166 THE CONDOR Vol. XIX 



Diagnosis. — Resembles closely Passer ella iliaca megarhyncha but differs in 

 less robust bill, and slightly paler (ashier) tone of gray on upper surface; dif- 

 fers from Passer ella iliaca schist acea (as represented by specimens from north- 

 western Nevada), in thicker bill, longer claws, and paler dorsal coloration. 

 (See figs. 54a, b, c, d.) 



Material. — Nine specimens, including the type, from Mono County, Cali- 

 fornia, as follows : from Mono Lake P. 0., 6500 feet altitude, 4 ; from Walker 

 Lake, 8000 feet, 3 ; from Parker Creek at 7500 and 8600 feet, 2. 



Remarks. — The Mono Fox Sparrow adds another race to the assemblage 

 of pale-colored forms breeding in the western United States. It is not expedi- 

 ent to attempt at this time to determine the range of the new form beyond what 

 is indicated by the few localities given. 



Berkeley, California, August 13, 1917. 



FROM FIELD AND STUDY 



The Oldest American Ornithologist.^For twenty-two years the record for longevity 

 among American ornithologists has been held by the late George Newbold Lawrence, 

 who was born October 20, 1806, and died January 17, 1895, at the age of 88 years, 2 months 

 and 28 days. This record has now been broken by a well known Californian and one of 

 the honorary members of the Cooper Ornithological Club. On June 12, 1917, Mr. Lyman 

 Belding 1 celebrated his 88th birthday and on September 9 passed the limit reached by 

 Lawrence. 



Comparatively few ornithologists have exceeded this age. Dr. Jean Louis Cabanis, 

 editor of the Journal fur Ornithologie, died only two weeks before his 90th birthday; Dr. 

 Alfred Russell Wallace lacked two months of 91; Dr. Rudolf Amandus Philippi of Santi- 

 ago, Chili, almost reached the age of 96; William Bernhard Tegetmeier. the English avi- 

 culturist, lived 96 years and two weeks; and Dr. Sven Nilsson, the eminent Swedish or- 

 nithologist, held the world's record among ornithologists, having attained the age of 

 nearly 97. Nilsson died November 30, 1883, at the age of 96 years, 8 months and 22 days. 



Belding, at the time that he made his first trip to Lower California in 1881, was 

 several years older than Bryant, Gambel, Grayson, Heermann, Kennerly or Suckley were 

 when they died, and when his first book on ornithology appeared, the "Land Birds of the 

 Pacific District", he was older than Bendire, Cassin, Coues, Lesson or Wilson were when 

 they ceased publishing. With his present strong constitution and usual good health 

 there is reason to hope that his span of life may exceed that of any of his ornithological 

 predecessors in other lands. — T. S. Palmer, Washington, D. C, July 25, 1917. 



A Portable Nest. — Having just concluded a rather interesting observation upon a 

 nest of the House Finch (Garpodacus mexicanus frontalis) and its owners, it occurred 

 to me that an account of it might prove of more or less interest to readers of The Con-> 

 dor. It happened that a pair of these well known little birds chose as a nesting place a 

 shelf in a lean-to which was being used as a garage. The nest was built during a week's 

 absence of the owners of the lean-to, who found it very much in the way upon their re- 

 turn. Not wishing to see the nest destroyed, as the birds were doing no harm, I decided 

 to try a little experiment, and as carefully as possible I moved the nest three or four feet 

 to one side on to a beam about fifteen inches higher than its former site, and just under 

 the lower end of the roof. The next time I went into the shed the female flew out, ex- 

 posing an egg to view. 



Each day the nest was moved from one to several feet, until it had rested in every 

 available spot in the lean-to, the birds following it wherever it was placed and laying in 

 all six eggs. And these were all successfully hatched out. After the youngsters ap- 

 peared I continued to move the nest about, the parents following it. One day, however, 

 my partner remained all day in the "garage" working upon the car, and this proved to 



x For a portrait, see The Condor, ii, January, 1900. p, 2, 



