General Notes. 119 



These birds, in the dry atmosphere of the sterile plains, take the place 

 of the Vultures, the great scavengers of the lower, more moist, and fertile 

 portions of our country, and are therefore looked upon as friends, and 

 not being hunted or disturbed are quite bold and easy of approach, and I 

 had no difficulty in shooting all the specimens I wanted. I noticed, how- 

 ever, before I left, they began to keep well out of gunshot. 



The following are the measurements of a pair of mounted birds in my 

 collection shot at San Marcial, November ?S and 30. 1S80. 



$ Length, 21.00: extent, 43.00; wing. 14-25: tail. S. 50: tarsus. 2.35: 

 bill. 2.10. 



5 Length. 19.75: extent. 41.00; wing, 13.60; tail, S.oo; tarsus. 2.30; 

 bill, 2.20. 



Iris very dark brown; bill. legs, feet and claws, black. 



The males are nearly as large as the females of C. corax. but readily 

 distinguishable from that species by their more slender build ; and in flight 

 their wings appear less rounded.— N. S. Goss. Neosho Falls. Kansas. 



Remarkable Persistency in Nesting of the Western Yellow- 

 bellied Flycatcher. — A pair of these birds (Empidonax dijficilis) 

 have been in the habit of nesting every year in the shed covering my 

 tanks, which are in the woods some distance back of my house. The 

 birds appeared as usual about the middle of last April and commenced 

 building about the 28th of the month. On the 15th of May the nest con- 

 tained four eggs and I took it. The birds lost no time bewailing their loss 

 but immediately commenced another nest, but on a different beam from 

 the first one. By the 2Sth of the month they had this nest finished and 

 four eggs in it. I took this one also. Next day the birds commenced 

 again, on vet another beam. On the 5th of June this third nest was fin- 

 ished and on the 10th contained five eggs, this being the only time that I 

 ever found five eggs in a nest of these birds. Both for the sake of such an 

 unusual set and to see how long the birds would keep on nesting I took 

 this also. Not a bit discouraged, the birds began a fourth nest, and on the 

 22nd this nest contained four more eggs. I took these thinking the birds 

 would go somewhere else this time. But, no ; they started a fifth nest 

 which, on the 6th of July, had four eggs in it, making five nests and twenty- 

 one eggs by the same pair of birds in a little over two months. On taking 

 this nest the birds left and I do not know whether they built again or not. 

 Probably not, as they generally leave the country about that time.- 



This same persistency was shown at the same time by a pair of Black 

 Pewees | Sayornis nigricans) which built twice under the eaves of the 

 house, once under a bridge close by, and a fourth time under the eaves of 

 the house. This last time they hatched out the brood, as I neglected to 

 take the nest until too late to save the eggs. — Joseph Mailliard. Nicasio. 

 M<i riii ( 'a.. ( <il . 



Notes on the Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker and Can- 

 ada Jay. — On the 9th of May last while crossing the high open pine 



