192 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA 
Although the nest and eggs of this variety may have led to its correct 
affiliation with ‘‘Swainsonii,’’ they are not always reliable in this genus, if Dr. 
Coues is right in stating that 7. fuscescens sometimes lays spotted eggs, and 
builds either on the ground, in bushes, or in trees! (Birds of the Northwest, 
1874). If afew more of the best marked distinctions become broken down 
by future observations, we may yet find that all the six races now divided into 
two or three species must be combined in one (a ‘‘ 7. parvus Seligmann, 
1775”’?). 
T. Aticrm? Baird—Alice’s Thrush—In a note given by me in the ‘‘ Nat. 
Hist. of Wash. Terr.,’’ 1860, Zool. p. 171, I stated that I had seen two 
thrushes there in December and March, quite unlike ustulatus, which I then 
knew to be a summer visitor only. I compared them to Wilson’s plate of 
* solitarius ’’ (var. Swainsoni ?), and Swainson’s of ‘‘ minor”? (var. Pallassi ?), 
but neither is at all likely to winter so far north. ‘‘ Their color was a very 
dark brown, without a tint of olive, and the breast more thickly marked with 
spots of the same color, large and round.’’ This agrees so nearly with Baird’s 
description of the winter plumage of Alicie (then unknown), that they may 
be considered either to have been Alaskan specimens of that bird (not since 
seen in the U. S. in winter), or stragglers from Asia of a foreign species. 
HaRPORHYNCHUS REDIVIVUS—California Thrasher—p. 16. Eggs laid in a 
nest at Saticoy, Ventura Co., May 26th, hatched in 13 days. The length 
given in the text referred to, as 1.10, should be 1.20. The iris, colored yel- 
low in many copies of the Cal. Ornith., is really brown, as in all the Califor™ 
nian species. i 
POLIOPTILA CHRULEA—Blue-Gray Flycatcher—p. 35. Can this be the ‘‘ Syl- 
vicola cerulea,’’ quoted by Townsend and Audubon from the Columbia River? 
That species is not now found west of long. 100°, while the above migrates 
north as far as the southern branches of the Columbia at least. 
LopHOPHANES INoRNATUS—Plain Crested Titmouse—p. 42. A curious rela- 
tionship to Chamea is shown in the tail-feathers of this species, which, under 
oblique light, show many dark bars above, as in that bird. The same char- 
acter has recently been ascertained in Melospiza, and is quite apparent in 
some of var. Heermanni : also in species of Peucea. 
SALPINCTES OBSOLETUS—Rock-Wren—p. 64. The eggs described were so 
much more reddish than authentic examples from farther south described by 
others, that they may have belonged to the western House-Wren. 
THRYOTHORUS SPILURUS—-Bewick’s Wren—p. 69. The nest described was 
so different from that of 7. Bewickii, that I was induced to consider the bird 
a distinct species; but as I find that northward it builds in hollow trees, 
houses, etc., I must suppose that it merely took some other bird’s old nest, 
for want of such accommodations. 
TROGLODYTES (DON, var.) PARKMANNI—Western House-Wren—p. 71. The 
references to ‘‘ 7’. Americanus Aud.’’ as from Oregon, by Audubon, Gambel, 
and Nuttall, were no doubt based on this variety, which is of about the same 
size, and was not distinguished until five years years later. Gambel, in re- 
