374 BULLETIN 17 6, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Two eggs are usually laid, although I have seen nests with one and 

 three eggs, which I feel sure were sets. The female is usually very 

 tame after brooding a short time and is very curious if disturbed and 

 will fly right into your face to look you over and try to scare you 

 away from the nest. I have never seen the male bird feed the young 

 or help build the nests. Anna's hummingbird does not colonize like 

 some of the others and seems to prefer an area to itself." 



W. Leon Dawson (1923) states that "nests of the Anna Hummer 

 vary in construction perhaps more widely than those of any other 

 local species. Some are massive and as heavily adorned with lichens 

 as those of the eastern Ruby -throat." According to all available data, 

 however, they can probably be regarded as essentially similar to 

 those of Costa's hummingbird except for their slightly larger size; 

 fibers and stemmy materials usually being used in the walls, and 

 ornamentation on the exterior, while feathers are frequent in the 

 lining. An interesting account of the nesting activities has been 

 given by A. W. Anthony (1897) : 



Sometime about April 1, an Anna's Hummingbird began her nest in a cypress 

 in front of my residence in San Diego. I could not be sure as to the exact date 

 of beginning, but on the 6th, when I first noticed the bird at work, there was 

 nothing but a little platform the size of a silver twenty-five cent piece, fastened 

 to the upper side of a twig which nearly overhung the front walk, and was 

 but just high enough to escape being struck by anyone passing below. 



From an upper window I could look down upon the growth of the downy cup, 

 and watch the diminutive builder from a distance of but a few feet, as she 

 brought almost imperceptible quantities of cotton and tucked them into the 

 sides and rim of the prospective nest. In working the material into the struc- 

 ture she always used her body as a form around which to build, tucking the 

 cottony substance into the side and pushing it with her breast, frequently 

 turning about to see if it were the right size all around. 



On April 12, when the nest was apparently but half finished, and little better 

 than a platform with a raised rim, I was surprised to see an egg, which the 

 mother carefully guarded as she buzzed about, still bringing nesting material. 



The following morning the second egg was added, and on one or two occasions 

 the male made his appearance, and tried, seemingly, to coax the female to 

 leave the nest, even making several attempts to push her from the eggs when 

 other means failed. He soon became discouraged, however, and departed for 

 parts unknown, leaving his demure little spouse to care for the eggs and com- 

 plete the half finished nest. 



For several days incubation progressed just about two minutes at a time. 

 The Hummer, after arriving with material and building it into the slowly rising 

 rim, would incubate for two minutes, seldom more than a few seconds more or 

 less, before leaving for another consignment. 



Her periods of absence were of almost exactly the same duration. It was 

 not until incubation was more than half complete that the nest was finally 

 finished, but unadorned by the usual bits of lichen. These were added from 

 day to day until May 1, when the first egg hatched, either eighteen or nineteen 

 days after incubation began. Owing to the unsettled actions of the bird on 

 the 12th and 13th of April I could not satisfy myself as to when incubation 

 really began. 



