204 Merrill's Oblogical Notes from Montana. 



Regulus calendula (Linn.) Licht. — The Kinglets offer a remarkable 

 illustration of the fact that a bird may be very common, and yet its eggs 

 remain for years among the greatest desiderata of oologists. So far as 

 I am aware, but four nests of the Ruby-crown have been found up to the 

 present time, and all were found in Colorado.* A fifth nest was found by 

 me on the 18th of June at an elevation of 7,700 feet. It was in a fir tree, 

 about eighteen feet from the ground, and placed directly against the 

 trunk, supported by a single branch beneath and by several twigs to which 

 the sides were firmly attached. It is large for the size of the bird, meas- 

 uring externally 3X4, internally i|Xi^ inches. It is a very neat, well- 

 made structure with soft thick walls. With the exception of the lining, 

 which consists of feathers of the Richardson's Grouse well woven into 

 the sides and bottom, the whole nest is composed of delicate strips of 

 bark, small pieces of green moss, and fibres of weeds, with a few feathers, 

 spiders' webs and fragments of a wasp's nest, the whole forming a some- 

 what globular mass of soft materials. Of the eggs, which were eight in 

 number, one had apparently just been laid; the others were somewhat 

 advanced in incubation, but in varying degrees, showing that the femalet 

 had begun to sit soon after laying the first egg. Dissection of the female 

 showed that this was the full complement of eggs. They average -55X-43, 

 with scarcely any variation in size, though some are much more pointed at 

 the smaller end than others. It is not easy to give an accurate idea of the 

 color of these eggs by any description. At first sight they appear to be 

 of a uniform dirty cream-color, but a close examination shows that in 

 most of the specimens this color is deeper at the larger end and there 

 forms a faint ring. In six of the eggs there are one or two very fine hair 

 lines at the larger end. Other eggs of this species are spotted, a fact which is 

 strongly indicated by the appearance of the set just described. Thus, Dr. 

 Brewer, in speaking of the egg found by Mr. Batty, says "the ground 

 color is a cream-white, and over this are profusely scattered minute dots 

 of brown with a reddish tinge." Mr. Scott describes the eggs he found 

 as "of a dirty white color, faintly spotted all over with light brown, which 

 becomes quite definite at the larger end." The single egg obtained by 

 Mr. Drew is described as " white." It is thus evident that many more sets 

 must be obtained before the prevailing type of egg of the Ruby-crown can 

 be determined. I may add that this species was breeding in considerable 

 numbers, but owing to want of time I only succeeded in finding the nest 

 above described. 



Parus montanus. Gamb. — Common in the same localities as the pre- 

 ceding species. This is another bird whose eggs have only recently been 

 described, and especially interesting from the fact that they usually differ 

 from those of other members of the genus in being unspotted. The first 



* See this Bulletin, IV, 91 ; id., 97, note; VI, 87. I cannot now refer to the original 

 description of the nest found by Mr. Henshaw. 



t It may be stated here that the crown of this specimen was plain with the exception 

 of three scarlet feathers. 



