166 VAN DENBUKGH — BIRDS OF SANTA CLARA CO., CAL. [Nov. 17, 



leafless twig to dry and carefully arrange their feathers. I have 

 never observed them bathing in the spray of fountains. 



Selasphorus riifus. Rufous Hummingbird. 



This hummingbird seems to be most abundant in February and 

 March when the wild currants are covered with their pink blossoms. 

 It can then almost always be found where these bushes grow. The 

 shriller whir of its wings enables one to distinguish it readily from 

 Anna's hummingbird which is found in the same situations. It is 

 even more pugnacious than the latter species and its nesting sea- 

 son probably is shorter. I have found its nests only in March 

 and April. It usually builds in cypresses, pines, or eucalypti, and 

 its nests are often very beautiful structures, especially when the 

 highly colored stamens of the eucalyptus blossoms are used in their 

 construction. 



Ty7'annus verticals. Western Kingbird. 



This beautiful flycatcher is abundant in many localities in the 

 valley, but I never have observed it in the foothills west of Los 

 Gatos. 



Myiarchus cinerascens. Ash-throated Flycatcher. 



I believe that these birds usually arrive at Los Gatos in April, 

 although I observed one February 26, 1889. They begin to nest 

 late in May (May 16, 1890; May 21, 1889; May 24, 1888), and 

 eggs may sometimes be found after the middle of June (June 18, 

 1889). The number of eggs laid is ordinarily either four or five. 

 The nests are usually built in cavities in oak trees, but a bird-box 

 which I placed in a tree in a barnyard has been used by these fly- 

 catchers for the last ten years (i 890-1 899). 



On May 21, 1889, I found a pair of these birds building in a 

 common tin watering-pot hanging in a vine-covered arbor. The 

 nest had just been begun. The first tg^ was laid May 25, and 

 others were added on each of the next four days. This nest was 

 made chiefly of hair from cows and rabbits, and was so soft that 

 none of the five eggs could be seen in it even when one looked 

 directly down. 



Sayornis saya. Say's Phoebe. 



Say's Phoebe appears usually in October or November and is not 

 uncommon through the winter. 



