410 Mr. E. Gibson on the Ornithology of [This, 



notes by stating that I have never been able to corroborate 

 his one and interesting instance of a nest which had a 

 stopper, or hinged doorway, to the orifice. In this locality 

 eggs are to be found from the beginning of October to the 

 middle of December. Only once has the clutch reached 

 four, three being the usual number ; indeed, I have several 

 cases where only two were being incubated. In colour these 

 are as described by Hudson, " of a bright, beautiful blue, 

 sometimes with a slight greenish tinge.-" They are some- 

 what pear-shaped, and measure 21 X 16 mm. 



In the bird, the iris is dark brown; Claude Grant calls 

 it hazel, and Hudson is silent on the subject. My notes 

 describe the bill as black or very dark brown ; Grant says 

 brown, yellow at gape and base of lower mandible ; Hudson, 

 pale horn-colour. Further, I characterize the feet as being 

 sometimes horn-brown, dark slate-grey, almost black, and 

 black; Grant, ashy; and Hudson, pale horn-colour. 



189. Leptasthenura aBgithaloides (Kittl.). Tit - like 

 Spine-tail. 



This graceful little species has been previously described 

 by myself and by Claude Grant from the Ajo district, and by 

 Hudson in its more general range. Reference to my diary 

 since 1879 leads me to modify my former appreciation as to 

 its abundance locally. It is not exactly common, though 

 coming under occasional observation ; singly, in pairs, and 

 (in the months of May and June) as many as two or three 

 pairs noted in one day — perhaps the absence of foliage in 

 the winter time allows it to be more easily noticed. I have 

 not unfrequently found it in such an unexpected situation 

 as the weed-jungle on the outskirts of a dry swamp, some 

 distance from any wood. 



The nesting-habits have been sufficiently dealt with. 

 Hudson puts the clutch as high as five or six; my own 

 experience is three, only once four. The eggs are white in 

 colour, slightly pointed, and average 19 x 14 mm.. 



Iris dark brown (" hazel," according to Grant). Bill dark 

 brown or black (" blackish, pearly at base of lower mandible,^' 



