164 
THE CONDOR 
1 Vol. Ill 
Placerville to the summit, owing probably to a lack of suitable breeding grounds. 
In Lake Valley at Meyer’s Station it was common, doubtless nesting in the sage 
brush which there abounds. Mr. Taylor writes me that on the evening of August 
II he noted flocks of this species congregated in and about the willow sand that 
thejr were thereafter uncommon indicating that the principal migration took place 
on that date. A female collected by Mr. Taylor at Meyer’s Station on Sept. 4 
shows very dark coloration, as do other specimens from the Sierras, and is evident- 
ly not referable to Chordeilesv. henryi. It seems probable that the Sierra night- 
hawk may prove separable into a new race but in the absence of definite data the 
present notes may be considered to apply to C/iordeiles virginicDiKs. 
[Common in suitable places to the summit of Pyrani'd Peak and Mt. Tallac. 
Very abundant on the lakes about Glen Alpine, where they can be seen at all 
times. In late July a nest with two eggs was found on bare rock near the shore 
of Suzy I^ake. The night I spent on Pyramid Peak, nighthawks were continually 
flying about the campfire. In the fall they congregate in large flocks preparatory 
to the migrat'on. — W. W. P.J 
Aeronautes melanoleucus. White-throated Swift. On June 7, 1899 
Carrlger and 1 observed a swift circling high in air over one o^ the canyons at 
h'yffe and referred it to this species. 
Trochilus alexandri. Black-chinned Hummingbird. On July 15, 1900 Mr. L- 
li. Taj lor found a hummingbird’s nest at Fyffe containing two eggs and collected 
the female parent. The skin was subsequently almost destroyed but from the 
fragments Mr. C. W. Richmond of the National Museum referred it to this species. 
The nest was placed live feet from the ground in a p^ar tree .in the orchard and 
and was composed of light colored plant material and mullein down. 
Calypte anna. i\nna Hummingbird. 
[A single specimen, a female, wasshot on Silver Creek near Pyramid Peak, in 
July 1896. It was evidently a straggler. — W. W. P.J 
Selasphorus rufus. Rufous Hummingbird. [Abundant in the Sierras above 
6000 feet. Noted every day at my camp on Silver Creek,. w liere four or live nests 
were taken usually placed on small limbs of the tamarack pine. One was on a 
twig of Louicera a few inches above running water. This nest was first observed 
July I, 1895, when it contained one egg. This hummingbird was often noted at 
Glen Alpine, where it fed largely on the nectar of the California fnclisia. — W. W. P.J 
Stellula calliope. Calliope Hummingbird. Mr. Beck collected several of 
these small hummingbirds lour miles west of .Slippery Ford, while they were fly- 
ing about blcssoming shrubs. I saw one at Fyffe early on the morning of 
June 9, 1897 flying along a ditch and following its curves with precision. During 
the past summer Mr. Taylor and I observed a small hummingbird at Slippery Ford 
and also near the summit, but no specimens were secured to identify it as oflliis 
species. 
Tyrannus verticalis. Arkansas Kingbird. On June 10, 1899 Carriger 
observed a single example of this flycatcher in the orchard at Fyffe. A pair were 
nesting half a mile east of Smith Flat in a poplar tree on June i r, 1899. 
Myiarchus cinerascens. Ash-throated Flycatcher. .Some distance below F'yffe 
on June 8, 1897 Mr. Carriger and I observed a pair Hying about a tall stub where 
they no doubt had a nest. It is probable that this species does not occur far 
above 3,000 feet. 
Sayornis nigricans semiatra. Black Phoebe. On June 7, 1896 I found a nest 
of this species between Folsom and FI Dorado containing young about to fly. 
This is my only record though the species probably occurs as far up as Placerville. 
