27-' THE SITKAN KINGLIil'!» 



liulcs ill tlif sIr'11 wliidi lie counts a Mitlicicni exit. In ccilor tliev were pure 

 white, lluslieil witli tlie jieciiliar rinlily nf fresh eggs lia\ iiig seini-traiisparcin 

 shells, with a pale broad band nf brownish dust alxmt the larger ends ( ihc 

 smaller one in one case). 



When I liad descended. — singing and wiiistling rigiit merrily snatches of 

 songs once ixipular, "Sweet Marie," and the like, for m\ spirits were uncom- 

 mon high, — the mother-l)ird returned to the nesting tree and haiuited the site 

 uf the ruined home persistently. First she |)eered down from the brancii 

 alK)ve: then she drojjped down to the branch below, and craned lier head, 

 sorely perplexed. She lighted upon the white stump of tlie severed limb and 

 examined it confusedly, then siie duttered in midair jirecisely where the nest 

 ought to have been, and dropped to the limb below again in despair. This 

 mystified (|uest she repeated over and over again until it wrung the hearts of 

 the beholders. Well, well: we arc inconsistent creatures, we humans. .\nd 

 somehow the comfortable philosophy of the bird-nester fails at these critical 

 l)oints. 



No. 105. 

 SI'IKAN KIN(.I.K'I". 



A. ( ). I'. Xo. 74<ja. Regdlus calendul.t Krinnelli Palmer. 



Synonyms. — .\l.\skan" KiN(,i.r.'r. Sitka Rrit'i-iKow.Mai Kim'.lkt. ('iRix- 



X 1:1.1. "s KlNf.l.KT. 



Description. — Like prcceiling l>nt of much darker coloration. — a "saturate<l" 

 form: also wing somewhat shorter, bill larger, etc. Av. measurements of male": 

 wing J. 23 ( 5'>.6 I : tail l/x> (42.<)) : bill ..V| i 8.7 » ; tarsus .7J ( iS.i ). 



Recoj^nition Marks. — ( )f strikingly darker coloration than A', cali'tidula — 

 sup])"'sc(l to be the exclusive form in winter. 



Nesting.- A-i i>receding. Docs not breed in Washington. 



General Range.— Pacific Coast district breeding from Uritish Columbia to 

 Iliad of Lynn Can.il and "S'.ikutat P.ay, .Maska : south in winter (at least) to 

 midclle Califomi.i. 



Range in Washinv;l<>n. Ivarly s])riiig and late fall migrant, common winter 

 rcsidi-iit on i'ligct Souiul. 



.Authorities. — :' Ki-(/iiliis cah-ndiihi. I.iclit. Coo[-cr and Sink-Icy. Rep. Pac. 

 R. R Siirv. Nil. pt. II. iSro. p. 174 ( \\ intir resident on Pitg» I Sound i. Bowles. 

 Auk, Vol. XXIII. Apr. ii,of>. ji. 14S. 



Specimens. — W. E. I^(.*\). 



S( ) far as our somewhat scanty observation goes, this would appear to 

 be the prevailing form in the earlier spring migrations, and the only one found 

 in winter upon Puget Sound. Thus, while the lighter-colored binls. which 



a. Rtdgwajr: Six »prcimtni. 



