THE CONDOR 
Vol. XIII 
lOS 
The Catbird in Southern Idaho. — On August 1, 1909, while prowling along a thick fringe 
of scrub willow, beside a lagoon-like pond on the Boise river bottoms, I started the only catbird 
(Dmiietella carolinensis) I have seen this side of the Rocky Mountains. At the time I did not 
think the occurrence specially worthy of note, as I was then new to this section; but having ex- 
plored this same thicket and others of a similar sort and in similar location, many times since, 
without results, I have concluded the species is rare, in this section at least — L. E. Wyman. 
A Nesting Incident of the Brewer Blackbird {Euphagus cyanocephalus) . — In July, 
1909, having occasion to burn a pile of brush in the road near my residence, I removed there- 
from a nest of this bird, with three eggs, and fastened the same in a crotch of a small black 
locust about twenty-five feet distant. The next morning I was surprised to see the mother bird 
on the nest in its new location, brooding as though nothing had happened, and in due time two 
young appeared, though the family cat prevented their reaching maturity. — L. E. Wym.an. 
The Virginia Rail at Helena, Montana, in Winter. — On February 22, 1911, I secured an 
adult male Virginia Rail (Rallus virginianus) near Helena, Montana. The bird was one of 
three that were found in a willow swamp where warm springs keep the waters open all winter. 
The birds were feeding about the edges of these springs. The ojie shot was in good condition 
and there is every reason to believe that all of them had remained there throughout the winter. 
Two other species by no means common in winter in .Montana, but seen in the same vicinity at 
the same time, are the Western Meadowlark and Wilson .Snipe. — Aretas A. Saunders. 
Occurrence of the Red Crossbill (Lo.via ciirvirostra Elinor) in Southern Idaho. — While 
this bird should be, and probably is, common, or at least not rare, among the conifers of the 
mountains, it apparently seldom strays into this section of the Boise Valley. Last (October I saw 
a small flock of birds passing overhead and heard the familiar note of the Crossbill. The flock 
alighted in a Lombardy poplar and a shot brought down a Crossbill and a House Finch. As 
nearly as I could determine without glasses, the Crossbill was the only bird of its species in the 
flock, the rest being House Finches (Carpodacus inexicafius fro?ttalis) . — L. E. Wym.an. 
The Yellow Rail in Southern California. — A Vellow Rail [Colurnicops noveboracetisis) , 
male, no. 2077, coll, of P. I. O., was received from Mr. F'van Davis of Los Angeles. The 
specimen was collected at Newport Bay, California, on December 12, 1896, by Mr. J. 11. Hender- 
son. Are there other records for this vicinity? — Pingree I. Osburn. 
Some August Notes for Lake Valley. — I spent most of August, 1906, at Lake Valley, 
which lies at the southern end of Lake Tahoe. This being my first visit at so late a date, a 
comparison with the Valley's bird life in May and June may be of interest. While advancing 
summer finds certain birds ascending to still higher altitudes, on the other hand some species, 
or rather individuals, having reared their 3-oung in high altitudes, now descend to lower levels. 
In May and June at Bijou, such birds as the Pine Siskin [Spinus piniis pinns), Olive-sided Fly- 
catcher (Nuttallornis borealis) , Slender-billed Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis aculeata), William- 
son Sapsxicker (Sphyrapicns thyroideus) and Clarke Nutcracker {Nucifraga Columbiana) are 
either scarce or wanting; in August, however, I found these not uncommon and collected exam- 
ples of all of them in the immediate vicinity of Bijou. 
Green-tailed Towhees [Oreospiza chlorura) , while scarce in the breeding season at Bijou, 
although nesting commonly in certain localities adjacent, were in August one of the most com- 
mon birds, being found in large numbers along the now dry meadowlands in companj' with the 
Sierra Junco {Junco hyemalis thurberi). 
In general birdlife, being increased by the young of the year, was more abundant than earlier. 
These conditions did not obtain at the Rowland’s Marsh at Al-Tahoe, however, where the de- 
fection was verj' marked. Here we found almost the entire summer congregation absent. Of 
its usual cpiota of thousands of Yellow-headed Blackbirds [Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) we 
observed only a single individ^ial, an immature male; Forster Terns {Sterna forsteri) were en- 
tirelj' wanting and the verj- few Black Terns (Hydrochelidon nigra surinarnensis) seen were all 
yonng of the year. In our toTir of the marsh, however, we secured a new bird for the Lake 
Vallej' checklist in the Least Sandpiper {Pisobia minutilla) . A flock of about twentj- passed over 
oirr boat and we secnred three specimens, all adults. Another species new for the checklist was 
the Sora Rail {Porzana Carolina). We first took this bird on the Bijou Meadow on August 12; on 
August 27, on our trip through the Rowland’s Marsh, we noted two more rails of this species. 
During a stay of a little over a month the writer made a collection of about fifty skins, including 
a few of the smaller mammals. The two birds alreadj’ noted, however, were the onlj' ones to be 
newly recorded for Lake Valley. — IMieTon S. Ray. 
