92 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XV 
cliff overhanging the ocean. A nest was found on Anacapa which contained a 
single addled egg. 
Vermivora celata sordida. Dusky Warbler. Ver}^ abundant in the wooded 
parts of Santa Cruz Island. 
Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus. Rock Wren. Adults and full-grown young 
seen on the rocky slopes of Santa Barbara. Also noted on Anacapa. 
Thryomanes bewicki nesophilus. Santa Cruz Island Wren. Common among 
the fallen pines on Santa Cruz. Young just able to fly were seen. One nest, 
containing four eggs on the point of hatching, was found in a hole in the canyon 
wall, about seven feet up, made of sticks and feathers. 
Psaltriparus minimus californicus. California Bushtit. One flock seen in 
tlie brush on Santa Cruz Island on July 7. 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
Late Fall Occurrence of the Black-headed Grosbeak. — On November 23, 1912, I 
took a specimen of the Black-headed Grosbeak (Zamclodia niclanoccphala) at Riverside. 
California. The occurrence is of interest on account of the date, which is so far from the 
ordinary movement of this species in California, as well as from the fact that the bird is in 
full autumnal plumage. 
So far as I have been able to learn, with the courteous assistance of Mr. J. Grinnell, 
there is no published account of the bird’s having been taken in the United States other- 
wise than in the breeding or in the first juvenal plumage. The specimen at hand is not in 
cither of these plumages, and appears fresh and unworn. Beebe in “Two Bird Lovers in 
Mexico” speaks of the grosbeaks in their dull winter plumage looking like large sparrow.= ; 
but so far as I can learn, the fall plumage is not familiar to many Condor readers. The 
specimen was a female with, well developed ovaries, which would suggest that the bird 
had passed one breeding season and might be considered an adult. Mr. Grinnell offers the 
suggestion that in this species first-year individuals may perhaps be subject to a period of 
autumnal sexual activity, as is probably the case with certain of the resident species of the 
southern part of the state. The female in hand may thus be a bird of the year. It seeii's 
now impossible to state with certainty that the bir.l is either adult or juvenal. 
The plumage is notable for the rich tan suffusion of the breast, the obscuring of white 
spots by huffy feather tips, the fact that spots have not been lost by sloughing off of barbs 
such as occurs in worn plumages of the species, and that the upper tail-coverts bear indis- 
tinct transverse bars. 
The specimen has been deposited in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the Univer- 
sity of California and may be referred to as no. 23431 of the collection of that institution.- — 
Lovr Miller. 
The Results of Some Miscellaneous Stomach Examinations. — The following notes 
on the results of stomach examinations of several different species of birds should be of 
interest. The stomach contents does not represent in all cases the usual kinds of food taken 
by the species. The greater interest generally attaches to the unusual. It is important that 
both the usual and the unusual articles of diet be known. 
Porsana novebomcensis. Yellow Rail. Rincon Valley, Sonoma County, California, 
November 17, 1912. Stomach contained 18 clover seeds {Trifolium sp.) and grass. 
Archihuteo ferrugineus. Ferruginous Rough-leg. Cotati, Sonoma County, California, 
November 25, 1912. Stomach contained seven meadow mice {Microtiis californicus) . This 
appears to be the first definite record of a Ferruginous Rough-leg taken within the state 
for a number of years. 
Bubo virginianus pacificus. Pacific Horned Owl. Berkeley Hills, Berkeley, California, 
December 15, 1912. Stomach contained two meadow mice (Microtus californicus) and 27 
Jerusalem crickets {Sfcnopclmatiis sp.). 
Gcococcyx calif ornianus. Roadrunner. San Diego, San Diego County, California, Sep- 
tember, 1912. Stornacli contained a large horned toad {Fhrynosoina blainvillci blainvillei) . 
Chordciles virginianus liespcris. Pacific Nighthawk. Dutch Flat, Placer County, Cali- 
fornia, August 22, 1912. Stomach contained 1 wood-boring beetle (Elaphidion sp.), 17 
wood-boring beetles {Crioccphalus agrestis), 3 click-beetles (Elateridae), 3 curculios (Bal- 
aninus sp.), 3 metallic wood-boring beetles {Mclanophila sp.), 1 grasshopper, 16 moths, 3 
