NEW BIRDS FROM LOWER CALIFORNIA. 73 



NEW BIRDS FROM LOWER CALIFORNIA, MEXICO. 



BY ALFRED W. ANTHONY. 



About one hundred and fifty miles south of the United 

 States boundary, and midway between the Pacific Ocean 

 and Gulf of California, lies a high range of mountains, 

 which is marked upon the later maps of the peninsula as 

 ' ' San Pedro Martir." The region embraces a series of small 

 ranges which rise from an elevated mesa, having a mean 

 elevation of about 8,000 feet, and an extent of sixty by 

 twenty miles. In these mountains are born the only streams 

 that this part of the peninsula afi*ords, and an abundance 

 of pine timber is found throughout the region. Many of 

 the ranges on the eastern side of the San Pedro Martir rise 

 to an elevation of 11,000 feet, or even, in one or two places, 

 to 12,500 (?) feet. 



Arising as the region does from the dry, barren hills of 

 the lower country to an elevation higher than any other on 

 the peninsula or in Southern California, and presenting in 

 its alpine vegetation and clear mountain streams features 

 so different from the dry manzanita and sage-covered hills 

 of the surrounding country, it is not unnatural to suppose 

 that its animal life would be found to differ in some respects 

 from that of the surrounding hills. It was not, however, 

 until 1 had been in Lower California over two years that I 

 was able to visit the locality and give it a little of the at- 

 tention that it deserves. 



During the latter part of April and the first of May of the 

 present year (1889) my friend, Mr. Charles H. Townsend, 

 and myself spent two weeks in exploring the higher ranges 

 of this region, and although tlie results of our trip are very 

 flattering, we were by no means able to complete the work. 

 About one hundred birds were taken, yielding the following- 

 new forms, and others w^ill perhaps prove entitled to separa- 

 tion wdien w^e have secured a larger series. 



2d Ser., Vol. II. [ 6 ] October 11, 1889. 



