Page:CooperBull1(5).djvu/5

 BULLETIN OF THE COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 81 large numbers in the rolling country about San Francisco Bay and to the northward. The type locality of funco hyemalis pinosus is Monterey, California, and here may be noted a peculiarity of the coast region from San Francisco south- ward through Santa Cruz and Mon- terey. This region has some birds of practically the same character as are found in the Sierras,--funco, Oreortyx, Turdus aonalaschke, and while in the Sierra Nevadas these birds all seek high altitudes to breed, on the coast they are found breeding from sea level to mountain-top. The juncos of this region were separated by Mr. L. M. Loomis and carry very striking char- acters, the most conspicuous being the bright rufous or reddish dorsal patch which is much more pronounced than in either ore, onus or thurberi. These juncos are very common in the vicinity of Monterey during summer and during the breeding season are the only ones found there, but as soon as the young are fledged the birds wander. Mr. D. A. Cohen has taken typical pinosus at Alameda during the late fall and win- ter, while Mr. Emerson took a large series of juncos at Monterey and found more of them to be intermediate be- tween oregonus and thurberi, thanpin- osus. This may be accounted for by the fact that they were taken at the close of the breeding season. The Point Pinos Junco begins breeding early and fully fledged young have been taken May 25 and undoubtedly the majority of the birds were on the move and mingling with the first of the juncos from counties north of the Bay. The nest and eggs of the Pt. Pinos Junco appar- ently do not differ from those of Thur- her's Junco. The Slate-colored Junco (funco emalis) is frequently taken in Cali- fornia. One is recorded from Battle Creek, t898, and two from Saint Helena, 899, McGregor; from Los An- geles Co. (5); San Diego Co., I884 (6); Gridley, Butte Co., (7); Haywards, 88o Emerson (8); Amador Co., Kaeding, t895. These were all taken in winter I believe. The only record of the oc- currence of funco caniceps in California which I can find is the single specimen, a female, taken'by Mr. W. B. Judson near Pasadena, on Oct. 26, I894. 'l. Zoe. i, p. 238. Issued Nov. I3, I89O. . Ibid. ll- Zoe. i, p. 239, Nov. 3, i8qo. 4-. Grinnell's Birds of the Pac. Slope of Los Angeles Co., p. 28. $. Ibid.  Belding, Land Birds of the Pacific District, p. 59.  Ibid. 8. Ibid. MR. JOHN M. WILLARD of Oakland returned on July 27 after an eight weeks' outing and collecting trip in Lassen County at 5,ooo feet elevation. Yellow, Aububon's and Macgillivray's Warblers were the only ones seen. On June 9 several nests of the Western Martin were found, but no eggs had been laid and the birds deserted. On June 20 a lone nest was investigated and contained three half-grown young and two addled eggs. Other nests were seen but could not be reached. Two broods of the White-cheeked Goose were observed on Eagle Lake, near which place the farmers report them as nesting plentifully in favorable years. Mr. Vrillard secured many interesting skins, the region being prolific in wood- peckers. H. R. TAYLOR of Alameda reports the taking of a nest and five fresh eggs of the Californian Towhee at Pescadero, Cal., on July 8, both the size of the set and late date being unusual, while Wm. H. Kobbe of Ft. Mason, San Francisco, records a set of six eggs of the House Finch taken from a nest ten feet up in a dragon tree. The nest and eggs were as usual, aside from the size of the set. Evidently a prolific year with the birds! RICHAr) C. MCGEGO of Palo Alto will accompany the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey steamer ?athfinder on a sounding expedition to the Hawaiian Islands as official photographer. The steamer leaves San Francisco in Sep- tember and will return in the spring, going thence to Alaska. ON a recent hunting trip into the mountains of Monterey county Messrs. R. H. Beck and F. H. Holmes of Berry- essa invaded the home of the Black Swift (Cypseloidesnier), several speci- mens being secured. The swifts were frequenting oak-covered hillsides.