92 THE CONDOR Voi,. X 



Junco hyemalis hyemalis. — While collecting in the hills back of Palo Alto, California, 

 on November 24, 1907, two specimens of Junco h. hyemalis were procured from an unusually large 

 flock of Juncos. By following the birds from tree to tree across an orchard I was able to iden- 

 tify three more of these Eastern Juncos from the majority of the flock which w&re: Junco h. pino- 

 sus. I have often looked for these rare winter visitors, but these two are the first I have ever 

 been able to collect. The specimens are indistinguishable from specimens of /z/wco /z. >^jF^?«a/w 

 from Wisconsin. — ^J. R. PemberTon, Palo Alto, California. 



Brain Parasite in Whte-necked Raven. — During a tramp about the foothills of the 

 Whetstone ^Mountains, Arizona, May 25, 1907, my attention was directed to a White-necked 

 Raven {Corvus cryptoleucus) some forty feet overhead, by its strange circular flight and gyrating 

 movements. No birds of its kind were in sight at the time, and its indifference to my presence 

 also surprised me; so after some moments of observation, I brought it to the ground with a charge 

 of buck-shot. 



In skinning the bird, close examination was paid to the brain-case and orbital region, and I 

 was rewarded by finding, directly back of the eyes, and extending partly into the brain, a par- 

 asite more than an inch in length, about the thickness of wrapping twine, pale yellow in color. 

 The parasite showed considerable activity for an hour or more, when immersed in water. 



The bird's sight may or may not have been impaired, tho cursory notice of the eyes, after 

 being wounded, and before it expired, showed nothing unusual. Notwithstanding its size, the 

 parasite must have been of recent date, with rapid growth, as the bird was an adult ^ , and it 

 would seem unlikely that any animal in the fierce struggle for survival in nature, could exist for 

 a year or more in a defective mental state, as this bird's actions would clearly indicate. — Austin 

 Paue Smith, Benson, Arizona. 



Goonies of the Desert. — Those of us who have undertaken voyages across the ocean will 

 readily recall the almost constant presence of goonies, or albatrosses, which fly along in the wake 

 of the boat closely scrutinizing the sea surface for any sort of refuse that may serve them as food. 

 In crossing the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California recently, I noticed a 

 similar habit on the part of the ravens. As I sat on the observation platform at the rear of the 

 train, I repeatedly saw these goonies of the desert fall in behind the train, following along 

 above the track evidently on the lookout for scraps thrown from the diner. The birds were 

 nearly always in pairs. In case the grade was heavy, as is the climb up to San Gorgonio Pass 

 out of the Salton Sink, the ravens could easily keep up with the train, even when they now and 

 then alighted to investigate something of suspected interest. Elsewhere the birds were easily 

 distanced by the train. We can infer that these scavengers regularly follow the trains back and 

 forth across the desert, securing a substantial addition to their primitive food supply. — J. Grin- 

 NEiyi/, Pasadena, California. 



The Blackburnian Warbler Noted at Ft. Brown, Texas, December 31, 1907.— 



A single bird observed for several minutes in the pecan trees that line the drill ground. As it 

 came within a dozen feet of where I was sitting, on several occasions, all doubt as to identity 

 was precluded. Probably a ^ adult. 



Heavy fogs, with some rain and considerable wind, characterized the two preceding days, 

 as well as the morning of the day in question. And as a careful search disclosed no other of the 

 species or genus, it can probably be counted only as a tempest-tossed individual adding a very 

 late date to the autumnal migration, within the U. S., of Dendroica blackburnicE. — ^Austin Paui, 

 Smith, Benson, Arizona. 



How Large a Bird Can the California Shrike Kill?— On February 6, 1906, I wit- 

 essed a California Shrike [Lanius ludovicianiis ganibeli) overtake and kill a female Golden- 

 crowned Sparrow {Zonotrichia coronata). The sparrow was pursued in the open, but the 

 shrike gradually gained on it, forcing it to seek the protection of a thick bush. Here again, the 

 sparrow employed all its facilities to elude its pursuer, but was finally overtaken and killed. 



On examination of the victim, the skin of the neck was found to be cut and the vertebra broken. 

 The shrike was shot and proved to be a female. I have known shrikes to kill birds the size of 

 a Western Chipping Sparrow, but never any as large as Zonotrichia coronata. It would be of 

 interest to know how large a bird the California Shrike can kill. — Charees H. Richardson, 

 Jr., Pasadena, California. 



