^"iScis^l ^li'-'^R^'s. Two New Birds from Sanln Barbara Ids. 263 



different from any of the American Shrikes, and is apparently 

 closely related to Z. algcriensis. 



Remarks. — The Santa Barbara Island Shrike appears to be 

 fairly common on San Clemente and Santa Cruz Islands of this 

 group ; but all who have seen it regard it as one of the wildest of 

 birds. On his visits to San Clemente, in 18S8 and 1889, Mr. 

 Townsend was unable to obtain a specimen. In 1894, Mr. 

 Anthony and myself procured a single one — with difficulty, 

 although Shrikes were seen daily. At night, when we went out 

 to shoot bats, Shrikes would dash about us, uttering loud, harsh 

 screams, different from the voices of any Shrikes I have heard 

 elsewhere. In the daytime they never permitted us to come within 

 range of them. 



Mr. Joseph Grinnell carefully explored Santa Barbara and San 

 Nicolas islands, in the spring of 1897, without finding this species ; 

 but, on San Clemente Island, made the following observation : ^ 

 " This bird was without question the shyest and hardest to be 

 secured of any on the island. Indeed it was as shy as any hawk 

 I ever saw. It was tolerably common ; that is, two or three could 

 be generally seen during an hour's walk. There was a pair in the 

 neighborhood of the windmill where we were camping, and nearly 

 every morning a little after daybreak the male would perch either 

 on the windmill or on the topmost twig of a brush pile on the 

 opposite side of the ravine, and utter its defiant shrike notes. 

 The rustle of the tent door or the click of a gun lock, however, 

 was sufficient to send him up over the ridge, not to appear again 

 for hours. On April 2, I found a nest and succeeded, after lying 

 in ambush for a long time, in securing the female bird. The 

 nest was in a small bush growing out from the side of a caiion, 

 and was composed mostly of sheep wool, with an admixture of 

 weed stems and grasses. Five slightly incubated eggs constituted 

 the set. They are not different from eggs of true L. l. gambeli of 

 the mainland, and measure: .97 X .72 [inch], .96 X .72, .95 X .71. 

 •95 ^ -73' -96 X -72. During our last visit, Vlx. Horace Gaylord 

 secured another adult female and a juvenile, and I took another 

 juvenile, making four specimens in all obtained.'- This Shrike is 



' Publication I, Pasadena Academy of Sciences, August, 1897, pp. 19, 20. 

 ^ Mr. Grinneli kindly placed these specimens at my disposal. 



