124 NOKTll AMi:i;ii'A.\ IIIIMIS. 



ilciul leaves, wliicli 11i(^y j^reiilly resunihli) in ciilnr. Tliis veseiiililaiico Dr. 

 CiMiper regards as ;i j^i'e;il pniteelinii In llieiii IVniii Hawks; their inu^s also 

 (•nrres|iiiii(l with llmsr nT llie ciiilh ami lln' du^ky Inliajie ilnrillji lilosl: of llii' 

 year. 'I'liey are llnis less e.oiispiciioiis in liu' li^lil, ami tliey vi'utiire ninre 

 fearlessly I'mili ami I'eeil in open nrouiiils. 



They \r.\\r hul lilllc soul;, ami onlv iiIIit a Irw I'ainl, rliirps and hurried 

 notes, ua Ihevsit iierrhrd u|iciii soiiie low Ini'^h, in (lie siirinij;. At San llie^'o 

 I)r. (^l()]ler saw (he lirsl nesl with e,L;;.;s on April 17, lait some liirds had laid 

 inni'h earlier, as he I'onnd yonnt; hatched hy the I'Olh. He al'terwards olisei'ved 

 other nests, all of wliii h wwr limit in Imshe.s, from two to four fi'et from the 

 j,n'iaind, aial all Init^ one confaiiu'd thret^ eji;;s ; the other had tour, lie has 

 fouml them huill in low trees, aiul one in a vine !;ro\vin!i- over (he porch of a 

 house. The nest is fornu'd of eoarst^ Iwin's, hark, and L;rass, is thirk ami 

 lar^e, and is lined with lini' root-lihres and liner j,nTisses. 'I'he ej^j^s are pale 

 blue, spotted with puiplisli-liiown hlolehes, nuistly small and scattered. He 

 e'ives the mcasiiicmenl of the e^n's as .HI) liy .li'i of an iiu'h. In the more 

 northern part of the Slate they are said to lay lour eL;i;s ofteuer than three. 

 The\' arc supposed hy him to lia\c two lirnods in a season. 



( 'oloiiel McCall lias no doulil llial ihcy are found (hrouulnuit ( 'alil'oriua, 

 as he has nu'l with them iVom ihc nppia' waters of the Sacranuailo to the 

 nionlh of the (lila, ; the fornu'r having' its oriuin in the exlrenu^ north, and 

 the latter louehini; the extreme southern Ixuindary of the Stale. It is most 

 alinndaiit siail h of Sania llarhaia. 



Colonel McCall stales that its hahits and manners diller somewhat from 

 those of the eomnuin Towhei- and the Arctic l''inelies. Its llieiii is nion^ 

 eM'U and rcL;ular, and is wilhonl that violent jcrkiui; of the tail from side to 

 side, which gives such a. siunulai' ai>pearanee of awkwardness tti the mo\e- 

 nienls of the T<i\vhee. It is less sh\- and suspicions than the .Vrelic. It. is 

 also much less di'cidcdiy a (iioumi finch than either of llic olhers. Its fa- 

 \orilc aliode he lonnd lo he Ihc \icinitv of \\ aterc.oiu'ses, wliero it is s»cnor- 

 ally to he seen in paiis, tlioiioh he has, at times, surprised ei.uht or ten 

 toijellicr under tin' shade ot a lar>,'e hush at noon in a snnuner day, when he 

 has hail no (lilUciill y in procuiinn three or fo\u- s]iceimens hefore the partv 

 dispersi'd. It is al all times a familiar hird, holilly eonniiL; into the roads to 

 feed, and permitlinu a close aiijiroach. if comiielled to retreat, it darts sud- 

 denly into Ihe thii'kct. lull ri'Inrns as soiui as the cause of alarm has disap- 

 |)eared. Near Santa liarhara he fmind thirty or forty of these liirds. in tho 

 n\onth ol iluly, dispersed over an old lield of sonu> live acr(>s in t>xtent, con- 

 tiguous to a sca-heach, through which llowed a small stream of fresh water, 

 'i'hey were feeding en the i^ronnd, slu'llered hy a rank urowtli of weeds. 

 A\'hcn one was llushed it Hew iutti a nei.nhliiirinjf tree instead of seekint; 

 shelter aL;ain in the weeds. The younj; at that time were fully lledijjeil, and 

 scarcely dilVered in the color of their plumage from the adults. 



Dr. lleermann once met with a nest of this hird huill in a graiievine over- 



