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7 2 THE CONDOR Vol. III appear on the eastern slope of this range some days before they are seen here. I have heard Lu?escent War- biers ( farehnint/zophila c. halescerts) for in- stance two miles east of my house, but over the range, a couple of weeks be- fore hearing them here. This winter however has been so mild that there were practically no local differences in temperature. The buckeye trees leafed out on both sides of the range simultane- ously which never happened before in ray recollection. In consequence of these unusual conditions this spring the Lutescent Warblers appeared in numbers in this valley without having dallied on the other side of tile divide. Before March 6 I had neither heard nor seen a single specimeu between h'ere and San Rafael, but on the morning of that day they were piping away merrily on all sides. Usually they have seemed to drop in by twos and threes, becoming illore numerous as spring advanced, but this year they came in a wave. My earliest record before this was on the east side of the range Feb. ?5; San Geronimo March t, of the same year, ?896. It is an open question as to whether the move- ments of these birds at this time de- pend upon the temperature itself or upon the food supply as affected by it. On January 26 of this year I noticed near my stablea strange sparrow among a flock of Zonotrichias and Juneos that feed around the buildings all winter. I could not identify it at the moment, but went at once to the house for a gun. On returning I saw through an open window another strange bird which could be nothing else than lrichia albicollis. It was on a willo?v limb overhanging a bank. anti too close to shoot even with the auxiliary, but fearing that it might be difficult to find again among the other species I aimed a little to one side and dropped it. Un- fortunately it must have been only crip- pled as it utterly disappeared before I reached the bank down which it fell. This was an adult bird in apparently fine plumage. My disappointment was great and being needed elsewhere there was no time to search for the fir?'t stranger. However in the afternoon several visits were made to the stable and finally the capture was achieved. This proved to be another Zonotrichia albicollis in the first winter plumage and a new record for Marin county. Another interesting take was that of a specimen of Passerella which ap- proaches very closely to iliaca proper, having the back somewhat streaked, the wing coverts distinctly tipped with whitish and the breast and lower parts very much lighter than in unalaschcensis. I also came upon another still lighter and nearer iliaca, while riding through some low brush. This one was not more than six feet from me, but escaped before I could back away far enough to shoot. I have looked for years for in- termediates of this sort in this locality, bat never found one before. On Jan ?6, a ? Ruddv H?rned Lark (Otocoris a. rubra) was taken on top of our range of hills in open ground and a q? Short-eared Owl (,-Isio accifiitrDtt?s) in some low brush close by. The latter seenled very much out ot place among rocks and chapparal on topof the hills as I had ,qlways asscciated this species with marshes and lowlands. The California Thrasher, thus redivivus, was mentioned in my list as having been heard but never seen in this county. On Feb. 27, last I distinctly and unmistakably heard one of these birds singing his best in the midst of a dense mass of chemisal on a steep hillside about three miles from my house, but was as heretofore unable to catch a glimpse of the songster. It will be interesting to see whether the mildness of the winter will have any effect upon the .regular spring migra- tions later on. R. B. Moran of San Luis Obispo, ?vell known as an active ornithologist. has registered at Stanford [;niversity, whence THE CONDOR expects to hear from him.