Page:Condor2(1).djvu/19

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Jan., ?9oo [ THE CONDOR t 9 plumage. The testes were undeveloped and the bird showed no signs of breed- ?ng. This was at an altitude of 3,70o feet, in the forests of yellow pine, For two days after this I saw at different times, flocks of crossbills in the tops of the pines and firs, moving along rapidly and doubtless feeding upon the buds of these trees, but secured no other specimens. They were probably moving up into the high Sierras, although up to this time their migration must have been strictly a north- ern one, as none were seen or reported west of Fyffe, showing it was then entire- ly too late for them to be migrating up from the valleys. C. BARLOW, Santa Clara. Cal. Occurrence of the American Seaup Duck in Los Angeles 60. 6al. In a bunch of ducks sent me by ex-Governor Markham and shot by him at Bixby, CaLl Dec. 2o, t899, I find a male American Scaup Duck (?tj/t,?j/a mari/a nearclica). This is a new record for Los Angeles Co., and an addition to Mr. Grinnell's list. F. S. DAOOETT, Pasadena, Cal. Early I%sting of tbe ?asadena Tbrasber. On the tsth of last month, (December '99,) Dr. Fenyes and myself, while hunting over a brush-covered wash near Azusa, were surprised to find a nest of this species (ZZarsborh. ynchus redivivus 5basadenen- sis). It was in no ways peculiar, except as to the date, being built two and one- half feet above the ground in a black-sage bush. One of the birds was sitting closely and the other singing from its perch at the top of a bush not far off. The nest contained three eggs in which incubation was well begun. The thrashers are always in full song soon after their single annual moult which occurs in Aug- ust, but they do not ordinarily breed before March and April, though we have one county record for January 27.'t? JOSEPH GRINNELL, Pasadena, Cal. An Unusually fligb Nest 0f Audubon's tierreit Thrush. Mr. Belding's note in the March- April BVLt, ETIN for t899, on the r?esting of the Audubon's Hermit Thrush (7)?rdus aonalaschkm auduboni) in the Sierra Nevadas, brings to mind the only set of eggs of this bird I have seen. We were near the summit of the Sierras on the 6th of June, t896, and while looking around in a grove of trees, I noticed a nest well out on a pine limb, thirty feet from the ground. On climbing the tree, the bird was seen upon the nest and flew off when closely approached. The nest is strongly built of twigs and bright yellow moss (Evernia vulpine), with a layer of fine dry leaves, within which is a heavy lining of fine grass stems. The nest con- tained four fresh eggs. The height from the ground seems unusual as compared with other records, but it was perhaps to get the benefit of the morning sun, as patches of snow lay all around and the nights were quite chilly. Several birds were heard or seen between 7,000 and 8,000 feet in El Dorado Co., and several heard singing in the Merced grove of Big Trees a couple of weeks later. R. H. BEc?c, Berryessa, Cal., Dec. 20, t899. l?0tes from flaywards, Gal. In some notes published in the Nidologist, Mr. D. A. Cohen of Alameda mentions that the Hermit Warbler (D. occidentalis) was report- ed seen in ?885 at Berkeley. My records extend back to March 4, t88o, when two males were shot in live oaks on the north hillside at Haywards. I find among my records the taking of a Black-throated Gray Warbler (Z). nitrescons) on Oct. t4, t882, and another seen on May t?, ?883. I also have a male Myrtle Warbler (]). coronata) taken April ?3, r88t, the only specimen ever noted here. I shot a male and noted two other Red-breasted Nuthatches on Oct. t4, t882, the only time I observed them. A California Creeper (C. j!zmz'li?ris occidentalis) was observed in the live oaks on Feb. 2, t89o, being rather out of its range as it is restricted to the redwood and pine regions. On Dec. 8, t885, a cold, wet, windy day, I noticed several Californian Chickadees (Parus rz?fescens ne?lectus) feeding among the cypress trees, which is the only time they ?vere seen. They were no doubt common years ago, before the disappearance of the redwoods from the hill- sides and canons. A female was taken at Dry Creek Aug. t, ?896, and the spe- cies may breed on this side of the bay shore. W. OTTO E?VXERSON, Haywards, Cal. '?Birds of the Pacific Slope of Los Angeles county.