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 232 THE CONDOR Vol. XVIII Some Field Notes from Western Sonoma County, California.--I spent the month of July, 19113, in western Sonoma County, with headquarters at Camp Meeker. Several trips were made into various parts of the county. These trips covered pretty thoroughly the territory from Santa Rosa to Cazadero, thence west to the ocean and south to the Marin County line. The following list does not contain all the birds noted; only those are mentioned whose occurrence in the territory explored seems worthy of note. Lunda cirrhata. Tufted Puffin. One flew out from under an over-hanging rocky cliff near the mouth of the Russian River, July 17. Oceanodroma kaedingi. Kaeding Petrel. A bird believed to be of this species, cer- tainly a petrel, was seen to fly out of a cleft in a high rocky cliff about one mile south of the mouth of the Russian River on the same day that the puffin was seen. It is pos- sible that a few of these birds nested there earlier in the season. Mergus serrator. Red-breasted Merganser. A male and female seen on the Russian River about a mile from the ocean on July 17. This dck is a common winter visitant to these shores, but its occurrence in mid-July seems rather unusual. Actiris macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. Several seen on the Russian River between Monte Rio and Duncan's Mills, July 10. Two young not yet able to fly, but abundantly able to run, were seen. Columba fasciata fasciata. Band-tailed Pigeon. Two were seen on Willow Creek, July 17. More were heard hooting in the redwoods along the same stream. Pandion haliaetas carolinensis. American Osprey. One was seen about a mile from the mouth of the Russian River on July 17. It was catching fish by plunging into the river. Two others were seen a mile above Monte Rio on July 22. One nest was noted on the very tall stump of a broken redwood near Rio Campo. Bird students will doubt- less be glad to know that this interesting bird is still breeding on the Russian River. Agelaius phoeniceus caurinus. Northwestern Red-winged Blackbird. The Red- winged Blackbirds of the lower Russian River seem to me to be of this subspecies rather than Agelaius phoeniceus californicus. No specimens were taken, but it is my opinion that an examination of specimens would reveal that what I have suggested is true. Junco oreganus thurberi. Sierra Junco. Birds of this species were seen feeding young at Camp Meeker on July 2. They have been noted at Cazadero before, but this seems to be the first time they have been found breeding as far south in Sonoma County as Camp Meeker. Piranga ludoviciana. Western Tanager. An adult male was seen on the Russian River about a mile above Duncan's Mills, July 10. Hylocichla guttara slevini.' Monterey Hermit Thrush. Noted twice at Camp Meeker and heard almost every evening in the redwood cafons back of the camp.--W. A. SQumEs, San Francisco, California. Notes on the Dark-bodied Shearwater.--Puffinus griseus has been observed on San Francisco Bay more frequently during July and August of the present year than it has ever before been my good fortune to record, recent observations having been as follows: July 20, 4:40 r. . A small movement was noted westerly, from Alcatraz Island, where the birds were working their way oceanwards along the outer edge of an extremely heavy "channel fog". July 21, 4:35 r. . A similar movement was observed under like conditions in about the same locality. July 22, 8:17 A. . A small group of these birds was seen, again in the same local- ity, bobbing up and down on the choppy water. As the ferry boat approached, they lum- beringly took to wing, passing directly across our bow, some dropping on the water but a few feet away. This afforded such a close view as to confirm the identification. August 7, 7:15 A. . A lone individual was seen settled on the water and in the same locality. The last two records were made on beautifully clear days thus casting doubt upon the theory that San Francisco Bay occurrences are due to misdirected wanderings during exceptionally thick fogs. It now seems more probable that unusually heavy runs of fish bring us these casual vtsltors.--JOH W. MAILLIARD, San Francisco, California.