ATar. 1903 I 
THE CONDOR 
43 
its long graceful branches, eating the pink berries, forms a perfect picture, the re- 
membrance of which lingers. 
In watching the birds during the breeding season I observed that many of them 
took no interest in domestic affairs, but put in much of their time consorting with 
such mixed company as house finches, western tanagers, and grosbeaks, in fig and 
cherry orchards where some of them met violent deaths. These loafers nearly all 
looked like immature birds, being less glossy and dignified, and I have since dis- 
covered they were nestlings of the season hatched in early spring in the Conchilla 
valle}" and at Palm .Springs, and perhaps as far as the lower Colorado river coun- 
try. This was surprising to me as the birds nest so late in the San Gorgonio pass, 
Warner’s ranch and other similar points. In my notes I find the earliest date for 
a nest to be Banning, June ii, 1893. Fresh eggs at other dates noted were: War- 
ner’s ranch, June 12, 1901, Banning, June 23, 25, 27, 28, and July 4, 1893. Young 
birds can be found all through July, and in only two instances were eggs found 
prior to June 23. For a month after they arrive or until about June 15, they seem 
to have nothing to do but amuse themselves and look pretty. 
From my desert notes I take the following data: Palm Springs, March 24, 
1897, three new nests and a nest of young just ready to “fly the coop;” March 20, 
1899, three new nests and a nest of young a few days from the egg; March 6, 1900, 
nest with two fresh eggs. At Toros I made notes as follows: March 19, 1901, a 
set of two eggs partly incubated and a ne.st of half grown young. From this data 
it would seem that most of the young are hatched in March and April and that in 
some instances nest building must begin in the latter part of February. Possibly 
some of the birds rear two broods a year, but from the fact that .some adult birds 
fail to pair and nest in this vicinity, I am inclined to think but one brood is raised. 
Probably those hatched in March on the desert return there to nest the following 
March; while those hatched in the San Gorgonio pa.ss, in June and July, nest 
there the following summer. 
The nest is placed in a sycamore tree if one is available, but nests may be 
found in oak, cottonwood, willow, or mesquite trees. Two eggs is the usual set, 
though three are sometimes found. I have a set of three found at Warner’s ranch 
and have record of three in set twice at Banning, one found by Nathan Hargrave 
and one by myself. The nest is saddled on a branch, and in shape and composi- 
tion very much resembles that of the wood pewee, though larger in size. The 
male bird does much of the incubating, being seen on the nest more than half the 
time and exhibiting more solicitude for the home than does his mate. 
The Significance of Trinomials. 
BY \V I TIMER STOXK. 
T he following comments were originally prepared as a communication at the 
Twentieth Congress of the A. O. U. They are presented here at the re- 
quest of the editor of The Condor, but have been .somewhat modified in 
the interests of brevity and clearne.ss. ' 
Nomenclature is not a subject of much popular interest, but since the varied 
faunal conditions of California bring it constantly to the attention of the system- 
atic zoologists of the State, the present publication may be warranted. 
