154 
TIIK CONDOR 
Vol. XIV 
Two New Arizona Records. — During my visit to Tucson, Arizona, in February and 
March of the present year, 1 had the pleasure of examining the collection of game birds 
gathered and mounted by Mrs. James Wheeler of that city, .\mong these were a pair of 
adult Little Brown Cranes (Gnis caiuidciisis) , which gave tlie following measurements, as 
closely as could he ascertained: Length 35 in., bill 3.60, wing, 19 00. 'I'he small size of these 
l)irds was especially noticeable to one who had seen the larger cranes of the San Joaquin 
Valley, California. 
In addition to these, Mrs. Wheeler had beautifully mounted a pair of American Golden- 
eyes {Claiigtila clangitla aincricaiia) , taken at Tucson; the male, a single bird, taken April 
1, and the female taken about February 1, in company with pintails. 
So far as I know these are two species not hitherto recorded from Arizona. — Jos. L. 
Sloan AKER. 
A Bird New to Colorado., — 1 wdsh to record one more bird new to Colorado. 
I'his is the Eastern Robin ( Plancsticiis inigratoriiis inigratoriiis) . A bird taken near 
Crook, .April 13, 1912, was so identified by H. C. Oherholser of the Biological Survey, 
and is now in the Colorado Museum of Natural History. Our common form is the 
Western Rol)in ( Phuicsticus inigratoriiis prof>iiujiius) . — L. J. Hersev. 
February Bird Notes from Palm Springs. — In The Coniior for March, 1904 (pp. 
40-45), appeared an article listing the birds found by Joseph Mailliard and myself in the 
vicinity of Palm Springs in midwinter — December 25, 1903, to January 2, 1904, inclusive, 
riie article referred to describes the location and general features of this attractive 
winter resort. In brief, the small village called Palm Springs lies on the floor of the 
extreme western arm of the Colorado desert, in Riverside County, California. Although 
but 450 feet in elevation it is close against the east base of San Jacinto Peak which rises 
to an altitude of 10,800 feet within a horizontal distance of less than eight miles. 
In February, 1912, I visited Palm Springs from the 9th to the 13th of that month 
for the purpose of gathering for the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology . a series 
of the gopher ( Tlioiiioiiiys pcrpallidiis) described from there in 1886, when the place was 
called .Vgua Caliente. Although my time was pretty fully occupied with the traps and 
at the skinning table, some bird notes were acquired, part of which, upon comparison 
witli the 1903 observations, show themselves worth recording. 
Prairie Falcon ( Falco incxicaiiiis ) . On February 9, as the train pulled in at Palm 
Springs Station, one flew from its perch at the top of a telegraph pole close by. An hour 
or so later one was seen in flight over the desert only a mile or two out from the village. 
Screech Owl (Otiis osio subsp. ). Each evening the mellow notes of this owl were 
heard in the cottonwoods and pepper trees close about the houses of Palm Springs. The 
subspecies represented is wholly conjectural. Zonally and faunally both, the form O. a. 
gilinaiii. of the Colorado Valley, should be expected. Rut it is possible that the bird or 
birds beard were temporary visitants from the wooded mountain slopes a few miles dis- 
tant ;md possessing San Diegan district representatives. In this case the screech owl 
would have been O. a. beiidirei. 
Costa Hummingbird (Calyptc costae). Two adult males were seen on the 11th and 
two on the 13tb, along the Tahquitz ditch where they were foraging among blossoming 
shrubs. This observation, together with that of the midwinter visit of 1903-04 convinces 
me that this hummingbird does winter regularly within the state, though in relatively 
small numbers. It is said that the sheltered arm of the desert in which Palm Springs is 
located, is the warmest place in California during the winter season. If this is true, 
others of our summer visitant category of birds maj' be expected to tarry through the 
winter there. 
Western Raven (Corviis corax siiiiiatiis) . Seen in flight daily along the mountain sides 
l>ack of town. Common on the desert along the railroad a few miles north. 
Willow Goldfinch (Astragaliniis tristis salicaiiians) . A small compan}' seen February 
11 in the upper branches of a cottonwood. This goldfinch is rarely reported from the 
desert, even as a winter visitant. 
.Abert Towiiee (Pipiio aberti). .Abundant throughout the town and along the base 
of the hills skirted by the Tahquitz ditch. Far more numerous than in December, 1903. 
'Fownsend Solitaire { Myadcstes toxaiisciidi) . At least two of these birds were con- 
stantly present in the pepper trees in front of the Desert Inn. Their flute-like call-notes 
were often beard, and one bird was seen to launch into a moderate song flight, the 
usually ecstatic and prolonged song being gi\’en in a rather sulxlued and abbreviated 
version. The nearest breeding locality of the Solitaire is the upper Transition zone of the 
San Bernardino Mountains. — J. Grinnell. 
