556 LAND BIRDS 



the breeding nest in cases where the winter nest is not 

 used for that purpose. The architecture of the two is 

 somewhat different in those I have observed, the nest 

 built by the female being larger, more carefully lined, 

 and with a decided hollow in the centre of the bedding 

 material as if to keep the babies from rolling out. The 

 nest of the male was simply a hollow gourd-shaped affair 

 with little or no lining, and might pass for a dummy nest 

 such as there is reason to believe he does occasionally 

 build. Every nest found had a neck-like entrance ex- 

 tending downward and ending in a round hole. They 

 were all located in mesquite thickets within six feet of 

 the ground, and most of them were easy to watch. In 

 ten days after the last bluish white egg was laid, there 

 were three infinitesimal bits of naked bird life, huddled 

 tightly together in the middle of the feather-lined hol- 

 low. A slit carefully cut at this time and fastened shut 

 after each observation enabled me to keep an exact 

 record of the development of the brood. Although I 

 could not watch the mother feeding the young, I am 

 positive it was done by regurgitation, for she would eat 

 as unconcernedly as if merely occupied with her own 

 dinner, and fly at once with apparently empty mouth 

 into the nest, emerging shortly to repeat the perform- 

 ance. During the first five days the male was not seen 

 to go into the nest, but sang right merrily near by. 

 After that time the young began to make themselves 

 heard in hungry cries, and he began to carry food to 

 them, which we could see in his bill. This food con- 

 sisted almost exclusively of small green worms, and eggs 



