TUOCIIILID.K — TIIK IFrM.MIN(VI!lHI)S. 455 



all tlie coast cnuiitiy "f Califdniia, I'roiii the slopes of tlio Sierra to llic 

 ocean. It was first talcen in Mexico, and named in lionm- ol' Anna, Duchess 

 of IJivoli. JMr. Nntlall was the lii-st of our own naturalists to take it within 

 our territory. He captured a female on its nest near Santa l)arl)ara. This 

 was described and Hjiured hy Audidxiii. The nest was attached to a small 

 burnt twig of I'/i()tini((, and was small for the binl, being only 1.25 inches in 

 breadth. It was somewhat conic in shape, made of the down of willow cat- 

 kins, intermixed with their scales, and a few feathers, the latter forming the 

 lining. It had none of tlie neatness of the nests of our connnon s])ecie.s, 

 and was so rough on the outside that Mr. Xuttall waited several days in 

 expectation of its being completed, ami found the female sitting on two 

 eggs when he caught iier. Dr. ('ooi)er, however, thinks this description 

 ai)plies much better tu the nest of 7'. (ilf.randvi, as all that lie has seen of 

 this species are twice as large, and covered externally with lichens, even 

 when on branches not covered with the.se j)arasites. 



Dr. fiamludl, in his paper pul)lished in 184(5 on tlie birds of California, 

 describes this as a very abundant species, numbers of which jiass the entire 

 winter in California. At such times ho found them inhabiting sheltered 

 hillsides and jjlains, where, at all seasons, a few bushy ))lants were in ilower 

 and furnished tiiem with a scanty sulisistence. In the latter part of Feliru- 

 ary and during Marcli they a])i)eared in greater nund)ers. About the I'ueblo 

 the vineyards and the gardens were their favorite resort, where they build a 

 delicate downy nest in small flowering bushes, or in a concealed spot aliout 

 a fence. In April and May they may be seen in almost eve? • garden. 



In the wilder iKU'tions of the c(tuntry Dr. (landiel found tlicm attacldiig 

 their nest almost exclusively to low horizontal branches of the {hicirns «i/ri- 

 folid, or evergreen oak, so common in that region. The nest lie describes 

 as small, only about an inch in dei>th, and 1.25 inclies in diameter, f(M'med in 

 the most delicate manner of pappus and down of various jdants matted into 

 a soft felt, with spider's-webs, which he fre(piently observed them collecting 

 for the purjjose, in the spring, along hedges and fence-rows. The base of 

 the nest is formed of a few dried male an\ents of the oak, which, with the 

 adjoining felt-like matting of pajjjais, are agglutinated and l)ound around 

 the twig with a thick layer of .S)>ider's-wel)s. The note of this liinl, he 

 states, is a slender c/ic/i, frequently rejieated. During the biveding-season 

 they are very jjugnacious, darting like nu'teors among the trees, uttering a 

 loud and rejieated twittering .scold. Tliey also have the habit of ascemling 

 to a ccuisiderable height, and then of descending witii great rajiidity, uttering 

 at the same time a i)ecidiar cry. The glutinous pollen of a tidiular flower 

 upon which llie.se liirds feed often adheres to the rigid feathers of the crown, 

 and causes tlie bird to seem to have a bright yellow h.ead. Nuttall, who 

 never obtained the male of this s])ecies, but saw them in this condition, sup- 

 l)osed this to be a yellow spot in the crown, and hence his sujiposed species 

 of i(ti')virph<(/iis. 



