Notes on Arrival and Nesting of Birds — Benner, ] 89 



'breeding in very limited numbers. Nest of brown thrush with 

 half-fledged young. Found nest of young musk rats, nine in all, 

 their eyes were closed, yet they could swim. 



June 2nd, I found two fresh eggs of the night hawk at Ken- 

 wood. 



June 5th. My excursion to-day led me out on the Minnetonka 

 road. I found first of all the nest of cree bird with two eggs, red 

 eyed vired building. One of the most interesting discoveries to 

 me was the finding on this day of six nests of the clay colored 

 sparrow (Spizella palida). I have been looking for this nest ever 

 since I have been in Minnesota but never found it until this year. 

 On May 29th, I found by the road side a nest of this species in a 

 small bush two feet from the ground and containing two fresh 

 eggs. On this date two more had been added and incubation be- 

 gun. Three hundred rods further on I saw a patch of hazel bush 

 about a hundred feet square and one of these birds flying near, so 

 I went in to see what was to be found. There were two nests with 

 with fresh eggs. Three nests just finished and one nest with five 

 young, just hatched. 



I saw part of the eggs from the first two nests were on the 

 ground and broken and the nests out of place. This, with the 

 large number of nests for such a small space, set me to thinking 

 and my conclusions are, that the bushes being in a cow pasture 

 the cows had upset the nests in going through and thus kept these 

 birds busy building new nests or repairing the old ones. A mile 

 further on I found another nest of this same bird on the ground, 

 containing four young almost fully fledged. Here in a short time 

 were found all the extremes of incubation, fresh eggs, young just 

 hatched and young about fully fledged. The first nests, please 

 note, were all raised about two or three feet from the ground, 

 while the last was right on the ground. This habit of nesting 

 seems to be very common with this bird. Other nests and eggs 

 found this day, were, cat bird, nest and four eggs; yellow warbler 

 nest and five eggs, fresh; rose-breasted grosbeak nest and young 

 about half grown, nest and four eggs partially incubated. The female 

 was very fearless and I had my hand within a few inches over her 

 before she would leave the nest. Found also a grebe's nest with 

 six eggs; grebe's nest, eight eggs; rail's nest, one egg; red- winged 

 blackbird, nine nests, seven with young all the way from just 

 hatched to just ready to leave the nest; one nest, four eggs; one 



