May, 1909 FROhi FIELD AND STUDY 101 such a good opportunity to show the structure of the nest and the customary half-hood over it that the next day found me at the right hour on the spot with a camera, xvith the accompanying more or less unsatisfactory resulL This nest was built in a cow track, faced toward the east, and was on a hill- side in such a way that the opening was np hill. In consequence of this the camera had to be more in- clined e.ven.than if the ground were level, thus distorting the relative positions. But the strncture and hood show fairly ?vell. The photo was taken May 25, 1908, and the eggs avere about fresh.--JoSEPH ?IAILLIARD, San Francisco, Cali- fornia. Condors in a Flock--On (3cto- ber 1, 1908, about noon, I saw 18 Condors ( GymnoKvps californian- us) at one time at a point about 3 miles southxvest of McKittrick, Kern County. In all of my work along the southeastern side of the Diablo and Temblor ranges during the last two years I have seen but two or three Condors, aml this flock of 18 certainly were a surprise to me. As soon as I saw them I laid down on top of a hill and while eating my lund? had an excellent opportunity of observing them. I had my. no. 8 binoculars and was able to bring some of them in very NEST OF IJ$'ESTERN' MEADOXVLARK, SAN GERONIMO, ? MARIN COU-XT Photo by J. Maillim-d dose as they circled over me. It was a great sight and one that I ?vill never forget, i]as the greatest number I ever saw at any one time before was a flock of four which I saw in 1896, I think it was, on my way to Bear Valley, above San Bernardino.--RALP}? ARNOLD, l]?ashington, D.C. Scolecophagus catolinus in Colorado.--While returning from a short trip up the South Fork of the Platt River, from Littleton, Colorado, February 20, 1909, I had the good fortune of meeting with a small flock of blackbirds, resembling the Bredvet. There ?vere about eight in the flock, males and fenroles. I shot one and attempted to secure more, but they were very wild and escaped. They were in thick cottonwood growth near the river. The weather was mild with no snow on the ground. Later, the bird taken (a male) was identified by Mr. Horace (;. Smith, as a Rusty Blackbird, Scolecophal?us carolinus, a rare bird for Colorado. The skin is no?v in my collection. According to Prof. W. W. Cooke (Birds of Colorado, page 951 there are but two other ?ecords for Colorado: a pair collected near Denver, December 17, 1883, by It. 13. Smith, and one taken by Prof. Win. Osborn at Loveland, in November. 1889. Note that all these are winter records.- GEoRGE RICHARDS, Lilllelon, Colorado. The Swamp Sparrow on the Lower Rio Grande.--From rush grass growing along the banks of the Rio Grande, near Brownsville, Texas, I flushed threc or four birds of this species (]?[elospiza g?eorgiana) on December 23, 1908. One bird being secured proved to be an adult male. Whether or not the species has been taken previously this far south, I cannot say positively; but the most extreme record I find (for Texas) prior to this note. is near San Antonio.--AuSIIN PAUL SMITH, Brownsville, Te_ras.
