268 Dr. E. Coues. — From Arizona tu the Pacific. 



paired. But, then, it was not so astonishing after all ; for in 

 the garden of Southern California, even in November, 1 plucked 

 ripe oranges and lemons from the trees, and ate figs and olives 

 and luscious grapes grown in the open air, while the atmosphere 

 was balmy as a May morning at home. 



To my surprise and gratification, I was here enabled to study 

 no less than three species of the difficult group of Passerculi, all 

 of which I found very abundant. P. rostratus kept among the 

 thick weeds of the dry plain, being much on the ground, where 

 it runs as easily as a Pipilo, and often flying up into the bushes 

 and resting quietly so that it could be readily shot. It associates 

 freely with both the other species ; and I have seen great num- 

 bers sunning themselves and catching flies on the piles of lumber 

 that lay on the wharf, when they were so tame that I could have 

 struck them with an ordinary cane. P. arithinus seemed confined 

 to the moist salt grass and sedgy weeds of the seashore itself. 

 When with difficulty it was flushed, its flight was very rapid and 

 irregular; and it would alight again almost immediately, and 

 run with great celerity among the roots of the thick grasses. 

 It was thus exceedingly difficult to procure. P. alaudirius was 

 common two or three miles away from the coast, but on the 

 seashore itself I never found one mixing with P. anthinus ; 

 it is a brush- and weed- rather than a grass-species. I found 

 it associating with Anthus luduvicianus and Zunotrichia coronata. 



Regarding the specific relations of these Passerculi, I may 

 state that P. rostratus difi^ers so widely as to almost merit 

 generic distinction. Of the two others. P. anthinus seems 

 tolerably distinct, in its much darker colours, bright yellow 

 about the head, and very numerous, distinct, dark coloured 

 spots over nearly the whole lower parts, together with a some- 

 what differently shaped bill. P. aloudinus is much greyer and 

 lighter-coloured generally, with a grey rather than yellow 

 superciliary streak, and few sparsely distributed light-grey 

 spots beneath. These points, taken into consideration with the 

 differences of habit above noted, and the fact that, though thus 

 found in the same localities, they constantly preserve their 

 peculiarities, are perhaps sufficient to establish specific diversity. 

 I must candidly confess, however, that I cannot satisfactorily 



