Breaver 091 the Golden-Crowned Kinglet. 97 



hood ; that from theii' size and markings they cannot well belong 

 to any other species ; and because, while the eg^^ so closely resem- 

 bles those of R. cristatus (to which bird R. satrapa is also very closely 

 allied) as to be hardly distinguishable from them, it is also essen- 

 tially different from the e§g of R. rxdendula* which more nearly 

 resembles the eggs of R. ignicapillus. 



The following account of the nest and eggs I copy, by permission, 

 from Mr. Merrill's letter: "In 1876 a friend pi-esented me with 

 the nest which I shall describe, but the bird was not obtained, and 

 consequently its identification is a matter of conjecture. The nest 

 consisted of a large ball of soft moss, the whole forming a mass 

 about 4| inches in diameter. The opening was at the top, and was 

 about If inches across and 2 inches deep. It was lined with hair 

 and feathers, principally the latter. The nest was in one of those 

 bunches of thick-growth so common on many of our fir-trees, and 

 contained ten eggs of the following dimensions : — 



The eggs are of a creamy-white color, and are covered with very 

 obscure spots, so verj^ obscure, in fact, that they merely give a dingy 

 or dirty tint to the egg, and some to whom I have shown them are 

 doubtful if they are spots, but I regard them as extremely obscure 

 and confluent spots, not on, but hi, the shell. From the number 

 of the eggs, their extreme smallness, and the situation of the nest, I 

 have been inclined to believe it to be a Kinglet's." 



Examining my example with a powerful magnifier, I find the ground- 

 color to be white with shell-marks of purplish-slate, and a few ob- 



* See the interesting notes of Mr. W. E. D. Scott in the present number of 

 the Bulletin, p. 91. 1 have also compared the egg in question with that of the 

 calendula obtained by Mr. J. H. Batty on Butfalo Creek in Colorado, July 21, 

 1873. This, though in a somewhat fragmentary condition, exhibits its size and 

 markings. It measures .59. x 45. The ground-color is a creamy white, and 

 over this are profusely scattered minute dots of brown with a reddish tinge. It 

 closely resembles in its general character the supposed egg of satrapa, is larger, 

 more oval in shape, and the spots are more distinct and of a different shade. 

 Mr. Batty's nest contained one egg and six young. The parent, though not pro- 

 cured, was seen, and there appears to be good reason to accept the identification. 

 VOL. IV. 7 



