210 NOTES ON CALIFORNIA ANIMALS. 



places. At ii ranch near the town, where my laboratory was set up for a 

 time, they took possession of all the available cracks and crevices about 

 the buildings, nesting also in the locust trees, the rose bushes, and even 

 in several deserted nests of Bullock's Oriole. They did not accept these 

 nests as built by the Orioles, but constructed their own nests in«ide, often 

 half filling them with rubbish. One of these was tilled to overflowing, 

 so there was barely room for the eggs, thus making it quite a heavy 

 and bulky affair. Sometimes their nests were found in the lower 

 branches of the cottouwoods along the river. 



The nest of the ITouse Finch, in the materials entering into its com 

 position, is subject to as great variety as is its situation, being made of 

 all kinds of green and dried weeds, of coarse twine and strings, of sun- 

 dry fibers of dead weeds, with lining of horse-tail, wool, cotton, or in 

 fact of any handy material that would do to build a bird's nest out of. 

 They lay not more than five eggs, which are subject to much variation 

 in their marking. They arc very destructive to fruit, and in some 

 places T found the ranchers prepared with special ammunition for de- 

 stroying them. 



In the autumn they are gregarious, and a flock of thirty or forty of 

 these rosy fellows in one small tree is a pretty sight. 



Loxia curvirostia minor (Brebra). A mericatt Crossbill. 



This resident of the pines appears to be somewhat irregular in its 

 distribution. Although I spent more than two mouths among the con- 

 ifers of Mount Shasta, Crossbills were not met with, except on one occa- 

 sion, until September 3, on the eastern slope. Our camp, at an elevation 

 of about 0,000 feet, on a small stream, was occasionally visited by small 

 bands of these birds. I soon learned from the monotonous iu)tes which 

 they uttered in concert when flying when they were about camp, and 

 on going out usually saw them in the tops of certain tamaracks near 

 by. As observed in the pine region east of Mount Lassen the following 

 summer tliey were more numerous and easier to obtain. 



In this region they were nearly always to be found in three particudar 

 localities in the vicinity of springs, and seldom anywhere else. One of 

 these was our own cabin, and I collected many Crossbills l)y firing from 

 the door with a parlor gun which did not make report enough to frighten 

 them away. It w-jis their custom to come to a stump before the door 

 early in the morning, often half a dozen being on it at onc(% and some- 

 times three or four conUl be killed in succession before they became 

 alarmed. A few moments' inspection of the place from the nearest ])ine 

 was sufficient to restore their confidence, however, and they would 

 come down again. 



I have every reason to believe that the source of their attraction to 

 this particular stump was salt, as we always salted the horses there, 

 and thero. was always n)orc or less of it sticking in the crevices. This 

 stump was resorted toby poicui)iiu\s during llu^ night for the salt which 



