34 THE CONDOR Vol. XIII Nearly always the eggs were not quite at the end of the passage. While probably not a premeditated fact, this often helped the birds to escape by frantically digging into another passage. The strong musky odor of the Petrel does not become dis- agreeable, at least not for several hours. From the nmment your hand touches the feathery mass until he makes his exit, the Petrel makes use of this weapon of defense. Drawing the upper and lower mandibles widely apart, he emits a thin strong stream of musky oil. I found Petrels nesting far above the sea on top of the islands. The main colony was at least thirty feet above the water, and none were as close to the water's edge as were the Murrelets, which I often found in caves whose entrances were submerged in deep water. As a rule the Petrels nested in more secure localities than the Mur- relets, and were less often found with damaged egg shells. Half the Murrelets eggs found were dented or slightly cracked by loose pebbles from the roof of the burrow, and a set with an entirely unblemished shell was uncommon. The great- est difference in the nesting of the two Petrels was in burrowing sites and' laying dates. The Black Petrels lay earlier. They were more abundant than the Socorro Petrel on the largesl middle island, and while digging Murrelets I found several burrows containing Petrels. Here also among the hard boulders we found burrows where the brooding bird was in full view and yet inaccessible, so small was the opening. No young birds or immatures of either form were seen, and from incu- bation stages noted I should judge the hatching point is reached between July 15 and August 15. We saw little of the birds except in their burrows, but they were very active at night. Of the skins I collected, there is great variation shown in the series of O. soco?'- roe?s/s. In two examples the upper tail coverts are white, with dusky median. stripes; while in ?)thers these coverts are entirely dusky. There is a marked vari- ' ation in size, also. The eggs of O. socorroe?sis are white and either minutely speckled with lavender and brown, in a wreath about the larger end, or clear and immaculate. Average measurements (in inches), 1.20X0.90. The eggs of O. ?ze[a?a are white with almost imperceptible traces of brownish speckling. They do not show variation in size or color as much as do those of O. socorroenss. The eggs average in inches, 1.45Xi.05. Specimens of O. ?e[a- ?itt are unvarying in plumage. My series of skins show the uniform sooty-black color with the exception of the usual light wing-patch, which is characteristic of the dark-colored species of Oceanodroma. FROM FIELD AND STUDY A Second Occurrence of the Bohemian Waxwing in Southern California.--In THE CONDOR, vol. VI I, page 77, a Bohemian Waxwing is recorded as having been taken at Victorville, I)ecember 31, 19t}4. It is the first record of that bird in California outside of Plumas and Lassen counties. On December 13, 191t}, I took an adult female Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrula), six miles east of I)aggett, San Bernardino Couniy, which is about thirty miles north and fifteen miles east of Victorville. The bird was alone and was perched on the topmost limb of a dead cottonwood when I shot it. The elevation here is about 2000 feet. Unlike the previous record we had had no storm in the vicinity, the weather having been unusually HIiId.--CHESTER LAMB.
