28 



THE NIDIOLOGIST 



Cooper Ornithologibal Club. 



THE monthly meeting was held October 

 6, at San Jose. A talk on classifica- 

 tion was given by Mr. Osgood, it 

 being an introduction to the work the club 

 anticipates taking up. 



ON THE CALIFORXIA PYGMY OWL, 



An interesting communication from L. 

 W. Brokaw on the California Pygmy Owl 

 was read. He had secured the data of three 

 nests found in Monterey county, California. 

 The first nest was found on May 8, 1892, 

 by a small bo\% and contained four eggs, 

 which were fresh. They were a dull-white 

 after blowing, and nearly globular, like a 

 typical egg of the Screech Owl. Two 

 specimens which were preserved from the 

 set measure i.io x .93 and 1.15 x .96. In 

 this case the Owl had appropriated a fresh 

 excavation of a Harris' Woodpecker, in a 

 dead pine, ten feet from the ground. 



The second nest was found early in May, 

 1893, s"^ contained five eggs about one- 

 half incubated, and of a light cream color. 

 From this set only one was preserved, 

 which measures 1.19X.92 inches. The 

 tree from which this set was taken was a 

 pine in the bottom of a small gulch, and 

 had broken off square nine and a half feet 

 from the ground. The cavity was an old 

 one of Harris' Woodpecker, and measured 

 4>4 X 7 inside and 9 inches in depth. The 

 entrance was ij^ inches in diameter and 

 but 5j^ feet from the ground. 



The third nest of California Pygmy Owl 

 was discovered by a young collector who 

 was searching for eggs of the Pygmy Nut- 

 hatch, which nests among the pines. A 

 set of five eggs .slightly incubated were 

 taken from it April 24, 1894. As in the 

 preceding ca.ses, the cavity was an excava- 

 tion of a Harris' Woodpecker, 4 feet 10 

 inches from the ground, in a dead branch of 

 a .small live oak. It was 1 1 inches deep 

 and the diameter of the enerance was 2 

 inches. The eggs were laid on soft oak 

 chips at the bottom of the cavity. The 



female Owl was secured, but after being 

 taken one hundred yards from the nest she 

 escaped and alighted in a tree near by, and 

 was immediately joined by her mate, who 

 seemed to have been following. As an ex- 

 periment the eggs were replaced in the cav- 

 ity, which had been broken open consider- 

 ably, and on returning three-quarters of an 

 hour later the female was again covering 

 the eggs. The five eggs are considerably 

 pointed, slightly glossy, and have a finely 

 granulated shell. They are of a light-cream 

 color. The measurements of the set are as 

 follows: i.i6x .97; 1. 17 X.97; 1.19X.95; 

 1.21 X .92; and 1.24 X .96 inches. Mr. 

 Brokaw observed a California Pygmy Owl 

 in a dense tangle of vines in a swamp in 

 March. It was perched on a vine about 

 four feet from the ground, and was appa- 

 rently asleep. 



THE PILEOLATED WARBLER. 



A paper on the Pileolated Warbler was 

 read by Mr. Silliman. This Warbler in- 

 habits the banks of creeks and rivers, espe- 

 cially where there is a growth of wild 

 blackberry vines and willows. The nests of 

 pilcolata are situated in damp, shaded 

 places, often in a wild blackbery vine, and 

 are well hidden. They are always placed 

 near the ground, never over five feet above. 

 In one instance the bottom of the nest 

 touched the ground. A typical nest of this 

 species has a loose exterior of dry leaves, 

 bark fibres, lichens, weed-stems, roots and a 

 few pieces of straw. The body of the nest 

 is of similar material, only constructed more 

 firmly, and in which grass and bark pre- 

 dominate. The ground color of the eggs is 

 creamy-white, spotted and specked with 

 cinnamon, reddish-brown and faint lilac. 

 The markings are usually in the form of a 

 wreath about the larger end. The average 

 of a number of specimens is .65 x .49 

 inches. The nesting season extends from 

 the latter part of April until the middle of 

 June, and two broods are usually reared. 



An interesting descriptive paper on tak- 

 ing the eggs of Richardson's Skua in Great 



