520 SwARTH, California Forms of Psaltriparus. [oct. 



fall plumage, are distinctly referable to the Sierran subspecies, 

 californicus. The peculiar interest attaching to this occurrence 

 lies in the fact that with certain other California birds comparable 

 to the bush-tits in local divisions and distribution, we find at the 

 extreme southern Sierras the southern California (San Diegan 

 district) representative, rather than the more northern form. Two 

 of the California towhees (Pipilo maculatus megalonyx and P. 

 crissalis senicula), and a thrasher {Toxostoma redivivum pasaden- 

 ense), are examples in point. In fact, from the preponderance of 

 southern California forms in this region, the latest published map of 

 the faunal areas of California (Grinnell, 1913, Plate XVI) shows the 

 San Diegan district as extending northeast into southern Tulare 

 County. With the bush-tits, however, the San Diegan representa- 

 tive, minimus, appears to be closely confined to the region west 

 from, and inclusive of, the coastal ranges. Examples at hand from 

 Fort Tejon and Mount Pinos are clearly minimus, apparently the 

 northeastern extreme reached by the subspecies in this region. The 

 Piute Mountain birds described above, are just as clearly californi- 

 cus. These two stations are approximately sixty miles apart, and 

 are apparently the two points at which the subspecies minimus and 

 californicus most closely approach one another in this part of the 

 state. The intervening region is mostly barren desert, unfitted to 

 the species. 



There are five immature birds at hand from Carroll Creek, Inyo 

 County, this apparently indicating the northern limit of californicus 

 on the eastern slope of the Sierras. Collecting was carried on at 

 points immediately to the' northward, where only plumheus was 

 found. 



Psaltriparus plumbeus (Baird). 



Type locality. — Little Colorado River, Arizona. 



Range in California.— Desert region of the southeastern portion 

 of the state, in Mono, Inyo, and northern San Bernardino counties. 

 A discontinuous range, being confined to the Upper Sonoran zone 

 of the various desert mountain chains and the east slope of the 

 Sierra Nevada, these tracts being separated by vast expanses of 

 Lower Sonoran, uninhabited by the species. Has been found in the 

 Providence Mountains, on New York Mountain (at the east end 



