24 THE CONDOR Vol. IX 



the nest, but the parent birds deserted it. Towards evening when I returned I 

 went into this clump of cottonwoods again and by keeping quiet was surprised to 

 see this pair of gnatcatchers again building. This time they had selected the very 

 top of a young live cottonwood for their home, which grew about thirty feet from 

 their former tree. They already had the foundation built. Both birds helped to 

 build but the female bossed the job. She would always be there to inspect the 

 work of the male, but would come there alone too, at times. Before leaving the 

 nest to get more material she would hop all around the nest, chirrup twice and 

 then fly. Never while I watched did she chirrup more than twice. I did not have 

 a chance to return again to see this nest. 



The last nest I found this day was one of the spurred towhee iPipilo macu- 

 latus megalonyx). While walking under the trees beside the road I stepped on a 

 dead limb lying on the ground. A bird flushed .so close that it gave me a scare. 

 On looking I found the nest, flush with the ground and lined with a few grasses. 

 It contained four fresh eggs. The parent birds kept up a continual noise while I 

 was there. 



May 7, 1906. — On the way to work I saw a yellow-breasted chat {Ideria 

 virens longicauda) . He flew about thirty feet up into the air, then spread his 

 wings and tail, fluffed all his feathers up and slowly came back to the brush. All 

 the time he kept up his imitations. A mate was evidently close at hand. 



At lunch time I found another set of yellow-throat's eggs. The nest was in 

 sword grass about two feet from the ground and contained five fresh eggs. The 

 female was flushed. Near at hand I heard the familiar chirrup from the gnat- 

 catchers. I easily followed them to their nest in the top of a slender cottonwood. 

 The nest was made of lichens and cob webs lined with some kind of down and 

 plenty of feathers. It contained three fresh eggs. The birds flew within an arm's 

 length when I was near the nest and kept up a constant cry. I also saw several 

 lazuli buntings, some small-sized herons, and two males and one female of 

 the mallard. 



Yuba Dam to Sheep Dip, May 7 to 12. — As we got nearer to Sheep Dip, our 

 next camp, I saw quite a few magpies. I saw one flock of about twent}^ There 

 were tree swallows in the dead oaks. Also saw one canvasback duck. 



On May 11,1 found a nest of the yellow-throat. It was built over a swamp in 

 sword grass and contained four heavily incubated eggs. The parent birds did not 

 return even tho I flushed the female. I also found a nest of the "marsh blackbird" 

 built in the tules above the swamp. It was made of tules and mud, and contained 

 four incubated eggs. The parents were noisy. 



On the way home I found a nest in a coffee pot in an old tin can heap. Two 

 da^^s before I had seen the parent bird enter with food for her j^oung, but did not 

 have time to investigate. When I looked this time the nest was empty; but under- 

 neath the layer of feathers, I found a rotten ^^g which the parent bird had evi- 

 dently covered. By a later set I saw it must have been a nest of the Vigors wren. 



On May 12, I found a deserted nest of the linnet containing four eggs. The 

 rain two days before had evidently caused the desertion. I also saw a ground owl 

 beside a hole which must have been its nest. I caught a young killdeer near 

 Sheep Dip. In a locust tree near Sheep Dip I found a new nest of the western 

 kingbird. The birds never returned to it after I looked at it. In a similar tree 

 down the road a little further I found a nest of the California shrike. It was about 

 ten feet above the ground and was made of straws, etc., lined with hair and wool. 

 There were six heavily incubated eggs in it. The parent bird did not utter a cry 



