WESTERN BLUE GROSBEAK 77 



pipped, and two remained unchanged. The following day, by 10:00 

 a.m. a second had hatched, and two were pipped, and by 7:30 p.m. 

 three youngsters were out. The fourth egg, though pipped, failed to 

 hatch the chick. 



"On June 22 the first egg hatched, another pipped, and two re- 

 mained unchanged. The follo\ving day, by 10:00 a.m. a second had 

 hatched, and two were pipped, and by 7:30 p.m. three youngsters 

 were out. The foiu-th egg, though pipped, failed to hatch, the chick 

 dying. DaUy inspection showed the young still in the nest on June 

 30. At 2:00 p.m. on July 1 binocular check revealed one bird in 

 the nest, one on a twig some 2 feet away, and the third nowhere to 

 be seen. All were gone the following day by 8:00 a.m. 



"From the above it may be seen that this female laid an egg a 

 day for 4 days; from clutch completion to first hatching was 1 1 days; 

 that at least 2 days were required to complete hatching; and that 

 nest occupancy was about 9 days. 



"When the second nest was discovered at 7:00 p.m. on July 17, it 

 already contained four eggs similar to the first four, so laying and 

 incubation data on this nest were not obtainable. The nest was 38.5 

 inches from ground to rim, in a rather sparse clump of the R. trilobata. 

 The routine check at 2:00 p.m. on July 23 revealed one damp, newly 

 emerged chick, one pipped egg, and two eggs unmarked. The 

 following day by 10:30 a.m. two eggs had hatched and two remained 

 unchanged, and by 4:15 p.m. one of the latter eggs showed a slight 

 pipping. At 10:30 a.m. on July 25 three young were out, the fourth 

 again failing to hatch. As in the first set, examination showed the 

 last chick here to have died just prior to emergence, although this one 

 did not pip the shell. Using the first set's incubation data and the 

 second set's hatching times, we may assume that the female finished 

 her second clutch on approximately July 12, just about 1 month 

 from the time she finished laying her first set. 



"Binocular check of the nest at 11:00 a.m. on August 1 showed all 

 young therein. At 8:30 a.m. on August 3 all the young were gone 

 and inspection of the site indicated that the nest had been vacated 

 the day before, on August 2. No young could be seen in the vicinity 

 of the nest. Duration of occupancy by the second brood was, 

 therefore, some 10 days. 



"A study of the second nest showed it to be somewhat less well 

 constructed than the first, the upper wall being such that the eggs 

 could be seen from the outside. The inside dimensions were approxi- 

 mately as before, and both cellophane and newspaper had again 

 been woven among the twigs and bark strippings. Numerous small 

 pieces of cardboard, not found in the first nest, had also been used 

 here. Rootlets and horsehairs again lined the cup. 



