1917 BIRDS OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ISLANDS 85 



153. Pipilo maculatus clementae Grinnell 



San Clemente Towhee 



Pipilo meyalonyx (/) Cooper, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., iv, 1870, p. 78. (.i) Cooper, Land 

 Birds Calif., 1870, p. 242. 



Pipilo maculatus megalonyx (3) Belding, Land Birds Pac. Dist., 1890, p. 171. ( '/ ) Town- 

 send, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xiii, 1890, p. 140. (J) Grinnell, Auk, xv, 1898, )). 284. 



Pipilo clementae {6) Grinnell, Auk, xiv, 1897, p. 294. (7) Grinnell, Pasadena Acad. Sci., 

 I, 1897, p. 19. (S) Grinnell, Pac. Coast Avif., 3, 1902, p. 58. (9) Linton, Condor, x, 

 1908, p. 85. 



Pipilo maculatus clementae (10) A. O. U. Committee, Auk, xvi, 1899, p. 120. (11) Ridg- 

 way, Birds North & Mid. Am., i, 1901, p. 418. (12) Mearns, Bull. IT. S. Nat. Mus., 

 i.vi, 1907, p. 141. (13) Richardson, Condor, x, 1908, p. 68. (//,) A. O. U. Check-list, 

 3d ed., 1910, p. 280. (15) Willett, Pac. Coast Avif., 7, 1912, p. 87. (ti!) Grinnell, 

 Pac. Coast Avif., 8, 1912, p. 22. ill) Grinnell, Pac. Coast Avif., 11, 1915, p. 133. 



P[ipilo']. mlaculatus]. dementis (IS) Coues, Key N. Am. Birds, 5th ed., 1903, p. 460. 



P[ipilo'\. m^aculatusl. clementae (19) Bailey, Handb. Birds West. U. S., 2d ed., 1904, p. 

 366. (20) Reed, N. Am. Birds' Eggs, 1904, p. 270. (21) Swarth, Condor, xv, 1913, p. 

 168. 



Common resident of San Clemente, Santa Catalina and Santa Rosa islands. 

 Originally described by J. Grinnell (6) from a male taken on San Clemente Isl- 

 and, March 31, 1897. It differs from megalonyx in being slightly larger, especi- 

 ally the bill and feet, and with lower back and rump grayer. C. B. Linton (.9) 

 says that the birds are common near Mosquito Harbor, San Clemente Island. In 

 October, 1907, they were shaking the twigs of the wild cherry trees and then 

 flying down to feed on the fallen frnit. They practically do not occur on the 

 western end of the island, for during a three weeks stay, a single call note from 

 a dense patch of cactus was all that D. R. Dickey, L. ]M. Huey and I saw or heard 

 of tbem. 



T have found them in some numbers on Catalina during April. In the early 

 mornings the males will mount some bush and send forth their characteristic 

 note by the hour, but later in the day they scratch among the leaves in the shade 

 of the bushes. Here they are rather hard to locate, and unless approaclied with 

 due caution, will dive into the bush and become hopelessly lost in tlie scrub on 

 the other side. R. M. Perez (15) took three sets of eggs here from April 13 to 16, 

 1911, in which incubation was advanced. 



A single bird was reported from Santa Barl)ara Island by J. G. Cooper (/). 

 If correct in regard to the locality of the specimen, it must have been a straggler 

 either from Catalina or Santa Cruz. If from the latter island, it would of course 

 be referable to the next form. Reported as not rare on Santa Rosa. A. van Ros- 

 sem (MS) tells me that the note of the towhees on San Clemente has none of the 

 querulous upward inflection of that of mcgalonux, and is shorter and more in- 

 sistent. I have also been impressed by the unusual tone of the notes of this form 

 on Catalina. 



154. Pipilo maculatus megalonyx Baird 



San Diego Towhee 

 Pipilo maculatus var. megalonyx (1) Henshaw, Rep. Wheeler Surv., 1876^ p. 247. 



