THE OSPREY. 



nest among- a cluster of pine needles, per- 

 haps twenty feet up in a pine, and upon 

 climbing- so I could see into it, discovered 

 it was a warbler's nest, just linished. It 

 was a neat structure of fine plant stems 

 and g-rasses lined with fine cedar bark. 

 No birds were about, so I left it. The 

 nest was about six feet from the trunk of 

 the tree, and was quite conspicuous from 

 the ground. A subsequent visit failed to 

 find an}- parents about the nest, and as it 

 was empty, I left it, taking with me only 

 the empty consolation that it was either 

 the nest of Audubon's or a Hermit War- 

 bler, the parents of which had probably 

 been shot. 



Later in the day I wandered down the 

 canyon among- the tall pines, being greet- 

 ed by Cassin's Vireos, Calaveras Warblers 

 and an occasional Woodpecker in the trees 

 above. Nests were not to be found easily as 

 I soon discovered. However, upon walk- 

 ing under a small pine I beheld a nest 

 with the bird's tail projecting- over the 

 edge, about fifteen feet up. The female 

 did not leave the nest until I had almost 

 climbed to the limb on which it was situ- 

 ated, when she flew to a tree near by and 

 was joined by her richly-g-arbed mate — a 

 male Tvouisiana Tanag-er. Both l)irds 

 kept up a sharp *'chip" similar to the 

 alarm note of the Black-headed 

 Grosbeak, as long- as I remained 

 in the tree. The nest was six 

 feet from the trunk of the tree, 

 on a horijjontal limb about two 

 inches in diameter, built on a 

 cluster of pine needles. Four 

 dark-g-reen eg-g-s against the 

 brown lining- of the nest made 

 a pretty sight, but I could not 

 reach the nest, so left it until 

 later in the day. The next da v 

 Mr. Osgood and myself set out 

 to collect the nest and parents, 

 but it was rather difticut to lo- 

 cate the tree. Finally a Tana- 

 g-er overhead drew our atten- 

 tion, and the tree which had 

 been marked was soon located. 

 The birds l)eing secured, we 

 beg-an operations upon the nest, 

 its taking being- finally accom- 

 plished by sawing down a near- 

 by sapling- to use as a ladder. 

 The nest and egg-s as collected 

 are shown in the accompanying 

 illustration. 



The nest is composed of fine weed 

 stems and roots, lined with fine brown 

 grass, and measures five inches in diame- 

 ter at the top, the base widening out con- 

 siderably. The cavity of the nest is quite 

 deep. The eggs are a deep bluish-green, 

 spotted about the large end with fine 

 blackish-brown spots. Incubation was 

 about one-half advanced. Male Tanagers 

 were noted on several other occasions, 

 their bright plumage making them quite 

 conspicuous in the tree tops. 



Next morning-, while Chef Beck was 

 preparing- breakfast, I took a stroll up an 

 unfrequented road into the woods, along 

 which several Western Robins were ob- 

 served hunting for food, and the peculiar 

 cry of the Spurred Towhee could be 

 heard on all sides. Several Black-throat- 

 ed Gray Warblers were flitting about 

 among the bushes on the edg-e of a clear- 

 ing, but their nests could not be located. 

 A pair oi Thurber's Juncos were chirping 

 uneasily near a bunch of weeds, and upon 

 my withdrawing to a distance, the female 

 hopped down through the limbs of a low 

 tree and flew to the ground. Upon flush- 

 ing her, four pretty young Juncos were 

 found in the nest, which was secreted be- 

 neath a drooping weed. 



A walk later in the dav throu<)fh a thick 



NEST OF LOUISIANA TANAGEK. 



