268 University of California Publications in Zoology. (Vou.5 
in but slightly worn winter plumage, and although no more pre- 
’ 
cise locality than ‘‘California’’ appears on the label, I have no 
hesitancy in placing it as here indicated. The chief character 
pointed out by Baird (Pac. R. R. Rep. LX, 1858, p. 479) was its 
small size; it does not differ appreciably in size, nor in color, from 
female specimens at hand from Point Reyes and Niecasio, Maria 
County. It finds no duplicate among our series of song sparrows 
from elsewhere. Dr. C. W. Richmond, of the Division of Birds, 
National Museum, writes me that the type of M.m. gouldii was 
received (catalogued February 27, 1858) from John Gould, who 
was in the early days in the habit of obtaining specimens in ex- 
change from the London Zoological Society’s collection. The 
specimens in this collection had, in turn, been obtained from a 
variety of sources, but so far there is nothing by which to deter- 
mine the collector or locality of capture of this sone sparrow. 
The present disposition of the name gouldii has already been 
eiven by me (Pace. Coast Avifauna, no. 3, 1902, p. 55), but with- 
out characterization. This was. done in consequence of infor- 
mation given me by W. K. Fisher, who at my request compared 
specimens I sent him with the type in Washington. The fact of 
my now having the type at hand leads happily to a confirmation 
of this determination. 
Melospiza melodia saltonis, new subspecies. 
Salton Sink Song Sparrow. 
Typr.—Male adult; no. 599, Univ. Calif. Mus. Vert. Zool.; 
margin of Salton Sea, one mile southeast of Mecea, Colorado 
Desert, California; March 13, 1908; collected by C. H. Richard- 
son, Jr. 
CHARACTERS.—Resembles Melospiza melodia fallax Baird, but 
very much paler throughout, the ‘‘ground-color’’ being white 
ventrally and ashy dorsally, with streakings of pale hazel; super- 
ciliary stripe wholly white; general size much less than in either 
M.m. fallax or M.m. montana. Measurements of type of M.m. 
saltonis: wing, 58.8 mm.; tail, 67.2; tarsus, 20.7; eulmen, 10.5; 
bill from nostril, 8.4; depth of bill, 6.5. The type of M.m. fallax 
measures: wing, 69.2; tail, 77.8; tarsus, 19.8; eulmen, 9.9; bill 
from nostril, 8.1; (depth of bill not determinable). 
