50 THE NIDOLOGIST 
are annually destroyed in haying time. I once 
saw a female bird of this species sitting upon a 
freshly raked windrow of hay, and upon ap- 
proaching the spot happened to notice a dainty 
blue egg where she had been resting. The 
nest and incomplete set had undoubtedly been 
broken up and the poor mother forced to de- 
posit her treasure, unprotected, upon the bunch 
of drying hay. 
It is also the case, as with most species 
which are apparently extending their regular 
habitat, that the Dickcissel seems to be irregu- 
larly distributed and local in its abundance in 
our State. L. WHITNEY WATKINS. 
An Albino Junco. 
Epiror NiIpo.ocisv?. 
Dear Sir: On November 23, 1895, I shot a 
pure white Junco (/unco hyemalis), from a 
flock of twelve or fifteen birds. This is the 
first albimo Snowbird I have ever seen. It was 
pure white; legs and feet were much lighter 
than usual. The bird was taken within our 
city limits. J. B. Neat. 
Easton, Pa. 
Hen Theory Applied to Thrashers. 
Epiror NIpoLocist. 
Dear Sir: I would like to answer, through 
your columns, Mr. William H. Fisher’s query in 
August Nipotocisr. In his article, entitled 
“A Persistent Brown Thrasher,” he states he 
took three eggs from a Brown Thrasher’s nest, 
and while he was packing them the female re- 
turned and sat upon the nest, and, flushing her 
again, he found a fourth egg, all highly mcu- 
bated. 
Your explanation is good, that ‘‘ there is no 
law laid down which permits a bird to lay an 
incubated egg,” but when you say, “ Mr. Fisher 
must be mistaken in the number of eggs he 
saw,” I cannot agree with you on //a¢ solution 
of the problem, as a collector is supposed to 
count “four” correctly. 
My theory is, that there weve four eggs in the 
nest; and, when Mr. Fisher flushed the bird, one 
egg stuck to her feathers owing to the presence 
of some sticky substance (accidentally acquired 
by contact therewith), and when she returned 
and settled into the nest this egg became de- 
tached. 
I think this explanation reasonable from the 
fact that Mr. Fisher says the bird hopped only 
six inches from the nest and stood watching 
him; consequently her actions were not violent 
enough to loosen the egg supposed to be hang- 
ing to her feathers; and again, I give you an 
almost parallel case, which ought to be the 
clincher to this case—namely, I have seen 
hens walking or running about with an egg fas- 
tened to their feathers, in several instances. 
D. A. CoHEN. 
Alameda, Cal. 
— > > 
Cooper Ornithological Club. 
HE monthly meeting of the Club was held 
in San Francisco, November 2. Four 
new members were elected: P. K. Gilman, of 
Palo Alto, and the following, on recommenda- 
tion of the Annex: W. S. Cobleigh and O. W. 
Howard, of Los Angeles, and Clifford H. Wood, 
of Pasadena. Mr. Claude Fyfe was present as 
a visitor. 
The evening was given to the reading of a 
paper by A. W. Anthony, entitled 
NOTES FROM THE COLORADO DESERT. 
On the 21st of March of the present year Mr. 
Anthony, in company with Mr. F. Stephens, left 
Witch Creek for a short expedition through the 
southwestern part of the Colorado Desert. The 
season was an early one, vegetation being at 
least a week in advance of normal seasons. 
The range was crossed at Julian, and the first 
camp made in the lower end cf San Felipe 
Valley, where the creosote bush and catclaw 
were the most common plants. Tricolored 
Blackbirds and Cassin’s Kingbirds were migra- 
ting, and Zonotrichia and Lincoln’s Finches were 
observed in the catclaw. A number of Cas- 
sin’s Finches flew by in company with the com- 
mon House Finch, coming from the lower 
regions to their breeding grounds in the pines. 
Several old nests of the Verdin were noted, but 
no birds were seen. 
Leaving San Felipe Valley in the forenoon 
of the 22d, a drive was made to the Indian 
Wells, the altitude being 1,600 feet. Large 
flocks of White-bellied, Barn, Cliff, and Violet- 
green Swallows were flying in scattered flocks 
to the northwest, and every bend in the canyon 
was sought as a protection against the gale 
which was blowing. ‘The flocks ranged from 
four to fifty, and the Cliff and White-bellied 
Swallows formed about eighty per cent of the 
whole number. In San Felipe Canyon the vege- 
tation assumed a typical desert aspect. Oc7zl/os, 
fouquiera, agave, yucca, and the various species 
of cactus formed the chief growth. Scott’s 
Oriole, Baird’s Woodpecker, Cactus Wrens, and 
Verdins were allcommon. And here amid the 
barren rocks, miles from the nearest pines was 
found the Plumed Partridge in comparative 
abundance. A few Black-throated Sparrows 
sang from the ocofz/los, but were scarce. ‘The 
Sage Sparrow was not met, it being only a win- 
ter resident in thisregion. March 23 was spent 
