220 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



"The nest was built on an old nest of Trochilus costos, which is normal in com- 

 position and location. The second nest was found June 23, at about 8,000 feet 

 altitude, on the southern side of Mount Grayback, the highest peak of the San Ber- 

 nardino range. It was built on a splinter of a knot, or short, broken branch, pro- 

 jecting from the side of a large cedar, about 20 feet from the ground, and also 

 contained young birds. The parent was shot as she flew from the nest, and 

 preserved. This nest is different from the other, and is probably of the normal 

 tvpe. This species is not common even in the migrations." 



These are the most southern breeding records of which I have any knowledge. 

 Mr. Charles A. Allen has taken its nests near Nicasio, California, and Mr Charles 

 H. Townsend found it a common summer resident on the McCloud River; the 

 first nest and eggs of this species were taken by the late Capt. John Feilner, 

 First Dragoons, United States Army, on June 4, 1859, near Pitt River, Cali- 

 fornia, and these are now in the United States National Museum collection. 

 Captain Feilner, who was an ardent ornithologist and oologist, was subsequently 

 killed by hostile Indians while in the pursuit of his favorite study. Although the 

 Calliope Hummingbird is quite a common summer resident in suitable localities, 

 its nests and eggs are still comparatively rare in collections. Both Dr. James 

 C. Merrill, United States Army, and the writer found this Hummingbird quite 

 common at Fort Klamath, Oregon, where I took several of its nests and eggs. 

 Two of the former have been figured in Mr. Robert Ridgway's paper, "The 

 Hummingbirds," in the "Report of the National Museum for 1890" (Pis. 2 and 

 3), and a quadruple nest of the same species taken by Mr. Charles H. Townsend, 

 near Baird, California, a most remarkable structure, is figured on PL 1 in the 

 same publication. 



The Calliope Hummer made its appearance at Fort Klamath in 1883 about 

 May 9, possibly a few da)^s earlier, or about the time the wild currant and 

 gooseberry bushes began to blossom, and by the middle of the month I have 

 seen hundreds in a morning's walk. While Selasphorus rufus was also quite com- 

 mon at the same time, I believe this species outnumbered it about three to one. 

 Although I searched for their nests most carefully, several weeks passed before 

 I succeeded in finding one, and then its discovery was accidental. I had taken 

 quite a long walk along the banks of Fort Creek on June 1 0, and, the day being 

 a hot one, sat clown with my back resting against the trunk of a bushy black pine 

 whose lower limbs had been killed by fire; while resting thus one of these 

 Hummers buzzed repeatedly about my head for a few seconds at a time, and 

 then rose perpendicularly in the air, only to repeat the performance again. I 

 had no idea then that this species nested in pines, but in order to give me an 

 opportunity to watch its performance better I moved out from under the tree, 

 and a few minutes later saw the bird settle on what I at first supposed to be an 

 old clump of pine cones. On looking closer, however, I noticed its nest, which 

 was ingeniously saddled on two small cones, and its outward appearance resem- 

 bled a cone very closely. The nest contained two eggs, which were considerably 

 advanced in incubation, and were not disturbed. Knowing now where to look 



