234 Cherie, Nesting Habits of Costa Ricau Birds. [July 



ing me, the material was immediately dropped and a vigilant 

 search for insects commenced. Not wishing to intrude any farther 

 at that time, I took my departure, and returned on the 17th for 

 the nest. I found it completed and containing one egg. Unfor- 

 tunately, after cutting the branch which held the nest, my footing 

 slipped, and in the endeavor to avoid falling the egg was thrown 

 out and broken. The half shell that I brought away is pure white. 

 The nest was situated about eight feet above the water at the ex- 

 treme end of the long, overhanging branch of a rose bush, with no 

 green leaves within three feet of it, and not concealed in any way 

 save by its resemblance to a bit of drift grass. From the point 

 on the branch at the apex of the upper cone to the extreme low- 

 est point is fifteen inches. The diameter at the centre is two 

 and a half by three and a half inches, the greater diameter being 

 caused by the entrance passage which is round and one inch in 

 diameter. In taking this nest I was severely bitten and stung by 

 the vicious little black ants that had the hollow stem of the rose 

 for a nest. Mr. Anastasio Alfaro informs me that he has noted 

 nests in the vicinity of Alajvela protected in the same manner. 

 During the time I was taking the nest I did not see or hear any- 

 thing of the owners. On going away I saw the fern aJe quietly 

 hopping about in search of insects in a tree near by, seemingly 

 taking no concern in what I was doing. A short distance down 

 the river the male was to be seen darting here and there, a noisv 

 and most pugnacious little fellow. 



I saw no more of the birds until May 26, when I found a nest 

 just completed, but not containing eggs. I visited the spot again 

 on the 30th of the month and secured the nest and two fresh eggs. 

 As with the others the nest hung at the extreme end of a small, 

 delicate branch about four feet above the water and was not con- 

 cealed in any way by leaves or by surrounding branches. It 

 measures as follows : extreme length, fourteen inches ; diameter at 

 centre, three and a half by two and a half inches ; entrance, one 

 inch. The two eggs measure each .62 X -45 inch. One is 

 a pure, delicate white ; the other has a few very pale, scarcely 

 visible ochrous buff spots about the larger end. While I was taking 

 the nest the bird was nowhere to be seen, and not a sound came 

 from her. But on going away I noticed her acting precisely as in 

 the case before described. It seems to me probable that the three 

 nests were built by the same birds. After my taking this last nest 



