278 BULLETIN 196, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The male bird is an extreme optimist and nearly any hole meets with his ap- 

 proval, but his mate is not so easily satisfied and many of his selections are dis- 

 carded as worthless. It is interesting to watch this home seeking, to see the male 

 put his head into a hole followed by the female; should she enter it, he flutters his 

 wings in the height of enthusiasm, but should she turn away unsatisfied, as she 

 does nine times out of ten, then he appears dejected for a few moments, but 

 speedily recovering, endeavors to entice her into other holes the whereabouts of 

 which he appears to have discovered beforehand. 



* * * Old pairs probably remain united providing the male is able to 

 overcome his rivals in battle but not, I suspect, otherwise. The males have been 

 observed to fight vigorously and these combats have continued intermittently 

 for weeks before one bird finally admitted defeat. The female is always a witness 

 to these encounters, in fact she often follows the fighters from place to place, but 

 I have not been able to discover that she takes any part in them and she apparently 

 accepts the victor as a matter of course. 



Nesting. — All the bluebirds appear to have very similar nesting 

 habits, and the mountain bluebird is no exception to the rule; almost 

 any cavity and almost any location seem to suit them. A. D. 

 Henderson tells me that as far north as Belvedere, Alberta, the moun- 

 tain bluebird is a common breeder, nesting in flicker holes in the woods, 

 as well as in bird boxes around the buildings. A. Dawes DuBois 

 (MS.) reports two Montana nests; one was in a hole in a burnt stub, 20 

 feet from the ground; apparently the other was in a hole in a bank of 

 the Teton River, in the prairie region; he saw a pair investigating sev- 

 eral holes in the bank and they were "especially interested in one hole, 

 which looked like a kingfisher's nest tunnel; both of them went into it." 



Mr. Grater tells me that in Zion National Park, Utah, "nests have 

 been located in old trees or in old woodpecker holes. These nests are 

 usually only a few feet from the ground." Dr. Jean M. Linsdale 

 (1938) reports two very low Nevada nests; one was "in a hole close to 

 the top of a pifion stump 3 feet high," and the other was "4 feet above 

 the ground on the east side of an aspen trunk." Another was found 

 "beneath the roof at the corner of a house. * * * The nest was 

 composed of grasses and lined with a few chicken feathers; it held 6 

 eggs. Both adults were present, and they flew about excitedly or 

 perched on a telephone pole 25 feet away." Still another "nest was 

 in a cavity made by flickers in the side of a house." 



Referring to the Yosemite region, Grinnell and Storer (1924) write: 



At Mono Lake Post Office a pair of Mountain Bluebirds had appropriated to 

 their uses a ledge in a woodshed, entrance to which was gained through a hole in 

 the wall. Here at the height of 10 feet from the ground a loosely woven nest had 

 been constructed. This nest was made of shreds of bark many of which showed 

 evidence of having been freshly pulled from the trees for the purpose. There were 

 included also numerous chicken feathers from the nearby farmyard. The dimen- 

 sions outside were roughly 6 or 7 inches in diameter and 2)4 inches in height. 

 The depression for receiving the eggs was 3% inches wide and 1 y A inches deep. After 

 one brood had been reared this nest was re-lined to receive a second set of eggs. 



