Mar., 1904 I 
THE CONDOR 
51 
Oreortyx pictus 
Lophortyx californicus (Sonoran also) 
Dryobates villosus harrisi * 
Colaptes cafer collaris 
Selasphorus (alleni?) 
Contopus richardsofii * 
Cyanocitta stelleri carbouacea 
Contopus borealis * (higher mountains only) 
Canadian 
Junco hyemalis thurberi 
Piranga liidoviciana 
Geothlypis tolmiei 
Cinclus mexicanus 
Merula rnigratoria propinqua 
The following ‘non-committal’ species, indicative of no zone in particular, occur mostly in 
the valley: 
Cathartes aura Scolecophagus cyanoccphalus 
Buteo borealis calurus Hirundo erythrogastra 
Falco sparverius Petrochelidon liinifrons 
Corvus americanus 
Finally the species found exclusively in the valley are with few exceptions diagnostic of the 
Upper Sonoran zone. Such forms are familiar birds throughout this zone in California, and are 
marked thus *. 
Zenaidura macroura. * Common everywhere in the valley. Though this is a wandering 
bird it breeds most frequently in the Upper Sonoran zone. 
Tyrannus verticalis. * A common bird in the open valley. 
Aphelocoma californica. * This proved to be an abundant bird, spending much time in 
young groves of garryana oaks. The bird taken was gorged with spiders. Joseph Grinnell 
has separated the jay of the Willamette Valley, Oregon, under the subspecific name immanis, on 
the strength of its exceptionally long tail and somewhat stouter build. The Hoopa bird is clearly 
californica, as are those from Siskiyou and Lassen counties, which I have examined. On the 
other hand a specimen from Klamath Falls, Oregon, is precisely intermediate. 
Sturnella neglecta. * Common. (Breeds also in Transition.) 
Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis. Rare. 
Chondestes grammacus strigatiis. * Abundant in open. 
Spizella socialis arizonce. Common in digger pine groves and Ceanothus cuneatus thickets. 
Pipilo maciilatus oregonus. Common. 
Pipilo crissalis. * Common, and a characteristic bird of the valley. 
Zamelodia melanocephala. * Common. 
Cyanospiza amcena. * Common, especially in the Ceanothus cuneatus thickets. 
Vireo gilvus swainsoni. Very common. 
Dendroica cestiva. A common bird among the willow thickets and smilax tangles by the river. 
Dendroica nigrescens. * Several were observed among the Ceanothus cuneatus and digger 
pine thickets. 
Icteria virens longicauda. * A common and characteristic bird; one continually heard but 
not often seen. I heard one sing at intervals till late at night, though there was no moon. — 
Walter K. Fisher. 
Cactus Wrens. — Since the appearance of Mr. Swarth’s paper on “The Status of the South- 
ern California Cactus Wren’’ I have had an opportunity to examine Mr. Anthony’s series of 
Heleodytes. As these, with the entire collection, are to go east and will be lost to western work- 
ers I made a hasty study of them, with Mr. Anthony’s permission, as being the last opportunity. 
I sum up my conclusions as follows. 
The distribution of affinis is southern Lower California; that of bryanti is central and north- 
ern Lower California, blending into coucsi (or anthonyi) near the border. In the specimens 
which I examined more were from south of the border than bryanti from north of it. A 
male and a female from San Diego I should assign to bryanti. 
I feel doubtful of the status of anthonyi Mearns, as I have no skins from Texas for compar- 
ison, but, like Mr. Swarth, I am inclined to consider it a synonym of couesi. The .Anthony col- 
lection includes half a dozen New Mexican examples. A superficial examination did not show 
much difference in size or shape of bill or in general proportions. I did not have time to make 
detailed measurements. The separation of the various subspecies seems to rest on coloration. 
The color differences are mainly as follows. 
Affinis: tail with the intermediate rectrices nearly as well barred with white as the outer 
ones; abdomen with scarcely any fulvous tinge; entire lower surface, from bill to tail, nearly 
evenly spotted with black, these spots rounded in form; crown light colored, vandyke brown or 
mummy brown; groundcolor of back reddish bistre; white stripes of back distinct, linear. 
Bryanti-. tail nearly as perfectly barred as in affinis', abdomen with a fulvous tinge, inter- 
mediate in depth between affinis and couesi-, throat with heavier spots, contrasting with the less 
