3. Cerchneis rupicoloides, Larger African Kestrel. On Oct. 3rd, I took a 

 clutch of three eggs from a hole in the river bank. On Oct. 31st, I took another 

 clutch of four from the same hole; on Nov. 29th, I took another clutch of four 

 from a hole in the same bank but about 40 yards from the first hole. This pair 

 of Kestrels have inhabited the same spot for several years and there are no other 

 pairs anywhere near that spot. 



4. Strix ftammea maculata, Barn Owl. On April 19th, I took a clutch of 

 seven much incubated eggs from the deserted nest of a Hammerkop {Scopus 

 umbretta); on September 10th, another clutch of five from the same nest, and 

 on Oct. 3rd, another clutch of seven, after which the Owl reared a brood of young, 

 but I do not know how many. 



5. Pelicinius zei/lonus, Bakbakiri Shrike. On Oct. 26th, I took a full 

 clutch of three eggs from a nest in an Agave hedge; on Nov. 14th, I took another 

 clutch of three from another nest in the same hedge; and toward the end of 

 December, found another nest in same hedge, containing three young. This 

 Shrike is very uncommon in this neighborhood. The Agave hedge is near my 

 house, and as the house is built on a huge flat — there being no other trees or 

 bushes anywhere near here — I am certain it was the same pair of birds. 



6. Etanus caeruleus, The Black-shouldered Kite. In a small patch of 

 thorn trees on the river bank, about two miles from my house, I found, on Nov. 

 4th, a nest of this Kite containing three eggs, which I took; on Jan. 20th, in a 

 tree near the one from which the first eggs were taken, I found another nest con- 

 taining three eggs, which I again took; and on March 25th, found another nest 

 containing four eggs in a new tree near the other two. The birds then left this 

 spot and built a nest in a large pear tree in my orchard, and this nest on April 

 10th, contained four eggs. This is the only pair of Black-shouldered Kites to be 

 seen for miles round here. 



7. Scopus umbretta, The Hammerkop. The nest from which I took the 

 three clutches of Owl's eggs was the year before occupied by the rightful owners. 

 On Aug. 21st, I took a clutch of much incubated eggs; and on Sep. 21st, another 

 clutch of seven. After that the birds reared some chicks in the same nest; but I 

 do not know how many, as I was unable to visit the place, but a friend told me 

 about the chicks. 



With the exception of the Owl, all the above birds were isolated pairs, 

 so that there is no doubt that the same bird laid the eggs referred to. With ref- 

 erence to the Owl, it is hardly likely that another pair would use the nest, as they 

 would all be nesting at the same time. 



I think the above evidence is enough to convince anyone who wants to be 

 convinced, that birds will always commence nesting again soon after losing their 

 first nests, and it is generally the case that the second nest is left alone or not 

 discovered. 



A NEW BREEDING RECORD FOR CALIFORNIA 



By William Leon Dawson 



The heavy snows of the past winter, the deepest in decades, convinced us 

 that there was no need for haste. So as we skirted, on the sixth day of June, the 

 eastern bases of the Sierra Mountains enroute to Mammoth Camp, we accepted 

 the challenge of a Yellow-headed Blackbird sounding from a wayside swamp, and 

 we deployed for investigation. The place was Long Valley, a well-watered 

 plateau in southern Mono County, and the altitude was something over 7000 

 feet. I had passed the swamp unheeding a dozen times before, in previous sea- 

 sons; but one of my assistants, Lawrence Stevens, had never seen a Yellow- 

 head's nest, and was curious. A broad stretch of shallow water, say quarter of 

 a mile wide and a mile long, is here fed by mountain springs, and bears a complete 

 investiture of rank grasses or dwarf sedges, save where, centrally, it supports low 

 beds of tules, or irrupts in pools so charged with mineral content that vegetation 



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