The Condor/Volume 1/Number 1/Protective Coloration

Protective Coloration.

At the time of my visit to San Jose del Cabo, Lower California, May 1, nearly all of the plants were in foliage. There are two shrubs, however, Erythrina corallodendron and Fonquieria spinosa, whose red flowers come out before the leaves. The resemblance of these flowers to a red bird was marked and several times I started, from a distance of seventy-five or one hundred yards, to carefully approach a bunch of scarlet flowers in hopes of destroying a Cardinalis or Pyrrhuloxia. I also made the error of taking blossoms for birds and believe this instance of protective coloration is worth bringing to notice, though I am unsettled as to which is protected. R. C. McGregor, U. S. Fish Hatchery, Battle Creek, Cal.

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At the recent Congress of the A. O. U. in Washington, D.C., the song of the Brown Thrasher was reproduced through the graphophone. Mr. Barlow is in receipt of several graphopnone records from Lieut. Jno. W. Daniel Jr., of Lynchburg, Va., which were made by Lieut. Daniel in Washington, and which quote some interesting portions of the A. O. U. programme and other matters of ornithological interest. These were reproduced at the meeting of the Northern Division of the Cooper Club, January 7.