Taken in Inyo County Photo by the Author 
EARLY NESTING 
THE LEAVES ON THE OSIERS HAVE JUST BEGUN TO APPEAR; 
YET IT IS JULY, AT ALTITUDE 11,300 
8q2 
Cottonwood Lakes, Inyo County, 
High Sierras, altitude 11,300. It 
was a land of contrasts, burning 
bright by day and freezing cold by 
night. The vivid green of new grass 
mocked the retreating snow-banks, 
and the dull green of clustering pines 
stood out against a background of 
glaciers and precipices. The very 
bush in which the nest sat had so 
recently escaped the confinement of 
the wintry drifts that its leaves were 
only half grown, and its tenant stood 
out to view at a hundred feet; yet 
here sat Mrs. Wrighti on four creamy 
white eggs, and she braved hostile 
notice as she had braved the moun¬ 
tain storms. She fled, indeed, when 
I wiggled her tail with my forefinger, 
but that was only the first time. 
We were better friends after that. 
The next day she allow'ed us to cut 
our way through the patch of brush 
to where the nest stood; she allowed 
me to set up the tripod camera at 
two feet; and she sat for half second 
exposures without even winking. At 
the end of an hour, though, she fled 
again, and when she returned she sat 
for some moments on the edge of 
the nest in a pensive daze as though 
undecided whether to sit or to flit. 
Then she sat, and never again did 
she debate the question of her duty. 
Within a week we could do 
almost anything with her, stroke her 
wing feathers, playfully tweak bill 
or tail, thrust a sunburned nose at 
her, or cover her with a hand,—all 
unresisting. Truth to tell, she never 
really enjoyed these stunts, although 
she condescended to accept flies by 
