GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 419 



the thread of the Yucca. The mother was sitting ; the 

 nest was inside the garden fence ; a fierce dog guarded 

 the premises, and the Mexican family were away cele- 

 brating a church holiday. I could only admire from a 

 distance, and, being unable to drive the mother from her 

 post, did not ascertain whether eggs or young were the 

 objects of her care. There was no question of identi- 

 fication, though Costa's hummingbird is more apt to 

 build on cactus than this species. Another nest, found 

 in the alders of a dry river bed, was quite unlike the 

 first, and but for the father, who, contrary to humming- 

 bird etiquette, sat within two feet of the brooding 

 mother, I would not have attributed it to this species. 

 The male was discovered first, and allowed me to walk 

 up close to him before he took flight. In turning to 

 follow him, I brushed against the branch on which the 

 nest clung, and the female flew off just above my eyes. 

 There were in the nest two newly hatched young, less 

 than an inch long, and a third egg, probably a runt. 

 The tiny cradle was woven of a pithy dark buff' material 

 that looked like the punk used by dentists, and was 

 ornamented on i^he outside with willow buds. The 

 question at once arose as to why this bird, building 

 among the alders, had not used the willow down for its 

 nest, as had the one who built in the cactus. A diligent 

 search failed to reveal the source of the building material, 

 and although I have since found several nests composed 

 of it, I do not know where it is obtained. 



Like that of his Eastern cousin, the ruby-throated, as 

 well as four varieties of California hummers, the wooing 



