232 Benpire on the Nest and Eggs of Clarke's Nutcracker. [July 
juniper, in the trunk of which I found a cavity filled with rubbish, and 
which eyidently, had been used as a nesting site by either a Sparrowhawk 
or Red-shafted Flicker the previous season further confirmed me in 
this view, and caused me to jump at the conclusion that the young birds 
I saw on that tree clamoring for food had been raised in this very nest. 
Judging from their size they had left it about a week previously, and I 
concluded that in order to find eggs I must commence looking for them 
at least a month earlier or about April 1st, and gave up further search for 
the season. I waited impatiently for the opening of the season of 1876, 
which was a very late one. To make sure I started on a systematic 
search for the nests of these birds as early as March 2oth, the snow being 
at the time from two to four feet deep in the localities frequented by them. 
During the next four weeks I made at least a dozen trips to the haunts of 
these birds, and I believe I examined every hollow tree and woodpecker hole 
known to me within a radius of eight miles of the post, the trees examined 
being mostly junipers. As I found nothing in them, other species of birds 
not having commenced nesting yet, and being positive that the Clarke’s 
Crow was then breeding somewhere in the immediate vicinity, from seeing 
a few about constantly, I commenced to examine the pine trees growing 
amongst the junipers on the outskirts of the forest proper. I saw nothing, 
as I thought, which might be taken for a bird’s nest in any of the pines 
(Pinus ponderosa), but noticed now and then a round bunch or ball, com- 
posed seemingly out of the long hypnum moss taken from the trees them- 
selves, in some of them, which I supposed to be squirrels’ nests, particu- 
larly as the little Fremont’s chickaree (Sccarus hudsonicus fremont7, Allen) 
is quite commonly found in this vicinity. As the majority of these quasi 
squirrels’ nests were by no means easily got at, and having tried to start 
their occupants with sticks, stones and now and then even with a load of 
shot and failed invariably to bring anything to light, I ceased to trouble my- 
self any further about them, and more puzzled than ever was about to 
give up the search when on April 22d I saw a Clarke’s Crow flying quietly 
and silently out of a large pine tree about fifty yards in front of me. 
This tree had a rather bushy top, was full of limbs almost from the base 
and easy toclimb. AsIcould not see into the top I climbed the tree, 
failing to find any sign of a nest therein, and completely disgusted I 
was preparing to descend again when I noticed one of the supposed 
squirrel’s nests near the extremity of one of the larger limbs about the 
centre of the tree and about twenty-five feet from the ground, and setting 
therein, in plain view from above, not a squirrel but a veritable Clarke’s 
Crow. 
Well, so I had found their nest at last, quite unexpectedly, and not 
any too soon, either. As it was, [ was almost too late, for the nest con- 
tained a young bird just hatched and two eggs with the shells already 
chipped and on the point of hatching. However, as even damaged speci- 
mens, particularly rare ones like these were, are better than none, I 
took them along but left the young bird in the nest. The parent bird 
allowed me to almost lay my hand on her before she fluttered off, and 
