112 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 7 



as belonging to any other race." Robert Ridgway says: "I have consider- 

 able difficulty in separating this form satisfactorily from E. d. difficilis, from 

 which it certainly is not more than subspecifically distinct, birds from the ex- 

 treme northern portion of Lower California and some of those from San 

 Diego County, California, being unmistakably intergrades" (Bds. N. & Mid. 

 Am. IV. 1907. 580). 



11. (498a) Agelaius phoeniceus sonoriensis Ridgway. Sonora Red- 



WINC.. 



Two males and a female taken by H. W. Marsden at Redlands, San Ber- 

 nardino County, January 22, March 28 and January 10, 1903, and a male 

 taken by the same collector at Witch Creek, San Diego County, April 13, 

 1904, considered by H. C. Oberholser to belong to this subspecies (Bishop, 

 Condor vii, 1905. 142). Now nos. 9173, 8306, 8304, 10847 collection L. B. 

 Bishop. Probably individual variation in Agelaius phoeniceus ncutralis. 



12. (16.3 Hyp. List). Icterus icterus (Linnaeus). Troupial. 



One record, that of a male taken by J. H. Bowles in Mission Caiion, near 

 Santa Barbara, April 30, 1911. The plumage of this bird, as well as the feet, 

 were in perfect condition and Mr. Bowles does not believe that it was an 

 escaped cage bird (Condor xiii, 1911, 109). The Troupial is a native of the 

 northeast coast of South America (Colombia, Venezuela, etc.), and has only 

 once previously been recorded from the United States, at Charleston, 

 South Carolina (Audubon, Bds. Am., 8vo. ed., vii, 1844, 357). The authen- 

 ticity of this old record has been generally doubted and the species has been 

 assigned to the hypothetical list by the A. O. U. Committee. While there can 

 be absolutely no doubt as to the identity of Mr. Bowles' specimen, or the 

 locality of capture, in placing the species in the hypothetical list I have been 

 governed by the old rule that "the more unlikely the occurrence, the stronger 

 should be the proof." It seems to me more probable that this specimen should 

 have escaped from confinement — probably a sufficient length of time previous 

 to the date of capture to allow its plumage and feet to regain their normal 

 condition — than that it had wandered so great a distance as from its normal 

 habitat to Santa Barbara. 



13. (515b) Pinicola enucleator californica Price. California Pine Gros- 

 beak. 



According to J. \l. Bowles, this species was noted by E. S. Spaulding at 

 an elevation of nearly 3000 feet on Little Pine Mountain, Santa Barbara 

 Coimty, August 30, 1910 (Auk xxviii, 1911, 175). J. Grinnell says regard- 

 ing this record: "It is extremely unfortunate that Mr. Bowles put Pinicola 

 enucleator californica on record from southern California upon such inade- 

 quate evidence as that submitted. The occurrence of the species at any sea- 

 son at so low an elevation as 3000 feet anywhere in California is in itself excit- 

 ing of comment. But when we consider that the species has never been re- 

 corded in California south of the head of the San Joaquin River in Madera 

 or Fresno County (Fisher, N. Am. Fauna No 7, May, 1893, 79), and never. 



