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THE CONDOR 
Vol. XVIII 
towhee’s nest I was at first under the impression that a cowbird had been up to her 
usual pranks. — Emerson Atkins, Lgs Angeles, California. 
Sierra Junco in Golden Gate Park. — On June 5, 1915, I saw a pair of juncos in Golden 
Gate Park, San Francisco, and am quite sure they were Junco oreganus thurberi. The 
occurrence of this species in the bay region in summer seems to me worthy of note. — 
W. A. Squires, San Francisco, California. 
Pomarine Jaeger in San Francisco Bay. — On May 15, 1916, at about 4:30 p. m„ 
while crossing the Bay from San Francisco to Sausalito, my attention was drawn to a 
bird whose actions closely resembled those of Stercorarius pomarinus but, unfortun- 
ately, the individual was too far distant to warrant a record. The return trip of the 
following morning proved more successful, however, four birds of this species being- 
seen at such close range as to make identification positive. One passed very close to 
the ferry boat about west of, and near to, Alcatraz Island; the other three were noted 
just after passing the island. At the time of these occurrences (about 8:30 a. m.) a 
heavy west wind and a strong flood tide, both of unusual intensity, were in evidence, 
the consequent tide-rips in the neighborhood of Alcatraz being extreme. 
In Grinnell’s Distributional List of the Birds of California this species is referred 
to as follows: “Common fall migrant coastwise. Recorded from San Francisco . . . . 
San Francisco Bay .... and from off Monterey.” Thus it would appear that this is 
the first authentic spring record for the Bay waters. 
For many years I have regularly travelled between San Francisco and Sausalito 
during the spring, but in spite of constant vigilance my records of this species have 
heretofore been confined to the months of September and October, when their appear- 
ance in small and varying numbers can be safely depended upon, though not necessarily 
daily. — John W. Maii.liard, San Francisco, California. 
Hummingbird Mistakes Scarlet Yarn for a Flower. — On a recent trip to a favorite 
canyon in quest of hummingbirds, I discovered that someone had been picnicing there 
and had tied bits of scarlet yarn as danger signals on the poison oak bushes in the 
vicinity. I noted a female hummingbird, apparently the Black-chinned, repeatedly trying 
to extract honey from these bits of yarn. This was new to me, and at first I thought 
she might be hunting for building material. On close observation, however, I concluded 
that the bright color fooled the bird, and that she expected to find some new kind of 
nectar. — W. Lee Chambers, Eagle Rock, California. 
The Vernacular Name of Passer domesticus in North America. — In the March-April, 
1916, issue of The Condor Mr. H. H. Mitchell questions the advisability of using the 
name English Sparrow for Passer domesticus, the House Sparrow of Europe. The state- 
ments of Mr. W. B. Barrows have a bearing on this point. In 1889 Mr. Barrows wrote 
“The name ‘English Sparrow’ is a misnomer, as the species is not confined to Eng- 
land, but is native to nearly the whole of Europe. The fact that most of the birds 
brought to America came from England explains the origin of the misleading name by 
which it is now so widely known that any attempt to change it would be futile” (The 
English Sparrow in North America, U. S. Dept. Agric., Div. Orn. and Mamm., Bull. 1, 
1889, p. 17). On the same page Mr. Barrows states that the first birds were brought 
from England to Brooklyn in 1850, and on this and succeeding pages he gives records of 
the principal early importations and transfers of the species from one city to another. 
Inasmuch as the name English Sparrow was considered too well fixed to change as long 
ago as 1889, any attempt to correct the error now seems hopeless. — Tracy I. Storer, 
Berkeley , California. 
Breeding of the Scott Oriole in Los Angeles County, California. — During the few 
days spent at Palmdale in the Antelope Valley between April 27 and May 4, 1916, the 
Scott Oriole ( Icterus parisorum) was found to be fairly common wherever tree yuccas 
grew abundantly. Possibly a few of the birds were late migrants, as many apparently 
unattached males were seen. Two nests were found, however, on one of which work had 
just started on April 30; the other contained four eggs in which incubation had just 
commenced on May 4. — Adriaan van Rossem, Los Angeles, California. 
