178 aes . - THE CONDOR 55 QUE Vol. XXIII 
grown out. It might also be mentioned that the white edgings of the tail, 
which in fall and winter are conspicuous and readily apparent in flight, be- 
come much restricted or entirely wanting in summer plumage. 
Owing to the nature of their feeding grounds not much ean be said as to 
the economic value of Black-tailed Gnateatchers, but they consume large 
numbers of moths, which doubtless include some injurious species. 
Los Angeles, California, September 10, 1921. 
NOTES ON FALL MIGRATIONS OF FOX SPARROWS IN CALIFORNIA 
By JOSEPH MAILLIARD* 
ITH the idea of learning more about the fall movements of some of 
our fox sparrows, and particularly those of the Yolla Bolly Fox Spar- 
row (Passerella wliaca brevicauda), in the autumn of 1919, in company 
with Mr. Luther Little as assistant, I made a trip to a place on Eel River, near 
the southwestern base of Mt. Sanhedrin, on the summit of which the latter 
species is known to breed. The week of September 15 to 20 was passed here, 
but we found that there. was no good fox sparrow country within workable 
distance of our headquarters. That some were passing through the locality 
was proved, however, by the sight of two individuals on the morning of Sep- 
tember 20, neither of which was secured for identification; but these were 
evidently of the smaller billed, dark group from the northwest coast, southern 
Alaska to British Columbia, designated by Swarth as the ‘‘Unalaschcensis 
group’’ (Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., vol. 21, 1920, p. 89). 
My brother, John W. Mailliard, arrived on the afternoon of September 20, 
and placed his services and car at our disposal for the ensuing week. On 
account of the lack of good country for observation here it was decided to 
run up to Lierly’s, a well-known hunting resort at a more appreciable eleva- 
tion and nearer to the summit of Mt. Sanhedrin. During the next day the 
party identified 37 species of birds, but the only fox sparrow seen was again 
one of the above group. On September 22, my brother and Little went up to 
the top of Sanhedrin to ascertain if the Yolla Bolly Fox Sparrows were still 
there. Several of these were obtained. Having proved this point, we moved 
next day to Glenbrook, Lake County, just north of Cobb Mountain, at an ele- 
vation of 2300 feet. Near this spot is a large tract of brushy territory con- 
taining a considerable mixture of ceanothus and manzanita brush, upon the 
seeds of which the fox sparrows largely subsist. 
On the morning of the 24th we went up a few hundred feet higher into 
this brush country, and immediately commenced to get results. Fox sparrows 
were not so very numerous but would occasionally appear or could be 
‘‘squeaked up’’ from time to time. While none of this genus had been found 
here during our visit from April 28 to May 3, of the previous spring, the local- 
*Contribution No. 127 from the California Academy of Sciences. 
