Jan., 1907 BIRDS OBSERVED FROM MARYSVIDLE TO GRASS VALDEY 23 



sword grass. When I came to about the middle I flushed a small greenish yellow 

 bird. Even tho I saw just where the bird flew from I had quite a time finding the 

 nest. It was built in the sword grass among a few blackberry vines about one foot 

 from the ground, and contained four fresh eggs. The nest was made entirely of 

 dried sword grass lined with black horsehair, and was deep like a cup. The eggs 

 were white marked on one end with lines and dots of black tending toward the 

 forming of a ring. I sat down and waited. Finally I heard a small chirrup behind 

 me, and turned quickly. This was a mistake on my part for no bird did I see. 

 Another long wait and another chirrup, this time to my left. I staid perfectly still 

 this time and finally caught sight of the female and her mate hopping around in 

 the nearby bushes. They gradually came nearer and as soon as I saw the bright 

 colored male with his black mask I knew what I had found. It was a nest of the 

 Pacific yellow-throat {Geothlypis tn'chas an'zela) . The birds made quite a dis- 

 turbance, the male chasing his mate toward the nest, but he would not come nearer 

 than within ten feet of it even tho she came and sat on the nest. As soon as she 

 got comfortably settled he left. 



A little further on was another patch of sword grass. Here I flushed another 

 female yellow-throat. The nest was built of the same material as the first and was 

 in the sword grass about a foot from the ground. It contained four perfectly fresh 

 eggs. The parents staid near all the time I was around; I could hear them, but 

 rarely caught sight of them. I found another nest of this species near the other 

 end of the patch in about a similar location containing four fresh eggs. 



On the other side of the road near a fresh water pond I saw a pair of yellow- 

 throats. As soon as they saw me they disappeared in the underbrush. By this 

 time I knew where to look for the homes of these birds. Seeing a few clumps of 

 sword grass about thirty feet from where the birds were at first I commenced to 

 look. The first clump revealed nothing. But the first time I parted the second 

 clump I looked directly down in a yellow-throat's nest containing five fresh eggs. 

 The nest was about one foot from the ground and built of the same material as the 

 others. The parents did not come around. 



The next was a nest of a western chipping sparrow which was built in a 

 tree about seven feet from the ground and very easily seen. It contained four 

 incubated eggs. This made incubated eggs, pretty nearly ready to hatch, on the 

 same date I found the fresh Qgg. I also found two old nests of this species and 

 two old nests of the bush-tit in the close vicinity. I also found a bush-tit's nest 

 near here containing one fresh egg. The parents were absent. 



I saw a nest about twenty feet up in a tree. Even tho it looked like an old 

 nest I decided to climb for it. It was a cottonwood tree and had many little 

 branches to retard my movement. When about ten feet up I came across a prett}^ 

 beetle which I tried to capture and take along. We played chase for a while until 

 finally he squirted some liquid in my face which stung so I made quick descent to 

 the ground. I decided not to climb in that tree again. I washed the liquid off 

 and moved on. There were quite a few beetles in the bottomland both large and 

 small. The most numerous kind was about an inch and a quarter long and had a 

 very pretty green back. 



In a clump of young cottonwoods I had another new experience. I came across 

 a dead tree, and about six feet up I saw what I supposed was an old nest. It was 

 of lichens, etc., and saddled upon a limb against the main trunk. I pulled it 

 down, but was much ashamed of myself when the parents returned. It was a pair 

 of gnatcatchers {Poliopiila ccerulca obscura) which were just building. I replaced 



