02 Scott on the Breeding Habits of Arizona Birds. [January 



I did not visit the nest again until the 25th of the month, and 

 was then rather surprised to find another nest, precisel}- similar 

 to the first, only about a foot away from it on the same branch, 

 further out from the main stem of the tree. The female bird was 

 sitting on the nest first built, and remained there until I was about 

 to put my hand upon her; no eggs had been laid. 



About a hundred feet away I discovered on the same day, the 

 25th, two other nests, also in oak trees, and on one a female was 

 sitting. On disturbing her I found that the nest contained two 

 fresh eggs, so like those of the Robin in color and general ap- 

 pearance as to be almost indistinguishable from them. Believing 

 at the time, as the bird sat so closely, that this might be the full 

 set, I took these eggs, which measured i.iS X .'^^.^ and 1.13 X .86 

 inches respectively. On visiting the same locality a few days 

 later I found this nest deserted. The other nest, found the same 

 day, was in another oak, the branches of which touched those of ' 

 the tree in which the nest containing the two eggs was placed. 

 The two nests were not ten feet apart. There was no bird on 

 the latter nest, nor did it then or afterward contain eggs, though 

 it was without question a new nest, and very recently completed. 



On the 1st of April I again visited the two nests first men- 

 tioned, and though the old bird was sitting on the nest earliest 

 completed, it still contained no eggs. A visit to the same spot 

 on April 7 was rewarded by finding five fresh eggs in this nest, 

 which are identical in appearance with those above described, 

 and measure, in inches, as follows: 1.25 X .83; 1.13 x .85; 

 1.23 X .83; 1. 14 X .80; 1. 16 X .84. The other nest did not, 

 at this time or afterward, contain eggs ; though I visited it for 

 several weeks, at intervals of five or six days. 



The striking features developed by these observations are, 

 first, the long period after the nest was built before eggs were 

 laid (the nest being evidently complete on March 16, and having 

 no eggs until later than April i), though the old birds, one or the 

 other, were sitting on the empty structure ; and, second, the 

 building of another nest in every way identical with the first, 

 and very close to it, which was of no obvious use, for I never no- 

 ticed either of the old birds sitting on it, as was so constantly 

 their hal)it in the nest close by. 



I am entirely at a loss for an explanation of the fact that the 

 nest was prepared so long — nearly three weeks — before it was 



