13 



33. California Woodpecker. 49. Indigo Bunting. 



34. Red-shafted Flicker. 50. Barn Swallow. 



35. " " " 52. Cedar Waxwing. 

 37. Blue Jay. 56. Brown Thrasher. 

 40. American Crow. 57. Bendire's Thrasher. 



44. Vesper Sparrow. 60. Russet-backed Thrush. 



III.— Shape. 

 61. Blue Jay. 

 IV.— Size and Shape. 

 70. Least Bittern. 82. Abert's Towbee. 



79. American Crow. 83. Cardinal. 



V.— Size and Coloration. 

 94. Song Sparrow. 95. Song Sparrow. 



VI.— Shape and Coloration. 

 10 K Cedar Waxwing. 

 VII.— Size Shape and Coloration. 



103. Song Sparrow. 106. California Shrike. 



104. " " 107. Yellow Warbler. 



105. Cedar Waxwing. 109. American Robin. 



Omitted From Above List. 

 97. Cowbird. 98. Cowbird. 



Sets in which these Cowbird's eggs were found were first 

 layings. 



Age of Females. — Owing to the great diffliculty of deter- 

 miningthe age of the nesting female, but little data has been gath- 

 ered throwing light upon this subject. While birds of immatur- 

 ity may account for many abnormalities, enough facts have been 

 gleaned to show that adult females will also produce them. 



The following incidents are based on individuality of the 

 eggs, certain peculiar habits of the birds and their tenacity to re- 

 turn annually to the same location to nest. 



In the Bluebird case, numbered 22 in "Descriptions of Sets" 

 and mentioned in tbe preceding topic, the birds had for the four 

 preceding years, at least, nested in the same post. Although I 

 took but one of these sets, I remember the eggs from year to 

 year showed striking individuality in point of color, which was 

 of the palest tint seen in what might be called normal color for 

 this species. A peculiar habit of this bird, when flushed from the 

 nest, was to'flydirect to one of three or four posts in a particular 

 part of the fence surrounding the lot, and about fifty yards dis- 

 tant from the nest, although the fence was of uniform construc- 

 tion, the posts projecting above the top board and a large num- 



