Nov., 1915 BIRDS OF TIlE LOWER COLORADO VALLEY IN CALIFORNIA 233 were almost completely developed, while those of the other side had but recently burst the envelopes. I?orzana carolina. Sora. Quite abundant in suitable spots. In the heavy growth bordering a slough near our camp, numbers were seen, and one taken on the 14th. Chaemepelia passerina pallescens. Mexican Ground Dove. A sharp watch was kept for these birds during our stay, but it was not until we were on our way home, about two miles east of Fort Yuma, on the Imperial Valley road, that we encountered them. Twelve or fifteen were observed within a mile and a half, and two pairs secured. They were all feeding in the road, in little parties of two or three, and those shot con- tained many tiny black seeds, which had evidently fallen from a certain tall weed which thickly bordered the roadway. Speotyto unicularia hypo,gaea. Burrowing Owl. A pair was noted on the 13th, well back from the river bottom. No Micropallas whitneyi (Elf Owl) was seen, although we examined fifty odd, likely- looking holes, all that were to be reached with the aid of a good ladder, on the 30th. Indubitable evidence of'their recent presence was secured in the sahuaros, however, in the way of feathers, pellets and excrement. A number of the holes had been chopped out very recently, and whether the lack of owls was due to the industry of some collector that had preceded us, or to the possibility of the extremely cold weather having caused them to undertake a temporary visit to the southward, we are unable to say. Centurus uropygialis. Gila Woodpecker. This species proved to be quite abundant among the cottonwoods and willows of the bottoms. They were feeding almost exclus- ively on the berries of the mistletoe. These, however, never seemed to be completely digested, and when a bird was shot, it would void a quantity of sticky, green pulp and seeds, which was very hard to remove from the feathers. Almost without exception, we found the birds to be infested with numbers of a long slender tape-worm, in some in- stances, in almost sufficient quantities to clog the intestines. Colapres hrysoides mear,?si. Mearns Gilded Flicker. These were present in small numbers, but C. cafes' collaris exceeded them in numbers, in the ratio of about fifteen to one. The latter form must be merely a winter visitant to the' region, while the former is resident; but two birds were secured which showed all the characters of hybrids between the two. On the 27th we came upon two Colapres that were going through elab- orate courting antics on a horizontal branch. Upon shooting these birds, we were much surprised to discover that the male was a Red-shafted and the female a Mearns Gilded. So-called hybrids between Sphll?'apic?s va?'ius ?uchalis and S. ?'ube?' ?'uber have been taken in many parts of the west. An adult male which showed a blending of the characters of the two forms in about equal proportions, was secured on the 17th. Myiarchus inera$ens inerascens. Ash-throated Flycatcher. We found, as Grin- nell surmises, that this species is a winter visitant to the region, and apparently a regu- lar one, for if such is not the case, this cold snap would assuredly have caused them to move farther south. They were not by any means abundant, but one was sure to be seen every two or three days, and several were coIlected. The cold nights, with temperatures well below freezing, must have greatly reduced their food supply. mpidonax ?riseus. Gray Flycatcher. A female and two males of this fore were taken, and two other birds seen, which would indicate that the species winters here. On the cultivated fields of the lowlands we encountered mixed flocks of female Otocoris alpestris pallida and O. a. leucolaema. Among the scores seen, we searched carefully for males, but not one was noted. On the mesa lands well back from the river, however, we found only 'pallida, and although a score or so were seen and several taken, no females were observed. A?elaius phoeniceus sonoriensis. Sonora Red-wing. Small flocks were frequently seen during our Stay, and a number of specimens taken, all of which were crammed to the bill with kaffir corn seeds. Well over a hundred birds were observed close enough to distinguish between the sexes, and of these, but two were males. Near the (?hirica- hua Mountains, Arizona, Mr. van Rcssem found a similar state of affairs last winier, as regards red-wings. Flocks of hundreds were seen almost daily for a while, but as far as he was aware, there was not a male in the vicinity. $pizella breweri. Brewer Sparrow. This species winters abundantly in certain parts of the Imperial Valley, but they are evidently not so partial to the valley of the
