May, 1893.1 BIRDS OF THE DEATH VALLEY EXPEDITION. 143 



few at the heads of streams on the eastern slope of the White Moun- 

 tains, and reported it common at the head of Owens River and on 

 the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. It was common at timber 

 line at Round Valley, 12 miles south of Mount Whitney, August 28; 

 in the San Joaquin Valley in October; and along the route from San 

 Simeon to Carpenteria and Santa Paula in November and December. 



Regulus satrapa olivaceus. Western Golden-crowned Kinglet. 



The only record of this kinglet made by the expedition was of one 

 seen by Mr. Nelson near San Luis Obispo about the first of November. 

 Mr. Bending reports it as rare at Crocker's, 21 miles northwest of the 

 Yosemite Valley. 



Polioptila caerulea obscura. Western Gnatcatcher 



Blue-gray gnatcatchers were common in a number of scattered local- 

 ities. At San Bernardino, a small flock associated with other birds 

 was seen December 28, and again on the following day. Several were 

 seen at Daggett, January 8-10, and one was secured at Furnace Creek, 

 Death Valley, January 24. The species was common in the Panamint 

 Mountains, in both Johnson and Surprise cailons, in April, and at Hot 

 Springs in Panamint Valley, among the mesquite, April 20-25. Mr. 

 Nelson found it breeding in both the Panamint and Grapevine moun- 

 tains. At Willow Creek, in the former range, he found a nest con- 

 taining five eggs, May 19, and another containing three eggs, May 

 24. Both nests were placed within 3 feet of the ground, and were 

 neat, compactly built structures, with deep cup-shaped depressions, 

 more or less contracted at the rims. A few individuals were seen 

 in the Argus Range, at Maturango Spring, the first half of May, 

 and in the Coso Mountains during the latter part of the same month. 

 Mr. Nelson saw a single bird in a mesquite clump in Saline Valley, a 

 few in the sage near Waucoba Peak, in the Inyo Range, the last of 

 June, and in the White Mountains in July. He saw a few in the west- 

 ern foothills of the Sierra Nevada in August, and on the east slope Mr. 

 Stephens found it uncommon in the lower part of the caiion of In- 

 dependence Creek, in June. One was seen on the western slope of 

 Walker Pass, July 3 ; it was common in the hills above Walker Basin, 

 July 14; along the Kaweah, below the conifers, in August and Sep- 

 tember; and Mr. Palmer saw one in Kings River Canon, August 13. 

 On Mount Magruder, Nevada, Dr. Merriam shot a pair June 7, and re- 

 ported the species as tolerably common in the lower part of the pinons. 

 He found it breeding commonly in the Santa Clara Valley, Utah, May 

 11-15, and in the junipers on the Beaverdam Mountains, May 10-11. 

 Mr. Nelson found it common in the thickets along the coast from 

 Morro, Calif., to Carpenteria, November 4 to December 18, and rather 

 common from Carpenteria to Santa Paula, the last of the year. 



