Sep., 1901 I 
Notes on the Nesting of the Western Yef 
lowthroat. 
I N the spring of 1897 I found this 
species nesting quite abundantly in 
the low, damp districts which are 
overgrown with wild berry bushes and 
marsh grass in the vicinity of Pasadena. 
I spent considerable time watching this 
bird, particularly during the month of 
April of that year. The nest is usually 
well concealed, and no easy matter to 
find, even if you know there is one 
close by. 
On the approach of any one in the 
proximity of the nesting place the 
female will noiselessly slip from the 
nest and very quietly make her way 
through the underbrush, and will make 
her appearance uttering an anxious 
twitter several yards from the vicinity 
of the nest. The first sound from her 
will generally bring the male, if he has 
not already shown himself. Between 
the 7th and 24th of April, I took six- 
teen nests of this species all containing 
four eggs, several of the nests being 
found before the sets were complete 
and taken later. With one exception 
all of these nests were similarly con- 
structed, situated from one to eight feet 
from water and ranging from three to 
twenty-four inches from the ground. 
The exception was a nest taken on 
the 22nd of April from a bunch of dried 
weeds close to a berry bush, twenty- 
five feet from the water line of Wilson’s 
Lake. This nest was eighteen inches 
from ground and partially roofed over, 
and the only one I have ever found of 
this species so constructed. I have 
never found a complete set of less than 
four nor one that contained more than 
that number of eggs. During the en- 
tire season of 1897 I took twenty-one 
sets of eggs, with nests, of this bird. A 
fine, dry grass is the principal material 
used in the construction of the nests. 
131 
the interior sometimes being lined with 
hair. H. J. LelAND. 
Los Angeles, Cal. 
® iil(! ® 
The Monterey and Coast Hermit Thrushes 
at Pasadena. 
In looking over a large series of 
thrushes collected about Pasadena, I 
find a specimen of Hylocichla aonalasch- 
kcB verecunda described by Osgood, 
Auk, April, 1901, p. 183. It was taken 
at Bailey Flats in the Sierra Madre 
mountains ten miles north of Pasadena, 
at an elevation of about 6,000 feet on 
Oct. 23, 1896. 
I also find four specimens of Hylocich- 
la aonalasclikce described by Grin- 
nell. Auk, July, 1901, p. 258. Two 
specimens were taken April ii, one on 
April 8 and the other April 25, all in 
1896. Mr. Grinnell’s Pasadena speci- 
men was also taken in April (25th). He 
points out a probable line of migration 
from the fact that a specimen has been 
taken at one other point to the south of 
Pasadena, namely, Santa Margarita 
Island, Lower California. Another in- 
teresting fact connected with this mi- 
gration is that the north ward movement 
does not reach the vicinity of Pasadena 
until April, by which time the Dwarf 
Hermit Thrush (^Hylocichla aonalaschkce) 
has departed ; in fact the latter are 
nearly all gone by the latter part of 
March. Frank S Daggett. 
Pasadena, Cal. 
® # 
HEARD IN THE MARSH. 
First Melospiza — “They say the Tenth Supplement to 
the Check-I.ist simply upset things.” 
Second Melospiza — “ Yes, I had been told that my 
bright and .superior garb would proclaim me ruler of this 
tule waste, — but the goods have not been delivered. By 
the way, Mr. Pipilo on yonder bush seems unusually 
brisk this morning. Wonder what's up ?” 
Pipilo f. ca rote (overhearing the conversation) — Haven’t 
you heard the news ? Great joke! While the Committee 
were counting the tail spots of my friend Dendroica c. 
iiooveri I slipped on my fall suit and they really didn’t 
know me!” 
Whereupon the Second Melospiza acknowledged the 
joke a good one and ordered dinner for three. 
THE CONDOR 
