This page needs to be proofread.

150 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 Aria 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.--WRmnT M. PIrRCE, Claremont, California. Some Extreme Nesting Dates.--In comparing Willett's Biters of the Pacific ?lope of ?outhcrn California with some of my own notes, I find the following nesting dates among the latter, that appear somewhat unusual: ?clasphorus allcni. Allen Hummingbird. Catalina Island, March 22, 1910; two eggs, incubation advanced. ?turnclla nc?Iccta. Western Meadowla?k. Los Angeles, February 15, 1909; four eggs, fresh. Hiruncto crllthro#astra. Barn Swallow. Balboa Beach, June 13, 1908; two eggs, fresh. Riparia riparia. Bank Swallow. San Pedro, April 26, 1908; five eggs, incubation advanced. Lanius luctovicianus #arabeli. California Shrike. Los Angeles, February 8, 1908; four eggs, fresh.--D. I. SIIEPARDSON, LOS An#clcs, California. Yellow-billed Loon:--A Correction.--In writing the life history of the little-known species (?avia actamsi, 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 strengthenec? 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 (Ctavia iraruer), 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 (?avia adamsi: but the size and shape of the bill agrees with ?tavia iraruer and not with (?. a?lamsi. 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 iraruer, culmen 2.75 to 3.50 and depth .90 to 1.05 inches. The bird in question is small, even for ?tavia iraruer, notwithstanding the fact that it is a male, and it has a partAcularly slen- der bill, even for that species, instead of the large, heavy bill, with the straight culmen so characteristic of ?tavia a?lamsi. 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.