144 



OK^ITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 12-No. 9 



Everywhere those closely related species, the 

 Black Vulture, (Catharista atrata) and the 

 Turkey Buzzard, ( Cathartes mira) may be seen 

 soaring together, their different modes of 

 flight making them easily distinguishable. 

 They doubtless nest there abundantly, and 

 March is their breeding season, but I failed to 

 discover nests of either species. This country 

 affords such good hiding places for them 

 among the scrub palmettos and dense thickets 

 that they are ran^ly found. 



Thiidiing I could get some points from an 

 old darkey, who seemed to be running over 

 with useful information concerning the coun- 

 try and its products, I asked him if he had 

 ever found the nest of these birds, and if so 

 where? "Oh, yes!" he said, "he had found 

 them many a time, in the tops of the big cj^- 

 press trees, and they laid Ave or six white 

 eggs ! " 



Discovery of the Eggs of the Even- 

 ing Grosbeak. 



BY J. p. N. 



Mr. Walter E. Bryant read a short paper be- 

 fore the California Academy of Sciences, on 

 June 20th, 1887, in which he described the dis- 

 covery of the first nest and eggs of the Even- 

 ing Grosbeak, (Hesperiphona vespertina) ever 

 found. The lucky man was Mr. E. H. Fiske, 

 and he found the nest in Yolo County, Califor- 

 nia. Mr. Bryant says : 



"The nest, containing four eggs, was taken 

 May 10th, 1886, but incubation was so far ad- 

 vanced that he was unable to preserve them. 

 In general shape, color and markings, they 

 were similar to eggs of the Black-headed 

 Grosbeak, but in size he thinks they were 

 somewhat larger. 



" The nest was built in a small live oak. at a 

 height of ten feet, and was a more pretentious 

 structure than is usually built by the Black- 

 headed Grosbeak, being composed of small 

 twigs supporting a thin layer of fibrous bark, 

 and a lining of horse hair. 



" It is to be hoped that Mr. Fiske will be suc- 

 cessful in finding additional specimens from 

 which measurements may be determined." 



The present writer cordially joins in the 

 above hope, but he cannot help deploring the 

 fact that the eggs were not pi-eserved in alco- 

 hol. No matter how large the embryos in eggs 

 are, they can always be preserved in alcohol, 

 and surely such specimens are better than none 

 at all in the case of rare eggs like these. 



Unusual Nesting Sites. 



BY 1. P. N. 



Under the iibove title Mr. Walter E. Bryant 

 read a short but very interesting paper before 

 the California Academy of Sciences on Aug. 1st, 

 1887. 



He described several cases where the Cali- 

 fornia Quail {Lophortyx californicci) had built 

 their nests in trees, upon the upright ends of 

 broken or decayed limbs, or where two large 

 branches joined. " A f ew years ago," he con- 

 tinued, "a brood was hatched and safelj^ con- 

 ducted away from a vine-covered trellis at the 

 front door of a popular seminary. How the 

 parent birds managed to get the tender young 

 down to the ground is not known." 



Three instances are next mentioned where 

 the Ked-shafted Flicker {Colaptes auratus mexi- 

 canns) built its nest in unusual places. One 

 was in a bridge bulkhead, a few feet above a 

 river. " The interior of the structure was 

 filled with gravel and large stones, amongst 

 which the eggs were deposited. Another pair 

 used a target butt at a much frequented range 

 as a substitute for a stump. A third nest was 

 in a sand bank three feet from the top, and ten 

 feet from the ci-eek." 



A nest of the Calliope Hummingbird (Stellula 

 calliope) was found " built upon a projecting 

 splinter of a wood pile, at a height of five feet. 

 Another was secured to a rope within an out- 

 building," 



Mr. Bryant then tells us of an old nest of 

 Bullock's Oriole, {Icterus hullocki) which he 

 found, which had been relined. and which con- 

 tained four eggs of the Western Kingbird, 

 {Tyrannus verticalis). The same species also 

 attempted to construct a nest " upon the outer 

 end of a windmill fan. A horizontal blade had 

 probably' been first selected, but an occasional 

 breath of air had slightly turned the mill, 

 bringing into place another and another, upon 

 e;ich of which had been deposited the first ma- 

 terial for a nest until several nests were in 

 different stages of construction, varying with 

 the time that the windmill had remained quiet, 

 while upon the roof below was strewn a quan- 

 tity of debi'is that had fallen as the wheel re- 

 volved. Of course nothing but failure could 

 be expected from their repeated attempts." 



The present writer can recall a somewhat 

 similar instance to that related by Mr. Bryant. 

 In this case a pair of House Wrens ( Troglodytes 

 oidon) chose a box for their nesting place, that 



