1 66 



THE NIDIOLOGIST 



and prevent its falling downward, capsizing the 

 dainty abode and demolishing the four frail 

 little eggs it contained. Next, a longer rope 

 was cast over the limb just out beyond the 

 diminutive dwelling, pulled in with a long stick, 

 run up over a branch above, and let downward 

 along the trunk. 



I then descended, took up this end of the 

 rope and began to pull. My companion sawed 

 the limb nearly through at the base. Both 

 pulled on the rope, and the nest was drawn 

 within six feet of the tree. Here we were 

 forced to stop, as our united strength failed to 

 bring it nearer; so, locking the rope — to pre- 

 vent its flying back — we sat down to devise a 

 plan, for the ])rize which was " so near, and yet 

 so far," was yet to be secured. 



Of the long rope there was still about fifteen 

 feet dangling down below me. This was just 

 what was wanted. It was drawn up and thrown 

 out by the nest, and the former operation with 

 the stick repeated. The ends were then drawn 

 in by me as I made ready for another pull. 



The thick end of the limb was held firm. 

 The long rope, which was thrown over a limb 

 above (and had, to a certain extent, pulled the 

 nest upward) kept it beyond our reach. 



All this while Madam Cceruka remained 

 fearlessly on her eggs or cluttered about among 

 the green leaves. No amount of hissing or 

 shouting would urge her from her domestic 

 duties. As she sat upon the nest her bill 

 protruded perpendicularly above the rim on 

 one side, while her tail stuck upward on the 

 other. When the rope was thrown over the 

 limb she darted off and disappeared, but soon 

 returning with her mate they flew about utter- 

 ing their loudest protests against our unexplain- 

 able actions. However, the ro]je soon failed to 

 scare this brave little housewife, and she re- 

 turned on the nest, where she remained until it 

 was brought within our reach. Then she flew 

 out and rejoined her mate near by. 



The eggs, which were four in number, were 

 removed and taken to the ground. Then the 

 limb was sawed off, the equipments cast down- 

 ward, and the frail nest carried carefully be- 

 low. 



The nest, whose rim is drawn slightly inward, 

 is constructed of lichen, beech buds, vegetable 

 cotton, very fragile grass stems, cocoon cot- 

 ton, and minute bits of moss. Inwardly it 

 is com]>osed of vegetable cotton, red and 

 white hair from the tail of the horse, a soft, 

 reddish substance, a few fine grasses, with 

 fragments of lichen, and a few beech buds on 

 the bottom. 



The four fre.sh eggs were pale bluish or 

 bluish-white spotted with chestnut and lilac. 

 Three are heavily, and one finely spotted. A.l 



show a tendency toward collecting about the 

 larger end, somewhat resembling a wreath. 



Robert B. McLain. 

 Elm Grove, W. Va. 



Stray Notes from the Farallons. 



A VISIT to the Farallons the past June 

 found none of the accustomed objects 

 of interest missing. Perhaps the most 

 interesting event in Farallon circles this year 

 was the taking of a Raven's nest. A pair of 

 Ravens (i:)resumably Corvus corax simtatus) 

 have nested on a cliff near the West End for 

 years past, occupying a nest built in a niche 

 in a perpendicular clitf. The cliff is one hun- 

 dred feet or more in height, and the nest was 

 about halfway down and unapproachable ex- 

 cej)t from above. 



Previous to this year no one had cared to at- 

 tempt the descent, but the depredations of the 

 Ravens on the domestic fowl and rabbits became 

 so bold that one of the light keepers, Mr. R. 

 H. Williams, decided to take the risk and de- 

 stroy the nest if possible. So on June 9 he 

 went down a rope and reached the ledge with- 

 out accident. The nest was a large structure 

 of sticks and pieces of wreckage from the cove 

 near by. Some of the sticks were so heavy 

 that it must have been a hard task for the birds 

 to have carried them to the ledge. The frame- 

 work of the nest was carefully and neatly put 

 together, and an abundant lining of goat's hair 

 constituted the nest proper. Two young Ravens 

 were found, utterly unfeathered and with their 

 eyes not yet opened. They could not have 

 been over two days old at most, which would 

 make the nesting date somewhat late. 



One of the young Ravens was accidentally 

 dropped from the cliff and killed. The other 

 was taken to the keeper's house in its odorous 

 goat-hair nest, and when I saw it two days later 

 it was a truly hideous object. The head was 

 much larger in proportion than any other part 

 of the body, and the extent of its mouth was 

 something astonishing. When touched on the 

 back the young Raven would utter a miniature 

 " croak " and open its capacious mouth for 

 food. It set^med to do well on small pieces of 

 cooked meat, for when I left the island the pin 

 feathers were beginning to show on the wings. 

 Its head, howe\er, remained as naked as nature 

 made it, and he was accordingly dubbed "Bill 

 Nye." I am informed that the young Raven 

 has since died. [!] The accompanying illustra- 

 tion shows the bird in its nest, and will give an 

 idea of the capacity of its mouth. 



The goat's hair with which the nest was 

 lined was obtained from the body of a dead 

 goat near one of the keeper's houses. Though 



