192 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol 7-No. 24 



crowned Sparrows are plentiful in the 

 dense Tidllow thickets that cover the flat, 

 marshy benches of mountains and in willows 

 along- the creek bottom at the foot of the 

 mountain. July 24 I found, accidentally, 

 one of their nests with four young birds 

 about a week old. The nest was placed 

 upon some horizontal willow twigs on a 

 steep bank of the creek. It was about 

 thirty inches from the ground, composed 

 outwardly of coaree, dried gi-asses and weed 

 stalks lined with fine soft grass and a 

 small quantity of cow's hair. Outside 

 heighth 3 inches, breadth fif inches, in- 

 side depth If inches, ^ridth 3 inches. 



Oregon ? Snow birds are abundant 

 throughout the mountains. Of this bird I 

 have taken five sets of eggs. Four of the 

 nests were in small ca\-ities, under over- 

 hanging clods of earth, in the bank of the 

 wagon-road. Tlie fifth was on the ground 

 by the side of a large rock on a hill side. 

 The nests are large for the size of the bird. 

 The outer part is of coarse grass and weed 

 stalks, and small roots loosely placed to- 

 gether, with a thick lining of soft grass. 

 Outside height 2J inches, breadth G inches, 

 inside depth 1^ inches, width 3J inches. 

 The first three sets taken June 20 con- 

 tained four fresh eggs. 



June 26.— Tlie fourth set wth three fresh 

 eggs and the fifth one with four eggs con- 

 taining large embiyos. The average meas- 

 urement of the whole five set is 84x62. 

 Ground color very pale bluish green, with 

 spots and dashes of dark lilac blended to- 

 gether about the larger end, forming quite 

 a distinct circle, with a few lighter mark- 

 ings on the rest of the surface. While I 

 was taking the eggs the jiarent birds were 

 hopping about a short distance away, ut- 

 tering loud "chiles" but offering no re- 

 sistance. 



Mountain Mocking Birds are quite plen- 

 tiful in the open places, but are seldom 

 seen in the timber. 



June 20. — Took two sets of four eggs. 

 — one fresh and the other containing large 



emlsryos. The nests are a large bulky af- 

 fair, and were jilaced under a overhanging 

 rock in a deep railroad cut. Composed outr- 

 wardly of dead twigs loosely laid together 

 and lined with fine di-y grass and weeds. 

 Dimensions outside : height 4^ inches, 

 width 9 inches, inside depth 2 inches, 

 l)readth 4 inches. 



June 25. — Found a nest under a rock in 

 an old prospect hole far above timber line 

 containing four fresh eggs. The jjarenfc 

 ))ird when on the nest vni\ allow itself to 

 be nearly touched by the hand when it will 

 slip off the nest and out of sight. The 

 eggs average .68X.95. Grouud color im- 

 ptire white, with splashes of umber and a 

 few small spots of pale lilac blended to- 

 gether, covering the whole of the larger 

 end, the remaining surface being covered 

 by small and separate markings of the 

 same colors in a little lighter shade. — D. D. 

 Stone, Hancock, Colorado. 



Cormorants Breeding in Captivity. — 

 Many readers of Tjand and Water, and 

 especially those of the ornithological type, 

 will be interested to hear something about 

 my Connorants, which bred for the first 

 time in capti\'ity in the Zoological Gar- 

 dens, Eegent's Park, last Spring, whilst 

 being there on " deposit." I think it is 

 pretty well known that out of three eggs 

 two were hatched and reared. Of these, 

 one was presented to the Zoological Gar- 

 dens, whilst the other bird I removed and 

 trained. Probably the "Water Nymph," 

 for such is the name I have given this 

 yoimg one, has derived great instruction 

 from old " Kao-wang," its mother, whose 

 experience over nearly twenty years must 

 be great, for she has turned out a most 

 wonderful fisher. She has been fishing in 

 Yorkshire with the old one. and their score 

 in three weeks is two hundred and twen- 

 ty-six fish. All kinds of fish were taken, 

 but they consisted chiefly of trout. — F. 

 II. Salvvn in Land and Water, Lon- 

 don, England. 



