514 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 pakt i 



Two other nests were found on March 18. One was in a second 

 growth fir, "on a lower branch ten feet above the ground and ten feet 

 out from the trunk, in plain view from the ground. The female was 

 sitting on one egg * * *." The other nest, containing four young, 

 "was in a tall rugged fir growing on the edge of a rocky bluff. The 

 nest was situated eight feet from the trunk on a stout limb forty feet 

 above the ground and was quite invisible from below." 



J. W. Preston (1910) gives an interesting account of the nesting of 

 this crossbill in the vicinity of Spokane, Wash., illustrated with 

 photographs of two nests. He says: "The nest building began about 

 the 10th of July and finish about the 20th." 



Earlier he says: 



"The nest is built of dead tamarack twigs for a foundation and 

 outer walls, interwoven with much fine grass and a few dry pine 

 needles. The lining is an abundance of long, black moss from tama- 

 rack trees, and a few soft feathers, making a good, warm nest, placed 

 in the divergent small branches of a horizontal branch from four to 

 eight feet out from the tree-trunk. One was directly in the center of 

 a heavy bunch of long needles at the very tip of a ninety-foot pine and 

 was so concealed by the denseness of the growth that the nest was 

 not visible. * * * Outside diameter, four by five inches; inside, two 

 and one-half. Outside depth, three; inside, one and one-half." 



Dawson and Bowles (1909) describe a nest taken near Tacoma, 

 Wash., on Apr. 25, 1899, that "boasts an inner quilt of felted cow-hair 

 nearly half an inch in thickness." The female had to be lifted off the 

 nest. 



Eggs. — J. W. Preston (1910) describes his three sets of eggs as 

 follows: 



These eggs are plainly much larger than those of the eastern bird. Set number 

 one contains four splendid eggs, measuring as follows: .85X.60, ,86X.61, .87X.62, 

 .88X.62. All are of quite uniform size, all plainly and plentifully markt about 

 the larger end with irregular, kinky strokes and spots, varying from faint purplish 

 to dark chestnut, over a dull greenish white ground somewhat clouded by the 

 weak chocolate flush, which is present in some of these specimens. One egg of 

 this set has the marks somewhat lengthwise giving it a waved or marbled appear- 

 ance; with no marks darker than cinnamon brown. These extend well over the 

 surface except the point. Three eggs of this set have the subdued purplish at the 

 larger end approaching a wreath. 



The eggs of set number two have a clear, bright greenish-white ground color, 

 uniform over the entire surface. They measure: .79X.57, .85X.58, .83X.58. 

 One egg is almost plain at the point, with small specks and spots of faint cinnamon 

 over the larger part of the surface. The other two are almost alike, being sparsely 

 fieckt with cinnamon, with little of this below the center, but heavily speckt with 

 seal brown in an irregular wreath at the larger end. There are also a few kinky 

 lines of the same color. * * * 



The eggs of set number three measure as follows: .86.X62, .87X.62, .90X.60, 

 being decidedly elongated. The ground color is a dull greenish, with the markings, 



