PHAINOPEPLA 105 



Azusa, Calif., most of them in orange trees, were situated at heights 

 of 6 to 11 feet, averaging 8I/2 feet. 



Mrs. Harriet Williams Myers (1908), who watched the building 

 of many nests in sycamore trees, observed that nearly all of them were 

 in upright crotches. A large proportion of the nests mentioned by 

 others are described as placed in forks, either vertical or horizontal. 

 Reporting on San Diego County observations, F. E. Blaisdell (1893) 

 says: "The nests are placed at varying distances from the ground, 

 from four to even fifty feet. The materials used are prickly or viscid. 

 The fruit and leaves of some of the members of the Borage family have 

 the preference, together with the leaves and down of species of Giia- 

 phaliuin^ all being bound together by spiders' web; the interior of 

 the nest is thinly lined with bits of wool, hair and down." Also in San 

 Diego County were the nests described by Florence Merriam Bailey 

 (1896) : 



By following the birds as they flew from the pepper trees, I found four nests. 

 They were alien the border or in the midst of dense chaparral. * * * all were 

 built in low oaks, two not eight feet above the ground, and two under five. One 

 was in a narrow socket between two small branches, and another was placed 

 on a horizontal limb. All the nests were broken up, and the three that I took 

 after they were deserted were made of about the same materials : small bits of 

 plant stems, oak blossoms and other small flowers. The materials were so flue 

 that, although I sat within a few yards of the nests when the birds were at 

 woi'k, I rarely saw them bring anything, except in the few instances when they 

 came with grass dangling from their bills. 



As soon as I began to watch the Phainopepla's nests, I discovered that the males 

 did almost all the building. This was especially surprising because in direct 

 opposition to the laws of protective coloration, for their black plumage and white 

 wing markings made them striking figures as they went about their work. 



As Mrs. Bailey states, nest-building seems to be almost exclusively 

 the duty of the male. The female may occasionally visit and care- 

 fully inspect the unfinished nest, but according to most observers she 

 seldom offers any active assistance, and may actually be driven away 

 by her mate. That there are individual variations in this regard, 

 however, is indicated by observations of Dr. Barton W. Evermann 

 (1882) in Ventura County, Calif. He says: "Two or three pairs of 

 these Flycatchers were soon detected in their nest-building, and I 

 watched them for several evenings with much interest. Both male 

 and female worked at the nest, each bringing and placing its own mate- 

 rial." In the light of present knowledge, it seems likely that he may 

 have concentrated his attention on one pair and assumed their co- 

 operation to be typical of all. 



The nest is notably shallow and appears small for the size of the bird, 

 though neat and compactly constructed. Mr. Brandt (MS.) writes: 

 "The five nests measured by us varied but little in size and measured 

 about 2l^ inches in total height, 4l^ inches in outside diameter, and 

 21^ inches in inside diameter, while the U-shaped bowl was ll^ inches 



843290—50 8 



