130 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XVII 
Red Phalaropes Near Corona. California.— Two male Red Phalaropes ( Phalaropus 
fulicarius ) were shot November 7, 1914, on one of the ponds of the Pomona Recreation 
Club, which is situated near the Santa Ana River, about eight miles north of Corona, 
Riverside County, California. The two birds are now numbers 506 and 507 of my col- 
lection. It would seem that this is worthy of note since this species usually migrates 
over the ocean, and this locality where they were taken is a considerable distance in- 
land. — Wright M. Pierce, Claremont , California. 
Some Extreme Nesting Dates. — In comparing Willett’s Birds of the Pacific Slope of 
Southern California with some of my own notes, I find the following nesting dates 
among the latter, that appear somewhat unusual: 
Selasphorus alleni. Allen Hummingbird. Catalina Island, March 22, 1910; two 
eggs, incubation advanced. 
Sturnella neglecta. Western Meadowlark. Los Angeles, February 15, 1909; four 
eggs, fresh. 
Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swallow. Balboa Beach, June 13. 1908; two eggs, 
fresh. 
Riparia riparia. Bank Swallow. San Pedro, April 26, 1908; five eggs, incubation 
advanced. 
Lanius ludovicianus gamheli. California Shrike. Los Angeles, February 8, 1908; 
four eggs, fresh. — D. I- Shepariison, Los Angeles, California. 
Yellow-billed Loon: — A Correction. — In writing the life history of the little-known 
species Gavia adamsi, I have been puzzled to know what to do with the supposed Colo- 
rado record of this species. I have always suspected that the record was based on 
erroneous identification, as Colorado is so far away from the known range or migration 
route of this Arctic Loon. 
The specimen upon which the record was based was taken by Mr- William G. Smith, 
near Loveland, Colorado, on May 25, 1885. A letter from Mr. Smith to Major Bendire, 
giving the details of its capture, is now in my hands and states that the bird was sold to 
Mr. Manly Hardy of Brewer, Maine, now deceased. 
Knowing that the Hardy collection was recently purchased for the Rhode Island 
Audubon Society and is now in the Park Museum in Providence, I wrote to my friend, 
Mr. Harry S. Hathaway, of that city, for his opinion as to the identity of the specimen. 
He very kindly investigated the matter and sent me his report, together with a letter 
on the subject from Mrs. Fanny Hardy Eckstorm, which strengthened my doubts and 
practically convinced me that the record was based on an error. 
For my own personal satisfaction, I went to Providence and examined the specimen 
with Mr. Hathaway. It is not a Yellow-billed Loon, but it is a very curious specimen of 
a Common Loon (Gavia immer), and I am not surprised that Mr. Hardy and others who 
have seen it have been puzzled. Its entire plumage is decidedly worn, and faded to a 
dull brownish shade. It is a young male in the immature plumage of the first year. Its 
bill is certainly yellow, the yellowest or lightest colored bill I have ever seen in any 
young Loon, which probably led to its identification as Gavia adamsi : but the size and 
shape of the bill agrees with Gavia immer and not with G. adamsi. The culmen meas- 
ures about 3.20 inches, and the depth of the bill at the base is about .90- Ridgway’s 
Manual gives, for adamsi, culmen 3.50 to 3.65, and depth 1.00 to 1.20, and for immer, 
culmen 2.75 to 3.50 and depth .90 to 1.05 inches. The bird in question is small, even for 
Gavia immer, notwithstanding the fact that it is a male, and it has a particularly slen- 
der bill, even for that species, instead of the large, heavy bill, with the straight culmen 
so characteristic of Gavia adamsi. 
It is only fair to Mr. Hardy to say that he was in doubt about the bird and that the 
record never ought to have stood without verification. I cannot understand why some 
one who was competent to identify the bird, did not examine the specimen before the 
record was published, which would have prevented the frequent repetition of an error 
which can never be wholly rectified. Such errors are far too common and I hope that 
this one will be corrected in the next edition of the A. O. U. Check-List. — A- C. Bent, 
Taunton, Massachusetts. 
