April, 1886.] 
AND OOLOGIST. 51 



-and actions of some of the birds seemed to indi- 
cate the approach of the breeding season. Blue 
Jays were conspicuous in this respect and Brown- 
headed Nuthatches, Yellow-shatted Flickers and 
Mockingbirds all showed a change in their man- 
ner toward each other. On the last day of the 
month I saw one of the Shrikes, which I men- 
tioned as driving a Mockingbird about in Decem- 
ber, fly from an old nest in this grove, and on 
examination found that a few new materials had 
been added. Last year this pair had a nest well 
advanced on the first day of January, though on 
account of stormy weather which delayed their 
work the first egg was not laid until Feb. 12th. 
This species frequently selects and rebuilds an old 
nest in which to breed. 

List of Birds Observed in the Vicini- 
ty of Santa Barbara, Cal., Dur- 
ing the Year 1885. 

READ BEFORE THE SANTA BARBARA SOCIETY 
OF NATURAL HISTORY, JAN. 26, 1886. 
BY CLARK P. STREATOR. 
(The nomenclature is that of the Smithsonian Check List, 
by R. Ridgway, 1881.) 
Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni, 
Thrush). Common winter resident. 
Merula migratoria propinqua, (Western Robin). 
Winter resident. More abundant during a year 
when there is plenty of rain-fall; sometimes, how- 
ever, they can be seen in flocks of hundreds. 
Hesperocichla nevia, (Varied Robin). Rare 
winter visitor. I have never collected but two 
specimens of this beautiful thrush. 
Mimus polyglottus, (Mockingbird). Resident. 
This charming songster is beginning to be found 
quite common in our gardens and orchards. I 
have never found its nest. 
Harporhynchus redivivus, (Californian Thrash- 
er). Common resident in wild places. Breeds. 
This thrush is a very fine singer. 
Cinclus mexicanus, (American Water Ouzel): 
_Rare. A few specimens of this bird have been 
observed high up in the mountain canons. 
Sialia mexicana, (Californian Bluebird). Resi- 
dent. More common in winter than in summer. 
Breeds. 
Phainopepla nitens, (Black-crested Flfcatcher). 
Summer resident, not common. Breeds. 
Polioptila plumbea, (Plumbeous Gnatcatcher). 
Common winter resident. These little birds are 
most always found in company with the flocks 
of Least Tits. 
Regulus calendula, (Ruby-crowned Kinglet). 
These fearless little birds are an abundant winter 
PART I. 

(Olive-backed 
resident, and when seen they are most always 
busy catching insects from the bark of trees. 
Chamea fasciata, (Ground Tit). Common resi- 
dent. Breeds. 
Lophophanes inornatus, (Plain Titmouse). Not 
common. I have found it in all seasons except 
summer. I think then it only goes back from the 
coast into the interior valleys to breed. 
Psaltriparus minimus, (Least Tit). 
resident. Breeds. 
nests last season. 
Abundant 
I found as many as forty 
Sitta carolinensis aculeata, (Slender-billed Nut- 
hatch). Rare spring migrant. 
Salpinctes obsoletus, (Rock Wren). 
and fall migrant. 
Rare spring 
Thryomanes bewicki spilurus, (Californian Be- 
wick’s Wren). Resident through the winter 
months. 
Troglodytes aedon parkmanni, (Western House 
Wren). Abundant summer resident. Breeds. 
This wren is the most common of any of the 
birds found in this locality. 
Telmatodytes palustris paludicola, (Tule Wren). 
Common winter resident about tules and marshes. 
Anthus ludovicianus, (American Titlark). A 
very common winter resident along the seashore. 
Helminthophaga ruficapilla, (Nashville Warbler). 
Rare. I have observed but one specimen. 
Helminthophaga celata, (Orange-crowned Warb- 
ler), A rare migrant. 
Dendreca estiva, (Summer Yellow Bird). Com- 
mon summer resident. Breeds. 
Dendreca auduboni, (Audubon’s Warbler). A 
very abundant winter resident. They are very 
beneficial to fruit growers, destroying more in- 
sects than any other species found in this locality. 
Dendraca townsendi, (Townsend’s Warbler). 
Rare migrant; only seen occasionally. 
Geothlypis trachas, (Maryland Yellow-throat). 
Common resident. Breeds; but I could never 
succeed in finding its nest, as it breeds in the tules 
where no small nest can be easily found. 
Icteria virens longicauda, (Long-tailed Chat). 
Not common as a summer resident. Breeds. 
pusillus, (Black-capped Yellow 
Warbler). Rare. I shot one specimen, a very 
fine plumaged male. This is the only one I have 
known to be found in this locality. 
Vireosylvia gilva swainsoni, (Western Warbling 
Vireo). Resident. More common in winter. 
Breeds. I found one nest in a live oak tree that 
was composed of lichens and contained five 
young ones, only a day or two old. 
Mytodioctes 
Lanius ludovicianus robustus, (Long-billed 
Shrike). Common winter resident, but the greater 
