Page:Condor13(6).djvu/42

 210 THE CONDOR Vol. XlIl number of old nests were found, placed usually in the palo fierros or tall bushes, but sometimes in. the pines. Corvus. corax sinuatus. Raven. Common. Two nests on the cliffs not twenty feet apart held tin3young. Carpodacus mexicanus clementis. San Clemente House Finch. Exceedingly abundant near the shore where there were cacti and suitable caves, in the roofs of which to nest. One nest discovered held four incubated eggs, and an addled egg of the Western Flycatcher. As is not unusual with this form, great diversity of markings was encountered.. Several males were taken with the usual scarlet re- placed by yellow, and others in which the two colors were cornmingled; also one male in breeding condition marked precisely like a female except for five yellow feathers beneath the chin; and a female with a yellow rump. Loxia curvirostra stricklandi. Mexican  Crossbill. We were greatly surprised to find this bird in some numbers in the heavy timber at the top of the island, and in the short tine that we were able to give to this section sixteen birds were seen. Some were in pairs and otkers in small companies. I believe it is highly probable that these birds. are resident .on the island, as the character of the country is suit- able and May 1 seems rather late for them to be present if they were winter visi- tants only. The four individuals obtained are very large. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli. Gambel Sparrow. Sparingly scattered over the brushy hillsides in pairs. Zonotrichia coronata. Golden-crowned Sparrow.. Two birds still present. Aimophila ruficeps. Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Rather common in suitable places. One of the females of two pairs within fifty yards of camp, was incubat- ing when shot April 26, as the absence,of feathers upon her belly indicated. Melospiza melodia graminca. Santa Barbara Song Sparrow. Two heard but none seen. They are common on other parts of the island, however. Pipilo maculatus clementae. San Clemente Towhee. Not rare. Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swallow. Abundant; frequently visiting a small spring near camp to obtain mud which they carried to the caves above the sea. Lanius ludovicianus anthonyi. Island Shrike. Rare at this point as but two were seen, neither of which we obtained. They were remarkably wary. Dendroica auduboni. Audubon Warbler. Several seen. Thryomanes bewicki charienturus. San Diego Wren. Common everywhere and at this time feeding young. Sitta canadensis. Red-breasted Nuthatch. Shared the Crossbills' range. About two dozen were seen and six taken. One bird was watched for half an hour while she was busily engaged in preparing a nesting site, so the species is resident. Those obtained average smaller than bird, s from the mainland and the east. FROM FIE. LD AND STUDY Tree-nests of the P6int Pinos Junco and Other NOtes.--The 27th of March, 1910, like many of the days that preceded it, was rainy. Mr. Henry W. Carriger and I,' however, had previously decided on an outing, and although the inclement weather delayed, it did not deter us from starting for our destination in northern San Mateo County. This we reached in the early afternoon. To be exact it was the very locality dscribed at length by Carriger and Pemberton in THE CONDOR as being the site of a Siskin colony. Our first nest, one of the Point Pinos Junco (/unco hyemalis pinosus), was a strange depart-