202 bulletin: museum of comparative ZOOLOCxY. 



must regularly winter at this place, for in the autumn of 1887 Mr. Frazar 

 found Tule Wrens in immense numbers both here and at Santiago. They 

 evidently came from the north, the vanguard of the flight arriving on Septem- 

 ber 21 (a single bird was seen on the 14th), but the bulk not until October 

 19, after which their numbers increased slowly but steadily up to November 

 4, when they simply swarmed in the patches of tall rushes and tules along the 

 river. They were particularly abundant at Santiago, on November 22. A 

 very few were seen at San Jose del Rancho in December, but none about La 

 Paz in January, February, or March. To the northward Mr. Bryant has ap- 

 parently met with only two specimens, both on Santa Margarita Island. 



C jj. paludicola is very common, coastwise, in California wherever it can find 

 suitable haunts. It is resident i(i the southern and central parts of the State 

 and it winters sparingly as far north as Washington and Oregon, while its 

 breeding range extends into British Columbia. It is said to migrate as far 

 south as Guatemala. 



Cistothorus palustris plesius Obeeh. 

 Western Marsh Wren. 



(?) Telmatodytes palustris paludicola (not Cistothorus palustris paludicola Baird) 

 Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., V. 188.3, 546 (San Jose' del Cabo). 



(?) Cistothorus palustris paludicola (not of Baird) Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 

 2d ser., IL 1889, 316 (San Jose' del Cabo). 



Cistothorus palustris plesius Obeeholser, Auk, XIV. 1897, 186-193 (orig. descr. ; 

 types from New Mexico and Utah; typical examples from Miraflores). 



Mr. Oberholser says ^ that " very typical specimens of plesius have been 

 taken at Miraflores, Lower California," but at what season he does not state. 

 The large series of Marsh Wrens collected by Mr. Frazar at San Jose del Cabo 

 includes representatives of this race and paludicola in about equal numbers. 

 Which of the two birds — if either — is resident in the Cape Eegion I have 

 no means of judging. Nor have I seen enough breeding specimens of either 

 to form any definite opinion as to the value and constancy of the char- 

 acters by which they have been separated. I may say in this connection, how- 

 ever, that I have a number of skins apparently typical of plesius which were 

 obtained by Mr. L. M. Turner late in April, at Seattle, Washington, and hence 

 practically on the Pacific coast, where, if I understand the case correctly, 

 paludicola should be the breeding form, for plesius, according to Mr. Ober- 

 holser, breeds ouly in the interior. 



1 Auk, XIV. 1897, 192. 



