70 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 8-No. ^0 



very tall pine. These Chvls have bred in 

 the forementioned places for at least seven 

 or eight years. I have seven sets from 

 pair number one taken annually. My 

 earliest date March 27 ; latest April 18 — at 

 both dates eg-gs being fresh. Incubation 

 has been noted for one pair twenty-six 

 days from date of finding complete set r 

 the other occupied twenty four days from 

 same time. For the latter nest I would 

 say the eggs might have been sat upon for 

 a day or two previous to my finding the 

 nest. Eggs number three and four to a 

 complete set and measure on an average 

 about 2.00x1.80.— J^ JI. C. Hehoboth, 



Notes from California. 



While sitting down beside a little creek 

 sketching, I saw the following birds round 

 about me, some in the willows along the 

 creek, others in the tall redwoods and firs : 

 California Woodpecker, Nuttall's Wood- 

 pecker, Lewis' W^oodpecker, Gairdner's 

 Woodpecker, Sparrow Hawk, California 

 Jay, California Song Sparrow, California 

 Brown Towee, Steller's Jay, Least Tit, 

 California Chickadee, Western Bluebird, 

 (of the chestnut-backed) which had 

 rather of a funny place for a nest. She 

 had taken up her quarters in an old CliiF 

 Swallow's nest on a rafter, near the centre 

 ridge, in under the roof of the saw mills, 

 right over the logging way, where they go 

 rolling and booming over to the big saws 

 to chew up into lumber. She seemed to 

 take no notice of man. I have sets of five 

 from the California Brown Towhee, Cali- 

 fornia Song Sparrow, Black Pewee, Green- 

 backed Goldfinch, Russet-backed Thrush, 

 Western Chipping Span-ow, also a set of 

 twenty-one California Quail. I got a set 

 of five from the Black-capped Yellow War- 

 bler, last year, and the Western Yellow- 

 bellied Flycatcher. Found a nest of the 

 California Brown Towhee in an old coal oil 

 can this season. I found my first W. 

 Meadow Lark nest this season, with six 

 fine eggs as I ever saw ; a large set I think. 



White-bellied Swallow, (Cliff and Barn va- 

 rieties,) Swift, Allen's Humming-bird, 

 Western PuiidIc Finch, Blue Grosbeak, 

 Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock's Oriole' 

 Black-capped Yellow Warbler, Russet- 

 backed Thrush, Brewer's and Red and 

 Buff-shouldered Blackbirds along the river. 

 Spurred Towhee, found the Western Robin 

 breeding there. Red-shafted Flicker, a few 

 along with other Woodpeckers. — W. O, 



Etnerson^ Hagvmrds, Col. 



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Flying Squirrels and Their Work. 



The collector in the woods of New Eng 

 land will occasionally find a nest of Flying 

 Squirrels where he is expecting a set of 

 Woodpecker's eggs. We once put our 

 hand into a hole expecting to bring out a 

 set of "Wakeups," but, instead, we got a 

 mother and two young Flying Squirrels. 

 At another time we tapped at a fresh 

 Woodpecker's hole about five and one- 

 half feet high, when a Flying Squirrel an- 

 swered the summons. She sat in the hole 

 a few minutes and then moved to the top 

 of the stump, a foot higher, for a minute 

 or so, when she returned to the hole not in 

 the least annoyed by our presence. At 

 another time we caught a whole brood by 

 striking the saplings or young trees with 

 an axe and having three persons to catch 

 them when they struck the ground. They 

 are veiy easily tamed and make beautiful 

 pets. There is no doubt but what they 

 destroy eggs when they can get at them. 

 We retired one night leaving a large num- 

 ber of eggs on the desk that we had just 

 cleaned. A female Flying Squirrel opened 

 every one in the night and was asleep in a 

 Vireo's nest in the morning. We sup- 

 posed these Squirrels always bred in holes 

 in trees or stubs, but A. H. Helme of Mil- 

 ler's Place, N. Y., writes that in his section 

 as a rule they build in hollow trees, but it 

 is veiy common to find them building their 

 own nests among the branches as the Gray 

 Squirrels do. He has this season found 

 two such nests containing young, and has 



