TOLMIE WABBLEB 537 



On June 29 the three young were found asleep, all facing in the same 

 direction. On the observer touching a branch no response was elicited, 

 but her imitation of the adult Tolmie's tsip woke two of the young which 

 thereupon threw open their mouths in expectation of food. The tail 

 feathers were beginning to grow out on this date. On the seventh day, 

 June 30, the behavior of the female warbler changed. Previously she had, 

 when disturbed, hopped about within the shelter of the brush. On this 

 date she dropped to the ground within 3 feet of the observer, slowly raised 

 and lowered her wings, and called continually in an anxious manner. She 

 showed increasing wariness in visiting the nest to feed the young, and 

 the latter began to show signs of fear, and 'froze' when the nest was 

 approached by anyone, or the overhanging branches touched. On this 

 date the young first uttered hissing notes at the approach of the parent. 

 July 1 most of the down had disappeared and on July 2 the feathering 

 of the wings was nearing completion. On this, the tenth day after hatch- 

 ing, the young left the nest (Wythe, loc. cit.). 



Still another nest was noted by us, on June 24, 1915, in a thicket of 

 thimble-berry and coffee-berry bushes and brakes near the old Presidio. It 

 was, at the rim, 28 inches above the ground and supported partly by a 

 coffee-berry stem and partly by several shoots of thimble-berry, the whole 

 area being shaded by a grove of yellow pines. The nest outside was about 

 41/2 inches in diameter and 3 inches high, while the cavity was 2 inches 

 across and 1^ inches deep. The materials used consisted of numerous 

 broad strips of bark, round grass stems bent at sharp angles, a sub-lining 

 of shredded grass stems, and an inner layer of horsehair. When first seen, 

 on June 24, it was empty; by June 26 there were 2 eggs, on June 27, 3, 

 and on June 28, 4; upon the last date the female was first found to be 

 incubating closely. When the nest and eggs were collected, for purposes 

 of record, on July 3, it was found, however, that the 4 eggs were in various 

 stages of incubation, indicating the probability that brooding had actually 

 commenced before the last egg was laid. When this nest was visited, on 

 July 3, the female was on, but she slipped off shyly, and made off along 

 the ground through the vegetation. After a time she was heard at a 

 50-foot radius uttering occasional chips. The male was singing 100 yards 

 away, but later he too showed some anxiety and uttered notes similar to 

 those of his mate. 



On June 24, 1920, in Yosemite Valley, a bob-tailed young Tolmie 

 .Warbler was seen 10 feet above the ground in a cottonwood where it 

 was being fed by the male parent. 



Summarizing the findings with respect to these four nests, we note 

 that building by some pairs is instituted in mid-May, although others 

 (possibly because of accident to earlier nests) are to be found building 



