Sept., 1919 THE WILSON SNIPE NESTING IN CALIFOI?}?i?'% %?i? '" .'. I 2?
- ': :.: :....'...:
according to Pemberton, Mr. Dawson also, thinks that it is a new record and one that should be published. Since .writing the above I have additional proof of the claim made by me to Mr. Pemberton that not only did the Wilson Snipe nest in the San Bernar- dino alley twenty-five or thirty years ago but that it is still a regular nest- ing bird here. In 1917 ][ found a nest containing three eggs about two miles from the city of San Bernardino. In 1918 I found a nest with four young birds and an unhatched egg at the same place and this spring saw the nestlings of at least two pairs of Wilson Snipe a short distance east of San Bernardino. While I am on this subject I feel constrained to say that while there may be no earlier published records of many of the finds being made by the later day collectors and claimed as new, I am convinced that a little investigating, by the claimant of new records, among the old time collectors might convince them that their finds are not so rare as they may suppose. It must be remem- bered that a quarter of a century ago the accurate recording of birds was not as systematic as at the present time and for that reason many birds were omit- ted from lists that were still not so extremely rare. This is not a criticism of later day collectors in any way, but simply a suggestion that before listing a find as something absolutely new to science it might be well to make an inves- tigation that goes further than simply making the find. I know of two such records in addition to that of Wilson Snipe. One of these is the finding of the eggs of the Dwarf Cowbird (Molothrus ater obscurus) in this locality. My good friend, Wilson C. Hanna of Colton, during the year of 1918 took several eggs of the Cowbird and also one or two specimens of the bird itself, and I was astonished when ! learned that the record was considered as new. It so happens Shat I have still in my possession an egg of the Cowbird taken in the exact locality where Mr. Hanna found his last year. Mine was taken by Sheldon Sleppy somewhere about thirty years ago and I know to a certainty that he collected others there. I have never known of a bird actually being seen until Mr. Hanna took his. This year Mr. Hanna informs me that he took a set of Anthony Green Her- on and also informs me that the record is new. I have taken several sets and know of many more sets of this bird which we in those days knew as the Lit- tle Green Heron being taken in this section. While during my oological days we knew of no such bird as Anthony Green Heron, I have every reason to be- lieve that they are one and the same bird. I have no eggs of this bird to show in proof of my statement, but I have notes made at the time of collecti?ig them which I know to be authentic. As stated before, this is not intended as a criti- cism in any way, but is simply an attempt to put some facts on record now that would undoubtedly have been published many years ago had ornithological publications been as well established and as painstaking as they are today. San Bernardino, California, July 2, 1919.
