164 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



In the West, they breed most frequently in rocky canons, in the foot- 

 hills of the mountains, up to an altitude of 7,500 feet, depositing their eggs 

 in small caves or crevices of the many cliffs. Mr. W. E. D. Scott found 

 a nest on May 2, 1885, on the Santa Catalina Mountains at an altitude of 

 5,000 feet. It was placed between two large bowlders. 



In the Middle and Southern States the Turkey Vulture breeds more 

 often in the heavily timbered bottom lands, adjacent to the larger streams, 

 as well as in swampy regions. The nest may be found on the ground, 

 under an old log, or in a hollow tree; and even an old Hawk's nest, as high 

 as 40 feet, is occasionally used. 



Mr. J. W. Preston states: "The Turkey Vulture will sometimes go into 

 an aperture far up a tree and follow the hollow clear to the ground. At 

 Spirit Lake, Iowa, I took a set of two eggs from an old elm tree, which 

 leaned in the form of an arch; the bird made its way into the tree at the 

 broken off top, and deposited the eggs near the roots of the tree, where I 

 relieved her of them, by the help of an axe. I have seen the female leave 

 the nest to feed, and the male has been seen visiting the nest while the 

 former incubated, but I do not know that he carried food to her; he is very 

 solicitous, however." 



The only note they have is of a hissing wheezy sound when disturbed, 

 and this is generally only uttered on such occasions. In southwestern and 

 southern Texas, as well as in other regions where this species is abundant, 

 they breed as often in communities as singly; the nests, if they can be 

 called such, being generally placed on the ground, under the shelter of small 

 bushes on a side hill, and again in low places on salt marshes of the seashore, 

 or in thickets in river bottoms. They are not at all particular in the selection 

 of a nesting site. Two eggs are usually laid, occasionally but one, and very 

 rarely three. These are among the handsomest of the eggs of the Raptores, 

 Their ground color is generally a light creamy tint, occasionally a dull dead 

 white, with a very faint trace of green in some few instances. They are 

 blotched, smeared, and spotted with various shades of reddish brown, choco- 

 late, and lavender, the markings usually predominating about the larger end 

 of the egg, and are very irregular in outline. In eggs belonging to the same 

 set, the markings frequently differ greatly in size and intensity, one being 

 heavily marked and the other but slightly. Occasionally an egg is found 

 which is entirely unspotted. These eggs also vary greatly in shape; the 

 majority are elongate ovate, a few are ovate, others elliptical ovate, and 

 now and then one is perfectly cylindrical ovate. 



The average measurement of thirty-four specimens in the U. S. National 

 Museum collection is 72 by 49 millimetres. The largest egg of the series meas- 

 ures 83.5 by 50, the smallest 68 by 46 millimetres. 



The two type specimens show about the average types of the heavier and 

 lighter colored eggs of this species. 



No. 17608, from a set of two (PI. 4, Fig. 1), was collected by Mr. Robert 



