﻿138 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  Donations 
  to 
  Museum 
  : 
  Nest 
  and 
  eggs 
  of 
  Marsh 
  Wren 
  ( 
  Trog- 
  

   lodytes 
  palustris, 
  Aud.), 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  tules 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Joaquin 
  

   River, 
  presented 
  bj 
  C. 
  D. 
  Gibbes. 
  Specimens 
  of 
  Chimcera 
  CoUei, 
  

   male 
  and 
  female, 
  from 
  J. 
  P. 
  Dameron. 
  Specimen 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  

   of 
  Pennatula 
  (probably 
  P. 
  tenua, 
  Gabb) 
  ; 
  also, 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  a 
  

   Virgularia 
  from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Georgia, 
  presented 
  by 
  Dr. 
  James 
  

   Blake. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Gibbes 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  eggs 
  presented 
  by 
  him 
  this 
  

   evening 
  were 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Marsh 
  Wren 
  {Troglodytes 
  palustris, 
  

   Aud., 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  135, 
  pi. 
  123). 
  These 
  nests 
  are 
  abundant 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  swamp 
  lands 
  ; 
  are 
  purse-shaped, 
  about 
  seven 
  inches 
  

   in 
  length, 
  by 
  four 
  and 
  five 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  composed 
  of 
  flexible 
  

   grasses 
  ingeniously 
  woven 
  together, 
  suspended 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  feet 
  from 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  upright 
  tules 
  by 
  being 
  woven 
  around 
  

   them, 
  a 
  small 
  entrance 
  is 
  left 
  near 
  the 
  top, 
  and 
  is 
  lined 
  with 
  soft 
  

   grasses 
  and 
  down, 
  from 
  the 
  plant 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  cat-tail." 
  

  

  This 
  nest 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  April, 
  in 
  the 
  tules 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Joaquin 
  

   River, 
  and 
  had 
  but 
  three 
  eggs 
  in 
  it 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  suppose 
  they 
  lay 
  more, 
  

   as 
  the 
  brown-headed 
  Wren 
  has 
  six. 
  These 
  eggs 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  light 
  

   brown 
  mahogany 
  color, 
  with 
  darker 
  dashes, 
  varying 
  in 
  intensity 
  of 
  

   shade. 
  Although 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  many 
  nests, 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  in 
  

   which 
  I 
  have 
  discovered 
  eggs. 
  I 
  hope 
  in 
  another 
  year 
  the 
  Society 
  

   will 
  have 
  a 
  good 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  California 
  birds, 
  par- 
  

   ticularly 
  of 
  such 
  nests 
  as 
  display 
  ingenuity 
  in 
  construction. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Blake 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  Academy 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  a 
  Pennatula, 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  taken 
  by 
  Captain 
  Dane 
  about 
  one 
  mile 
  S.E. 
  of 
  

   Cape 
  Roberte, 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Georgia, 
  in 
  about 
  seven 
  fathoms 
  

   water. 
  Captain 
  Dane 
  states 
  that 
  " 
  they 
  were 
  kept 
  some 
  days 
  in 
  a 
  

   large 
  tub 
  of 
  water, 
  the 
  water 
  being 
  changed 
  frequently. 
  They 
  

   stretched 
  out 
  to 
  about 
  thirty 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  the 
  fringed 
  part 
  

   forming 
  about 
  half 
  the 
  length 
  and 
  being 
  five 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter? 
  

   the 
  smooth 
  part 
  three 
  inches. 
  They 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  no 
  powers 
  of 
  

   locomotion, 
  but 
  were 
  entirely 
  at 
  the 
  mercy 
  of 
  the 
  currents." 
  The 
  

   external 
  form 
  of 
  this 
  specimen 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  Pennatula 
  

   in 
  having 
  four 
  rows 
  of 
  pinnae, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  devel- 
  

   oped 
  and 
  support 
  the 
  polyps, 
  whilst 
  the 
  other 
  two 
  rows 
  are 
  very 
  

   much 
  smaller, 
  and 
  apparently 
  are 
  free 
  from 
  polyps. 
  In 
  its 
  present 
  

  

  