214 



THE OOLOGIST 



This is an exceptionally beautiful 

 specimen of the nest and eggs of this 

 species, it having been collected by 

 Mr. F. C. Willard on the 11th of April, 

 1916, at Tombstone. Arizona. Identi- 

 fication was certain, as the bird was 

 flushed from the nest, and the eggs 

 were found to be far along in incuba- 

 tion. As will be seen from my photo- 

 graph (Fig. 4). this ne;t is situated in 

 the fork of a very thorny bush, appar- 

 ently some species of Sage Brush (Ar- 

 temesia) that I am at this writing un- 

 able to name with certainty. The nest 

 was but three feet from the ground, 

 and the bush grew on the edge of a 

 gulch. A note on Mr. Willard's data 

 card says: "Male on nest at 6:30 a. m. 

 flushed as I put my hand close to him. 

 Both birds present." This specimen 

 was found at an altitude of 4400 feet. 

 (Set mark 1074-4.) 



Reed says that this species "saddle 

 their nests upon the branches of trees 

 or in upright forks, usually at an ele- 

 vation of ten feet or more from the 

 ground, and w^ith little, if any, orna- 

 mental lichens on the exterior. Their 

 eggs are pale greenish blue, spotted 

 with reddish brown, and vary from 

 three to five in nuniber. Size .54 x 

 .44" (loc. cit., p. 327). His figure does 

 not quite agree with those at my hand, 

 in that the speckling does not seem 

 to be gathered chiefly at the butt end, 

 as it does in the eggs of the Willard 

 set. 



Turning to Coues, we read "Black- 

 capped Gnat-catcher (adult). Plum- 

 beous Gnat-catcher (young)," with an 

 account running "Nest high in a tree. 

 saddled on a limb, small, neat, com- 

 pact, with contracted brim, composed 

 of various downy substances and cob- 

 webs; size outside about 2. .50 in diam. 

 X 1.75 deep, with a cavity of 1.75 x 

 1.25; eggs about 4, 0.58 x 0.45, bluish- 

 wiiite, speckled with reddish-brown. 



umber, and lilac; laid in March and 

 April" (loc. cit.. p. 265). 



The nest before me is a subglobular 

 in form, with its rounded margin 

 thickened, and in a plane perpendicu- 

 lar to the long axis of the structure. 

 It has an average transverse diameter 

 of 5.5 cms. (outside), and an inner one 

 of 3.0 cms. What is most extraordin- 

 ary is that it has a depth of nearly 4.0 

 cms., the cavity being almost cylindri- 

 cal in form; so that it is quite remark- 

 able how a bird can sit comfortably 

 on the eggs or even manage to cover 

 them at all. 



Very little external lichen ornamen- 

 tation is to be found on this nest, 

 while for the most part it is composed 

 of a grayish plant flbre, mixed with a 

 very little silky plant stuff, something 

 after the order of the silk of some of 

 the milkweeds or cotton-wood tree. In 

 its entirety this specimen is a most 

 artistic and exquisite object, speaking 

 a whole lot for the taste of the pair of 

 tiny feathered creatures that were the 

 selectors of the site where it was 

 built, and for the architecture of the 

 structure as a whole. 



The four eggs exhibit some little 

 difference in form, but not much in 

 color or markings; the largest one 

 measures 1.5 x 1.15 cms., and the 

 smallest 1.35 x 1.1 cms. Their groimd- 

 color is a fine pale blue, and they are 

 finely speckled with a rusty-red and 

 lilac, most thickly and heavily at the 

 larger or butt ends. 



Mr. Court has many more rare nests 

 and eggs of western birds in his very 

 unique collection; and if my time per- 

 mits, I may describe and figure others 

 of them in the future. 



Legends 



(All natural size and photographs 

 direct from the specimens.) 

 Fig. 1. Nest and eggs of Myochanes p. 

 pallidiventris. 



