174 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 11 
set forth against it. As far as known to the writer, however, not one of the num- 
erous ‘‘introduced’’ species has secured unquestioned foothold in our fauna, ex- 
cept the English Sparrow. Even this bird is not definitely known to have been 
purposely liberated at the outset, but may have found its own way here from 
the east (see p. 111). 
No attempt has been made to catalog here all the different species, perhaps 
scores in number, that have been liberated within the state of California. A few, 
only, are included in the following list, where exact data are at hand. The im- 
portance of learning the source and history of every importation is fully realized, 
and is hereby urged upon anyone in a position to ascertain the facts, on the 
ground that, if successful from the importers’ standpoint (the exotic species 
becoming established as a member of our avifauna), profound modification of 
our originally native bird-life will inevitably follow, as regards distribution and 
even persistence of species. 
So far, the only non-native species beyond question established within the 
state, is the English Sparrow, and only this one “‘foreign’’ member of our avi- 
fauna is entered in the preceding main list. It is possible that the Ring-necked 
Pheasant, has, among all the imported game species, reached a stage of establish- 
ment where it now deserves inclusion in the main list. But this is not certain, 
and the bird is entered beyond as being still ‘‘hypothetical’’. 
HYPOTHETICAL LIST 
il () Colymbus dominicus brachypterus Chapman 
Mexican GREBE 
Synonyms—Colymbus doninicus; Podiceps dominicus; San Domingo 
Grebe. 
Status—Gambel’s alleged aseription of this species in ‘‘1847’’ to ‘‘Califor- 
nia’’, although often quoted, has been discredited (see Coues, Bull. Nutt. Orn. 
Club, 1, 1877, p. 26; J. G. Cooper, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1, 1877, p. 97). I must 
say, however, that I have failed to find any reference to this species in the papers 
published by Gambel in either the Journal or the Proceedings of the Academy 
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. I wrote to Dr. Witmer Stone of the Phila- 
delphia Academy in this regard, and he informs me that he, too, is unable to find 
any mention of this grebe in the publications of Gambel. Mr. Stone suggests 
that the possible basis of the reference of the species to California is to be found 
in Volume ix, Pac. R. R. Rep., 1858, p. 897, where it is stated that ‘‘a specimen 
in the Philadelphia Academy was obtained by Dr. Gamble [sic] on the Gulf of 
California’’. Mr. Stone says further: ‘‘I find in our collection only one Grebe 
collected by Gambel, which is labelled Monterey, and proves to be a young C. 
mgricollis califormicus.’’ Whether or not this is the bird referred to, it is obvi- 
ous that there are no good grounds for considering C. dominicus a member of 
our avifauna. The species belongs to Central America and Mexico. 
