122 



Cbe Marbier 



No birds were present, though speedily appearing, and the usual hair nest with 

 its six eggs lay hidden beneath the felted -quilt. This site, as well as the lo- 

 tion, though typical of the Black-cap, seems unusual (for Wyoming nestings at 

 least) with the western species. Observed conditions would seem to indi- 

 cate the first week in May as the beginning of nesting operations for North- 

 eastern Wyoming ; and the twentieth of May as about the date for the des- 

 position of the first eggs. Of the latter there seem to be, usually, six ; with 

 occasional sets of five or seven. 



The Long-tail sits closely on her eggs. In boyish thoughtlessness the 



NEST AND EGGS OF LONG-TAII.ED CHICKADEE 



writer once broke open a very rotten stump which showed a very " likely " 

 opening, only to find, at the bottom of the cavity, what he thought to be the 

 mummified body of a female Mountain Bluebird. But the very cautious 

 digging away of rotted wood brought to light a black head and a pair of shin- 

 ing eyes, which seemed fairly to emit light as the heroic mother rose, repeated- 

 ly, almost the length of her body, from her heels, emitting what was intend- 

 ed to be a most blood-curdling hiss at every upward thrust. The little 

 mother refused to leave her eggs; yet, to my intense disappointment, when 

 I returned to the spot, after a few moments' absence to secure my camera, she 

 had not only left her nest but refused to return so long as that dreadful 



