66 THE CONDOR [ Vol. III

modramus sandwichensis bryanti and Geolhlyfiis lrichas sinuosa,' while from the southern marshes come the larger ,gelospiza melodia cooperi, ,Immodramus sandwich- enis beldingi and GeothO,fiis trichas scirpicola. It is also notable that the races of Geothlyps lrichas occurring on the Pacific Coast are to a remarkable degree paral- lelled by those of the Atlantic Coast (See Palmer, Auk XVII, July x9oo, pp. 26- 4.) In bringing together the material on which this paper is based, I am indebted for the loan of specimens to Messrs. F. S. Daggett, H. S. Swarth, W. O. Emerson and T. J. Hoover. Some Rare Birds in Los Angeles Co., Cal. HOEBE (Sayornis phoebe). On Feb. t4, x9ox, I secured a male of this species near San Fernan- do. Not feeling certain as to its iden- tity and having no specimens of my

own with which to compare it, I sent it 

to Washington, where it was identified as S. fihoebe by Dr. Chas. W. Richmond. Slate-colored Sparrow. (Passerella i. schislacea). A female sparrow taken by myself at Millard's Canyon on Feb. x, 9ox is identified, also by Dr. Richnond, as belonging to this subspecies. One other, also a female, taken by myself at I,os Angeles and recorded by Grinnell in his 'List of Birds of the Pacific Slope of Los Angeles Co.,' is I believe, the only one heretofore recorded from this part of the state. Another sparrow, a male,taken at Los Angeles Nov. 24,9oo is describedby the same authority as the last, as intermediate between Passerella iliaca and P. i. schistac. ea. This bird is rather sparsely spotted un- derneath, the throat and abdomen being immaculate, and the spots are of a brighter fox red than in the case of /:

schistacea or P. i. unalaschcenszS. 

Flicker. (Colafiles auralus). I secur- ed an adult female of this species at Los Angeles on Feb, 20, x9ox. It was feeding in a pepper tree in company with several Red-shafted Flickers and was rather wild, in fact I had consider- able difficulty in getting close enough to it to get a shot. Besides these stragglers from the north and east, I have seen all through the past winter birds more or less com- monin the higher mountains, 'but rare or unknown at an altitude as l(w as the city of Los Angeles. On Nov. t 4, 9oo I shot a female Williamsoh's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus lhyroideus),' on Feb. 2, x9ox a female Townsend's Solitaire (3),adesles lownsendi) and on Feb. x8 a male Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius nuchalls). All these birds were feeding in pepper trees and within 50 yards of the same place. For the last two months Cassin's Purple Finch (Carpodacus cassini) has been quite abundant, feeding in pepper and willow trees. Nearly all that I have seen have had the plumage of the lower parts badly stained and gummed together, being often nearly black on the throat and breast. Last week, April x5, I saw a flock of about two dozen Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus). feeding in some tall mustard, clinging to the top of the stems. I shot three and when I passed the spot sev- eral hours later the flock wasstill busily feeding. The three that I shot had their crops filled with plant lice, with which the wild mustard seed is covered. It struck me as rather an unusual diet for these birds. H.S. Los Ingeles, Ual., April 22, 'o. Harry R. Taylor made an interesting take on April 4 of Whitc-tailed Kite . We say "interesting," inasmuch as Mr. Taylor mentions that his pulse registered 4 o beats per minute when he reached lerra _firma/ Verily the spirit of olden days has not forsaken H. R.T