1889.] BENDIRE on the Nest and Eges of Clarke's Nutcracker. 23 
picked and beaten into fibre, and quilted together with the ad- 
dition of decayed grasses and pine needles, forming an exceed- 
ingly snug and warm structure. No hair or feathers of any kind 
enter into the composition of this nest. The walls of the inner 
nest are fully one and a half inches thick.’ Outwardly the nest 
measures eleven inches in diameter, by seven inches in height. 
The inner, cup-shaped cavity is four inches wide by three deep. 
The eggs, three in number, measure 1.37 X .g0, 1.36 x .Sg, and 
1.32 X .Sg inches. These are elongate ovate in shape, the ground 
color isa light, delicate, greenish blue, and they are sparsely marked 
with small, peppery-like spots of grayish brown, mostly about 
the larger end, and underlying shell markings of grayish lavender. 
This description applies to the most boldly marked egg of the 
set, the markings on the remaining two being much fainter and 
more sparse. 
“In the latter part of May, 1888, I was much pleased and 
interested to find a nest of Péctcorvus columbéanus, in a red 
spruce tree, about twenty-five feet from the ground, placed close 
up to the stem of the tree, and-on the lee side from our prevailing 
winds. It was quite bulky, about two thirds the size of our com- 
mon Colorado Crow’s nest, and closely resembling it in make-up 
and appearance. Its outside was a gathering of sticks and twigs, 
fastening it in the branches of the tree, several of which were 
involved. The middle structure was principally composed of 
the inner bark of the juniper tree. It had accommodated a brood 
that season. Its value and interest consisted in fixing the identity 
of the old skeleton nests I had found as belonging to this species 
beyond a doubt, and altogether they clearly suggest a wider 
choice of nest sites than the one I sent the National Museum 
could possibly permit of, by analogy. I discovered altogether 
five of these old skeletons and two new nests of this season. 
Four of these occupied similar sites in spruce trees, while three 
were placed in pines. The nest sent to Washington was the 
only one saddled on a branch away from the main stem. None 
were over twenty-five feet from the ground, and two I found as 
low as eight feet up. The majority of sites offered little conceal- 
ment, but in every case especial care was observed in selecting 
one affording thorough protection to the nest, and holding it most 
securely against the assaults of the fierce March winds prevailing 
in this mountain region. As a suitable and completely hidden 
