ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD 373 



ably continues normally through late winter and spring and sporadi- 

 cally throughout summer, with some evidence of its extending even 

 into the fall. With the breeding season so greatly prolonged, it is of 

 course difficult to determine exactly how many broods are raised each 

 year, but it may be inferred that two is the usual number, as in the 

 cases of the black-chinned and Allen's hummingbirds. During one 

 season throughout which I was able to follow^ the activities of one 

 pair separately, by the aid of artificial feeding, the movements of the 

 female indicated — though the nest was not found — that the first in- 

 cubation period began late in Januar}^, the second just two months 

 later. Incidentally, it is hard to explain satisfactorily why these 

 species, which quite certainly raise two broods yearly, do not gain in 

 numbers relatively to the Costa's, rufous, and calliope hummingbirds, 

 which usually do not remain on their breeding grounds long enough 

 to permit more than one. 



Nests of Anna's hummingbirds have been described or photo- 

 graphed on almost every kind of site to which it would be possible 

 to attach the structure, except on the ground or any extensive hori- 

 zontal surface. It is usually, without doubt, birds of this species that 

 now and then achieve newspaper publicity by nesting in some unex- 

 pected spot in the business district of Los Angeles. The distance 

 from the ground at which the nests are placed is also extremely vari- 

 able. Of 52 nests found by W. Lee Chambers (1903) between Jan- 

 uary 1 and February 18, 1903, the heights ranged from 17 inches to 

 30 feet. James B. Dixon, of Escondido, Calif., writes (MS.) concern- 

 ing nests and their sites : "The female seems to select the nesting site and 

 so far as I have ever observed did all of the nest building. The nest 

 location may be in a wide variety of locations, as I have seen nests in 

 the following locations: On insulated electric-light wires under the 

 crossarm of a service pole 30 feet from the ground; on a climbing 

 vine on a granite cliff face within a few feet of an occupied nest of 

 the golden eagle; in citrus trees, both oranges and lemons; in brush 

 far removed from any wooded areas; and in dense oak groves in 

 narrow wooded canyons. The last-mentioned place is by far the 

 most favored as to nest location and I should say was typical of this 

 area. The nests are large and well made and are usually devoid of 

 camouflage when first built but are decorated with lichens during the 

 incubation period and by the time the young are hatched are very 

 beautiful structures and in my estimation are the most beautiful of 

 all the hummingbird nests. The nests are made of plant down put 

 together with cobwebs and are often lined wdth fine bird feathers 

 and plant down. Often eggs are laid in the nest when it is a mere 

 platform and the remaining part of the nest is built up around the 

 eggs and the finishing touches of lichens and plant seed put on last. 



