20 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 9-No. 2 



tion of the nests, to mark many localities 

 where they may be sought next season. 



The Blue Grosbeak is a restless, wide- 

 awake bird. It feeds and gathers nesting 

 material far from its nest. This increases 

 the difficulty of finding its abode. "When 

 disturbed it utters a single scolding note, 

 sharp and distinct, repeated at short inter- 

 vals. Only twice have I heard the male 

 in full song. The notes, except in volume, 

 are an exact reproduction of those of the 

 Indigo Bunting, which it so closely resem- 

 bles. The nests are rather bulky affairs, 

 and, except in the varieties of material used, 

 are quite characteristic. In the outer part 

 it seems to select whatever material suits 

 its fancy; paper, weeds, strings, bits of 

 cotton or wool are often used. One nest 

 was more than half composed of the cast- 

 off skins of snakes ; several had bits of 

 the same material. The lining is always 

 composed of dry grass roots, with some 

 times a few long horse hairs. The eggs 

 are of a pale blue color — which fades on 

 exjDosure to light. Thej T are about as large 

 as the eggs of the common Bluebird, but 

 vary much in length. The ends, too, are 

 nearly equally rounded. — D. E. X., Man- 

 hattan, Kan. 



Colorado Notes. 



EXTRACTS FROM MY NOTE-BOOK PART II. 



Townsend's Fly-catching Thrush {My- 

 iadestes townsendii.) June 6, 1 set 4 

 eggs, fresh. June 22, 1 set 4 eggs, 2 

 sets 3 eggs, fresh, 1 set, 4 eggs, large em 

 bryos. July 1, 1 set 4 eggs, very large 

 embryos. Nest in bank of railroad, near 

 Alpine Tunnel. July 4, 4 sets 4 eggs, 

 fresh. July 8, 1 set 4 eggs, incubated 5 or 

 6 days. Nest on jutting rock in prospect 

 hole in bank of creek. 



Intermediate Crown Sparrow (Z. gam- 

 beli intermedia.) June 24, 2 sets 4 eggs, 

 fresh. July 1, 10 sets 4 eggs, fresh. 



I spent considerable time hunting for 

 their nests on the ground, but without 



success. While so engaged, I found one 

 in a low scrubby spruce about twenty 

 inches from the ground. At this I changed 

 my tactics and began searching the scrubs 

 for them, and with good success. All 

 were found in these scrubs generally and 

 in those surrounded by willows, excepting 

 two on the ground and one in some wil- 

 lows about ten inches from the ground, 

 which was put up like many of the Red- 

 wing Blackbird. The lowest nest was 

 eight inches and the highest five and one- 

 half feet. The birds take whatever is 

 nearest for the construction of their nests. 

 Some were entirely of dead grass, others 

 of coarse dry stems of weeds, lined with 

 fine grass, and others with a foundation of 

 coarse grass and plant stems, loosely 

 placed, upon which fine grasses were com- 

 pactly woven, lined with still finer grass 

 and horse hair. 



A fair example measures, outei diameter 

 5f inches, height 3J inches, inner diameter 

 2£ inches, depth 2^- inches. So far as my 

 experience extends, their nests are never 

 placed on a branch, but saddled in a crotch 

 or more often where the toj) has been brok- 

 en out or lopped. The color of the eggs 

 varies nearly as much as the nests. One 

 set is of jjale bluish green, thickly covered 

 with reddish brown markings blended to 

 gether, giving the entire egg a dark ap- 

 pearance and entirely covering the larger 

 end. Measurements 90 X 64, 91 X 66, 91 X 

 66, 88 X 65. Another is of darker bluish 

 green, speckled and dashed with light 

 umber over the entire surface of two, the 

 other two lacking the latter color on the 

 smaller end, while the larger is completely 

 covered by a large blotch of dark umber. 

 Measurements 85x65. 90x66, 92x67, 

 95X65. 



Green Black-capped Fly-catching Wab- 

 rler {Myiodioctes pusillus.) July 16, two 

 young birds, nearly able to fly. They show 

 the bright yellow on the under parts when 

 very young. Nest on the ground under 

 the willows, composed of bark of dead 



