Page:Condor3(1).djvu/15

Jan., t9o? I THE, CONDOR t 5 Echoes from the lield. Stragglers in Southern 6alifornia. The prediction of a cold winter is being verified in Southern California by an unusually large migration of water birds this fall, among them being many stragglers not often seen, and a few not heretofore re- corded. Among the latter I have had brought to me for identification, a specimen of Ross's Snow Goose, (Chen fossil), shot at the Bolsa Chica Club grounds near Newport, Cal., by Dr. A. Fenyes, Nov. ?o, ?9oo. It was flying in company with an American White-fronted Goose which was also secured, no other geese being in the vicinity. On Nov. 28 Mr. E. R. Hull brought me a pair of Old-squaws (tqrareida hyemalis) shot at the same place. They were flying together over a blind when one was dropped, the other circling back to meet the same fate. The Ross's Snow G,,ose and the Old-squaw are both additions to Mr. Grinnell's 'List of Birds of the Pacific Slope of Los Angeles Co., Cal'., which also includes the western part of Orange Co. A flock of about ?25 American White Pelicans flew over the city Nov. 25, one being secured at long-range by a high-power rifle. Of recent years only flocks of a dozen or so have been noted. All of the birds se- cured and noted above have found their way into my collection. FRANK S. DAGGETT, Pasadena, Cal. Nov. 28, ?9oo. The Alaskan Yellow Warbler in 6alifornia. Three specimens of Dendroica mstiva rubi- ginosa are recorded by Oberholser (Auk XIV, Jan. ?897, p. 78) as taken by Mearns at Mountain Spring, San Diego County, May xx, ?894. Mr. W. O. Emerson has recently sent me three skins, undoubtedly referable to. rubiginosa, taken by him at Haywards, October 4 and 7, x898, and Sept. x4, x9 oo. These are readily dis- tinguishable from fall skins of De?droica astiva morcomi, the usual Yellow Warbler of California, by larger size, darker dorsal surface, and a well-marked buffy tinge on the under parts. The Alaskan Yellow Warbler may therefore be looked for during the spring and fall migrations at about the above dates. JosEPH GRINNELL, Palo Alto, Cal. Further lope Worm 0bservat?ons. It seems peculiar that more birds have not been discovered to be "free boarding-houses" for tape-worms. Mr. Belding's article in the July-August ([9oo) CO?OOR surprised me, inasnmch as I had never consider- ed tape-worms of unusual rarity in birds, having found them in quite a number of species, as follows:--Lofi/zortyx californicus.--About three years ago while hunting in Monterey Co.. I examined a great many quail, and at least one-third of them had tape worms from 2 to 4 inches long. The birds were all full-grown and the parasite existed in the intestines. B?deo borealis c?D?rus.--In October, ?897 [ ex- amined a Redtail which had a tape-worm in the intestines. It was about eight or ten inches long. Ze?zaid?ra macroura.--In July, t9ov I killed a female Mourning Dove which had a very long tape-worm in the intestines. She was extremely emaciated and had an egg in the oviduct almost ready for extrusion. The worm was wound around and around and the intestines plainly showed the hermaphro- dite as it sqirmed about in them. Erismatura rubida.--While at Morro I removed the intestines of several "wiretails" which contained tape-worms. The worms were about two feet long and the birds were nearly all very thin. Sfiatula clyfie?t? and D ?fila acuta.--Killed one Shoveller and one "sprig", each showing a tape-worm. Both birds were much emaciated. :l/elanerfiesf. bairdi.---In ?897 and t895 I killed several of these woodpeckers with tape-worms iu their intestines. Will collectors kindly attempt to add to this list? Tape-worms may be much more common in birds than we suspect, and careful dissection may result in dis- eoveries we do not expect. C?tAs. S. THOMPSON, Paso Robles, Cal.