JOHN S. CAIRNS. 137 
nest in from four to six days if the weather is favorable. 
She is usually accompanied by the male, which, however, does 
not assist her in any way. The nests are never placed over 
three feet from the ground; usually about eighteen inches ; 
one I examined was only six inches. Ridgway, in his 
Manual, says: “Nests on trees in high woods, 20 to 50 
feet or more from the ground.” Such is not the case here. 
Coues, in his Key, says: ‘Nests in bushes, close to the 
ground.” 
Four eggs complete the set, often only three. They show 
great variation in shape, size, and marking; some are well 
rounded, while others are quite elongated. 
The female is very alert, and glides off the nest at 
the slightest noise. This I think, is caused by fear of 
animals, as she shows little fear of man and often returns to 
the nest in a few moments. This is characteristic of nearly 
all the birds breeding on these mountains ; they often allow 
themselves to be handled while covering their young. The 
tragedies of these little creatures’ lives would fill a small 
volume. The wild cat (Lynx rufus), the raccoon (Procyon 
Jotor), and many smaller carnivorous animals are abundant, 
and various reptiles make their home in the cliffs. All these 
prey on the young, and cattle ranging on these mountains 
break off many of the shrubs and weeds that contain nests. 
Furious windstorms, accompanied by rain and hail, sweep 
over their breeding grounds, chilling both eggs and young, 
and sending many a forest giant crashing to the earth. The 
birds seem to take these things into consideration and 
usually select a nesting-site sheltered by protecting logs or 
cliffs. A nest found the past season was sustained merely 
by one slender stem, as the rest of the supports had been 
broken off by a falling branch, The weight of the female 
caused this nest to hang almost horizontally. A fresh egg 
lay onthe ground underneath. The female must have passed 
the entire period of incubation in nearly a perpendicular 
position, as the nest contained two newly-hatched young. 
