228 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XV 
double-barreled shot gun, an auxilliary, and a rifle if you can, but many of us 
cannot go on expeditions. To the one who travels “light”, this brief discus- 
sion is addressed. 
I am indebted to Dr. J. Grinnell and to Mr. Joseph Dixon for advice on 
the use of Ballistite. 
Los Angeles, California. 
FURTHER REMARKS UPON THE KERN RED-WING 
By JOSEPH MAILLIARD 
A S STATED in the description of the Kern Red-wing ( Agelaius phoeniceus 
aciculatus) in The Condor, vol. xvn, p. 13, the dates on which the speci- 
mens therein mentioned were taken (which were May 27 to June 7) were 
rather late in the season, and on account of the fading and abrasion of the plum- 
age, which deteriorates rapidly as midsummer approaches, these specimens were 
not in the best condition for satisfactory comparison with other forms of Agela- 
ius. This year (1915), for the purpose of procuring specimens in fresher plum- 
age, a short trip was made by the writer at a somewhat earlier date into that 
part of the Kern River valley where these birds were found the previous year 
by A. van Rossem. As it was desirable to avoid the complication of migrations, 
the latter part of April was chosen as the safest period and a time when migra- 
tion would be over and local breeding begun. 
Dr. Barton W. Evermann, Director of the Museum of the California Aca- 
demy of Sciences, participated in this expedition, and thanks are due to him not 
only for his genial companionship but as well for great assistance in procuring 
specimens, though his main object was botanizing. Specimens of A. p. acicu- 
latus were secured on April 17, 18 and 19, and were in much better condition for 
study and comparison than was the material procured the year before, and from 
which this form was described. 
The study of this new material confirms the conclusions before reached, 
and also develops the fact that as late as the above dates in April, at least, the 
middle wing-coverts of the males are apt to have a heavy black tipping. Of 
twelve males secured eight had all the feathers of the middle wing-coverts 
tipped with black, some of them quite heavily, three had all but one or two 
so tipped, while on the remaining specimen the tipping had been worn off on 
all but two of the feathers. Judging from this, it is reasonable to suppose 
that still earlier in the spring all the feathers of the middle wing-coverts are 
tipped with black, and probably rather heavily. 
Only twelve males and four females of this form were obtained and among 
these were no special deviations from the measurements already given in the 
original description, with the exception of the culmen-from-base of one of the 
females extending the maximum of this measurement to 24.6 millimeters, in 
place of the former extreme of 23.9. No minimum extremes were altered by 
this additional material though the averages of one or two measurements 
varied slightly from those given in the tables, but not sufficiently to make any 
practical difference. For instance, the average length of culmen from base 
in the case of these twelve males is less than that of the twenty-one males 
