404 YVetmore, Birds of Lake Burford, N. Mex. [.July 



nest, and another nest contained young from two to five days old, on 

 June 14. Most of the birds, however, still had eggs at the time of my 

 departure. The nests examined were all suspended in growing clumps 

 of green tules (Scirpus occidentalis) over water from one to three feet 

 deep, and were in danger of being overturned by the unequal rate of growth 

 of the stems which frequently thrust one side of the nest high above the 

 other. The adults seemed to take no steps to alter this condition beyond 

 constructing their baskets with deep cup-shaped hollows to hold the eggs 

 in if possible. 



In feeding the Yellowheads gathered in little flocks containing both 

 males and females, and flew back into the sagebrush where thousands 

 of Chironomids blown in to shelter by the wind were gathered. The 

 birds walked quickly along on the ground or clambered over the bushes, 

 picking up the luckless insects and moving along quite rapidly. Some- 

 times these feeding flocks penetrated a mile or so inland but more often 

 they were found near the lakeshore. Should a hawk appear, as fre- 

 quently happened, males in the marsh below rose in the air with shrill 

 chattering calls, giving the alarm to their feeding companions. These 

 immediately rose and flew swiftly, low over the slopes, down to the shelter 

 of the rushes. On calm still evenings when the gnats were emerging 

 in numbers from the lake and were flying in toward land the Yellowheads 

 remained in the rushes, and rising at short intervals captured the insects 

 in the air as they passed. During the day flocks of the birds were con- 

 tinually passing up and down the slopes on their way to or from their 

 feeding grounds. 



The feet of the Yellow-head are relatively very large with long, strong 

 toes and the birds use them to advantage in walking about on floating 

 aquatic vegetation or soft mud. In the rushes they prove themselves 

 expert gymnasts. Often they alighted near the tips of the tall round- 

 stemmed tules and as these swayed under their weight the birds sup- 

 ported themselves by their wings while they slid their feet quickly down 

 to a new hold, trying several grips until finally they were low enough 

 so that the rush supported them. This was done with great quickness 

 as the birds shifted from grip to grip rapidly. At times instead of sliding 

 down they reached out and grasped a second stem with one foot, dividing 

 their weight between the two and standing suspended with the feet five 

 inches or so apart. 



61. Agelaius phoeniceus neutralis Ridgway. San Diego Redwing. 

 — The Redwing was abundant at Lake Burford and it was estimated that 

 20 pairs were nesting here, scattered along the shore of the lake among the 

 abundant Yellowheads. A nest found near the cabin on June 14 contained 

 four eggs. This nest was placed in a mass of dead tules of last year's 

 growth where it had a secure foundation. Later it was robbed by 

 crows. One male near the cabin in evening often slowly ran along the 

 ground with wings partly spread and half-raised and epaulets showing to 

 their fullest extent, a very pretty display. 



