Jan., i9oo [ THE CONDOR 13 it disappeared one day and the vaqueros thought it had gone for good, but a week later, a miner prospecting on the river bank found it more dead than alive from starvation, as its wing was not yet thoroughly healed. All the bird's fight was gone, and the miner, without the slightest difficulty, conveyed it back to the stockade, where it was well fed and soon re- gained its old time ferocity. Finally, during the second autumn, it disap- peared for good and they supposed it had gone south. Its wing measure- ment from tip to tip lacked one inch of eleven feet, being exactly ten feet, eleven inches. CATHARINE MILLrKAN. Xanta Clara, Cal. [This paper records the occurrence of the California Condor in the Sierra Nevadas in ?854, at which time the birds were doubtless not uncommon in suitable localities. None have been recorded from this region in late years.--ED. ] A Ne?llectcd Point Concernino the Picidae, There is a matter of some importance concerning the immature plumage of the Pici&e that does not seem to be brought forward in the leading ornitho- logical works of reference. As ignor- ance on this point is apt to be ntislead- ing to the amateur and to the collector not well acquainted with the wood- peeker family, it seems strange that such a matter should be overlooked. What I refer to is the fact that in at least some members of the genus Dryobates and the genus Jqrelanerfies, the female in its first autumn resembles the male in respect to the crimson markings upon the crown of the head. This is especially prominent in the Jqrelanerfiesf. bairdi where the imma- ture females have the crimson of the crown extending down to the white of the forehead. As the . female ap- proaches the true adult plumage the crimson on that portion of the crown which will eventually be permanently
black, becomes thinner and less bright
and the line of final demarcation be- tween the black and crimson patches of the adult can be distinctly traced. I have not had the opportunity to examine many specimens of immature Dryobates, but have collected enough of one or two varieties to show that this peculiarity is present, though in a much less marked degree than in the Jgelanerpes group. At what age the change to the true adult plumage oc- curs I do not know. Our records show that a specimen of Dryobates nullalii 9 was collected in January with a trace of the crimson still remaining, but nothing later. As the proportion of immature birds to the adults is small after they have once left the parental care, it is difficult for one collector to gather enough material. to study out this matter unless he is' constantly in the field. For this reason it would be of great benefit if our ornithological friends would give their experience on this subject, and I hope that some of the readers of this journal will kindly assist in bringing out the facts. JOSEPH MAILLIARD. San Geronimo, Cal. (Read before the Northern Division of the C. O. Club, Jan. 6, i9oo.) MR. N?,TU?,N M. MOR,XN Of San Luis Obispo, a member of the Cooper Club and now attending the University of California at Berkeley, was recently honored by being elected editor-in-chief of the college paper, the Daily Cali- fornian. The election was warmly con- tested but Mr. Moran carried off the highest honors of college journalism at the State University, a distinction easily worth prizing. CHAS. C. TRYON of Avoca, Ia. an- nounces the publication on Jan. 15 of the initial number of the 147estern Orni- thologist, a hi-monthly magazine of orni- thology. Mr. Tryon states that the new magazine is but a continuation Of the Iowa Ornithologist in an enlarged form, and that Mr. David L. Savage will act' as associate editor of the new publication. MR. JOHN ?V. MARTIN of PalestinS, Ore., well known as the publisher of the Oregon Araturalist, will join the ranks of Californian ornithologists during the present year. Mr. Martin recently met with a sad affliction in the death of his mother, and has since ar- ranged to remove to California.
