grinda's bushtit 453 



Melaniirus in its dark slaty color is readily distinguished at any season 

 from the paler subspecies, P. m. calif ornicus ; and it is, of course, as 

 readily told from the still paler species, P. plumbeus." 



This is one of several new subspecies that have been described from 

 the Sierra San Pedro Martir region. Its known range seems to extend 

 from the United States boundary southward to about latitude 30°, and 

 from the crest of the above mountains to the sea. It occupies chiefly 

 the Upper Sonoran Life Zone but extends locally into the Transition 

 and Lower Sonoran Zones. 



It probably does not dififer materially in its habits from other adjacent 

 races of the species. J. Stuart Rov\'ley writes to me: "Near Socorro, 

 Lower California, a nest of this bird was found on April 18, 1933. The 

 nest was placed in a low bush near our camp and contained five 

 fresh eggs. The nest and habits of these birds were similar to those of 

 the California races." 



The measurements of 40 eggs average 13.7 by 10.3 millimeters; the 

 eggs showing the four extremes measure 14.8 by 10.7, 14.0 by 11.1, 

 12.8 by 10.1, and 13.4 by 9.7 millimeters. 



PSALTRIPAEUS MINIMUS GRINDAE Rldgway 

 GRINDA'S BUSHTIT 



HABITS 



Grinda's bushtit was long regarded as a distinct species, and Mr, 

 Ridgway (1904) treated it as such in his Birds of North and Middle 

 America. It was named by Lyman Belding, in his manuscript sent to 

 Mr, Ridgway, in honor of his friend Don Francisco C. Grinda, of 

 La Paz. Ridgway's (1883) original description of it is as follows: 



Entire pileum uniform light brown, or isabella-color (exactly as in some 

 specimens of P. mhtimus): side of head similar, but paler, and gradually fading 

 into white on chin and throat; remaining lower parts very pale smokj'-gray, with 

 a faint lilac tinge (exactly as in P. minimus). Upper parts light plumbeous-gray, 

 in very marked and abrupt contrast with the brown of the nape. * * * 



This pretty new species, while combining, to a certain degree, the characters 

 of P. minimum and P. plumbeus, is yet apparently quite distinct from both. In 

 the brown head and color of the under parts it agrees exactly with the former, 

 but the resemblance ends there. From the latter it differs in much whiter throat 

 and decidedly clearer, more bluish, shade of the upper parts, in both of which 

 respects there is a close resemblance to P. melanotis. The bill is very slender, like 

 that of P. plumbeus. 



The range of Grinda's bushtit seems to be limited to the Cape region 

 of Lower California, chiefly in the Upper Sonoran Zone and in the 

 mountains. William Brewster (1902) says that Mr. Frazar found it 

 "occurring almost as numerously about San Jose del Rancho as on the 



