Sept., 1911 FIELD NOTES FROM SOUTII-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 161 of vegetation, but we found some small areas scantily covered with low brush. At this point I found the Sage Thrasher (Oroscoples mo?tlantts), Leconte Thrasher (7bxosloma leconlet'), California Sage Sparrow (Amp?ispiza itevadeiist's cane- sceits), and Brewer Sparrow (,%)5izella brewery'). Two Leconte Thrashers were secured on May 7, an adult male and a juvenal male, the latter with wing and tail feathers not yet at their full length, and un- doubtedly hatched somewhere in the immediate vicinity. These were all of the species that were met with. On May 13 two Sage Thrashers were seen in the same vicinity, and one of them, an adult male, was secured. The Sage Sparrow and Brewer Sparrow occurred wherever there was any brush, but, from the nature of the surroundings were not plentiful. Both species were remarkably shy and hard to approach, but could frequently be heard singing in the distance. Two rather hurried visits to the willow-covered river bottom just outside the town of Bakersfield, ou May 6 and 10, disclosed the presence, in large numbers, of such species of birds as are found in similar situations throughout southern Cali- fornia-l?7reo pztsilltts, (;uiraca caeru[ea salicarius*, o7amelod[a melanocephala, Bttleo littealus elegfans,Pt)3[lo macttlaltts megrttlottyx, and others. Song Sparrows (JV[elospiza mebd[a heermaltn[) were exceedingly abundant, and specimens of both adults and young were taken. There were a number of Dwarf Cowbirds (JV[ololhrtts ater obscttrtts) flying around. The nmles were going through the usual conrtingantics, uttering their ridiculous squeaky "song",. and strutting about with raised xvings and spread tail, aud there can be no doubt that they were breeding iu the vicinity. Specinlens were secured. Our second statiou was at McKittrick, where we remaiued from May 17 to 22, all our collecting being done within two miles of the town. McKittrick is at the edge of the hills, ou the extreme south-western border of the San Joaquin Valley. The surrounding couutry is much more densely covered with brush than at Bakers- field, but there is practically no water except such as is'pumped from deep wells, and conseque?tly no agriculture anywhere in the regiou. Several Leconte Thrash- ers were seen here, and two secured, a full grown juvenal on May 18, and an adult on May 21. Birds were few in numbers at this point,.about the commonest species being the California Sage Spar?ow (,4ntphispt'ztt b. cartescelts), which was dis- tributed in moderate uumbers through the chaparral. May 22 to 29 were spent at Sireruler, on the "Carrizo Plaius", a little valley some twenty miles west of McKittrick, aud separated from the San Joaquin Valley by a range of hills rising to a height of about 4000 feet. It is an intensely unin- teresting region ornithologically, for practically the only vegetation is the covering of "fox-tail" and "broncho grass" that exteuds uninterruptedly for miles, and consequeutly the only common bird is the Horued Lark (Otocoris a. actia), which finds peculiarly congenial surroundings here. Nearly all the other species observed were in the immediate vicinity of ranch houses, where tracts of cultivated grouud, together with the planted shade trees and the buildings, gave shelter to various birds. At the Pimental Ranch, where we were staying, an Arkansas Kingbird ( 73,ranuus verl/calis) had built its nest ou a gate post, where it was revolved part way around several times a day, as the gate was opeued and shut. Another of this species placed her nest in the yard, ou one of the telephone poles peculiar to this region. A post is driven into the ground and two narrow strips of board nailed, one on each side, the upper euds of which, fastened together, support the wire. The nest was placed on the post, between the two sheltering strips, just such a structure as the shrike's nest described in the May CONDOR (page 111), from the neighboring San Joaquin Valley. This nest was only about three feet from the
- See Grinnell, Proc. Biol. $oc. Wash., xxxv, June 16, 1911, pp. 163-164.
