BIRDS OF THE PACIFIC DISTRICT. 249 



than that above cited, but have no doubt that it occurs 

 in San Diego County east of the mountains, as it is very 

 common about La Paz and other parts of the Cape region 

 in winter, and, like other species, extends from Cape St. 

 Lucas to the Colorado Valley and Arizona on the east 

 side of Lower California. I have not seen the perfect 

 black crown in winter, though I shot one at La Paz, 

 January 12, with crown nearly black, and recorded it as 

 it was the only one I had seen in this plumage in winter. 

 The black-crowned Polioptila that breeds in the Cape 

 region utters the same scolding, cat-like squall that the 

 San Diego bird does, a squall I have never heard P. 

 ccerulea utter. The boys at SanDiego call P. californica 

 the cat bird. 



284. Polioptila californica Brewst. BLACK-TAILED GNAT- 

 CATCHER. 



San Diego. L. B. Probably seen in December and 

 January, 1883-84, but I could not find it in February 

 and March, when there were frequent chilly rains, nor 

 did I succeed in getting a specimen until April 7, when 

 I shot a fine male. It was rare in the spring of 1884, 

 though common in April and May, 1881. Col. N. S. 

 Goss, while at San Diego, informed me that he had two 

 specimens which he shot in December, 1882, at San 

 Diego, and that he saw the species at Los Angeles March 

 6, 1884. I suppose this is the species he referred to, 

 though he named P. plumbea or P. melanura. I have 

 no doubt many P. californica winter in Lower California, 

 though I did not get an undoubted specimen in the 

 southern part of the Peninsula. I think it breeds as 

 far south at least as Santa Rosalia Bay. 



Dr. Cooper says of P. melanura (Gal. Orn): " This was 

 also a rather common bird during the whole winter at 

 Fort Mojave, as well as at San Diego, and I obtained 



