EASTERN VERDIN 431 



apparently unintentionally, but seemed immediately to forget all about it, and 

 went right on looking. 



One that he watched on October .31, 1919, was apparently gathering 

 material to line a winter nest: "One seen this morning picking cotton 

 from a wad I had affixed to a hackberry to mark the site of a mouse 

 trap. It pecked down on the cottony wad several times and until its 

 bill held as much as possible. Then it flew to another branch of the 

 hackberry and rearranged the cotton in its bill. Then it flew by 'flirty' 

 flights to a mesquite not far away, then made off for a long flight over 

 the mesa to a point where I could not follow it. This bird, or another, 

 was back in a few moments for another load of cotton." 



Mr. Sennett (1878) had several experiences indicating that the 

 verdin will desert its nest, it the eggs are handled before the set is 

 completed. 



James B. Dixon tells me that the verdin apparently raises two broods 

 in favorable seasons on the Colorado desert, as he has found nests with 

 eggs in late February and early March and then found them with fresh 

 eggs again during the first week in May of the same year. 



Eggs. — The cozy nest of the verdin may contain anywhere from 

 three to six eggs, but normally four ; sets of five are not especially rare ; 

 Mr. Oilman (1902) states that sets of four and five are "about evenly 

 divided as to frequency," though most others agree that four is by far 

 the commonest number. The delicate little eggs are dainty and beauti- 

 ful. The ground color is light bluish green, greenish I)lue, or bluish 

 or greenish white. This is usually rather sparingly and irregularly 

 marked with fine dots, small spots, or rarely with very small blotches 

 of reddish brown. Usually the markings are much scattered, but some- 

 times they are concentrated in a ring around the large end. The meas- 

 urements of 50 eggs average 15.3 by 11.0 millimeters; the eggs show- 

 ing the four extremes measure 16.3 by 11.2, 15.2 by 12.2, 14.0 by 11.2. 

 and 14.7 by 10.2 millimeters. 



Young. — Whether both sexes incubate does not seem to be definitely 

 known, but, as the male is known to build his own roosting nest, perhaps 

 incubation is performed entirely by the female. The incubation period 

 of most of the Paridae is about 14 days, but :Mrs. Wheelock (1904) 

 says: 



In ten days after the last bluish white egg: was laid, there were three infini- 

 tesimal bits of naked bird life, huddled tightly together in the middle of the 

 feather-lined hollow. 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 



