Dec, 1882.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



179 



Black-cresteil Fly(ut<-lur. I niiiKt wiy that 

 my observations go to coutirm wliat Drs. 

 Cooppr and Cones have chiimed for it, they 

 being the only natnralists wlio ascribe to it 

 the power of song. 



During my stay at Santa Paula, my em- 

 ployment was such as to give me no leisure 

 time until after four o'clock in the evening, 

 except on Satm-days, so it was my custom, 

 as soon as my regular day's work was 

 ended, to saddle my broncho ami galloji up 

 the canon, where I would usually remain 

 until night-fall, observing these and other 

 birds. Two or three pairs of these Fly- 

 catchers were soon detected in their nest- 

 building, and I watched them for several 

 evenings with miich interest. Both male 

 and female worked at the nest, each bring- 

 ing and placing its own material. Great 

 caution was observed to jirevent discovery, 

 the nest most generally being approached 

 in a circuitous way. One evening, after 

 the sun had disappeared behind the low 

 mountains to the westward, a pair of these 

 birds which I was watching ceased their 

 labors, and the male, perching upon one 

 of the highest twigs of an oak near that 

 containing their nest, favored me with a 

 most interesting song which he continued 

 long after sunset, and no other Inrds could 

 be heard except the peculiar, prolonged 

 ringing note of the Ground Tit (Chnmacn 

 /(i.tohita ) from the hillside chaparral, or the 

 petulant, scolding cries of a flock of Cali- 

 fornian Quails as they gathered for the 

 night's repose among the thick foliage of a 

 neighboring live oak. The nature of the 

 song, the time and place, together with the 

 memory of certain sentences given l>y Dr. 

 Cones when writing of this bird's song, 

 made this seem to me full of sadness and 

 desolation, yet it was surely very sweet and 

 fascinating. It was a subdued, sad tone, 

 as if the musician was full of grief which 

 he did not wish the world to know. I 

 could think of nothing with which to com- 

 pare it, imless it be the lowest, most jilain- 

 tive strains of the California Thrasher 



Jl<irporln/)icliii.-{ ndiviriia). There are por 

 tions of the song which seem a little dis- 

 connected and harsh, but taken in its en- 

 tirety, it certainly entitles the bird to a 

 very high rank among the singing birds. 



Though I spent several entire Saturdays 

 among these birds, I seldom, if ever, heard 

 their song except late in the evening, and 

 I am of the opinion that it is very rarely 

 that they sing at any other time. Mr. Fred 

 Corey, who has spent some time in study- 

 ing these bii-ds during the present year, 

 writes me that he. too. has heard them 

 sintrinsf. and thus adds his testimonv in fa- 

 vor of the wonderful singing abilities of 

 Phalno'pepla nitens. — Ji. W. Eco-miin. 



Wn.iT Others Think of Us. — We often 

 get words of encouragement for our little 

 magazine, showing that our ideas of sim- 

 ple English as applied to the life histories 

 of our birds is fully appreciated. The 

 two following extracts we take from two 

 English letters received by the same mail : 



Leeds. England, Sept. 22. — " In refer- 

 ence to your paper, I cannot speak too 

 highly of it, and I shall most certainly re- 

 new mv subscription when the time comes ; 

 in fact, I look forward with great eager- 

 ness when the times approaches for its 

 becoming due." 



Stone. England. — ■• I cannot tell you 

 how much I enjoy your splendid little 

 magazine. We have nothing like it in 

 England." 



We have never received but kind words, 

 and yet our circulation is not what it 

 should be, probably because we have not 

 advertised it. being edited merely as a 

 isastime. If our present subscribers will 

 jrat their shoulder to the wheel and ask 

 their friends to subscribe, we will try our 

 liest to give them a better volume 

 next year. Volume VII will close with 

 the year 1882 by publishing an exti'a 

 number. 



Volume VI. — After this date tlu^ num- 

 bers of Volume VI. 1881, wUl be $2.00. 



