196 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA 
chrysops’’ Pallas 1811, is also preferable to savanna Wilson, who seems to 
have given the name by mistake for the doubtful ‘‘ £. savanarum”’ of Gmelin. 
If Sandwichensis is retained, there can be little doubt as to adopting also 
Gmelin’s ‘‘Turdus Aonalaschke ’’ founded on the ‘‘ Aonalaska thrush,’’ as this 
was called the ‘‘Sandwich or Aonalaska Bunting.’? The chances for confu- 
sion to have arisen in Gmelin’s classification, are more than two to one in 
this case of the Bunting, above those likely to occur in his naming a bird 
Turdus. (See T. nanus). 
P. (S. var.) auaupINus—Skylark Sparrow—p. 181. The original type of 
this variety was from ‘‘ California’’ (probably Bodega), and therefore repre- 
sents the race so near var. savanna, which was first identified with it by Prof. 
Baird, and not the more inland, paler and smaller race, which he has so named 
in his latest work. As, however, all the races are admitted to intergrade 
together, it is perhaps not improper to give the name to the extreme variety, 
and to consider the California birds as linking it with var. anthinus, which 
seems to be his latest opinion. The measurements I gave from fresh speci- 
mens, as well as the new figures of heads given by him in N. A. Birds, show 
how uncertain are characters based on size to distinzuish even the local races. 
P. (S. var.) aNtHINus—Titlark Sparrow—p. 183. Though Bonaparte’s type 
was said to be from Kodiak I., Alaska, Prof. Baird has only recognized one 
young bird ‘‘of var. Sandwichensis approaching var. anthinus,’’ from there, 
and none from the main-land of Alaska, referring all to var. alaudinus, including 
Dall’s ‘‘P. savanna,’’ which merely goes to show that the original type was 
not a very extreme form. 
In 1872-3, in Ventura Co., I again observed the limitation of this variety to 
the salt marshes while an upland race frequented the dry, grassy hills along 
the cool sea beach, but not six miles inland, in summer. I found no nests, 
but shot a young bird newly fledged, of the latter variety, in July, which 
resembled closely the young of var. savanna described by Baird in his last 
work. 
P. rostratus—Long-billed Sparrow—p. 184. The approach of this species 
to the genus Ammodromus, recognized by Cassin and confirmed by its habits, 
shows that Passerculus (as well as Coturniculus and Centronyx) is scarcely more 
than a division of that genus, though ‘‘ A. Samuelis,”’ p. 191, is now ad- 
mitted to be a Melospiza. P. rostratus represents A. maritimus on this coast, 
while P.anthinus is the analogue of A. caudacutus. The young is thickly 
spotted on the breast like that of A. maritimus, and like the more southern 
variety guttatus. On May 26th, 1862, Ifound a nest among sand-hills close 
to the beach at San Pedro, built like that of P. savanna, and containing two 
eggs, whitish, thickly speckled nearly all over with brown. Though I did 
not see the bird, there was no other in the vicinity that was likely to have 
owned them except this species. Mr. Dunn has since found a nest at San 
Diego, two feet up in Saltcornia, and with three such eggs, measuring 0.80 by 
0.60. 
CHONDESTES GRAMMACA—Lark Finch—p. 193. A few of this species winter 
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