THE BLACK-TllRtXATED GRAY WARHLER. 



189 



Of their nesting Mr. Bowles says: "Tn Washington these \Varl)lers are 

 strictly confined to the large coniferous tinil)cr nf the jirairie country, during 

 the breeding season placing their nests niidvva\' nut on a fir limb, at from 25 to 

 50 feet above the ground. Strangely enough, linwexcr, in Oregon they almost 

 always nest low down in the deciduous trees, sometimes only three or four 

 feet up in a bush. In \\'ashington the nests arc always placed directly on a 

 liml). while in Oregon my hrolher, Mr. C. W. Dowlcs, found ihcm mostI\- in 

 upright crotches. 



"The nest is rather ;i 

 loosely-huilt little struc- 

 ture, measuring external- 

 ly tliree inches wide by 

 two inches deep, internal- 

 ly one and three-quarters 

 inches wide by one deep. 

 It is composed of dead 

 grass, silUy plant fibers, 

 moss, etc., with an ami)le 

 lining of different kinds 

 of hair and feathers: — a 

 pretty little nest, iho 

 scarcely as artistic as that 

 of the .Audubon \\'arl)ler. 

 "The eggs are laid dur- 

 ing the last week in May 

 and the first week in Jmie. 

 and are in\'ariably four in 

 nuniljer. Tliey are creamy 

 white in color, marked 

 chiefly around llie larger 

 end, with spots and small 

 blotches of varying shades of brown, laxender. and l)hick. Eggs in in\- collec- 

 tion from \\'ashington average .83 x .63 inches in dimensions, while eggs from 

 Oregon average .67 x .50 inches, the largest egg from Oregon being smaller 

 than the .smallest Washington egg. In sluipe the eggs vary from long to short 

 ovate, and only one set is laid in a season. 



"The parent birds are very shy in the \icinity of the nest, the female 

 leaving at the first sign of danger and keeping out of sight. 



"In Oregon, my brother noted that the male often accompanied the 

 female while she was collecting building material, continuously scolding, but 

 never assisting her in any way. In that section the nests were greatly ])re\ed 

 upon by that prince of egg-robbers, the California Jay." 



Taken in rui-MMd. riiulv b^ J. II. Boz.h: 



NEST .'\.ND KC.CS OI' I 111-: l:i, ACK TIIROATi;!) CRAY 



\\AKr,i,i:k. 



