NESTS AND EGGS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



ern United States; breeding very abundant everywhere north of about 

 40°. 



SO(Jd. Mexican Shore Lark — eremophila alpestris chrvsol.^ma. 

 Eggs and nesting same as those of alpestris. Southwestern United 

 States and Mexico; breeding mostly south of 40°; abundant. 



301. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher — milvulus forficatus. White, marked 

 with a few dark red spots and occasionally of an obscure purple, chiefly 

 at the larger end ; the eggs vary in color from pure white, unmarked 

 specimens, which are very rare, to finely speckled with reddish-brown, 

 and often covered with large spots and blotches of brown and lilac, and 

 look as if whitewash had been brushed over the colors. This description 

 of the eggs is given me by Mr. J. A. Singley, of Giddings, Lee county, 

 Texas, who has collected thousands of specimens. He says: "What 

 I call a typical nest is built of weeds, small stems and thistle-down, 

 and lined with down and sometimes with a few fibrous roots. 

 Since the introduction of cotton gins and sheep ranches most of the 

 nests are built of weeds and cotton or wool or both felted, and 

 lined with the same, but oftener with no lining at all." The nest 

 is built in trees varying from six to twenty feet. Mr. Singley 

 says the usual number of eggs in a set is five, fully eighty per cent, being 

 of this number; the other twenty per cent, is about equally distributed 

 between sets of four and six. He has sent me several nests with eggs 

 of both extremes; the eggs measure about .87 by .G^ , with variations. 

 The nests in size average a little smaller than those of the Kingbird. The 

 Fork-tailed Flycatcher is an abundant bird in Texas, and is found as 

 far north as Indian Territory and Southwestern Missouri. It is a common 

 species throughout Mexico and Central America. 



303. Gray Kingbird — tyrannus dominicensis. Creamy white, marked 

 with large blotches and spots of purple, reddish-brown and dark purplish- 

 brown and lilac ; the eggs are not distinguishable from those of the Bee 

 Martin ; there is also the usual variation in size and shape. Nesting habits 

 are similar. 



Hab. West Indies; Florida regularly; north to Carolina rarely, to Massachusetts accidentally. 



304. Kingbird; Bee Martin — tyrannus carolinensis. White, with 

 a more or less roseate tinge, marked with blotches of purple, brown, 

 reddish-brown and lilac; four or five, sometimes six in number, and 

 measure about i. by .71; with great variations in size. The Kingbird 

 breeds throughout its range, placing the nest in an orchard or garden, or 

 by the wayside, on a horizontal bough or fork at a moderate height; 



