74 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 7 



males and two females taken by F. S. Daggett at Pasadena, December 26, 

 1898 (Hull. Cooper Orn. Club i. 1899, 51), and male taken by A. van Rossem 

 in the same locality, November 1, 1908. Adult male taken by H. E. Wilder 

 at Riverside, January 17, 1909. 



247. (521a) Loxia curvirostra stricklandi Ridgway. Mexican Cros.s- 



]!ILI.. 



Rather rare summer resident of the higher Sierra Nevadas, south to the 

 San Bernardino Range ; also on the pine-topped hills of Santa Cruz Island. 

 May occur in southern California in winter, but records are lacking for that 

 season. Although southern California breeding birds are referred by the A. 

 O. U. Check-List to the preceding form, specimens taken show that they are 

 nearer to stricklandi. J. Grinnell informs me that they are really referable 

 to L. c. hcndirci (Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash, ii, 1884, 101), a form 

 closely resembling stricklandi and not recognized by the A. O. U. Committee. 



J. Grinnell took a pair of adult birds near the summit of Mt. Pifios, A'en- 

 tura County, July 6, 1904 (Auk xxii, 1905, 385). The same collector took 

 two males and a female and saw several more birds, at an elevation of over 

 9100 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains, July 15, 1906 (Univ. Calif. Publ. 

 Zool. V, 1908, 91 ) . A. van Rossem found the species fairly common at Dry 

 Lake, San Bernardino Mountains, the same locality where Mr. Grinnell 

 secured his specimens, September 3, 1910, and took several specimens. 



A. B. Howell and A. van Rossem found this bird in some numbers in 

 the heavy timber at the summit of the hills of Santa Cruz Island, from April 

 24 to May 2, 1911, and secured four specimens. Mr. Howell believes that 

 they were breeding at the time (Condor xiii, 1911, 210). It is an extremely 

 peculiar fact that this species, which occurs on the mainland of southern Cal- 

 ifornia only on the highest mountains, never having been noted below 9000 

 feet, should prove to be a resident of Santa Cruz Island at an elevation of 

 less than 2500 feet. As Santa Cruz is the only island of the Santa Barbara 

 group that carries pine timber, it would naturally be the only island suitable 

 for the home of a bird, like the crossbill, which would seem out of place 

 anywhere except in a forest of conifers. Why it should occur in a state of 

 isolation in the very limited pine forests of Santa Cruz, when there are so 

 many localities in the mountains of the mainland that are seemingly much 

 more adapted to its needs, is a question that seems to be almost unanswer- 

 able. We shall have to regard it as one of the more striking of the many 

 strange facts that are continually being brought to the attention of the student 

 of nature. This local peculiarity of the species is paralleled by the fact that 

 it is known to occur in the pine and cypress forests of (Guadeloupe Island, ofif 

 the coast of Lower California. We may perhaps safely conclude that there 

 is something in the combination of coniferous forests and "salty" atmosphere 

 that is attractive to this bird and adapted to its necessities. 



248. (529b) Astragalinus tristis salicamans (Grinnell). Willow Gold- 

 finch. 



Abundant resident of the lowlands, south to the Mexican line. In sum- 



