^ 6 nl ] General Notes. 26$ 



The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher has not been seen in Maine before in spring, 

 and has been positively identified in the State but once before. 1 — 

 Nathan Clifford Brown, Port/and, Me. 



Southern California Bird Notes. — The following notes on birds observed 

 in the vicinity of San Bernardino, Cal., have been kindly furnished me by 

 my friend Mr. R. B. Herron of Ferndale, Cal. 



Callipepla californica vallicola + C. gambeli deserticola Sle/>//e//s. — 

 Mr. Herron has recently received a fine pair (£ and ° ) of hybrids between 

 the above two species. They were shot near Hesperia, Cal., about Dec. 

 20, 1895, out of a flock of seven or eight, presumably the same brood. Mr. 

 Herron some time since took a pair of hybrids in the Colorado Desert 

 which were described by Mr. Henshaw in the Nuttall Bulletin; he also 

 shot a mated pair at Palm Springs, Cal., in the Colorado Desert, of which 

 the male was deserticola and the female vallicola ; these were nesting. 

 The following is a description of the male hybrid : Crown brown as in 

 deserticola ; 'eck-feathers with heavy shaft-lines as in vallicola but no 

 white dotting ; fore part of breast with faint shaft-lines like deserticola : 

 pectoral spot very light buff — lighter than in vallicola — with faint 

 scalings. Spot on belly small and light brown, feathers with heavy 

 scalings. Sides and flanks as in deserticola. 



Syrnium occidentale. — My friend, Mr. E. F. Lane of Azusa, Cal., took a 

 fine female in Little Tejunga Canon, Cal., in June, 18SS. Mr. Herron 

 shot a pair near Banning, Cal., in September, 1895. No less than five 

 specimens were taken in 1S94 and 1S95 in the canons back of Pasadena, 

 Cal. 



Icterus parisorum. — Mr. Herron shot a fine male in Reche Canon, six 

 miles from San Bernardino, Cal., April 1, 1895. 



Pipilo chlorurus. — A number of these birds wintered in the low lands 

 along the Santa Ana River near San Bernardino; specimens were taken 

 in January and February by Mr. H. E. Wilder. 



Phainopepla nitens. — A small flock of these birds also passed the 

 winter in the Santa Ana River bottom. — E. C. Tirrber, Alhambra, 

 Cal. 



Merrem's Work. — This is a rare book, which can hardly if at all be 

 found in this country ; it is usually quoted at second hand, as in the 

 instance of Passerella iliaca, in the new A. O. U. Check-List, where the 

 title is given in German, with the date "1786-87." I handled the Latin 

 edition in London in 1884. The full title and collation areas follows: 



1786. Merrem, B. — Avivm | rariorvm et minvs cognitarvm | Icones 

 et Descriptiones | collectae j et e Germanicis Latinae factae | a Blasio 

 Merrem, | Ph. D. Phys. et Math, in Reg. Dvisbvrgensi Acad. P. P. O. | 

 Soc. R. Scient. Gotting. Litterar. Commerc. ivneto. | — | Fascicvlvs 



1 See Bulletin Nutt. Orn. Club, V, pp. 236-37. 



