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 Nov., 1918 211 FROM FIELD AND STUDY The Kaeding Petrel in Californla.--The note by Dr. Grinnell in the January-Febru- ary issue of the Condor (vol. xx, 1918, p. 46), in which he concurs with Oberholser's con- clusions concerning the white-rumped petrels of the California coast, is of considerable interest to California ornithologists. It leaves us with a blank space in our avifauna op- posite the name Oceanodroma leucorhoa kaedingi. I have in my collection a petrel which I have always considered to be kaedingi, and Mr. George Willett, whose acquaintance with the petrels on their breeding grounds is large, has also considered the specimen to be of that race. Dr. Grinnell has recently examined the same skin and concurs in this subspecific determination. He kindly furnishes me with a copy of the measurements as taken by himself:--Wing 142.7 mm.; tail 73.8; forking of tail 14.0; culmen 14.6; tarsus 21.2. The specimen was taken at sea between San Clemente Island and San Diego at a point charted by the navigating officer, a graduate of Annapolis Naval Academy, as 32 degrees 32 minutes north latitude. Where the International boundary intersects the coast line below San Diego, there stands a monument recorded as 32 degrees 31 .minutes 58 seconds north latitude (Am. Practical Navigator, U.S. Hyd. Office). Except for some unrecognized human error, the subspecies O. l. kaedingi must be restored to the avifauna of California with two seconds tO spare.--LoYE MILLER, State Normal School, Los Angeles, California, September 23, 1918. First Occurrence of the Dwarf Cowbird in the San Bernardino Valley, California.- The long days of late June and early July, with the extra hour of daylight given by the daylight saving law, gave me some time in the evenings, after supper, to inspect various thickets in the bottom lands of this section. The time was well spent and resulted in the discovery of the Dwarf Cowbird (Molothrus ater obscurus) at several points within six miles of Colton. Dr. J. Grinnell examined the bird collected and pronounced it of this species, and the first record of a cowbird being taken in the San Bernardino Valley. Mr. R. B. Her- ron, the veteran collector of the valley, examined the specimen and stated that he had never seen any of the birds or their eggs hereabouts. My investigations would indicate t.hat there are a few cowbirds here this summer and that they are causing considerable damage to other small birds. The following notes on the subject may be of interest: June 20, 1918. Nest of Traill Flycatcher (Empidonax trailli trailli) in a thicket several miles east of San Bernardino with two Traill Flycatcher's eggs and a young bird. The young bird looked large for this species, and I returned several days later to find it much larger in size, while there were two dead flycatchers trampled to death in the bot- tom of the nest. I killed the young cowbird. June 23, 1918. Nest of California Least Vireo (Vireo belli pusillus) in a thicket in East San Bernardino, with four vireo eggs and one of the cowbird, On June 20 the nest had contained only the four fresh eggs of the vireo. June 26, 1918. A nest of California Least Vireo in a willow thicket between Riv- erside and Colton contained three eggs of the vireo and one of the cowbird. June 27, 1918. A nest of Californla Least Vireo in a wiIIow thicket in East San Bernardino contained two eggs of the vireo and one of the cowbird. On June 25 there had been two eggs of the vireo in the nest in perfect condition; on the 27th one of the eggs had a small'hole in it, probably the work of the cowbird. June 28, 1918. On June 26 I found a nest of Traill Flycatcher between Colton and Riverside with two eggs of the flycatcher and one egg of the cowbird. One of the fly- catcher eggs, being badly dented, was removed from the nest. On June 28 only the cow- bird egg remained in the nest. On this same day I noticed a California Yellow Warbler feeding a large cowbird which I later collected. Another nest of Traill Flycatcher containing one egg of the cowbird was collected, as it had been under observation some days and no eggs of the flycatcher had been de. posited. It is possible that the flycatcher eggs had been destroyed by the cowbird. June 30, 1918. In a willow thicket between Redlands and San Bernardino I found a nest of California Least Vireo with one large-slzed young cowbird. The two foster parents, not one-third the size of the cowbird, made much fuss because I tried to rid them of their charge. July 2, 1918. A nest of the Traill Flycatcher between Colton and Redlands which had contained two fresh eggs on Jun 30 was apparently deserted, and one of the eggs had two large holes in it. I lay the blame for this on the cowbird. This same date a