COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD. 203 



Spring, and in Shepherd Canyon, where several nests were found in low bushes 

 along the edges of the canyon. * * * At Coso the species was also very 

 abundant, and several of its nests were found. Various kinds of plants were 

 used as nesting sites, though the branching cactus (Opuntia echinocarpa) was 

 most commonly chosen. Usually the structure was placed on the top of a 

 lower branch, a foot or so from the ground, and under an overhanging mass of 

 thick, spiny branches, which formed a protection for the parent bird from the 

 sun and weather as well as its enemies. At Coso one of these Hummers wiis 

 seen on a bright moonlight evening hovering about a bunch of flowers, and 

 was heard again later in the same night. * * * Just at daylight, on the 

 morning of June 25, before the shadow had risen out of Wild Rose Canyon, a 

 Costa's Hummingbird came and hovered within a foot of our camp fire, prob- 

 ably mistaking it, from the distance, for a bunch of bright-colored flowers. It 

 was observed on several occasions that any bright-colored object placed in a 

 conspicuous position attracted this bird."^ 



Mr. F. Stephens writes me regarding Costa's Hummer as follows: "I have 

 found this species breeding in a gulch at the edge of the river bottom near the 

 Grila River, New Mexico, a few miles below old Fort West. In this case I saw 

 the male assisting in building the nest. I distinctly saw him fly to a spider web 

 and gather it in or on his bill while on the wing. He appeared to be winding 

 it about his bill, but I can not be certain of this. When no more of the web 

 was left in sight, he flew a few yards across the gulch, and I saw he was busy 

 at the nest, which I had not seen before. The date was about the end of May, 

 1876. In southern California this species breeds on the desert side as early as 

 February, but on the coast side not until May. They range and nest up into 

 the pines, but are most common in the foothills. They prefer certain canyons for 

 nesting, and I know at least one canyon where I could be reasonably certain of 

 getting half a dozen or more sets in two hours' search in the latter part of May. 

 The nests of this species are not as compactly built as those of Trochilus alexandri." 

 Mr. R. H. Lawrence writes me from Los Angeles, California, as follows: 

 "On May 21, 1893, 1 fi>und a half-finished nest of what I took to be Calypte 

 costcB, with the female working on it. On the 25th, at 9 a. m., it contained one 

 egg, and on May 26, at dusk, it held two. On June 9 the eggs were still 

 unhatched; the young hatched on the 11th. On June 23, 1894, in the mouth 

 of Saw- Pit Canyon, I found a nest of this Hummer on the end of the lower 

 branch of a sycamore. It was about 4 feet from the ground and near running 

 water, well hidden under a thick canopy of sycamore leaves, which came down 

 to within 2 inches of it, so close as to several times give the female some 

 trouble to perch upon the nest. The nest was placed on the forks of a branch, 

 and made of the down of sycamore leaves and of cobwebs. It held two very 

 young birds. On June 25 I again visited it, and waited to see the mother feed 

 the young ones. I finally found I could stand within 4 feet of the nest, and 

 removed several of the leaves of the canopy for a better view. It was then 



' North American Fauna, No. 7, 1893, pp. 56-58. 



