THE OSPREY. 



27 



male Western Yellowthroat were also secured. The 

 following birds were seen ; A small flock of ducks, 3 

 curlew, 2 small flocks of Western Willets, i Marsh 

 Hawk, I Rough-winged Swallow, several Barn Swal- 

 lows and a few sea gulls. — August 17. 



Mr. Joseph Grinnell of Pasadena writes that he 

 has received an appointment as assistant instructor in 

 biology in the Throop F^olytechnic Institute, at that 

 place ; also that he and others are about to go out 

 among the Channel Islands for sea birds. 



September 8. — No winter residents among the land 

 birds have appeared in vicinity of Alameda so far 

 this season, but local migration within a small area 

 began in July, with such birds as California Shrike, 

 Desert Sparrow Hawk, Western Redtail and others 

 coming down from the foothills. Se\eral Louisiana 

 Tanagers have appeared lately in their fall migration, 

 loitering about 

 the orchards. »'* v 



west through the lower portion of the Gulf States to 

 Texas, are the Florida Blue Jay, Cyanoiitla cristata 

 florincola." 



Cooper Ornithological Club. 



Mr. W. H. Os- 

 good, late of Cal- 

 ifornia, wrote 

 from Washing- 

 ton, D.C. recent- 

 ly, where he is 

 employed in the 

 Biological Sur- 

 vey at the Smith- 

 sonian: " am en- 

 joying life here, 

 and find time oc- 

 casionally to ob- 

 tain a few birds 

 for skins." 





^■^4 



ff* 



NEST AND EGGS OF THE HAMMONd'S FLYCATCHER. 

 PHOTOGRAPH P,V C. BARLOW. — SKK COOPER CI.UB PKOCEKDINGS 



A Correction. 

 — Having been 

 misinformed 

 in regard to the 

 locality in which 

 Mr. John W. 

 M a i 1 1 i ard's se- 

 ries of birds and 

 eggs of the Texan 

 Nighthawk were 

 taken, we wish to 

 rectify the error 

 that appear- 

 ed in this col- 

 umn in the July-August number. Mr. Mailliard says 

 none were taken in Marin County, (north of San 

 Francisco, ) and that he has never seen the birds there, 

 but that they were all taken at Paicines, 107 miles 

 south of San Francisco. 



The nesting of the Sharp-shinned Hawk in Alameda 

 County consists of a nest containing one fresh egg, 

 June 17, 1897, but they are said io breed in the Coast 

 Range Mountains. The nest was revisited on the 26th, 

 but was empty, in good condition, and the birds not 

 visible, but a party of campers were located near by. 

 The nest was well exposed to view from the bed of a 

 creek, and was about 23 feet up in a tall alder. It 

 was supported by a small limb, and partially rested 

 against the trunk of the tree. 



Concerning the mooted question : ' Does the Flor- 

 ida Blue Jay inhabit the northern part of the State, 

 or is it the Blue Jay '' R. W. Williams. Jr., of Tal- 

 lahassee, Fla., writes that Mr. Robt. Ridgway writes 

 him: "So far as I am aware, the true Cyauocitin 

 cristata does not occur in any part of Florida. All 

 Florida specimens that I have seen, as well as those 

 from Lower Georgia and South Carolina, and thence 



'J--i 



The autumn meeting of the Northern Division was 

 held at the home of C. Barlow in San Jose Septem- 

 ber 4 with sixteen members present. Vice President 

 Kaeding presiding. Three members, E. W. Currier, 

 W. S. Kittle and F. I. Atherton were dropped from 

 the Club for delinquency. A. L. Bolton of Berkeley 

 was elected to active membership. The resignation 

 of Ray L. Wilbur was accepted, due to the impossi- 

 bility of his attending meetings. A fifteen-cent 

 assessment was levied for the Northern Division. 

 Upon motion committees from both Divisions were 



appointed to 

 draft a propos- 

 ed new constitu- 

 tion and by-laws, 

 as the present 

 constitution is in- 

 adequate for the 

 work of the Club. 

 T he acceptance 

 of The cSsprev 

 to act as official 

 organ was read 

 and fi led. D. 

 A Cohen was ap- 

 pointed to act on 

 the Publication 

 Committee with 

 Mr. Barlow, \ice 

 H. R. Taylor, 

 resigned. A cor- 

 dial letter from 

 Dr. J. G. Cooper 

 of Haywards in 

 whose honor the 

 Club was named 

 was presented to 

 the meeting, and 

 the Secretary in- 

 structed to indite 

 a proper letter 

 of appreciation. 

 The report of the 

 Southern Division meeting of August 28 was read 

 and filed The program of the evening was then taken 

 up, a paper being presented by L. Percy Williams of 

 Redlands on 



NOTES ON THE 



NESTING OF THE 

 SPARROW. 



RUFOUS-crOWNED 



"The southern side of the San Bernardino Valley 

 is bounded by a long, continuous line of low hills, 

 which culminate at the eastern end in the steep Craf 

 ton Hills. These hills, almost mountains in size, 

 are much cut up by ravines and can\ons and are 

 covered by a vegetation of short, wiry bunch grass, 

 and a scattering growth of stunted bushes. In this 

 valley the Crafton Hills seem to be the nesting me- 

 tropolis of Pt'ucdii riifict'ps : in fact, it is the only place 

 where nests have been found. 



"I regret that I can say nothing in this paper on 

 the Iiahits of the bird, as it is very rarely seen and 

 most wary and difficult to approach. The food con- 

 tained in the stomachs of two females shot during 

 May consisted of alfileria seeds and small pieces of 

 some grass stem, and also coarse grains of sand and 

 small particles of gravel. 



