoop, W. H.
1900. Revision of the pocket mice of the genus Perognathus. U.S. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 18, 72 pp-, 4 pls., 15 figs. in text. '
1904. Two new pocket mice of the genus Perognathus. Proe. Biol. Soe. Wash., 17, 127-128.
1909. Revision of the mice of the American genus Peromyscus. U.S. Dept. Agric., Bureau Biol. Surv., N. Amer. Fauna, 28, 285 pp-, 8 pls., 12 figs. in text.
Ruoaps, 8. N.
1894: Description of three new rodents from California and Oregon.
Am. Naturalist, 28, 67-71. Ripeway, R.
1901. The birds of North and Middle America. U. 8S. Nation. Mus., Bull., 50, part 1, pp. xxx + 715, 22 pls.
1904. Idem, part 3, pp. xx + 801, 19 pls.
STEPHENS, F.
1890. A new vireo from California. Auk, 7, 159,160.
1906. California mammals (San Diego, West Coast Publishing Co.) 351 pp., frontispiece, many figs. in text.
SwartH, H. S.
1912. Report on a collection of birds and mammals from Vancouver
Island. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 10, 1-124, 4 pls. Taytor, W. P.
1911. Mammals of the Alexander Nevada Expedition of 1909. TJbid.,
7, 205-307, 2 figs. in text.
PLATE 6 Map of the Life Zones of the §
, | -
[398]
UNIV. CALIF. PUBL. ZOOL. VOL. 10
~ 1G: wag WG ee wee 24 s VAs “i
SAN JACINTO ARE
SHOWING LIFE ZONES
AND LOCALITIES REFERRED TO IN TEXT
([GRINNELL & SWARTH] PLATE 6
PLATE 7
Profile along divide separating desert and Pacifie drainages, in south- ern California, from the high southern Sierras to the Mexican line, showing life zones. This profile is of course not in a straight line between the terminal points. Care has been taken to represent the life zones in their proper relative extents with due regard to total distance, as well as to altitude. The diametrical dimension thus shown may be taken as an index in each case to the area involved. This statement has been verified by comparison with an ordinary zone map of the region.
[400]
a3
oe f
UN IV. CALIF, PUBL. ZOOL. VOL. 10 [GRINNELL & SWARTH] PLATE 7 i ie
a ~y [ ae P
«2
a , a We ss
Ww i gay iz RSS ; a=
om De, 3 NYE is ff A Pai kk Li//p\3 477/77 YI) Mu ‘ oN iL — SN A cin = WS Le = 2 Soot
a V/s ———
PLATE 8
Fig. 1. San Jacinto Peak, in back center, as viewed from Tahquitz Peak. The steep declivity in foreground rises from Strawberry Val- ley; at extreme right center is the edge of Tahquitz Valley. The patches of brush in the right foreground are chiefly composed of chinquapin (Castanopsis sempervirens) and manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula). Were is the summer home of Passerella iliaca stephensi and the forage ground of Putamias speciosus, both being animals of the upper Transition zone. The trees on the ridge at the right are chiefly Jeffrey pines, those on the higher distant slopes are lodgepole and limber pines. The latter two are purely Boreal elements.
Fig. 2. Southeast wall of Strawberry Valley, showing lower Transi- tion forest of black oak, incense cedar, yellow pine, and sugar pine. with silver firs of upper Transition on the higher portions of the slope. From this wooded slope were heard the notes of Strix o. occidentalis ; other characteristic birds were: Piranga ludoviciana, Nuttallornis borealis, and Xenopicus a. gravirostris.
[402]
[GRINNELL & SWARTH] PLATE 8
10
UNIV. CALIF. PUBL, ZOOL. VOL.
Fie.
ee
PLATE 9
Fig. 1. Typical Boreal meadow at about 8200 feet altitude in Tahquitz Valley; photograph taken July 27, 1908. The conspicuous plant is Veratrum californicum, and liying in its clumps were Melospiza 1. lincolni and Sorex ornatus. The surrounding trees are Jeffrey and lodgepole pines and silver firs. In these were Regulus c. cineraceus, Empidonax wrighti, and Sphyrapi- cus thyroideus.
Fig. 2. Lower Palm Cafion near its mouth at the east base of San Jacinto Peak; altitude 800 feet above sea-level; photograph taken June 16, 1908. Washington palms, Pluchea, catclaw, and mesquite served to diag- nose the locality as within the Colorado Desert faunal area. Some Lower Sonoran birds and mammals at this point were: Icterus c. nelsoni, Auriparus f. flaviceps, Polioptila plumbea, Lophortyx gambeli, Peromyscus e. eremicus and Pipistrellus h. hesperus. In addition there was present along the stream the San Diego song sparrow (Melospiza m. cooperi), which was here resident under desert conditions of extreme type.
[404]
UNIV. CALIF. PUBL. ZOOL. VOL. 10 [GRINNELL & SWARTH] PLATE 9
PLATE 10
Fig. 1. Portion of mesa at 3500 feet altitude near Dos Palmos Spring on the desert slope of the Santa Rosa Mountains close to the upper edge of the Lower Sonoran Zone; photograph taken May 27, 1908. In the _ background, on the shaded slopes, are such Upper Sonoran shrubs as juniper, Rhamnus, serub-oak, and with them such birds as Aphelocoma ec. californica, Thryomanes b. charienturus, and Pipilo c. senicula. In the fore- ground Lower Sonoran vegetation predominates, with such birds as Amphispiza b. deserticola, and Heleodytes b. couesi. Crossing this exact place was the line of traps which produced in a single night (May 30, 31) the following mammals: Perodipus a. agilis, Dipodomys m. simiolus, Neotoma i. desertorum, Perognathus p. bangsi, Perognathus f. pallidus, Peromyscus e. eremicus, Ammospermophilus 1. leucurus, and Notiosorex craw- fordi. Other mammals taken in the vicinity were Sylvilagus b. cineras- cens and Peromyscus b. rowleyi, thus showing the peculiar zonal overlap- ping at this point.
Fig. 2. Female Vireo vicinior on nest loeated 850 millimeters above the ground in bush of Adenostoma fasciculatum. The nest is seen to be sup- ported not only at several points in the rim, but by the stiff twigs at sides and bottom. This was a species of extraordinarily limited range
(see p. 291).
[406]
UNIV. CALIF, PUBL, ZOOL. VOL. I0 [GRINNELL & SWARTH] PLATE IO
INDEX*
Titles of papers and names of new species in boldface.
Aceipiter cooperi, 235, 391. velox, 27, 235. Actitis macularius, 19, 227. Adenostoma fasciculatum, 201, 292, 294, 406. sparsifolium, 201, 202, 292. A®chmophorus occidentalis, 15. AXgialitis semipalmata, 19. Aéronautes melanoleucus, 248, 391. Agelaius phoeniceus caurinus, 50, bhi neutralis, 263. Alberni, Vancouver Island, 5. Alexander, Miss Annie M., 1, 125; donations by, 2, 148, 167, 180; support of field work by, 198. Aluco pratincola, 238. Ammodramus savannarum bimacu- latus, 271. Ammospermophilus leucurus, 242. leucurus, 326, 390, 391, 406. Amphispiza belli, 238, 278, 391. bilineata deserticola, 277, 391, 406. Anas platyrhynchos, 17, 224. Anthus rubescens, 74, 302. Aphelocoma ealiforniea californi- ea, 261, 391, 406. obseura, 261. Aquila chrysaétos, 236. Arbutus menziesii, 112. Archilochus alexandri, 249, 391. Arctostaphylos patula, 402. Ardea herodias fannini, 17. hyperonea, 225. Arrowsmith, Mount, Vancouver Island, 4. Artemisia tridentata, 201. Asio flammeus, 30. wilsonianus, 238. Astragalinus lawrencei, 270. psaltria hesperophilus, 269, 391.
* Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., vol. 10. [407]
Astur atricapillus striatulus, 28. Auriparus flaviceps flaviceps, 312, 391, 404. Avocet, 226. Baeolophus inornatus murinus, 310, 391. Banning, California, 211. Bat, Myotis orinomus Elliot, New to California, 137. Bat, big brown, 381. Alaska brown, 109. brown, 110. La Grulla brown, 381. little California, 381. long-legged, 380. pallid, big-eared, 379. western, 382. Yuma, 380. Bear, black, 105. Beaver, The, of West Central Cali- fornia, 167. Beaver, golden, 167. Pacifie, 90. Beaver Creek Valley, 122. Beaver House, Vancouver Island, 122. Bibliography, 114, 129, 136, 142, 153, 166, 177, 194, 395. Bighorn, The, of the Sierra Ne- vada, 143.
Bighorn, Desert, 322.
Sierra Nevada, 144.
Birds of Vancouver Island, check- list of, 13.
Birds, boreal, of Cuyamaca Moun- tains, 387; of Mount Pinos, 387; of San Bernardino Mountains, 387; of San Gabriel Mountains, 387; of San Jacinto Mountains, 387; of Santa Rosa Moun- tains, 387; of Mount Whit- ney, 387.
<ysonian Ing a oS
f : \ NOV1I4 1918
Index
Birds and Mammals, An Account of, of the San Jacinto Area of Southern California with Remarks upon the Behavior of Geographic Races on the Margins of their Habitats, 197.
Birds and Mammals, Report on a Collection of, from Van- couver Island, 1.
Birds and mammals, Sonoran, of the Colorado Desert region, 391; of the San Diegan dis- trict, 391.
Bittern, American, 225.
Blackbird, Brewer, 52, 266. yellow-headed, 263.
Bluebird, western, 83, 316.
Bombycilla cedrorum, 66, 112, 288.
Bonasa umbellus sabini, 21, 111.
Boreal fauna of San Jacinto Peak, compared with that of other mountains of South- ern California, 383.
Botaurus lentiginosus, 225.
Brachyramphus marmoratus, 16.
Bubo virginianus pacificus, 239.
saturatus, 30.
Buftle-head, 17.
Bunting, !azuli, 285.
Bush-tit, California, 311.
Buteo borealis calurus, 28, 236, 391.
swainsoni, 236.
Butorides virescens anthonyi, 226.
Cabezon, 209.
Calearius lapponicus alascensis, 56.
Callisaurus ventralis, 242.
Callospermophilus echrysodeirus, 386.
Calypte anna, 250, 391.
costae, 249, 391.
Camp, Charles L., 200.
Canis estor, 371. lestes, 386. occidentalis, 99, 100. ochropus, 371.
ochropus, 371.
Carpodacus cassini, 267, 387. mexicanus frontalis, 267, 391. purpureus californicus, 53, 111,
266.
Castanopsis, 325. sempervirens, 281, 402.
Castor canadensis frondator, 167,
168. leucodontus, 90, 94, 112, 167, 168. phaeus, 93. subauratus, 167, 168.
Cat, California wild, 370. Catelaw, 404. Cathartes aura septentrionalis, 27, 111, 234, 391. Catherpes mexicanus punctulatus, 306. Ceanothus cordulatus, 214, 321. Cedar, incense, 402. Cepphus columba, 16. Certhia familiaris occidentalis, 76. zelotes, 308, 387. Cervus canadensis occidentalis, 2. Ceryle aleyon, 241. eaurina, 32, 111. Chaetura vauxi, 41, 248. Chamaea fasciata henshawi, 313, 391. Charitonetta albeola, 17. Chat, long-tailed, 301. Check-list of birds of San Jacinto region, 220; of mammals of, BLOF Chickadee, chestnut-backed, 77. mountain, 213, 214. Bailey, 311. Chilopsis, 202. Chinquapin, 281. Chipmunk, antelope, 326. Merriam, 324. San Bernardino, 325. Chondestes grammacus strigatus, 271. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis, 247, 391. virginianus henryi, 40. hesperis, 40, 387. virginianus, 39, 40. Cinclus mexiecanus unicolor, 74, 112, 302. Cireus hudsonius, 27. Citellus beecheyi beecheyi, 328, 392. fisheri, 212, 327, 328, 391, 392. tereticaudus chlorus, Pili be 396, 327, 391. Colaptes auratus, 39. eafer collaris, 246. saturatior, 39, 111. Colorado Desert region, Sonoran birds and mammals of, 391. Colorado River, 171. Columba fasciata, 26, 111. fasciata, 233. Colymbus nigricollis ealifornicus, 224. Condor, California, 235. Cony, A New, from the Vicinity _ of Mount Whitney, 125. Cony, Mount Whitney, 125. Cook, Captain, 37.
[408]
Index
Coon, California, 375. Coot, 226. Cormorant, Farallon, 224. Corvus brachyrhynchos caurinus, 50, 112. corax principalis, 50. sinuatus, 262, 391. Corynorhinus macrotis pallescens, 379. Cottontail, Arizona, 367. San Diego, 367. Cougar, Pacific, 369. Coyote, California, 371. Crane, little brown 18. Creeper, Sierra, 308. tawny, 76. Crossbill, 54. Sierra, 268. Crow, northwestern, 50. Cuyamaca Mountains, boreal birds of, 387; boreal mammals of, 386. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus, 263. Cyanocitta stelleri, 48. carlottae, 47. frontalis, 260, 387. stelleri, 46, 112. Cypseloides niger borealis, 41, 111, 247. Dafila acuta, 224. Deer, California mule, 321. Columbian black-tailed, 85. Della Lake, Vancouver Island, 11. Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus, nie ea bala ls sierrae, 387.
Dendrocygna bicolor, 225. Dendroica aestiva brewsteri, 298. rubiginosa, 68, 112, 298.
auduboni auduboni, 69, 111, 299, 387. coronata, 69. hooveri, 68. nigrescens, 299. occidentalis, 300. townsendi, 70, 111. 300. Dipodomys deserti, 389, 391. deserti, 211, 358. merriami parvus, 356, 357, 392. simiolus, 211, 355, 356, 358, 392, 406. Dipper, 74, 302. Distribution of animals on Van- eouver Island, 110. Dixon. Joseph, 180. Dos Palmos Spring, California, 202; photograph near, 406. Douglas, Mount, Vancouver Island, 7. Dove, mourning, 233.
Dryobates nuttalli, 248, 390, 392. pubescens gairdneri, 34, 111. sealaris cactophilus, 241, 243,
390, 391, 392. villosus harrisi, 33, 111. hyloscopus, 241.
Duck, harlequin, 17. lesser scaup, 225, ruddy, 225.
Eagle, northern bald, 28. golden, 236.
Elk, 2, 113.
Empidonax difficilis, 48, 45, 111.
diffieilis, 48, 255. griseus, 257, 258, 259. hammondi, 44, 111. trailli trailli, 44, 111, 256, 391. wrighti, 256, 257, 258, 387, 404. Epimys norvegicus, 94. Eptesicus fuseus, 110, 112. fuseus, 381. Erethizon epixanthum, 386. Ereunetes mauri, 19. Erismatura jamaicensis, 225. Errington, Vancouver Island, 4. Euphagus cyanocephalus, 52, 111, 266. Eutamias alpinus, 386. merriami, 214. merriami, 324. speciosus, 214, 386, 402. speciosus, 325. Evotomys caurinus, 95. Faleo columbarius columbarius, 28. suckleyi, 29. mexicanus, 237, 238. peregrinus anatum, 237. sparverius sparverius, 29, 238. Faleon, prairie, 237. Fauna of Mount Whitney region, 127. Fauna, boreal, of San Jacinto Peak compared with that of other mountains of south- ern California, 383. Fauna, palustrine, of west central California, 191. Felis oregonensis, 96, 99, 112. oregonensis, 369.
Ferguson, George, 200.
Finch, California purple, 58, 266. Cassin purple, 267.
Fir, silver, 402, 404.
Flieker, northwestern, 39. red-shafted, 246.
Flyeatcher, ash-throated, 252. grav. 259.
Hammond, 44. olive-sided, 42, 254.
[409]
Index
Flycatcher, Traill, 44, 256.
western, 43, 255.
Wright, 256.
Fox, Arizona gray, 373.
California gray, 372.
Mohave desert kit, 372. French Creek, Vancouver Island, 3. Fulica americana, 226.
Fuller’s Mill, 212. Gallinago delicata, 227. Garnet Queen Mine, 204. Gavia immer, 15. Geococeyx californianus, 240, 391. Geographic races, behavior on mar- gins of their habitats, 393. Geothlypis trichas arizela, 71, 72. occidentalis, 71, 72, 78, 300, 301. seirpicola, 72, 78, 301. sinuosa, 191, 193. Glaucidium gnoma californicum,
Gnateateher, black-tailed, 315. plumbeous, 315. western, 314. Golden Eagle Basin, Vancouver Island, 6. Goldfinch, green-backed, 269. Lawrence, 270.
Gopher, Cabezon, 350. Ehrenberg, 174. Imperial Valley, 172. Palm Springs, 349. San Bernardino mountain, 354. Tawny, 352.
Gophers, The Two Pocket, of the Region Contiguous to the Lower Colorado River, in California and Arizona, 171.
Goshawk, western, 28.
Great Central Lake, Vancouver Island, 10.
Grebe, eared, 224.
pied-billed, 15, 224. western, 15. Grinnell, Fordyce, Jr., 200. Grinnell, Joseph, 125, 131, 137, 148, 171, 179, 197. Grizzly, California, 375. Grosbeak, black-headed, 64. California blue, 285. Kadiak pine, 52. Pacifie black-headed, 284. pine, 113.
Grouse, Oregon ruffed, 21. sooty, 19.
Grus canadensis, 18.
Guiraea caerulea salicaria, 285.
Gull, Bonaparte, 16.
Gulo luseus, 101, 112. luteus, 386.
Gymnogyps californianus, 235,
Haliaeétus leucephalus alascanus,
28.
Hall, Harvey Monroe, 201.
Hawk, Cooper, 235. black pigeon, 29. duek, 237. marsh, 27. pigeon, 28. sharp-shinned, 27, 235. sparrow, 29, 238.
Swainson, 236. western red-tailed, 28, 236. Heleodytes brunneicapillus couesi, 305, 391, 406. Helodromas solitarius cinnamom- eus, 227.
Hemet Lake, 207.
Hemet Valley, California, 201.
Henshaw, H. W., 151.
Heron, Anthony green, 226. black-erowned night, 226. California blue, 225. northwestern blue, 17.
Himantopus mexicanus, 227.
Hirundo erythrogastra palmeri, 65,
287. Historical sequence in relationship preceding full species, 395. Histrionicus histrionicus, 17. Hummingbird, Allen, 251. Anna, 250. black-chinned, 249. Calliope, 251. Costa, 249. rufous, 42, 214, 250. Hybridization, 346, 374, 395. Hylocichla guttata guttata, 81. nanus, 80, 111. sequoiensis, 387. ustulata ustulata, 79, 112, 316.
Ibis, white-faced glossy, 225.
Ieteria virens longicauda, 301, 391.
Ieterus bulloeki, 266. cucullatus nelsoni, 265, 391, 404. parisorum, 264, 391.
Intergradation, 346, 361, 374, 395.
Ixoreus naevius naevius, 82, 111.
Jack rabbit, Colorado desert, 366.
Jay, California, 261. blue-fronted, 260.
Oregon, 48, 113. pinon, 263. Steller, 46. Junco oreganus oreganus, 59, 112. shufeldti, 59. thurberi, 276, 387.
[410]
Index
Juneo, Oregon, 59. Sierra, 214, 276. Kellogg, Miss Louise, 1, 125, 180. Kenworthy, California, 201. Killdeer, 228. Kingbird, western, 251. Kingfisher, belted, 241. northwestern belted, 32. Kinglet, ashy, 314. western golden-crowned, 78, 313. Lagopus leucurus, 120. leucurus, 23, 111. peninsularis, 25. rupestris dixoni, 25, rupestris, 25. Lagomys schisticeps, 125. Lanius ludovicianus gambeli, 289. Lanivireo solitarius cassini, 67, ills Lark, California horned, 260. Larus philadelphia, 16. Lepus californicus bennetti, 366, 392, 3938. deserticola, 366, 390, 391, 392, 393. campestris sierrae, 386. Leucosticte tephrocotis dawsoni, 387. Life-zones of Vancouver Island, 110; of San Jacinto area, plate 6, opposite page 398. Linnet, California, 267. Little Qualicum River, Vancouver Island, 3. Lobipes lobatus, 226. Longspur, Alaska, 56. Loon, common, 15. Lophodytes cucullatus, 17. Lophortyx californica vallicola, 228, 232, 390, 391, 392. gambeli, 229, 231, 232, 390, 392, 404. Lower Palm Canon, photograph of, 404. Loxia curvirostra bendirei, 268, 387. minor, 54, 55, 112, 269. sitkensis, 54. stricklandi, 269. Lutra canadensis periclyzomae,
101, 112. Lutreola vison energumenos, 102, 112.
Lynx eremicus californicus, 370.
Madrona, 112.
Mallard, 17, 224.
Mammals of Vancouver Island, check-list of, 85.
Mammals, boreal, of Cuyamaca Mountains, 386; of Mount Pinos, 386; of San Bernar- dino Mountains, 386; of San Gabriel Mountains, 386; of San Jacinto Moun- tains, 386; of Santa Rosa Mountains, 386; of Mount Whitney region, 386. Mammals and birds, report on a collection of, from Vancou- ver Island, 1. Manzanita, 402. Map of life-zones of San Jacinto area, plate 6, opposite page 398; of Vancouver Island, opposite page 118. Marila affinis, 225. Marmot, 113. Marmot, Vancouver Island, 89. Marmota caligata, 90. flaviventer, 386. vancouverensis, 89, 113, 120.
Marten, Pacific, 108, 113. western, 65, 286.
Meadowlark, western, 51, 268.
Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi, 245,
Melospiza lincolni gracilis, 62.
lineolni, 280, 387, 404. melodia caurina, 61.
cooperi, 279, 391, 404.
heermanni, 191.
mailliardi, 191.
maxillaris, 191, 198, 194.
morphna, 61.
pusillula, 191, 193, 194.
rufina, 60, 112.
samuelis, 191, 1938, 194.
Mephitis occidentalis holzneri, 375.
Merganser, American, 16.
hooded, 17.
Mergus americanus, 16.
Mesquite, 404.
Microtus californicus, 192, 349. ealifornicus, 348. hyperythrus, 349.
edax, 192, 193, 194. mordax, 349, 386. duteheri, 386. tetramerus, 96, 112, 113.
Miller, Jr., Gerrit S., 141.
Mimus polyglottos leucopterus, 302, 391.
Mink, Pacifie, 102.
Mockingbird, western, 302.
Mole, The, of Southern California, 131.
[411]
Index
Mole, southern California, 131, 378.
Mount Arrowsmith, 4.
Mount Douglas, 17.
Mount Saunders, plate 2, opposite
page 120. Mount Whitney, see Whitney, Mount.
Mouse, Arizona grasshopper, 329. Arizona grasshopper, 329. California meadow, 348. Colorado Desert pocket, 361. desert white-footed, 335. Dulzura pocket, 362. long-tailed harvest, 335. McKittrick pocket, 155. northwestern red-backed, 95. pallid pocket, 362.
Puget Sound white-footed, 95.
red-bellied harvest, 192.
Rowley white-footed, 331.
San Bernardino grasshopper, 329.
San Pedro Martir big-eared, 333.
short-eared pocket, 361.
short-nosed pocket, 360.
Stephens canon, 334.
Sonora white-footed, 330.
southern parasitic, 334.
spiny pocket, 366.
tidal marsh harvest, 192.
tule meadow, 192.
Vancouver Island meadow, 96.
Murrelet, marbled, 16.
Mustela arizonensis, 376, 377, 383,
386. eaurina, 103, 105, 112, 120. nesophila, 104, 105. xanthogenys, 377. Myadestes townsendi, 79, 387. Myiarchus cinerascens cinerascens, 252, 391. Myiochanes richardsoni richard- soni, 438, 254.
Myotis californicus, 141. ealifornicus, 138, 381. pallidus, 188, 139.
longicrus longicrus, 140. lucifugus alascensis, 109. longierus, 380. occultus, 139. orinomus, 137, 140, 141, 381. yumanensis yumanensis, 380. Myotis orinomus Elliot, a Bat New to California, 137.
Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, 3.
Nannus hiemalis pacificus, 76, 111.
Neosorex palustris navigator, 386.
Neotoma bella, 345. cinerea cinerea, 386.
Neotoma, desertorum, 390. fuscipes macrotis, 348, 392. mohavensis, 347, 392. intermedia, 212, 390; variation in races of, 346. desertorum, 336, 338, 340, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 392, 406. gilva, 336. intermedia, 336, 338, 340, 342, 348, 344, 345, 346, 392. Nettion carolinense, 17. Nighthawk, Texas, 247. Nootka Sound, British Columbia, 8, 124. Notiosorex crawfordi, 378, 406. Nucifraga columbiana, 262, 387. Nuteracker, Clarke, 262. Nuthatch, pigmy, 214. red-breasted, 77, 309. slender-billed, 213, 309. white-naped, 310. Nuttallornis borealis, 42, 111, 254, 387, 402. Nyeticorax nycticorax naevius, 226. Oak, black, 402. Garry, 112. Ochotona albatus, 125, 126, 128, 386. cinnamomea, 126. saxatilis, 127. schisticeps, 125, 126. Odocoileus columbianus, 112, 145. columbianus, 85. hemionus, 145. ealifornicus, 321. Onychomys torridus perpallidus, 329. ramona, 329, 392. torridus, 329, 392. Oporornis tolmiei, 70, 112, 300. Oreortyx picta confinis, 229. plumifera, 228, 230, 232. Oreospiza chlorura, 257, 283, 387. Oriole, Arizona hooded, 265. Bullock, 266. Seott, 264. Oryctolagus cuniculus, 2. Otocoris alpestris actia, 260. Otter, island, 101. Otus asio bendirei, 239. kennicotti, 30. flammeolus flammeolus, 387. Ovis californianus, 150. canadensis nelsoni, 322. cervina ealiforniana, 150. cervina, 144, 146, 147. nelsoni, 144, 146, 147, 148, 391. sierrae, 144, 146, 147, 148.
[412]
Index
Owl, barn, 238. burrowing, 240. California pigmy, 31. California sereech, 239. dusky horned, 30. Kennicott screech, 30. long-eared, 238.
Pacific horned, 239. short-eared, 30. spotted, 239.
Oxyechus vociferus, 228.
Palm, Washington, 203, 404.
Palm Cafion, California, 203.
Lower, photograph of, 404.
Pandion haliaétus carolinensis, 30.
Parksville, Vancouver Island, 3.
Passerculus beldingi, 191.
sandwichensis alaudinus, 271. bryanti, 191, 198. nevadensis, 191. savanna, 56.
Passerella iliaca fuliginosa, 62,
111, 120. megarhyneha, 282. schistacea, 281, 282. stephensi, 219, 257, 402. townsendi, 63.
Passerina amoena, 285.
Penthestes gambeli, 387. baileyae, 311.
rufescens rufescens, 77, 112. vivax, 78.
Perisoreus obscurus griseus, 49. obseurus, 48, 111.
Perodipus agilis, 355, 391, 392. agilis, 212, 358, 406.
eabezonae, 359, 392.
Perognathus, A New, from the
San Joaquin Valley, Cali- fornia, 155.
Perognathus ealifornicus, 365. californicus, 368, 364, 365. dispar, 363. femoralis, 362, 363, 364, 365,
391. ochrus, 364.
fallax, 212. fallax, 361, 392. pallidus, 361, 3862, 392, 406.
inornatus, 162, 163.
longimembris longimembris, 155,
156, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 164, 165.
neglectus, 155, 156, 158, 159, 160, 161, 165.
panamintinus, 212. bangsi, 159, 360, 390, 392, 406. brevinasus, 159, 360, 390, 392. panamintinus, 159.
281, 397,
Perognathus parvus, 162. penicillatus angustirostris, 361, 391. spinatus, 219, 391. spinatus, 366. Peromyscus boylei rowleyi, 214, 331, 332, 406. ealiforniens insignis, 384, 391. erinitus stephensi, 219, 334, 391. eremicus eremicus, 335, 392, 404, 406. fraterculus, 392. maniculatus, 160. austerus, 95, 112, 113. gambeli, 331. sonoriensis, 214, 330, 331, 390, 391, 393: truei martirensis, 333. Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons, 286, 391. Phainopepla, 288. nitens, 288, 391. Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus, 224, Phalaenoptilus nuttalli ealiforni- cus, 246. Phalarope, Wilson, 226. Phasianus torquatus, 25. Pheasant, ring-necked, 25. Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola, 38. Phloeotomus pileatus picinus, 38. Phoebe, black, 253. Say, 253. , Pigeon, band-tailed, 26, 233. Pigeon Guillemot, 16. Pine, Coulter, 201. Jeffrey, 404. limber, 205, 402. lodgepole, 402, 404. sugar, 402. yellow, 402. (See Pinus) Pine siskin, 55, 270. Pinicola enucleator californica, 53. flammula, 52, 111. Pinon, four-leaf, 201. Pinos, Mount, boreal birds of, 387; boreal mammals of, 386. Pintail, 224. Pinus flexilis, 205. Pipilo aberti, 392. erissalis senicula, 283, 391, 392, 406. maculatus megalonyx, 282, 391. oregonus, 63, 111. Pipistrellus hesperus hesperus, 382, 392, 404. merriami, 392.
[413]
Index
Pipit, 74, 302.
Piranga ludoviciana, 64, 285, 402.
Pisobia minutilla, 18, 227.
Planesticus migratorius caurinus,
81, 112. propinquus, 82, 387.
Plegadis guarauna, 225.
Plover, semipalmated, 19.
Pluchea, photograph of, 404.
Podilymbus podiceps, 15, 224.
Polioptila caerulea obseura, 314. ealifornica, 315, 390, 392. plumbea, 315, 390, 392, 404.
Poor-will, dusky, 246.
Procyon psora pacifica, 108, 112.
psora, 375. Progne subis hesperia, 65, 111, 286. Psaltriparus minimus minimus, 311, 391.
Ptarmigan, white-tailed, 23, 113.
Puma, northwestern, 96.
Putorius streatori, 102, 112.
Quail, desert, 231. mountain, 228. valley, 212, 230.
Quereus garryana, 112.
Querquedula eyanoptera, 224.
Rabbit, ashy brush, 3868. Colorado Desert jack, 366. English, 2.
Raccoon, Pacific, 108.
Rail, California clapper, 192. Virginia, 18.
Rallus levipes, 192. obsoletus, 192, 193. virginianus, 18, 111.
Rat, allied kangaroo, 355. Banning white-footed wood, 336. Dulzura white-footed wood, 336. Cabezon kangaroo, 359. desert kangaroo, 358. desert white-footed wood, 336. gambel kangaroo, 358.
San Bernardino kangaroo, 356. Norway, 94. Mohave brown-footed wood, 347.
Raven, northern, 50. western, 262.
Recurvirostra americana, 226.
Red-wing, northwestern, 50.
San Diego, 263. Regulus calendula cineraceus, 314, 387, 404. grinnelli, 79. satrapa olivaceus, 78, 313, 387. Reithrodontomys halicoetes, 192, 193, 194. megalotis longicauda, 212, 335. Taviventris, 192, 1938, 194.
Report on a Collection of Birds and Mammals from Van- couver Island, 1.
Richardson, Jr., Charles H., 200.
Richmond, Dr. C. W., 35, 116.
Riparia riparia, 287.
Rising, Harry G., 200.
Road-runner, 240.
Robin, northwestern, 81.
Round Valley, 213.
Salpinctes obsoletus, 391.
obsoletus, 305.
San Bernardino Mountains, boreal birds of, 387; boreal mam- mals of, 386; exploration of, 198.
San Diegan district, Sonoran birds and mammals of, 391.
San Francisco Bay, differentiation areas of, 192.
San Gabriel Mountains, boreal birds of, 387; boreal mam- mals of, 386.
San Jacinto area, associations in, 218, 219; birds, cheek-list of, 220; mammals, check- list of, 319; faunas of, 217; life-areas of, 215; life-zones of, 215; map of life-zones of, plate 6, opposite page 398.
San Jacinto Mountains, boreal. birds of, 387; boreal mam- mals of, 8386; exploration of, 198.
San Jacinto Peak, photograph of, plate 8.
San Joaquin Valley, 155.
San Pablo Bay, fauna of, 1938,
Sandpiper, least, 18, 227. spotted, 19, 227. western, 19. western solitary, 227.
Santa Rosa Mountains, boreal
birds of, 387; boreal mam- mals of, 386.
Santa Rosa Peak, 205.
Sapsucker, red-breasted, 34. Sierra red-breasted, 244. Williamson, 245,
Saunders, Mount, plate 2, opposite
page 120.
Sayornis nigricans, 253, sayus, 253.
Scapanus anthonyi, 132. ealifornicus minuseulus, 133. latimanus latimanus, 131, 1382,
134. occultus, 131, 132, 135, 378. Schain’s ranch, 212.
[414]
Index
Seiuropterus alpinus, 386. ealifornicus, 328. Sciurus douglasi albolimbatus, 386. griseus, 386. ® anthonyi, 323. hudsonius vancouverensis, 87, 88, 112. petulans, 88. Selasphorus alleni, 251. rufus, 42, 111, 248. Sheep, desert, 322. Shrew, adorned, 377. California, 185. desert, 378. Monterey, 180, 188. Pacific, 190. salt marsh, 183, 192. Suisun, 187, 192. Vancouver Island, 109. wandering, 183. Yosemite, 189. Shrews, key to, of west central California, 181.
Shrike, California, 289.
Sialia currucoides, 387. mexicana anabelae, 317, 318.
occidentalis, 111, 316, 317, 318.
Siskin, pine, 55, 270.
Sitta canadensis, 77, 309, 387. earolinensis aculeata, 309. pygmaea, 387.
leuconucha, 310.
Skunk, California spotted, 376. southern California striped, 375.
Snipe, Wilson, 227.
Snow Creek, 210.
Solitaire, Townsend, 79.
Sonoran biota of the San Diegan
district compared with that of the adjacent desert, 388. Sorex, Species of the Mammalian Genus, of West Central California, 179. Sorex californicus, 181, 182, 185, 186, 187. halicoetes, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 192, 193. montereyensis, 181, 182. mariposae, 189. montereyensis, 188, 189. obseurus longicauda, 109. ornatus, 377, 404. pacifieus, 182, 190. sinuosus, 180, 181, 182, 184, 187, 188, 192, 193, 194. trowbridgei, 188. vagrans, 181, 182, 184. vagrans, 183. vancouverensis, 109, 112, 113.
Southern California, profile show- ing life zones on mountains of, plate 7, opposite page 400.
Sparrow, Bell, 278, 390.
black-chinned, 273. Brewer, 273.
Bryant marsh, 191.
desert black-throated, 277. Forbush, 63. golden-crowned, 58. intermediate, 57. Lineoln, 280.
Nuttall, 57.
rusty song, 60.
salt marsh song, 191. Samuels song, 191.
San Diego song, 279, 390. Savannah, 56. slate-colored fox, 281. sooty fox, 62.
Stephens fox, 281. Suisun song, 191. Townsend fox, 63. western chipping, 58, 272. western grasshopper, 271. western lark, 212, 271. western Savannah, 271. white-erowned, 272.
Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea, 240, 391
Sphyrapicus ruber, 38.
thyroideus, 245, 387, 404. varius, 38. daggetti, 37, 244, 387. tuber, 34, 111. Spilogale phenax, 391. phenax, 376. Spinus pinus, 55, 112. pinus, 270, 387. Spizella atrogularis, 273. breweri, 273. passerina arizonae, 58, 111, 272. Squirrel, Anthony gray, 323. Fisher ground, 326. Palm Springs ground, San Bernardino flying, Vancouver Island, 87.
Steganopus tricolor, 226.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 66, 111, 288, 391.
Stellula ealliope, 251, 387.
Stilt, black-neeked, 227.
Strawberry Valley, 206; photo- graph of, 402.
Strix oecidentalis occidentalis, 239, 402.
Sturnella neglecta, 51, 111, 263.
Suisun Bay, fauna of, 198.
2 2
327. 328.
[415]
Index
Swallow, bank, 287. cliff, 286. northern violet-green, 65. rough-winged, 66, 288. violet-green, 214. western barn, 65, 287. Swarth, Harry S., 1, 131, 137, 197. Swift, black, 41, 247. Vaux, 41, 248. white-throated, 214, 248. Sylvilagus auduboni arizonae, 367. sanctidiegi, 367. bachmani cinerascens, 219, 368, 369, 391, 406. Tachycineta thalassina lepida, 65, 287. Tahquitz Valley, 206; photograph of, 402. Tahsis Canal, 124. Tanager, western, 64, 285. Taylor, Walter P., 155, 167, 200. Teal, cinnamon, 224. green-winged, 17. Thomas Mountain, 208. Thomomys albatus, 172, 173, 174, 176. alpinus, 355, 386. altivallis, 354, 355, 386. eabezonae, 350, 351, 392. chrysonotus, 174, 175, 176. fulvus, 353. nigricans, 352, 353, 354, 392. perpallidus, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176,349, 351, 391. perpes, 172, 175, 351. Thrasher, ecrissal, 389. LeConte, 304. Pasadena, 212, 302. Thrush, dwarf hermit, 80. russet-backed, 79, 316. varied, 82. Thryomanes bewicki calophonus, 75, 111. charienturus, 307, 391, 406. Titmouse, San Diego, 310. Towhee, Anthony, 283. green-tailed, 283. Oregon, 63. spurred, 282. Toxostoma ecrissale, 391. lecontei, 392. leecontei lecontei, 304; hybrid- ization of, 304. redivivum pasadenense, 303, 304, 391, 392. Trap, deadfall, 124. Tree-duck, fulvous, 225. Troglodytes aédon parkmani, 75, ihe BL Tyrannus verticalis, 251.
Urocyon cinereoargenteus, varia-
tion in races of, 373, 374. ealifornicus, 373. scotti, 373.
Ursus americanus, 112. altifrontalis, 107. americanus, 105, 107, 108. pugnax, 107.
horribilis californieus, 375. Vallevista, 209.
Vancouver, British Columbia, 3.
Vancouver Island, 1; birds, cheeck- list of, 18; distribution of animals on, 110; life-zones of, 110; map of, 118.
Veratrum californicum, 404.
Verdin, 312.
Vermivora celata celata, 68. lutescens, 67, 112, 297. rubricapilla gutturalis, 297.
Vireo belli pusillus, 290, 391.
Cassin, 67, 290.
gray, 202, 291.
Hutton, 290, 390.
huttoni huttoni, 290, 391.
obseurus, 111.
least, 290.
red-eyed, 67.
vicinior, 202, 291, 296; photo-
graph of, 406. ealifornieus, 296.
western warbling, 67, 289.
Vireosylva gilva swainsoni, 67, 111, 289. olivacea, 67.
Vulpes macrotis arsipus, 872, 392. macrotis, 392.
necator, 386.
Vulture, turkey, 27, 234.
Warbler, Alaska myrtle, 68.
Alaska yellow, 58, 298.
Audubon, 69, 213, 299.
black-throated gray, 299.
California yellow. 298.
Calaveras, 297.
golden pileolated, 302.
hermit, 300.
lutescent, 67, 297.
pileolated, 73, 301.
Tolmie, 70, 300.
Townsend, 70, 300. Washington palm, 203; plate 9. Waxwing, cedar, 66, 288. Weasel, mountain, 376.
Puget Sound, 102. Whitewater, 211.
Whitney, Mount, 125, 148; boreal birds of, 387; boreal mam- mals of, 386; fauna of the region, 127.
[416]
Wilder, Harry E., 199, 375. Willow, desert, 202, 204.
Wilsonia pusilla chryseola, 302.
pileolata, 78, 112, 301. Wolf, gray, 99. Wolverine, 101, 113. Woodpecker, Cabanis, 241.
eactus, 241.
California, 245.
Gairdner, 34.
Harris, 33.
Nuttall, 243.
pileated, northern, 38. southern white-headed, 2438. white-headed, 213.
Wood pewee, western, 438, 254.
Wren, cactus, 389. dotted canon, 306. marsh, 192. northern cactus, 305. rock, 305.
San Diego, 214, 307. Seattle, 75.
Index
western house, 75, 214, 307. western winter, 76. Wren-tit, 212. pallid, 313. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, 263. Xenopicus albolarvatus, 387. gravirostris, 243, 402. Yellowthroat, salt marsh, 191. western, 71, 300. Zamelodia melanocephala, 64, 111. capitalis, 284. Zapus trinotatus alleni, 386. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. 233, 391. Zonotrichia coronata, 58. leucophrys gambeli, 57. leucophrys, 272, 387. nuttalli, 57, 111.
ERRATA Page 106, line 22—Omit without.
[417]
Vol. 7.
Vol, 8.
Vol. 9.
_UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS—(Continued)
(Contributions from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.)
1. Two New Owls from Arizona, with Description of the Juvenal Plum- age of Strix occidentalis occidentalis (Kantus), by Harry S. Swarth. Ppy 18.2 May, 1910 2o es ot
2. Birds and Mammals of the 1909 Alexander »
aska, Expedition, by
Harry 8S. Swarth. Pp. 9-172; plates 1-6; 3 text-figures,. January, 1911. 1 , An Apparent Hybrid in the Genus Dendroica, by Walter P. Taylor. --
PEL TSA1 Fhe, E-CDLUALYg AOE Loves cg sce Toc ge eee eto Meese coaaeee . The Linnet of the Hawaiian Islands: a Problem in Speciation, by Joseph Grinnell, Pp. 179-195, February, 1911 W222... c. cnet 5. The Modesto Song Sparrow, by Joseph Grinnell. -Pp. 197-199. Feb- aCe Bea eee: & Os Betta hares atelier SOA St AOE cha ene ME ea a AMEN SM ati een ane tac aengey CR
re
6. Two New Species of Marmots from Northwestern America, by H. 3.
Swarth. Pp..201-204.. February, LOUD 2c... .cticce cece enc scccesenceeepeggccenncceee 7. Mammals of the Alexander Nevada Expedition of 1909, by Walter P. : Ta YOKE Pi LODO 1s ONS RSTO Bae ee a a a a ae eae 8, Description of a New Spotted Towhee from the Great Basin, by J. Grinnell. “Pp.-309-311.- August; 1910 oon nen rk aan eaten -lempetcene 9. Description of a New Hairy Woodpecker from Southeastern Alaska, by
AS. Swarth. “Pp. 813-318. ~ October, TOU Unc aiken cecc sek ee tctee ern ne ahd 10, Field Notes on Amphibians, Reptiles and Birds of Northern Humboldt
County, Nevada, with a Discussion of Some of the Fatunal Features
of the Region, by Walter P. Taylor. —Pp.. 319-436, plates 7-12.
PODEUAEY, LOU 28 oso era ah ate ah ae age noc acea vad a mabe eee coaaheee Index, pp. 437-446.
1. The Vertical Distribution of Hucalanus elongatus in the San Diego Region during 1909, by Calvin O. Esterly. Pp..1-7. May, 1911 ....... 2. New and Rare Fishes from Southern California, by Edwin Chapin Starks and William M. Mann: Pp. 9-19, 2 text-figures. July, 1911. 3. Classification and Vertical Distribution of the Chaetognatha of the San Diego Region, Including Redescriptions of Some Doubtful Species of the Group, by Ellis &. Michael. Pp. 21-186 pls. 1-8. December, 1911. 4, Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, IV. The Genus Gonyaulax, with Notes on Its Skeletal Morphology and a Discussion of Its Generic and Specific Characters, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. . Pp. 187-236, plates 9-17. On the Skeletal Morphology of Gonyaular catenata (Levander), by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 287-294, plate 18. Dinoflagellata of the San Diego Region, V. Cn Spiraulax, a New Genus of the Peridinida, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 295-300, plate 19, Nos. 4, 5, and 6 in one cover. September, 1911... 0002.wcecec 7, Notes on Some Cephalopods in the Collection of the University of Cali- fornia, by S. S. Berry. Pp. 301-310, plates 20-21. September, 1911, 8. On a Self-Closing Plankton Net for Horizontal Towing, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. .Pp.-311-348, plates 22-25.
5
Py
6
9. On an Improved Form of Self-closing Water-bucket for Plankton In-
vestigations, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 349-352.
Nos. 8 and 9 in one’ cover. November, 1911-2002... eeeette ee Index, pp. 353-357. 1, The Horned Lizards of California and Nevada of the Genera Phryno- soma and Anota, by Harold C. Bryant. Pp. 1-84, plates 1-9. Decem- HA =) Das AS OS RAR a Se tach eh DRM re eNO IE oe oe enhicery eg ena r eon ge 2. On a Lymphoid Structure Lying Over the Myelencephalon of Lepisos- teus, by Asa C. Chandler, ‘Pp, 85-104, plates 10-12.. December, 1911. 35 Studies on Early Stages of Development in Rats and Mice, No, 3, by E. L. Mark and J. A. Long, The Living Eggs of Rats and Mice with a Description of Apparatus for Obtaining and Observing Them (Pre- liminary paper), by J. A. Long. Pp. 1052136, plates 13-17. February, 1h 8 Ly gieeeen oe ah nn each nl ee oh peta ra Te Deere MRS ap eee Eg oes The Marine Biological Station of San Diego, Its History, Present Con- ditions, Achievements, and Aims, by Wm. E. Ritter, Pp, 137-248, plates 18-24, and 2 maps. March, 1912 2-220. sce cece esee te eetce eee 5, Oxygen and Polarity in Tubularia, by Harry Beal Torrey. Pp. 249- CAS Deagee GA fomia Us 8 Sana ene yen Ae ae ae eran cee ea eae me oe 6. The Occurrence and Vertical Distribution of the Copepoda of the San Diego Region, with particular reference to Nineteen Species, by Cal- vin O, Esterly. Pp. 253-340, 7 text-figures, July, 1912 ~..-..........--....-. 7. Observations on the Suckling Period in the Guinea-Pig, by J. Marion Read, Pp. 341-351. September, 1912) 2.2.2.2. ceeseece eects eee nee etn eran Haeckel’s Sethocephalus eucecryphalus (Radiolaria), a Marine. Ciliate, by Charles Atwood Kofoid. Pp. 353-357. September, 1912 —............ Index, pp, 359-365.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS —(Continued) Vol. 10. (Contributions from the Musstiin: of Vertebrate Zoology.)
2. 8. A,
10.
Vol, it. 1,
1. Report on a Collection of Birds and Mammals from Vannoiver Island,
by Harry S. Swarth, Pp. 1-124, plates 1-4. February, 1912) .20...-......
A New Cony from the Vicinity of Mount Whitney, by Joseph: ea
Ppi2425-129. * January dO ees in ees eh et The Mole of Southern. California, by S Grinnell and Pp. 131-136, 2 text-figures, Myotis orinomus Elliott, a Bat New to California, by J. Grinnell and H. 8. Swarth. . Pp. 137-142, 2 text-figures. Nos, 3 and 4 in one cover. April; 1912 ......
. The Bighorn of the Sierra Nevada, by Joseph “Grinnell. “Pp. “143-158, 4 text-fieures.; May, OVA 2c he ei See eS sig . A New Perognathis from the San Joaquin Valley, California, by
Walter P. Taylor. Pp. 155-166, 1 text-figure.
. The Beaver of West Central California, by Walter P. Taylor. Pp.
167-169. Nos. 6 and 7 in one cover. May, Sy ks) i Rebtel RN ON Mee eh
. The Two Pocket Gophers of the Region Contiguous to the Lower Colo-
trado River, in California and Arizona, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 171- nly 4: Fogg 0 ot ies B+ 5 0 See aes eee am NN RN ae Brees atte CUA Sag See URL Ces cena
. The Species of the Mammalian Genus Sorez of West-Central. Cali-
fornia, with a note on the Vertebrate Palustrine Faunas of the Region, by Joseph Grinnell. Pp. 179-195, figs. 1-6. ‘March, 1918 ........ An Account of the Birds and Mammals of the San Jacinto Area of Southern California, with Remarks: Upon the Behavior of Geographic Races on the Margins of Their Habitats, by J. Grinnell and H. S. Swarth. Pp. 197-406, pls, 6-10. October, 1913 20-0.
Birds in Relation to a Grasshopper Outbreak in California, by Harold O, Bryant. Pp.-1-20,° November, 1912: s.2.5 cn el
. On the Structure and Relationships of Dinosphaera palustris (Lemm.), by Charles Atwood Kofoid and Josephine Rigden Michener. Pp. 21-
BBs DeOcemPar, BOL ae rac ease Nasu, cee nea ha canh gota ae even cates epee asada
. A Study of Epithelioma Contagiosum of the Common Fowl, by
Clifford D. Sweet. Pp. 29-51. January, 1913 .2c...c.c cece eee
. The Control of Pigment. Formation in Amphibian Larvae, by Myrtle
E. Johnson. Pp. 53-88, plate 1. March, 1913 -2...2.2o cece cele nceeeeees
« Sagitta californica, n.sp., from the San Diego Region, including
Remarks on Its Variation and Distribution, by Ellis L. Michael. Pp.89-126, plate’ 2.Fhe, 2199322 eh ee a ae ae etc
. Pycnogonida from the Coast of California, with Description of Two
New Species, by H. V. M. Hall. Pp. 127-142, plates 3-4. August, 1913,
. Observations on Isolated Living Pigment Cells from the Larvae of
Amphibians by S. J. Holmes. Pp. 143-154, plates 5-6.
; Behavior of Ectodermic Epithelium of Tadpoles when Cultivated” in
Plasma, by S. J. Holmes. Pp. 155-172, plates 7-8. Nos. 7 and 8 in one cover. September, 1913 222..0..2.cc. cee
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