68 BULLETIN OF THE COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. Corvus americanus.-A few seen at west side and i8 five miles east of the summit, feeding on the myriads of grasshoppers that were present. ?8 Slumella ma?na ne?lecta.-Common in the mountain meadows. ?9 Icierus cucullatus nelsoni.-Common at western base and on the top of the mountains. 3o Scolecopha?us cyanocephalus..-A few young of the year seen. CartSodacus purpureus californicus.- Scarce. Very shy and difficult to approach. 3? Cart5odac?s mexicanus frontalis.-A s?nall flock and a few pairs seen near an orchard. Four fresh eggs taken on the x9th. 3 Chondestes,?rammacus stri?atus.-Fair- ly common. ?4 Spizella socialis arizon?e.-A few pairs seen. 35 funco hyemalis lhurberi.-Abundant. Nestlings and new nests observed on the ?9th. 36 Pz?Silo maculalus me, ffalon?x.-Com- mon. Fresh eggs collected. Zamelodia melanocephala.- Fairly common. Young were seen, just able to fly. 38 Cyanospiza amcena.-Common. Prob- ably breeds. 9 Pran?a ludoviciana.-Few seen. A mhle was taken in breeding plumage and with greatly enlarged testes.
Petrochelidon lunifrons.-A few pair.
Tachyct3?eta thalassina.- Common. Breeding in natural cavity of trees. 33 Phainopepla nitens.-Common at west- ern base of mountains where they were eating alder berries. One nest in course of construction was found. 33 I/ireogilvus.-Common at summit. 34 Dendrdca rrstiva.-Fairly common. 35 Tro?lo?vtes aedon aztecus.-Very a- bundant, more than twenty nests containing young being observed. 6 Uerthia fa.miliaris occidentalis.-Rare. 37 Sitla carolinensis aculeala.-Common. 38 Parus inornetus.-A large flock noted on the mountain side. 39 Parus ?ambeli.-Common. 40 Sialia me.ricana occidentalis.-Common. Set of four eggs taken on the ?7th. Observations on the American Iaven in Southern California. BY C. B. LINTON, V?rHITTIER, CAL. URING my collecting experience II have found the American Raven (Corwts corax snualus) nesting in almost every range of foot-hills in Los Angeles and neighboring counties. Al- though it is being continually driven deeper into the wildest and most inac- cessible portions of its former haunts by the encroach?nent of civilization,it is still abundant in 'certain localities. In the Puente hills of I,os Angeles County I have taken numerous sets of eggs of the American Raven in the past four years. A tramp of a day or two through this range will reveal to the collector dozens of large, compact nests now unused ex- cepting by an occasional Great Horned Owl or Western Redtail, whereas they were formerly occupied by ravens. In February, ?895, I found my first pair of ravens putting the finishing touches to a huge nest built on a ledge of rock about fifty feet from the bottom of a ninety foot cliff. I was greatly discouraged at first as this nest seemed inaccessible, but on March ?4 I persua- ded a friend to climb to it, and he being experienced in the art, reached the nest without difficulty and secured a handsome set of five fresh eggs, which measured 3.o9x?.37; 2.o6x?.37; 2.o4x?.35; ?.88x?.3? and ?.79xt.28. In color they were bluish-green, heavily covered with blotches of dark brown and quite similar to eggs of the American Crow. A set of four slightly incubated eggs was taken from this nest on March 28 and I procured another set of six eggs from a neighboring cliff on April 20, ev- idently from the same pair of birds. The eggs of this set vary greatly in size and coloration, one being very small and slightly marked. I have noticed quite an oddity in three sets of eggs taken from a pair of birds in ?897. Each egg has a "knob" on the larger end, making the series quite a curiosity, and I have noticed the same deformity in a set taken this season (?899) from a new nest near the
