Vol. XXXVII 



1919 



Erichsen, Birds of Liberty County, Ga. 387 



To test the truth of the report that these birds remove their eggs a 

 short distance when touched, I purposely handled every one of the four 

 sets found, being careful to mark the exact spot where they lay, but on 

 returning to the eggs, I found every one in the spot where I had left it, 

 none having been moved so much as an inch. I have made this test 

 repeatedly in several other localities on the coast of Georgia, but always 

 with the same result. 



Eggs were found on May 3, May 13 (two sets), and May 26, all in the 

 immediate vicinity of Allenhurst. 



16. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — Not an uncommon species, 

 but rather locally distributed. It shows a strong attachment to the 

 vicinity of farmhouses, and often ventures to nest in the shade trees in 

 the towns. On May 22, I noted a nest containing four eggs. It was 

 placed fourteen feet from the ground in a China-berry tree growing in the 

 yard at the rear of the hotel at Allenhurst. This nest was later destroyed 

 by the wind, but the birds rebuilt in the same tree and not over five feet 

 from the site of the first nest, and were successful in rearing a brood. 



17. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. — This ^pecies 

 breeds in large numbers on St. Catherine's island, but appears to be very 

 locally distributed on the mainland, due no doubt to the scarcity of cedars 

 there, as the birds show a strong preference for nesting in these trees, 

 whenever they contain suitable hollows. A nest found May 4 on the 

 island was in a natural cavity of a cedar, nine feet from the ground, and 

 contained five eggs which were unusually heavily marked. An entire 

 cast-off snake skin twenty-two inches in length constituted over half of 

 the nest material. 



18. Cyanocitta cristata cristata. Blue Jay. — On June 12 at 

 about dusk, near the town of Walthourville, I noted, at a height of about 

 twenty-five feet, a bulky nest which I suspected was of this species. Wish- 

 ing to be sure, I loitered around a few minutes, and was rewarded by seeing 

 a Blue Jay settle on the nest. I was unable to examine the contents of 

 the nest, and had no opportunity to revisit it. It was some distance out 

 on a horizontal limb of a live oak. This species is not uncommon in the 

 county, but I failed to discover any additional nests. 



19. Agelaius phoeniceus phCBniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. — 

 A colony of at least twenty-five pairs of these birds were noted nesting in 

 some tall cat-tails growing in and around a fresh water pond located a 

 short distance from Allenhurst. On May S nearly every nest contained 

 four eggs, the birds evidently having begun nesting simultaneously. I 

 revisited the pond on May 25, at which date many of the nests contained 

 well fledged young, while additional nests with fresh eggs were noted. 

 The nests were of the usual construction, being composed of the blades 

 and stems of the different species of vegetation growing in the pond. The 

 average heights of the nests were four feet, the lowest and highest being, 

 respectively, 14 inches, and six feet six inches. No other Blackbird colo- 

 nies of this size were discovered in the county, although scattered pairs of 

 birds were noted nesting among the abandoned rice fields. 



