July, 1910 133

FlkOM FIELD AND STUDY Two Avian Stragglers within the Stat of Colorado.--Pelecanus occidentalis. Brown Pelican. While on a collecting trip for the museum of the State Historical and Natural History Society of Colorado, the writer chanted upon an adult mounted specimen of this species in the shop of a taxidermist who, upon being questioned as to its history, proffered the information that it was killed by P. J. Engelbrecht, at Wood's Lake, near Thomasville, Colorado, in June, 1903. Accordingly q wrote to Mr. Engelbrecht (who is proprietor of the summer resort at the lake) for further particulars, and received a letter to the effect that he happened to be out fishing with a party when he notist a monster bird alight on a stake at the far end of the lake. He took his gun and rowing within shooting distance sueceded in securing the specimen. This was either the last of June or the first of July, 1908. He further stated that he had been in the tourist business for ten years and that this was the only one of these birds he had ever sen in the locality. In consideration of the fact tbat this is the first record of the capture of this species in the state, Mr. Engelbrecht kindly donated the specimen to our Society. tubo virginianus laophonus. In the collection of Jonas Brothers, Taxidermists, of this city I secured a mounted specimen of the Great Horned Owl which is much darker than the form usually found in Colorado, and which the proprietors assured me was shot by a local hunter at Morrison, Jefferson Connty, Colorado, during the month of October, 1909, and brought to them in the flesh. Believing the specimen might prove to belong to one of the dark Pacific Coast forms, and as a collection of these birds was not accessible to me for comparison, the specimen was sent to the Biological Survey for examination, and it was returned labelled by H. C. O [berholser]. as ]tbo virginJanus [aophonus. This variety, recently described by Oberholser (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. XXVII, 1904, p. 185) is said to be closely allied to saturatus; indeed the A. O. U. Committee on "Check List" seems to have regarded it as a synonym of saturatus (14th Sup., Auk XXV, 1908, p. 392). In any event the bird is a new record for Colorado. Mr. E. W. Nelson, of the Biological Survey, in referring to the specimen writes that"  * * it is a southern extension of the range of the subspecies lagophonus which belongs much farther north in the Rocky Mountains, and it is evident this specimen is a fall straggler. "--HORACE G. SaxiT, .dsst. Curator 'Colorado Xtate Historical and 2Vatural History Xociety. Cowbird in Los Angeles County.--On May 7, 1910, at Nigger Slough, Los Angeles County, I found a nest of the Western Yellowthroat containing a Cowbird's egg. As this egg measured but 15X18 min., I suppose it to have been laid by a Dwarf Cowbird, tho the bird itself was not seen.--R. M. PEREZ. The Western Martin Nesting in Los Angeles.- On June 2 and 17, 1910, Mr. G. K. Snyder and myself found two sets of 5 eggs each of the Western Martin (Prone subis tesperia). The nests were located in the residence district of Los Angeles, and both were hilt on the drain pipes under the caves of a school house about 40 feet above the ground. The birds evidently do not mind the presence of people, as the pupils of the school make a great deal of noise about the bilding daily. The first nest was composed of hay, dry grasses, waste, rags, neatly lined with green pepper leaves. The second nest was made of first a layer of mud, then hay and dry grasses, then a neat layer of green acacia leaves and a bit of white paper. Both times when I cut thru from the attic, the female was found on the nest. The male was not seen until the female was scared off, when both birds returned, twittering and flying around the nest. In the evening the birds are often seen percht on the telegraf wires, uttering their characteristic notes.--R. M. PEREZ.