220 BENDIRE ox the Nestand Eggs of Clarke's Nutcracker. [July 
shelter seems to be difficult to find, a more or less partial one is 
chosen. None of the nests faced the direction of our prevailing 
winds, and while none were in trees thickly growing together, 
only one nest was found in what could be termed an isolated tree. 
‘¢Five of the sites were within one third of the mountain’s 
height, and two only about one third up. The site of the nest 
taken containing eggs was at an altitude of about S500 feet. I 
do not think that here, in Boulder County, the Clarke’s Nutcracker 
nests much, if any, below this point. It breeds up to 10,500 feet, 
but at such an altitude fully a month later. The nest found by 
me was, in my opinion, an early one. These birds feed on beetles 
and other insects in summer, and they can be seen the year around 
scavenging about lumber and mining camps, at the foot of the 
range. Their visits are timed with unerring precision ; both they 
and the Rocky Mountain Jay ( Per¢soreus canadensis capitalis) 
are on the lookout for the scraps to be found about such places 
after the dishes are washed, and they seem upon each such occa- 
sion to be just in time, and after their feast, more or less satisfac- 
tory, according to circumstances, they move off as quickly as they 
Cannend 
In order to give as full a synopsis as possible of the breeding 
habits of this interesting species, and as in all probability some 
of the publications containing the accounts may not be accessible 
to the majority of the readers of ‘ The Auk,’ I will incorporate 
the more important portions bearing on the subject in this paper. 
Capt. B. F. Goss met with these birds in May, 1879, along the 
western base of the Sangre de Christo Mountains, a few miles 
southeast of Fort Garland, Colorado. He writes as follows in the 
‘ Bulletin’ of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Vol. VIII, Jan., 
1883, pages 44 and 45: 
‘« Clarke’s Crow is a common resident of the region described, but has a 
higher range than Maximilian’s Jay. I found it most abundant in the 
mountain valleys, above the foot hills. In that dry climate the trees on 
the sunny exposure of the valleys are dwarfed, scattering, and interspersed 
with thick bunches of bushes, while the opposite side, looking north- 
ward, is covered with a heavy growth of timber. It was in and around 
such timber that I found these birds, and there I looked diligently for 
their nests. Many times they showed great concern and watched me 
closely, peering down and scolding from the thick foliage overhead. I 
thought their nest must be near, and searched everywhere in the neigh- 
borhood, even climbing to the tops of high trees; but I have no doubt 
