52 
THE CONDOR 
VOL. VI 
spotted belly; crown sepia; ground color of back bistre; white stripes of back with a tendency to 
break up into two sagittate or cuneate spots through invasion of the median part of the blackish 
parallel borders. 
Coiiesi, (or aut/ionyi, if distinct from couesi) as found in California: tail with the interme- 
diate rectrices mostly black, the white bars on the inner webs often reduced to one or two white 
spots; ground color of abdomen and flanks fulvous; chin white; throat heavily spotted with black, 
sometimes nearly solid black, and strongly contrasting with the scantily spotted belly and flanks, 
the spots on these parts more or less linear; crown var3'ing from seal brown on the coast (at San 
Diego) to sepia in the interior; the white stripes on the back in the Californian coast region and 
in Arizona and New' Mexico are broken into spots as in bryanti^ while in those from the Colorado 
Desert region the\- are linear as in ajfinis . — Frank .Stephens, San Diego, Cal. 
Dusky Horned Dark in Dake County. — Mr. A. W. Johnson has recently sent me a 
specimen of Otocoris alpesiris merrilli w'hich he took at Red Hill Ranch near Upper Lake, Lake 
county, California, November 13, 1893. It was one of a large flock of similar birds which 
remained in the vicinitj' about three weeks. Mr. Johnson states that this is the onh' time that he 
has ever met with any sort of horned lark in Lake county, and doubtless the flock observed were 
winter visitants from the northeast. I also have a skin of O. a. merrilli taken b\' M. P. Ander- 
son at Yreka, California, IMarch 14, 1902. — J. Grinnei.i., Pasadena, Cal. 
THE EDITOR’S BOOH SHELF 
The Birhs OP' Fergu-S County, Montana. By P. M. Sieeow.ay. Bulletin No. i, Fergus 
County Free High .School. 8 vo. 78 pages; numerous halftone plates. Lewistown, Mont. 1903. 
The Birds of Fergus Count}’, INIontana, is reallj’ a handbook of the birds to be found in cen- 
tral ISIontana. An introductor}' sketch of the topograph}' of Fergus county, with map, is follow’ed 
by a Partial Bibliography of Montana Birds. Under each species biographical and distribution 
notes are recorded, with a paragraph on “Distinguishing Features’’ — a brief description to aid 
the general reader in recognizing the bird. An analysis of the list, given at the end, shows that 
thirty species are permanent residents; loi species summer residents, 31 species migrants, 13 spec- 
ies w'inter residents or visitors, and 4 other visitors; total 179 species. Numerous halftones of live 
birds, nests and eggs, by M. J. Elrod and E. R. Warren, add much to the usefulness of this ex- 
cellent piece of work. 
P.apers from thp: Hopkins-Stanford Gai,apago.s Expedition, 1898-1899. XVI Birds. By 
Robert Evans Snodgrass and Edmund Hp:edeR. From Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci. V, Jan. 28, 
1904, pp. 231-372. 
In this paper the authors present the ornithological results of their explorations among the 
Galapagos Archipelago, and 109 species and subspecies are listed, extending through 31 families. 
Under each species is given pertinent synonomy, range, field observations and often critical notes. 
Measurements and notes on life colors are also frequently included. Naturally the greatest in- 
terest centers about the various species of the three peculiar Galapagos genera, Geospiza, Certhi- 
dea and Nesotnimns, the accounts of which are particularly full, including description of plum- 
age stages, ptervlosis, color of bills, relationship between color of bill and plumage, and maturity, 
nature of change from one phase of plumage to next — moulting, habits, song, nests and eggs. 
In the case of those species w'hich include several races the authors have made an innovation. 
“A number is given to each species of a genus, and this number is intended to stand, not for the 
form first named, but for the sum of all the subspecies, where subspecies that compose the species 
occur, not this number and a letter for each of the other subspecies as in the A. O. U. Check List. 
Each variety of a species is lettered. Thus: 63, Geospiza fortis consists of 63a, G fortis fortis, 
G. fortis f}'atercula, e:\.c\ not 62,, Geospiza fortis’, 6;^a. G . forlis fratercula.” In the text the 
word “series” follows the species heading, thus: 55. the GEO.SPiza prosthemela.s series. Cac- 
tospiza, Camarhynchus and Cactornis are regarded as subgenera of Geospiza. 
The present paper is a very carefully prepared and valuable contribution to our knowledge of 
the avifauna of the Galapagos. 
A Revision of the American Great Horned Owes. By Harry C. Oberhoe.ser. From 
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XXVII, 1904, p. 177-192. 
