86 



Cooper on Birds of Ventura County, California. 



[April 



California, with much less variety of surface than several others 

 present. 



The following species of his list were not observed by me 

 during my residence of fourteen months at Saticoy, in 1S72-73, 

 viz. : 



Phalaenoptilus nuttnlli, 

 Trochilus alexandri, 

 Trochilus costs, 

 Empidonax hammondi, 

 Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis, 

 (Corvus americanus), 

 Poocretes gramineus confinis, 

 Phainopepla nitens, 

 Dcndroica graciae, 



Dendroica nigrescens, 

 Dendroica occidentalis, 

 Geothljpis macgillivrayi, 

 Cinclus mexicanus, 

 Oroscoptes montanus, 

 Parus atricapillus occidentalis, 

 Regulus satrapa olivaceus, 

 Mvadestes townsendii, 

 Hesperocichla naevia ; 



in all 18 species, and chiefly those frequenting the hills. 

 The Professor calls the first part of his article ''birds observed" 

 and the second part -'birds obtained" but does not positively state 

 that he preserved all the species, and a doubt therefore exists as 

 to the specific identity of a few, viz. : 



Uria troile californica, 



Larus cachinnans, 



Grus mexicana, 



Chordeiles virginianus henryi, 



Corvus americanus, 



Corvus caurinus, 

 Dendroica nigrescens, 

 Dendroica occidentalis. 

 Parus atricapillus occidentalis. 



He has also admitted at least two species which he did not 

 obtain within the county — Ptycorhamphus aleuticus and CcppJnis 

 columba, stated to be "rather common about the Santa Barbara 

 Islands," some of which belong to other counties. • In a late de- 

 scription of Ventura County, only the nearest island, Anacapa. 

 and the most distant, San Nicolas, are said to belong to it, so that 

 specimens from the other four islands would not be within its 

 political limits. 



The fact of their occurrence on the islands is, however, in 

 itself, almost positive proof of occurrence in Ventura County, 

 since they wander throughout the channel between the mainland 

 and the islands, and if not coming ashore voluntarily, are washed 

 ashore after winter storms which kill many of the old or diseased 

 sea-birds. But the same cause will also bring ashore, at times, 

 all the species known to inhabit the islands, and we may, there- 

 fore, safely add 



