338 LAND BIRDS 
Breeding Season: April and May. 
Nest: Usually in a scrubby tree; from 5 to 30 feet from the ground ; 
bulky; made of coarse twigs, straws, grass, feathers, cotton, and 
wool, 
Eggs: 4 to 7; gray, marked and spotted with purple, light brown, and 
olive. Size 0.97 X 0.78. 
In a scrubby tree or thorny bush the California Shrike 
builds her nest of whatever materials may strike her 
fancy. Usually the bulk of it consists of weed stems 
and rootlets ; but an astonishing amount of trash, such 
as string, bits of lace, black ribbon, and feathers, were 
woven into one that especially interested me. The lace 
was recognized as belonging nearly half a mile away, and 
had probably been carried by the bird all that distance. 
Feathers which waved rakishly on the rim of the strue- 
ture came from the chicken yard of the same ranch where 
the lace was originally owned. In place of the usual 
tough rootlets, palm fibre and yucca thread had been 
used with a large proportion of shredded bark and 
weed stems. ‘The whole was lined with a felted mat of 
cow hair nicely padded into place on sides and bottom. 
Inasmuch as the bird was seen to bring this hair in 
small bunches and all this felting was done by him, the 
result was surprisingly smooth and compact. Both sexes 
worked busily at the building, being frequently at the 
nest together. 
On May 17 the first egg was laid, and one each day 
thereafter until there were five. Twelve days were re- 
quired for incubation, and on June 3 five naked nest- 
lings were cuddled in a tangled mass in the soft cup. 
And now we had a fine opportunity to watch the hunt- 
