— = 
GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE . 423 
431. ANNA HUMMINGBIRD. — Calypte anna. 
‘Famity : The Hummingbirds. 
Length: Male 3.40-3.60 ; female 3.80-4.15. 
Adult Male: Top of head, throat, and ruff metallic pink, bronze, and 
green; upper parts and middle tail-feathers iridescent green; tail 
forked ; under parts white, washed with green. 
Adult Female: Head green, like upper parts; throat spotted with pink. 
Young: Similar to female, but tinged with brownish on upper parts. 
Geographical Distribution: Central and Southern California, chiefly west 
of the mountains, Arizona, and Lower California. North as far as 
Yreka and Mt. Shasta. 
California Breeding Range: Upper Sonoran zone west of the Sierra 
Nevada. 
Breeding Season: January to June. 
Nest: From 8 to 30 feet from the ground ; of thistledown and willow 
cotton ; lined with a few small feathers; covered on the outside with 
moss, well covered with spider webs, with here and there pieces of 
lichens. 
Eggs: 2; white. Size 0.50 X 0.32. 
A HUMMINGBIRD with a song would be somewhat of 
a novelty in the East, but in California it is so commonly 
met with that one soon forgets to wonder. The first 
time I heard the male Anna Hummingbird sing, he was 
perched upon a wire clothes-line and squeaking right 
merrily, “ T'e-nit, te-nit, te-wieu, wieu, wieu,” repeating 
it over and over again. This charming performance 
lasted most of one bright May morning in San José, 
and when later I discovered a little mate brooding on a 
nest in a climbing rose, I could but fancy the song was 
for her benefit. One thing I know, he was “ on guard,” 
for whenever I ventured near the rose tree, he flew at 
me with a harsh little screech, sometimes right into my 
face. When I found him away from the vicinity of the 
