May 1888.] 



A]S^D OOLOGIST. 



75 



it. Egjrs white, sparinojly spotted with icddisli. 



oil. Af/i'ldius tricolar (N'litt.), I'p- K<'il :i"<l 

 White-shouldered Blackbird. A Hock observed 

 by me ou Feb. 3, 1S87, au account of which ap- 

 peared in O. & O., Vol. 12, No. 7, pp, 107-S. 



Since then, Mr. Theo. I>. A. Cockerell of 

 WestCliir, Custer Couut.v, writes me, that it is 

 reported to him as ocrciirring at Silver did" on 

 the east side of the valley, by Mr. Walter 

 llornback, but I own that at ])reseut I think lie 

 has made a mistake iu identity, as 1 see' no 

 plausible way of its ever reacliing ('uster Coun- 

 ty. While the source of the Kio did Colorado 

 valley and canyon would open a path to tliis 

 country, and also by its ti-ilintarifs uiln cer- 

 tain portions of eastern Utah, the other species 

 of Aijeln;u!i I have not observed in the county, 

 and being eastern birds there is no direct line 

 of migration for them, as is tlie case with this 

 species. With this explanation, tlie species 

 stand, hoping that I may yet make its accpiain- 

 tance Iiere. 



GO. Slurue.Ua neylncUi (Aud.) Western Mead- 

 ow Lark. Not connnon, but a few pair may be 

 found in moist and level localities, generally 

 in valleys between the mesas. They are far 

 more abundant in the fall, probably being 

 joined by moie northerly birds. 'I'lu^y leave 

 after the first snow-stoi-ms, and, coiiti'ary to tlie 

 Meadow Larks in the East, they do not arrive 

 till ready to breed. Whereas iu Wyoming and 

 eastern localities, they appear very often be- 

 fore the snow has diappeared. Keaclies 10,000 

 feet. 



(il. Scoleocophaijus cyaiiori'jihalus (Wagh.), 

 Caban. Brewer's Blackbird. Tills poor bird, 

 in spite of the burden it carries in the shape of 

 a scientific name, puts up with its troubles joy- 

 fully and comes to us regularly, and its little 

 coniniunities are found in the wet ravines 

 where it receives its brood or broods of four or 

 five young, in as good form as any of its kind. 

 In a net tract near the Ft. Lewis cemeteiy, 

 there is a little clump of some five pair, build- 

 ing their nests upon the ground at the bottom 

 of the low bushes which grow sparingly. Not 

 2,000 yards to the nest, and just over a mesa is 

 another colony of a few pair, who build in the 

 branches ot the scrub oak. Now, idease do not 

 think I have made any mistake in these two 

 instances, for I have been two years trying to 

 make myself believe so. and last spring, after 

 slaughtering both communities, I was obliged 

 to come to the conclusion that both colonies 

 were one and the same species. The Blue- 

 Headed Graekle is the only one in this county. 

 (To be Continued.) 



A Series of Eggs of Tinnunculus 

 sparverius. 



The eggs of the Sparrow Hawk ( '/'iiindiiriihis 

 sprirri-riiis), are smallei- than ttiose of any other 

 North .American Hawk. As a rule they are 

 handsome, being briglitly colored, and most of 

 them h:ive the i-eddish apiiearance which is so 

 charaeteristii' of tlie eggs of llir I'.ilroiis. They 

 exhibit a sur|)risiiig variation in the style and 

 coloi-iiig of their markings, and a series of 

 them present a fine a|ipearance. 



While irdiabiting the whole of North Ain<'i- 

 ii-a. it api)cais to be especially abundant in 

 California, where all but two of the sets com- 

 prising the present series were taken. It lays 

 its eggs in hollows of trees, mostly in those 

 which are either wholly dead, or tliose with 

 dead limbs. Often the holes made by wood- 

 peckers are used, but in no case is any material 

 carried into the hole by the bird. The eggs 

 are four or five in nuniber, rarely mmc-. 



It is believed that tlie present series of 

 twentv-two sets, now before the writer, shows 

 all the variations to which tliey are subject. 



Set 1. May 5, 18S5. Anaheim, California. Col- 

 lected b}^ Julius Schtieider. Nest in hollow of 

 a sycamore tree. Five eggs. Inculiation ('om- 

 menced. Ground color white, speckled and 

 spotted with viuaceous-cinnamon, ciiiiiamini- 

 rufous. and chestnut. The markings are 

 chiefly at the larger ends ou three of the eggs, 

 and at the smaller ends on the other two : 1.30 

 X 1.0(1; 1.33 xl. 10; 1.30 xl.lO; 1.31 xl. 11; 

 1.33 X 1.13. 



A large portion of the ground rcdor of this 

 set (which is a pure white), is unmarked, and 

 this makes its apijearaiice much lighter than 

 any other in the series, for although other sets 

 have fewer markings, none of thein have as 

 white a ground color as these. 



Set II. April 18, 1885, Los Angeles County. 

 California. Collected by C. N. P. Nest in a 

 hollow tree. Four eggs, incubation well ad- 

 vanced. Ground col r pinkish bull' to ochiace- 

 ous buff', speckled (and with a few spots ot the 

 same colors), with russet and burnt umber: 

 1.36 X 1.11; 1.35 xl.lO; 1.32 x 1.12; 1.34 x 1.15. 



Set III. April 26, 18S-t, Kiver.side, California. 

 Collected by E. M. Haight. Nest in a hole in 

 a large cottonwood tree. Four eggs, incubation 

 advanced. Ground color pinkish bull', speckled 

 with burnt umber. Three of the eggs have each 



