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her four eggs, leaving only the quail's egg in the nest. The next 

 day the towhee was still sitting, though it cannot be supposed that 

 she was unable to detect the great difference in size, color and 

 shape between this egg and her own. The next year (May 17, 

 1889) I found a nest of this species containing the usual four 

 towhee's eggs and two quail's eggs, in addition to which there was 

 a third quail's egg on the ground about six inches from the nest. 

 The towhee was sitting. 



Pipilo fusciis crissalis. California Towhee. 



This is a very common resident. The birds apparently remain 

 paired through the year. Nesting begins about the middle of April 

 (April 16, 1889), and young birds may sometimes be found still in 

 the nest in September (September 3, 1899). The number of eggs 

 usually is tsliree or four, and one is laid each day until the set is 

 complete. The period of incubation is fourteen days. 



Oreospiza chlorura. Green-tailed Towhee. 



One was shot in a river bottom near San Jose during the winter of 

 i88y or 1890. 



Zamelodia melanocephala. Black-headed Grosbeak. 



This grosbeak must be ranked among the very finest of our song- 

 sters. The song begins with a series of loud, clear notes, delivered, 

 at considerable intervals, in a more or less declamatory style. 

 These are followed at length by runs and trills fully as tender and 

 liquid as the notes of a thrush, and quite as well executed as those 

 of a well-trained canary. This song is repeated over and over 

 again, almost without a pause. One that I timed sang nearly 

 twelve minutes, with never a pause of more than ten seconds. 

 This grosbeak arrives about the middle of April (April 16, 1890; 

 April 15, 1892), and comparatively few remain until September. 

 Nest building usually begins early in May, but the last of the young 

 sometimes remain in the nest until the middle of July (July 12, 

 1888). The males assist in the duties of incubation. 



Cyanospiza a^ncena. Lazuli Bunting. 



This species arrives about the middle of April — the males always, 

 I believe, coming a day or two before the females — and begins to 

 build about the end of that month. I have found fresh eggs from 

 May I to June 23 (1888). Occasionally the eggs are dotted with 



