556 LAND BIRDS 
the breeding nest in cases where the winter nest is not 
used for that purpose. The architecture of the two is 
somewhat different in those I have observed, the nest 
built by the female being larger, more carefully lined, 
and with a decided hollow in the centre of the bedding 
material as if to keep the babies from rolling out. The 
nest of the male was simply a hollow gourd-shaped affair 
with little or no lining, and might pass for a dummy nest 
such as there is reason to believe he does occasionally 
build. Every nest found had a neck-like entrance ex- 
tending downward and ending in a round hole. They 
were all located in mesquite thickets within six feet of 
the ground, and most of them were easy to watch. In 
ten days after the last bluish white egg was laid, there 
were three infinitesimal bits of naked bird life, huddled 
tightly together in the middle of the feather-lined hol- 
low. A slit carefully cut at this time and fastened shut 
after each observation enabled me to keep an exact 
record of the development of the brood. Although I 
could not watch the mother feeding the young, I am 
positive it was done by regurgitation, for she would eat 
as unconcernedly as if merely occupied with her own 
dinner, and fly at once with apparently empty mouth 
into the nest, emerging shortly to repeat the perform- 
ance. During the first five days the male was not seen 
to go into the nest, but sang right merrily near by. 
After that time the young began to make themselves 
heard in hungry cries, and he began to carry food to 
them, which we could see in his bill. This food con- 
sisted almost exclusively of small green worms, and eggs 
