ga THE CONDOR Vol XXI 
Passerella iliaca mariposae. Yosemite Fox Sparrow. This fox sparrow is com- 
monly found throughout Plumas and Sierra counties anywhere in the buck-brush and 
manzanita association above 4500 feet elevation, but is seldom, or never, seen out in the 
open sagebrush, although it occurs to some extent where the sagebrush meets the coni- 
ferous forest and mingles with the buck-brush. That is to say, this sparrow is found 
there in summer, but what it does in winter is probably quite different. This is the form 
most of us supposed was megarhyncha until the error was pointed out and the race 
described by H. S. Swarth (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., vol. 31, 1918, p. 161). 
The males are certainly good singers, and, at least in the breeding season, spend 
a large part of their spare time perched upon some elevated limb, or. top of a sapling 
conifer, endeavoring to outsing each other and all the rest of their avian neighbors. 
They have a close second in the Green-tailed Towhee (Oreospiza chlorura), of the same 
habitat, and the two together assuredly cheer up the otherwise lonely wastes of brush 
around such spots as Mount HKureka. 
Two nests of the Fox Sparrow were found at Johnsville, one on May 30 with four 
eggs in an advanced state of incubation, and one with three nearly fresh eggs on June 
1, but these dates seemed a little early for general nesting. The first nest was situated 
about three feet from the ground in a spirea bush, between some mine buildings and 
beside a path which was used constantly by the mine people, who passed only four or 
five feet from the sitting bird. The second was in a rather open barranca on a steep 
hillside, and was on the ground at the bottom, at the base of a small piece of rock. Any 
slight rush of water, say from a heavy shower, would have washed it away. As a rule 
the brush was so thick and heavy in the localities inhabited by these sparrows 
that nests were very difficult to locate. Perhaps this was partly due to the early date 
of my stay where they were numerous, as others have told me of finding nests without 
much trouble. 
Progne subis hesperia. Western Martin. After getting settled in the quarters 
selected and making things ready for business on the afternoon of my arrival in Loyal- 
ton, Sierra County, I took a stroll through the streets of the small town, to familiarize 
myself with the place and to fix landmarks. Upon approaching the bank building, about 
three blocks from the hotel, my ears were greeted by a sound that was familiar but 
seemed so very much out of place in a California town that it was quite startling. An 
upward glance, however, was reassuring, for there, circling overhead, and perching upon 
the cornice of the bank building, were unquestionably a family of Western Martins, ap- 
parently having the time of their lives. A couple of blocks away was a genuine, old- 
fashioned martin box on a pole in the street. A few martins were going in and out, 
while a few more were circling around and perching on the gable of a nearby dwelling 
house; but evidently the young cnes mostly had left the parental quarters, and pre- 
ferred the bank building for their resting place. This was my first experience with the 
semi-domestication of the Western Martin and was a great surprise at the time, but I 
have since been informed that Pasadena has a similar colony. This will answer a query 
in the March-April, 1918, number of THE CoNnpor, as to whether there were any success- 
ful martin boxes in the west. 
Oreoscoptes montanus. Sage Thrasher. This bird has been recorded as a sum- 
mer visitant in the northeastern sagebrush region of the state of California, but has 
not heretofore been put on record as having been found in Sierra County. Near Loyal- 
- ton, however, a number were seen, and several of different ages taken in the early part 
cf June. One of these was a female that was evidently laying. Some juveniles were 
seen flying about at the same time, showing that the nesting season must be rather pro- 
longed in this locality. 
This completes the small list of birds noted on this trip that seemed espe- 
cially worth calling attention to. In most places visited bird life was scarce, 
remarkably so considering the apparent attractiveness of some of these locali- 
ties, but either something was wrong with the surroundings or there were not 
enough birds to go around, for scarce they certainly were. 
The number of varieties seen in the different localities where observations 
were made was as follows: Mohawk, two weeks stay, 58; Johnsville, eleven 
days, 87; Loyalton, six days, 47; Campbell’s Hot Springs, seven days, 53. 
