THE OOLOGIST. 



103 



The Yellow-breasted Flycatcher. 



This merry little bird is numerous in the 

 southern San Joaquin valley. Their noisy 

 chatter will always indicate their nesting 

 place. The Yellow -breasted Flycatcher is 

 a brave little bird, defending its nest and 

 driving away all strange birds. They build 

 their nests in any suitable place, and are 

 always satisfied with their homes. 



I remember one that built on an old wind- 

 mill. When the breeze would start the 

 wheel it would fill the air with discordant 

 sounds and rattle away within three feet of 

 the nest. I may add that the old birds 

 succeeded in raising their young. Another 

 pair built their nest in an old slaughter 

 house where every day several men were 

 working. The nests are built of anything 

 and everything, strings, twigs, weeds, 

 rootlets, lined with cotton or wool and 

 feathers. 



The eggs are beauties — a rich creamy 

 white spotted with reddish brown spots. 

 These spots sometimes form a complete 

 circle around the larger end. The eggs are 

 seldom over five in number. 



H. C. L., Los Angeles, Cal. 



The Mocking-Bird. 



No other bird can equal the mocking- 

 bird in his wonderful power of imitation. 

 He is the king of songsters. I have sat for 

 hours listening to the melodies from the 

 throats of these singers. The Nightingale, 

 whose song is known over the world, finds 

 in the Mocking-bird its superior. 



The Nightingale may be called the queen 

 of the night, on account of its midnight 

 song ; but the Mocking-bird is ihe king of 

 day. It can pour forth the sweet sounds 

 of the Nightingale in broad daylight, inter- 

 mixed with the songs of other birds. The 

 beautiful notes of the canary and the angry 

 cr/ of the hawk are uttered in the same 

 moment, perfect enough to deceive the best 

 trained ear. 



A week or two ago, I had for a morning 

 entertainment the Mocking-bird and his 

 lays. In the morning as soon as old Sol 



begins to cast his rays of light over the 

 land, the Mocking-bird would be stirring. 

 Flitting about among some pepper trees, 

 alighting here and there, singing part of a 

 song, and flying off to finish it some place 

 else, chasing one another, and mimicing 

 all the familiar sounds ; thus they would 

 pass the day. 



I found the mocking- birds numerous in 

 back hills of the Coast Kange mountains, 

 in San Luis Obispo County. 



I stopped one day to shoot a Coyote that 

 persisted in gazing at me, I took my gun 

 and clambered up a small hill on which 

 he stood. The hill was sparsely covered 

 with grease wood. I had not proceeded far 

 before I came on to a large band of Mock- 

 ing birds. I counted over 25 in one flock 

 and I think that there were over 100 within 

 a radius of 100 yards. T[t is needless to say 

 that Mr. Coyote didn't stop to watch those 

 Mocking birds, so I didn't get a shot at 

 him. This hill was several miles from any 

 house. No water, except what was in an 

 old well at a sheep camp within ten miles. 

 I have found their nests as early as April 

 20. They are not very particular where 

 they build. I have generally found their 

 nests in hedges and often in willow trees. 

 The nests are built of grass, small twigs, 

 weeds, and lined with wool, horsehair and 

 roots. The eggs, generally four to six in 

 number are of a light greenisli blue ground 

 with blotches of yellowish brown and 

 purple. Harry P. Lillie, 



Los Angeles, Cal. 



A Two-Storied Meadow Lark's Nest. 



While collecting in the field in the sum- 

 mer of '86, I found a nest of the Meadow 

 Lark containing three fresh eggs. On 

 taking the nest up I found still another nest 

 containing one egg of the same species 

 with the incubation advanced. Have you 

 or any of the readers of the Oologist ever 

 heard of a case of this kind ? If so, I 

 should like to hear from them through the 

 columns of this paper. 



Walter D. Porter, 

 Jefferson, Wis. 



