64 



THE COLLECTORS' MONTHLY. 



Robin. 



A short time ago I visited a brother 

 collector in this State, who had a series 

 of nests and eggs all laid by the one 

 female. 



The first six sets consisted of four eggs 

 each, and the last one of three. 



He is positive that there was but the 

 one pair of birds about, as he lives on 

 the prairie, and can easily watch their 

 movements. 



Blue Jay. 



May 7, '90. Took a set of five fresh 

 eggs from nest in small spruce tree. 

 May 24, '90. Got another set of five 

 perfectly fresh eggs from same nest, from 

 which I took five on the 7th. 

 Bank Swallow. 



■funr 11th '90. Pulled the leaves etc.. 

 out ot a nest three feet in, but there was 

 no eggs. The female at once began to 

 replace them in the nest, working very 

 rapidly, picking up the material from 

 where it had fallen, while I was within 

 two rods of the place. The male sat on 

 a Mullen stock close by, uttering a little 

 chirp now and then. 



July 3d '90. Obtained a number of sets 

 consisting of from two to five eggs, from 

 fresh to advanced in incuhation. Nest 

 dug in a gravel pit, about eighteen inches, 

 and enlarged at the farther end. Nest 

 built of grass and lined with feathers. 



Trice Swallow. 

 May 20, '90. Found nest in large dead 

 tree which contained one egg. Nest about 

 thirty feet up, and six inches deep, with 

 some dried grass in the bottom. 

 May 30, '90. Took twelve more eggs 

 from the same nest from which I took 

 one on the 20 inst. 



A great number of feathers had been 

 added to the nest, making a very soft 

 thick lining. 



June 10, '90. Obtained eleven more eggs 

 from same nest as before, thus making 

 twenty-four eggs in twenty-one days, 

 that I have taken from above nest. 

 Severel very long tail feathers were 

 arranged on the sides. 



Yours Trulv, 



G. A. M. 



Notes on the Black Phoebe. 



(For The Collectors' Monthly.) 



The Black Phoebe inhabits Southwest- 

 ern U. S.. from Texas, through Southern 

 New Mexico and Arizona, Northward to 

 California and Oregon. 



It is a very active little bird, being 

 always in search of food (which consists 

 of flies, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers 

 and small insects). He perches on some 

 strong fence or branch of a tree and when 

 he sees some insect fly by he darts down 

 and with a loud snap catches it in his 

 bill. About the 1st of April they startto 

 build, and, in about ten days the nest is 

 completed. The site selected is generally 

 the eaves of a barn or house, or under a 

 hedge and always where they can get 

 wind. The nest is composed of mud and 

 lined with grass and cow or horse hair. 



The eggs are from three to six in num- 

 ber, pure white generally but sometimes 

 speckled on the large end with reddish 

 brown spots. 



Two and sometimes three sets are laid 

 in a year. 



The eggs are incubated in about 17 

 days. When the young are large enough 

 to take care of themselves they pair off 

 and leave to find a place to breed next 

 year. More than one pairnever build 

 in the same place at one time, and Thave 

 known one pair to stay in one place six 

 and eight years and occupy the same nest 

 4 or 5 years. In 1889 I took a set of 

 eggs of this kind from a nest under the 

 eaves of a barn. In 1890 a Crimson 

 House Finch built inside the same nest. 

 And in 1891 the old Black P. built a 

 third nest on top the Crimson H. F. nest 

 thus making three nests intone. I took 

 all three sets. 



The average size of 4 [sets (16 eggs) 

 that I took this season (1891) was .52 

 x.76 inches. Pewee. 



