The OoLOGisT. 



VOL. XVI. NO. 2. 



ALBION, N. Y., FEB., 1899. 



Whole No. 151 



Nesting Habits of Two California 

 Birds. 



PiivEOLATED Warbleu, Sylvania 

 pusilla pilcolala. The Western Black- 

 capped Warbler is found breeding quite 

 abundantly along the wooded streams 

 of Santa Clara Co., Calif., but on ac- 

 count of its retiring disposition, it is 

 seldom noticed; unless persistently 

 sought after. 



Although I have been collecting in a 

 locality frequented by this bird for the 

 last seven years, I never succeeded in 

 discovering a nest until 1896; but since 

 then 1 have examined (juite a number. 



I find, by consulting ray note book, 

 that my earliest set was taken on the 

 29th of April, 1898, and my latest set 

 taken May 29, 1897; at which time I 

 found uncompleted nests and nests con- 

 taining incomplete sets, which leads 

 me to the conclusion that they rear at 

 least two broods in a season. 



The nest is a beautiful little structure 

 composed of leaves, bark-strips, grass 

 and sometimes tules lined with fine dry 

 grass, horsehair or feathers. 



It is almost invariably placed in wild 

 blackberry vines, the heighth varying 

 from 6 inches to 4 feet above the 

 ground. The only exception I have 

 ever found was a nest built in a clump 

 of weeds and nettles two feet from the 

 ground. 



The eggs range frorn 3 to 4 in num- 

 ber, the first set of the season being 

 generally of 4 eggs and the second set 

 of 3 eggs; although on May Day, 1897, I 

 did find a nest containing 5 eggs which 

 at that date were so badly incubated 

 that they could not be blown. 



In color the eggs are white or creamy 

 white with a pinkish tinge before blow- 

 ing and are sprinkled with lilac, laven- 



der and reddish brown. In some sets 

 the markings, which vary in size from 

 minute specks to spots the size of a pin 

 head, are in the form of a wreath 

 around the larger end; in others the 

 eggs are thickly speckled all over. 



The birds are very tame during the 

 nesting season, protesting vigorously 

 if anyone approaches the nest; their 

 warning cry being quite similar to that 

 of the Yellow Warbler. This is the 

 only note I have ever heard them utter, 

 so I am positive that they do not sing, 

 at lea.st not during the breeding season. 



They feed on the various worms, 

 bugs and flies with which the thickets 

 along a stream abound, and it is quite 

 an interesting sight to see one of these 

 little black-capped fellows carrying a 

 worm almost as big as himself to his 

 young in the nest. They are very par- 

 ticular and if an incompleted nest is 

 at all disturbed it will be immediately 

 desei-ted. 



Taken altogelher I think that this is 

 one of our most interesting birds if we. 

 will take the time to see him as he is in 

 his summer home. 



Spurred Tom^hee, Fipilo maculatus 

 megalonijx. This beautiful black and 

 orange Towhee is a common summer 

 resident wiih us. He is sure to be 

 found iu thickets along the bank of a 

 running stream, where his harsh note 

 which resembles the mewing of a cat, 

 may be heard from morning till night. 



The nest is quite a bulky structure, 

 closely laid together, and is composed 

 of twigs, leaves and grass, lined with 

 fine dry grass, ^horsehair and rootlets. 

 It is usually placed in a blackberry 

 thicket, the height differing from 9 

 inches to 8 feet above the ground. 



The eggs are 3 or 4 in number and 

 are of a pinkish whit'! ground color 



