INTRODUCTION 



In February, 1910, at the request of the Southern Division of the Cooper 

 Ornithological Club, 1 began the compilation of the paper presented herewith. 

 The first idea of the Club was to revise Grinnell's Birds of the Pacific Slope of 

 Los Angeles County, published in 1898 by the Pasadena Academy of Sciences. 

 It was finally decided, however, to extend the boundaries of the territory cov- 

 ered by that list so as to take in the Pacific slope of southern California from, 

 and including, Santa P>arbara County, to the Mexican line, and from the summit 

 of the mountains to the ocean, also including all the islands of the Santa Barbara 

 group. This territory comprises all of Santa Barbara and Ventura 

 counties, Los Angeles County south and west from the Liebre Mount- 

 ains, Sierra Pelona and Sierra San Gabriel, San Bernardino County south 

 and west from the Sierra Madre and San Bernardino ranges, all of Orange 

 County, Riverside County west from the San Jacinto Range, and San Diego 

 County west from the Volcan and Cuyamaca ranges : also the eight islands of 

 the Santa Barbara group, namely San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, 

 Santa Barbara, San Nicolas, Santa Catalina and San Clemente. In some cases 

 I have deemed it advisable to refer to records outside the limits as described 

 above in order to show certain connecting features in distribution or migration. 



By vote of the Southern Division of the Club, it was recommended that I 

 adhere closely to the nomenclature employed in the latest edition of the American 

 Ornithologists' Union Cheek-List of North American Birds, published in 1910. 

 In some instances I have been led to differ from the decisions of the A. O. U. 

 Committee, as given in the Check-List, in regard to the distribution of certain 

 species and subspecies. In such cases I have given reasons for my contrary 

 opinion. 



I have endeavored to treat conservatively all instances of unusual occur- 

 rence recorded without absolute evidence of their authenticity. Some of these 

 that have appeared to me to be most unlikely, and probably the result of mis- 

 identification, I have omitted entirely, and others whose occurrence in this 

 locality, although appearing doubtful, is supported by a certain amount of 

 apparently authentic evidence. I have assigned to the hypothetical list. 



In the case of the rarest breeding birds, I have attempted to give all, or 

 at least several, breeding records. In case of species that breed commonly, 1 

 have given the earliest and latest nesting dates that have come to my attention. 



The dates given for migration and nesting are. I believe, practically correct. 



