1 62 



THE -^S PURRED TOWHEE. 



JJiijf, fluff of the short wiiii^s, and a jerk and quick spreading of the long, 

 rounded tail, as if he limped that the flash nf white at its end would startle 

 the intruder away." 



For a nest the 

 Spurred Towhee 

 scratches a hollow 

 at the hase of a 

 bush or clump in 

 some dry situa- 

 tion, ;ind lines 

 tliis carefully, 

 first with leaves, 

 bark - strips and 

 plant stems, then 

 with fine grasses 

 or rootlets. The 

 eggs, commonly 

 four in number, 

 are deposited the 

 last week in .\pril 

 r>r first in INla}'. 

 and the female 

 clings to her treas- 

 ures until the 

 crushing footstep 

 is ver_\^ imminent. 

 Once flushed, how- 

 e\'er, she keeps to 

 the background, 

 scolding intermit- 

 tently, and she 

 will not return 

 until long after 

 the excitement has 

 died down. 

 Two broods are raised each season, and the first one, at least, must early 

 learn to shift for itself. The young birds are obscure, dun-colored creatures, 

 quite unlike their parents in appearance, and b\- July they infest the buck- 

 brush of the more open mountain sides in such numbers and apparent \'ariety 

 as to start a dozen false hopes in the ornithologist's breast each day. 



Talccu in Oregon. Photo by A. IV. .-inthony. 



NEST AND EGGS OF THE SPURRED TOWHEE. 



