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66 THE CONDOR VOL. XI difficult matter, especially as they wiI1 abandon an uncompleted nest under very slight provoca- tion. Those containing young are, of course, comparatively easy to locate by watching the parents carrying food. Most of my "finds" of this species have been entirely accidental. The nest shown in the accompanying photograph was rather remarkably situated, and found as usual by accident. Altho these birds are naturally extremely retiring in their disposi- tion, this nest was inside the right of way of the railroad running thru the Rancho San Geroni- mo and only about twenty-five feet from the track over which four or five passenger and freight trains passed each way every day. We use a wire of the railroad fence for telephonic purposes, and in the spring, when the growth of vines is especially rampant, we have more or less trouble from the grounding of the current by the vines coming in contact with the wire. In the present instance, while driving along the county road parallel to the track, some three miles from headquarters, I noticed that some wild cucumber vines had clutched our wire in their disturbing embrace, and I jumped out of my buggy to remove them. This nest was on the farther side of the right of way, and it was in crossing from the track to the fence beyond that I flushed the parent by ahnost stepping on it. Quite a stream runs parallel with the railroad here, and some willows growing on its bank overhang the fence. The nest was placed near the ground in a low patch of wild blackberry vines under the edge of these willows. The instant the parent flushed I drew back and hid, waiting for her to return to the nest. She flew into the willows where she was soon joined by her mate, and their note--so much like the warning "twit" of the California Partridge--xvas repeated anxiously many times as they hopped about the neighboring trees before they were sufficieutly reassured to return to the nest. Finally, however, the female edged toward her particular ?laclgberry bush and all became quiet. Except fo?t .!3e ?fig'? o?' ?vi?g?ne's paraphernalia disturbed by the passing public this would hav? beeii ?at?fdeal place for a series Of photographs as soon as the young were hatched, especia?ly as the birds must have be?com.g. used to more Or !.e? disturbance in such a noisy spot; but unfortunately my time was to0? '?ii?ch'occupied to make tH? trial. The day after this discov- ery I brought my camera along w?ih the result herewith submitted. It was necessary to cut away some of the ?ines on the camera side before the nest could be focussed, as it was practic- ally hidden from sig?ht. It is more than possi?bl.e that the noise of the passing trains had made this pair of birds bolder than the majority of their kind, as otherwise it is extremely improbable that they would have returned to their nest at all after the rude disturbance 9f?;i?. full grown man crashing thru their blackberry patch. ? The necessity of further disturbance f?;? cutting away and disarranging the vines about the nest was too much for them, however, an'd the set was added to our collect- ion. It was taken Ma3?71 1908; No. 4000-5-08, collection J. & J. W. Mailliard; incubation one- third. Nest compo?i.d 6i.?Y?eds and weed bark, lined )vith a few fine rootlets and a little horsehair; diameters 4 ':itn?l? '?nches, depths 2?/ and g.-?-JOSEPH MAILLIARD, San Ggro- nimo California ? ?;?? ? ':? i} ;?'? ' The Status of the?:ltutt? Vireo in Southerri California.--I have come to the conclusion that I?ireo huttoni oberholsert?does not exist as a race separate from I?ireo huttoni huttoni. And this, too, after my attempted demonstration to the affirmative conclusion (as presented in THE CONDOR VIII, November, 1906, pp. 148, 149)! My reversal of opinion is due to the acquisition of more material from southern California, the most valuable of which in this connection are birds in fresh fall plumage from Orange County, and a number of additional specimens from San Diego County. My former statement that the only then available San Diego County example (taken in March) was exceptionally "leaden- hued" was perfectly true. Furthermore I have at hand thru the courtesy of Mr. F. Stephens, three May examples from Witch Creek, the type locality of oberholseri; and three more June birds (adult) from the Santa Rosa Mountains. These are all quite appreciably paler than June and July adults from the vicinity of Montt-re?;'the type locality of I?ireo hutton? huttoni. But (and here is the crucial test) the September birds from Orange County (just as with those from Los AugelVes County, as I previously poi?nted out), and wh/?ch are. in. full, fresh plumage, are of exact- ly tl?e _same: tint s th.ruout as .eq?ually unworu birds from. Monterey, Palo Alto and the Santa Cruz Mountains. (It must, of course, be borne in mind here that there is but the single annual molt in this species, in August.) Furthermore (and this clinches the evidence) an adult speci- men (No. 2401, U. C. M. V. Z.) from the Santa Rosa Mountains is even paler than any of the Witch Creek birds; yet among the prevailing worn, light-colored feathers of the back are to be seen, just appaaring, two or three bright green new feathers of the precise tint of the correspond_ ing feathers in the new-plumaged Monterey birds. The deduction from this is that the character of oberholseri, paleness, is adventitious and due to the greater rate of fading and abrasion to which the southern California birds are subjected.