144 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 9-No. 12 



side. A very low note is heard all this 

 time, but no feather pulling like the fe- 

 males when after one another. 



Brewer's Blackbird (Scolecophagus cya- 

 nocephalus), very common ; a set of seven 

 eggs was taken April 6th, the largest set 

 I have seen. 



Western Kingbird, (Tyrannus verti- 

 calis), common, nests ready to receive eggs 

 April 27th. 



Cassin's Kingbird, (T. vociferans) was 

 first seen Jan. 16th. I am pretty sure they 

 breed, but birds would have to be shot 

 with nest to make sure of identification. 



Ash-throated Flycatcher, {Myiarchus 

 cinerascens). One was seen April 15th. 



Say's Pewee, {Sayornis sayi) was first 

 noticed Jan. 18th, and nigricans is resi- 

 dent and breeds. A set of five eggs was 

 taken April 27th. 



Western Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, {JEm- 

 pidonax difficilis), first seen April 27th. 



Black-chinned Hummingbird, ( Trochilus 

 alexandri) seems to be more common 

 than any other species. April 23d, a nest 

 was found with young half fledgecL and 

 another with fresh eggs. 



Anna's Hummingbird, {Calypte annce), 

 April 23d, nest with young just hatched. 



Poor- will, (JPhalcenqptUus nuttalli), one 

 was seen at dusk along a small creek. 



Bed-shafted Flicker, ( Colapt.es auratus 

 mexicanus), breeds. 



Texan Kingfisher. (C'eryle americana 

 cabanisi), one was seen sitting on a dam of 

 a water storage pond. 



Chaparral Cock, ( Geococcyx californian- 

 us), was seen in the cacti, where it breeds. 



Western Horned Owl, {Bubo Virginian 

 us subarcticus,) was heard, breeds. 



Burrowing Owl,. {Speotyto cunicularia 

 hypogcea,) is not uncommon. I took a set 

 of eggs April 23d. 



Cuban Sparrow Hawk, (Tinnunculus 

 sparverioides), is not uncommon, breeds. 



Western Bed-tail, (Buteo borealis calur- 

 us), breeds. I noticed one carrying sticks 

 to build in a high Sycamore, April 27th. 



Turkey Buzzard, (Gathartes aura), was 

 seen every day. 



Mourning Dove, (Zenaidura caroliiieii- 

 sis), was seen all winter, breeds. 



Californian Quail, (Ijophortyx californ- 

 ica), is very common, breeds all over the 

 hills in the cacti. 



Killdeer, (Oxyeohus vociferus), is not 

 uncommon and breeds. — W. Otto Emer- 

 son, Haywards, Gal. 



Notes from Fairfax Co., Va. 



Prairie Warjler, (Dendroeca discolor,) 

 May 13, while pushing through a lot of 

 scrubb}', young oaks, discovered a small 

 neatly made nest, containing four eggs, in 

 an oak sprout, about three feet from the 

 ground. Stepping back two or three 

 yards, I waited a few minutes when a 

 small bird, which I recognized as the 

 Prairie Warbler, flew to the nest and set- 

 tled down until nothing but its bill and 

 the tip of its tail were to . be seen. On 

 my approaching it flew a short distance, 

 uttering the single note teep, at short in- 

 tervals, It flew about among the bushes 

 picking at insects, until I moved off, when 

 it "returned to the nest. Very much 

 pleased with my find, I left the nest until 

 the following day, when, as it still con- 

 tained but four eggs, I secured it and 

 found the eggs to be quite fresh. During 

 the next week, I discovered eight more 

 nests, from each of which I obtained a set. 

 and noticed several birds who acted as 

 though they had nests in the vicinity, but 

 I was unable to . find them. The nests 

 were beautifully woven structures, com- 

 posed of fine plant fibers and cottony sub- 

 stances outside, and lined with downy 

 feathers and horse-hair ; they were placed 

 from two to seven feet from the ground in 

 a variety of positions — three being in 

 young pines, one in a maple sprout, an- 

 other in a huckleberry bush, the sixth in a 

 blackberry bush, etc., and as many were 

 found in elevated situations, as in the low- 

 lands, but scrnbby, lightly-timbered sites 



