ORNITHOLOGY OF GUADALUPE ISLAND. 301 



the surface of the ground, and so carefully hidden beneath 

 a covering of brush that it was found with difficulty, even 

 though I was guided by hearing the young " peeping" for 

 food. The parent birds, who were close by, seemed but 

 little alarmed, uttering only an occasional chirp while I 

 searched for their treasure. Six days later the nest was 

 vacant, being probably robbed by a stray cat. 



Full fledged young were taken March 16; also a nest with 

 three fresh eggs, which had been found nearly completed on 

 the 10th. The position of the nest was curious and unique, 

 and it was only by seeing the birds at work building that I 

 succeeded in discovering it. A pine tree with a cleft 

 six feet from the ground, or rather two trees with a common 

 trunk, grew near to the edge of a precipice, and in this nar- 

 row cleft partially filled with pme needles the juncos had 

 built. By standing on a pile of rocks and branches I could 

 see the eggs lying in the nest, about a foot below where the 

 trees joined. A fluff of cotton pushed down on the end of a 

 stick to cover the nest, protected the eggs from bits of 

 bark and chips, while I enlarged the openiog to a sufficient 

 size to admit my hand. While the eggs were being care- 

 fully placed in a collecting box, the birds, who had remained 

 interested rather than alarmed witnesses to the spoliation, 

 flew to the tree, and, while the male clung to the bark at 

 the entrance, the female hopped down within and began the 

 removal of the debris which had fallen upon the edge of the 

 nest. This was at length cleared away by repeated trips 

 into the hole, each journey bringing to the opening a bit of 

 wood, which was promptly dropped to the ground. The 

 nest is composed of a few pieces of bark-moss, light-colored 

 dry grass blades, and a tail feather of a petrel, all surround- 

 ing a quantity of grass blades, lined within with goat hair. 

 It measures externally about 120 mm. in diameter by 80 

 mm. in height, with a receptacle 60 mm. in diameter and 

 onh^ 28 mm. in depth. 



The three eggs which the nest contained (set No. 797, 



21— Bull. Cal. Acad. Sci. II. 6. Issued Jauuary 5, 18H7. 



