Sept, 1915 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
205 
cottonwood stub was found in the Santa Anita Canyon containing two old woodpecker 
holes some ten feet from the ground. The Linnets had originally intended to occupy 
the upper “flat”, but for some reason had abandoned it and had moved below. The 
cavity was nearly filled with the nesting materials, the five eggs being but about one 
inch below the level of the entrance; the latter was one and cne-half inches in diameter. 
The excavation was eight inches deep and four in diameter. — D. I. Siiepardson, Los 
Angeles, California, 
Late Nesting of the Townsend Solitaire.— On July 16, 1915, I discovered a nest of 
the Townsend Solitaire ( Myadestes townsendi) on Bear Creek, in Plumas County about 
two miles west of the north end of Gold Lake. The nest was built of weed stems and 
was placed in a crevice of a rock along side of a small waterfall. It was so situated 
that overhanging and projecting rock sheltered it on all sides except one. Three eggs 
were in the nest and on July 22 they were still unhatched. The sitting bird was flushed 
several times. She remained in the near vicinity and each time was soon joined by her 
mate. Neither bird made the slightest noise; nor was the male bird heard singing 
although our camp was only twenty yards from the nest. This appears to be the latest 
recorded nesting date for this species.— H. C. Bryant, Berkeley, California. 
A Notable Occurrence of Pacific Divers. — On the 13th of April, 1915, during the 
prevalence of a strong west wind at Santa Cruz Island, I came upon a company of at 
least 200 Pacific Loons ( Gavia pacifica) breasting the storm and fishing in the outer 
surf just off a bold cliff near the West ranch. Fully half of the birds were in spring plum- 
age, and they afforded a magnificent spectacle, something in the nature of a naval 
review, as they rode bow on to the weather or else submarined in relays after smelt. 
The fleet cf divers turned watchful periscopes toward the skyline, and I was obliged to 
retire behind a parapet of grass before they would relax their vigilance. — W. Leon Daw- 
son, Santa Barbara, California. 
Late Migration of the Cedar Waxwing. — On June 20, 1914, my brother, W. G. Silli- 
man of Salinas, had occasion to stay for the night at Bradley, a small town near the 
southern boundary of Monterey County. While taking a short walk after dinner his 
attention was attracted by fourteen strange birds perched upon a small cottonwood tree 
and the fences nearby. While not an ornithologist my brother is fairly familiar with our 
local birds, yet could not name these. Upon being shown specimens of about twenty 
birds, he immediately picked out a Cedar Waxwing ( Bombycilla cedrorum) as being the 
same as the birds seen at Bradley. He says that there can be no doubt as to their iden- 
tity. Judging from their actions they were migrants instead of resident birds. I have 
no winter records for this bird at this particular locality. — 0. P. Silliman, Castroville, 
California. 
Western Gull and Arctic Tern: Corrections of Records. — Through a fortunate acci- 
dent I was recently able to prevent the published repetition of certain erroneous printed 
statements concerning the Western Gull ( Larus occidentalis) and the Arctic Tern 
(Sterna paradisaea) in southern California, and the incident suggested the desirability 
of publishing corrections of the mistaken records. 
Western Gull. In a list of birds from the vicinity of Los Angeles published some 
years ago by myself (Condor, ii, 1900, p. 14) I included this species as occasionally 
common during the winter, a statement which I am now satisfied was absolutely a mis- 
take. The point at which these observations were made is some fifteen miles from the 
ocean. Along the nearby ocean beaches Larus occidentalis is probably the most abund- 
ant species of gull; so, seeing gulls flying overhead frequently, and occasionally alight- 
ing, I included this species as a matter of course. No specimen of occidentalis was se- 
cured, the few gulls shot proving to be argentatus, and I have never, at that time or 
since, had any evidence of the occurrence of occidentalis so far from the sea. Larus 
delawarensis is quite common inland in southern California, as in all probability L. cali- 
fornicus is also, and I have frequently seen the Herring Gull (L. argentatus) on the up- 
lands of Los Angeles County at sufficiently close range to render identification certain, 
but I have never observed occidentalis under such conditions. 
