78 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 7 



he was unable to locate, and that Mr. Anthony on two or three occasions 

 found families of young that were still fed by their parents, on the beach 

 near Oceanside (Auk xxiii. 1906. 149). The principal breeding grounds of 

 this bird, however, have not been located up to the present time, but are prob- 

 ably on some part of the Lower California coast that has not been thoroughly 

 worked by ornithologists. 



C. B. Linton took a female at Alamitos Bay, Los Angeles County. August 

 18, 1908 (Condor x, 1908, 239), and I saw two birds at Hyperion, Los Angeles 

 County, August 20, 1910. These were probably some of the earliest arrivals, 

 as the species does not become common until September. G. F. Breninger 

 took one bird of a pair seen on San Clemente Island in February, 1903 (Auk 

 XXI, 1904, 223), and A. W. Anthony noted them on the same island in Sep- 

 tember (Auk XXIII, 1906, 149). J. H. Bowles finds them common in winter 

 around the docks at Santa Barbara (Auk xxviii, 1911, 174). 



259. (546a) Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus Swainson. West- 

 ern Grasshopper Sparrow. 



Fairly common resident, locally, in various parts of southern California, 

 but, owing to its secretive habits, easily overlooked. More widely distributed 

 in winter. Irregular in its breeding habits ; may be found nesting commonly 

 in a locality one year and entirely absent the next. H. W. Henshaw recorded 

 it as breeding on the coast near Santa Barbara in 1875 (Ann. Rep. Ch. Eng. 

 {J. S. Geol. Surv., 1876, App. JJ, 241), and J. H. Bowles found it a common 

 summer resident of the same locality. During the summer of 1910. he secured 

 a set of five eggs and noted several nests containing young (Condor xiii, 1911. 

 85). J. S. Appleton finds it a fairly common resident of the Simi Valley, Ven- 

 tura County. He took four eggs, advanced in incubation. May 11, 1896, and 

 five eggs, half incubated. May 15, the same year. J. E. Law has found it 

 rather common in summer in a section of the San Fernando Valley, Los An- 

 geles County. April 5, 1908, he took an adult female whose oviducts con- 

 tained a fully formed egg. I noted several pairs of birds, all apparently nest- 

 ing, in a barley field near Gardena, Los Angeles County, in May and June, 

 1910. On June 2, I found a nest which contained four nearly full-grown 

 young birds (Condor xii, 1910, 204). During the summer of 1911, I visited 

 this place several times, but failed to find any signs of the birds. L. H. 

 Miller has found young just able to fiy at Riverside, and F. O. Johnson took 

 an adult female at Beaumont, Riverside County, April 23, 1889 (Swarth, 

 Condor xii, 1910, 108). L. Belding noted the species near San Diego in 

 spring (Land Bds. Pac. Dist, 1890, 146). 



260 (552a) Chondestes grammacus strigatus Swainson. Western 

 Lark Sparrow. 



Common resident of the foothill and mesa country, rare along the coast. 

 Occasional in summer up to 7000 feet in the mountains. Particularly plenti- 

 ful in orchards, gardens and parks, where it nests in fruit trees, hedges and 

 shrubbery. Breeds most commonly from the latter part of April through May. 

 W. M. Pierce took four partially incubated eggs near Claremont, Los Angeles 



