424 NESTS AND EGGS OF 



The nests are placed in about equal proportions in low oak bushes, 

 from five to seven feet from the ground, generally well concealed by 

 the foliage, or in bunches of mistletoe in oak or mesquite trees, from 

 15 to 20 feet high. Some of these birds commenced building in the 

 first week of March, but no eggs were discovered in any of the nests 

 till fully a month later, the first ones being taken April 8, 1887. 



" The number of eggs to a set varies from four to six, five being 

 the most common number found. Probably two or more broods are 

 raised during the season. The eggs are pure white in color, ovate in 

 shape, and measure .56 x .42 inches for the largest to .49 x .40 for the 

 smallest. Their average size is .53 x .40 inch." * 



Capt. B. F. Goss has a set of four eggs of the Lead-colored Bush- 

 Tit, taken near Fort Huachuca, Arizona, April 10, 1887. These meas- 

 ure .55 X .45, .55 X .44, .56 X .45, .58 X .44. 



746. Auriparus flaviceps (Sund.) [50] 



Verdin. 



Hab. Northern regions of Mexico and contiguous portions of the United States, from Southern 

 Texas to Arizona and Lower California. 



The little Yellow-headed Bush-Tit or Verdin is a common bird in 

 suitable localities throughout the arid regions of Northern Mexico, the 

 southern portions of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and in Lower Cali- 

 fornia. It is smaller than the largest North American Hummingbird, 

 Eugenes fidgens^ which inhabits Southern Arizona and southward. 

 This species measures about 5.00 in length, while the length of the 

 Verdin varies from 4.00 to 4.60 inches. Notwithstanding the diminu- 

 tive size of the bird, it builds a remarkable structure for a nest — large, 

 and bulky, and a marvel of bird architecture. It is comparatively easy 

 to find, being built near the ends of the branches of some low, thorny 

 tree or shrub — in the numerous varieties of cacti and thorny bushes 

 which grow in the regions of its home. 



The nest is globular, flask-shaped or retort-shape in form, the 

 outside being one mass of thorny twigs and stems interwoven, while 

 the middle is composed of flower stems and the lining is of feathers. 

 The entrance is a small circular opening. Mr. Sennett took a number 

 of the birds, nests and eggs at Lomita, on the Lower Rio Grande. Dr. 

 Merrill did not observe this species in the immediate vicinity of Fort 

 Brown, Texas, but it was rather common at Edinburgh in April and 

 May, frequenting mostly amargosa chapparal. Mr. H. P. Atwater 

 found it a resident and quite common at San Antonio, Bexar county, 

 Texas, where a number of skins, nests and eggs were taken in 1884; 



* Notes on a collection of Birds' Nests and Eggs from Southern Arizona Territory. By Capt. Chas. 

 E. Bendire, U. S. A. Proceedings of U. S. National Museum, 1S87, pp. 557-558. 



