356 LAND BIRDS 



fearlessly through the fall woods, until the spring calls 

 them to commence nest-building again. 



751 a. WESTERN GNATCATCHER. — Polioptila cceruka 

 ohscura. 



Family : The Kinglets, Gnatcatchers, etc. 



Length: 4.00-5.50. 



Adult Male: Upper parts dark bluish slate-color, lightest on rump, 



bluest on crown. A blackish line over eye ; tail black, outer feathers 



edged with white ; under parts grayish white. 

 Adult Female, and Young : Similar to male, but grayer ; no black over 



eye ; upper parts of young tinged with brownish. 

 Qeographical JDistribution : Western Texas, west through Arizona to 



California and Lower California, south to Mexico. 

 California Breeding Range : Locally through the Sonoran zone, except 



the humid coast belt. 

 Breeding Season : May. 

 Nest ; In bushes, 3 or 4 feet from the ground ; made of shreds of bark ; 



lined with plant fibre and feathers, and covered with lichen. 

 JBggs .■ 4 or 5 ; whitish, wreathed and speckled with rusty brown and 



purplish gray. Size 0.57 X 0.42. 



The Western Gnatcatcher is a common resident of 

 the lower mountain altitudes throughout California, a 

 part of those found here in the winter migrating to more 

 northerly parts in the summer and the rest remaining to 

 breed. Mr. Chamberlin writes of this species in " The 

 Condor," March, 1901, as follows: "The name Gnat- 

 catcher is misleading as regards the diet of this species, 

 for I have repeatedly seen one tackle a butterfly almost 

 as large as him.self, and bag his game too. I think, 

 however, his food is largely made up of the eggs and 

 larvae of insects which are found on the under side of 



