24 NESTS AND EGGS OF N. A. BIRDS. 



nests of the Ruby-crown'havebeen found up to the»present timeand 

 all were found in Colorado. A fifth nest was found by me on the 

 i8th of June at an elevation of 7,700 feet. It was in a fir tree, 

 about eighteen feet from the ground, and placed directly against 

 the trunk, supported by a single branch beneath, and by several 

 twigs to which the sides were firmly attached. It is large for the 

 size of the bird, measuring externally 3 by 4, internally i| by i| 

 inches. It is a very neat, well-made structure with soft thick 

 walls. With the exception of the lining, which consists of feath- 

 ers of the Richardson's Grouse well woven into the sides and bot- 

 tom, the whole" nest is composed of delicate strips of bark, small 

 pieces of green moss and fibres of weeds, with a few feathers, spi- 

 ders' webs and fragments of a wasp's nest, the whole forming a some- 

 what globular mass of soft materials. Of the eggs, which were eight 

 in number, one had apparently j ust been laid ; the others were some- 

 what advanced in incubation, but in varying degrees, showing 

 that the female had begun to sit soon after laying the first egg. 

 Dissection of the female showed that this was the full complement 

 of eggs. They average .55 by .43, with scarcely any variation in 

 size, though some are much more pointed at the smaller end than 

 others. It is not easy to give an accurate idea of the color of these 

 eggs by any description. At first sight they appear to be of a uni- 

 form dirty cream-color, but a close examination shows that in 

 most of the specimens this color is deeper at the larger end and 

 there forms a faint ring. In six of the eggs there are one or two 

 very fine hair lines at the larger end. Other eggs of this species 

 are spotted, a fact which is strongly indicated by the appearance of 

 the set just described. Thus, Dr. Brewer, in speaking of the egg 

 found by Mr. Batty, says, 'the ground color is a cream-white, and 

 over this are profusely scattered minute dots of brown with a red- 

 dish tinge.' Mr. Scott describes the eggs he found as * of a dirty 

 white color, faintly spotted all over with light brown, which be- 

 comes quite definite at the larger end.' The single egg obtained 

 by Mr. Drew is described as ' white,' It is thus evident that many 

 more sets must be obtained before the prevailing type of eggs of 

 the Ruby-crown can be determined. I may add that this species 

 was breeding in considerable numbers, but owing to want of time 



