Page:Condor6(3).djvu/27

8o THE CONDOR VoL. VI relation between these pugnacious flycatchers and their more timid friends. On many occasions, in seasons following, I found nests of various warblers, vireos, tanagers, and other birds in close proximity to nests of the Coues flycatcher. Once, by using a small cloth scoop on the end of a pole I took a set each of Coues flycatcher and a black-fronted warbler, without changing my position in the tree. Another time I took a set of olive warbler and a set of black-fronted war- bler from the same tree, and a set of Coues flycatcher from a tree not more than fifteen feet dis- tant. In these, as well as in many other instances, I had the opportunity to learn the reason for these family gatherings. In the locality where my observations have been made, the smaller and more peaceable birds suffer great loss from snakes, squirrels, and jays. Probably the most bitter enemy of the smaller birds is the long crested jay, who is continually in search of their nests. When the jay locates a nest, his call-note brings as many as half a dozen of his hungry comrades to the scene, and under a feeble attack from the parent birds, the eggs or young, as the case may be, are carried off or devoured on the spot. Many times, even, the nest is torn into shreds. All this, however, does not occur when there is a nest of the Coues flycatcher in the vicinity, for upon the first alarm, the flycatcher comes to the rescue, and the would, be assailant is forced to leave. This wholesale slaughter seems to teach these much imposed upon species to seek the protection of the more independent flycatcher.--O. W. HOWARD. Road-rn?.mers Eat Young l?Iockingbirds.--Mr. Leroy Abrams of the department of botany, Stanford University, states that while he was collecting plants in the Mission Valley near San Diego, California, between May i and io, i9o3, his assistant observed a road-runner (Geo- coccy.r california?us) remove from a nest a young mockingbird and devour it. Both road-runners and mockingbirds are common at this locality. It is kncwn that road-runners eat eggs, but I have never heard of their killing young birds. How general is this habit? Have our readers any observations on this POint?--WALTER I(. FISHER. THE EDITOlk'$ BOOI? SHELF BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA ?[OUNTAINS, ARIZONA. By HARRY S. SWARTH. Pacific Coast Avifauna No. 4, PP. I-7O, April i5, I9O4. It affords us great pleasure to call attention to this interesting contribution to the ornithology of southeastern Arizona, and to commend the thoroughness of the work. It is based, with the exception of a few scattered records, on observations made and specimens collected by the author, W. B. Judson, H. G. Rising and O. W. Howard during three visits to the region in I896, ?9o2, and I9O 3. It certainly is refreshing to find apaper entirely devoted to the life histories of birds-- a subject of absorbing interest--and not given over to descriptions of closely split subspecies, the principal function of which is to burden the already plethoric pages of synonymy. The arbitrary limiting of the list to such species as occur in the mountains proper, above the surrounding plains may be in some respects a good plan, though by its adoption certain valley forms noted near the canyon openings are included, while others of similar distribution are omitted. Moreover, inter- esting information relating to the migration and distribution of water-fowl and waders in the San Pedro and Barbocomari valleys is necessarily left out. Although the author has had phenomenal success in securing a large amount of material, it may not be out of place to make the list more complete by adding the following species which have come directly or indirectly under the ob- servation of the reviewer. Lophorly_r gambeli. Examples of this quail were shot by one of the officers at Fort Hua- chuea near the post in January, I895. Scardafella i?ca. Mr. R. D. Lusk secured two specimeus in Ramsay Canyon, one in I89I, and the other on Sept. I5, I894. (/rubiti?lga anthracina. Dur- ing May and early June, i892 , this species was seen on several occasions near Fort Huachuca. Although no specimens were secured the broad white single band on the tail served to identify them. ?lsio wilsonJanus. A specimen of this owl was secured near Fort Huachuca April 28, 1892. /1ficropallaswhitneyi. On May 7, 1892, my lamented friend Major J. L. Fowler found one of these little owls in a clump of oak leaves where it was secured. A month later Mr. Fred- erick H. Fowler discovered a female and three eggs in an old woodpecker's h01e, in the canyon above the Fort. Calyple a?t?ta. Mr. Fowler took two specimens of this hummer at the Fort, Oct. i2, i892, and Mr. H. Kimball one, Sept. I1, I895. Otocoris alpestris aclia. Three specimens were taken by Mr. Fowler Jan. ?o, I893. )[a?thocephalus .x?anthocephalus. This blackbird is considered a common winter resident about the Fort. One was seen there May 4, ?892, and others in the valley below fully three weeks later. Amphispiza belli nez,ade,sis. Secured by