CLARKE'S NUTCEACKER, 421 



most of the time to trami) tlirouyh suow from 2 to 4 feet deep; after having 

 examined a great many cavities, mostly in junipers, I was ahnost ready to give 

 up the task, when I finally examined the pines more closely, and noticed now 

 and then an appnrentlv round ball on the horizontal limbs of some of these 

 trees, which I took to be nests of Fremont's Chickaree, Seinnis hudsonicus 

 J'iriiioiiti, which is very common in this locality. The majority of these sup- 

 posed squirrels' nests were by no means easily reached, and after trying to 

 dislodge their occupants with sticks, stones, or occasionally with a load of shot, 

 and in\-arial)lv fiiiling to bring anything to light, I ceased to trouble myself 

 further about them. Being more puzzled than ever, I was about to give up the 

 search for their nests, when, on April 22, after having made more than a dozen 

 fruitless trips, I saw a Clarke's Nutcracker flying quietly and silently out <if a 

 large pine about 50 yards ahead of me. This tree had a rather bushy top and 

 was full of liudjs almost from the base and was easy to climb. As I could not 

 see readily into the top from below, I climbed the tree. Failing to see any 

 sign of a nest therehi, and being completely disgusted, I was jjreparing to 

 descend when, on looking around, I noticed one of these supposed squirrels' 

 nests placed near the extremitv of one of the larger liml)s, nenr the middle of 

 the tree, and 25 feet from the ground; it was well hidden from below, and 

 sitting therein, in plain view from above, I saw not a squirrel, but a veritable 

 Clarke's Nutcracker. I had found a nest at last, quite unexpectedly, and not 

 a day too soon. As it was I was almost too late, for the nest contained a young 

 l)ird just hatched, and two eggs with the shells already chipped and on the 

 point of hatching. However, as even damaged specimens, particularly rare 

 ones like these, were better than none, I took them, Ijut left the young bird in 

 the nest. The parent, trembling with fear, allowed me to ahnost lay mv hand 

 on her before she fluttei-ed off, and I was scarcely 2 feet away from the nest 

 before she was on it again. During the whole time she remained perfectly 

 silent. Not half an hour later I found a second nest, containing three young, 

 perhaps a week old. Between April 24 and 30 I found at least a dozen jnore 

 nests; these, however, all contained young in difterent stages of growth, some 

 nearly large enough to leave the nest, and none contained more than three young. 



In the spring of 1877 I commenced my search for nestsj on March 15, but 

 failed to see a single bird where I had found them comparatively common during 

 the previous season. Their aljsence was due in this case to the lack of suitable 

 food. No ripe pine cones were to be found, on the hulled seeds of which the 

 young are at first exclusively fed. 



During the winter of 1877-78 a few of these birds occiipied tlicir old 

 haunts again, and I began my search as usual in the latter part of March. ( )n 

 April 4, 1878, I found the first nest. It was placed near the extremity of a 

 small Had) of a ]iine, about 40 feet from the ground, and was verv hard to get at. 

 In trying to pull the linil) down with a rope, so that it could be renched from a 

 stronger one below, it snaiijicd ;ind the eggs were thrown out of the nest. This 

 set also contained three eggs, ami incuhntion was well inhancccl. ( )n April S 



