1915 BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA 101 
tember 17, 1897 (Littlejohn, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club, 1, 1899, p. 73) ; Monterey, 
female taken October 14, 1896 (Breninger, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club, 1, 1899, p. 
93) ; Mono Lake, a flock in September, 1901 (W. K. Fisher, Condor, rv, 1902, p. 
11); San Bruno Lake, San Mateo County, male taken between June 5 and 10, 
1911 (W. P. Taylor, Condor, xm, 1911, p. 211). 
303 (495, part) Molothrus ater artemisiae Grinnell 
Nevapa Cowsirp 
Synonyms—Melanothrus ater; Molothrus pecoris, part; Molothrus ater, 
part. 
Status—Rather rare in summer east of the Sierra Nevada, in the Modoe 
and Inyo regions: ten miles north of Alturus, Modoe County (Mus. Vert. Zool.) ; 
’ Camp Independence, Inyo County (Hoffman, Bull. U. S. Geol. & Geog. Surv. 
Terr., vi, no. 2, 1881, p. 229) ; Death Valley, Inyo County, June 20 (A. K. Fisher, 
N. Amer. Fauna no. 7, 1893, p. 73; specimen examined by me). The record from 
the ‘‘Sacramento Valley’’ (Baird, Pac. R. R. Rep., rx, 1858, p. 524) is rather 
more likely to pertain to this form than to the next. Casual visitant to the Far- 
allon Islands, June 2 (Dawson, Condor, xm, 1911, p. 181). I have examined an 
adult male specimen typical of artemisiae taken at Borego Spring, eastern San 
Diego County, April 30, 1896; this is in the Stephens collection, and with little 
doubt was a migrant. Recorded also from Yermo, Mohave Desert, June 1 to 7, 
1911 (Lamb, Condor, xtv, 1912, p. 37). 
304 (495a) Molothrus ater obscurus (Gmelin) 
Dwarr CowBirD 
Synonyms—Molothrus ater, part; Molothrus pecoris, part; Cow Blackbird. 
Status—Common in summer on the Colorado Desert, keeping in the near 
vicinity of water. Recorded all along the Colorado River north to the Nevada 
line (Hollister, Auk, xxv, 1908, p. 460; and many other records) ; northwest to 
Independence, Inyo County (Mus. Vert. Zool.) ; west to Mecca, at northwest end 
of Salton Sea (J. Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., v, 1909, p. 281) and to 
Borego Spring, San Diego County (specimen in Stephens coll. examined by me) ; 
northwest to Yermo, Mohave Desert (Lamb, Condor, xtv, 1912, p. 37). Positive- 
ly identified from vicinity of Bakersfield, Kern County (Swarth, Condor, xt, 
1911, p. 161), Buena Vista Lake, Kern County, breeding (J. Mailliard, Condor, 
xvi, 1914, p. 261), and from valley of South Fork of Kern River near Weldon 
(Mus. Vert. Zool.). A cowbird, probably of this subspecies, though not defi- 
nitely so determined, has been recorded as breeding on the Pacifie slopes of Los 
Angeles and Ventura counties (Law, Condor, x1, 1910, p. 174; Willett, Pac. 
Coast Avif. no. 7, 1912, p. 70), and as occurring in the Fresno district (Tyler, 
Pae. Coast Avif. no. 9, 1913, pp. 67-68). Oceurs in winter on the lower Colorado 
River (Daggett, Condor, rv, 1902, p. 39; Coues, Proe. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 
1866, p. 90), and northwest to Mecea (Van Rossem, Condor, xt, 1911, p. 132) ; 
also specimen (no. 21274, Mus. Vert. Zool.) from San Diego, December 10, 1911. 
