April, 1919] Subspecies of Passerculus Rostratiis 351 



cuius rostratus guttatus as one could ask for; in fact, they are 

 difficult to distinguish at all, except that the type is somewhat 

 duller, possibly from age. Several others of this same series 

 are exceedingly close. One example, No. 9006-1, U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., taken at San Jose del Cabo, Lower California, January 

 20, 1883, is intermediate between the present race and Passer- 

 culus rostratus halophilus* (which, indeed, is a perfectly good 

 subspecies, but it is nearer the present form. 



From these facts it is evident that Passerculus rostratus 

 sanctorum Ridgway becomes a synonym of Passerculus rostratus 

 guttatus, which disposition, it is interesting to note, is the same 

 as that originally made by Mr. Ridgway himself, who really 

 intended to discredit Passerculus sanctorum Coues MS., but 

 inadvertently gave it nomenclatural status. f The reverse 

 side of the labels of the two original specimens of Passerculus 

 sanctorum bear in Mr. Ridgway 's handwriting "P. guttatus 

 Lawr. ! (R. R.). " A further light on the history of these speci- 

 mens is furnished by the subsequent notation by Dr. Coues 

 on the back of the label of the specimen which was not chosen 

 as the type, underneath what Mr. Ridgway had written, 

 which reads as follows: "Scarcely! stet sanctorum — C." 



The Juvenal plumage and that of the first autumn are, 

 in so far as the upper parts and pectoral streaks are concerned, 

 much more brownish than adults, and much more closely 

 resemble Passerculus rostratus rostratus. Indeed, occasional 

 specimens are difficult to distinguish. 



Mr. H. B. Kaeding has recorded J Passerculus rostratus 

 rostratus as occurring on the San Benito Islands on July 14, 

 1897, and at San Juanico Bay, June 12, 1897. The former 

 record certainly refers to Passerculus rostratus guttatus, being 

 from the breeding region of this form, but the bird from San 

 Juanico Bay, which is some distance south of Abreojos Point 

 on the western coast of Lower California, is most probably 

 the same as Passerculus rostratus halophilus. A series of 17 

 specimens taken by Mr. E. J. Brown at Sunset Beach, Orange 

 County, California, from November 13, 1916, to January 31, 

 1917, and at Anaheim Landing, Orange County, California, 

 October 5, 1916, some of which are perfectly typical, others 



* For the characters distinguishing this siibspecies, cf. postea, p. 353. 

 t Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V, April 3. 1883, pp. 538-539. 

 X Condor, VII, September, 1905, p. 135. 



