SECOND ANNUAL MEETING 83 



not so far along in incubation, fresh eggs being the rule. This bird 

 seems to be more careless in building, not using as much material in 

 constructing the nest as the Forster's. 



In the taller canes near the shore the Long-billed Marsh Wrens were 

 abundant, for although T could not see more than fifteen or twenty 

 feet around me, 1 could quite often count ten or twelve of the spherical 

 nests. On investigation, however, only one or two would have eggs in 

 them, others being old, and still others seemingly having been built 

 for practice. For the most part the clutches were incomplete, the birds 

 not having commenced to set. The nests were all from three to five 

 feet from the ground, were built of rushes and leaves closely woven 

 together, a small o])ening l)eing left for entrance, and fastened strongly 

 to the reeds. 



The Yellow-headed Blackbird here seemed to prefer a patch of rushes 

 separated from the shore by a narrow strip of water. The nest was 

 suspended between four or five rushes about eighteen inches from the 

 water and was strongly built of rush leaves and stems. Few nests had 

 eggs, the birds not having finished building. 



The two Blue-winged Teal nests that I found were quite differently 

 located. The one was about one hundred feet from the edge of the lake 

 on high, dry ground, while the other was back in the hills nearly three- 

 quarters of a mile from the water. I was surprised to find a nest so 

 far from the lake but was told by settlers there that' it was nothing 

 unusual to find nests even two miles from water. The birds had scraped 

 a shallow hole in the ground and lined it ^vith grass and roots and a 

 few feathers from their breasts. No covering was over either but the 

 over-hang-ing grass so nearly concealed them that they could not be 

 seen a few feet away. The birds both clung closelj^ to the nest, one not 

 leaving until my foot was nearly resting on her back. The first con- 

 tained nine fresh eggs, the other twelve badly incubated ones. 



My time was so limited that I could not work even the one lake as 

 well as I would have liked to do, and as a result my list of breeders is 

 not as large as it ought to be. The following list of birds observed ■will 

 show a few that uiDon further investigation will probablj' be found to 

 breed there: 



Horned Grebe, several j)airs; Ring-billed Gull, about ten pairs seen 

 around an alkali lake; Mallard, common; Gadwall, common; Widgeon, 

 common; Spoonbill, common; Pintail, common; Eed-head, common; Can- 

 vas-back, about ten pairs were seen; Euddy Duck, common on one lake; 

 American Bittern, common; Black-crowned Night Heron, came to the 

 lakes every night to feed, leaving about sunrise; Wilson's Phalarope, 

 common, in going across a meadow several pairs would follow calling 

 and crying as if their nest was near; Baird's Sandpiper, several seen; 

 Semi-palmated Sandiiiper, common; Least Sandpiper, common. This 

 and the preceding were gathered in large flocks seemingly not having- 

 mated as yet. Avocet, one pair seen and the birds acted as if they had 



