394 



BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



[Yol. Y. 



is more confined to open and exi)osed situations near settlements. It 

 is always sliy and suspicious, so that I rarely came upon it unawares. 



On April 17, at Lomita, and within a short distance of the river, I 

 flushed a female from her nest, and found four eggs. The nest Avas 

 about five feet from the ground, among the close-growing shoots of a 

 small ebony stub, standing alone near a brush fence, and not far from 

 the roadway. It was rather comx)act and small for the size of the bird, 

 being about three and one-half inches iu diameter on the outside, with 

 an inside diameter and depth not exceeding two inches, and composed 

 entirely of dried inner bark, grasses, and pliant tAvigs, with a few root- 

 lets for lining. The eggs had been sat upon a few days. They were a 

 little larger and somewhat more elongated than others taken of the 

 same species, and vary in length from .97 to .92 of an inch, while they 

 are nearly equal in breadth, three measuring .68 of aii inch and one .09. 

 In shape they somewhat resemble those of the Virginia Cardinal, but 

 are more round, and are irregularly covered with spots in various shades 

 of brown and lavender, which at the larger end are massed together, 

 sometimes forming a band, but more frequently covering the entire end. 



Lomita 

 ....do . 

 ....do . 

 ....do . 

 ....do . 



53. Cardinalis vieginianus (Bliss.) Bp. — Cardinal Bedbird. 



Very abundant at Lomita j at every turn seen brightly flashing across 

 ■oiu? path, whether in the dense thickets of the woods or in open chapar- 

 ral, and always extremely cautious. I discovered no variations from 

 the common form. A large series of nests and e^gs were obtained. 



330 



Lomita May 6 



8.50 



11.25 



3.38 



3.75 



54. PiPiLO ciiLOEUEUS (Towus.) Bd. — Green-tailed TovjJiee. 



Very few specimens of this bird observed; two obtained in open 

 shrubbery. They undoubtedly breed sparingly about Lomita, but we 

 discovered no nests. 



55. Embeenage-A eufivirgata Lawr. — Green Finch. 



This was among the first birds we saw at Lomita, and remained con- 

 stant during our stay. It is quite tame, and confined to low shrubbery. 

 Its song I can describe no better than Dr. Merrill has already done : " a 

 repeated chip, — chip, — chip, begun slowly but rapidly increasing until 

 the notes run into each other," and which, when once heard and identi- 



